Volume 1: Bo'an Awakening & The Calamity Storm
Chapter 15
Blazing Away All Doubt
The blazing crimson radiance illuminating the Star Sensing Magic Stone showed no sign of fading. It burned like a miniature sun crowning the summit of Platform Number One, casting a dazzling scarlet glare across the stunned, upturned faces of thousands of students and faculty members packing the Feng Lan arena.
Evaluation: Rank S!
The vivid crimson glyphs flared boldly across the mana display screen. The initial stunned whispers swiftly snowballed into a roaring tempest of furious disbelief and debate.
“An S-Rank? For real?! Isn’t Lin Feng that dead-last slacker from the ordinary class?”
“Six months ago at the Awakening, he couldn’t even afford a single Magic Crystal! How could his Star Core cultivation possibly outpace Young Master Ling?!”
Amid the chaotic uproar, Ling Bai stood in the elite class section, his aristocratic, handsome features violently distorted. His fists, hidden beneath his wide sleeves, were clenched so tightly that his nails bit deep into his palms, threatening to draw blood. How many precious spirit elixirs had he ingested? How many fortunes’ worth of top-tier clan resources had he burned through just to barely scrape an A-Rank? He had been utterly certain that today would be his solo coronation, his undisputed moment in the spotlight. Yet now, the son of a pathetic hired cargo driver who hauled freight for his family’s logistics fleet had audaciously stomped him beneath his boots with an unquestionable, peerless S-Rank!
“Impossible! This is utter, unadulterated nonsense!”
A shrill, furious roar tore through the deafening noise. Ling Gang—the Ling Clan deacon adorned in snow-silver embroidered robes—slammed his palm down against the rosewood table with enough force to send official dossiers flying. His trembling finger pointed straight at Lin Feng:
“Fraud! There is blatant fraud in this assessment! What right does the spawn of a destitute laborer have to attain an S-Rank in Star Sensing?! This examiner suspects he secretly coated his palms with forbidden mana-conducting powder—or that this magic stone has been tampered with!”
Below the stage, Li Peng leaped up like an enraged hound, eagerly chiming in: “Exactly! His family is dirt-poor, begging for scraps! How could he ever surpass Big Brother Ling Bai? I demand this fraudulent result be annulled and that he be expelled from Feng Lan High on the spot!”
Such shameless, brazen slander made Homeroom Teacher Kang Mu tremble with righteous fury. Striding forward, he planted himself firmly in front of Lin Feng, his voice ringing out hard as forged steel:
“Ling Gang! You are an official examiner dispatched by the municipal education board—maintain the dignity of a licensed mage! This Star Sensing Magic Stone was personally inspected, calibrated, and sealed by the school’s leadership council just this morning! Every single student stepping onto this platform must pass through the demagnetizing resonance scanner. How could any foreign substance possibly go unnoticed? To spew such baseless slander... are you trying to drag the honorable name of Feng Lan High through the dirt?!”
“Kang Mu! You dare speak to a deacon of my Ling Clan in that insolent tone?!” Ling Gang’s eyes bulged with venom, his body flaring with the suffocating mana pressure of a 3rd Tier Primary Mage. “Unless he proves his practical combat capability with his own hands, this examiner will never sign off on his evaluation!”
Upon the high VIP dais, seated at the center in a cushioned leather armchair, Principal Qin—the grizzled, ash-robed veteran archmage—sat in contemplative silence. His bushy brows twitched slightly. His piercing gaze swept past Ling Gang and settled intently upon the sixteen-year-old youth standing at the epicenter of the storm. He wanted to see whether Lin Feng would cower and submit, or show the unyielding spine of a true, untamed prodigy.
Amid the howling accusations and thousands of suspicious, scrutinizing gazes, Lin Feng took a calm, deliberate step forward.
The red woolen scarf knitted by his little sister, Xiao Mo, fluttered gently in the biting winter wind. The youth’s dark eyes were as serene as an ancient, frozen lake, devoid of even a sliver of panic.
He looked straight into Ling Gang’s tyrannical, sneering face, his tone razor-sharp:
“Examiner Ling, all this bluster of yours really boils down to one simple truth: you cannot stomach the fact that both you and your noble Ling Clan’s prized scions are inferior to an ordinary-class student like me.”
