Chapter 22: Is This a Forbidden Technique?

Bang!

Li Chenqiu’s knee struck the power-testing device like a cannonball, triggering a sharp, sudden sonic boom that echoed across the arena.

Before anyone could even react, the device shattered like a block of tofu, exploding instantly into a cloud of debris like a firework. Sharp fragments, wreathed in crackling blue electricity, shot outward, embedding themselves repeatedly into the blue light barrier and leaving deep, jagged gouges across the silver floor.

Amidst the gray, swirling dust, Li Chenqiu slowly lowered his leg and asked calmly, "What level would this be considered?"

No one answered.

Everyone stood as if struck by lightning, their lips trembling, unable to utter a single sound. Ma Qian was no different. He felt as though his brain had been bludgeoned by something; it was buzzing, leaving him unable to think or move.

Inside the screening hall, the crowd that had been laughing and chatting just moments before was now deathly silent. They stared blankly at the screen, their eyes wide, as if they might pop out of their sockets at any moment.

A young man in the back row stared at the giant screen as if witnessing a monster, tugging on Zhu Cheng’s sleeve. "Brother... tell me... is this guy really just... First Rank?"

Zhu Cheng didn’t respond. His own mind was a chaotic mess; Li Chenqiu’s earlier words echoed in his ears like a demonic incantation.

"Normal... Third Rank, full power approaching Fourth Rank—damn it, he wasn't lying!" Zhu Cheng muttered, his voice trembling, sounding unnaturally loud in the quiet hall.

Suddenly, a middle-aged woman in the second-to-last row stood up, clutching her abdomen and jogging toward the exit, muttering, "I can't hold it, I can't hold it anymore..."

Her departure seemed to trigger something. People in the back rows began standing up one after another, offering all sorts of flimsy excuses to leave the hall. As more people left, those remaining didn't even bother with excuses; they simply turned and bolted, leaving only the members of the Special Ability Bureau sitting quietly in their seats.

"Section Chief Gong!"

Just as Gong Ran was struggling to regain his senses, a voice from behind pulled him back to reality.

"Ah... what is it?" Gong Ran turned his head, his reaction slow.

"Section Chief, I hope you won't tell those people who left in the front rows about this guy. They already have Qi Mingyue—that's enough for them!" After saying this, the man followed the others and bolted out of the hall.

***

On the testing platform, Li Chenqiu brushed off the dust and stepped out of the center of the explosion, his figure becoming increasingly clear to everyone watching.

Seeing that no one had responded, Li Chenqiu asked again, "What level would this be considered?"

After the second inquiry, Ma Qian’s vocal cords finally regained some function. "This... this... I don't know..."

His words sent ripples through the crowd. Everyone finally snapped out of their stupor, fixing their gazes on Li Chenqiu with complex emotions—shock, fear, bewilderment.

"It... it shattered? I didn't see that wrong, did I?"

"You didn't see it wrong, it really shattered..."

"E-Rank elementalists couldn't even leave a scratch on that thing, and one knee-strike shattered it?"

"Are you kidding me? Damn, this is a First Rank? Which First Rank is this ridiculously strong?"

Li Chenqiu glanced at them indifferently. For a fleeting second, anyone who met his eyes subconsciously stepped back—not out of fear, but out of awe, a profound reverence for raw power.

Li Chenqiu hopped over the railing and walked toward Ma Qian. Seeing this, a wave of panic washed over Ma Qian. His legs turned to jelly, and just as he was about to collapse, Li Chenqiu reached out and grabbed him.

"You're the one in charge of the assessment, aren't you? Shouldn't you know what I should be ranked?" Li Chenqiu asked, looking down at Ma Qian with dark, bottomless eyes.

"I... I..." Ma Qian stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

Li Chenqiu flashed a friendly smile. "Why are you afraid of me? There are so many people here; I’m not going to kill you. What is there to fear? What is my rank?"

Ma Qian was lost. He truly didn't know how to answer. It was like a child eating a lollipop, only for a grown man to run over, crush the candy with his bare hands, and then ask with a friendly smile, "Kid, what do you think my grip strength is?"

What could the child know? The child only knew that the man could kill him with a single punch.

After a long silence, Ma Qian finally whispered, "This... I truly don't know. We need someone higher up to perform the assessment." Ma Qian pointed toward the ceiling, forcing a stiff smile onto his face.

"Then, given my current strength, do you think it would be difficult to get into one of the Four Great Academies?" Li Chenqiu asked again.

***

Li Chenqiu didn't care for being in the spotlight. If shattering the device was enough to guarantee entry into the Four Great Academies, he didn't want to bother with speed or defense tests.

"Huh?" Ma Qian was jolted by the question, as if he had heard something inconceivable.

Seeing his reaction, Li Chenqiu frowned slightly. "Is it still a bit uncertain?"

"Uh... no." Ma Qian hurriedly shook his head. "If you really are a First Rank, then you should be the one choosing the Four Great Academies, not the other way around."

"Really?" A hint of doubt appeared in Li Chenqiu’s eyes.

"I wouldn't lie to you," Ma Qian said with a sincere expression.

The corners of Li Chenqiu's mouth curled upward. He had previously thought the Four Great Academies were hard to get into; after all, netizens online claimed it was one in ten thousand, and only true geniuses could make it. He hadn't expected that just measuring his power would make them his to choose from. The threshold was lower than he thought!

Just as Li Chenqiu was about to ask about the enrollment process, a young man in uniform hurried over from the distance. He stopped a meter away from Ma Qian, glanced timidly at Li Chenqiu, and reported, "Team Leader, a large crowd has gathered at the entrance of the testing grounds, all demanding to see him." The young man gestured toward Li Chenqiu.

"Is it those people from the academies?" Ma Qian asked.

The young man nodded.

Ma Qian looked at Li Chenqiu. "Do you want to go see them?"

"I've got nothing better to do. Let’s go."

With that, Li Chenqiu walked toward the plaza gate, leaving everyone with nothing but a thin, receding silhouette.

At the entrance to the plaza, a sea of people was packed so tightly that shoulders and bodies were pressed together. They stretched their necks, staring intently toward the gate. When Li Chenqiu’s figure finally appeared in their line of sight, it was as if a sun had risen in every one of their eyes.

"Quick, follow the plan!" the old man at the front of the crowd raised his arm, gesturing forward.

As soon as he spoke, two dark figures darted out from the crowd, rushing straight toward Li Chenqiu.