Chapter 212
Li Shu’s words were blunt but true. With the main team, aside from Huangfu Mingzhe, consisting entirely of support roles, how many people could the backup team possibly target?
The [Silence] ability likely wasn’t just about preventing speech. Even the name suggested it might have true silencing effects.
In this situation, how could Lan Subing break through? Were they supposed to engage in a physical brawl?
In terms of physical combat, Lan Subing was far from weak. With a teacher like Meng Huai, their class’s physical skills were solid. But judging by the opponent’s ability, he likely had no offensive means, so his physical combat skills were probably exceptional, perhaps even specialized.
After less than a minute of sparring, Lan Subing realized she couldn’t win. Fortunately, her regular practice with Mu Tieren and me meant she wouldn’t lose easily, even if outmatched.
But if this continued, Lan Subing knew she’d eventually lose.
She needed a way to break the stalemate.
While dodging her opponent’s attacks, Lan Subing assessed her condition. Her throat was sealed, unable to produce a sound. What about her ability? Had the opponent only silenced her voice, or had they sealed her ability too?
Though she couldn’t speak, she could still sense whether her ability was sealed. Soon, Lan Subing sighed in relief—her ability wasn’t sealed, meaning she still had a chance.
She had two options. The first was to use Mental Energy to break through the opponent’s ability, allowing her to speak again. Silencing someone shouldn’t consume much Mental Energy, so the opponent could likely maintain it until she was knocked off the arena.
The second was to find a way to use [Word Spirit] without speaking. Even if the opponent’s [Silence] could seal her ability, it would surely require more Mental Energy. If she could hold out longer, she might win.
Breaking the opponent’s ability with Mental Energy was the simplest method. If Lan Subing could speak just one word, she could turn the tide instantly.
But the opponent wasn’t clueless. After several attempts, Lan Subing was shocked to find her Mental Energy had no effect. She’d experienced Jiang Tianming’s control before—her body felt like it was strung up by puppet strings or wrapped in cling film, forced to move as he dictated.
That kind of control could be broken with Mental Energy. With a bit of focus, it was easy to know where to apply it.
But this opponent’s control was entirely different. Though she couldn’t speak, it wasn’t like being controlled—it was as if she’d lost the ability to speak altogether. Her Mental Energy had nowhere to take hold.
It seemed she’d have to find a breakthrough with the second method.
Though she had an idea, Lan Subing didn’t actually know how to proceed. [Word Spirit], as the name implied, was the power of words.
The key to using this ability was speaking. Back when her severe social anxiety prevented her from using it, she’d tried finding ways to activate it without speaking but had failed.
In the lounge, seeing Lan Subing gradually lose ground as her ability was sealed, Qi Huang grew anxious: “What do we do? Skydome Ability Academy is too cunning, sending such an Ability user. Can Subing find a way to break through?”
Everyone was focused on the match. As Ability users, they naturally put themselves in her shoes, pondering how they’d break the stalemate if they were Lan Subing.
“If she knew ventriloquism, she could break through easily,” I shook my head. “She’s not prepared for this.”
An ability like [Word Spirit] was obviously vulnerable in this regard. Its greatest—perhaps only—weakness was tied to speech.
Knowing her ability could be sealed by being unable to speak, especially since her social anxiety had long prevented her from using it due to speech issues, she should’ve learned something like ventriloquism as a fallback. Getting countered now was only natural.
Hearing this, everyone fell silent. They hadn’t even considered ventriloquism before, and likely neither had Lan Subing when her social anxiety blocked her ability.
After all, she had social anxiety, not a physical inability to speak. Would ventriloquism really be any better than speaking in front of a crowd? It might even draw more attention, making her feel even more mortified.
At that moment, the usually taciturn Wu Jin spoke softly: “Not only speech counts as sound.”
“What do you mean?” Mo Xiaotian asked curiously. “Are there other sounds?”
