Chapter 34: The Unprecedented Vessel and the Attribute of Nothingness

The sports field.

Bai Huo’s appearance was akin to a bomb dropped into still waters, instantly sending ripples of chatter across the entire school.

Everyone knew that Bai Huo, a formidable expert of the Saint Realm, devoted himself entirely to cultivation and rarely made public appearances; many students had spent years enrolled without ever catching a glimpse of his esteemed face.

Before long, the sports field was packed to the brim with students, the grandstands overflowing with a jostling crowd.

The twenty-five students of Special Class C now found themselves completely encircled by thousands of onlookers.

Having never experienced such a massive spectacle, they inevitably felt a twinge of apprehension and nervousness.

Moreover, those observing them were the veritable cream of the crop—geniuses among geniuses, the senior students of Holy Spirit Academy.

Should their test results prove unsatisfactory, they would suffer immense humiliation, prompting each of them to inwardly steel their resolve and pray against any disastrous blunders.

The unease of the others stood in stark contrast to Zhang Liang’s composed demeanor.

Naturally, all eyes converged upon him.

“I recall that person named Zhang Liang hasn’t even activated his Vessel yet.”

“Why is that? Isn’t he powerful and influential? Couldn’t he just find anyone to activate it for him?”

Overhearing the students’ confusion, an elderly teacher approached them and began to explain:

“Generally speaking, you’re not wrong, but those with power and influence seek out top-tier individuals for activation. While the fundamental function is the same, the Vessel’s inherent vitality differs greatly.”

“What’s the difference?”

“The recovery efficiency is like night and day.”

Upon hearing this, the students gathered around the elderly teacher suddenly grasped the profound implications.

In practical combat, the size of one’s Vessel determined the number of spells one could cast, while magic power recovery significantly elevated that usage limit.

If a person possessed a large Vessel coupled with high recovery, wouldn’t they become utterly addicted to unleashing spells?

Pondering this, the students couldn’t help but gulp as they gazed at Zhang Liang.

The magic array activated, and the testing crystal was carefully placed upon the rotating hexagonal formation.

This array served to enhance the testing crystal, enabling it to reveal a greater depth of data.

Both the freshmen of Special Class C and the throng of observing students felt an acute sense of tension.

Heng Naixin, being first in line, approached the testing crystal and aligned her hand with the palm print etched upon its surface.

A flash of white light, and the results appeared.

Lin Na recorded the data onto a file, then read aloud: “Heng Naixin, Mortal Realm High-tier. Vessel: 10,000. Attribute: Wind.”

This outcome somewhat defied everyone’s expectations; for a student from a special class, the data seemed notably low.

The few teachers who had witnessed her in combat were particularly stunned, wondering how she had possibly fought a peak demonic beast with such stats; the disparity between them was far from insignificant.

The onlookers’ incessant chatter caused Heng Naixin’s cheeks to flush crimson as she quickly departed, her head bowed, feeling as though she were enduring a public execution.

Seeing this, Zhang Liang’s brow furrowed. ‘Damn it,’ he thought, ‘she’s my excellent teammate, an invincible support! What if these good-for-nothings make her withdraw into herself?’

Just as Heng Naixin passed by Zhang Liang, he uttered two words to her: “Potatoes.”

Raising her head, Heng Naixin looked at Zhang Liang with tear-filled eyes, only to see him giving her a firm thumbs-up.

Instantly, a wave of warmth surged through Heng Naixin’s heart—not merely because someone was offering encouragement, but because he remembered that she had been thinking of potatoes at that very moment.

After learning of Zhang Liang’s affection for Xi Lan, Heng Naixin had felt a brief pang of disappointment. She was merely a country girl, while Xi Lan was a great noble, strikingly beautiful, and utterly beyond comparison.

Thoughts of giving up had surfaced, but now, Heng Naixin believed this was merely a test from the heavens.

Love, she mused, was always full of twists and turns; without enduring trials, how could one ever achieve a truly fulfilling outcome?

‘Love at first sight’ was a phrase often encountered in novels, and though Heng Naixin had met many people, she had never experienced the emotions described in fiction—until Zhang Liang appeared.

She knew she was weak; simply gaining admission to Holy Spirit Academy was an honor for her ancestors, and being placed in the same special class as Zhang Liang was nothing short of a miracle.

