Chapter 153: [Undercurrents and Power Struggles]

Approaching eight o'clock in the evening, Luo Chen and Shi Ban arrived at the grade's public testing grounds. Because this esper combat training class was conducted jointly for the entire grade, very few people actually met the criteria.

By eight o'clock, the students had all arrived. A quick count revealed just over sixty people in total. Aside from Luo Chen, every single one of them was from the elite classes. Among them were a few familiar faces—Zhuo Yuqing, Joanna, Eva, Lulu, and Sarah—who had been in the same team as Luo Chen during their practical mission.

The others were quite surprised to see Luo Chen appear, though his teammates were not. During the fierce beast tide, they had witnessed firsthand just how powerful Luo Chen's telepathic perception was, enough to be used in actual combat; he must have already reached the out-of-body realm.

Shi Ban glanced around, spotted Sarah in the crowd, patted Luo Chen on the shoulder, and said, "Heh heh, I'm heading over to Sarah's side first. You can just stand here and chill by yourself!"

Luo Chen extended his middle finger and cursed, "Damn it, you birdman, you value sex over friendship! The moment you see a pretty girl, you abandon your brother!"

"Damn it, how much time do I spend with you every day versus how much time I spend with Sarah? Figure it out yourself. How can you dare accuse me of valuing romance over friendship?" After offering a brief defense, Shi Ban scurried over to Sarah's side like a happy puppy.

What an adulterous pair!

Luo Chen couldn't help cursing inwardly, but he wasn't bored. Just as Shi Ban went over to Sarah, Zhuo Yuqing stepped out from the crowd to greet him. "Captain, it's really good to see you. It's been quite a few days since the fierce beast tide settled down. When are we going hunting again?"

Luo Chen asked, "Classmate Zhuo Yuqing, everyone got quite a large share of money from selling those crystal cores. Why are you in such a hurry to go hunting?"

"Oh, that money? I've almost spent it all!"

"No way, it's only been half a month. You blew through it already?"

"Yeah, during those three days of vacation, I went shopping in the streets with Lulu and the others, and there wasn't much left. Lulu and the others are the same."

"Then what did you buy?"

"Just some clothes. What else could it be?"

After the fierce beast tide, everyone had received a dozen or so gold coins each. Who knew how many "some clothes" could be bought with a dozen gold coins? Luo Chen broke out in a cold sweat. It seemed these women were all money-wasters; it was better not to have a girlfriend after all, or no amount of money would ever be enough to burn through!

At that moment, a very fashionably dressed pretty girl wearing crystal drop earrings, wearing a glamorous smoky eye makeup look and looking quite avant-garde, also walked up to Luo Chen's side. She glanced at Luo Chen twice and smiled, though her smile held a hint of mockery.

Turning to Zhuo Yuqing, the girl said with utter disdain, "Classmate Zhuo Yuqing, I must tell you, your taste really isn't very good, whether it's picking out clothes or anything else!"

Luo Chen recognized this girl. She was Lin Jia, ranked second on the campus belle list and a student in Class 2 of the First Year. Her family ran a chain fashion business and was quite famous on the Azure Wave Continent. Influenced by her family, Lin Jia's attire and styling were always avant-garde and fashionable, eagerly emulated by the girls in the academy. She could be considered a trendsetter at Blue Emperor Academy.

Luo Chen had seen Lin Jia a few times before, but they were in different classes and weren't friends, so this could be considered their first actual contact. Yet Lin Jia was quite unfriendly, which Luo Chen found completely baffling.

Lin Jia's words carried a double meaning: first, a veiled sarcasm that Zhuo Yuqing's attire lacked taste; second, implying that the boy she had taken a fancy to was trash, as rumors of a romance between Zhuo Yuqing and Luo Chen had circulated some time ago.

This remark insulted Luo Chen right along with her, but considering she was a girl, Luo Chen decided not to curse her out and let it go.

The busybodies nearby caught the heavy scent of gunpowder and all ran over to watch the drama.

Lin Jia's stirring up trouble was not without reason. She was a girl who emerged from an aristocratic, wealthy background, receiving attention like a wealthy heiress. Not only did she possess a flawless family background, but she also had the looks, figure, temperament, and taste to make tens of thousands of boys fall for her. No matter where she went, Lin Jia would be pursued and followed with the most fanatical adoration, like a star. She believed herself to be the most perfect beauty at Blue Emperor Academy, and she would only be satisfied when every boy orbited around her.

