Chapter 165

After all the students were sent to various school bathrooms, only three remained in the classroom. Jiang Tianming looked at Su Bei with a complex expression. After over a semester, he thought he understood Su Bei’s ability.

But now, he realized he was far from it. He’d thought Su Bei could control five or six people at most, but Control Track Class 1 had 23 students, and he’d managed them all, surpassing Jiang Tianming’s understanding.

“How’d you do it?” Unlike his hesitation, Elvis was blunt, “Making so many people’s stomachs hurt at once. Your ability isn’t limited to one person?”

“If the conditions are right, I could control the whole world,” Su Bei said truthfully, though it was near impossible.

When everyone’s destinies were aligned in a straight line or circle, adjusting one could affect all. But that required seeing everyone’s Destiny Compass and forming a circle—an impossible feat.

“So your ability isn’t tied to Mental Energy?” Elvis speculated.

That’d be amazing. Su Bei shook his head regretfully, “No, my ability consumes a lot of Mental Energy, but I have plenty to spare.”

It was safe to say Su Bei’s Mental Energy was among the highest for his age. Not everyone reached Advanced Mental Energy at 15 or 16.

A while later, the teacher returned, addressing the three, especially Su Bei, “This class is now self-study. The cause of their stomachaches is clear. They ate expired chocolate Charles brought from home, causing them diarrhea.”

On the surface, this had nothing to do with Su Bei. But after witnessing the scene, no one would believe that. Clearly, Su Bei’s ability caused it, yet he was completely cleared.

If it weren’t impossible, one might suspect Charles was his accomplice.

“Fascinating ability. Can you explain how you pulled off this prank?” Teacher Lake asked Su Bei curiously. “Oh, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Lake, homeroom teacher of Control Track Class 1.”

Teacher Lake had a neat, dark brown buzz cut, not rugged but exuding calm maturity, fitting the Control Track stereotype.

“Their destiny was to eat something bad today,” Su Bei said cryptically. “Who can explain destiny, right, Teacher?”

This was dodging explanation, blaming it on destiny. He wasn’t lying—diarrhea was their destiny, just one he’d imposed.

After the first class, Class 1 students trickled back. Not everyone returned, as school bathrooms were limited, and some were sent off-campus.

Su Bei’s prank had thoroughly humiliated them.

But that was the Control Track way—you couldn’t get mad over pranks unless you’d never pranked anyone. Had any of them never pranked? No. So, despite being thoroughly got, they couldn’t openly demand justice.

Moreover, Su Bei’s stunt, while infuriating, inspired awe. This prank far outclassed their usual petty antics, targeting the whole class at once.

If the prank was this severe when spread across everyone, they shuddered to think what retaliation awaited anyone who crossed him. And they couldn’t beat him. Best not to provoke him.

As Jiang Tianming said, when strength and prank prowess were both formidable, Class 1 wouldn’t dare prank him. Su Bei’s show of force was a resounding success.

The day ended without incident. Walking to the cafeteria, Jiang Tianming sighed, “My first day here was the opposite of yours. They tried to intimidate me, but you intimidated them.”

“No choice. I had your experience to learn from,” Su Bei teased. “If you went to Special Track Class 1, I could give you tips too.”

Though he’d never get the chance, Jiang Tianming asked curiously, “What tips?”

Not just curious, he wanted to know if Su Bei had slipped up there. Not to gloat, of course—just curiosity.

“Don’t compete with their abilities. Stick to combat,” Su Bei said, naturally not sharing any embarrassments, as he’d had none.

“Combat?” Jiang Tianming asked, puzzled. “Are their combat skills bad?”

Su Bei nodded firmly, “Very bad.”

If Jiang Tianming fought them in a gauntlet, he might not take down 30, but five was easy. His combat skills were top-notch, honed by his tough orphan childhood alongside Wu Mingbai, giving them a ruthless edge that offset technical gaps.

At the cafeteria, the five gathered, and Jiang Tianming recounted the day, sparking another wave of amazement at Su Bei. They recalled the midterm exam, where he’d eliminated five opponents at once.

Back then, it was five; now, it was 23. Per Jiang Tianming, Su Bei showed no signs of Mental Energy depletion, not even paling, suggesting minimal consumption.

“Your Ability’s energy consumption is a mystery,” Ai Baozhu said, fanning herself with a pink fan. “Is Advanced Mental Energy that powerful?”

As a heiress of an Ability Family, she was knowledgeable, having seen Advanced Mental Energy users like her father and a family elder, so she understood it well.

