Novel Full Chapter 901: Testing Abilities!
Chapter 901: Testing Abilities!
The image flickered slightly, then stabilized.
A towering figure filled the screen. A massive wolf with wings spread wide, its body dominating the entire battlefield beneath it.
"How tall is that..."
A teacher muttered it under his breath.
"That’s not a normal transformation," another said, shaking his head slowly. "Even among transformation abilities, this is excessive."
"That size alone—"
"It’s not just the size," someone interrupted quietly.
All eyes remained fixed on the projection. Even without feeling the energy directly, they could see it. The way the space itself subtly distorted around his movements. The tone of the crowd shifted, curiosity from earlier giving way to open disbelief.
Above them, hidden in the sky, the four Rank 4 observers watched through the same projection. Their perception gave them a clearer view than those below. None of them spoke immediately, because what they were seeing exceeded expectation.
"...That size..."
One of the elders frowned deeply. Another’s gaze hardened.
"It’s not just the size."
Arven’s eyes remained fixed on the projection. "...Interesting. Unfortunately this boy is going to cause considerable trouble going forward. Next time he attempts to advance, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see something similar to what happened many years ago, when that young lady who wasn’t even sixteen yet was on the verge of entering Rank 3."
One of the elders glanced at him briefly, then back at the situation below.
"If an early-stage Rank 4 engages him carelessly, they won’t have an easy time."
Michael would still be at a disadvantage. That much was clear to all of them. But he had crossed the line where it would no longer be entirely one-sided. For someone who had just reached Rank 3, that was absurd.
One of the elders finally spoke, his voice low. "...That’s enough for the ones below. They don’t need to see any more."
His gaze shifted downward toward the academy grounds, where more figures continued to gather around the training facility.
After a brief pause another added calmly, "You’re not wrong. Too many eyes here."
Every major force in Aurora had its own methods of observing others. No one could openly accuse anyone else of doing the same. Still, there were limits.
Arven clicked his tongue softly. "Fair point."
His hand lifted lazily. He didn’t look down. He simply waved.
And just like that, every person gathered inside and around the training space vanished and reappeared outside the academy grounds entirely.
No warning. One moment they were there, watching. The next, gone.
High above, one of the elders spoke again. "If you have time to sneak around and watch, you have time to focus on your own cultivation."
His voice carried quiet authority even from that height. None of those displaced below bothered to reply. After bowing briefly in the direction of the sky, they scattered.
Arven chuckled lightly. "Harsh."
"Necessary."
Silence returned, and their attention shifted back to the fight.
Inside the alternate space, Michael stood towering at sixty meters. Director Lin looked up at him, her expression finally stabilizing. The earlier surprise had faded. She stepped forward.
And vanished.
Michael’s pupils contracted.
Fast. Too fast.
For a sixty-meter body his reaction was delayed by sheer scale, but instinct still kicked in. His wings snapped inward.
Too late.
Boom.
A single fist slammed into his chest. The impact didn’t send him flying. The entire sixty-meter frame froze mid-motion as the force compressed into a single point and rippled outward across his body. The ground beneath his feet collapsed a second later, sand erupting as his weight shifted backward under the delayed impact.
Michael staggered. A massive step carved a trench through the desert.
"...What—"
He hadn’t even finished the thought before she was already there again.
Another strike. This time to his flank.
Boom.
The sound cracked like thunder. Michael’s entire body twisted from the hit, his massive form dragged sideways as sand exploded into the air.
Director Lin didn’t give him time. She moved again. A blur. A presence.
Then another hit.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Each strike landed clean. Michael raised a claw to counter and she stepped inside it, a punch landing against his wrist joint at a precise angle. The joint buckled. It healed almost immediately, but his claw still missed.
Another hit to his shoulder. His balance shifted again.
Michael’s eyes widened. "...She’s overwhelming me."
Another strike landed against his chest. This time Michael pushed back. His muscles tensed and the ground shattered beneath his feet as he forced himself to hold position.
For a brief second they clashed directly, power against power. Then Director Lin’s fist twisted. The force changed direction and Michael was pushed back again, his massive frame sliding across the desert and carving a deep path through the sand before stabilizing.
Silence.
Michael stared at her, still processing.
"...You’re not a mage."
Director Lin tilted her head slightly. "...Did I ever say I was?"
Michael didn’t respond immediately. His thoughts were moving fast. The physical strength she was demonstrating didn’t match anything he had expected from her.
"...Are all Rank 4 like this...?"
The question came out before he fully meant to say it.
Director Lin smiled faintly. "...No."
She stepped forward again. "...I’m holding back."
Michael’s pupils shrank.
Something clicked in that moment. If this was her holding back, then what about those who didn’t? What about those who specialized entirely in the body? Pure strength. Pure physical combat. What would that feel like?
If this was Rank 4, then he wasn’t there yet. Not even close.
And yet the realization didn’t discourage him. It did the opposite.
Even in that massive wolf form, it was visible. The shock faded and something else took its place. His claws dug into the ground. The air compressed around him.
After advancing, Michael had also noticed something else.
It was said that when one ascended properly to Rank 3, so did their law seed. Which made sense. It was called Ascension for a reason. There was no way one’s law would remain unchanged when it served as the foundation for everything else.
Michael’s body began to fade until he was no longer visibly present in the space he had occupied.
Director Lin tensed immediately.
Something unusual was happening in her senses. Michael hadn’t actually disappeared. She could feel that much with certainty. He was still somewhere within range, still present in the space, but for some reason she could not accurately pin his location.
The signal was there but it refused to resolve into a fixed point, slipping away each time her perception reached for it.
She stilled herself and waited.
Then she picked up something behind her.
She turned and punched immediately, no hesitation, no warning.
Mid-air, a figure materialized. Michael appeared in the space her fist was already crossing, and the two connected in a collision that sent a shockwave rippling outward across the desert floor.
But Director Lin’s attention had shifted from the impact to his appearance.
He looked different.
A darkish grey aura clung to him
In truth, Michael was no longer in one state.
He was in two.
One belonged to Beginning. The other to Fade.