However, Zhuo Yuqing's sudden appearance snatched away her title as the supreme beauty of Blue Emperor Academy and her status in the hearts of the boys. This made Lin Jia, who was accustomed to being the ultimate center of attention, extremely uncomfortable. From the moment Zhuo Yuqing appeared at Blue Emperor Academy, Lin Jia had regarded her as her greatest enemy, and as a result, Luo Chen was also dragged into the crossfire.

Yet Zhuo Yuqing had never regarded Lin Jia as an enemy. She wasn't that petty to fight over the title of campus queen and engage in petty jealousies; she simply didn't care and therefore couldn't be bothered to pay attention to Lin Jia's overt or covert provocations.

Lulu, standing beside Zhuo Yuqing, said angrily, "Lin Jia, what do you mean by that? What other people wear or put on has nothing to do with you!"

The new outfit Zhuo Yuqing was currently wearing had been bought during the three-day holiday trip to Miracle City, strongly recommended by Lulu herself. Now that Lin Jia was mocking Zhuo Yuqing, she was indirectly criticizing Lulu's taste as well. A fierce and impulsive girl like her couldn't tolerate any sand in her eyes. Although Zhuo Yuqing remained silent, Lulu stepped up immediately to vent her fury.

Lin Jia retorted, "Classmate Lulu, then me talking to Classmate Zhuo Yuqing—what does that have to do with you?"

"You—" Lulu was instantly struck dumb, not knowing how to retort.

Lin Jia smiled, a very elegant smile typical of a wealthy heiress. "I didn't mean any harm. I just hope Classmate Zhuo Yuqing can raise her standards a bit when making choices. Take me, for example—I always choose the best, no matter what it is."

With that, Lin Jia looked into the distance and saw a handsome blonde boy walking over. Lin Jia hurried to meet him and said sweetly, "Kevin, you're here!"

"Yeah, Jiajia, what's going on?" Seeing Luo Chen, Kevin's expression remained normal, and he even smiled faintly. "Jiajia, what were you, Classmate Zhuo Yuqing, and Classmate Luo Chen talking about?"

"Nothing much, just casually chatting." Lin Jia deliberately pulled Kevin over to Luo Chen's side. Standing side by side, the contrast was immediately apparent. Kevin was impeccably dressed, tall, straight, and handsome, with radiant attire, while Luo Chen looked at best passably decent, wearing street-market clothes that had been washed who knew how many times, to the point of fading slightly.

Kevin and Lin Jia were now universally recognized as a couple at Blue Emperor Academy. After failing to pursue Zhuo Yuqing, Kevin had retreated to the next best option and turned his attention to Lin Jia. Meeting no resistance this time, the two of them hit it off immediately.

Lin Jia looked at Zhuo Yuqing with a triumphant look, as if saying: *See that? Even if you're the top campus belle, so what? Look at the boy you chose—what a loser! But my boyfriend is different. He's the academy's top campus crush, not only handsome in appearance and from a prestigious family, but also outstanding in character and academics, a thousand times better than Luo Chen!* Anyone could tell what Lin Jia was implying. However, ever since Luo Chen returned from his practical mission, his reputation was no longer as stinking as before. Now that Lin Jia was randomly using him as a benchmark to compare with Zhuo Yuqing, everyone felt Lin Jia's actions were simply going too far.

Zhuo Yuqing smiled faintly. "I've always believed that whatever I like is the best!"

Zhuo Yuqing's words were also quite sharp. With that single statement, everyone suddenly felt that the fashionable trendsetter Lin Jia was just a superficial girl craving attention, and they all frowned.

"Zhuo Yuqing is right. Lin Jia's family is rich, so naturally she can buy the best of everything. But we can also choose the things we like within our own means! Just because something isn't high-end, does she have the right to look down on us?"

"To think I used to worship her and copy her fashion. Now that I think about it, I really misjudged her. Look at Zhuo Yuqing—she's not wearing designer labels, but she looks comfortable and natural, not fake and pretentious like Lin Jia at all!"

"This is what you call inner substance. A beauty built purely out of luxury brands is just an empty vase!"

"Exactly. The more I look at Lin Jia, the more devoid of substance she seems. Forget comparing her to Zhuo Yuqing; even Ellie and Joanna look much more graceful than her!"

Hearing the whispering crowd around her, Lin Jia turned pale with anger. She hadn't expected that instead of humiliating Zhuo Yuqing, she had ruined her own image in the eyes of the students, and she had no idea how to salvage her pride now.

Fortunately, at that moment, the instructors of the esper training class arrived at the testing grounds, bringing this little storm to a temporary halt.

