Chapter 4

4. Divine Attribute Surge

The King's Aura incident caused quite a stir, and it was impossible to keep it a secret. The principal of Zhonghai University, who himself had a high divine attribute, was awakened by the sound and clearly felt the pressure that followed. He was certain that this was a form of mental attack, which made him break out in a cold sweat.

Mental attacks are mysterious and difficult to treat, and the appearance of such a large-scale attack at Zhonghai University could have unpredictable consequences.

Principal Huang Haidong took over this position three years ago, coinciding with the national initiative to promote cultivation in junior and senior high schools. His presence in Zhonghai also meant that the region needed more high-level combat forces to stabilize it.

Huang Haidong checked his wife's pulse, which was steady and normal, with no abnormalities in her bodily functions. He woke her up, and she seemed to have just woken from a deep sleep, showing no signs of any issues. However, it was unclear whether she had been truly harmed. For now, everything seemed normal, and Huang Haidong could only silently pray. In his heart, he also pondered the need for the school to increase research in this area.

Dressed, Huang Haidong left the house without hiding, floating lightly and flying toward the school's high-rise buildings. Along the way, he noticed that the chirping of insects had stopped, which made him even more concerned. This level of destruction was comprehensive, affecting everyone, and those with a divine attribute below a certain threshold were unlikely to have survived.

Zhonghai University was not a small place, covering an area larger than a small town. Huang Haidong scanned several high-rise buildings, and the feedback from his mental energy made him breathe a sigh of relief. There were no signs of any life-threatening conditions; everyone was in a deep sleep, even deeper than usual.

By the time he reached the school's main gate, more than half an hour had passed. He saw two security guards whispering to each other at the entrance.

"Xiao Zhang, good morning, everything okay?"

Huang Haidong spoke from about five to six meters away. Both security guards were former military personnel tasked with guarding the university.

"Principal!" The two guards looked at each other, and one of them approached Huang Haidong.

"Principal, we both passed out just now, and it was two students who woke us up!" Xiao Zhang spoke, his voice light but powerful.

"Two students?"

Huang Haidong did not dwell on the details of their unconsciousness. He knew that students generally had low divine attributes and was unsure at what level they would have resistance.

However, it was clear that the students at Zhonghai University generally had low divine attributes. The highest recorded value at the beginning of the month was less than 100. The sudden appearance of two students with higher attributes was suspicious.

"Yes, they went to the street to investigate the range of the unconsciousness! Many other students are also investigating!" Xiao Zhang had already gathered useful information to report.

Huang Haidong had excellent eyesight and could see from a distance that Liu Hao and his group were part of the morning exercise crowd.

He thought a lot about it. If they had fainted during exercise and fallen to the ground, they might have woken up from the pain. This seemed to explain why they woke up without any issues and immediately organized an investigation. He was pleased by this.

As he thought, Liu Hao and his group entered the school and saw Huang Haidong.

"Principal!"

"Very good, let's take a walk together!"

Huang Haidong led the two toward the playground. After a long patrol, he found it difficult to pinpoint the problem, and the morning exercisers provided another direction.

"Tell me what you know?"

Huang Haidong's voice was gentle, but his tone left no room for doubt.

Liu Hao and Zheng Zhi exchanged a glance, understanding the hidden meaning. They couldn't hide this information. As the first to wake up, Liu Hao took the lead in explaining.

"Principal, I was the first to wake up, then I woke up Zheng Zhi, and after that, I woke up all the students on the playground. We discussed and started investigating the range. We determined that the farthest distance from the school gate where people were still unconscious was about 300 meters. Beyond 300 meters, the shops were closed, and we couldn't confirm."

Huang Haidong understood Liu Hao's meaning. Within 300 meters of the school gate, people were still unconscious, but beyond that, the shops were closed, and they couldn't verify.

He then noticed another issue: those who fell to the ground did not wake up from the pain. If they had woken up from the pain, many would have woken up together, not just one person waking up and then waking others.

"Your divine attribute is relatively high, right?"

Huang Haidong asked another question, concerned about the minimum resistance threshold.

"Yesterday, it was 60!"

Liu Hao answered casually, but as he spoke, he opened his attribute panel and was stunned. The number before him was bewildering.

Liu Hao's response made Huang Haidong curious. Just as he was about to ask more, he noticed Liu Hao's dazed state, clearly checking his attribute panel.

