Chapter 2532: Obsession

Chapter 2532: Obsession

Shockingly, the actual scene playing out within the Hidden Mountain card was a stark contrast to everyone's expectations.

Unlike what Zhi Bing had mentioned earlier, not even Jiang Xiaodao had any confidence in being able to eke out a victory here.

"Xuan Qi, you're despicable!" A mountain pressed down upon him from above. He was struggling to hold it back with both hands, but another mountain came crashing down, followed by another. Each mountain pressed deeper and deeper into the ground.

Lu Yin looked around in astonishment. Was this the pocket dimension within the card? It looked exactly like one of the 3,000 hidden worlds of the Honor Zone. However, this card also had a special function. Every time Lu Yin waved his hand, a mountain would inexplicably appear and then fall onto Jiang Xiaodao. This was the card's battle technique. No wonder it was called Hidden Mountain.

He was growing increasingly intrigued by the Lost Clan’s cards. What sort of abilities did their other cards have?

"Xuan Qi, get over here and fight me fairly!" Jiang Xiaodao roared, glaring at Lu Yin as though he wanted to devour him.

The corners of Lu Yin's mouth curled upwards. "Sorry, but the gap between us is too big, and I won’t stand a chance in a fair fight."

Jiang Xiaodao coughed up blood. He looked completely pathetic, like someone who had just crawled out of a trash heap, and red rivulets ran from the corners of his mouth. "Stop pretending! Even with this Hidden Mountain card, you shouldn't be able to suppress me like this. You're definitely stronger than you claim."

Lu Yin chuckled. "Thanks for the compliment."

Rage coursed through Jiang Xiaodao's entire body, causing him to cough up blood once again. "Xuan Qi, let me go!"

"If I let you go, I’m sure to lose," Lu Yin replied.

Jiang Xiaodao's eyes turned bloodshot as he struggled to breathe beneath the mounting pressure. "You're despicable, so despicable! I won't let you off the hook! Once I take the position of Sage, I'll definitely get revenge!"

Lu Yin shook his head. "It's way too early to be thinking about that. Besides, whenever you become a Sage, I won't be far behind in the Voidforce Universe."

As soon as Jiang Xiaodao remembered Lu Yin's talent for voidforce, he grew increasingly agitated. As long as this guy did not die, his future accomplishments would be no less impressive than his own. Even when he faced off against Mu Mu or Shao Qingfeng, he had not felt as overwhelmingly frustrated as he was at this moment. Jiang Xiaodao howled in exasperation, "Xuan Qi, just what is it that you want?"

Lu Yin waved his hand again, and another mountain came crashing down. Jiang Xiaodao wailed as he coughed up even more blood.

"I know that you don't want to lose, as that would be embarrassing."

Jiang Xiaodao gritted his teeth. "Obviously."

Lu Yin sighed. "But you need to give me some reason to let you win. Otherwise, why should I?"

Jiang Xiaodao's eyes flickered. "You'll let me win?"

"Give me a reason."

Jiang Xiaodao's breathing quickened. He cared far more about his reputation than the outcome of this fight. As the son of Sage Jiang, he could not afford to be defeated by this person. Despite the fact that he had been taken by surprise, a loss was still a loss. Jiang Xiaodao’s defeat would be regarded as a disgrace to both him and Sage Jiang. "The calligraphy scroll is yours."

"Not enough, it'll already be mine when I win," Lu Yin replied.

Jiang Xiaodao clenched his teeth. "I'll give you more resources. Vast amounts of resources."

"The Voidforce Universe will provide me with that."

Jiang Xiaodao mentioned a few more things, but everything was rejected. "Then what do you want?"

Lu Yin stepped forward, only stopping when he was but a few meters away from Jiang Xiaodao. Such distance meant nothing for Jiang Xiaodao, and if not for the mountains pressing down on him, he could seize victory in a single move.

"I'm also struggling with this. What should I ask for? Why don’t you give me some advice?" Lu Yin countered.

Jiang Xiaodao opened his mouth to say something, but instead coughed up another mouthful of blood due to the pressure of the mountains. "How am I supposed to know what you want?"

