Library of Heaven's Path 2: Eternal Fate of the Heavens

"Still absorbing..."

Ran Qingxu also felt like crying.

As the First Elder of Baiyan Academy and a late-stage powerhouse in the Jade Bone Realm, Sevenfold of Source Pool, not only had his ocean-like strength been completely absorbed, but the pills he brought were almost all consumed. And the worst part was that the other party was still continuing, as if there was no end in sight...

This wasn't a source pool, but an 'origin sea' or 'an abyss without a bottom'!

"Without pills, and the strength not sufficing, what do we do now?"

Elder He Qin's voice trembled.

With good intentions, they wanted to help hide the other's talent, only to nearly die on the scene themselves... This kind of thing, even in the history of the Source World, was unprecedented.

A real pitfall!

Ran Qingxu said, "I don't know either, let's ask School Head..."

"This..."

Seeing the problem kicked over to him, Lu Mingrong also felt somewhat helpless. To tell the truth, his own pills had almost run out, and like everyone else, he wished to continue but lacked the strength to do so.

"If it really comes down to it, forcibly sever the connection. Even if it causes an origin qi vacuum and exposes the talent's identity, it can't be blamed on us... We truly did our best!"

Caught by the Devouring Origin Dragon, they were quite passive, but if they really wanted to escape, they could make it happen. The other's strength was still too weak; if they struggled, they might be sucked dry without even a chance to take their meds.

Hearing him say this, everyone simultaneously sighed in relief.

Other families might produce a talent requiring some money and resources, but theirs... darn it, it's asking for their lives!

And the key point... the other party didn't even know!

"I'll count to three, and then everyone cuts off their power at the same time, one, two..."

Knowing they had to make a decision and couldn't delay any longer, Lu Mingrong was shouting when suddenly he stumbled forward; the continuous draining of his power abruptly stopped.

Not just him, the other thirteen elders and vice School Heads also staggered, looking involuntarily towards the source of the change.

At this moment, the nine Origin Dragons surrounding Zhang Xuan slowly dissipated, and the figure who had been holding a book seemed to wake from a state of sudden inspiration, slowly opening his eyes. On seeing everyone before him, he was slightly taken aback and looked confused.

"School Head Lu, Dean Wu... All the Elders, you're here to read as well..."

What's the situation?

Just practicing for a bit and so many experts have arrived? Did they discover he was absorbing origin qi?

That shouldn't be the case! He had restrained himself as much as possible...

"Well, there's class tomorrow, isn't there? I organized for everyone to come and study a bit..."

Seeing that the other party was unaware of the events that had taken place after his sudden enlightenment, Lu Mingrong bluffed without a change in expression.

"Oh!" Zhang Xuan sighed in relief.

Lucky for him, he had been prepared. While absorbing origin qi, he had been as restrained as possible, or else he surely would've been discovered—what luck...

Seeing that Zhang Xuan harbored no suspicions about his words, Lu Mingrong couldn't help asking, "I noticed just now that you seemed to have found a method to accumulate power... How do you feel? Can you practice up to the pinnacle of the Accumulative Realm?"

"My speed of absorbing origin qi isn't fast; I've only reached the intermediate stage. Pinnacle is still far off..."

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Zhang Xuan explained with a sincere face.

The swallowing speed had been fast, but the Suspended Realm was simply too vast. So far, only half had been filled, and he was still far from complete major accomplishment.

The cultivation method indicated that absorbing one or two hundred strands of origin qi a day was quite impressive, but... as the lord of a realm, he naturally couldn't use that as a standard. Besides, theirs was a Source Pool, and what he possessed was a Suspended Realm; they were entirely different concepts.

"Not fast?"

"Only at the intermediate stage of the Accumulative Realm?"

Ran Qingxu, Wu Liuyun, and the others twitched.

You've nearly sucked us dry, not a drop of origin qi left within hundreds of meters... yet you say you're not fast...

My heart, liver, lungs... Why does it hurt so?

If this is 'not fast,' what are we considered as?