I turned to look as well. I knew Wu Jin wouldn’t speak without reason. He’d disguised his ability as [Silence Is Silence] and had related skills, so he likely had unique insights into “silence.”
Pausing under everyone’s gazes, Wu Jin finally answered: “As far as I know, words spoken from the mouth aren’t the only way to use [Word Spirit]. I think the voice of the heart also carries power. It’s just that most people can’t hear the heart’s voice.”
The weight of this statement stunned even me for a moment. Who would think the heart’s voice could activate [Word Spirit]? As Wu Jin said, most people couldn’t hear it.
So, did his ability to say this mean he could hear others’ heart voices?
The [Succubus] ability was about controlling minds, so it wouldn’t be surprising if one of its skills was mind-reading.
At this thought, my brow furrowed, and I stared at Wu Jin meaningfully without speaking. Just then, his gaze met mine, and he lowered his head with a hint of guilt.
That single action sent a chill through me. I didn’t know what others’ heart voices contained, but mine held plenty that shouldn’t be heard.
The fact that this world was a manga was something no one else could know. Nor should anyone unaware of the world’s truth hear about my schemes to gain abilities.
But after a brief panic, I calmed down. Though I didn’t know what Wu Jin had heard, his consistent behavior suggested he hadn’t heard anything worldview-shattering. Otherwise, how could he remain so composed?
Still, he’d definitely used his ability on me and heard something, or he wouldn’t look so guilty. I smirked and approached him: “I’m going to the bathroom. Want to come along?”
“Can I not go?” Wu Jin asked, head down, voice muffled.
I countered, “What do you think?”
In the end, we both stepped out into the corridor, reaching a secluded spot. I got straight to the point: “Tell me, when did you use this ability on me, and what did you hear?”
“…When you figured out my ability, I was worried you’d have thoughts about it.” Wu Jin pursed his lips, nervously raising three fingers. “But I swear, it was only that one time!”
When I figured out his ability—that was a long time ago. During a mission, Wu Jin had instinctively tried to control me with his ability, but my high Mental Energy easily countered it.
What was I thinking back then? I couldn’t recall. So I asked directly, “What did you hear?”
“I heard you say, ‘This ability is too strange, out of place with others,’” Wu Jin said, looking embarrassed. “Sorry, I assumed you’d think the same way others did.”
Was that what I thought? Before I could recall, Manga Consciousness spoke up: “You actually said, ‘Out of place with shonen manga.’ But I handle anything related to the world’s truth, so don’t worry.”
So that was it. My concerns were valid—Wu Jin listening to my heart’s voice could easily pick up world truths. Luckily, Manga Consciousness was reliable in this regard, ensuring I didn’t expose anything.
I continued asking internally: “Including the reader forum—can he hear that?”
“No, even if you said it outright, they wouldn’t hear it.” In other words, even if I tried to tell others the world’s truth, Manga Consciousness wouldn’t allow it.
Relieved, I looked at Wu Jin, curious: “Is the [Succubus] ability that strong? Mind-reading could be its own ability, right?”
Wu Jin nodded, then shook his head, explaining: “Using the mind-reading ability consumes a lot of Mental Energy and only works when I’m looking directly into their eyes. It’s far less powerful than a true [Mind Reading] ability.”
Satisfied, I stopped pressing: “Let’s head back.”
We returned, and the moment we opened the door, we met Li Shu and the others’ puzzled gazes. Li Shu asked directly, “What were you two doing out there?”
He wasn’t foolish and could clearly sense something off. But unlike me, he wasn’t sharp enough to grasp the crux.
Wu Jin didn’t answer, standing silently behind me, waiting for me to handle it.
I didn’t let him down, asking bluntly: “Do you think I’d answer you honestly?”
Li Shu: “…”
He pursed his lips, giving up on further questions.
I chuckled and sat back on the sofa, looking out: “What’s the situation now?”