She knew Advanced Mental Energy far surpassed regular Mental Energy in quantity, quality, and recovery speed, but it wasn’t inexhaustible.

Yet Su Bei acted like his Mental Energy was limitless. That was impossible, so Ai Baozhu suspected his ability consumed very little.

Su Bei carried his tray to their usual corner. Hearing Ai Baozhu, he blinked, pondering how to respond.

He was tempted to tell her his ability didn’t consume Mental Energy. If that made it into the comic, it’d become true, a huge boon.

But he’d previously noted that ability use followed energy conservation. For regular users, overusing Mental Energy led to depletion, forcing life force consumption.

If he confirmed his ability used no Mental Energy, the comic would assign another cost for balance. Mental energy was a cost-effective medium. Switching to something like life force, future potential, or karmic debt would be a bad deal.

Without certainty, he wouldn’t invite trouble.

But he’d lay groundwork. If he later found a low-cost alternative to Mental Energy, this could pave the way.

After a moment, Su Bei said lightly, “Maybe I’m not consuming Mental Energy.”

“Then what?” Ai Baozhu pressed, digging deeper.

Having set the stage, he could brush it off jokingly. Su Bei teased, “Life force, of course. Didn’t you know you can use life force for abilities?”

Ai Baozhu: “…”

Obviously a joke. If Su Bei were burning life force, he’d be frail or an old man, not this lively.

She rolled her eyes, uncharacteristically inelegant, “All nonsense. Show me you using life force.”

Two days later, Elvis noticed something off about Jiang Tianming. He’d used [Frost Mage] in the arena, but in the past two days’ classes, he clearly used another ability.

The item-manipulating ability had nothing to do with ice, so after class, Elvis asked Su Bei directly, “Is Jiang Tianming a dual-Ability User?”

Such users were rare. Many regular Ability Users didn’t know dual or multi-Ability Users existed. But as the principal’s direct disciple at Alpha Ability Academy, Elvis had the insight.

“You should ask Jiang Tianming,” Su Bei dodged. During the midterm exam, Jiang Tianming revealed three abilities to the proctor. To shine at the semester-end exam, Meng Huai had him show only two, saving the third for the Tri-School Competition.

The two revealed abilities weren’t to be announced outright. Letting others discover them lent credibility to the idea he had only two. Bragging would raise suspicion, so Meng Huai ordered the others not to leak Jiang Tianming’s abilities.

So, Su Bei redirected Elvis to ask directly.

Time flew to Friday, when Elvis finally challenged Jiang Tianming.

During this time, Su Bei learned much in the Control Track. Alpha Ability Academy’s specialized classes were far more detailed for specific ability types than Endless Ability Academy’s broader courses.

This wasn’t to say Endless Ability Academy’s teaching was inferior, just more comprehensive, sacrificing depth for breadth.

When Lan Subing asked whether depth or breadth was more important, Meng Huai scoffed, “The academy teaches you to handle all enemy types. As for depth, can’t you study your own abilities? How much can a school teach?”

Clearly, he was firmly pro-breadth.

Jiang Tianming was Elvis' final exchange student challenge. Per tradition, no more challenges would follow. The arena was packed, with not just first-years but second- and third-years watching, like Su Bei’s match.

It was a quarry map, likely Jiang Tianming’s choice. Su Bei thought, since his [Frost Mage] was exposed, a water-rich map would’ve been better, using water-to-ice principles to ease ability use.

But then, Elvis would know this too. He wouldn’t give Jiang Tianming that edge. The quarry map was likely a compromise.

Knowing most non-lethal physical damage was useless against Elvis, Jiang Tianming didn’t start by controlling stones to attack but unleashed [Frost Mage]’s ultimate—a wide-area group attack.

Half-human-height ice spikes surged from the ground, easily piercing anyone who didn’t dodge in time.

This group attack could prevent Elvis from dodging via time reversal, but due to limited Mental Energy, Jiang Tianming couldn’t cover the entire arena like a true [Frost Mage] user.

Otherwise, even Elvis might struggle. This showed the strength of powerful Ability Users—though less potent in some abilities, their vast Mental Energy and diverse skills kept them undefeated.

Elvis wasn’t a pushover. As noted, he could delay Mental Energy consumption until after the match. Though limited, it was usually fine if not overdone.

Since prior opponents rarely forced him to use his ability on himself, Elvis hadn’t shown large-scale time reversal.

Now, he didn’t hold back, applying his ability to the entire arena. Time rewound, and Jiang Tianming’s ultimate vanished.

