Chapter 65
She recalled the files and quickly called out: “Wu Jin, Su Bei, Li Shu, Si Zhaohua, Zhao Xiaoyu, Lan Subing, Wu Mingbai, you’re one group, with Si Zhaohua as captain. The rest are another group… Jiang Tianming as captain.”
She’d clearly studied, as this split broke up many cliques. Jiang Tianming’s group, Si Zhaohua’s group, Feng Lan and Su Bei… all separated.
But Su Bei noticed something interesting: the teachers definitely went easy on Wu Jin. The only two he was somewhat familiar with—Su Bei and Zhao Xiaoyu—were both in his group.
Truly a connected guy.
Meanwhile, they’d arrived. It was a small inn with a distinctive exterior, not large but tall, its top floor resembling a clock tower.
Inside, it was a different world.
This “different world” wasn’t about lavish beauty but clever space use. A narrow building should feel cramped with furniture, but it didn’t, instead feeling cozy.
A ticking wooden clock on the wall, reddish-brown armchairs, an old man in a Tang suit with gold-rimmed glasses at the counter… everything exuded an antique charm.
“Old Yang, I brought guests!” the man called cheerfully, then turned enthusiastically to Ye Lin: “Don’t let the size fool you—this inn’s unique, rooms are spotless, and the price is negotiable.”
The man called “Old Yang” adjusted his glasses and came from behind the counter. He looked in his fifties or sixties but sturdy: “How many people?”
“Fifteen,” Ye Lin said politely.
“That’ll fit,” Old Yang smiled, patting the man’s shoulder. “Good job, kid! I didn’t raise you for nothing!”
He turned back to Ye Lin, clearly seeing she was in charge: “Shall I show you the rooms?”
While they checked the rooms, Jiang Tianming looked at Ling You. Though she was in Class S, he’d barely spoken to her or seen her Ability. Despite her saying it was [Plague], he knew nothing specific.
“Ling You, how does your Ability work?”
“Many ways—venom, gas. I’m not suited for the front line,” Ling You said, her voice as cool as her demeanor, but she wasn’t disobedient.
With that, Jiang Tianming had a plan and took his team aside.
After they left, Si Zhaohua, named captain, didn’t rest, calling his team over: “Let’s form a formation. Circle up, weaker attackers in the center.”
“Li Shu, Wu Jin, Zhao Xiaoyu in the middle. I’ll lead, Su Bei, you take the rear. Lan Subing and Wu Mingbai take the left and right.”
His arrangement showed Si Zhaohua’s assertiveness, leaving no room for choice. But it was reasonable, so no one objected.
Wu Mingbai and Lan Subing walked together, Wu Mingbai joking softly: “Back then, I’d have stirred trouble for him.”
Their past was tense; he’d never miss a chance to mess with Si Zhaohua’s decisions.
Lan Subing, knowing the history, laughed: “If it was still then, this class would be lively.”
With no issue on the formation, Su Bei idly observed the inn. It felt more like a home than an inn, the only oddity being a magazine rack full of magazines.
Magazines were rare in the smartphone era, but for travelers at a hotel, they were worth a look.
Thinking this, Su Bei raised a brow and walked to the rack. The teachers soon decided to stay, booking one triple and six double rooms. The triple was for the three teachers, old friends who often went to Different Spaces together, unbothered by sharing.
Sleeping arrangements differed from activities, especially for their first stay outside. Ye Lin didn’t want midnight drama, so she paired familiar people.
Unsurprisingly, Su Bei and Feng Lan shared a room. They went to check for issues. Feng Lan first examined an oil painting on the wall, then stood by the window to admire the view.
Su Bei, sitting on the bed, watched him, amused: “You like this room?”
“Yeah,” Feng Lan nodded. His room at home was far grander, but it lacked this room’s liveliness. He genuinely preferred it.
But he knew staying a day or two was novel; long-term, he might not adjust.