“Insolent cur! You impudent little brat, you dare utter such reckless slander before your superiors?!” Ling Gang’s face flushed an ugly purplish-red.
“Did I say a single word that wasn’t true?” Lin Feng didn’t raise his voice, yet every syllable resonated across the field like the tolling of a bronze bell. “You claim the Star Sensing Magic Stone can be faked? Very well. Let us cast aside this parlor game of measuring ambient glow. Isn’t the second phase of this midterm assessment the practical release of combat magic? Want to prove real talent versus fraud? Fine! Save your breath and stop barking like a dog... Bring out the targets!”
The entire drill grounds plunged into a tomb-like silence.
Every student stared at Lin Feng in dumbfounded shock. A practical spell release?!
For high school students who had only awakened their elements six months ago, subduing three to four Star Cores was already considered stellar. Even Ling Bai, who gorged on Magic Crystals every single day, had only managed to tame his fifth star; he was still miles away from linking all seven stars into a complete Star Path!
Without a Star Path, how could one possibly cast a spell? Releasing magic in a real combat scenario demanded unshakeable mental fortitude. The slightest tremor of panic or hesitation would instantly shatter the delicate mana alignment, triggering a catastrophic magical backlash that could permanently cripple one’s Sea of Consciousness!
Ling Bai burst into derisive laughter: “Lin Feng, oh Lin Feng, and here I thought you actually had some hidden card to play! Turns out you’re nothing more than a cornered dog barking at the moon! Daring to boast about casting a real spell? Fine! I’ll stand right here and watch how you connect seven Star Cores in front of the entire school!”
Up on the viewing dais, Ling Gang sneered with icy venom: “Splendid! You brought this upon yourself! Attendants, bring out the military training targets! If you fail to cast a spell, the charge of academic fraud will be ratified immediately, and you will be expelled on the spot!”
Principal Qin gave a faint, approving nod.
Four field attendants swiftly dragged out three reinforced, human-sized straw effigies, staking their heavy iron bases deep into the compacted earth at the center of the arena. Each effigy was woven from fire-resistant elemental straw, sheathed on the outside with three-inch-thick Ironwood Pine armor plating—the heavy-duty timber armor standard-issued to military frontline recruits, renowned for its formidable kinetic and magical dispersion properties.
The three armored effigies stood in a rigid row, stationed exactly twenty meters from the casting line. The freezing wind hissed through the grooved seams of the timber armor, howling with an ominous hum. Over two thousand pairs of eyes converged simultaneously upon the white line. The tension in the air was pulled taut as a fully drawn bowstring.
In the front row of Class Eight, Zhang Hu’s palms were drenched in cold sweat as he muttered under his breath: “Brother Feng... you’ve got this...”
Lin Feng stepped up to the white casting mark.
Twenty meters—the golden standard for a mid-range tactical assault. He stood with his back straight as a javelin, feet set shoulder-width apart, the hem of his faded school uniform snapping vigorously in the frigid gale.
Ling Bai folded his arms, a vicious sneer curling on his lips as he cursed internally: Snap! Break! Suffer the backlash! Let’s see how a dirt-poor peasant like you endures having his soul ripped apart by shattered mana!
Yet Lin Feng remained utterly unperturbed. He gently closed his eyes.
A mere half-second!
All ambient jeers, whispers, and wind melted away from his consciousness. The noisy physical world receded into nonexistence, replaced by the boundless, tranquil expanse of his inner Sea of Consciousness.
Resting against his chest, the black jade Primordial Dragon Pendant grew pleasantly warm against his skin, channeling a soothing current of purer-than-pure vitality into his meridians. It elevated his mental focus to an unprecedented, sovereign peak. Within his spiritual sea, all seven crimson Star Cores danced with incandescent vigor, eagerly awaiting their master’s command like loyal soldiers primed for war.
Fire Star Path... Align!
The command rang out within his soul. In that very instant, a brilliant thread of searing crimson light erupted from the first Star Core! It whipped across the celestial void, lacing through the second, the third, the fourth... chaining all seven crimson stars together into a flawless, unbroken circuit of radiant flame that bridged the cosmos of his mind!
Boom!
Lin Feng’s eyes snapped open! Twin embers of roaring flame ignited within the youth’s dark pupils!
Fwoosh——!
A deep, guttural roar shredded the frozen silence!
