A Normal Day 

After the "beef noodle war" and the tense "tripartite meeting," Lam Minh's "Seed Squad" was officially formed in name, but in reality, they were still just a group of friends who trained together on weekends. Their lives still revolved around the familiar cycles of school, homework, and teenage troubles.

Lam Minh, after breaking through to the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Realm, became even more discreet. He spent more time familiarizing himself with his new power and cultivating the "Primeval Dragon God Art." He discovered that at this new realm, controlling his qi aura was more difficult. With just a little carelessness, his powerful qi could inadvertently cause some unwanted effects.

Once during class, because he fell too deeply asleep, he accidentally let out a light "Dragon's Breath." The classmate sitting in front of him suddenly felt unusually refreshed, and a difficult math problem he couldn't solve suddenly had a solution. The guy thought he had just been "enlightened." Another time, he accidentally dropped his pen and instinctively used qi to stop it, resulting in the pen being crushed into fine powder in mid-air. Luckily, no one noticed.

These small "accidents" made him realize that hiding his identity was becoming more and more difficult. He needed to learn to live with his power in a normal world.

Meanwhile, the "competition" between the three girls continued, but it had shifted to a more "civilized" form.

To Quyen, with the advantage of being his "scientific partner," frequently invited Lam Minh to the library or the laboratory. They didn't just discuss Madakaros; they talked about everything under the sun. To Quyen discovered that Lam Minh had a surprising understanding of history and culture, which made her admire him even more. These "intellectual dates" helped their relationship become deeper and more connected.

Quynh Nhu, lacking an intellectual advantage, played to her strengths: her energy and straightforwardness. She no longer forced him to be a "punching bag" unreasonably, but instead started inviting him to participate in physical activities.

"Hey, punching bag! Want to go indoor rock climbing this weekend? If you sit around all the time, you'll turn into a bookworm like someone I know," she'd say, glancing at To Quyen.

Or: "Let's go to the amusement park! I've got free tickets from Blacklight!"

Quynh Nhu's outings were always loud, lively, and full of laughter. She would drag Lam Minh onto thrilling rides and force him to take funny, unflattering pictures. Although he always grumbled, Lam Minh had to admit that being with this pink-haired girl helped him relieve stress and live more like someone his age.

Minh Thu remained the same, quiet and shy. She was the only one who didn't participate in the competition. Her way of showing she cared was through lines of code and "alien" text messages. Occasionally, Lam Minh would receive a "Minh Thu Special Edition" antivirus software or a mini-game she had programmed herself. And of course, he still had to regularly act as a "shipper," delivering food and bubble tea to her.

Once, when delivering beef noodle soup, he found Minh Thu huddled in a corner of her room, looking very sad.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"My parents... called again... telling me to come home..." she mumbled. "They... they say if I stay alone all the time... I'll become autistic..."

Lam Minh sighed. He knew Minh Thu's problem couldn't be solved overnight.

He sat down next to her, said nothing, and just opened his own laptop, starting to write a few simple lines of code. Minh Thu looked over curiously.

"Your loop structure... is wrong," she suddenly spoke up.

"Where is it wrong?" Lam Minh asked.

"You should use a 'while' loop instead of a 'for' loop, it would be more optimal..." she began to explain, her voice gradually becoming more confident and fluent when talking about her own field.

This was how Lam Minh communicated with her. He didn't try to pull her out of her world; he stepped into it with her. Gradually, Minh Thu also began to open up more, at least with him.

Lam Minh's life continued to pass by, between cultivation, studying, and balancing his relationships with the four "satellites" around him. It didn't have earth-shattering battles, but it was full of everyday situations, the genuine emotions of a student's life.

He realized this was also a kind of "cultivation." Cultivating how to be a normal person.

And he was gradually beginning to enjoy it.

...

A bright and sunny Friday afternoon. At Tran Hung Dao High School, the atmosphere was as peaceful as any other day. The sound of teachers lecturing, students whispering, the chirping of cicadas in the leaves. No one could have imagined that in just a few minutes, this peace would be torn apart by an unthinkable nightmare.

In class 10A1, Lam Minh was face down on his desk, performing his familiar "napping ritual." History class was always the most effective sleeping pill for him. Beside him, To Quyen was still diligently taking notes, occasionally glancing at him and shaking her head with a small smile.

In the gymnasium, Quynh Nhu, who "coincidentally" had a "skills exchange" session with the school's martial arts club today, was teaching the junior members basic self-defense moves. She was yelling and pointing, looking extremely enthusiastic.

Ly Thien Ba and Diep Chi were also present. Ly Thien Ba had come to "consult" his master, but seeing his "master" was asleep, he had to sit in the cafeteria, patiently waiting while sipping sugarcane juice. Diep Chi had followed him to "supervise" Ly Thien Ba and keep him from causing trouble.