“It’s pretty nice,” Su Bei said, scanning the room. Though small, it was clean and tidy—key for an inn.
After settling their things, they gathered outside.
Old Yang had seen all sorts of travelers. Others might only see this was an Ability Academy team, but he saw deeper.
For one, none of the three teachers looked simple. The students’ Abilities were likely strong, or such teachers wouldn’t lead them.
Old Yang smiled, slowly returning to his armchair, picking up the book he’d set face-down on the table to read.
In a flash, Su Bei and the others reached the plaza before the Different Space. The entrance was a two-meter-high black hole-like void by a mountain, like a tunnel carved into it.
The entrance was tightly cordoned off with barriers, guarded by security. Only those registered and paid could enter.
Lei Ze’en handled the payment, while Meng Huai and Ye Lin waited with the students.
Su Bei, bored, fiddled with his phone, not playing, just spinning it.
Something should happen soon, right? he thought. The protagonist group was all here—a perfect chance for trouble. Hadn’t it been too quiet?
As he thought this with “malice,” another group arrived at the plaza—two teachers with a bunch of students.
Here we go!
Su Bei perked up, stepping back slightly to blend into the group, avoiding any stray hits if things went down.
Jiang Tianming caught his movement out of the corner of his eye, puzzled but not asking since they were in public.
As mentioned, there were only three Ability Academies in the country, so teachers often knew each other. Ye Lin, as School Nurse, attended many events and recognized the roughly forty-year-old lead teacher opposite.
He positioned his team, then walked over with a very young teacher, smiling: “Teacher Ye, long time no see. You’re here for student training too?”
Ye Lin nodded: “Yeah, showing them the world.”
She glanced at his students. They looked more mature and taller—likely third-years.
Usually, crowded, partially developed Different Spaces suited new Ability users. They could learn the process and find help in danger.
Bringing third-years here suggested they weren’t strong, likely with little training experience.
While the teachers chatted, the other students approached. Their height showed Su Bei’s group was younger. Assuming they were second-years, they felt a senior’s pride.
“First time out?” a tall, burly boy asked, his eyes subtly arrogant.
Though subtle, everyone in the Endless Ability Academy, except Mo Xiaotian, was sharp enough to catch his attitude.
They lost interest in talking, but Mu Tieren answered politely: “Yes.”
“Second-years out already? Your school’s tough. Don’t get stuck in the Different Space,” someone from their back row said loudly.
The lead youth turned, feigning a glare: “What’re you blabbing about?”
He turned back to Mu Tieren, apologetic: “Sorry, he’s used to nonsense. Your school’s plan must have its reasons.”
Meng Huai and Lei Ze’en exchanged glances, both amused. Student rivalries were nostalgic, and they wanted to see how this Class S would handle it.
His provocation wasn’t clever. Mu Tieren’s face cooled: “Guess we think differently. I think waiting longer to go to the Different Space is tougher on us.”
This wasn’t just a jab—he meant it. Delaying meant fewer training chances. With teachers, it was safer than post-graduation trials. Late exposure harmed them.
“Don’t say that,” Wu Mingbai said, smiling to “smooth things over.” “He’s got a point.”
The other students smirked, ready to mock.
But before they could, Wu Mingbai continued: “Weaker students should come later. Losing face for the school’s one thing, but losing their lives? That’s worse.”
Jiang Tianming, his long-time friend, synced perfectly. Right after, he let out a deliberate scoff, as if he couldn’t hold it.
Maximum mockery. The opponents’ faces flushed and paled. They caught Wu Mingbai’s meaning—they were too weak, only training in third year?
“Ha? You calling us weak?” a hot-tempered boy snapped, ignoring that they provoked first.
A girl beside him sneered, “If a real strong one said that, fine. But you…”
She didn’t finish, but her disdainful look said it all.
Their team backed them up. The lead youth smiled: “Don’t blame them for harsh words. They’re just worried you’ll suffer out there.”
