Sixteenth Illustration: The Hidden Hand Behind the Scenes

"Yu Zhen of the Celestial Spirit Clan, Class 6-1. Are you honing your physical techniques?" The boy, who looked no more than ten but was in fact nearly thirty, raised his hand in greeting. His robes fluttered, exuding an ethereal aura, and his smile was both confident and magnanimous. "I'll only use physical combat as well, so you won't lose too quickly."

True to his word, he didn't let Sang Sang lose too quickly. He toyed with her like a cat with a mouse. Members of the Celestial Spirit Clan were born with perfect energy affinity; training in body techniques from childhood, their footwork blended seamlessly with the laws of space. With just his bare hands, Yu Zhen showed Sang Sang the gap between herself and the prodigies of high-level civilizations her age.

Her secret space techniques were nothing special here; most upper elementary students knew some form of space arts. Their domains fused with spatial projection, and a few even mastered temporal techniques. Yu Zhen was one such case, which rendered Sang Sang's ability to predict his moves through time useless. All she had left to rely on was her exquisite energy control and her potential, refined to a peak seventeenfold concentration.

Dodging another Mountain-Splitting Palm in a sorry state, Sang Sang couldn't help but curse her translator. Such a powerful move, and it was given such a mundane name—it was misleading. The Mountain-Splitting Palm contained secret arts: spatial rending, solidification, isolation, and even temporal stasis. Anyone struck by it could only remain rooted like a mountain to take the blow.

"Basic footwork infused with space law? You're improving quickly," Yu Zhen remarked, frowning in earnest. "But you're still far from enough."

Sang Sang abandoned her lofty hopes of counterattacking with one of the forty-nine basic physical techniques. In real combat, every second counts; by the time she thought of a retaliation, the moment had passed. So she focused on practicing the two sets of basic footwork and body movement, slowly merging her understanding of space into every motion.

But mere evasion could never win a fight—especially against an elite who wielded both space and time techniques. Losing was simply a matter of time. Still, her opponent wasn't having an easy time either.

In a moment of danger, Sang Sang instinctively used her soul talent—her so-called psychic ability, "Resonance." Since there was only one person in the arena, she couldn't control anyone else to join the battle, and Yu Zhen's nascent star core could already ward off her intrusion. But by shifting her mental frequency to match Yu Zhen's, she discovered to her surprise that she could sense his next move.

It wasn't foreseeing the future through time; it was a synchronization of consciousness. By tuning into Yu Zhen's thoughts, she could anticipate his next action—even catch a glimpse of his intentions.

So, reverse resonance was possible after all!

Sang Sang hadn't expected this pleasant surprise. She maintained the resonance, predicting Yu Zhen's movements and evading in advance. The battle dragged into a prolonged stalemate, and the longer their minds were in sync, the more familiar she grew with Yu Zhen's state—even starting to sense the laws and secret arts he had mastered.

Yu Zhen, meanwhile, had no idea Sang Sang was quietly siphoning his combat experience. He only felt his opponent growing more troublesome, her insight astonishingly high. Sometimes, after he used a skill, she would soon replicate it herself. Even a genius like him felt pangs of envy and frustration—was this the gap between himself and the true prodigies of the special class?

Disheartened and nearly spent, Yu Zhen had planned to show off his strength by overwhelming the candidate Saintess. Instead, he found himself locked in a drawn-out chase, a test of stamina rather than dominance. Furious, he shouted, "Are you a mouse? All you do is run!"

Sang Sang ignored his taunts, maintaining her resonance and memorizing the internal energy flows of his techniques. Her mastery of basic footwork and body movement grew, especially after she integrated the laws of space—her actions became swifter and more elusive. She even appeared behind him at one point; if not for Yu Zhen's quick reflexes, he would have been cleaved in two by her Mountain-Splitting Palm.

Yes, she was mimicking the move.

Yu Zhen broke free from her hold and dodged the blow, but a lock of his cherished hair was shorn away. Enraged, he summoned all his psychic force, channeling his energy into a single finger: "Nebula Strike!"

A colossal nebula engulfed the arena, and Sang Sang had nowhere to hide. Amidst the spatial chaos, she reappeared at the respawn point.

The audience was dumbstruck. Such a powerful move—most middle schoolers couldn't even pull it off!

Chin lifted, Yu Zhen returned to the crowd, brushing aside the younger students who swarmed around him. With a huff, he strode away.

In the viewing stands of the Myriad Woods, two lower-grade teachers exchanged high fives in admiration.

"Yu Zhen is one of the top five fighters in the elementary division, isn't he? That win wasn't exactly pretty. He even had to use Nebula Strike—a life-for-life move outside the arena. Sang Hongye really is tenacious."

"Don't look down on her just because she's from the Wild Star Domain. Without real talent, would His Grace, Bishop Anthony, have brought her back to the Temple? Record this and send it to His Highness. Sang Hongye usually keeps to herself and is hard to approach—this is the best chance we've had to test her strength."

"Her aptitude is extraordinary. She can mimic most secret techniques after seeing them a few times. She seems to have some grasp of the laws of space and possibly even time, able to predict attacks. Her energy affinity is unknown, but so far we've seen water and fire traits. Her method of physical cultivation is unclear, but she's already made headway in basic body movement and footwork—she's close to mastery..."

Sang Sang had no idea her battles were being used to assess her abilities. In the past, silently and imperceptibly invading another's mind to synchronize their mental fluctuations for control was "Resonance." Now, by aligning her own mental waves with another's to absorb their experience, it had become "Reverse Resonance." She used this skill to refine her body techniques, and her progress in footwork and movement made each battle easier.

Dodge, maneuver, close in for a counterattack.

To outsiders, Sang Sang's fights looked like ugly endurance matches—cat and mouse, endless evasion. Yet, with her fine energy control and rapid recovery of psychic power, she no longer returned to the respawn point in the following matches. Amid jeers and mockery, she claimed several victories.

In fact, Sang Sang grew ever more adept at reverse resonance, evolving to the point where she could memorize the energy routes of others and test them within herself. Her physical techniques made leaps and bounds, progressing so rapidly that even Yaslan marveled at her talent.

Practical combat truly is the best way to master a skill. But soon, Sang Sang's matches became less smooth.

As a special-class student and candidate Saintess, she enjoyed many privileges—such as challenging upperclassmen. But she could also be challenged by them. Before long, her opponents were middle and high school seniors, who coordinated to limit her actions, exhaust her time, and eventually trap her at the respawn point.

Someone was targeting her.

Through reverse resonance, Sang Sang not only absorbed their experience but also sensed from their leaking thoughts that they were acting on someone's orders—to ensure she would not pass next year's selection.