The military transport plane was incredibly fast; before long it reached the Military District and touched down.

Except for the five trainees from the Military District, the other trainees disembarked and went straight back to the dorms to pack. The special training camp had run into such a major incident that it couldn’t continue; it had to end early.

After packing, Lin Zichen and Shen Qinghan headed toward the airfield. They had flown in by military helicopter and they’d be flying back the same way.

Just as the two were walking down the stairs and were about to reach the first floor, they ran into Shangguan Yueying walking up.

Seeing them both carrying luggage, Shangguan Yueying smiled and said, “You just got off the plane and you’ve already finished packing?”

Lin Zichen smiled, “The sooner we pack, the sooner we can head back.”

“True.”

Shangguan Yueying took her phone from her pocket smiling, “It’s pretty fated that we got to attend the Military District’s training together and even got assigned to the same team during the entry assessment. How about we add each other on WeChat?”

“Sure.”

Shen Qinghan was happy to oblige and took out her phone to add Shangguan Yueying on WeChat.

After adding Shen Qinghan, Shangguan Yueying looked to Lin Zichen with a sweet smile, “Let’s add each other too.”

Lin Zichen smiled and politely declined, “I almost never post to Moments and I rarely check WeChat. If you need anything, just reach out to Hanhan. We’re basically inseparable.”

“That works too.”

Shangguan Yueying smiled, though she felt a little disappointed. Whether she added Shen Qinghan didn’t matter, but she really did want Lin Zichen’s contact. In all her life she’d never seen a top-tier genius this handsome. She wanted his WeChat in case he became single someday—she’d make a move right away. Unfortunately, she couldn’t even add him now; with no chance to chat, it felt a bit depressing.

After a few words of small talk, Lin Zichen and Shen Qinghan left the dorm building and headed for the airfield. They found the assigned military helicopter and quickly boarded, stowing their suitcases. Before long, Li Moyu and the others arrived as well. Once everyone was on board, the helicopter lifted smoothly into the sky and flew toward Shanhai University.

* * *

Roughly two hours later, the helicopter reached Shanhai University and hovered over the administrative building’s rooftop. With a thought, Yuan Dongzhi brought her five students off the helicopter, letting them float down to the roof and land steadily.

After disembarking, Li Moyu and Luo Yongjian didn’t linger; dragging their luggage, they headed straight for the school gate. It was still winter break and both of them lived at home. Back at the Military District, they’d already contacted family to pick them up and now their families were waiting at the gate.

Ma Xiwei also left quickly; her home was on campus—just a short walk away.

As for Lin Zichen and Shen Qinghan, Yuan Dongzhi led them to the principal’s office, saying she had something to discuss with Lin Zichen.

* * *

Inside the principal’s office, Lin Zichen and Shen Qinghan sat on the sofa by the tea table—the former scrolling on his phone, the latter carefully brewing tea. Over at the desk, Yuan Dongzhi set down the top‑grade anti‑mutation serum that Yao Heling had given her, then took out an ordinary anti‑mutation serum and injected herself.

As the serum entered her system, her condition visibly improved. After taking a moment, she came over to sit opposite them at the tea table and looked at Lin Zichen, “When you showcased your talent and crushed the field during the entry assessment, I figured the Divine Plant Cult’s human collaborators would definitely make a move on you. So when you left by military bus for the field training, I shadowed you the whole way.”

She raised the cup of tea Shen Qinghan had poured and took a small sip, then continued, “I clearly suspected the collaborators would act, but I didn’t tell the Military District to accompany me to protect you. Do you know why?”

Lin Zichen thought for a moment, “Because there are collaborators inside the Military District—you couldn’t trust them?”

“Exactly.” Yuan Dongzhi looked pleased. Soon, she set the cup down and her expression turned serious, “There are more collaborators on Earth than you think. Most of them look no different from regular people when they’re off‑mission. They could be your teacher, your best friend—even your lover. Those able to hide for years within human society usually have to complete just a single mission in their lifetime.

Before that mission, they’re ‘good people.’ Only when it’s time to act do they show their true face. Take the Military District’s Vice Commander Chen. If the Divine Plant Cult hadn’t planned to capture you, he might never have been exposed in his entire life. I’m telling you this so that when you face danger, you won’t easily trust anyone around you.”

“Got it,” Lin Zichen nodded, “Thank you for the reminder, Principal Yuan.” With Danger Perception, he wasn’t too worried; he could keenly sense other beings’ malice. Being back‑stabbed by those close to him was unlikely.

“By the way, what exactly is the Divine Plant Cult?” he asked. In just half a year, they’d attacked him twice—hard to ignore.

Unhurriedly, Yuan Dongzhi said, “The Divine Plant Cult is the oldest known heretical cult—around since before aberrant beasts ever appeared. More precisely, aberrant beasts appeared on Earth because of them. Through special means, they connected Earth with the Source and regularly send beasts here.