“Exactly!” another teammate chimed in. “That white-haired guy looks frail, huh? Wow, the pink-haired one’s something else! What’s the term? Fragile and helpless, yeah, that’s it! The hat guy’s a weirdo. And the blue-haired girl—mask to hide her face? This team, tsk tsk tsk…”
The earlier girl, like a hype man, laughed exaggeratedly: “The old, weak, sick, and disabled team!”
Those few words ignited everyone’s anger.
Su Bei glanced expressionlessly at their heads. Their small and large pointers all leaned toward failure—no room for him to act.
Starting a fight now was unwise. In a verbal spar, the first to swing lost. Jiang Tianming stepped forward calmly: “Old? You’re older. Weak? Third-years just training speaks for itself. Sick? That pale-faced guy’s the real sick one, right? Disabled? Well, brain-dead’s a disability.”
He sneered, strikingly handsome: “Need I say who’s the old, weak, sick, and disabled team?”
In an argument, staying calm wins half the battle. Jiang Tianming’s reasoned retort left them speechless.
The other academy’s students wanted to fight to prove themselves. Even if Jiang Tianming’s group had stronger Abilities, they’d trained at least a year more and felt confident.
But with their teachers nearby, fighting wasn’t an option. The lead youth glared maliciously: “Sharp tongue. Call us old? Hope you live to our age!”
Finally, their two teachers approached. They’d noticed the spat but, like Meng Huai, wanted to see their students’ response.
Clearly, their side provoked first and lost the verbal fight. To the teachers, trash-talking was fine, but starting a fight and losing was embarrassing.
They hurried over, stone-faced, and led their team away without a goodbye.
After they left, Meng Huai approached, pleased: “Well done, didn’t shame our school. In the Different Space, they’ll likely pick a fight. Then you can act. Don’t win the talk and lose the fight.”
“Teacher, which school are they from?” Si Zhaohua asked calmly. Though they won the verbal spar, he didn’t want to be insulted for nothing. He never shied from using his background.
“Skydome Ability Academy,” Meng Huai said, giving him a meaningful look. “Don’t go overboard.”
“Hey, Li Shu, you weren’t mad?” Zhao Xiaoyu asked curiously.
After a month, she knew her Class S classmates’ personalities. The guy had named four—Feng Lan, Wu Jin, Lan Subing, Li Shu.
The first three weren’t confrontational, but Li Shu, despite his gentle facade and calm demeanor, was vengeful.
With Class S classmates he’d spend three years with, he maintained his gentle persona, tolerating them.
But if outsiders provoked him, he’d retaliate instantly. Early in training, onlookers mocked him. Li Shu used his Ability to trap one in an illusion, making them streak around the field for ten laps.
When teachers investigated, he innocently said: “He asked for it. He said, ‘If it were me, I wouldn’t be that tired.’ So I gave him a chance to prove it. I even lightened him for easier running.”
Such a person, facing another academy’s mockery, held back?
Li Shu tilted his head, his pink hair making him look cute: “Why would I be mad?”
As Zhao Xiaoyu puzzled, Su Bei knowingly asked: “What’d you do?”
Only after retaliating would he be calm.
Li Shu smiled sweetly: “Su Bei, you know me so well. I just gave them some nightmares.”
His [Illusion] had wide uses—suggestion, creating illusion worlds, projecting images, and even altering dreams.
Just that? Su Bei looked at him thoughtfully but didn’t ask. He didn’t want another “you know me so well”—it creeped him out.
Meeting Su Bei’s gaze, Li Shu looked innocent. He’d only given them nightmares, but nightmares didn’t have to be at night, right?
Meanwhile, Skydome Ability Academy’s lead teacher, Teacher Li, sneered at his disheveled students: “Back home, double training for all. Starting a fight and losing—embarrassing!”
The younger teacher was also mad but soothed Teacher Li: “Don’t be angry, Teacher Li. The real test is in the Different Space.”
