Chapter Seventeen: Gathering

Why did it change color? Is it because the consumption required to awaken my psionic power has exceeded my body's limit? Even with abundant resources, am I destined to fail the awakening and inevitably perish?

Perhaps so. For now, the plus sign has merely changed color rather than vanishing entirely, which suggests there may still be a possibility for me to restore it to a usable state.

A moment later, a large hand plucked Ye Mingqiu from the Spring of Life and tossed him carelessly to the side. "The psionic density within the Spring of Life is extremely high. An ordinary person like you, who hasn't yet become a psionicist, is prone to psionic poisoning. That's why someone needs to watch over you and pull you out when the time is right."

"Oh."

"Your psionic talent is quite impressive. To remain in the spring for so long before succumbing to poisoning—you're far stronger than Feng Xinglie was when he came here," the dean remarked, crossing his arms and looking at Ye Mingqiu with a sense of wonder.

"Is that so?"

Ye Mingqiu replied.

Feng Xinglie, ranked first on the Forbes list, was the strongest mage in the third year, having held the top spot consistently from his freshman year through his senior year.

In a sense, Ye Mingqiu owed him a debt of gratitude. It was because of his interference that he had managed to become a member of the second reserve team for the college entrance exam. Without that meddling, Tang Ruobing would likely have chosen Wang Senran, who also possessed an awakening talent but boasted higher base attributes.

After all, Ye Mingqiu's base attributes were too low, and his test scores were mediocre. While one might offer a polite platitude about "potential for the future," most people would prefer a candidate who is already proven, rather than betting on someone who might be useful later but is currently inadequate.

"It's truly strange. Feng Xinglie has used all sorts of rare treasures to enhance his talent since he was a child; logically, he should have reached his limit. How is it that you can endure even more than him?" The dean frowned, struggling to understand as he muttered to himself.

"Uh... heh heh..."

Ye Mingqiu offered an awkward laugh. In truth, he had been poisoned by psionic energy shortly after entering the water. However, by adding points to his talent, he had directly absorbed the surrounding energy to fuel the awakening process, which neutralized the poisoning.

Once he finished adding his points, he slipped back into a state of psionic poisoning, which was when the dean finally pulled him out.

He glanced back at the Spring of Life. The clear water flowed naturally, radiating a vibrant vitality as if it had never been diminished at all.

What a wonderful place this is!

"Will I have the chance to come here again?" Ye Mingqiu couldn't help but ask.

"If you perform well, you will. Focus on becoming a psionicist first. As long as you demonstrate sufficient talent, the school will naturally do its best to nurture you," the dean said with a smile.

"Understood."

Ye Mingqiu nodded and asked, "Then when are we leaving?"

"Oh? The Spring of Life is a marvelous place; you don't want to stay longer to observe or sit and cultivate?" the dean asked, surprised.

As he spoke, he secretly retrieved a pre-prepared syringe from behind his back and quickly injected it into himself. The blue liquid flowed into his body, and his depleted psionic energy began to recover rapidly.

"Then may I stay a little longer?"

"Absolutely not!"

The dean snorted coldly. He had already taken the medicine; did the boy really think he could stay? If he had kept his mouth shut, the dean might have turned a blind eye and allowed himself to recover in peace, but now...

Impossible!

He grabbed Ye Mingqiu and teleported back to the school. Standing by the window with his back to Ye Mingqiu, he said, "Go back and rest. The disorientation from spatial translocation takes time to fade. If you're feeling unwell, you can take the afternoon off."

"Alright."

Ye Mingqiu left.

Once he heard the door close, Zheng Xuejun glanced over his shoulder. After waiting a moment to confirm that Ye Mingqiu had truly departed...

"Ugh!"

...

After leaving the dean's office, Ye Mingqiu asked Old Li for leave and went to the infirmary to lie down. Although the Spring of Life had washed away the residual toxins from his medication, it had left behind a mild case of psionic poisoning.

It was nothing serious, though. Mild psionic poisoning felt much like a cramp—causing temporary physical discomfort and difficulty breathing—but it would pass once he adjusted.

*Ding-ding!*

A sound came from his communicator. It was crisp and pleasant, not overly loud, similar to a standard notification but subtly different if one listened closely.

It was a special alert sound Ye Mingqiu had set for someone close to him.

He had someone on the network he cared about, and he wanted to be alerted immediately without others noticing, so he had chosen this particular sound... a sound that had not rung out for a very long time.

*Kiriame: Are you free?*

*Ye Mingqiu: Yes.*

*Kiriame: The college entrance exam reserve team is finally complete. I plan to set a time to gather everyone so we can get to know each other and prepare for future team training.*

*Ye Mingqiu: Good.*

*Kiriame: And another thing: no nonsense, and no weird behavior during the meeting!*

*Ye Mingqiu: Okay.*

*Kiriame: Why do you only reply with one word every time? Who did you learn that from?!*

*Ye Mingqiu: You.*

Hmph, the tables have turned!

*Kiriame: Anyway! You are not allowed to make me angry, or I won't talk to you anymore!*

*Ye Mingqiu: Understood.*

*Kiriame: Come to my training room at three tomorrow afternoon.*

Ye Mingqiu smiled, closed the screen, and lay on the bed, stretching his limbs.

Meeting the other teammates, eh?

If all went as expected, the teammates from other departments should have already officially become psionicists. Only the support department had lower combat power, making it possible that there were still members of the senior reserve team who had yet to awaken.

Of course, if the other teammates possessed strong natural talent, they might have joined the reserve team without having fully awakened yet.

...

The next day, Ye Mingqiu arrived early at Tang Ruobing's training room. The young girl, clad in a blue mage robe, was sitting in meditation, ripples of psionic energy pulsing around her.

She slowly opened her eyes, her gaze cool as she looked at Ye Mingqiu. "You're early. Wait for now. Also... I've submitted the application for your exclusive training room; it shouldn't take long for it to be approved."

"Alright."

Ye Mingqiu didn't say much. He picked up a staff and began to practice, swinging it with practiced ease.

"Hey."

"Yes?"

"In the Spirit Realm trials, all sorts of situations can arise. Some trials involve hunting exotic races, while others are about wars for power; there is a chance you might have to fight other humans. So... if you ever face a situation where you have to strike against others, don't hesitate, and don't be afraid."

"I understand."

The cold voice entered his ears, but a warmth blossomed in his heart. The cruelty of the Spirit Realm trials was already part of the curriculum, and Ye Mingqiu had heard many tragic stories from Chen Ran... though, of course, those were shared to justify his own apathy.

But it was no big deal. In any case, Ye Mingqiu was aware of the nature of these things and would be mentally prepared when entering the trials.

However...

Hearing those words still felt quite pleasant.

He thought with a smile.