Somewhere else in the city, Minh Thu was still sitting in front of her computer screen, her fingers flying across the keyboard, journeying through the digital world.

A completely normal day.

Suddenly, the ground beneath the schoolyard trembled slightly.

"An earthquake?" A few students playing basketball stopped, looking at each other in confusion.

But it wasn't an earthquake.

Right in the middle of the schoolyard, the air suddenly rippled and twisted like disturbed water. A dark purple crack slowly appeared in mid-air, then quickly expanded, forming a dark, eerie, spiral-shaped space gate.

Everyone in the schoolyard was stunned, petrified. They had seen these things on TV, in the war news. But to witness it appear right before their eyes, in their own schoolyard, was a completely different experience.

An absolute terror gripped them all.

Before anyone could react, dark figures began to pour out from within the gate.

They were Madakaros.

Dozens, then hundreds of Qi Refining-level creatures, armed with weapons, roaring savagely, swarmed out like a broken beehive.

Next, came three larger figures with more ferocious auras. Three Foundation Establishment creatures.

And finally, one figure walked out slowly. He was not large, with a well-proportioned body, wearing a magnificent suit of golden armor. But the aura radiating from him was so overwhelming that the surrounding air seemed to freeze. The third eye on his forehead shone with a cold, golden light.

An Early-stage Golden Core Realm cultivator.

The appearance of a Golden Core Realm cultivator in the heart of a protected city was an unimaginable catastrophe. The city's defense system seemed to have been completely bypassed.

"KILL!"

The Golden Core commander gave a cold command.

The Qi Refining Madakaros immediately charged towards the panicking students and teachers.

"Aaaaaah!"

Blood-curdling screams rang out. A massacre was about to begin.

"DAMMIT!"

Quynh Nhu was the first to react. She shouted, "ALL STUDENTS, RUN INTO THE BUILDINGS! FIND COVER! HURRY!"

She drew two daggers from her hips and, without hesitation, charged towards the swarm of Madakaros, trying to create an opening for the other students to escape.

Ly Thien Ba and Diep Chi in the cafeteria also heard the screams. They rushed out, their faces turning pale at the horrific sight.

"PROTECT EVERYONE!" Ly Thien Ba roared, the power of an Awakened erupting from him. He lifted an entire stone table, using it as a weapon, and charged in to block the monsters' path.

In the classroom, the school's alarm bell shrieked. Class 10A1 was in a panic.

Lam Minh, who had woken up the moment the ground shook, had an extremely grave expression. His spiritual sense had already covered the entire school.

One Golden Core, three Foundation Establishment, and over a hundred Qi Refining. A force sufficient to level an entire city block.

"What is their objective?" he frowned. "Attacking a school offers no strategic advantage. Could it be... to take hostages?"

That's right. This was a terrorist attack. Their goal was to capture thousands of students as hostages to put pressure on the ASEAN government and military.

"All students, get under your desks!" the History teacher shouted, her face drained of all color but still trying to protect her students.

To Quyen was trembling, but she didn't hide. She looked at Lam Minh, her eyes filled with trust. She knew that at times like this, the only one who could create a miracle was him.

Lam Minh looked out the window, seeing Quynh Nhu and Ly Thien Ba struggling to fight, surrounded by dozens of enemies. He knew they couldn't last long. Military reinforcements, even at their fastest, would take at least 15-20 minutes to arrive.

In those 20 minutes, this place would become hell.

He couldn't let that happen.

He stood up.

"Lam... Lam Minh... what are you going to do?" To Quyen asked worriedly.

Lam Minh didn't answer. He walked to the window and looked down at the chaotic schoolyard. He took a deep breath.

He knew that in this battle, he could no longer "act." He couldn't be "lucky," couldn't be "accidental."

He had to fight. Fight with all his strength.

He turned back to look at To Quyen and smiled. A confident and warm smile.

"To Quyen, trust me."

With that, without a moment's hesitation, he broke the window and jumped down from the third floor, landing as lightly as a leaf.

Class 10A1 was stunned.

Lam Minh stood in the middle of the schoolyard, facing an entire army of Madakaros. Gone was the lazy demeanor, gone was the sleepiness. The aura of a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, for the first time, was completely unleashed by him, without a shred of concealment.

An invisible pressure radiated from him, causing the charging Qi Refining creatures to instinctively halt.

The Golden Core commander, observing from on high, narrowed his eyes. "Oh? In a human school, there's such an interesting fish that slipped through the net? Mid-stage Foundation Establishment?"

Lam Minh said nothing. He just silently drew the Thuan Thien sword, which he always carried in a special instrument case, from its scabbard.

KENG!

The jade-green light of the divine sword flashed, illuminating the entire schoolyard.

He pointed the tip of the sword at the swarm of Madakaros, his voice as cold as ice, echoing everywhere.

"All of you... get out of my school. Or... die!"