Chapter 17: Curse Master
Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Curse Master
Junior Year Class 2’s morning consisted of academic classes and a Martial Arts theory class.
Homeroom teacher Wang Mang stood at the podium, a suppressed smile spreading across his face. "Students, quiet down. First, I have some good news to announce!"
He cleared his throat. "As of yesterday, all students of the Jinchuan Three Greats who have reached the True Martial Realm have successfully completed their Spirit Awakening, and eleven of them awakened a Superpower!"
He looked around the classroom, his voice rising. "This year’s results far exceed previous years! Our school has a total of forty-three True Martial Realm experts! You must understand, at this time three years ago, our school only had twelve. This year is an unprecedented breakthrough!"
Applause broke out in the audience, though many students who failed to awaken could hardly hide their disappointment and melancholy.
Wang Mang pressed his hands down to signal for quiet and continued, "And our Junior Year Class 2 is the cream of the crop! Our class has eight True Martial Realm experts!
"They are Fang Chen, Yuan Xiao, Yu Yongxiang, Jiang Yongqian, Shen Qianyu, Bi Yuying, Gong Ruocheng, and Huo Ming!
"Among them, Fang Chen, Yuan Xiao, and Huo Ming have all awakened a Superpower! Let’s give them a warm round of applause to congratulate them!"
CLAP CLAP CLAP!
Thunderous applause echoed throughout the classroom.
Huo Ming, whose injuries had already been treated, returned to the classroom. He lifted his chin proudly, basking in what he assumed was the center of attention. However, he soon noticed that the majority of his classmates’ gazes and whispered discussions were still focused on Fang Chen.
"Our class monitor is still the most amazing!"
"Yeah, the class monitor is definitely the strongest!"
Whispers like these drifted over.
Huo Ming secretly hated this. He thought, "Why is everyone revolving around a trash Tier 2? What a bunch of ignorant fools who only look at the present! In three years—no, in one year—the gap between him and me will be like night and day!"
Wang Mang’s smile deepened. He looked at Fang Chen and shifted the topic. "Additionally, the leaders of the school committee specifically came to talk to me last night. After analyzing the situation, they came to a conclusion.
"The fact that our school, and especially our class, achieved such excellent results this year is inextricably linked to our class monitor, Fang Chen!"
Fang Chen paused and pointed at himself. "Me? Mr. Wang, I’m only at Tier 2 myself. What does this have to do with me?"
Wang Mang chuckled. "How could it not? You broke through to the True Martial Realm shortly after enrolling in your freshman year, breaking the school record. Over the following years, you frequently helped and guided your classmates in their cultivation, and even rectified the school’s atmosphere...
"This made many students see you as a role model. Of course, it might have also stimulated some people’s desire to defeat you.
"However, the process isn’t important. The result is that the number of people breaking through to the True Martial Realm in our batch is more than double that of previous years! The school committee clearly sees this driving effect."
With that, he pulled out a rolled-up red pennant from under the podium and unrolled it with a SWISH. Embroidered on the pennant were large, bright yellow characters:
[A Model of Diligence]
[Respectfully Presented by the Jinchuan Three Greats School Committee]
"Here, this is the school committee’s affirmation and gratitude to you!" Wang Mang handed the pennant to Fang Chen.
Fang Chen walked up to the podium amid the applause and accepted the pennant. However, he secretly rubbed his fingers together in a money-counting gesture toward Wang Mang and lowered his voice. "Mr. Wang, does the school committee... not have a more substantial token of appreciation?"
Wang Mang laughed, scolded him playfully, and lightly punched his shoulder. "You brat, be content! Spiritual rewards are higher than material rewards! Take this pennant and hang it up properly when you get back!"
Fang Chen smiled and returned to his seat with the pennant.
The subsequent academic classes were undoubtedly a lullaby for many students who stayed up late practicing martial arts or simply had no interest in books. As the classes went on, the sound of yawning rose and fell. On the contrary, Fang Chen—who had been patrolling the village all night and hadn’t slept a wink—remained awake, although he wasn’t exactly full of energy.
The bell rang, ending the academic classes.
There was a short break in between, and many people took the opportunity to catch up on sleep, collapsing onto their desks. By the time the bell for the next class rang, Liu Rui, who sat diagonally in front of Fang Chen, was still lying flat on her desk, completely motionless.
Fang Chen called out to her, "Liu Rui, class is starting."
Seeing Fang Chen speak, a classmate nearby also reached out and shoved her. "Liu Rui, wake up. The class monitor is calling you."
Liu Rui did not react at all.
Fang Chen furrowed his brows slightly. "Forget it. She probably practiced too hard yesterday afternoon and overexerted herself. Just let her rest."
He did not push the matter and instead focused his attention on the podium.
This class was Superpower and Combat Skill Combined Skill, and the one teaching was still their homeroom teacher, Wang Mang.
Mr. Wang’s voice was loud and clear. "Students, although not everyone has the fortune to awaken a Superpower—myself included.
"But the content of this class relates to all of your future paths. Whether you possess a Superpower yourself, or might face off against or cooperate with a Superpower User in the future, you’d best listen carefully!"
His gaze swept over the class as he began an in-depth explanation. "First, we must be clear on one point. Superpowers are uniformly classified into five tiers by the state, but those common terms used by the public—Superpower, High Energy, Low Ability, Incompetent, and even Negative Energy...
"They all carry strong misleading connotations and prejudice! The state and the Superpower Management Bureau have never recognized these terms!"
His tone grew heavier. "On the contrary, the strategic value or the role played in specific situations by many abilities classified as Tier 1 or Tier 2 might far exceed certain Tier 3 or Tier 4 abilities!
"They merely lack versatility and controllability, but this absolutely does not mean that our compatriots who possess these Superpowers are useless or burdens!"
He threw out a question. "Do you all know that there is a profession in this world called ’Curse Master’?"
Most of the students below shook their heads blankly.
"Curse Masters." Wang Mang’s voice carried a hint of solemnity. "Their abilities are extremely bizarre and terrifying.
"Throughout history, many renowned prodigies and experts have inexplicably fallen at the hands of seemingly inconspicuous Curse Masters, failing miserably when they least expected it."
"Ah?" Gasps of amazement rang out in the classroom, their interest clearly piqued.
"And the type of impossible-to-defend-against Curse Master I’m talking about," Wang Mang paused, his gaze sweeping over their surprised faces, "a large portion of them actually have an official rating of... Tier 1 Superpower User!"
"Huh? Why is that?" a student couldn’t help but exclaim. "Didn’t they say the side effects of Tier 1 far exceed the Superpower itself, which is why it’s called Negative Energy?"
"Which is exactly why I just emphasized that it’s a misconception!" Wang Mang knocked on the chalkboard. "Their curses vary widely: cursing opponents to bleed, sever limbs, suffer temporary blindness, experience True Qi Reversal, and so on.
"But the price is often that they must endure double, or even more severe, backlash themselves!"
As soon as he said this, even Fang Chen was stunned.
He instantly realized the crux of the matter!
If, in a large-scale battle or a critical showdown, their side was equipped with one or even multiple Curse Masters, who would cast curses on the enemy’s core prodigies and commanders at all costs... even if they suffered a backlash themselves, as long as they could injure the enemy’s elites before the battle even began and drastically reduce their combat prowess, the strategic value of this could actually reverse the outcome of an entire battle!
He thought, "Sure enough, there are no absolutely useless abilities; it only depends on how you use them, and... whether you are willing to bear the corresponding price."