Chapter Twenty-Three: The Strongest E-Rank Esper

Chapter Twenty-Three: [The Strongest E-Class Psychic]

The flying knife returned to Xia Zhen's hand. After the E1 guard fell, it was swiftly sent down by the fissured platform and then sealed up again. Immediately, the E2 guard entered.

Compared to E1, this guard was noticeably more advanced, with improved protection over its vulnerable spot, now shielded by an extra layer. Furthermore, the E2 guard was more intelligent and proactive, attacking Xia Zhen without giving him any chance to compose himself. Yet, compared to a true battle, these guards were still lacking. Xia Zhen responded calmly, continually dodging the guard’s attacks. After several dozen seconds, exploiting the guard’s slow turn, he struck its critical circuit, slicing through the protective shield and exposing the wires within.

The guard lunged at him, baring its teeth and claws. Xia Zhen slid beneath it and, with a swift turn, severed the wires. The guard dropped to its knees and collapsed!

The two rounds of guards took about two minutes in total. Some candidates had just begun facing the second guard, others hadn’t even defeated the first, and some had been eliminated by the guards.

Xia Zhen’s live combat footage was immediately sent to the Professional Alliance Committee, where today’s supervisor was an A-Class psychic—a tall woman with curly blue hair, glasses, and a white short coat.

After watching Xia Zhen’s footage, she clasped her chin and remarked, “Oh? So he’s a psychic. A promising seedling.”

She then switched to the live broadcast. At that moment, the third guard, E3, appeared in front of Xia Zhen. It was likely the strongest E-Class guard.

This guard was much smaller—smaller even than Xia Zhen—and its design was entirely different, resembling a mobile suit of armor. The vulnerable circuit on its back was gone, likely powered by a different mechanism.

Xia Zhen continued to move at a distance, manipulating his flying knife, spikes, and nails to harass and attack. The guard’s surface armor was tough, ignoring these ranged attacks. Suddenly, it leapt and landed in front of Xia Zhen, delivering a punch.

“What speed!” Xia Zhen quickly applied a burst of force to his side, dodging at once.

Bang!

The guard’s punch dented the cage, warping its structure.

“Such strength.” Xia Zhen increased his movement speed, refusing to confront it head-on, instead probing for weaknesses with attacks all over its body.

After nearly three minutes of attempts, Xia Zhen finally discovered something: each time he targeted the power core on its chest, it crossed its arms to block, while attacks to other areas caused it to strike fearlessly.

“I see.” With the guard’s weakness revealed, Xia Zhen gained confidence. He launched two spikes, their flight guided by his psychic power.

A flying knife feigned an attack, while the two spikes sought opportunities.

The guard’s punch missed again. Xia Zhen flipped in midair, psychic force propelling him from his toes, landing a kick to the guard’s shoulder, spinning its body. When it stopped, its head was still disoriented, leaving its chest exposed.

“Pierce!” The two spikes, charged by his psychic power, instantly struck the power core on the guard’s chest. The guard roared, reaching to pull them out, but another spike immediately struck, hitting the core again and crippling its functions.

“Break!” The knife flew last, Xia Zhen pointing from afar. The knife pierced the guard’s chest and came out its back. The guard finally knelt, and Xia Zhen instantly recalled his knife and spikes.

Thud!

The E3 guard collapsed. Only seven minutes had passed in total; Xia Zhen had cleared the challenge. Looking at the others, only about a quarter had been eliminated, but none were fighting the third guard.

“Candidate 0647 has passed. Please leave the testing area.” The broadcast announced. Amid the envious gazes of other candidates, Xia Zhen was the first to leave, becoming the first to pass the second round.

In front of the screen, the blue-haired woman applauded, evidently admiring Xia Zhen. The surrounding staff stared in surprise, rarely seeing her applaud a candidate.

“I want more information on 0647. Perhaps I’ve found a gem,” she ordered. Immediately, staff gathered all available data and handed it to her.

With the information in hand, she entered her office, sat in her chair, and propped her legs on the desk. Her shapely legs, wrapped in black stockings, made the men outside drool.

After reading Xia Zhen’s file, she chuckled, “Interesting, very interesting. The military’s special recruit gave up an opportunity in the forces to join the Skyblade Squad, and his exam score is among the Federation’s top fifty—truly a talent in both mind and body. He’s a psychic, with limitless potential. I thought that girl would be this year’s top, but this newly emerged Xia Zhen is just as impressive. I’d love to see them face off... That could be arranged…”

She opened her computer, logged into the system, and entered her password, beginning a series of operations...

Back in the hall, Xia Zhen found his seat occupied by several girls, with Ali besieged by them.

