Chapter 29: Shattering the Shield

Rewind a few minutes.

Inside a rented room in Tiangong City.

“Damn it! Why do I keep running into them everywhere?!”

Tian Yuxin shouted, vigorously kneading and flattening her pillow.

Ever since the Ability Awakening Ceremony, she frequently encountered the magical girl who had awakened her abilities much earlier, along with the person always by her side.

“I finally awakened an excellent ability, only to still be outshone!”

While not quite since childhood, she had been classmates with those two for a full six years.

From elementary school, she had consistently been a top student, always ranking first in every exam, a feat owed not only to her talent but also to her tireless, hidden efforts.

Thanks to this, she had advanced to one of Tiangong City’s highest-ranked middle schools.

Yet, upon entering middle school—or more precisely, after meeting those two—everything had changed.

No matter how hard she strived or which subjects she chose, she invariably placed third, with those two always ahead of her.

One of them had even awakened her ability early, joined the official Ability User Organization, and become an idol to all students.

For several years, she had gradually come to terms with this reality, setting third place as her primary objective.

However, after the other person awakened their ability, the white-haired individual suddenly seemed to give up, becoming not only inattentive in class but also perpetually distracted.

This naturally led her to believe she might finally have a chance to surpass them, but to her dismay, even with their lack of focus on studies, she still couldn’t overtake them.

To be given hope only to have her efforts brutally crushed like that—how could she not resent it?!

Yet, things had taken a rollercoaster turn; at the Ability Awakening Ceremony, she had unexpectedly awakened a high-level ability, one even superior to those possessed by the trained and talented duo.

This newfound power had given her the confidence to overturn everything.

“But why, even with a higher ability level, can I still not surpass them?!”

In a fit of pique, Tian Yuxin hurled the pillow in her hands forcefully onto the floor.

“So noisy! Can’t a person get some sleep around here?!”

Suddenly, a furious shout erupted from next door, making Tian Yuxin flinch.

After a few seconds of silence, she finally got out of bed, retrieved the pillow she had thrown, and brushed off the dust from its surface.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, yet unable to scream, she could only forcibly swallow her curses.

“…Someday, I’m definitely going to…”

Mid-sentence, Tian Yuxin sensed the window being opened and, with a jolt of alarm, turned her gaze towards it.

There, bathed in moonlight by the window, stood a girl with white hair and crimson eyes, her beauty so ethereal it made one wonder if she were merely an illusion.

“…You… who are you!?”

It took her a few seconds to react, after which she hastily questioned the stranger’s identity.

What followed was the white-haired girl attempting to launch an attack, only to be intercepted by the Weichangzhe (TL Note: An organization of ability users) dispatched to protect Tian Yuxin.

“Hmm, I’m not sure if you’re simply foolish, or if you’re unaware of my formidable reputation.

Allow me to introduce myself just this once.

I am the Weichangzhe known as the ‘Immovable Shield of Tiangong’—Shen Jingbing!”

Shen Jingbing (TL Note: Her name, Shen Jingbing, sounds similar to a Chinese slang term ‘shenjingbing’ meaning ‘crazy’ or ‘mental illness’), ah no, Miss Shen Jingbing, recounted her title with a proud, chest-out stance.

“I have a mission to protect that young lady, so if you intend to harm her, I won’t hold back.”

Having isolated Tian Yuxin behind a further barrier, Shen Jingbing declared.

“…”

Bai Li remained silent, pondering inwardly.

Ability users with titles were never weak; Yu Menghua, the Tiangong City Weichangzhe Branch Chief known as ‘Dream Flower,’ was one such example.

Bai Li had also heard a little about this person bearing the title ‘Immovable Shield of Tiangong.’

She possessed a barrier ability capable of extremely high defense, having earned her title by once protecting Tiangong City from a surge of E-rank to D-rank Unusual Creatures.

The barrier that had just appeared successfully blocked a punch from Bai Li, demonstrating the immense power of her ability.

Although Bai Li had held back, that single strike would have been more than enough to instantly annihilate the D-rank Unusual Creature encountered earlier that day dozens of times over.

Depending on its application, the barrier could even be wielded as a weapon, transforming into indestructible blades for direct assault, or forming a prison to trap enemies, much like how she had enveloped the entire room just now.

The fact that such a formidable individual was dispatched to protect a mere newly awakened student underscored Tian Yuxin’s significant status and importance in the eyes of the Ability User Organization.

Nevertheless, Bai Li would not be deterred.

Following Lin Xi’s recent instructions, Bai Li materialized a weapon using her magic and reinforced it with additional magical energy.

Last time, she had merely created an ordinary metal rod, but perhaps that wouldn’t suffice, so she opted to craft a weapon with more offensive capabilities.

Perhaps it was because she had already memorized the process from a previous attempt, or perhaps her control over magic had become more adept after her transformation, but this time, the magic consumed was even less than before, and the process was significantly faster.

What appeared in Bai Li’s hand was a crowbar.

“Hm? Do you truly believe a mere thing like that can shatter my barrier?”

Seeing Bai Li suddenly unleash her ability energy caused a flicker of panic in Shen Jingbing’s heart.

After all, anyone who knew her title and still chose to confront her head-on had to be either a fool or someone powerful enough to defeat her.

Observing Bai Li’s extraordinarily beautiful appearance and her aura of inherent authority, Shen Jingbing doubted she was the former.

To her surprise, however, Bai Li merely conjured an unremarkable crowbar.

Shen Jingbing had anticipated some devastating annihilation magic capable of blowing an entire city block sky-high!

At the very least, a greatsword would have been more appropriate, wouldn’t it?

Nevertheless, Bai Li simply raised the crowbar in her hand slowly, then swung it with sudden force.

In an instant, a tremor coursed through the barrier encasing the entire room.

The originally pale yellow, translucent shield emitted ominous sounds and ripples, then shattered like ordinary glass.

“Eh?”

Shen Jingbing was momentarily stunned.

Although her barrier hadn’t been at full strength, her proudly constructed defense had failed to withstand even a single blow.

Indeed, if she hadn’t initially separated the room-enveloping barrier from the one blocking Bai Li and their side, not only would all her barriers have shattered, but the reverberations would have easily spread across half the city.

Was this truly something a human could accomplish?

Even Yu Menghua, the Tiangong City Weichangzhe Branch Chief, required numerous consecutive slashes to leave a mere cut on her barrier, and creating an opening large enough for passage demanded a charged, potent sword technique!

Bai Li, having achieved this astonishing feat, stepped through the shattered barrier’s opening, crushing the fragments underfoot as if they were utterly beneath her notice.

In her eyes, the crowbar in her hand seemed to shimmer with a terrifying energy, capable of demolishing any tangible object.