Chapter 5: The Minister’s Invitation

Chapter 5: The Minister’s Invitation

The plain tone was less like a command and yet more commanding.

The students, who had been in an uproar below the stage, fell silent at the beauty’s words.

Then, whether from the Immortal Path Department, the Demonic Path Department, or the Martial Path Department, everyone quietly dispersed without further discussion.

Qin Zhe, standing to the side, was dumbfounded. He thought to himself, could this be what a big shot looks like?

Wait!

Could this beauty be the Minister?

Qin Zhe looked at the woman before him in surprise.

One sentence silenced the chaotic scene and dissolved the crowd on the spot. Even the fanatics from the Demonic Path Department behaved obediently. How many people like this could be found in the academy?

Not to mention the obvious fact that this beauty was a student. Even if she were a teacher, a single sentence might not carry such weight!

Swallowing nervously, Qin Zhe cautiously probed, “Minister, what are you doing here?”

“She Ming informed me. He said you caused trouble and asked me to come see for myself.”

The beauty replied, her clear, watery eyes fixed intently on him, as if trying to see through him.

Qin Zhe felt a chill crawl up his spine under her gaze but at least confirmed her identity.

Feeling relieved he hadn’t asked who she was earlier, Qin Zhe awkwardly smiled.

“Minister, sorry for the trouble. This wasn’t something I wanted to escalate to the arena. It was Zhou Wentong who…”

Before he could finish, the Minister gently shook her head.

“She Ming has already told me what happened. Those Demonic Path folks do deserve a lesson, but that’s the end of it. No more disturbances.”

“Understood!” Qin Zhe nodded vigorously.

No kidding!

This woman was a real powerhouse!

To walk proudly through Ocean City University, one must keep her on their side!

However, when he recalled the Minister just inviting him to team up to capture a spirit beast in the secret realm, Qin Zhe felt a flicker of unease.

His counter-shock talent was undeniably powerful.

But right now, he could only take hits and had to be in direct contact.

From what the Minister said, the spirit beast she wanted to capture seemed very important. Would teaming up with her only hold her back?

Seemingly aware of his thoughts, the Minister said, “Consider it agreed that you’ll help with capturing the spirit beast. Don’t worry too much about it. The beast is extremely wary; once contacted, there’s only one chance to strike. I need time to prepare a trapping formation, and before that, someone must hold it off. Originally, I planned to find a senior martial arts student adept at close combat, but I didn’t expect you to be so well hidden. You’ll make things easier.”

So she only needed a “meat shield” to draw the beast’s attention?

Qin Zhe raised his eyebrows and nodded, finally feeling reassured.

Seeing that the crowd at the arena had mostly dispersed, the Minister casually tossed a cyan fruit toward him.

“This is a Qingling Fruit, a spiritual fruit that significantly improves physique. It’s excellent for martial artists. I put in a lot of effort to get it, so consider it your reward for teaming up with me.”

With that, she rose effortlessly into the air and vanished in an instant.

On the arena stage, Qin Zhe looked up, watching the Minister’s ethereal figure disappear, and couldn’t help but click his tongue.

No wonder she’s the Minister!

The academy forbids casual flight, yet she flew here and flew away—truly commanding!

Playing with the Qingling Fruit in his hand, Qin Zhe didn’t think much of it and took a bite.

The Qingling Fruit’s function was to improve physique.

Qin Zhe thought it probably wouldn’t work for him since his physique stat had disappeared. How could it improve?

Unexpectedly, after his bite, a prompt popped up on his status bar.

Prompt: First intake of a heavenly spiritual object, awakening the Talent Essence Conversion.

Talent Essence Conversion explanation: Absorbs spiritual energy from consuming heavenly spiritual objects and converts it into essence points, which automatically transform into potential points proportionally.

Additional prompt: Permanent talents can be toggled on or off as needed by focusing your consciousness on the relevant talent.

Qin Zhe was briefly stunned. The status bar had a prompt function too?

Excited, he finished the Qingling Fruit in no time.

Potential points!

The precious potential points he had long dreamed of!

He had finally unlocked a way to gain potential points. His path to cultivation was hopeful at last!

But after finishing the whole fruit, Qin Zhe frowned again.

Race: Human (atavism 20%)

Talents: Counter-Shock, Essence Conversion (1%)

Potential points: 0

Divine Sense: 0

Spiritual Energy: 0

Realm: None

Divine Ability: None

This talent related to eating didn’t seem as great as he had imagined.

Although the Minister hadn’t said how rare the Qingling Fruit was, even Qin Zhe could tell it wasn’t cheap.

One whole fruit for just 1%? Who could afford to eat like this?

Shaking his head, Qin Zhe left the arena and quietly deactivated his Counter-Shock talent for the time being.

Counter-Shock automatically triggers when taking hits and can’t be controlled. Turning it off could avoid accidental harm.

...

Leaving the arena, Qin Zhe chose to return directly to the dormitory.

The Martial Path Department had self-study in the afternoon; skipping it was no big deal.

After causing that scene in the arena, going back to the classroom might only bring more trouble.

To Qin Zhe’s dismay, no sooner had he stepped into the dormitory than Gu Ming suddenly appeared from somewhere.

“Old Qin! Finally got to wait for you!”

Gu Ming’s face was flushed as he grabbed Qin Zhe by the arm just inside the door.

“I was worried you’d lose to Zhou Wentong, so I immediately informed the president when I heard. Didn’t expect you to thrash him! Awesome!”

He chuckled.

“Old Qin! You’re definitely famous now. Don’t forget your bros in your glory! Tell me, is your counter-shock martial skill some kind of legendary ancient martial art?”

“Ancient martial art?”

Qin Zhe was speechless, feeling torn between laughter and tears.

Just walking in and seeing Gu Ming waiting was obviously a trap; the guy had been lying in wait in the dorm.

Helpless, Qin Zhe answered evasively.

“Don’t guess wildly. It’s inconvenient for me to explain my martial skills to you right now.”

“Tsk! That’s not cool!”

Gu Ming frowned, displeased by the lack of an answer.

“I know it’s rude to pry into others’ foundations, but come on, we’re brothers. Besides…”

Halfway through, Gu Ming suddenly changed his tone oddly.

“Oh, right, there’s something you might want to watch out for.”

“What is it?”

Qin Zhe frowned, feeling uneasy from Gu Ming’s jumpy manner.

“Those Demonic Path guys usually look down on us Martial Path folks. You publicly beating Zhou Wentong is like slapping them in the face. Someone’s bound to be unhappy.”

Gu Ming said seriously.

“In a few days, the midterm exams will be held in the secret realm. Everyone has to go in. Remember to be careful there. The secret realm isn’t like the academy; it’s vast and complex. Even if something happens, it might not reach the outside world.”

(End of chapter)