Chapter 607 - 389: Return
Chapter 607: Chapter 389: Return
Jin Yu smiled and nodded. "No need for formalities. Have your injuries healed?"
Xu Yang cupped his hands. "They were just minor injuries, and they’re mostly healed now."
"As the sole survivor, I am questioning you on behalf of the Academy. Tell me exactly what happened," Jin Yu said, sitting on a rock and waving for Xu Yang to take a seat.
The people who had arrived with him dispersed, carefully inspecting the remaining traces of the battle.
Xu Yang nodded and sat opposite Jin Yu. He recounted everything, starting from Ma Daxing’s arrival on the giant eagle. When he mentioned that the Profound Water Spirit Loaches in the Jade Cold Pool had rioted after Ma Daxing fetched water, and that the Profound Water Spirit Loach King had left the pool to kill, Jin Yu’s brow furrowed.
"No one inspected the iron bucket, and you all allowed an outsider near the cold pool?"
Xu Yang shook his head.
"Wait here a moment."
Jin Yu stood and strode toward the cold pool. After glancing at the surrounding marks, he confirmed that Xu Yang was telling the truth—the Profound Water Spirit Loach King had indeed left the pool.
Xu Yang followed. He watched as Jin Yu leaned over, cupped a handful of water from the pool, swallowed it, and closed his eyes to sense it.
A few breaths later, Jin Yu opened his eyes. "The water was drugged."
He didn’t blame Xu Yang. After all, Xu Yang wasn’t in charge here, and with Luo Zhao dead, assigning blame was pointless.
However, today’s disaster was primarily due to Luo Zhao failing to carefully inspect Ma Daxing’s bucket. Had the cold pool not been drugged, Ma Daxing and his accomplices absolutely wouldn’t have been able to catch so many Profound Water Spirit Loaches.
If the Profound Water Spirit Loach King hadn’t appeared, Ma Daxing’s group likely wouldn’t have made their move either. The casualties only had themselves to blame. They were garrisoning such a critical location without a shred of vigilance, instantly forgetting their duties to curry favor the moment they saw someone with a bit of status.
"Continue!" Jin Yu said.
Xu Yang nodded and explained that Ma Daxing had attacked right after the Profound Water Spirit Loach King killed two people in succession.
He hid nothing, telling the complete story, though he omitted the Cultivation level of the man he had killed.
"I have a clear picture of the situation now. The fact that the Profound Water Spirit Loach King was unharmed is largely thanks to you. Once I report this to the Dean for his final decision, you will certainly be rewarded."
Jin Yu gave Xu Yang a profound look, essentially confirming that Xu Yang hadn’t lied and knowing it was impossible for him to be involved with Ma Daxing.
Although there were a few vague details, he didn’t press further because they weren’t important.
Before coming here, the Celestial Strategy Academy had already investigated the relationship between Xu Yang and Ma Daxing. There was no connection whatsoever, so Xu Yang couldn’t possibly be part of Ma Daxing’s gang.
As long as they weren’t accomplices, nothing else mattered. If they were in cahoots, the Profound Water Spirit Loach King couldn’t have been saved at all.
"Thank you, Mr. Jin!" Xu Yang cupped his hands and asked curiously, "May I ask, Sir, have Ma Daxing and his men been caught?"
Thinking about it carefully, An Yuan had been in pursuit for one or two hours now. If they hadn’t been caught yet, they probably never would be.
"An Yuan and Sun Hao haven’t returned yet..."
Jin Yu revealed a bit more information. The Celestial Strategy Academy had already raided Ma Daxing’s home. Unfortunately, it seemed Ma Daxing had been scheming for the Profound Water Spirit Loaches ever since he arrived in Yunzhou City. His so-called family members were all fakes; the only genuine thing about him was his Weapon Forging Skill.
"I actually killed one of them. We should have been able to trace the group’s identities through him, but they were very alert and took the corpse with them before leaving. His accomplices called him Old Fifth," Xu Yang said.
"No matter. Managing to protect the Profound Water Spirit Loach King was already a difficult feat. Since this group dared to target the Celestial Strategy Academy, there will be no place for them to hide in this world." A murderous glint appeared in Jin Yu’s eyes for the first time.
This time, not only had they lost hundreds of Profound Water Spirit Loaches, but seven students had also died. Given the Celestial Strategy Academy’s standing in Yun Province, it had been a very long time since such an incident had occurred.
