Chapter 21: Exam Passed, S-Rank
"Junior brother, do you feel any peculiar power surging within you now?"
Fingal poked his head out from the bed, squinting mischievously.
"What kind of magical power? Junior brother, your choice of words and tone make me feel strange," Lu Chen wondered.
"Spiritual power! Spiritual power! Generally, after the 3E exam, new students will awaken their spiritual power. Of course, many half-breed families' new students have already awakened, but you are a wild, oh no, a treasure that was lost outside. You probably haven't awakened your bloodline before," Fingal exclaimed excitedly, curious about what kind of spiritual power Lu Chen, who was likely to be S-rank, would possess.
"Don't you want to ask me how the exam went?" Lu Chen didn't directly answer Fingal's question.
"Oh, what's there to ask about? Junior brother, with your bloodline, the 3E exam is just a piece of cake, right? Or do you want to talk about spiritual power? What kind is it? Combat-oriented, or auxiliary?" Fingal was full of curiosity, not worried at all about Lu Chen's exam, but he didn't know that Lu Chen had purely copied through cheating.
Lu Chen fell silent for a moment, considering how to respond.
"After the exam, it seems that there have been some changes in my body, as if some special power has been added, but I haven't figured it out yet," Lu Chen explained, wanting to see how Fingal would react.
"That's just right. The awakening of spiritual power also requires a process, but there are often some signs before it can be used. For example, there was a student who had a bronze throne spiritual power, and for some time before the awakening, he clearly felt that his strength seemed to be greater than before, until he used the spiritual power in a desperate situation during a practical training task against a dangerous half-breed," Fingal nodded repeatedly, his eyes full of curiosity, almost asking, "What signs did you have, junior brother?"
Lu Chen thought for a moment. "It seems... I feel lighter, and my speed has increased somewhat?"
Fingal sat up from the bed, his face serious. "Junior brother, what specifically has become faster?"
Veins bulged on Lu Chen's forehead. Although he didn't know what Fingal meant by this, it definitely wasn't a compliment.
"Okay... Senior brother is just joking. From what junior brother said, I judge that you are very likely to have awakened a speed-enhancing type of spiritual power, such as Momentary or perhaps Time Zero, which only the principal of the academy possesses. It could also be something else, but either way, it's good news," Fingal chuckled, analyzing.
"Why? Because owners of speed-enhancing spiritual powers are very rare?" Lu Chen asked curiously.
"No, actually, there are quite a few students who possess spiritual powers that enhance their speed, but those with higher-level ones, such as Momentary, are few. And speed-enhancing spiritual powers are usually quite limited," Fingal shook his head.
"Limited?" Lu Chen wondered why Fingal still considered it good news if it was limited.
"That's generally the case because, except for Momentary and Time Zero, the enhancement rate of other speed-enhancing spiritual powers is relatively fixed and limited. Although the basic qualities of half-breeds are high, they are not extraordinary. Even if the speed of an average half-breed is enhanced by one or two times, it's just like that," Fingal explained.
As he spoke, Fingal held up both hands as an example. "Then imagine two half-breeds in a battle: one runs very fast, but not fast enough to evade or lock onto, while the other wields an offensive-type spiritual power, like the Sequence 77 Blaze. With just a wave of their hand, they engulf you in flames, and there's nothing you can do!"
Fingal's left hand moved quickly, flipping up and down in the air, while his right hand vividly grabbed a handful of melon seeds from the bedside. With a loud rustle, he scattered them, and his left hand dodged without fail.
"Oh, I see. But isn't it said that the principal is still the strongest dragon slayer?" Lu Chen countered.
"Yes, exactly! That's why I said it's good news. What I just mentioned is the general situation of half-breeds. But the principal, as well as you, is a different case. With an S-rank super bloodline, you possess extraordinary physical qualities, far surpassing ordinary half-breeds. Your base speed is already extremely high, and with the addition of spiritual power, you'll be as fast as a ghost," Fingal explained, moving his left hand swiftly before grabbing his right wrist and making a pretense of breaking it.
"Except for low-ranking speed-enhancing spiritual powers, if your spiritual power is Momentary or Time Zero, which have growth potential, theoretically, as long as you continue to break through, your speed can increase infinitely. Even bullets won't be able to catch up with you," Fingal explained. He wanted to use melon seeds to imitate bullets and then dodge them, but he didn't do it right, and his left hand still got hit, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Lu Chen nodded. Although Senior Brother Fingal was a bit of a joker, his explanation was clear. Simply put, it was like the old saying from his hometown: "No martial arts can break through the strongest defense, only speed can't be broken."
"Thanks for clearing that up, senior brother. Here, I brought you some pork trotters from the cafeteria," Lu Chen tossed the pork trotters he had brought back from the cafeteria onto the bed, of course, paying with his student (credit) card.
"Junior brother understands me!" Fingal gave a thumbs up, opened the packaging, and started munching on the pork trotters.
Following Fingal's advice, and since he wasn't very good at subjects he had never encountered before, Lu Chen chose Dragon Genealogy (History Department).
Of course, in the first year, there were several mandatory courses in the "science" department that couldn't be avoided, just like how Chu Zihang chose the Alchemy and Machinery Department but still had to take Dragon Genealogy courses.
Two days later, on the day before the start of the new semester, Lu Chen received formal notification from Norma.
He passed the 3E exam, and his bloodline rating was upgraded to S-rank.
AI031718S, this was his final confirmed student ID number, and his student card overdraft limit was said to have been raised.
If he maintained his GPA throughout the year and didn't fail any courses, he could receive a scholarship of up to $36,000, which was a huge sum in today's age.
But these weren't the things that made him the happiest. His mission was complete, and because of the bloodline evaluation based on the S-rank, not only did he have a stay time of 24 months, but he also received additional hidden rewards.
[Dragon Blood Essence]
Origin: Derivative World No. 107823
Rarity: Green
Effect: After use, gain a primary dragon lineage, ignite golden eyes, Strength +1, Agility +1, Constitution +1.
Method of Use: Intravenous injection
[Note: This bloodline has high growth potential, but the current item quality is low and cannot awaken spiritual power. It can be upgraded through similar bloodline items in the future]
During this time, Lu Chen also discovered a new function of the space, which was to view information on certain items. In the system menu, he could see their rarity.
For now, he could only see the qualities of item equipment as white, green, blue, and purple. As for higher levels, he was informed in the system that his permissions were insufficient.
It was called Dragon Blood Essence, but its appearance was a syringe. After Lu Chen completed his mission and clicked on extraction in the menu interface, it automatically appeared in his hand, silent and unnoticed even by Fingal in the dormitory.
It was truly a case of the pillow appearing as soon as one felt sleepy. Lu Chen checked, and this bloodline was completely compatible with his Godly Mystery Bloodline. Not only did it solve the problem of his inability to activate golden eyes without exposing himself, but it also further improved his attributes, which he hadn't been able to enhance for a long time.