With the heavens themselves seemingly aiding her, she had to steel her resolve and, at the very least, become strong enough to stand by his side.

“I’m motivated! Go for it!”

Heng Naixin raised her fist and shouted, startling everyone present, even Zhang Liang, who hadn’t anticipated such a rapid recovery. He wondered if she was simply flipping through the pages of a book.

In the VIP room, Murong Xue was utterly astonished by the swiftness of Heng Naixin’s transformation.

“What did he say? How did that girl recover so quickly?”

Bai Huo, capable of reading lips, inquired with a puzzled expression: “Potatoes?”

Murong Xue, surprised, echoed: “What potatoes?”

Amidst a silence filled with bewilderment, the tests continued.

“Lubenwei, Mortal Realm Peak-tier. Vessel: 12,500. Attribute: Earth.”

“Qiao Biluo, Mortal Realm Peak-tier. Vessel: 13,000. Attribute: Water.”

****

“Fan Bin, Spirit Realm High-tier. Vessel: 25,000. Attributes: Fire, Earth.”

Upon hearing these figures, a clamor of exclamations erupted throughout the field.

A Vessel of 10,000 was already considered excellent; anything above 20,000 was truly rare. Fan Bin’s cultivation, combined with his Vessel capacity and dual-attribute constitution, ignited a potent mix of envy and admiration among the many students.

“Yun Yun, Mortal Realm Peak-tier. Vessel: 30,000. Attribute: Water.”

Yun Yun departed with her head held high, chest puffed out, and hands on her hips. The crowd, captivated by her twitching white ears, barely registered the fact that her Vessel was even larger than Fan Bin’s.

“Xi Lan, Spirit Realm Mid-tier. Vessel: 50,000. Attributes: Wind, Fire, Thunder, Water, Ice, Earth.”

This result left everyone utterly stunned, plunging the field into an immediate, profound silence. While a dual-attribute constitution was already a rarity, possessing mastery over six attributes simultaneously was simply unheard of.

“Ying… you don’t need to be tested.”

“Eh? Ah! Understood.”

Ying’s true identity could not be exposed; if others were to discover her rare light attribute, it could invite further deadly peril.

Zhang Liang then placed his hand upon the crystal, for he was the central figure of this particular test, and all eyes were fixed on his impending results.

“Zhang Liang, Mortal Realm Peak-tier. Vessel: 10,000… hm? Ones… tens… hundreds… thousands… ten thousands… 100,000!?”

When they initially heard “10,000,” the crowd had been ready to burst into laughter, but upon hearing the figure “100,000,” their jaws collectively dropped in dumbfounded silence.

It was a figure utterly unprecedented in history; even Zong Zhen, the hero who had vanquished the Demon God, possessed a Vessel of merely 70,000.

Bai Huo, hearing this astonishing answer, rose to his feet. He grew increasingly convinced that this individual was none other than the Sword Dao Demonic Venerable, who had broken through to the Saint Realm High-tier.

He had reshaped his physical body, thereby acquiring an entirely new realm of power.

Meanwhile, Zhang Liang let out a cold snort in his mind. ‘Just as I suspected,’ he thought. ‘As a reincarnator, how could I possibly not have some kind of cheat?’

“Which attribute suits me?” Zhang Liang asked Lin Na, a slight smirk playing on his lips, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Lin Na gazed at the crystal, momentarily silent.

Though only a mere two seconds had elapsed, to the perception of the anxious crowd, it felt as if ten minutes had passed. Their eyes wide, they waited with rapt attention for Lin Na to utter the answer.

They were desperate to know what rare constitution Zhang Liang possessed.

“Attribute: None.”

“What!?”

At this, even the widely experienced Bai Huo was stunned, his eyes widening and mouth dropping open, revealing an expression of utter astonishment that no outsider had ever witnessed.

Just moments ago, he had been convinced that Zhang Liang was the Sword Dao Demonic Venerable; now, this was a truly heaven-defying reversal.

It was like a tiny bird attempting to wield a massive cannon, a sight so absurd it would make even a dog shake its head.

While this answer defied everyone’s expectations in a different way, it could, broadly speaking, still be categorized as a rare constitution.

“Pfft…”

That single sound served as the fuse, igniting an explosion of deafening laughter across the entire field.