Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Power of Words

"Admission process?" Lin Nian pondered for a moment and said, "Does the admissions office go to every class in key high schools to promote the school?"

"That's how normal universities recruit. Do you think our school is normal?"

"Not normal," Lin Nian replied promptly.

The existence of Cassel College has only one purpose: dragon slaying.

There were clearly no normal people in this school. Everyone believed in the existence of dragons, and standing under the emblem of the half-decayed World Tree, they inherited the mission of dragon slaying with fervent passion. Clearly, Lin Nian had now become one of these lunatics. He had no choice but to believe in the existence of dragons, as someone had placed undeniable facts right in front of him.

Seeing is believing. No matter how absurd reality might be, it is still reality.

"If the school isn't normal, then its students aren't normal either. That's why we can't openly recruit other students; we cater to a special population." Finger took a sip of cola. Lin Nian didn't know how he managed to drink it while hanging upside down without getting it in his nose.

"You mean Hybrids?"

"Yes, Hybrids." Finger nodded. "You are a Hybrid, and so am I. We are all people with special talents, and talented people show their differences from a young age. The Secret Party builds screening networks in every country and city, placing those who meet their criteria on a watch list. Once they reach adulthood, they are recruited into the college for guidance and trained to become new members of the Secret Party."

"Sounds like old secret agents training young ones."

"If you put it that way, the Secret Party really is a group of secret agents. Right now, the secrets of the dragon race are held by only a few people. Even those in the White House don't know the truth of history!" Finger said.

"But what does that have to do with me having 'S'-grade potential?" Lin Nian was puzzled.

"Junior, you're a transfer student," Finger said.

"Are transfer students rare at Cassel College?"

"They are almost non-existent. I told you, Cassel College only recruits students who are confirmed or suspected to be Hybrids. Every Hybrid discovered is recorded from a young age. But you're different; you just popped up out of nowhere. If the Principal hadn't personally brought you up, no one would have known you existed. The people at the top were so shocked that they immediately sent a tenured professor to recruit you—not even an interview, because you skipped the interview stage entirely! Cassel College even requires an exam for interviews," Finger said. "Cases like this are very rare. By rights, you should have attended a preparatory class, but here you are."

"I was the one who insisted on skipping the prep class," Lin Nian said.

"Things like that aren't just skipped on a whim." Finger shook his head. "Junior, haven't you ever wondered if the special treatment you've received was premeditated?"

Lin Nian was stunned. Finger continued, "At the very least, you're the first 'little agent' to enroll at 16. You're the first to be recruited directly without an interview, and the first to bring a relative into the college. Such extreme exceptions mean you must be hiding a secret."

"I don't even know what secret I have," Lin Nian shook his head.

"But someone does," Finger said, biting his cola can. "That's why you could be the exception so many times. I suppose it wouldn't be impossible for you to be the first 'A'-grade student to be promoted to 'S'-grade? My intuition in this regard has always been accurate, which is why I bet my meal money for this semester on you winning."

"Sounds grounded and logical," Lin Nian closed his notebook.

"Regardless, the fact that you are a Hybrid is certain. At least you won't end up like some other poor souls who were accidentally recruited into the college only to find out they were just ordinary people," Finger said with a smile.

"What happens to those people?"

"Factory reset. Back to where they came from," Finger said. "Remember the psychological counselor, Masashi Toyama, you met today? His Spirit Voice is 'Hypnosis.' It can brainwash someone to make them forget a period of memory. Hybrids might have some resistance, but it's exceptionally effective on ordinary people."

"Spirit Voice?" Lin Nian caught another unfamiliar term.

"A special ability of Hybrids, but you have to experience 'Spirit Vision' before you can awaken it. How about that? Don't you feel that being a Hybrid has suddenly become more sophisticated?"

"Senior, are fast reactions and great speed considered special abilities?" Lin Nian suddenly asked.

"Depends on how fast," Finger thought for a moment and said, "Spirit Voices are divided into many lineages. You'll learn about this in your Spirit Voice studies later, but most speed-type Spirit Voices belong to the lineage of the King of Sky and Wind. Have you heard of the story of Jing Ke assassinating the King of Qin?"