The atmosphere surrounding Lin Feng instantly boiled like an alchemical furnace! Right above his raised right palm, an orb of pure, incandescent crimson fire erupted into existence, swirling furiously into a sphere the size of a ceramic bowl! Fierce tongues of flame spiraled violently around his wrist, radiating a blistering, suffocating heatwave that sent his jet-black hair whipping into the air!
Up on the evaluation platform, Ling Gang’s eyes bulged so hard the veins threatened to burst. The calligraphy brush clutched between his fingers snapped cleanly in two with a sharp crack!
As for Ling Bai, he felt as if a thunderbolt had struck him square in the forehead. The mocking sneer froze solid on his face, his jaw trembling uncontrollably: “Impossible... He... he really linked a complete Star Path?!”
Lin Feng didn’t hesitate for even a fraction of an instant.
His right foot planted firmly against the earth as an anchor. His hips twisted in a seamless, explosive pivot, and his right arm whipped forward like an iron scourge tearing through the sky!
His voice boomed like rolling thunder across the heavens:
“Fire Burst: Crimson Sparks!”
Whoosh——!
The crimson fireball tore free from Lin Feng’s palm, transforming into a roaring meteor that streaked across the open expanse! Its flight speed was breathtakingly fast, tracing a blistering scarlet trajectory that ripped through the frigid mountain gale sweeping down from Cang Lei Ridge, leaving behind a scorching trail of white vapor and the pungent ozone of incinerated mana!
A distance of twenty meters was crossed in the span of a single heartbeat!
BOOM——CRASH!
An earth-shattering explosion detonated in the dead center of the drill grounds!
The fireball slammed with pinpoint precision directly into the chest of the middle armored effigy! A concussive thermal shockwave erupted violently outwards; the three-inch-thick Ironwood Pine armor violently ruptured, dense wood grain splintering into thousands of flying burning shards!
The concentrated, unadulterated Fire mana latched onto the fire-resistant straw underneath like hungry beasts, igniting into a ferocious inferno. Scarlet flames lashed out wildly with deafening, ear-piercing crackles. Billowing plumes of black smoke surged skyward, accompanied by a blistering heatwave that slammed directly into the faces of the front-row spectators!
One second! The thick, military-grade timber armor was reduced to glowing embers!
Two seconds! The entire two-meter-tall effigy was utterly consumed by a ravenous sea of crimson flame!
Three seconds! The inferno surged with one final blinding roar before collapsing into the air!
Before the stunned eyes of the evaluation committee and over two thousand spectators, the heavily fortified target had vanished completely! All that remained upon the blackened, scorched earth was a smoldering pile of pitch-black ash, wisps of gray smoke curling lazily upward!
A gust of cold mountain wind swept across the field, scattering the swirling soot into the frigid air.
In just three short seconds, an armored target designed to withstand military bombardment had been wiped from existence!
A suffocating, petrified silence clamped down upon the entire grounds of Feng Lan High.
Not a whisper. Not a single person dared to draw a breath. Thousands of spectators stood frozen like stone statues, their eyes glued in dumbfounded shock to the straight, unyielding silhouette of the sixteen-year-old youth standing at the casting line.
Wisps of fading sparks drifted lazily from Lin Feng’s right palm as he slowly lowered his arm to his side. He casually dusted off his sleeve, his calm, indifferent gaze sweeping up toward Ling Gang, who was now trembling so violently that every drop of color had drained from his face.
“Examiner Ling, the target has been burned to ash. Do you have any further doubts you wish to raise?”
Every single word fell like a resounding, stinging slap across the Ling Clan deacon’s arrogant face! Ling Gang’s mouth hung open, his vocal cords paralyzed, incapable of squeezing out even a whimper. His entire body slumped into his chair like a deflated sack, cold sweat completely drenching his ornate robes.
And Ling Bai? The young master’s face was drained of all life, ghastly pale as a corpse. His knees buckled, and he would have collapsed straight onto the gravel had Li Peng not frantically scrambled forward to support him. A flawless Fire Burst... cast in less than half a second... reducing reinforced Ironwood Pine armor to ash in three seconds flat... Just what kind of ungodly monster was this?!
A deep, creeping terror took root in the deepest recesses of Ling Bai’s soul. The shadow of the destitute peasant he had looked down upon with contempt for so long had suddenly transformed into an insurmountable, towering volcano, crushing his pride and spirit to dust!
