"Brother Zhao, aren't you coming?"
Seeing Zhao Xuan standing still without making a move, Lian Jie couldn't help but ask.
Zhao Xuan shook his head.
Even with his physique exceeding a thousand points, his body hadn't suffered any real injury from that terrifying backlash just now.
But still—
Even his strongest move hadn't been able to cause any harm to Lian Jie.
He couldn't even make the man take a single step backward.
There was no point in continuing the fight.
"Brother Zhao, don't be discouraged," Lian Jie said quickly, worried the young man might lose heart. "The gap between Tier-3 and Tier-4 isn't something easily crossed. Tier-3 ability users can stably unleash attacks around the five-hundred-power level. Do you know what the standard is for Tier-4?"
"I don't," Zhao Xuan replied, his eyes bright with curiosity.
"Two thousand!"
Lian Jie said solemnly, "To become a Tier-4 ability user, one must be able to maintain a stable two-thousand-power output for at least five minutes straight."
Then he added reassuringly, "You're still young. With your talent and potential, you have plenty of time to reach that level—there's no need to be disheartened."
"President Lian, I'm not discouraged. In fact, after witnessing the true strength of a Tier-4, I'm more fired up than ever!" Zhao Xuan clenched his fists, a burning determination flashing in his eyes.
"Hahahaha! Excellent, excellent!"
Lian Jie laughed heartily, full of satisfaction. "With your talent, it won't be long before you reach Tier-4 yourself."
"President Lian, may I ask you something?" Zhao Xuan suddenly said.
"Of course, go ahead," Lian Jie replied.
"How long did it take you to advance from Tier-3 to Tier-4?" Zhao Xuan asked curiously.
"Back then, huh…"
Lian Jie narrowed his eyes slightly, as though reminiscing about his youthful days. A faint smile of pride touched his lips. "I was something of a genius myself. I even took part in the Provincial Exam back then. I reached Tier-4 in my second year of university—so, about two years."
"I see. I understand." Zhao Xuan nodded thoughtfully.
After that, Zhao Xuan didn't rush back to Tongcheng. At Lian Jie's invitation, he stayed within the ruin to cultivate, taking advantage of its far denser spiritual energy.
He had to admit—training inside the ruin was indeed much faster than training outside.
About twice as fast, by his estimation.
But—
Compared to the proficiency gains from real combat, it still fell short.
So, that very afternoon, Zhao Xuan returned to Tongcheng.
At the Ability Users' Guild, he exchanged for a large batch of low-grade energy fluids and training resources, then immediately took on three Tier-3 bounty missions before rushing off again.
After all—
Time waited for no one.
There were only about ten days left before the Provincial Exam.
Every second counted, and Zhao Xuan had to make the most of each moment to push his strength as far as possible.
He had just stepped out of the Tongcheng Ability Users' Guild when—
The air before him suddenly rippled, like waves spreading across a still pond.
Moments later, a strange doorway formed out of thin air—
a shimmering gate seemingly made of the air itself.
"This… could this be the Door-Door Fruit ability?"
Zhao Xuan's heart skipped a beat in alarm.
Suddenly—
The air-door swung open.
From it stepped a tall, alluring woman—her figure graceful and curvaceous, dressed in high heels and black stockings.
A faint but palpable pressure emanated from her the moment she appeared.
Instantly—Zhao Xuan's entire body tensed up, every muscle on alert.
"Oh, my apologies," the black-stockinged beauty said softly when she noticed his reaction. With that, the oppressive aura enveloping Zhao Xuan vanished in an instant.
A powerhouse… a super-level powerhouse! Zhao Xuan's mind reeled in shock.
The woman spoke again, her tone smooth and mature. "Little brother, this is Tongcheng, right?"
Little brother? Zhao Xuan almost choked on the words. Who's little? I'm plenty big where it counts! He complained silently.
Still, he nodded obediently. "Yes, this is Tongcheng."
"Phew, good. I thought I'd gone to the wrong place."
The woman patted her chest in relief—causing an astonishing ripple of motion that made Zhao Xuan's eyes twitch uncontrollably.
"Little brother, I saw you coming out of the Ability Users' Guild just now," she said, glancing toward the building behind him. "I'm looking for someone—perhaps you've heard of him."
"Who?" Zhao Xuan asked curiously.
"A young man named Zhao Xuan," the woman replied with a teasing smile. "He should be rather famous here in Tongcheng—a freshly graduated student and a Tier-3 ability user."
Zhao Xuan froze on the spot.
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