Chapter 29: Breakthrough! First-Tier Special Ability Holder!

The villa gates creaked open, unleashing a tsunami of spiritual pressure. Lin Ye felt ten thousand steel needles piercing his temples. The invisible force darkened his vision, knees buckling. Beside him, the young man collapsed worse—curled like a shrimp, sweat drenching his collar.

"Soul... tremor?" Lin Ye bit his tongue to stay conscious, watching airborne dust disintegrate. The lightning patterns on his neck flared violet, weaving defensive matrices beneath his skin.

The youth clutched his pant leg: "Help... me..." Before finishing, an unseen force hurled him against the courtyard wall. Though stronger in tier, his physique and energy reserves paled against Lin Ye's Awakened resilience.

The pressure lifted as abruptly as it came. Lin Ye hauled the groaning youth upright. "Thanks, bro. Earlier words… my bad. Song Zhiming—Second-Tier Upper-Class Special Ability Holder. And you?"

"Lin Ye. Freshman. Awakened."

Arm-in-arm, they entered. Nine bronze lamps floated in the foyer, wicks burning liquid lightning. Stepping onto the yin-yang floor tiles, the ceiling's 28 Lunar Mansions diagram whirled, each constellation firing violet thunderbolts.

"Interesting. An Awakened withstands my spiritual assault—albeit at 10% strength." A gravelly voice echoed from shadows.

The man on the rosewood throne lifted his head—silver streaks in waist-length hair, faded cyan robes. His eyes chilled blood: left pupil ink-black, right shimmering with quicksilver lightning.

Song Zhiming lunged forward, knees cracking against tile: "Student Song Zhiming! A-Class Special Ability: Flying Thunderburst! Advanced from First-Tier Lower to Second-Tier Upper in one year!" Lightning arced from his fingertips, coalescing into a panther. "Master Qin, accept me!"

Qin Wuyan flicked his wrist. The panther dissolved into sparks. "Gaudy theatrics."

"Professor! I've trained relentlessly this year—3,000 punches daily, Thunderstorm Chamber record holder—" Song Zhiming choked mid-boast as Qin Wuyan's left eye swirled like a vortex. His memories unfurled as holographic scrolls:

Lin Ye witnessed the comical scenes—Song sobbing through push-ups in the Gravity Chamber, using Thunder Pattern Crystals as pillows, even sneaking Mutant Beast meat from the cafeteria at midnight.

"Noise." Qin Wuyan flicked the projections into sparks. "Last year I said your lightning lacks purity. Effort won't change that."

Song opened his mouth to protest, only to be telekinetically hurled through the gates. His wail echoed: "I'll be back—"

"As for you…" Qin's right eye emitted a scanning beam. "An Awakened with such physique and psychic resilience? Your body underwent mutation."

Lin Ye felt his organs laid bare. Lightning patterns coiled defensively around his neck: "Student Lin Ye. Martial arts focus: Fist Techniques. Awakened with E-Class Static Control, mutated during the exam to S-Class Special Ability: Nine Heavens Thunder Prison."

"Nine Heavens Thunder Prison?" Qin materialized before him, pressing a finger to Lin Ye's forehead. "Relax. Let me taste your lightning."

Primordial thunder roared through Lin Ye's meridians. Within his consciousness, a Primeval Thunder Pool surfaced. When Qin's energy probed its depths, the dormant Celestial Vault System awoke, violently repelling the interloper.

"Fascinating!" Qin staggered back, sleeve smoldering. "An electronic cage? Genetic Lock? No… higher-dimensional…" His silver eye blazed. "Secrets suit you, boy. I'll pry none. To become my disciple, fulfill one condition."

Lin Ye clasped his fists and bowed without hesitation. "Please instruct me, Professor Qin!"

"Earn first place in next month's Freshman Grand Exam." Qin Wuyan's lips twitched in a rare half-smile. "My disciple must be unmatched."

"I'll claim the top spot," Lin Ye vowed, a sly glint in his eyes. "But as a mere Awakened…"

"Take this." Qin flicked a Thunder Pattern Jade Slip at him. "_Ten Thousand Thunder Heavenly Art—Basic Volume. Master the first three layers before returning." Upon contact, torrents of knowledge flooded Lin Ye's mind: visions of a figure summoning Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation to glassify mountains into obsidian plains. Instinct screamed this technique transcended ordinary tiers.

"My gratitude, Professor!" Lin Ye exited, pulse racing.

Villa No.89 Exterior

"Rejected already, freshman?" Song Zhiming leaned against a pillar, arms crossed. "Don't sulk. Took me a dozen tries to—"

"Unlike you, I've got a deal." Lin Ye cut him off. "First place in the Grand Exam earns Qin's mentorship."

"Delusional!" Song barked a laugh. "I barely cracked Top 32 last year! An Awakened like you? Survive Round One and count your blessings!" Yet inwardly, he seethed—Qin's conditional offer signaled unprecedented interest in Lin Ye.

"Watch me." Lin Ye strode toward the dorms, leaving Song stewing.

Dormitory Cultivation Chamber

The room's floor pulsed with Thunder Patterns. After three hours memorizing the Ten Thousand Thunder Heavenly Art, Lin Ye activated the technique. The ceiling unleashed simulated thunderclouds, arcs seeping into his pores.

Soon, his senses detected countless white specks—spiritual energy saturating the air. Ordinary Awakened needed months absorbing this energy to advance to First-Tier Special Ability Holder. But Lin Ye's Celestial Vault System bypassed grind for Special Ability Points.

High-tier energy source detected

Optimizing absorption efficiency

Host's Special Ability Points sufficient for ascension

Ascend to First-Tier Special Ability Holder?

The Celestial Vault System's prompts flickered across Lin Ye's retinas. "Ascend!" He commanded without hesitation.

Simultaneously, the spiritual energy flooding his body split into azure and gold streams. Azure energy gentled into his cells, while gold strands were absorbed and stored by the system. Lightning patterns crept from his skin to his bones, sparks crackling with every breath. When the stored energy peaked, the gold torrent detonated within him—power beyond imagination surging through his veins.

"So this is a true Special Ability Holder…" Lin Ye clenched his fist, ozone sharpening the air as arcs leapt from his knuckles. His holographic status panel updated:

Name: Lin Ye

Tier: First-Tier Mid-Class Special Ability Holder

Special Ability: Nine Heavens Thunder Prison (S-Class) ?

Physique: 586 Qi Blood (+)

Energy: 465 He (+)

Martial Arts: Fist Techniques (Intermediate+)

Combat Skills: Thunder Fist (Intermediate+)

Special Ability Points: 2

Lin Ye hadn't expected leaping from Awakened to First-Tier Mid-Class in one stride. Though his Special Ability Points drained to zero, the explosive gains in physique and energy justified it.

"This… is true power?" He threw a punch at empty air. The shockwave melted an alloy target three meters away into molten slag. Peering through the window, he saw nighttime thunder elements glowing like fireflies—even sensing energy fluctuations from a training ground three kilometers distant.