If Gu zhen revealed his dual superpowers, he could not only get into Class 1 but also cause a sensation across the entire Twelve States.
However, doing so would be far too dangerous. No one knew how the Twelve States Alliance would react to him.
Would they nurture him carefully, or would they send him to a lab for dissection?
Even before the Twelve States Alliance could intervene, he might attract the attention of other forces—like some of the darker factions among the six major powers.
Not all of the six major powers were benevolent; some were dark forces wanted by the Twelve States Alliance. If he fell into their hands, he'd be as good as dead.
To be safe, he would never reveal his secret unless he was in a desperate situation.
For now, keeping his secret was the only option. Unless he was pushed into a corner with no way out, he wouldn't take that gamble.
His past life had long taught him: not to trust anyone or any faction—only his own judgment.
With the class competition tomorrow, he made a rare choice—he went to bed early instead of cultivating.
....
The next day, he woke up early. He mentally rehearsed the execution of Iron Fist and Instant Step within his Sea of Consciousness, he finally left the dorm.
After breakfast, he arrived at the classroom. The room was already buzzing with students, their faces full of excitement and anticipation for the upcoming matches.
Sitting in the back row, he gazed out the window. Thinking about the competition, he suddenly recalled the Twelve States most famous tournament: The Heavenly Star Tournament
Organized by the Twelve States Alliance with special rules, it allowed anyone—regardless of their crimes, even an S-rank fugitive guilty of killing thousands—to clear their record and become innocent through winning the tournament.
The format? One-on-one combat. The challenger reports in, and the Alliance dispatches a stronger opponent—a full realm rank above in cultivation, armed with top-rank gear, star tools, and whatever else they needed.
Win... and not only would you be free, but you'd be offered a position within the Alliance itself—ascending to a level just beneath the top echelon.
Sounds like a fairy tale. But Gu Zhen scoffed at it.
Since the rule was established, only one person, over a hundred years ago, had succeeded—defeating a Realm 5 opponent as a Realm 4.
He didn't know who it was; he'd only heard that such a person existed, with no one specifying their identity.
He scoffed at the rule. It sounded nice, but winning against someone a realm higher? That was absurd.
The strength gap between each realm of star warriors was significant, especially at higher realm.
He couldn't imagine what kind of being could defeat a Realm 5 opponent as a Tier 4.
If such a person existed, they must be a monster.
While his thoughts were wandering, his phone pinged with a message:
[Teacher Xie Yanwen: Everyone, head to Training Field No. 7]
Upon receiving it, Gu Zhen quickly left the classroom, followed by the others, all heading to Training Field No. 7. When they arrived, Xie Yanwen was already waiting.
The arena wasn't large—just four platforms, twenty meters square. All battles would be one-on-one eliminations. Losers were knocked out and winners moved on.
Once everyone had assembled, Xie Yanwen explained the rules:
"One-on-one matches. No star tools allowed. This is friendly competition, but don't hold back—healers are on standby. The matchups will be randomly assigned…....
Gu Zhen summarized her speech in his mind:
One, first place gets the biggest rewards—ten Starforce Potions and one opportunity to enter the Star skills Library.
Two, go all out. A healer's always ready to jump in.
That was all that mattered.
Moments later, names began to appear on the display screen;
Platform 1: Li Hao vs. Gu Yi;
Platform 2: Zhang Hua vs. Jiang Ziyuan;
Platform 3: Fang Yu….
Platform 4….
Gu Zhen looked up and immediately saw his name. His luck was pretty good—going early meant more time to rest later.
Gu Yi was his predecessor name. His opponent, Li Hao, rang a bell. He recalled that Li Hao had an E-rank superpower, Earth Thorn, which was versatile for both attack and defense.
He mulled over the possible moves Li Hao could use and felt quietly confident.
Walking up to Platform One, Gu Zhen moved with the calm of someone completely in control.
Li Hao, having seen his name, had already climbed onto the platform.
The goddess of luck was truly favoring him—not only was he up first, but he'd also been matched against a weakling.
The rumors about Gu Zhen had spread far and wide in the academy. A special-type superpower…but ranked F
The worst rating possible.
The effects of Gu Zhen superpower were also widely known across the academy: take a hit, then reduce the damage received.
It was a practical effect, but the rank was just too low.
What good is that in a fight?
As soon as the match began, Li Hao smirked at Gu Zhen, clearly not taking him seriously and brimming with confidence, certain of his victory.
The students below also believed Gu Zhen was doomed to lose. After all, his superpower was just too weak, and with no resources, his strength couldn't possibly be impressive.
While Li Hao superpower wasn't exactly top-ranked, it was still much better than a useless Gu zhen.
Did you hear? They say Li Hao has already learned [Stone Fist]
No way!? That's an E-rank star skills!
I still haven't learned the star skill I picked from the academy.
Looks like Gu Yi done for this time."
"For the sake of being classmates, Li Hao probably won't go too hard on him, right?"
....…
....
The students below chattered, unanimously pessimistic about Gu Zhen chances.
Are you ready? Xie Yanwen, asked to both competitors.
Both nodded silently. Seeing this, Xie Yanwen immediately announced the start of the match.
Considering there were more matches to come, Li Hao decided to conserve star power and settle things with close combat.
His fist darkened, turning an earthy brown as jagged thorns emerged. Stonefist—not just hardened, but sharp. A brutal combination.
But Gu Zhen didn't panic.
His keen senses picked apart the skill in real-time. So it's a fusion. Hardened surface plus piercing spikes.
If that lands, it's going to hurt—If it connected, it would undoubtedly cause immense pain, possibly even knocking someone out of the fight and costing them the match.
As the fist drew closer, Gu Zhen seized the moment. He grabbed Li Hao fist with both hands and executed a shoulder throw, slamming his opponent hard onto the ground.
His strong spirit strength didn't just allow him to absorb insights faster—it also enhanced his reaction speed.
Right now, his reaction speed was noticeably faster than Li Hao, making it easy to seize the right moment.