Volume One, Chapter One Hundred Forty-Three: The Empty Room

“In just two days, everyone will have the opportunity to enter the great treasure land of the Three Anomalies—the ‘Sealed Awakening Tower.’ Although each person will encounter different fortunes upon entering the tower, remember this: even if opportunity stands before you, without sufficient foundation, you will not be able to grasp it,” Chu Fengyi’s speech this morning remained concise and to the point.

“Build a solid foundation and cultivate yourself. Only those with a firm foundation can seek and obtain the opportunity suited to them within the Sealed Awakening Tower.”

Hearing the name “Sealed Awakening Tower,” a few students’ eyes ignited with fierce determination, for they had already learned through various channels about the many legends surrounding this treasured place.

Even the teaching staff couldn’t help but change their expressions, casting envious glances at the winter camp students.

There were rumors that the reason the Three Anomalies University chose this location to rebuild was because of the towering high tower here.

Mote, who had never heard the strange name “Sealed Awakening Tower” before, didn’t need Chu Fengyi’s encouragement; he already cherished this precious time to fully exploit the benefits of the Three Anomalies.

Every day, he set his alarm to harvest the “leeks” at the Phenomena Pavilion; after lectures, he avoided Ning Muyu as she left and approached the old professor to ask questions he didn’t understand; he wouldn’t leave the library until the closing bell rang...

With his hands behind his head, Mote did not follow the dispersing crowd but instead headed toward the inner training room.

Soon after, a man wearing a trendy baseball cap pushed open the door of a metal training room, humming a tune as he walked toward the exit...

---

After paying the fee at the Phenomena Pavilion’s front desk, Yu Zisheng looked at his campus card balance, which had just been reset to zero, with a painful expression. Gritting his teeth, he stepped inside.

Just as he entered, he brushed past a man who tipped his baseball cap and kindly stepped aside to let him pass.

Yu Zisheng returned the greeting with a friendly nod. The stranger’s gentle smile, visible on the lower half of his face, eased Yu’s gloomy mood somewhat.

He had saved up for a long time to earn this chance to use the Phenomena Pavilion. There was no way he would enter with a sour face; he had to fully absorb the anomalous energy and make the most of this opportunity!

But why was that guy already leaving the Pavilion at this hour? If Yu remembered correctly, the Pavilion had only just opened not long ago.

Shaking off the thought, Yu Zisheng approached a metal training room, pushed open the door, and peered inside.

---

He saw a young woman sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion. Hearing the noise at the door, her sharp eyes immediately swept toward him.

Under that piercing gaze, Yu Zisheng instinctively shrank his neck and quietly closed the training room door, preparing to look for another metal training room.

The girl looked like someone not to be trifled with; it was better not to disturb her.

The rooms in the Phenomena Pavilion could accommodate multiple people meditating together, but too many occupants tended to distract each other, lowering the efficiency of anomalous energy absorption. Thus, students at the Three Anomalies University had an unspoken agreement to avoid “sharing” training rooms whenever possible.

Metal-type anomalous abilities were rare at the university, so Yu Zisheng was a bit surprised to encounter another with the same affinity.

“I wonder how many newcomers with metal-type abilities will attend Old Dong’s lecture this year,” Yu Zisheng mused as he pushed open the next metal training room door.

“Wait... Has this been robbed?” He blinked wide-eyed at the empty room; the dense cloud of anomalous energy was completely gone, leaving only the meditation cushion quietly lying on the floor.

Closing the door, Yu Zisheng was filled with astonishment. Why did he keep encountering maintenance issues with the training rooms? At least put up a sign saying “Under Maintenance.”

Opening another metal anomalous training room, Yu Zisheng nearly popped his eyes out.

Damn it—all the second rooms were under maintenance too?!

A bad premonition rose in his chest, but he pressed on to the next room...

After checking every metal training room in the Phenomena Pavilion, Yu Zisheng finally had to accept the disappointing fact with a sullen face.

Aside from the first room, all metal training rooms were temporarily closed for maintenance.

Thinking about the bottleneck he was so close to breaking through, Yu Zisheng gritted his teeth and pushed open the door of the first metal anomalous training room once more.

Upon entering, the sharp gaze indeed shot toward him again. This time, however, Yu Zisheng did not back down. He found a nearby cushion, sat down, then focused inward—observing his breath, mind, and heart—immediately entering cultivation mode.

The sharp gaze gradually dissipated, and the girl returned to her meditative breathing practice.

---

Ning Muyu was somewhat curious why this guy ultimately chose the same training room she was in.

She naturally had no idea about the strange sequence of events Yu Zisheng had experienced; all the other metal training rooms were unusable.

If she knew this, Ning Muyu would surely think of the other metal-type individual who shared her affinity.

They were both metal-type anomaly users; since only her training room remained available, where on earth was that guy cultivating?

---

On his way to the library, Mote suddenly sneezed, twitched his nose, then continued humming as he walked forward.

The book Huo Yufei lent him, “A Beginner’s Guide to Metal-Type Anomaly Users,” was nearly finished; with a bit more effort, he could complete it today.

If only all high school textbooks were as simple and understandable as the one recommended by Teacher Huo, how wonderful that would be...

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“Haichuan Yi has already arrived on the Three Anomalies University campus. Now he has an additional expert at the peak of the Master Realm guarding him. What’s there left to fight over?” In an underground garage, Eyeglasses pounded the keyboard in frustration, venting long-held anger.

Wang Hai sat on a crate slurping instant noodles. Due to heightened campus security at the university, he hadn’t managed to sneak in and gather information these past few days.

Daozi squatted silently in a corner, sullen and gloomy. After all, the whole mess stemmed from his exposed whereabouts. If this plan failed, he would bear primary responsibility.

“You’re good for nothing but causing trouble!” Ma Lei snapped angrily at Daozi, who was curled up in the corner after removing his glasses.

“Fortunately, Daozi didn’t kill that kid from the Outer Realm. If he had, the entire Tianyuan City would have already been scoured by the Three Anomalies University people. We wouldn’t even have this chance to hide here and plan,” the young man Zhang Qi spoke up. It was unclear whether he was praising Daozi’s restraint or mocking his killer instincts that were hard to suppress.