"Of course I have."

"In history, Jing Ke's Spirit Voice was a speed-type assassin ability. It allowed him to appear behind his enemies with ghostly speed. He used this to assassinate the First Emperor, but the First Emperor revealed his true form—an ancient dragon of extremely high seniority. His dragon body coiled around the bronze pillars of the great hall, leaving no distinction between back and front. Stripped of his Spirit Voice, Jing Ke was burned to death by the First Emperor's dragon breath..."

"Wait, you're saying Qin Shi Huang was a dragon?" Lin Nian was dumbfounded.

"A pure-blooded dragon, a second-generation descendant second only to the first-generation. Of course, there are theories that he was actually one of the noble Four Monarchs, but that true history was artificially buried, and later Secret Party members had no way to trace it... In fact, most of the emperors in your history had dragon blood. After all, your emperors were the only ones bold enough to publicly declare themselves true dragon bloodlines. You'll learn about this in Dragon Genealogy in your sophomore year." Finger looked at the bewildered Lin Nian and explained, "In Alchemy class, you'll also learn that the dagger Jing Ke used was an alchemical weapon. Lady Xu of the Qin Dynasty was the most famous alchemical weapon smith of that time. It's just a pity that the First Emperor later burned books and buried scholars, burying all those who mastered dragon knowledge and finishing them off with a puff of dragon breath."

"That's... impressive," Lin Nian said. "But isn't the version of Jing Ke you described a bit too pathetic? Is there no future for speed in this day and age?"

"No, there are no weak Spirit Voices, only weak users. There are powerful users of speed-type Spirit Voices in the school now. The best example is Principal Angell's Spirit Voice, 'Time Zero.' In battle, the Principal is hailed by his enemies as the Ghost in Time!"

"The Principal can stop time? Is his last name Kujo?" Lin Nian felt his worldview, which had only just been rebuilt that afternoon, showing signs of collapsing again.

"It's Joestar... Just kidding. Actually, whether the Principal can stop time is debatable. After all, time is a feeling; we can't even say for sure if it exists. Calling the Principal the Ghost in Time is just because he is fast—so fast that people mistakenly think he can pause time, doing in one second what ordinary people can't do in dozens."

"I can't do that. It seems I don't have a Spirit Voice," Lin Nian thought about his own limits and realized that compared to the powerful and mysterious Principal described by Finger, he was still too inexperienced.

"No, you have a Spirit Voice; you just don't know what it is yet," Finger said. "Awakening a Spirit Voice requires extreme mental tension and resonance with one's bloodline. When a Hybrid experiences Spirit Vision for the first time, their mind undergoes a massive shock."

"Senior, what is your Spirit Voice? Is it powerful?" Lin Nian was very curious if this senior, who had been held back for two years and still hadn't graduated, could cast fireballs or something.

Finger coughed and said, "Actually, don't worry too much about the strength of a Spirit Voice. You know, if it's too strong, it's not necessarily a good thing—it's easy to play with fire and burn yourself. Usually, weaker Spirit Voices are easier to control and have better sustainability..."

"I get it." Lin Nian stopped talking.

Finger was immediately overcome with a sense of immense frustration. He sighed long and hard, sat up, and went back to the upper bunk. "You'll learn a lot of this in class. Get some rest, Junior. You have a physical test tomorrow. Maybe the results will even be recorded into your bloodline rating by NOMA. I've bet my meal money on you, after all."

"Yeah, got it." Lin Nian reached out to turn off the dormitory light. In the darkness, he took out his phone, composed a text message, sent it, and then turned off the screen before closing his eyes to sleep.

At that moment, Finger in the upper bunk suddenly said, "Junior, do you feel hungry?"

"Senior, are you treating me to a meal?" Lin Nian opened his eyes.

"No, I was just mentioning it..." Finger, his intentions seen through, mumbled a few words and fell silent.

In the darkness, Lin Nian smiled and closed his eyes, feeling at ease.