A Good-for-Nothing

143. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! (1)

Translator: DragonRider

In the room, Tan Lubai who had seen and heard all this couldn’t help but chuckle, “These two kids’ mentality is pretty good.”

Li Zong, however, was not in the mood for a chuckle. He Zheng didn’t have much energy left. He would probably fail if he strained himself to the limit trying to cast a Quintuple Lightning Enchantment.

Zhao Yidi could tell what Li Zong was worried about, a sneer curling her mouth. “That kid could hardly bear up, yet he’s so cocky as to say that he’s going to conjure up Quintuple Lightning. Leaving aside the low success rate of the enchantment, even if he succeeds – and that’s a big if – he might be backfired due to his insufficient energy before the lightning arrive.”

“We may suspend the test if an examinee’s life is in danger, right?” breathed Tan Lubai.

“Yeah, but in that case, the whole group of examinees will fail the test.”

Li Zong made no reply to Tan Lubai’s words, his mouth a thin line.

But his hands on his sides were shivering.

For the first time in his life, Li Zong was feeling fear. Previously, no matter faced with demons or formidable Yōkai, as the unfeeling group leader of the first action group of the Supernaturalism Management Bureau (SMB), Li Zong had always been fearless.

But at this moment, Li Zong came to understand that the reason why he’d been fearless in the past was that he’d had nothing too dear to lose. And on this occasion, when He Zheng was the one in danger, Li Zong found himself unable to calm down.

If things did come to that, he would no doubt interfere, even if it meant He Zheng failing the test.

He couldn’t afford to take the risk.

Tan Lubai threw a glance at Li Zong and said, “Let’s just wait and see. Things might not necessarily go awry.”

In the ball of light.

While people in the room had been talking, He Zheng, Wei Cheng, Tianyi and Lin Zhuo had preliminarily agreed on their tactics.

Lin Zhuo’s craftsmanship was really amazing. While the other three had been fighting the enemies, he’d actually rigged up a small whistle that could be used to imitate the squeaks of falcons.

Lin Zhuo’s head was covered with big drops of perspiration due to his nervousness, his face ashen, but he didn’t show any signs of fear. Like a little warrior, he managed to make himself sound calm. “In a few moments I’ll rush out and lead the falcons away. I’m afraid I’ll need you to offer me some protection, Wei Cheng.”

Tianyi, who buckled at the knees at the sight of the falcons, couldn’t fight them at all. Though his combat skills were slightly inferior to those of Wei Cheng, the two of them only had to stay in the classroom and distract the two demonized creatures to buy He Zheng enough time for him to successfully cast the lightning Fu.

“All right. I’ll lead the two Rubbermen away.” Tianyi had a firm look in his eyes.

“Rubberman” was a nickname He Zheng had given to the two demonized creatures with amazing survivability.

He Zheng had a good habit – always carrying his lifesaving stuff with him. He had already learned by heart everything on that handbook given to him by Xuanqing, and he’d been keeping those lifesaving Fu left by Xuanqing in his pockets at all times.

“All right, I count to three, and we take action all at once.”

Lin Zhuo gave a nod of determination, holding the whistle.

No sooner had the word “three” been uttered than Lin Zhuo abruptly darted towards the doorway, blowing the whistle. As expected, the whistle produced the desired effect and all falcons wheeling in the classroom followed in Lin Di outside. In order to make himself a more appealing target, Lin Di even slit his palm letting it bleed. Smelling blood, those falcons pursued him hotly. Lin Zhuo kept streaking forward. Wei Cheng in their wake took a flying leap into mid-air and instantly downed a fierce falcon with his demon-killing staff.

Lin Zhuo and Wei Cheng led all falcons in the classroom away, leaving a mess of feathers on the ground, He Zheng and Tianyi gazing at the two Rubbermen assuming the appearances of Kang Ba and Tao Wujiu respectively. He Zheng thought, ‘Kang Ba and Tao Wujiu might be angered to death at the sight of this.’

The two of them exchanged looks. Tianyi’s weapon was a white bony whip, which he was swishing menacingly. Pity he himself wasn’t handsome enough, otherwise him wielding this kind of weapon would’ve made quite an aesthetically pleasing scene.

He Zheng flicked a glance at the Shadow Sword in his hand, which had been drawn some time ago. The blade had materialized, sharp enough to cut clean through gold and jade.

“I’m counting on you, boy. Don’t let me down.” Holding the hilt, his palm drenched with sweat, staring at Tianyi who was being attacked by the two Rubbermen from both sides, He Zheng clenched his teeth and cast a lightning Fu.

“The four enlightened realms, the infinite heaven and earth, all gods bow before you, thunder is your servant. Ghosts and demons recoil, monsters and bogeys cower. Lend me your power. Bring evil to its end!”

He Zheng incanted the spell, the Shadow Sword pointing to the ceiling. When the incantation was finished, his face was noticeably more pallor.

This was the first time that he had used an Advanced Lightning Fu, and he did it on an occasion when he had less than half of his energy left. This lightning Fu, which was energetically demanding, furthered burdened his exhausted body.

But they didn’t really have a choice.

As the lightning Fu ignited magically, numerous streams of energy coursed along the sword into He Zheng’s body as if it was some kind of vessel, all his limbs and bones cracking painfully due to the massive energy invasion, his meridians being washed and impacted again and again, but He Zheng showed a total disregard for all of this as if he were impervious to pain, his eyes staring fixedly at the Fu floating in mid-air.

Finally, the Fu burnt to ashes completely turning into a wisp of white smoke, but it was extremely thin and faint, wavering as if it would take a mere breeze to disperse it for good.

“Bang!”

Tianyi was bodily thrown backwards, parabolically curving through the air, crashing violently onto a desk. The fall was so heavy that he was reduced to spitting out a mouthful of blood.

The two Rubbermen lost their target and their glazed eyes eventually rested on He Zheng who was still standing where he’d always been.

The two Rubbermen gradually closed in on him. Tianyi, fingers shivering, struggled to his feet, a shooting pain in the back. Before he could straighten himself, he vomited blood again.

Wan-faced, He Zheng could scarcely keep his footing for the huge amounts of energy coursing through his body, veins throbbing in his temples. Anybody could tell at a glance that He Zheng was in a terrible state.

“He Zheng’s not going to make it.” Tan Lubai knitted her eyebrows. He Zheng had managed to make the Fu combust, but there was no sign of lightning in the sky whatsoever, and elemental energy had already been conducted into his body by the Shadow Sword.

“If He Zheng fails to finish the transference of energy from welkin to earth, he would…” Tan Lubai held back the rest of her words.