Chapter 35: A Simp, Are You Even Worthy?
Yun Sheng took a deep breath and stood in the center of the platform.
She was well aware of her body’s sluggishness and poor coordination. A head-on competition of speed and agility was a losing battle.
However, after absorbing Si Jin’s and Bai Ye’s spiritual power in her dreams, her perception of external energy fluctuations had become much sharper than before.
’Maybe I can give it a try.’
The test began.
Points of light flickered randomly under her feet as emitters above and around her activated simultaneously, launching several small balls at her from different angles.
To the surrounding students, the scene was pure chaos.
But under Yun Sheng’s highly focused perception, the flow of time seemed to slow down.
Her body couldn’t keep up with her senses, her movements still somewhat clumsy and slow. But she didn’t move blindly; instead, she used her limited stamina on the most critical moments.
And so, a very strange scene unfolded before everyone’s eyes.
Yun Sheng’s movements were clearly half a beat slow, yet she always managed to narrowly avoid most of the balls at the last second. And at seemingly impossible angles, she used her less-than-agile footwork to step on one point of light after another.
"How... how is she dodging them?"
"She’s just getting lucky, right?"
"No, look. It’s like she’s predicting the direction of the balls every time and moving in advance..."
The students whispered amongst themselves, the disdain in their eyes gradually replaced by surprise.
Once or twice could be luck, but for it to happen every time... that was just uncanny.
Ninety seconds were up.
Yun Sheng stopped, panting. She felt even more exhausted than after the previous physical training.
"Yun Sheng," Shen Tang’s voice announced, "Score: B-."
A wave of sharp, hushed gasps and disbelieving murmurs instantly filled the training room.
"That’s... how is that possible?!"
The girl who had just bet that Yun Sheng wouldn’t last thirty seconds cried out, her face turning ugly.
The score wasn’t top-tier; it was even lower than Zhou Ying’s and Li Wen’s.
But for Yun Sheng, it was particularly eye-catching, even... a little uncanny.
The smile on Zhou Ying’s face faded until it was nearly invisible. Her gaze fell on the sweat-slicked side of Yun Sheng’s face, and she frowned.
Li Wen, however, just let out a "Hey!", nudged Yun Sheng with her elbow, and whispered, "Not bad! Hiding your skills, were you?"
Yun Sheng herself was a bit surprised.
She had only relied on her perception to dodge and step, not expecting to get such a score.
...
The day of training was finally over.
As Yun Sheng walked out of the Tower headquarters, the cool evening breeze swept away the sweltering heat from her training.
"Yun Sheng? What a coincidence, you just got out too." A familiar, smiling voice came from ahead and to her side.
Yun Sheng looked up and saw Lin Yueyao standing beside Zhou Ying on a landscaped path not far away.
"We were just about to head back." Lin Yueyao approached naturally, her voice gentle. "Brother Zhou went to get the car, he’ll be here any second. Why don’t you come back with us? There’s plenty of room in the car anyway."
Zhou Ying stood half a step behind Lin Yueyao, her eyes filled with cold indifference as she looked at Yun Sheng.
Clearly, she didn’t approve of Lin Yueyao’s suggestion, but she didn’t voice her objection either.
"No, thank you." Yun Sheng shook her head, her tone distant. "It’s easy to take the public suspension car. I wouldn’t want to trouble you."
’She had no desire to be in a confined space with Lin Yueyao and Zhou Ying.’
It would only make her more uncomfortable and potentially lead to more trouble.
"It’s no trouble at all..." Lin Yueyao started to persuade her again.
Just then, a sleek, low-profile, dark gray suspension car glided silently to a stop in front of them.
The window lowered, revealing Zhou Lin’s sharply defined profile.
His gaze swept over the people outside before finally landing on Yun Sheng, his tone slightly softer than usual.
"Yun Sheng? The Zhou Family and the Lin Family are both in Xinglan Garden. It’s on the way, get in."
Yun Sheng’s heart tightened slightly. ’I don’t want to face these three people, each with their own ulterior motives, in an enclosed space.’
"Thank you, Major General Zhou, but there’s no need." She refused politely but firmly. "I need to buy some things, so it’s more convenient to take the public transport. I wouldn’t want to trouble..."
Before she could finish, Zhou Ying had already pulled open the door and sat in the front passenger seat, her voice laced with impatience. "Brother, Sister Yue Yao, if she doesn’t appreciate the offer, then let’s just forget it. I’m tired. Let’s go home early."
Seeing this, Lin Yueyao showed a hint of helplessness and apology. "Alright then, Yun Sheng. You be careful. If you need any help..."
"There’s no need, thank you." Yun Sheng cut off her excessive "concern," gave a polite nod, then turned and walked toward the public transport station.
Zhou Lin watched her retreating back disappear into the evening crowd without a second glance. He tapped a finger on the steering wheel, an inscrutable glint flashing in his eyes.
...
Yun Sheng got off at a station on the outskirts of Xinglan Garden. Stepping into the halos of light cast by the streetlamps, she walked toward the Lin Family’s residence.
She hadn’t gone far before her steps faltered.
Ahead, in the shadow of a tree, leaned a young man in a casual jacket with light-blond hair.
He had an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips and was idly fiddling with a metal lighter. His gaze brazenly sized up Yun Sheng, a malicious smile playing on his lips.
"Well, if it isn’t the long-lost daughter the Lin Family just took back?" The man slowly straightened up, blocking her path. "I hear you’ve been putting on quite the airs, upsetting Yue Yao and Xiao Hao?"
Yun Sheng’s brow furrowed slightly.
’This scene... it’s a bit familiar.’
The man before her was Chen Hao, one of Lin Hao’s hangers-on. He was a D-level Sentinel from a somewhat wealthy family, arrogant by nature, and most importantly, one of Lin Yueyao’s loyal bootlickers.
In the original story, this guy had caused no end of trouble for the original owner of this body.
"Move." Yun Sheng’s voice was cold.
"Move?" Chen Hao scoffed as if he’d heard a joke, taking two steps closer. "A piece of trash from a garbage planet, a good-for-nothing who doesn’t even have a spiritual body, is telling *me* to move?"
Before he finished speaking, the spiritual power of a D-level Sentinel erupted from him, pressing down on Yun Sheng with palpable malice and oppression.
At the same time, he clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.
"I came here today specifically to tell you," he said, his eyes sinister, "that there are some people that trash like you can’t afford to provoke. If you dare to make Yue Yao unhappy, you will pay the price!"
The spiritual pressure washed over her like a physical tide, laced with the unique aggression of a Sentinel.
Yun Sheng’s breath caught in her throat. Her head buzzed, and her body felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand.
For her in her current state, the power of a D-level Sentinel was an almost absolute, crushing force.
In a flash, Yun Sheng’s mind raced.
’I can’t take it head-on, but I can’t just sit here and wait to die either!’
The rampant power from Si Jin still lingered within her. If she were to use it, defeating this Chen Hao before her might take only an instant.
But the thought flashed for only a moment before she ruthlessly suppressed it.
’I can’t use it!’
Bai Ye’s suspicion of her had never faded. His people could be watching from the shadows right now, and the Tower’s recording systems might pick up any abnormal energy fluctuations.
The moment she used the signature power of the Dark Sentinel, Si Jin, would be the moment she exposed her biggest secret for all to see.