The battle ended, and Jiang He deactivated the Flame Body specialization.
The fire extinguished, revealing a body of festering wounds and torn flesh, enough to make one's scalp tingle.
Fortunately, the effect of [Words Carved into Bone] had not yet expired. The 「Spirit Heal」 Spell Words carved all over his body activated simultaneously, allowing his skin to regenerate, with his injuries healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
He then paired it with a single phrase: 「Clean and Renewed.」
As the bloodstains vanished without a trace, apart from his somewhat pale complexion, Jiang He's condition looked even better than Yunyang's.
He cast a glance at the final evaluation, nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Yunyang, the corners of his mouth lifting.
"How about it."
"..."
Everyone's eyes snapped to Yunyang.
He had been the one constantly provoking, insisting on competing with Jiang He.
In the end, once the fight was over, whether in growth, performance, or combat ability, he was crushed by Jiang He in every possible way…
Was he going to suddenly perform an Advancement Ritual, pull a red nose from his pocket in the next second, and switch profession to Clown?
Facing everyone's strange gazes—
Yunyang's face flushed red. He lifted his head to look at Jiang He, lips pressed tight, fists clenched, as if his teeth were about to shatter.
Finally, he squeezed out a few words.
"You won."
After speaking, he immediately added: "The score between us is zero to two. Just you wait, next time I'll win it back!"
So he planned to fight on despite repeated defeats?
The surrounding students found it amusing. They were just about to burst into laughter, but when they saw Yunyang's defiant gaze, their expressions froze, and their smiles gradually faded.
It was as if they had seen "themselves."
When it came down to it, Yunyang's talent was undeniable. He had only encountered Jiang He—someone even more gifted than himself.
And weren't these students the same?
Each of them had once been the top student in their own cities, only to be gathered here, exposed to a broader world, and faced with many students stronger than themselves.
Their situation was no different from Yunyang's.
And in such a situation, Yunyang had not wallowed in self-pity. Instead, he had repeatedly challenged stronger opponents.
What was there to laugh at about that?
Even Jiang He was briefly stunned.
He had not expected Yunyang to refrain from stubborn excuses, but instead openly admit his defeat…
For a young, proud genius, this was no small feat.
One must know—even many adults could not accept losing.
This willingness to admit defeat sparked a trace of goodwill in Jiang He. After a moment's thought, he said,
"Constructing abilities isn't just about picking several powerful professions and maxing out the strongest skills."
"If you truly want to bring out a profession's strength, it's best to treat one profession as the core, then build your skill points and combinations around its central abilities…"
"These Transcendent Professions were created by top-tier Transcendents, imbued with their wisdom."
"Just as Teacher Zhong said, spend more time reviewing the library's notes, and learn the thought process of the profession creators."
"Don't just think things up by yourself, closing the door to build a cart behind closed walls."
"Only by absorbing the experiences of the strong can you become stronger quickly."
That, in truth, was Old Jiang's philosophy.
According to him—
Though he had switched through many professions, it was not as if he erased them and forgot them completely.
The thought processes of those profession creators, their reflections on their own systems—those were the true treasures Old Jiang had gained.
It was precisely because of this that he could take [Eraser], the weakest talent, and play it into so many forms.
"To learn the wisdom of predecessors…"
Yunyang, along with the others, fell deep into thought.
He was young and impulsive, believing he was not inferior to anyone.
Even an S-rank Transcendent was merely someone born a few years earlier.
Thus, after obtaining professions like Judicator, he had never sought advice from teachers, but built his system entirely according to his own ideas, thinking the skill combinations he came up with were unmatched in the world…
Until this very moment, when reality (Jiang He) had dealt him a harsh awakening.
Perhaps it was time to change.
Yunyang nodded seriously: "Thank you."
Well now, wasn't this kid suddenly polite.
Seeing the other students fall into contemplation because of his words, Jiang He, before they could react, tossed out a curt "you're welcome" and decisively strode away.