Zheng Zhi, noticing this, also opened his attribute panel.

"Divine attribute increased by 5 points!"

Zheng Zhi's voice woke Liu Hao, who asked, somewhat confused, "Only 5 points?"

"Five points is a lot! It would take me a lot of time to increase it myself. How much did you increase?"

"Um..."

Liu Hao didn't know how to answer. Thinking that the school's tests couldn't be hidden, he decided to share his panel with the two.

"500? Are you cheating?"

Zheng Zhi's eyes bulged, and his body trembled. The contrast was too great, feeling like a deep stab and a violent twist.

Huang Haidong narrowed his eyes, his face serious. He knew the significance of increasing from 60 to 500. A divine attribute of 60 was just above the second tier, while 500 was the limit of the second tier, and one more point would reach the third tier!

This sudden surge had never been seen before. There were cases of a significant increase after stimulation, but reaching the top of a tier was clearly not a normal response. Was it a self-protective reaction to mental pressure?

"I don't know what happened! You saw it yesterday!"

Liu Hao felt it might be related to the King's Aura, but he wasn't sure. What if it wasn't?

"A few days ago, it was 30, then it doubled to 60 after a nightmare, and today, after fainting, it's 500. I also fainted, but only gained 5 points. What's going on?"

Zheng Zhi felt a deep sense of envy. The contrast was too painful.

Huang Haidong's eyes lit up. From Zheng Zhi's words, he had a thought. Nightmares doubling the divine attribute had been heard of before. A 30-point increase might not seem much, but doubling was significant. If it was a self-protective reaction to mental pressure, it made sense.

Huang Haidong also opened his attribute panel, seeing an increase of 82 points, which was not insignificant.

"If this mental pressure didn't cause harm, this incident could be a great thing. Did everyone's attributes increase? If this wasn't a harmful mental attack, it doesn't make sense. Why would such a powerful mental pressure be released?"

Huang Haidong pondered, unable to find an answer, and asked the two.

"Did you hear a loud noise before fainting?"

Huang Haidong's question brought the two back to their senses. Liu Hao was sure the "Ha" was something he involuntarily shouted, but how did it travel so far? Zheng Zhi, seeing Liu Hao's hesitation, answered for him.

"Yes, the sound was very loud, and after hearing it, we started to feel dizzy and then fainted!"

"The sound was very loud?" Huang Haidong followed up.

"Yes, very loud!" Zheng Zhi nodded emphatically.

"From this, it seems you were closer!"

Huang Haidong's response made Liu Hao mutter. How could they not be close? Zheng Zhi was the closest!

"By the way, what's this student's name?" Huang Haidong asked Liu Hao.

Liu Hao felt a bit embarrassed, having only introduced himself and ignored Zheng Zhi. "Principal, are you trying to drive a wedge between us?" he thought.

"He's Zheng Zhi, and I'm Liu Hao. We're in the same dorm!"

Liu Hao felt clever, resolving Zheng Zhi's awkwardness and emphasizing their friendship. "Brother, hold on, don't let the principal drive a wedge between us!"

"Ha ha, good kid!"

Huang Haidong, understanding Liu Hao's intention, knew Zheng Zhi. He had simply overlooked asking both.

Zheng Zhi, a smart person, understood why Liu Hao mentioned his name first. He felt warm inside, appreciating Liu Hao's care. He was a bit embarrassed about keeping his relationship with the principal a secret from his friend.

Liu Hao smiled awkwardly, feeling like a good guy when he saw Zheng Zhi's approving gaze.

"Liu Hao, your divine attribute has reached the peak of the second tier. Your personal panel is your privacy, so don't show it to others casually.

Our school records only up to the peak of the second tier. After that, we won't ask or record it. Unless you break the law, no one can force you to show your panel!"

Huang Haidong spoke seriously, as this was a sensitive matter. The national initiative to promote registration below the second tier in schools was to identify outstanding individuals.

Liu Hao nodded gratefully, feeling uncomfortable about showing his personal attributes to others.

"Next month's attribute levels, I will inform your class counselor. Keep this confidential for now!"

Huang Haidong continued, knowing that this confidentiality was only within the school, but it was still a significant gesture for Liu Hao.

Liu Hao understood that he stood out and needed to