A girl in their team quickly said: “I’ve marked their scents. In the Different Space, I can find them anytime.”
The burly captain clenched his fists, glaring: “They’re just good at talking. In the Different Space, they’ll see real strength.”
Teacher Li didn’t argue. He believed they could win. A year’s extra training wasn’t for nothing, right?
He was more worried about the three teachers opposite. With only two on their side, they might not match up.
“Teacher Xiao Wang, know them? Besides Ye Lin,” Teacher Li asked.
Unlike other teachers, he was self-taught, not trained at an Ability Academy in his youth.
This wasn’t rare. Some awakened Ability users didn’t realize it immediately, and discovering it later could delay things.
Ability users were few, and some ordinary people didn’t even know the Ability world existed, let alone find an Ability Academy.
Teacher Li was such a case, discovering his Ability at twenty. Too old for school, he paid a fortune to apprentice under an Ability user.
His Ability was strong, and years of hard training led him to become a Skydome Ability Academy teacher two years ago.
Thus, he knew few teachers from other academies, only recognizing Ye Lin from a few encounters.
But Xiao Wang wasn’t sure either: “The chubby teacher probably teaches third-years, not sure why he’s with this team. The other, I don’t know.”
“Probably no big names,” Teacher Li relaxed, looking at the captain. “If we meet, I won’t let them interfere. Beat those students, but don’t go too far. Call it a fair spar.”
“No worries, Teacher,” the captain patted his chest confidently. “We’ll make them pay.”
Back to the protagonists, during their spat, Ye Lin had efficiently registered and paid.
Hearing Meng Huai, she glared at the instigator: “Tickets are bought. Follow me to line up. Listen to orders inside. If there’s danger, don’t panic—teachers are always there.”
“I thought Teacher Ye would call out Teacher Meng,” Lan Subing whispered to Ai Baozhu.
Ai Baozhu nodded. They’d seen Ye Lin glare at Meng Huai, yet she didn’t rebuke him?
Ability users had sharp senses. Though they spoke softly, Ye Lin heard.
She turned, explaining gently: “His instigating was wrong, but the Ability world is full of conflict. Since Skydome Ability Academy’s people have targeted you, you must rise and strike back.”
Lei Ze’en, beside her, said brashly: “Don’t worry, go all out! We’ve got your backs. These few years are the only time you’ll have someone to catch you.”
With familiar people, Lan Subing couldn’t resist quipping: “Feels like Teacher Lei said something sad so cheerfully.”
Amid banter, they lined up and entered the Different Space. This semi-open state-owned Different Space differed from their last one, with a fixed landing point.
Emerging from the black hole, they entered a desert-like world. Their spot had a large canopy, shielding them from the sand.
Professionals had built a base here to prevent Nightmare Beast attacks upon entry. The canopy housed many Ability users—some resting and chatting, others selling supplies.
“Developed Different Space entrances usually have rest stations. Leaving and re-entering requires re-registering and paying, so if you don’t want that, restock here. But prices are much higher,” Ye Lin explained, leading them in.
She glanced outside: “You can buy veils or masks—it’ll be comfier later.”
“I brought masks,” Lan Subing said softly, pulling out her stack of medical masks. “Will these work?”
Ye Lin, unaware Lan Subing brought them for social anxiety, patted her head: “Very prepared. These are fine.”
With a legitimate reason to wear a mask, Lan Subing squinted happily. Taking a blue one, she offered the colorful rest: “Anyone need one?”
No one refused her. Su Bei swiftly grabbed a black one. Black and white were versatile; he rejected the flashy colors.
After masks, they bought headscarves—essential for desert travel, or the sun would fry their heads. Seeing Jiang Tianming and others in pink floral masks, forced by Lan Subing to buy matching scarves, Su Bei smirked gleefully.
But his smile soon faded, his expression turning serious.
Something’s off?
Why was everyone around looking at them like they were a spectacle?