If he waited for them to come back to their senses, he might end up surrounded and smothered again.
He had only just emerged from his shell; he was still a hundred thousand miles away from being socially adept.
Only—
As Jiang He left the Combat Hall and smoothly slipped out of the school, he realized a shadow had followed him like a tail.
"Jiang He, you're amazing!" Chi Zhilei praised sincerely.
She still remembered, just last week, Jiang He had only just awakened, and when the Arc Light thugs attacked the school, he could only assist Teacher Wei Sheng from the side…
But now, the current Jiang He could probably cut through every C-rank and below thug all on his own!
Chi Zhilei even suspected that maybe she had slept through an entire year's plotline.
It was a bit too exaggerated.
"…Classmate Chi, everyone else went to the library to search through materials. Aren't you going?" Jiang He hinted tactfully.
"I've already looked through them." Chi Zhilei blinked: "I know I'm weak. Back during the Twisted Time Domain, I was already reading through profession records, working hard to study profession concepts…"
"..."
Well then, good for you.
Jiang He could only stay silent, hoping Chi Zhilei would eventually give up and retreat.
It was not that he disliked her, but rather—Old Jiang hovered nearby like a ghost, wearing a contemplative expression.
If Old Jiang, through Chi Zhilei, were to recover certain memories and recall the buried past…
Sorrow and pain would be secondary.
What Jiang He truly feared was that even if Old Jiang remembered everything, he still would not feel the slightest trace of "sadness."
If that were the case, Jiang He would feel all the more… sorrowful.
Chi Zhilei, however, was already accustomed to Jiang He's silence.
Just like last week, she followed at his side, endlessly chattering in search of topics.
Watching this strange pair, Old Jiang finally scratched his head: "This young lady's father wants to invite you for a meal, to ask if you have time… give an answer, yes or no."
He flipped upside down, scarf hanging downward, and locked eyes with Jiang He: "If you're staying silent just because of me… I can only say you're worrying about nothing."
"The first time I met this young lady, I already realized—there wasn't the slightest trace of her in my memories—"
"As if she had been deliberately erased."
"Though I don't know the reason, it should have been erased by myself."
"She might have been very important to me."
The first time… was that when Teacher Zhong gathered the students to announce the training camp?
Jiang He had thought that since Old Jiang always acted carelessly, and when he later saw Chi Zhilei, he showed no extra attention, it meant he hadn't noticed anything unusual.
But it turned out he had already sensed it?
For once, Old Jiang did not wear a smile. He said calmly: "But regardless of what role she had in my memories… she has nothing to do with this young lady."
"She is not the 'her' in my memory."
"So you don't need to change anything because of me."
"..."
Old Jiang had merely perceived an abnormality in his memories through Chi Zhilei.
But as a mature Transcendent from a hundred years in the future, even one who possessed a time-related profession like 'Observer,' he understood clearly: the "her" of now and the "her" of the future line bore no relation at all.
Because of the different possibilities and experiences, in his eyes, they were completely two different people.
That was why, apart from the very beginning, he had not given Chi Zhilei any extra attention.
'Quite different from White Crane…'
Jiang He understood his thoughts and agreed inwardly: "Alright, I understand…"
"You understand?" Old Jiang's expression shifted, his gaze instantly sharp: "So you really did see 'your future,' saw 'my past'?"
"Was it a talent upgrade?"
"You know what she represents, and you've been deliberately concealing it?"
"…??"
Jiang He's breath caught.
Oh no!
Since Old Jiang had no memory of Chi Zhilei, naturally he had no idea "what relationship existed between Jiang He and Chi Zhilei."
All of Old Jiang's talk about "deliberate silence," "intentional change," was complete nonsense!
He had no clue what attitude Jiang He ought to have toward Chi Zhilei!
Jiang He: "Old Jiang, you damn swindler!!"
"The older, the wiser." Old Jiang's lips curled upward, his face wearing a smile: "So then—can you answer me now?"
"Who is 'she.'"