“The match isn’t over yet. It feels like… Subing might lose,” Qi Huang said, averting her eyes from Lan Subing’s battered state on the arena.
She thought Lan Subing would lose, but I felt the opposite. Seeing her being beaten back, I gave a positive response: “She’s going to win.”
Activating my ability, I saw Lan Subing’s small pointer far to the left. With such a pointer, she couldn’t possibly lose.
“Really?” Qi Huang’s face lit up with joy, not doubting my words at all. “Let’s go down to welcome Subing’s triumphant return!”
We all headed downstairs, joining Jiang Tianming and the others. “Why’d you come down?” Jiang Tianming asked, surprised.
Qi Huang, in high spirits, replied, “Su Bei said Subing’s going to win.”
At this, Jiang Tianming and Wu Mingbai looked at me in delight: “She can win?”
Though they all wanted to compete, it couldn’t come at the cost of a teammate’s defeat. Lan Subing looked like she had no chance of winning, but since I said it, they believed me.
Not far off, a few Skydome Ability Academy students noticed our group’s mood shift from anxious to joyful after my arrival, growing puzzled.
“That yellow-haired boy is the Destiny Track Su Bei, right?” a girl, familiar with Endless Ability Academy’s main roster, asked suspiciously. They’d briefly reviewed the main five’s photos and abilities.
The person beside her nodded: “It’s him.”
With only one yellow-haired contestant from their Academy, it was hard to mistake.
Getting confirmation, the girl’s expression stiffened: “After this Destiny guy showed up, they suddenly got happy. Why do you think that is?”
At this, the others’ relaxed expressions shifted. Right—Su Bei was Destiny Track! Someone who could see fate. It had to be him telling his Academy mates they’d win, making them so happy.
“No way…” the boy who’d answered earlier said stiffly. “Without using her ability, that Lan Subing girl can’t possibly beat Chu Miao, right?”
“What if she can use her ability?”
“Don’t jinx it.”
“…”
By then, Lan Subing had been pushed to the arena’s edge. Her opponent was growing annoyed: “How’s a [Word Spirit] Ability user so good at physical combat? Just get off already. You can’t use your ability without speaking—you’re no match for me.”
As he spoke, Lan Subing failed to dodge a punch, falling to the ground. Sweat covered her forehead, blue hair sticking to her face, looking frantic and battered. She was indeed on the verge of defeat, but her eyes remained resolute.
Just as her opponent stepped forward, he suddenly froze, his entire body locked in place, eyes wide with shock.
Then, Lan Subing struggled to her feet, a satisfied smile on her face. Though she still couldn’t speak, anyone could see the tide had turned. With her ability unsealed, she couldn’t be suppressed anymore.
But how had she used [Word Spirit] without speaking?
Her opponent, sharing the audience’s confusion, was only frozen, not silenced, so he demanded, “How did you use your ability?”
Lan Subing pointed to her mouth, indicating she couldn’t explain now.
Realizing she could already use her ability and silencing her again was pointless, her opponent lifted his ability: “Can you talk now?”
Lan Subing nodded, rare for her to smile under so many strangers’ gazes: “Who said you need to speak to use [Word Spirit]? The voice of my heart is also a sound!”
This finally answered the crowd’s questions, sparking fervent discussion in the audience.
“It’s the heart’s voice!”
“So cool! She used her heart’s voice to activate her ability!”
“Few [Word Spirit] Ability users in history have done this, right?”
“She turned it around like that? Truly an elite from ‘Endless Ability Academy.’”
For some reason, hearing these discussions gave me a sense of embarrassment. Help! The “heart’s voice” stuff didn’t feel like much when Wu Jin mentioned it, but hearing others say it now felt inexplicably cringeworthy.
I could only console myself that this was just how manga worlds worked.
Lan Subing didn’t end the match immediately. With her opponent no longer able to turn the tables, she took the chance to recover some Mental Energy and ask something she was curious about: “So your ability just stops people from speaking?”
