Fang Qin was well-known throughout the class for her strictness.
So naturally—
All the students were terrified of her.
The moment they heard her sharp voice, the once-chaotic scene instantly fell silent.
Everyone scattered in all directions, returning to their spots like frightened birds.
"Zhao Xuan, you—hm!?"
Fang Qin strode up to Zhao Xuan, just beginning to speak when—
her expression suddenly shifted.
As if she had sensed something unusual.
Then—
Without warning, her right hand shot out—
a finger thrusting forward like lightning.
Whoosh!
The sound split the air like a bullet breaking the sound barrier.
In the next instant—
Her fingertip struck Zhao Xuan squarely in the chest.
Yet—
That powerful, sudden strike only left behind a faint red mark on his skin.
It didn't even pierce the surface.
Rustle…!
The surrounding students froze on the spot.
"W-What… what just happened?"
"D-Did Zhao Xuan just take Teacher Fang's Finger Gun attack!?"
"This… this…"
"Could this be… Elementalization!?"
"As expected of a Logia fruit user! No wonder every single Logia awakener, as long as they survive, becomes a Seventh-Rank Sovereign!"
While the students whispered in awe, Fang Qin's brows furrowed deeply.
She studied Zhao Xuan carefully, her eyes sharp.
"Zhao Xuan… what's going on with your body?
Your physique—it's surpassed 100, hasn't it?"
"Yes, Teacher Fang. It has," Zhao Xuan replied with a nod.
Her frown deepened.
"If I remember correctly, just a week ago your physical score was barely twenty, wasn't it?"
"Yes, Teacher Fang."
"Then how could it suddenly jump by eighty points…?"
She murmured under her breath, then seemed to realize something and quickly asked,
"Zhao Xuan, which fruit did you choose? Don't tell me—it's a Zoan?
But even that doesn't make sense.
A Zoan fruit can enhance the body, yes, but by eighty points? That's unheard of!"
"Yes, Teacher Fang. What I obtained is indeed a Zoan-type ability," Zhao Xuan replied evenly.
The moment those words left his mouth—
The entire hall erupted into shocked murmurs.
"What!?"
"A Zoan fruit!?"
"How is that possible!?"
"I thought with thirty-seven spiritual powers, you're guaranteed a Logia fruit!"
The room buzzed with confusion and disbelief.
And amidst the noise, Li Jiangchang, who had been wearing a forced smile all morning, suddenly couldn't hide the flash of joy in his eyes.
"Quiet!"
Fang Qin's stern voice cut through the chatter.
She swept her gaze coldly around the room, and the students immediately shut their mouths.
"There are barely ten days left until the college entrance exam," she said sharply.
"Instead of gossiping, you should be training! Every extra point you score could push you past hundreds—or even thousands—of other examinees nationwide!"
"Do you even know how many people take the national exams? Over five million!
Every single point matters!"
The hall fell silent once again.
The students nodded quickly and resumed their exercises.
Fang Qin turned her attention back to Zhao Xuan.
"Zhao Xuan, there's no need to feel discouraged. Zoan-type fruits aren't bad at all.
In fact, the one you got must be a rare variant—if it boosted your body by eighty points in one go, that's far beyond normal."
"Yes, Teacher Fang," Zhao Xuan nodded.
She continued, her tone softening slightly.
"Actually, some Zoan fruits can be extremely powerful.
Take last year's top scorer in the Southern Province entrance exams, Su Lie—
He had a Zoan fruit too.
And yet, he still crushed a whole group of Logia users at the National University Trials and ranked second in the country."
She waved her hand dismissively.
"Alright, enough talking. Back to practice!"
"Yes, Teacher!"
Zhao Xuan nodded and quickly moved to an open area to resume training.
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye—
twenty minutes had passed.
The dismissal bell rang.
Ding-dong!
A familiar mechanical chime echoed in his mind.
"Ding! You've trained Iron Body diligently for a short while. Minor gains acquired — Iron Body proficiency +6!"
Zhao Xuan blinked.
"System, what's going on? Why did my proficiency suddenly increase by six points?"
"This is the result of your drastically enhanced physique, Host," the system replied calmly.
"It's not an anomaly. As your base stats rise, you will temporarily experience faster growth.
The rate will normalize later. Please rest assured."
"There's a bonus effect too? Nice!"
Zhao Xuan's eyes brightened.
He immediately wondered if his other skills had also benefited from his massive physique boost.
Just as he was about to test it—
The classmates who had been holding back their curiosity all period finally couldn't stand it any longer.
They swarmed around him.
"Zhao Xuan! Did you really choose a Zoan fruit?"
"Are you insane!? Why didn't you pick a Logia?"
"Yeah! Logia fruits are so much stronger!"
"Don't tell me you've never seen the Fruit Catalog!"
Their voices were filled with mixed emotions—
Confusion. Disbelief. Regret.
And even… schadenfreude.
After all, Zhao Xuan had never wronged anyone in class.
But there's a kind of human nature—
a dark emotion called resentment toward the fortunate.
It's that complicated mix of doubt, jealousy, scorn, and bitterness that people feel toward those who rise too quickly or shine too brightly.
Zhao Xuan, however, paid them no mind.
He answered calmly, his face unbothered.
"Stop pretending!"
"You could've picked a Logia and become a genius, but instead you put on this act and chose some worthless Zoan fruit—then dare to act like you're fine with it?"
Standing at the front of the crowd, Li Jiangchang muttered inwardly, his jealousy boiling over.
Finally, he stepped forward dramatically, feigning pity.
"Ah, Zhao Xuan… what can I say?
I really thought you'd become a Logia user.
Your spiritual power was thirty-seven, after all!
And yet… you ended up just like me, with a pathetic twenty-one."
His tone was dripping with mock sympathy and hidden venom.
Zhao Xuan couldn't even be bothered to reply.
He gave Li Jiangchang a single glance, expression calm,
then turned to leave.
But Li Jiangchang wasn't about to let him walk away so easily.
He'd been holding this in for two whole days—
—and now, finally, he saw his chance.