“Meow...” Seeing Xia Zhen, Ali struggled free and fled. Xia Zhen apologized to the girls and left with Ali.

The final match list for the third round should be out; he wanted to see who his opponent would be.

This time, the venue was on the third floor. Xia Zhen took the elevator.

He checked the match list at the bulletin board. As the group’s top candidate, his opponent shouldn’t be too strong, making advancement more likely.

To become a psychic hunter, especially to explore and seek treasure in higher-level regions, he needed this qualification. He had also promised his classmate Chen Xiu to one day go to Evernight City to rescue the Federation citizens trapped there.

He quickly found his name, listed for the final round. His opponent was—“Nalan Sheng (pronounced ‘Sheng’)”. Xia Zhen mused over the name, thinking the character “Sheng” implied brightness and prosperity, fitting for a man. But he shrugged it off; his opponent would only be the group’s runner-up, and he was confident.

As his match was the last round, scheduled for the next day by the Professional Alliance, Xia Zhen could rest today.

He took the stray cat Ali to the pet station for a checkup and vaccinations. By regulation, he had to wait three days before taking Ali home, due to quarantine. The adoption process was straightforward, though the thousand Federation credits spent stung a bit. Xia Zhen still lingered in a poor man’s mindset, not realizing he was stepping into the elite.

With Ali temporarily cared for, Xia Zhen could devote himself entirely to cultivation, especially since “Soul Refining Art” had already yielded results.

Meanwhile, at the match list on the third floor, Nalan Sheng, surrounded by admirers, frowned slightly at the name “Xia Zhen.” She had lost points due to strict adjudication in the second round, which allowed the previous runner-up to surpass her and take first, relegating her to second.

“Shengsheng, don’t worry. The judges were too harsh. We all suspect a conspiracy.”

“Yeah, it could be Li Xiyue’s doing.”

Li Xiyue was the girl who overtook Nalan Sheng at the last moment to win first place in their group, her name sounding distinctly feminine.

Nalan Sheng shook her head. With the scores settled and opponents decided, nothing could be changed. She was confident that no E-Class psychic could defeat her—for she was a psychic herself, whose true power might rival even C-Class psychics.

“I’ve never heard of Xia Zhen. Probably a dark horse from some obscure place,” someone analyzed on her behalf. She nodded and left, apparently unconcerned.

In the Nalan family, she was the unrivaled psychic genius, awakened at twelve. The patriarch personally turned down the military’s invitation, urging her to focus on the family’s secret psychic arts. She had spent four years in seclusion. Now, at sixteen, her reputation in the Federation’s psychic circles was growing. Some described her as dormant until soaring, silent until astounding.

Now, with her psychic abilities nearing mastery, she was finally permitted by the patriarch to enter society, beginning with the psychic examination. E-Class was hardly her goal; her ambition was to surpass S-Class, to become the pillar in reclaiming Evernight City.

The Nalan family had two branches in the Federation. The main branch resided in Evernight City, which had entirely fallen and vanished. All that remained was Nalan Sheng’s side branch. The true inheritance lay in Evernight City, so to make the side branch the main, they had to reclaim the city and inherit the family legacy.

“Xia Zhen, whoever you are, if you stand in my way, you must accept defeat,” Nalan Sheng’s aura radiated, making those nearby hesitant to approach. The aggressiveness of her psychic force could damage the brains of anyone too close.

That night, Xia Zhen continued to practice “Soul Refining Art,” never considering that, due to his opponent’s renown, he had become the focus of many. Most wondered only how long this unfortunate newcomer could last against Nalan Sheng; few believed in Xia Zhen, the dark horse.

The next morning, well-rested, Xia Zhen rose early, ate breakfast, and headed to the third floor of the Alliance Exam Building, where a new batch of qualified E-Class psychics would be born. Waiting in the hall, Xia Zhen noticed many pointing and whispering about him. The familiar sensation made him alert—could he be facing some bad news again?

But he had little time to investigate, as the broadcast soon called him into the assessment area for the final round.

Rumor had it that today’s last round of combat would be personally presided over by Camilla, one of the Alliance’s Twelve Stewards—a first in the history of psychic exams, drawing many spectators. Among them were candidates who had failed but gained experience, hoping to perform better next year, and special guests, such as the Nalan branch’s representative in Dannute City—Nalan Sheng’s father, Nalan Rong.

When Xia Zhen sat down, he sensed a gaze on him. Following it, he saw a fair-skinned, deep-eyed, and strikingly pretty girl staring at him.

She nodded at him, and Xia Zhen nodded back politely. She then ignored him, leaving him puzzled—he couldn’t recall knowing her.