Chapter 39: Spirit Array Competition

In the classroom,

Ke Lu and Su Rou learned that their Homeroom Teacher wanted to see them. Abandoning their morning reading duties, they rushed to the office.

The office wasn't crowded at this early hour. Teachers assigned to morning duty were already at their posts, and few others had bothered to arrive so early.

The office should have been relatively quiet, but unexpectedly, a loud argument erupted. No one seemed willing to back down.

Just as Ke Lu's left foot crossed the threshold, the pair heard the voices clearly through the crack in the door:

"What are you thinking? They've missed a whole month of classes! How can we waste their precious time on a competition?"

It was Teacher Liu's voice, instantly recognizable to both girls.

They're talking about us, Ke Lu thought, as another voice chimed in:

"But she's our best chance at winning! Missing this opportunity would be a real shame..."

Ke Lu recognized this voice too—it was the teacher who sat behind Teacher Liu, the one who had spat out his water in shock when he learned about her perfect score last time.

Knock, knock, knock. The office door was rapped from the outside, prompting the two teachers to abruptly halt their conversation.

"Come in," Teacher Liu called out.

The wooden door swung open, revealing the faces of Ke Lu and Su Rou.

Teacher Liu composed himself, gestured for them to sit at the table, and began:

"I've called you here to get an update on your progress. How did your harvest in the Secret Realm go?"

His voice softened when addressing them. As a teacher, who wouldn't be fond of students as academically outstanding as Ke Lu and Su Rou?

Their sudden month-long disappearance had also worried Teacher Liu, fearing that such an unusual disruption before the College Entrance Examination might negatively impact their studies.

The two exchanged glances before Su Rou spoke first: "Teacher, my Power Level has already reached Apprentice Tenth-Tier."

The Spirit Power surge caused by Ke Lu's ascension as Lord of the Secret Realm had been immense. Su Rou felt she had only absorbed a fraction of the residual energy, yet her progress had been astonishingly rapid.

Combined with over ten days of consolidation, her Apprentice Tenth-Tier cultivation now placed her among the elite of her age group.

"Tenth-Tier!" Teacher Liu couldn't suppress his astonishment. Such a meteoric leap in just one month was truly astonishing.

This made Teacher Liu draw a horizontal comparison with the students in his class who were still struggling in the Fifth and Sixth Tiers, and he could only conclude that comparing oneself to others only led to frustration.

"What's Ke Lu?" Teacher Liu turned to ask.

"Teacher, I've already broken through to Experienced First-Tier," Ke Lu said in her calmest voice, uttering the most outrageous claim.

"What?!" Teacher Liu and the teacher sitting behind him exclaimed in unison, nearly knocking over the water glasses on their desks.

Ignoring the near spill, Teacher Liu fixed his gaze intently on Ke Lu's eyes, enunciating each word with deliberate precision: "Experienced... First-Tier?"

"Exactly."

After Ke Lu confirmed, Teacher Liu fell into a contemplative silence, pondering the mysteries of life.

He racked his brain, trying to fathom how such rapid advancement was possible. "Did you consume some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that damaged your foundation?"

Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures without side effects rarely yield such swift results; only those that force rapid growth, like pulling up seedlings to make them taller, could explain this.

It's crucial to understand that crossing tiers and crossing levels are entirely different.

Breaking through from Apprentice Twelfth-Tier to Experienced First-Tier is even more difficult than advancing from Apprentice First-Tier to Apprentice Twelfth-Tier.

Teacher Liu couldn't help but worry that these two students might have taken a dangerous shortcut.

"Don't worry, Teacher, absolutely not!" Su Rou raised two fingers solemnly. "The school has already investigated our circumstances thoroughly, and everything is perfectly fine."

This was indeed the case. Teacher Liu had been summoned by the school leaders for a discussion, who assured him that the students' situations were secure.

Even so, this luck was simply too extraordinary. Anyone who heard about it would surely be green with envy. Teacher Liu admitted he felt a twinge of envy himself.

At that moment, a teacher sitting in the back couldn't contain himself any longer. He slammed his hand on the table, pushing himself to his feet. "I knew it! Since Ke Lu hasn't fallen behind in her cultivation, lending her out for a few days is no problem at all!"

"Teacher, what are you all talking about?" Ke Lu's gaze swept across the standing teacher, quickly deducing his identity. "You must be Teacher Wang, who teaches Spirit Arrays. Are you suggesting I choose Spirit Arrays for the Second Profession Competition in a week?"

