"Baili An?" Old He was first surprised, and then a smile of delight spread across his face.
"You've changed, kid. You look so much more confident and bright than before."
Baili An smiled slightly. Bright? Not exactly.
It was more that the unease and anxiety that used to shadow him had faded.
A change brought on entirely by strength.
Although they hadn't met in over a year, they had stayed in occasional contact via WeChat.
Especially during Baili An's first year after taking a break from school, when he had just started planning his training.
Old He had given him a lot of guidance, offering many valuable suggestions.
"How have you been lately?" Old He asked.
Baili An shrugged and smiled. "As you can see, very well."
Hearing that, Old He patted his shoulder vigorously. "That's good to hear."
In the office, another man had been observing the interaction and suddenly spoke up.
"Baili An… I've heard that name before."
Baili An looked over. The man, sitting in a chair, wore a loose-fitting shirt that did little to hide his muscular build. His gaze was sharp, like lightning, and most strikingly, he had bright blue hair.
"Top of your class when you enrolled. Back when you dropped out, you caused quite a stir. Now that you've awakened an E-rank ability, don't waste your time on trivial things."
Trivial things referred to taking a break from school to train and hunting monsters.
"In the end, you'd only be ruining your own future," the blue-haired teacher said with calm but clearly sarcastic undertones.
"Old An!" Old He's expression turned serious as he glanced at him.
Baili An didn't react to the comment at all. He ignored the man and continued speaking to Old He.
"Teacher, I came to you because I need a favor."
"What is it? Go ahead."
"Do you remember the promise I made before taking my break from school?"
Old He's mind immediately went back to the day Baili An had left school two and a half years ago.
After handling the withdrawal paperwork with Old He's help, Baili An had looked serious and said:
"Teacher, at the shortest, two years. At the longest, by the time of the national selection, I will return. By then, I will be your student in the Supernatural Abilities Department and represent First High School in the selection."
At the time, Old He thought it was merely a motivational goal Baili An had set for himself.
"You mean… participate in the national selection?" Old He asked in surprise.
Seeing Old He's reaction, Baili An smiled faintly.
"Yes. You can personally test my abilities now."
"Huh." The blue-haired teacher chuckled, clearly amused.
His gaze on Baili An was like that of someone watching a fool unaware of his place.
"Kid, if you think a few years of training can make up the gap in abilities, then what's the point of the ranking system?"
"To be this foolish and ignorant is a recipe for embarrassment."
Baili An turned to him with a polite smile.
"Seems like you're quite interested in my progress. How about you test me instead of Teacher He?"
"Oh?" The blue-haired man's aura turned sharp as he stared at Baili An.
Seeing the youth's fearless gaze, a flicker of interest appeared in his cold eyes.
"Doesn't seem like blind arrogance. Anyway, I have some free time, so why not? I'll show you how to respect your teacher and fear the strong."
Old He groaned inwardly, not expecting Baili An to be so bold or for Old An to agree.
He quickly introduced him. "This is Teacher An Lan. He came a couple of years ago and is now the head of the Supernatural Abilities Rocket Class. He's a seventh-tier Lightning ability user."
Seventh-tier? Baili An was slightly surprised.
Seventh-tier was the pinnacle of human power, yet he was teaching at a middle school in Kaiping City?
"Scared?" An Lan asked with a faint chuckle.
"No, I'm looking forward to it. I haven't faced a seventh-tier warrior before."
"You're truly reckless…" An Lan muttered.
He was curious to see what Baili An's confidence was based on.
The school training room.
Most students had left after classes, only a few sparring pairs remained.
Baili An's arrival with Old He and An Lan immediately drew attention.
"Why are Teacher He and Teacher An here? Who's that student with them?"
"Looks like someone's getting a special session. Let's watch closely."
An Lan pointed to a set of weapons along the wall. "Pick any weapon you're comfortable with."
He already knew Baili An's abilities and that there was nothing extraordinary.
Probably just some basic martial arts training.
Baili An scanned the weapons: swords, knives, staffs, spears, and ropes were all available.
He selected a standard Tang Dao.
An Lan picked up a matching sword and casually stood in place. "Come on, give it your all. Any method is allowed."
Baili An tested the weight of the blade, drew it, and noted it wasn't sharpened just for practice.
His opponent was seventh-tier; Baili An knew he couldn't win.
He didn't need to win he only needed to demonstrate his strength to Old He.
Human ability ranks started from first-tier and grew progressively stronger.
First to fifth-tier were judged purely by raw strength, with vague boundaries.
Most supernatural users were stuck at fifth-tier.
The sixth-tier had a clear standard: cultivate psychic power to the "Mysterious Realm."
Reaching the Mysterious Realm improved control over abilities drastically.
A B-rank sixth-tier user might not defeat an A-rank fifth-tier, but could easily surpass their past fifth-tier self.
The difference between fifth and sixth-tier was like the difference between a steam engine and an internal combustion engine.
Seventh-tier was even more distinct like the jump from chemical fuel to nuclear energy.
Baili An estimated that even if there was no elemental disadvantage, he might not beat a seventh-tier, even with the Mangekyō Sharingan.
He adjusted his breathing and readied himself.
His gaze fixed steadily on An Lan. His black eyes shifted to the Sharingan, three-tomoe crimson red.
"?" An Lan was momentarily stunned. "This is…"
He immediately sensed the power in those eyes.
An Lan used psychic sensing on Baili An and felt the depth of his mental strength and the resistance to perception in his gaze.
"Impressive, kid. No wonder you're so confident!"
"A second awakening of abilities such a rare event! And without specialized training, you already possess psychic power equivalent to an A-rank mentalist."
Surprised, not just An Lan, but also Old He.
Before Baili An activated his Sharingan, they would never have noticed anything unusual.
Even with the immense psychic energy he carried, it was no surprise they knew his compatibility with spiritual essence was S-rank.
"You've got tricks up your sleeve I didn't expect," An Lan said with a faint smile.
He showed no anger or shame, only a sense of anticipation.