The crowd gasped. Jiang Tianming’s pupils constricted, his expression grave. Though the ability was undone, his Mental Energy wasn’t refunded—it was spent. If Elvis did this a few more times, he’d run dry.

And Elvis' face showed no strain, as if the move cost nothing, sinking Jiang Tianming’s heart further. Did his ability not use Mental Energy?

Sometimes, Jiang Tianming felt he couldn’t understand special Ability Users like Su Bei and Elvis. He was curious about their ability processes.

Still in battle, he refocused, pondering his next move. He couldn’t test how many rounds Elvis could sustain—Su Bei’s precedent taught him not to underestimate anyone’s Mental Energy.

If Elvis kept rewinding his abilities, without flying, sealing his ability, or cornering him, wouldn’t he have to concede?

Jiang Tianming used minimal Mental Energy to stall while his mind raced for solutions.

Meanwhile, Elvis closed in for melee combat. He hadn’t developed direct time-based attacks, except for one that consumed too much Mental Energy and was overly cruel, so he avoided it. Melee combat it was.

By applying time to slow his opponent, despite average combat skills, Elvis was rarely matched in fights.

Even Su Bei couldn’t beat him this way, so Jiang Tianming stood no chance. He stalled, minimizing injuries and staying away from the arena’s edge, while secretly setting up a layout across the arena.

This was Jiang Tianming’s forte—countless times, he’d turned defeat into victory through subtle setups.

Most didn’t see his intent, only his apparent retreat under Elvis' assault.

“He’s probably the weakest of you exchange students, right?” a troublemaker taunted near Su Bei’s group. “Why team up with him?”

The four frowned at him. The instigator flinched, and Si Zhaohua lifted his chin haughtily, sneering, “If not team with him, then who? You?”

Choked by his words, the troublemaker saw Lan Subing’s water-blue eyes coldly fixed on him, “Shut up.”

Too polite, Su Bei shook his head. He’d have just said “scram.”

Returning focus to the arena, Jiang Tianming had subtly led Elvis across most of it, nearing the starting point. For someone less skilled in combat, noticing positional changes relative to the arena was hard, especially when outmatched and micromanaging an opponent’s ability.

After a semester together and insights from the Manga, Su Bei knew Jiang Tianming’s fighting style well. Seeing him retreat broadly, he guessed a setup was in play, though he didn’t know what.

Elvis sensed something off too. Initially, he didn’t notice Jiang Tianming’s intent, pressing the attack. But after being led in a circle, even he realized something was wrong.

“What did you do?” Elvis frowned, his ability covering the arena and himself. If something happened, he could move instantly. If the arena changed, he could revert it.

But he reacted too late. Jiang Tianming’s setup was nearly complete. He reactivated his earlier ability, blanketing the arena with ice spikes.

Elvis didn’t understand why he’d reuse a countered move, but the spikes’ frequency and lethality forced him to rewind them. One hit could be fatal.

As the ultimate was undone, stones rapidly rose across the arena. Their sheer number and unified assault on Elvis left no escape.

The crowd was stunned. Even Ai Baozhu, Jiang Tianming’s classmate, was confused, “Isn’t [Earth Element] Wu Mingbai’s ability? When did they swap?”

“So much Mental Energy?” Si Zhaohua’s eyes widened. Controlling so many stones—how much Mental Energy was that? At school, Jiang Tianming never controlled so much at once.

Lan Subing, who knew him best, explained, “It’s a skill he developed with [Object Control]. He attaches Mental Energy to objects beforehand, then controls them. As long as they don’t move differently, it’s like controlling one object, so the total Mental Energy, including the split-off bit, isn’t much.”

In short, he unified the stones into one “object,” making control easier.

With fewer or less comprehensive stones, Elvis could have countered. But the sheer volume covered the arena, leaving no escape.

Being hit by them would be fatal. Having just used a large-scale time reversal, Elvis couldn’t do another so soon. Even if he could, the stones’ varied timings would demand immense Mental Energy to rewind.

Elvis could borrow future Mental Energy, but it wasn’t limitless. Exceeding too much without short-term recovery would burn life force.

Facing the arena-filling, vision-blocking sharp stones, Elvis, though grim-faced, decisively conceded, “I surrender.”

He wasn’t shameless. The situation was hopeless—refusing to concede would look petty. He’d been outplayed, giving Jiang Tianming the setup chance.

The arena fell silent. No one expected Elvis, with [Time Hourglass], to lose to an exchange student.

After a minute, the referee snapped back to reality¹, announcing loudly, “Jiang Tianming wins!”

—

Wyck-Note¹: there goes gravity…