There were over a dozen instructors for the esper combat training class, all of whom were esper warriors of Meteor rank or higher. They wore the academy's instructor uniforms, though in various colors: bright red, earthy yellow, sky blue, emerald green, gilded gold, gleaming silver... Each instructor's uniform collar was embroidered with a small pattern, such as a ball of flame, a boulder, a leaf, or a bolt of lightning, which seemed to be symbols related to their elemental attributes.

Esper warrior ranks were divided into One-Star, Two-Star, Three-Star, Four-Star, Five-Star, Six-Star, Seven-Star, Eight-Star, Nine-Star, Meteor, Comet, Planet, Star, and Black Hole—fourteen levels in total, with abilities escalating step by step.

One of the instructors swept his gaze across the group, instantly knowing the exact number of students present. Such extraordinary mental power gave these superhumans visual estimation speeds beyond the reach of ordinary people. Their strange abilities were not only used in combat but also brought great convenience to their daily lives.

"A total of sixty-three. It seems the quality of this year's freshmen is quite good."

Although out of the entire grade only sixty-three people had reached the perception level, compared to previous batches, this was already quite rare. The instructors were very satisfied.

"Hello, students. I am Baruk, the head instructor of the esper training class. Congratulations on entering the esper combat training class—this is a class that represents power and glory! At the same time, I wish every single one of you that through hard work, you will become great esper warriors!" The instructor's words were met with rounds of applause from the crowd. Although the words weren't overly emotional, the term "esper warrior" alone was enough to make anyone's blood surge with excitement.

Baruk continued, "Since you have all come to this ground tonight, it means you possess the perception ability of the third tier of mental power. However, before formal classes begin, according to the rules, we must still conduct a test to confirm it. If any student's mental power has not yet reached the third tier, they are temporarily unsuited to join this class! So, let's start with you."

Baruk pointed at a boy in the front row of the formation. "Come to within one meter in front of me, close your eyes, and concentrate your attention on me!"

That boy walked up to Baruk and stood there with his eyes closed, gathering his focus. After about a second, Baruk said, "Good, passed. Next!"

Everyone underwent testing one by one. When it was Kevin's turn, Baruk announced he had passed while also giving a slight nod. This boy's mental power was quite good; among those with third-tier perception, he could be considered relatively outstanding. Perhaps before long, he would break through the third tier.

Seeing the instructor's reaction, Kevin wore a smug smile of triumph. He was very confident in his mental power, because his family's glorious battle qi and fists of honor both placed great emphasis on the cultivation of mental power.

However, when Zhuo Yuqing was tested, Baruk was even more surprised—fourth-tier out-of-body! She truly lived up to being the strongest among the freshmen; not only her psychic energy and battle techniques, but her mental power was also extremely formidable! This student's development was thoroughly well-rounded; she was simply flawless!

Soon, it was Luo Chen's turn. The instructor looked surprised when he saw Luo Chen's school badge, which was marked "Class 3 of the First Year, Luo Chen." Even though the characters on the badge were tiny and it was nighttime, Baruk saw them clearly at a glance—yet another ability belonging to an esper warrior.

*I didn't expect this! This esper training class actually has a student from an ordinary class joining it. Hmm, isn't Luo Chen that junior student who defeated Raphael from the first-class who had taken a berserk pill a while ago, causing quite a stir in the academy?*

Almost the moment Luo Chen gathered his mental power, the instructors felt a gentle breeze sweep past. In truth, there was no wind in the testing grounds; that "wind" was an illusion formed by mental waves, but only instructors with mental power as powerful as theirs could sense it. The students below still couldn't perceive anything unusual.

*To actually generate a mental diffusion resembling a blowing wind—this student's mental power is even stronger than Zhuo Yuqing's!* Furthermore, the moment Luo Chen exerted his power, Baruk actually felt a sense of oppression.

Although it was only a very faint sense of oppression, coming from a student who hadn't yet officially joined the psychic warrior training class, it seemed utterly incredible.

*Luo Chen's perception range is at least a hundred meters away, extremely acute, pervasive, and highly condensed!* This was the evaluation Baruk gave when testing Luo Chen, and the other instructors unanimously agreed.

*He was able to defeat Raphael—that definitely wasn't a matter of mere luck!*

Luo Chen took the longest time during the testing. After nearly ten seconds, Baruk finally said, "Passed. Next!"

Those who didn't understand assumed Luo Chen's mental power was too low, making it difficult for Baruk to perceive it. Only those who had been on practical missions in the same team as Luo Chen, like Effie, knew clearly that the instructor must have been slightly startled by Luo Chen's terrifying mental power.