Lu Yin said, "Well, I want to join the Central School, so I'll need to learn the power of four different universes. I might as well get a headstart and start now, so help me learn how to cultivate the power of the Cyclic Universe. That way, I can reach the threshold for their school as quickly as possible."

Jiang Xiaodao was surprised. "Is that it?"

Seruzen always maintained a calm demeanor. He also looked much older than the other students and resembled a middle-aged man. His presence in the Lost Clan School was outside of everyone’s expectations, so no one approached him to speak to him. This was why he found it quite surprising that Lu Yin had sought him out.

Seruzen was not good with words, so he could only make his best attempt to share his knowledge with Lu Yin. He made no attempts to hide anything at all, nor did he ask Lu Yin why he had not approached someone else.

Humans were curious creatures. Some people would change due to their obsessions or beliefs. Seruzen was a typical example of this, though he had changed from the person that Lu Yin had met on Earth.

On Earth, Seruzen had raised his left arm because of his beliefs, but in the Sixverse Academy, he claimed that it was due to obsession. It was a significant difference.

The two men found a place where they could talk without any disturbances.

Lu Yin had created quite a commotion by pulling the village from the Voidforce School into the Lost Clan School. However, Xu Xiangyin settled all of that easily.

The old man had not revealed himself this time, as he felt that it was inappropriate for him to praise “Xuan Qi” every time.

Zhi Bing had also wanted to approach and offer Xuan Qi a bit of praise, but Xu Xiangyin had stopped the old man. Not only was Xu Xiangyin worried that too much praise would overinflate the youth’s ego, but he was also afraid that Zhi Bing would not be able to hold himself back from trying to steal Xuan Qi away.

Lu Yin remained with Seruzen for several days in a row. A few people sought him out during this time but were unable to find him.

"What kind of card do you have?" Lu Yin asked curiously.

Seruzen lifted his hand, and a card appeared, a three-star Seasonal card. It could not be considered either good or bad. Being able to meet the Lost Clan School’s requirements was an achievement in and of itself.

"Have you already set things up inside?" Lu Yin asked.

"You can go in and take a look."

"Thank you." Most people would not allow anyone into their cards, unless they were enemies. After all, a card’s layout was absolutely crucial to the owner. The main reason why Seruzen was willing to allow Lu Yin to enter was because of his personality. As long as someone was not his enemy, Seruzen would almost never refuse anyone who expressed a desire to visit his card.

After Lu Yin was pulled into the card, he was met by the sight of an endlessly vast lake. Its surface was serene. It was completely still, and there was no sign of any sort of life.

He initially believed that Seruzen must have set up some kind of offensive mechanism, but upon closer inspection, he found nothing at all. There was just the lake.

Given Seruzen's strength, it was impossible for him to hide anything from Lu Yin. His card truly did just contain the solitary lake.

Seruzen entered and explained, "The methods of the Lost Clan are quite peculiar, but they don’t suit me. This card’s only purpose is to provide me with a quiet place to contemplate life."

"Contemplate life?" Lu Yin found this a strange description. The words seemed to hold a deeper meaning.

Seruzen's gaze remained calm. "A person's life is wondrous. From birth to death, everything that they experience, see, and obtain seems to be predestined. I want to understand the lives of others. I want to understand the lives of everyone."

"You will go mad," Lu Yin reflexively commented.

Seruzen did not seem to understand. "Why?"

Lu Yin thought of Astral-10’s insane headmaster. "Eventually, one will go mad from seeing too much."

Seruzen considered the idea. "An interesting philosophy."

Lu Yin smiled. "Everyone is different, so perhaps you won't."

Seruzen looked back at Lu Yin. "Madness is also a way of life."

Lu Yin had never considered this possibility before, and the idea weighed heavily on him.

"Have you ever seen a mad person?" Seruzen asked.

Lu Yin replied, "Too many, you can just find a mental hospital on any random planet."

"I mean, someone who goes mad in order to achieve their desired realm," Seruzen said.

Just as Lu Yin was about to speak, he caught a glimmer of the lake's reflection, and he blurted out, "Tranquil like water?"