“Of course not!” her opponent reflexively retorted, but catching his teacher’s warning glance, he quickly shut up. “Ahem, no fishing for info.”
Other Academies, hearing this exchange, looked thoughtful. Like Qi Huang earlier, they’d been wondering if this boy was brought by Skydome Ability Academy specifically to counter Lan Subing.
After all, [Word Spirit] was a rare, overwhelmingly powerful ability in Ability history. Those who awakened it never had low Mental Energy. At minimum, they could cast one [Word Spirit] against enemies, which was already formidable.
It wasn’t impossible to prepare a specific counter for it.
But now, it seemed this [Silence] Ability user had other skills. And judging by his secrecy, he might compete again later.
This made others ponder deeply: what exactly was the [Silence] ability? Based on its name, could it truly seal others’ abilities?
In any case, Lan Subing won. She had ten minutes to rest. Seeing her teammates waiting below, she felt her pain ease significantly.
She happily stepped off the arena: “I won!”
“Amazing, Subing!” Qi Huang pushed past Jiang Tianming and Wu Mingbai, giving Lan Subing a big hug first.
Meng Huai arrived with the new School Nurse: “Let Dr. Wang treat you first. Are you continuing for the next match?”
It was phrased as a question because he worried Lan Subing might want to rest. Winning didn’t mean she had to keep fighting—one person sweeping the opponent didn’t earn extra points, only boosted the contestant’s popularity. “Yes!” Lan Subing nodded firmly.
After competing once under everyone’s gaze, her initial fear was gone. Plus, now that she’d mastered using her heart’s voice to activate her ability, she could use [Word Spirit] without speaking.
It was like wandless magic in a certain wizarding world—harder to anticipate or counter than her previous speech-based method.
Though it seemed her ability hadn’t changed much, just shifting from spoken to mental activation, Lan Subing knew it was a qualitative leap.
Everyone was curious how she’d used her heart’s voice. As she received Dr. Wang’s pink-light treatment, Mo Xiaotian asked, “Subing, how did you use your heart’s voice to activate your ability on the arena?”
“I can’t quite describe it. I just kept shouting the [Word Spirit] I wanted to use—‘Freeze’—in my heart. With a loud enough heart’s voice, firm enough will, and a breakthrough in Mental Energy, the ability just came naturally.”
She smiled again, delighted: “Oh, and my Mental Energy grew a lot!”
In the next three matches, Skydome Ability Academy had no way to counter Lan Subing. Unless they could instantly defeat her, their Mental Energy couldn’t fully break free of her [Word Spirit] control. Even if they escaped quickly, her experience sent them off the arena.
Notably, the fifth contestant was another deliberately chosen Ability user with exceptionally high Mental Energy. Since Lan Subing had already expended much of hers, she struggled against this last opponent, unable to maintain full control due to insufficient Mental Energy.
She could only barely sustain sealing their ability, not restrict their other actions.
Unfortunately, this opponent’s physical combat was lackluster. As mentioned, Skydome Ability Academy didn’t prioritize physical training. Students like Huangfu Mingzhe and the second opponent were rare—most, like this one, couldn’t match Lan Subing in pure fighting skills.
When Lan Subing completed her one-versus-four sweep and stepped off the arena, the venue erupted in thunderous applause. Some in the audience even shouted her name, making the socially anxious miss want to burrow into the ground.
Achieving such a feat in this competition made Lan Subing undeniably the most popular, outshining even Si Zhaohua and Huangfu Mingzhe from the first match.
I could even see someone in the audience using an ability to create a support banner for her—a blue Water Element forming a rectangular river, with glowing yellow microbes spelling out “Lan Subing, Strongest Ability!”
I was floored. That production speed was unreal.
Next was the match between Skydome Ability Academy and Houde Ability Academy. During the break, Lei Ze’en announced their tentative lineup for the next individual match: “Su Bei, want to give it a try?”