Zhao Xuan couldn't even remember when the young nurse had left.
Her voice still echoed over and over in his mind:
"The Ability User Guild… offers many lucrative bounty missions."
His eyes gradually lit up.
Then, all at once, he slapped his thigh and muttered excitedly,
"That's it! Why didn't I think of this before!? I can just take on missions from the Guild! I can train myself through real combat while earning money to buy Energy Liquid. That way, I'll be able to recover quickly between battles and keep getting stronger—two birds with one stone!"
He grinned, adrenaline rushing through his veins.
"Perfect! That's the plan! Not tomorrow—no, I'll go this afternoon!"
A surge of excitement coursed through him, making it impossible to sit still.
When Zhao Xuan later entered the classroom, his energy seemed to draw every pair of eyes toward him.
"Zhao Xuan!"
A girl from his class stood up, eyes full of curiosity.
"Is it true what everyone's saying? That you beat up all the examiners during your test?"
Zhao Xuan's mouth twitched violently.
Seriously!?
These rumors were getting more outrageous by the minute.
"How could that even be possible?" he said quickly, waving his hands. "I'm just an ordinary high school senior. There's no way I could beat up all the examiners!"
"Ordinary~?"
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone in the class went silent, staring at him blankly.
They couldn't help but think back to how Zhao Xuan had crushed every top student in the school.
Ordinary, my ass!
If he was "ordinary," what did that make them?
Trash?
Everyone silently screamed in their heads.
Then Zhao Xuan continued, his tone completely nonchalant:
"I don't even know who started that rumor! I only knocked out one examiner, and somehow it turned into 'I flattened them all'? I'm not that powerful, come on!"
The classroom erupted.
"Bro, when did you become so humble!?"
"Zhao Xuan, you've changed, man. You've gone full Versailles!"
"Unbelievable…"
Laughter filled the room, and before long, everyone was chatting and teasing each other again.
Zhao Xuan had originally come to school to find his homeroom teacher, Zhong Jianguo,
but as he got caught up in conversation, time slipped by faster than he realized.
Before he knew it, the whole morning was gone.
Later, when he thought back on it, he realized that all they'd really done was talk about high school memories—
little moments, shared jokes, and farewells.
Standing by the school gate, Zhao Xuan exhaled softly.
"Phew… so that's it. My high school life officially ends today."
He turned to take one last look at Tongcheng First High,
the place he'd studied and fought in for three long years.
Then, without hesitation, he turned and walked away.
His destination: The Ability User Guild, located in the center of Tongcheng City.
He stepped up to the front counter.
"Hello," Zhao Xuan said. "I'd like to register."
The staff member, a middle-aged man in uniform, smiled politely.
"Of course, sir. Please fill out this form first."
Zhao Xuan accepted the form and quickly filled in his details—
name, age, date of birth, and other basic information.
After reviewing it, the clerk entered his data into the system and said,
"Alright, Mr. Zhao, the fee for the First-Tier Ability User Exam is one thousand yuan. Would you like to pay by cash or card?"
Zhao Xuan paused.
"What if I want to take the Second-Tier Exam? How much would that cost?"
The clerk raised an eyebrow, eyeing Zhao Xuan carefully.
"The Second-Tier exam fee is ten thousand yuan."
"So expensive?" Zhao Xuan frowned.
"Then what about the Third-Tier exam?"
The clerk's tone turned slightly impatient.
"Third-Tier costs a hundred thousand. So? Are you taking it or not? Please don't hold up the line if you're just asking questions."
"I'll take it."
Zhao Xuan gritted his teeth, pulling out the old bank card his parents had left behind before they mysteriously disappeared.
"I want to take the Third-Tier Ability User Exam."
The clerk's eyebrows shot up.
"Third-Tier? Are you sure about that? Let me warn you first—if you fail, there's no refund. The fees go toward maintaining the Guild and paying the examiners. You'd better think carefully."
He sighed and added,
"Listen, you're what, eighteen? A recent high school graduate, right? Take my advice—start small. Try the First-Tier exam first. The ability users out there are nothing like your school teachers. They have real combat experience, not classroom dueling skills. The kind of fights they've seen… well, you can't learn that from school."
Despite his irritation earlier, the man's tone softened slightly as he spoke.
He could tell from Zhao Xuan's hesitation that this kid probably wasn't rich.
But Zhao Xuan just nodded firmly.
"I'm sure."
The clerk exhaled through his nose and shrugged.
"Fine. Suit yourself."
He swiped Zhao Xuan's card, processed the registration, and handed him a small metal badge.
"This is your exam pass. Go to the arena in the back and wait. The examiner is on the way—you'll get a text when it's your turn."
"Thank you," Zhao Xuan said, bowing slightly before walking off.
Later, when he briefly stopped by his classroom again, it was almost empty.
Most students were still waiting outside for their turn at the combat assessment.
Some had already left for good.
Only a handful remained, chatting about their results—
some beaming with pride,
others sighing in disappointment.
When Zhao Xuan walked in—
Shff! Shff! Shff!
Every head turned toward him instantly.
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