Chapter 40: Chapter 40 Kick Him Out
“Damn it!”
Lu Mingrong’s heart skipped a beat when the second Destiny Plate still got sucked dry and rendered useless. He hastily looked over at the Nine Dragon Pillars.
Although the Dragon Pillars hadn’t sustained any damage yet, they displayed slight misalignments, and it seemed like they could give way at any moment, repeating yesterday’s debacle.
“This guy…”
School Head Lu felt like pulling his hair out.
To those in the know, they were aware that this was just a Source Pool evaluation, but to others ignorant of the fact, it might seem like deliberate sabotage!
With a gloomy face, School Head Lu flicked his wrist, and another Destiny Plate flew over, landing in the center of the Nine Dragons Pillar, providing a replacement. The turbulent flow of energy once again stabilized.
The evaluation had been prematurely terminated yesterday because the Destiny Plate couldn’t withstand the stress. Preparations had been made early to prevent any further accidents.
Feeling the pause in the flow of Origin qi, Zhang Xuan, who had been practicing, quietly opened his eyes and took another look around. Seeing everyone huddled together discussing something, and realizing no one had detected his abnormality, he breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed his low profile was effective!
Keeping a low profile had always been his standard and guideline in life and had become so ingrained that it was difficult to change.
Being unassuming was just this plain and dull.
“Continue!”
Knowing that there was still a long way to go before the Suspended Realm would be completely stable, Zhang Xuan stopped admiring himself and closed his eyes again to resume cultivation.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Boom boom boom!
A huge vortex emerged above his head once more.
“…”
Lu Mingrong held his forehead and looked at the many teachers, whose faces were all expressing helplessness.
Indeed, this guy was too against the natural order. Even if they didn’t want to say it, this situation couldn’t be concealed for long…
“To conceal it for even a moment is worth it!”
Yu Longqing approached, whispering, “As long as we can build a good relationship during this period… A dragon that will ascend to the heavens cannot be confined, but while it’s still in shallow waters, we can offer help and let it understand our goodwill.”
Lu Mingrong nodded and looked back at the city lord, his eyes revealing a hint of surprise.
No wonder the other was a city lord, while he was just a teacher…
This was a matter of vision.
Trying to trap a dragon and keep it by your side was the most foolish thing to do. Making strategic investments and planning for the long term was the way forward. Even the slightest favor, once accepted, would be indelibly marked for life.
Unless one was an ungrateful ingrate who would discard you once they deemed you useless!
“But now that the situation has caused such a stir… We can manage the teachers’ tongues, but not those of the servants and subordinates…”
Grasping the crucial point, Lu Mingrong stopped obsessing and frowned slightly as he continued.
These servants and subordinates might be practicing with their eyes closed now, unaware of the anomaly, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t open their eyes later. Once they detected something amiss, the news of Zhang Xuan’s unparalleled talent would also be impossible to hide.
It’s not as if they could kill everyone…
“It can’t be concealed, but… we can shift the target!”
Yu Longqing’s eyes flashed.
“Shift the target?” Lu Mingrong was perplexed.
“Yes!”
Yu Longqing nodded. “The Heavenly Mandate Vitality only needs to go unabsorbed for a short while to be polluted by the Origin qi and then dissipate into the world. Since that’s the case… during the evaluation, if some problems occur and it disperses from the due north, that shouldn’t be too big of an issue, right?”
“This is indeed…” Lu Mingrong came to a sudden realization, “You mean to explain Zhang Xuan’s situation as a malfunction?”
Yu Longqing: “Exactly! Even if we were to tell others, a coachman absorbed twenty thousand strands of Heavenly Mandate Vitality and even damaged two pieces of the Destiny Plate, while they haven’t even fully absorbed one strand… Do you think anyone would believe that? It’s easy to admit one’s own weakness, but very hard to acknowledge someone else’s strength!”
Lu Mingrong nodded, “This is indeed… I’ll get ready right away!”
Knowing the other party’s intentions, Lu Mingrong wasted no more words, went to the front of the Nine Dragons Pillar, and with a fierce grab, the dragon pillar to the due north shook a bit and tilted a few degrees.
Although it was only a minor deviation, the Heavenly Mandate Vitality leaked out faster and more brilliantly. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into thick fog, enveloping Zhang Xuan within it. Because it was so dazzling, it completely covered the vortex above his head. The very thing the two experts were worried about being exposed was now no longer visible.
“Let’s wait until he has completely absorbed it all!”
Seeing that he was no longer afraid of being detected, Lu Mingrong breathed a sigh of relief.
Yu Longqing nodded and likewise said no more.
“What’s happening?”
While they were discussing countermeasures on their side, Zhang Xuan, who was absorbing below, felt that something was amiss and once again opened his eyes.
“So much fog? Could it be… that I can absorb as much as I like without being detected now?”
Previously, when absorbing, he used only about one-tenth of his strength because he was low-key and afraid of being detected by outsiders, which would expose his secret. Now with fog everywhere, he could use his full strength without worry of being discovered.
Thinking this, Zhang Xuan immediately became excited, his stamina split into two, looking towards both Suspended Realm and Library of Heaven’s Path simultaneously.
At this moment, the Suspended Realm had already erected tens of thousands of stone pillars, propping open the world completely, spanning billions of miles with no end in sight. Although not entirely stable yet, it was close.
As for the Library of Heaven’s Path, several thousand more books had appeared, quietly hovering in mid-air, like a sky filled with numerous stars.
“Begin!”
Knowing he still needed more Heavenly Mandate Vitality, Zhang Xuan no longer hesitated and began to operate at full power.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The vortex reappeared, and the previously dense fog, in the blink of an eye, collapsed around him like a flood, pouring in crazily.
“Exhilarating!”
Feeling the full force of absorbing, as the Suspended Realm became more and more stable, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but let out a low exclamation.
This is what cultivation is really about…
He had really been too restrained earlier!
While he was giving his all, an idea sprang into Yu Longqing’s mind as he watched from the stands: “Having absorbed so much continuously, this Zhang Xuan should be nearing his limit, right?”
“That should be the case…”
Lu Mingrong nodded.
No matter how gifted someone is, there’s always a limit to their need for Heavenly Mandate Vitality. He has now absorbed two Destiny Plates and a stalk of Spiritual Origin Bamboo. Unless something unexpected happens, he should be nearing his limit.
All they needed to do was wait patiently. Once he stopped absorbing, there would be no more anomalies to detect.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
While the two were conversing, a sudden roar like that of a waterfall striking rocks emanated from the front, echoing like thunder and causing a slight pain in their ears.
They hastily looked up, and then, both experts’ pupils contracted, feeling the urge to cry.
Zhang Xuan, who had just been causing a vortex moments ago, now appeared like a deity intimidating in all directions. The fog around him surged towards him as its center, making tidal-like noises due to the rapid speed of absorption.
When it was silent, as long as everyone kept their eyes closed, it could still be hidden; with this spectacle… there was no hiding it!
Not only that, but the second Destiny Plate that had just been put in place, due to the fierce absorption, reached its limit and fine cracks appeared, ready to burst open at any moment.
“Should we… just kick him out, so he stops absorbing…”
With a face turning red from holding back, Lu Mingrong couldn’t help but suggest.