“ROAR——!!!”
After several heartbeats of stunned paralysis, the entire drill grounds detonated like an erupting volcano!
“Heavens above! Ash! It actually incinerated the armored target to ash in three seconds!”
“Fire Burst: Crimson Sparks! An ordinary-class student who only awakened six months ago just cast a complete, combat-tier spell!”
“Holy crap! Lin Feng is an absolute god! Slapping those arrogant noble bastards right in their smug faces! The undisputed number one genius of Feng Lan High!”
The deafening roars, cheers, and thunderous applause of thousands of commoner students erupted like rolling thunder!
Homeroom Teacher Kang Mu stood upon the platform, his eyes rimmed with red and brimming with fierce, vindicated tears. His thin, calloused hands clapped together so hard his palms were stinging crimson. Looking down at his student, a radiant, triumphant smile spread across his weathered face—the proudest, happiest smile he had worn in his entire life.
Amid the deafening ocean of cheers, Principal Qin rose from his seat of honor. The dignified elder’s weathered face was flushed with unreserved admiration. With steady, stately strides, he walked down from the VIP dais and headed straight toward the central grounds.
The sea of students automatically parted, making way with reverent awe for the leader of the school.
Principal Qin halted before Lin Feng. He clamped a heavy, approving hand down upon the youth’s shoulder twice with loud, resonant thuds, letting out a boisterous laugh:
“Good! Truly magnificent! As expected of the crimson seed of my Feng Lan High! Six months of silent, bitter cultivation, culminating in a single breathtaking strike that blazed away all doubt! In this midterm assessment, your practical combat score deserves nothing less than an absolute S!”
Principal Qin turned and signaled with a wave of his hand. The vice principal stepped forward with utmost reverence, carrying an elegant tray draped in plush black velvet. Resting atop the tray was an ornate metallic crest badge radiating a sleek silver sheen, its center embedded with a teardrop-shaped sapphire that pulsed with pure, refreshing ripples of elemental mana.
“Lin Feng,” Principal Qin’s voice turned solemn and resonant, echoing across the grounds: “With your absolute Dual S-Rank achievement in both Star Sensing and Practical Spell Release, you stand undisputed as the supreme student across the entire senior class this year! This is the Key Crest to Feng Lan High’s Subterranean Meditation Chamber!”
“Starting from this very moment, you are granted full, exclusive access to Cultivation Room Number One deep within the subterranean facility for the entire semester! The elemental mana concentration down there is triple that of the surface world—it shall serve as the most magnificent launchpad for your magical journey!”
The Subterranean Meditation Chamber! Triple mana density!
Those words caused countless elite-class students to swallow hard, their eyes burning with intense envy. That was the sacred ground that Ling Bai had coveted to the point of obsession—yet now, it had been claimed by Lin Feng openly, proudly, and indisputably!
“Thank you, Principal Qin. I will not fail your expectations, nor those of the school.”
Lin Feng accepted the cool metallic badge from Principal Qin’s hands and slipped it into his inner pocket. Feeling the rich, surging vitality radiating from the sapphire, the corner of his lips curled into a faint smile. A meditation chamber with three times the mana density... Combined with the Primordial Dragon Pendant, not only could he accelerate his Fire Element cultivation to terrifying heights, but he could also secretly cultivate and forge the Star Path of his Lightning Element without risking exposure!
However, the very moment his fingers tightened around the crest badge, a sudden prickle of icy dread crawled up his spine!
The spiritual resonance of the Primordial Dragon Pendant hummed with a sharp, subtle warning!
Lin Feng abruptly turned his head, his sharp gaze cutting toward the crimson maple woods situated on the outer perimeter of the arena, over a hundred meters away.
Amid the rustling scarlet leaves swaying in the biting gale, a figure clad in a dark, weathered trench coat stood concealed deep within the shadows. The figure remained dead-still, coldly observing Lin Feng’s every move with eyes as chilling and lethal as a venomous serpent...
That person did not carry the demeanor of school faculty, nor did they possess the haughty arrogance of the Ling Clan. Who were they? Why were they watching him with such raw, undisguised killing intent?
A cold gust of wind whipped across the hem of Lin Feng’s uniform, carrying a faint, repulsive metallic stench of blood past the youth’s nose—a grim omen of the violent, treacherous undercurrents poised to engulf Bo’an City...