Even if you want to keep a low profile, there's no need to fake it to this extent!

The crowd felt a wave of frustration but upon closer inspection, they saw the young man's gaze was pure and unblemished as if he weren't lying, which means... he really thought so!

Just by absorbing Origin qi, he created phenomena like Devouring Origin Dragon and Origin Dragon Swallowing Elephant, yet he still thinks it's nothing special...

Can't you just not show off?

"School Head, should we tell the truth?"

Suppressing the urge to give the other party a thrashing, Wu Yunzhou lowered his voice to ask.

"Whether he's pretending or truly unaware, once it's out, our relationship won't be as natural as it is now..." Lu Mingrong replied with a wry smile.

It's like playing with a billionaire who's pretending to be someone else. Everyone pretends not to know, and it's more fun that way. Once the cards are on the table, the relationship changes.

This is exactly the situation at hand.

In order to foster good relations, one should not rashly expose the truth; otherwise, letting him know that everyone was here for his talent would render all previous efforts meaningless.

"Understood!"

Wu Yunzhou nodded: "I will tell Su Qiao and the others to keep their mouths shut later!"

"Mm."

Lu Mingrong nodded, no longer continuing the conversation but instead turned to the young man, forcefully suppressing the blush on his cheeks: "Cultivation indeed requires step-by-step progress, it can't be rushed, so don't worry too much."

Talking like this to a genius... so embarrassing...

"I understand!"

Zhang Xuan nodded: "School Head, rest assured, I will work hard, give it my all, and certainly will not let your trust down!"

"What do you understand~~"

Muttering to himself, Lu Mingrong nonetheless wore a smile on his face: "So, do you want to continue practicing or...?"

"I'll head back first!" Zhang Xuan quickly nodded.

With so many people watching, he felt embarrassed due to his thin skin. Besides, it wouldn't be proper if someone noticed anything unusual. There are many experts in the academy, it's best to keep as low a profile as possible!

Lu Mingrong and the others simultaneously felt a great sense of relief.

If he continued to practice, he might be fine, but they would probably die here first...

Watching Zhang Xuan leave the Book Collection Vault, Lu Mingrong and the others couldn't bear it any longer, collapsing on the ground, gasping for air, their faces pale and legs weak, no longer maintaining any semblance of the dignity and appearance of a School Head or Elder.

"Though it's tiring and took great effort, at least... we managed to conceal the phenomena he caused, saving a lot of trouble. The remaining practice in the Physique Realm, Muscle and Bone Realm, and such do not require absorbing too much Origin qi, so we shouldn't need to be this cautious anymore..."

After resting for a while, Lu Mingrong said.

"Yeah, we shouldn't need to anymore!"

"The Physique, Muscle and Bone, and Viscera realms are all about cultivating oneself, so he should no longer need our help to remain concealed!"

"Honestly, he's quite low-key. He will probably be careful on his own..."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The first time one in the Accumulative Phase absorbs Origin qi, it might be hard to control and create a big commotion, but he will surely be more restrained afterward. After all, the kid seems quite amiable and well-behaved.

...

Unaware of the Elders' discussion, Zhang Xuan also heaved a sigh of relief upon leaving the Book Collection Vault.

"Lucky I had an intuitive impulse and stopped cultivating, or else, how could I keep hiding it?"

After his sudden bout of inspiration, his will was entirely focused on the Suspended Realm, and he was unaware of what happened outside, thus not knowing when School Head Lu and the others arrived. However, judging from their expressions, they seemed not to have noticed anything unusual about him.

That's good; otherwise, I really wouldn't know how to explain.

"Although I've only half-completed the Accumulative Phase, my injuries have somewhat healed, my strength has improved, and most importantly, I have mastered the Accumulative Realm. It hasn't been a wasted trip..."

With a slight smile, Zhang Xuan strode towards his residence. Before he even arrived, he saw a Coachman leading a tall horse, standing quietly at the door, next to a beautiful girl who seemed to be waiting for him.

It was Liu Mingyue and her thousand-li horse, Dao Li.