Moving forward, the entire Celestial Strategy Academy’s quest board would be plastered with bounties on Ma Daxing and his men. All the factions across Yun Province would issue simultaneous bounties as well. The moment their trail was discovered, they would be met with the Academy’s thunderous wrath.
Xu Yang wasn’t as optimistic as Jin Yu. Ma Daxing’s group had been scheming for years. Without absolute certainty, they would never have dared to provoke such a powerful entity. If not for the unexpected variable of Xu Yang, the Profound Water Spirit Loaches would already be in their bags.
Catching them would likely be incredibly difficult. Since he had ruined a plan they had plotted for years, they would definitely seek revenge against him.
He didn’t fear Ma Daxing, but he worried there was someone else pulling the strings behind the scenes. Otherwise, where would a mere Celestial Essence Fourth Layer cultivator get the courage to steal from the Celestial Strategy Academy? Not to mention, so many Celestial Essence Martial Artists had appeared all at once.
"Now that the Profound Water Spirit Loach King has revealed itself, will you stay here or return to the Celestial Strategy Academy?" Jin Yu asked.
With the Profound Water Spirit Loach King’s appearance, the danger level of the Jade Cold Pool had instantly skyrocketed. It would be extremely dangerous for Xu Yang, with his Celestial Essence Second Layer Cultivation, to remain here.
"I’d like to return to the Celestial Strategy Academy," Xu Yang replied, cupping his hands.
Even if Jin Yu hadn’t brought it up, he had planned to suggest it himself. An entity like the Profound Water Spirit Loach King wasn’t something he could garrison. Once the news spread, anyone who still dared to come here to snatch the Profound Water Spirit Loach King would inevitably be someone with heaven-defying Cultivation.
With his Cultivation, the mere aftershocks of an exchange of blows could kill him.
Of course, it wasn’t certain that anyone would dare to come, but he had to take precautions. It was best to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.
"Go pack your belongings. You’ll leave with me shortly," Jin Yu said.
Xu Yang turned and took two steps before hearing a loud SPLASH. He looked back to see that Jin Yu had already leapt into the Jade Cold Pool and vanished.
He thought, "He must have gone to confirm if the Profound Water Spirit Loach King is safe."
A short time later, he returned carrying his luggage, only to find that Jin Yu still hadn’t emerged from the cold pool.
After waiting for a while, ripples spread across the cold pool, and Jin Yu’s figure shot out from the surface of the water.
Looking closely, Xu Yang saw that Jin Yu was covered in ice crystals, his hair and clothes completely white. He was secretly astonished by the temperature at the bottom of the cold pool. To think it was so extreme that even an expert like Jin Yu couldn’t completely fend it off. Shivering uncontrollably, Jin Yu immediately sat down nearby to circulate his energy.
Fifteen minutes later, the ice crystals on Jin Yu vanished, and his skin returned to a ruddy complexion.
"Let’s go!"
Jin Yu stood up and waved his hand. A portion of the people who had arrived with him carried the bodies of Luo Zhao and the others back to the Celestial Strategy Academy, while the rest remained behind to garrison the cold pool.
"I take my leave!" Xu Yang said respectfully.
Upon arriving at the Celestial Strategy Academy, Xu Yang parted ways with Jin Yu and the others, heading straight to the dining hall.
There were noticeably fewer people in the dining hall. It wasn’t as bustling as usual, and there were few familiar faces. Most students had likely gone out for experiential learning.
"Eh? Xu Yang is back. Wasn’t he garrisoning the Jade Cold Pool? I thought you had to garrison that place for at least three months."
"You haven’t heard? Something happened at the Jade Cold Pool. Rumor has it that out of the eight people garrisoning it, everyone died except Xu Yang."
"Xu Yang sure is lucky!"
"Who could be so audacious to kill that many people?"
...
With Xu Yang’s appearance, the previously quiet dining hall suddenly became lively. Many people stared at him in shock.
For only one out of eight people to survive—such luck was simply beyond words.
Xu Yang knew this had absolutely nothing to do with luck. If he hadn’t always hidden his strength, Ma Daxing and the others wouldn’t have just sent one person after him when they made their move. They might have sent two, or perhaps an even stronger expert.
He just hadn’t expected that so many people already knew about what had happened at the Jade Cold Pool.
"Brother Xu, did something really happen at the Jade Cold Pool?"
"Are the casualties severe?"
