Chapter 15: Really Too Low-Key

Chapter 15: Really Too Low-KeyAs the Destiny Disk shattered, the nine dragon pillars, having completed their task, could no longer hold on. With loud cracks, they split open with huge gaps, extending downwards in a frightening display, producing sharp, grating sounds.

"Splurt!"

"Splurt!"

"Splurt!"

Next, the sound of blood being coughed up echoed through the area. Whether it was the participants on the stage or the students absorbing energy below, all of them turned pale, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths.

Backlash!

It was like a tug-of-war, where just as both sides were exerting their full strength, the other side suddenly let go... It was fortunate that they weren't severely injured.

"What happened?"

"Why did the Destiny Disk explode?"

"It looks like the nine dragon pillars shattered too..."

The students who had been meditating opened their eyes and looked around in confusion.

They had only been absorbing Heaven's Fate Energy to refine their Source Pools, but now everything seemed to have fallen apart...

It was like going to a banquet, and before the food was served, the kitchen blew up!

Nothing like this had ever happened before!

"How many strands of Heaven's Fate Energy did you refine?" someone asked a nearby friend after the initial shock.

"Me? I didn't succeed with even one strand. The Destiny Disk broke before I could."

"Same here, I was just starting to refine when the backlash hit!"

"The time was too short. Even though Heaven's Fate Energy isn't as domineering as Source Energy, it still takes at least fifteen minutes to refine one strand..."

The discussions spread quickly.

Hearing these conversations, Dean Lu Mingrong couldn't hold back any longer. He walked up to the stage and looked around. "Which of you successfully refined a strand of Heaven's Fate Energy?"

The stage immediately fell silent.

Refining one strand... was incredibly difficult!

Unless one was a true genius, who could claim to have done it?

Everyone hung their heads in shame.

"Mo Yanxue, what about you?" Dean Lu Mingrong asked, his gaze falling on the beautiful young woman not far away.

As the eldest daughter of the Mo family and known for her high talent, even someone as detached as Lu Mingrong had heard of her.

"I... was just about to refine a strand when a strong force rushed in, and then... it was gone," Mo Yanxue explained, slightly embarrassed. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NʘvᴇlFirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

"Yes, yes, the same thing happened to me!" Yu Xiaoyu jumped up. Her bells jingled as she puffed out her cheeks in frustration.

It was like having a delicious piece of braised pork right at her lips, only to have it snatched away. The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became.

"You all experienced the same?" the dean asked the other highly talented students, receiving similar responses.

"Sigh..." Lu Mingrong and Wu Yunzhou both took a deep breath, turning to look at the crowd below the stage.

So many geniuses gathered together, yet none had succeeded, while the unregistered genius had absorbed tens of thousands of strands in one go...

The disparity was immense!

The key issue was not just the speed of absorption but also the ability to snatch away the energy others were refining... This was beyond belief!

Could this be the terrifying aspect of a Saint Grade talent?

"Actually, it's fortunate they didn't succeed. Otherwise, the energy entering their Source Pools would have solidified their strength, and an interruption in the Heaven's Fate Energy supply could have had even worse effects," Ran Qingxu said.

Lu Mingrong nodded.

This was indeed a blessing in disguise.

"Who among you has absorbed Heaven's Fate Energy into your Source Pool and successfully refined it? Even just one strand!"

Lu Mingrong looked at the crowd below, trying to find the hidden genius through their expressions, but all he saw were confused faces and shaking heads.

"This is a great opportunity. Just admit it, and I will take you as my personal disciple, granting you the best cultivation resources White Rock Academy has to offer!" Lu Mingrong promised, waving his hand to reassure them.

"Being accepted as the dean's personal disciple? That's a tremendous honor! It’s like having the strongest backing in White Rock City!"

"Backing is one thing, but with enough resources, their cultivation will improve by leaps and bounds..."

"Yeah, this person is so lucky!"

There was an uproar all around. Everyone was excited upon hearing this news.

Everyone wanted to be the lucky one who refined the energy, but... no one had actually succeeded!

"The dean hasn’t taken a student in over ten years. My father once asked him to accept me as his disciple, but he refused..." Yu Feng said enviously. "I really wonder who this person is, to have such a great opportunity."

"To absorb Heaven's Fate Energy into the Source Pool and successfully refine it is truly admirable... I wish it were me!" Zhang Xuan couldn't help but feel genuinely envious.

Without any cultivation techniques, he couldn’t train and could only rely on the Library of Heaven's Path to absorb a bit of Heaven's Fate Energy to light up a few old books. Compared to these real geniuses, there was a vast difference.

If he could cultivate like them and be taken in as the dean's personal disciple, he could easily shed his status as a groom and soar high, never having to look up to others again.

Seeing everyone's reactions, Lu Mingrong and Wu Yunzhou were at a loss.

Logically, with such a great promise, no student would hesitate. Yet, no one came forward!

And... everyone looked genuinely confused, not pretending at all...

"Did none of you really refine any energy? Not even one strand?" Unwilling to give up, Lu Mingrong asked again, only to be met with silence.

"Dean Lu, what happened? Why did the Destiny Disk and the Nine Dragon Pillars shatter? Why did the Source Pool Assessment stop?" Liu Mingyue called out.

"Yes, dean, what’s going on?"

"Why did this happen? Will we still be able to conduct assessments in the future?"

They had all been meditating with their eyes closed, focusing on refining energy, unaware of the events outside or the emergence of an "unregistered" individual causing such chaos.

"The Destiny Disk malfunctioned due to old age. Don’t worry, we'll hold another assessment tomorrow to make up for it!" After a moment's thought, Lu Mingrong explained.

To be honest, he was still unsure if the scene earlier was indeed Nine Dragons Draw Heaven's Fate and whether there was a genius with Saint Grade talent. Until he could identify the individual, he couldn’t be certain.

"Yes!"

Hearing that there would be a makeup assessment, everyone felt relieved.

Although they hadn't succeeded this time, they had gained experience and were confident they could aim for higher grades next time.

Even Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

He had thought this was his only chance to absorb energy for free, but with another opportunity tomorrow, he could let the library absorb more and strengthen himself further. Plus, he could find a cultivation technique today and see if an outsider like him could open a Source Pool!

If his talent turned out to be good and the dean took him as a personal disciple, his future path would be much smoother.

For a moment, Zhang Xuan was filled with anticipation.

...

Seeing the excitement on everyone’s faces, without exception, Wu Yunzhou lowered his voice and said, "Dean, it seems this genius is quite low-key and doesn’t want to admit it..."

"Yes!" Lu Mingrong sighed. "Truly too low-key!"