Chapter 56 – Finality

Smoke lingered, curling lazily out of the crater Gu Yue's tri-elemental attack had carved into the center of the arena. Bits of scorched stone and cinders crackled faintly beneath her boots as she stepped forward. Her body swayed slightly with every step—her Soul Power was drained, her legs sluggish, but her eyes remained sharp.

Each breath came ragged.

Her vision was blurring at the edges. Still, she pushed on.

At the edge of the crater, Gu Yue paused and stared into the broken hollow below.

There, at the bottom, lay Qiang Ming.

—or rather, what was left of him.

His body was a wreck—burnt black in places, his uniform shredded and fused to his skin, blood pooling in a thin trail from his lips. Even the Lich's Hands, once so terrifying, had been blown to dust by her final attack. His hammer was nowhere to be seen, as if it had been shattered in the storm.

His chest rose and fell only faintly. Purple energy seeped from his skin in slow wisps.

He's done, Gu Yue thought. Finally.

A small shard of ice began to form above her fingertips, delicate and sharp as a scalpel.

"I'll end this properly," she whispered to herself.

She extended her hand, the icicle poised above Qiang Ming's unmoving face.

Then—he opened his eyes.

Not with anger.

Not with madness.

But with clarity.

His deep violet gaze met hers with a strange calm. The turbulent storm of his rage had gone. What remained… was resolve.

The icicle flew.

A shimmering trail of frost followed it as it zeroed in on his forehead.

It stopped.

Mid-air.

A dull, metallic ring echoed through the simulation, as if the very air had deflected the attack. It froze in place—suspended like time itself had paused to consider mercy.

Gu Yue blinked.

"…What?"

And that's when he moved.

From the crater, the mangled figure rose.

First to a knee. Then, feet planted firm into the ground, wobbling—shaking—but upright. His skin was cracked like porcelain, veins glowing faintly with purple light beneath. The Blackstone Abyss Hammer returned to his grasp with a flash of black smoke, summoned from the void like a judge's gavel.

His skeletal hands didn't return. His arms trembled. But still, he stood.

Gu Yue turned on her heel, suddenly running, instinct screaming at her that this wasn't over. But her body didn't cooperate—her muscles refused to move as swiftly as they once did. She was spent. Her Soul Power was gone.

No. Not like this!

A whisper of wind rushed behind her.

Then—

CRACK.

The Blackstone Abyss Hammer smashed into her back.

The pain was brief. The shock, total.

Gu Yue's spine gave under the force. Her eyes widened—not in pain—but in realization.

She'd lost.

She could feel the simulated body beginning to dissipate. With her last bit of strength, she twisted her head and looked back toward Qiang Ming.

He stood there.

Unshaking. Still bleeding.

But triumphant.

Golden light consumed Gu Yue, and she vanished from the battlefield.

Silence.

Then—the simulation ended.

A beam of silver light descended onto the last man standing.

Qiang Ming.

It carried him gently out of the virtual world. As the world faded, so too did the searing pain. His wounds sealed, his battered body mended.

And when he opened his eyes again, he was back in the real world, the lid of the Ascension Pod lifting slowly with a hiss.

He sat up.

His face was whole again. His body unblemished. His Soul Power restored.

He exhaled slowly, a satisfied breath.

Victory. Not just over others—but over himself.

He stepped out into the hall, expecting only emptiness.

But instead, he was greeted by a crowd.

The entire first-grade class stood there—eyes locked on him. Whispers passed between them, uncertain, awed. Some bore expressions of fear, others of respect, and many—of rivalry.

They had all seen what he had done.

What he was capable of.

And Class 0?

Their expressions were different.

Anger.

They weren't just classmates. They were comrades. Friends. Rivals. And Qiang Ming had crushed them.

To him, they were staring up from below.

He looked back with nothing but quiet disdain.

But before anyone could speak—before another conflict could ignite—a familiar voice sliced through the tension like a blade.

"Enough."

Wu Zhangkong stepped forward, his arms crossed behind his back. He glanced toward the stunned crowd, then back to the teachers seated behind him.

"The battle simulation has concluded. I trust all of you have learned something."

He paused.

"While the competition was held under the guise of raw combat, the true goal was to observe not only strength—but the capacity to lead."

He let that hang in the air for a moment.

"Leadership is more than overwhelming force. It is restraint. Vision. Trust."

His eyes flicked toward Qiang Ming, who tilted his head slightly, as if anticipating the words.

"And after deliberation with the academy committee…"

A cough.

"Tang Wulin is hereby appointed Class President of the First Grade."

A beat of stunned silence.

"…He will be granted the authority to select his two Vice Presidents at his discretion."

Qiang Ming's jaw tightened.

Everyone turned to look at him.

The floor beneath his feet cracked slightly as his Soul Power surged instinctively, violet light rippling around him like a gathering storm.

Then—

"WHAT?!" he snarled.

His voice boomed across the chamber. Fury—real and righteous—poured from him like a tidal wave.

Veins in his neck bulged. His hands balled into fists. The purple aura thickened, dancing with restrained fury.

"I won! I stood alone! I beat all of them!"

Wu Zhangkong met his gaze, unflinching.

"And you failed to demonstrate the one quality a leader must never forget…"

"Humility."

The words hit harder than any SoulQuake Blow ever could.

Qiang Ming stood frozen.

Mouth open.

Soul Power still seething.

Then, slowly, his eyes narrowed.

He looked toward Tang Wulin who stood tall 

Seething in deep anger, Qiang Ming looked towards Wu Zhangkong and barked out a single sentence before leaving the classroom, his feet hitting the ground hard leaving purple marks on it. 

"You damn hypocrite" 

This made even Wu Zhangkong narrow his eyes.