As for why, we still don’t know. Not only do we not know—even many of their own high‑level members don’t. Almost no one knows the real reason. And many smaller cults were essentially propped up by them. For example, the Rat God Cult that suddenly appeared in Shanhai City a few years back. You and Qinghan are both locals—you should be familiar with it. That’s about as much as I know. Beyond that, not really.”

After hearing this, Lin Zichen was genuinely surprised. He’d thought the Divine Plant Cult was just a large cult—he hadn’t expected it to be the oldest cult on Earth and the big boss behind others. That was unexpected.

“Principal Yuan, do you know the biological level of the Ninth Elder?” Lin Zichen asked, recalling the hunched masked man who’d tried to take him in the coastal forest—the strongest foe he’d ever faced. If not for Blessing of Water Fusion, Natural Camouflage, Advanced Mind, Lord of the Forest and the mysterious water‑type power from Shen Qinghan, he’d already be back at the cult.

Yuan Dongzhi took a sip of tea, voice calm, “I don’t know the Ninth Elder’s level. High‑level powerhouses keep their biological level extremely private. If they don’t say, it’s hard for others to know—you can only judge through a fight. Or some have special probing methods.”

She set the cup down, “My level is Rare‑tier, Stage Three. You can use my clash with him for reference.”

‘Rare‑tier Stage Three? That’s really high.’

Lin Zichen thought—and shivered a little. Good thing the cult wanted to take him alive instead of kill him, or he’d be done for.

“Keep my level between the two of you,” Yuan Dongzhi warned, “Do not spread it.”

Shen Qinghan nodded obediently, “Okay, Master.”

“Don’t worry, Principal Yuan,” Lin Zichen said, “I won’t tell anyone.”

Finishing the rest of her tea, Yuan Dongzhi looked to Lin Zichen and got to the point, “Zichen, I saw everything when you, without injury, killed a severely wounded Advanced Stage Six. I planned to step in, but you dealt with him before I could. I was truly shocked. For someone at Biological Level Nine to cleanly kill an Advanced Six—this world must be crazy.”

Hearing this, Lin Zichen’s heart skipped. So his hidden strength had been exposed after all. He corrected her, “He wasn’t at Advanced Six. He was badly injured and had fallen to roughly Advanced Four.”

Yuan Dongzhi gave a helpless little smile, “You’re almost too cautious—afraid people will know how strong you are and always hiding your edge.”

“I really wasn’t hiding this time,” Lin Zichen said, “After his injuries he was only around Advanced Four. And I ambushed him—strictly speaking, my strength is at best equivalent to Advanced Three.” He could accept being underestimated, but not overestimated; the former lets you ambush, the latter can get you killed. Just like the cult’s attack—because the masked man underestimated him, the ambush worked. If the man had gone all‑out from the start, Lin Zichen would’ve struggled.

“I know you’re not actually at Advanced Six,” Yuan Dongzhi said lightly, “When I say you ‘hide your edge,’ I mean your day‑to‑day demeanor. Hiding is a good habit—for powerhouses. But you’re still a student in your fastest growth phase; you need resources to accelerate evolution. Over‑hiding will only reduce the resources you obtain and slow your advancement. I understand your reasons—lack of security, fear of being targeted. But conversely, if you show high enough talent, you’ll gain greater protection. Worrying about being targeted is a bit needless. I can’t speak for other countries, but in our Jiuzhou, protection for geniuses is the strongest in the world.”

Listening, Lin Zichen couldn’t help but smile inwardly.

‘Strongest protection?’

He’d just been attacked during a Military District training—hardly inspiring. Still, Yuan Dongzhi continued, “As a Jiuzhou citizen, you can act boldly. In fact, whether you hold back now no longer matters. Your performance in the camp and the cult’s fixation on you will draw the attention of the higher‑ups soon. It shouldn’t be long before a big shot comes to see you. Those big shots love to place bets. When they come, use it to find yourself a powerful backer. Display your talent as much as possible to win their favor—more protection, more resources.”

Worried he might hesitate, she added earnestly, “You’ve already been targeted by the cult. Hiding serves no purpose. Listen to me—show your talent and find a strong backer. It’s the right move.”

Lin Zichen nodded, “Got it. I know what to do.”

He agreed. Since he’d already been marked, hiding wouldn’t stop future attacks. Better to display talent to secure protection and resources. Of course, not everything—showing Vitality and spiritual strength was enough; best not to reveal his biological attributes. Especially Survival of the Fittest—too ahead of its time and a potential death sentence, from both cults and the authorities.

The innocent carrying jade invites his doom—an ancient truth.

“Principal Yuan,” he asked with curiosity, “how ‘big’ are these big shots you mentioned?”

“Jiuzhou Nation’s absolute top echelon—Legendary‑tier powerhouses,” Yuan Dongzhi said, expression like still water.

‘Legendary‑tier?’

Lin Zichen was surprised and excited. So far, the strongest he’d met in reality were Yuan Dongzhi and the hunched masked man—both Rare‑tier, able to command sea and forest like mythic immortals. Above them were Epic‑tier, able to withstand nuclear blasts. And beyond that—Legendary.

‘Just how outrageous would they be?’