Volume Two: The Youth with a Thousand Faces, False Yet True Chapter 91: Super Ability Users

Shangguan Yudie was willing to fight, something Huo Ye had never anticipated. Shangguan Yudie should despise strangers, so why would she volunteer for battle this time? Yet any excuse was irrelevant; it was merely a test for the newcomer.

Huo Ye held that view, but Shangguan Yudie did not. Unconsciously, she had developed enmity toward Luo Jiajia. If she could help it, she refused to let the president of the Black Prince Support Association join Xinghe.

Yes, the Black Prince Support Association. Shortly after the nickname “Black Prince” spread, the club had formed. Shangguan Yudie had once browsed its forum, content she never wished to revisit. She could only sigh—fan circle culture was truly terrifying!

“But winning alone is not enough. If she truly possesses talent, Xinghe needs her. If this helps Huo Ye, then… I can accept it. Still, I must test her myself!” Shangguan Yudie clenched her fists, the resolve burning in her eyes.

Xinghe maintained battle chambers and dormancy pods numbering far beyond its current staff, a clear sign of the society’s ambition for the future.

“Little Jade,” Huo Ye instructed as Shangguan Yudie’s cabin door sealed shut, “hold back. Do not end it in a single blow.”

Shangguan Yudie nodded.

Huo Ye’s caution stemmed not from underestimating Luo Jiajia but from the assassin’s signature style. Without warning, Shangguan Yudie might deliver a lethal backstab, rendering the trial meaningless.

The pair required moments to settle on the battlefield map, while the others gathered in the conference room. A vast screen displayed the prepared arena. Amid the wait, casual conversation flowed.

“I was so focused on her records I neglected basic details—her ability type?” Kazama Ruri prompted, though her tone wavered.

“Untyped superpowered individual,” Huo Ye answered.

“What? Superpowered? The rarest of the rare? Truly?” Alice’s eyes gleamed with starlight.

Rilimi’s curiosity stirred. “If so, even that alone might sway me to support her joining Xinghe.”

Huo Ye remained measured. “Hasty judgments are unwise. Combat will reveal her true power. We know nothing of her individual ability yet.”

Superpowered individuals, as Alice observed, ranked among the rarest of all ability users—one in ten thousand, and rarer still among those already exceptional in the wider populace. Simply put, they were untyped ability users, their essence unbound by any elemental affinity.

At equal levels, ordinary ability users held clear advantages, yet their powers fragmented across technique and individual essence, diminishing both. Superpowered individuals avoided such dilution. Their untyped nature rendered every technique less potent, yet they channeled all effort into mastering a single, boundless force.

In the age of abilities, humanity’s vitality had restored its population to two billion within a century after the wars. Yet superpowered individuals remained vanishingly few—fewer than the fingers on two hands.

Their scarcity arose from the improbable convergence of untyped essence and individual power. Thus, superpowered individuals existed in theory alone, yet here they stood before Xinghe.

The arena unfolded as a vast rainforest, roots and fallen leaves everywhere. Each footstep sent mud splashing. The soil was barren, nutrients devoured by towering canopies. Even decayed trees fed the forest in time, creating a canopy so dense it blocked the sky.

“Huh? Why this random map? How annoying—my little white shoes are filthy!” Luo Jiajia fretted helplessly.

“Choice anxiety?” Jiang Feng wondered. “She avoided picking opponents earlier, perhaps out of humility or ignorance. Yet she selects the map herself, surely intending to optimize her strengths. Still she chooses randomly. Records show she received invitations from many societies upon enrollment, yet she hesitated, undecided.”

Huo Ye kept his gaze fixed on the screen. “Perhaps. But if she joins with such uncertainty, how deep is her resolve?”

After a brief hesitation, Luo Jiajia activated her power. Her left hand parted slightly, then enveloped in shimmering translucent light. A glowing platform formed beneath her feet, lifting her clear of the grime. She exhaled in relief.

“Understood?” Huo Ye asked the room.

“Perfectly, yet I cannot grasp it! Is this literal manifestation? To what extent? Could she summon blades or other weapons?” Jiang Feng speculated.

Luo Jiajia heard their murmurs, scratching her head with a sheepish smile. “Hehe, seniors, you’re paying attention. Very well, I’ll explain briefly. I am an untyped superpowered individual. My essence I name ‘Quantum Construction.’ Not literally quantum physics—I merely communicate with the world’s energy through my ability, molding it into form. Nothing is absolute. Larger, more intricate constructs demand greater understanding, hence greater difficulty. So far, my specialty is an unbreakable wall. I tested it; it endured S-rank calamities for ten full minutes.”

Gasps rippled through the observers. Ten minutes against an S-rank disaster? If left unchecked, such a calamity might shatter Bankrover’s century-old fortifications in under seven minutes—yet Luo Jiajia’s quantum barrier matched or surpassed that defense.

“I agree to her joining!” Rilimi declared, his knowledge the deepest among them.

“No regrets?”

“None. I wish only to study her gift with her, to uncover whether it truly aligns with quantum principles!”

Huo Ye nodded and sent a private message to Luo Jiajia from the observation deck.

A chime alerted Luo Jiajia; she opened the panel. Huo Ye’s words appeared: “Congratulations, Luo Jiajia. Your first senior has recognized your potential. Keep striving.”

“Really? Which senior? I love you!” Luo Jiajia beamed, flashing a heart toward the unseen camera.

Alice shot Rilimi a withering glance, then turned away with a cold snort.

Rilimi noticed nothing, a faint flush coloring his cheeks.

Huo Ye interjected, “Save the hearts for later. Your opponent is Shangguan Yudie—a ruthless assassin.”