Die, Replay, Repeat

Chapter 236: Luo Qingxin, Frozen Zone

Lin Tianhe had reached the fourth tier. That put him on par with a captain from headquarters.

Fourth-tier psychics weren't just rare in the country; they were a global rarity. Even at the headquarters, there were only five fourth-tier captains.

No one saw it coming—a fourth-tier psychic from a branch of the bureau. The gap between a fourth-tier psychic in the headquarters and one in a branch was huge. Headquarters had way more resources, while there was little for those in branches.

The two who were fighting earlier were ready to face Lin Tianhe, but the moment they heard his name, they quickly backed down from any plans to do so.

"Hmph! One day, I'll make you pay for this a hundredfold."

"Hmph! Just you wait!"

Lin Tianhe didn't even bother acknowledging them. To him, they were nothing more than a bad joke.

Even the rowdiest psychics didn't dare to challenge Lin Tianhe when he took the central seat in the classroom.

"Whoa, Xiu, one of the psychics is a fourth-tier. Guess there are still some serious powerhouses out there," Yang Ming said, his voice filled with awe.

"Let's move," Fang Xiu replied, unbothered. He had no interest in these people and quietly found a corner to sit in. Petty psychic squabbles didn't catch his attention; he was holding out for the real action later that night.

But as soon as they settled, the temperature in the room dropped sharply. What had been a warm classroom now felt like it was below freezing.

The sound of high heels echoed through the room, drawing everyone's eyes to the doorway.

A tall woman entered, moving with an air of elegance. She looked around twenty-six or twenty-seven, draped in a luxurious purple cheongsam. Her expression was cold as ice, her skin pale like porcelain, and her eyes were distant, almost empty. Her long, black hair cascaded down her back, reaching her waist. With each step, the slit in her cheongsam revealed a long, slender, pale leg.

As she walked further into the room, the temperature continued to drop, clearly emanating from her.

She stepped up to the podium, her icy gaze sweeping the room. Her cold eyes were like daggers, piercing into everyone's hearts. Even the most laid-back psychics straightened up.

Only Lin Tianhe, seated in the front row, showed a flicker of interest in his usually rebellious eyes.

Then, the woman spoke. Her red lips parted.

"I am Luo Qingxin, captain of Team Illusionary Life, and I will be your instructor for these lessons."

A few soft gasps rippled through the crowd.

"She's one of the five captains from headquarters, Luo Qingxin!"

"I heard only five teams at headquarters get to choose their own titles, and she's the only female captain among them. I didn't expect her to be so powerful—and so beautiful."

"Yeah, but she's cold, definitely an ice queen."

"Why is she the only female captain among the five? That doesn't seem fair!"

"Save it, man. Don't kill the vibe while we're admiring the view."

In the corner, Fang Xiu observed Luo Qingxin with a steady gaze._ 'Another captain?'_

This was the second one he'd encountered, and the first one was Yan Changshou. Given her ability to manipulate the temperature so drastically, he guessed her powers were tied to ice.

Next to him, Zhao Hao was practically glued to Luo Qingxin, unable to tear his eyes away.

"Xiu, I think I've fallen in love again," Zhao Hao murmured, sounding completely smitten.

"You fall in love about a thousand times a day!" Liu Shuai retorted with a mix of annoyance and amusement. "If I'm not mistaken, your last grand love was just an hour ago—with the waitress at breakfast."

"You don't get it. I was joking last time. This time, it's real. My heart's actually pounding."

Even while bickering with Liu Shuai, Zhao Hao didn't once look away from Luo Qingxin, as if she had cast some spell over him.

"Heart pounding? More like you wouldn't need a defibrillator if your heart stopped. One look at a woman and boom—back to life," Liu Shuai joked.

"Honestly, Liu Shuai, you might be onto something. Zhao Hao could probably restart his heart with a single glance," Yang Ming chimed in, pretending to ponder the idea seriously.

Meanwhile, Xiao Chuxia quietly muttered under her breath, "Illusionary Life? What a cheesy name, so cringe."

On the podium, Luo Qingxin's expression tightened slightly as she spoke.

"Quiet."

With that one word, the temperature plummeted even more, and silence fell across the classroom like a blanket of snow.

"First, the headquarters has a strict rule: no fighting between trainees. You broke that rule. Stand at the back and listen to the class."

Her finger pointed straight at Lin Tianhe, who had claimed the front row's center seat.

The room erupted in murmurs and gasps. No one expected Luo Qingxin to single out Lin Tianhe right from the start.

Fang Xiu, however, wasn't the least bit surprised. He knew from Yan Changshou that the captains weren't just here to teach—they were here to keep the psychics in line.

Tonight, when the Director spoke, they didn't want any troublemakers.

Among the trainees, the sole fourth-tier psychic would be the best to make an example of.

Lin Tianhe didn't budge. Instead, a smirk tugged at his lips.

"Woman, you've got my attention," he said, his voice dripping with arrogance.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, his expression twisted in discomfort.

A bone-chilling cold wrapped around him from every angle. The floor, the desks, and even the air began to freeze over, creeping toward him.

"Hmph!"

Lin Tianhe let out a cold snort.

BOOM!

In an instant, flames erupted from his body, transforming him into a blazing figure. Yet something bizarre occurred—his flames began to freeze.

The sight of fire encased in ice sent shockwaves through the room. No one had ever witnessed something so strange.

Lin Tianhe's face darkened further as he muttered, "Inferno Realm, activate!"

With that command, the temperature surged upward. Volcanic shadows flickered into existence, threatening to turn the entire classroom into a blazing inferno.

Panic spread among the psychics, who instinctively prepared to flee.

"So this is the fearsome power of a fourth-tier psychic! He's warping reality with his ability!"

Cries of astonishment echoed through the room.

As chaos rippled through the room, a cold, commanding voice sliced through the panic.

"Frozen Zone!"

In an instant, the volcanic shadows Lin Tianhe had conjured were snuffed out as if they'd never existed.

Snowflakes began to swirl through the air, and the entire room transformed into a frozen wonderland.

Ice coated every surface—the walls, the floor, the ceiling, and even the desks. The onlookers felt like they had been plunged into the heart of winter itself.

Lin Tianhe shot to his feet, his face a mask of shock.

"This... this is impossible! We're both fourth-tier, yet you can overpower my domain!"

"You've got it wrong."

Luo Qingxin's voice was as frigid as the ice she commanded. She stepped down from the podium, her heels clicking sharply against the frozen floor as she moved toward Lin Tianhe.

With each step she took, the air seemed to grow colder.

Lin Tianhe felt a sudden chill creeping up from his feet. He looked down and was horrified to see that his feet were encased in ice, fused to the ground.

Panic gripped him. The reality of the situation sank in, and he began to comprehend the true power of one of the five captains from headquarters.

"While it's true that we're both fourth-tier, there's a crucial difference between us. You reached the fourth tier because your ability evolved to that level."

As she spoke, the ice spread rapidly, climbing up Lin Tianhe's body until his entire lower half was encased in solid ice.

"But I am considered fourth-tier only because that's the highest level in the current ranking system."

She stopped directly in front of him, her icy gaze locking onto his, capturing the sheer terror in his eyes.