The Second Profession was a mandatory component of the College Entrance Examination. Each student had to select one from dozens of Second Professions—such as Forging, Alchemy, or Spirit Arrays—to be assessed, with their performance factored into their final score. Among these options, Spirit Arrays were widely considered the most challenging.

During Ke Lu's month-long stay in the Secret Realm, the school had already begun intensive training in this area.

"Exactly!"

"I'm willing."

Ke Lu's words instantly brought an eerie silence to the entire office.

Teacher Wang opened his mouth, ready to deliver his carefully prepared speech, but Ke Lu's immediate agreement left him feeling like he'd thrown a powerful punch that landed on thin air.

"Hold on!"

The Homeroom Teacher launched into her lecture mode, tapping her finger lightly on the desk.

"The most challenging aspect of Spirit Arrays is their adaptability. Even the slightest variation in conditions requires fine-tuning; otherwise, the array's power will be compromised."

"Isn't there a saying? 'Advise someone to become a Spirit Array Master, and they'll be struck by lightning five times over!'"

"Just getting started requires memorizing countless basic runes. A single misstroke when drawing the array diagram can ruin everything, not to mention the exorbitant cost of materials."

"How many Spirit Stones does it take to maintain even the most basic Spirit Gathering Array? How much mental effort would it require?"

Teacher Liu glanced at Ke Lu, addressing Teacher Wang but clearly speaking for Ke Lu's benefit.

"Besides, Ke Lu has missed so many classes and started her Spirit Array training late. Why not choose something simpler to prepare for the College Entrance Examination?"

The two teachers stood their ground, neither willing to yield.

"Teacher Liu, rest assured. Ke Lu isn't the type to act impulsively." Facing the teachers' disagreement, Su Rou stepped forward to support Ke Lu. "She must have given this choice a lot of thought. Why don't you hear her out?"

Ke Lu remained firm in her decision.

Her choice was largely influenced by the "Ancient Spirit Array Diagram" provided by the System.

No matter which Second Profession she chose, she could master it effortlessly. The difficulty of Spirit Arrays was for ordinary students, not for her.

With no clear preference, since the System had given her the diagram, Ke Lu naturally opted to become a Spirit Array Master.

"Teacher, even though I've been absent for a month, have I fallen behind on any course material?"

"...No," Teacher Liu replied, recalling Ke Lu's perfect scores. Missing a few classes seemed inconsequential.

"And has my cultivation suffered?"

"...No." With her Experienced First-Tier cultivation, Ke Lu could even skip training entirely before the College Entrance Examination without issue.

"As for your biggest concern—whether I can catch up—" Ke Lu pulled out her phone, tapped the screen, and turned it to show the two teachers.

"I've already passed the Second-Tier SATA and SAPA exams. Combined with my Experienced-Rank cultivation, I'm now qualified to become a Second-Tier Spirit Array Master, pending official certification."

SATA and SAPA are abbreviations for the Spirit Array Theory Assessment and Spirit Array Practical Assessment, respectively, both official examinations administered by the government.

Ke Lu had passed the Second-Tier assessment. Once her Power Level reached that of an Experienced-Rank Martial Artist, she could be officially recognized as a Second-Tier Spirit Array Master.

This also meant that Ke Lu's mastery of Spirit Arrays far exceeded the Senior High curriculum. Even among students currently taking elective Spirit Array courses, few would bother to take this assessment. In Senior High, students typically learned the material from their teachers' lectures, only pursuing certifications during their university years.

Now, even if Ke Lu skipped every class and immediately entered a competition, she would undoubtedly secure a top-tier ranking.

"God! She's a wild treasure!" Teacher Wang exclaimed, his eyes practically glowing as he gazed at Ke Lu with fervent admiration. "When did you take the exam?"

Ke Lu thought for a moment. "Around the second semester of Senior High First Grade, I think."

Under Teacher Wang's intense gaze, Ke Lu turned to her homeroom teacher. "Teacher Liu, what do you think...?"

"What's there to think about?" Teacher Liu sighed, rubbing his forehead in exasperation. "What can I even say?"

In the end, they reached a consensus.

As Ke Lu and Su Rou walked back to the classroom, Su Rou whispered, "Lulu, I remember you already passed the Fourth-Tier certification, right?"

Ke Lu nodded. "True, but there's no need to flaunt it and scare people."