"Have those thieves been caught?"
"I heard the Profound Water Spirit Loach King appeared. Is that true?"
...
Many people began throwing questions at him, with the most frequent one being about the existence of the Profound Water Spirit Loach King.
"Something did indeed happen at the Jade Cold Pool, and the thieves haven’t been caught yet."
Xu Yang only gave a simple reply. As for the question about the Profound Water Spirit Loach King, he chose not to answer.
"To survive a great disaster, Brother Xu, you are surely destined for future fortune."
Just as he grabbed a meal and sat down, Zuo Mu and Wenshan came over and sat beside him.
"Brother Xu, what exactly happened?" Zuo Mu asked curiously.
"It’s just the classic case of wealth stirring the hearts of men..."
Xu Yang gave a brief account of how Ma Daxing and his group had resorted to murder for the Profound Water Spirit Loaches.
"So many people died, including a Celestial Essence Third Layer expert, yet he barely suffered a scratch. Do you guys think he could be Ma Daxing’s inside man?"
Wan He’s sarcastic and abrasive voice suddenly rang out.
As soon as he spoke, the massive dining hall fell completely silent. Everyone turned to look.
Wan He’s words actually sounded somewhat reasonable. After all, with so many dead, on what grounds did Xu Yang manage to survive?
"Use your brain before you speak, lest you open your mouth and sound like a moron. If there was a problem with me, would I be sitting here eating? You might be an idiot, but don’t assume the teachers are just as idiotic as you."
Xu Yang shot him a cold glare. He knew Wan He wasn’t brainless; much like Han Yingjie, he was purely trying to cause trouble and sling mud.
If he succeeded in ruining Xu Yang’s reputation, great. If not, it was still a good way to disgust him.
"Then tell us, why are you completely unharmed?" Wan He sneered.
"You lowly dog, do I owe you an explanation?"
Xu Yang buried his head in his food. Wan He wanted to keep badgering him, but noticing the looks of disgust from the majority of the crowd, he immediately realized that further pestering would only ruin his own reputation.
Wan He thought angrily, "Just you wait."
"Brother Xu, Wan He is narrow-minded, so be careful from now on," Zuo Muchen said.
"Thanks for the warning."
Xu Yang nodded and went back to his meal. Having not eaten all day, coupled with subsisting on roasted meat for over a month at the Jade Cold Pool, he had a massive appetite and ate with great satisfaction.
He had formed a grudge with a petty man like Wan He a long time ago, so he didn’t care much. If they weren’t in the Celestial Strategy Academy, the other party would have been dead by now.
After eating, he returned to his courtyard. He first applied the Yunling Technique to all his medicinal herbs before finally entering the Quiet Chamber.
Over the past month, a massive amount of Spiritual Qi had gathered in the Quiet Chamber. He sat cross-legged and began to cultivate immediately.
[Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture - Second Layer (6464/10000)]
In less than half an hour, the Spiritual Qi in the Quiet Chamber was entirely consumed through Refinement, leaving the room completely empty of it.
Gazing at the panel, Xu Yang thought, "In less than three months, the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture will reach the Third Layer."
Of course, breaking through to the Third Layer of the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture in three months required a continuous supply of resources.
However, the resources on hand were only enough to sustain his Cultivation for less than a month. After that, he would have to rely solely on absorbing Spiritual Qi himself.
Even though possessing a Spirit Bone greatly increased his efficiency in absorbing Spiritual Qi, it still couldn’t compare to the speed of cultivating by consuming Elixirs. Besides, he didn’t dare to fully unleash his Spirit Bone to absorb Spiritual Qi for his Cultivation.
The commotion caused by cultivating with a Spirit Bone would spread far and wide, and the people living nearby would definitely notice. Most of the time, he kept the abilities of his Spirit Bone suppressed.
He thought, "It’s been a month, so the rewards for the Celestial Strategy Wind and Cloud List are now available for collection. I already have three days of Cultivation time in the Spirit Tower. When the rewards for the Jade Cold Pool are distributed in a few days, that should cover some of my resource deficit."
He was still somewhat confident in breaking through to the Celestial Essence Third Layer in three months; it all depended on whether he was willing to spend his Academy credits.
Stopping the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture, Xu Yang activated the Azure Dragon Dominating Body and resumed the Refinement of the Essence Qi that the Profound Water Spirit Loach had deposited within his flesh and blood.