The leader stood motionless, his face ashen.
He glanced at his groaning, severely wounded companion on the ground, then sensed the lingering, eerie energy fluctuations in the air— Annihilation, life purification, darkness, space...
A feeling of apprehension welled up uncontrollably in my heart.
"Captain, that guy..." A subordinate who was lucky enough to escape serious injury approached, his voice trembling, clearly terrified.
"Very strong, with very strange abilities, and judging by his appearance, he knows this place like the back of his hand." The leader's voice was low. "Our location has been exposed. Mission suspended. Retreat immediately!"
On the other side.
Xiao Han was like a fish returning to the sea, moving silently through it.
He easily left the area of Old Book Tower, and after a few spatial flashes, he was back in the normal area of the academy, disappearing into the night once more.
He leaned against a large, leafy tree, standing in its dense shade, and slightly adjusted his somewhat rapid breathing.
The encounter just now was brief, but extremely dangerous.
The group's strength and background were all strange; their ability to infiltrate the third basement level of the Old Book Tower meant their target was definitely not simple.
"The forbidden area of the academy... the Ghost Face Wall... and these mysterious intruders..."
Xiao Han frowned slightly; the waters of the Imperial Capital Academy were even more murky than he had anticipated.
However, we can't worry about that for now.
We'll talk about who those people are and what they want later.
Most importantly, the system task is complete!
He could feel an inexplicable "blessing" power entering his mind.
Although I was a little disappointed that I didn't get the "Weakness Prediction" skill, this adventure was still a huge win no matter how you look at it.
As for the secrets of the Old Book Tower and the identities of those people, we can dig them out slowly when we have the strength and opportunity later.
Right now, the most important thing is the upcoming Academy Grand Competition.
With the [Academy Grand Competition Champion’s Blessing] in hand, he felt an even greater surge of anticipation for the upcoming competition.
He glanced one last time in the direction of the Old Book Tower, a slight smile playing on his lips, before his figure vanished again, completely disappearing into the boundless night.
A night breeze blew through the windowpane, bringing a touch of coolness.
Xiao Han's figure silently slipped into the shadows of the courtyard and returned to his own secluded little yard.
The events that unfolded on the third basement level of the Old Book Tower, those mysterious and powerful auras, and his final, incredibly dangerous escape—even now, recalling them still makes his heart skip a beat.
The waters of academia are truly deep.
[Ding! The exploration mission in the Forbidden Area of Old Book Tower (minimum requirement) has been completed!]
The [Academy Grand Competition Champion’s Blessing] reward has been distributed!
[The reward [Random Minor Ability] has been distributed!]
The system notifications that kept ringing in his mind interrupted Xiao Han's thoughts.
He shook his head, putting aside the mysteries of the Old Book Tower for the time being, and focused his attention on the actual gains from this adventure.
I haven't had a chance to look at the previous rewards yet.
With a thought in mind, he first checked the [Random Minor Divine Ability] he had obtained after defeating Luo Bing.
[Random Minor Ability: Shadow Avatar]
[Effect: Consumes a large amount of Martial Soul Power and Spiritual Power to condense a Shadow Avatar with a portion of the host's original strength (currently about 30%) within the shadows.]
The avatar can exist for a period of time (depending on the energy invested by the host), can execute simple commands, and possesses a certain degree of stealth and combat capabilities. Note: Destroying the avatar will cause a slight backlash to the main body.
"Shadow Avatar?"
Xiao Han's eyes lit up instantly, a surge of joy rushing to his head!
This thing is practically a divine skill tailor-made for his Eternal Night King Martial Soul!
Thirty percent of the strength isn't top-tier, but it's all about how you use it!
Reconnaissance and exploration? Perfect!
In critical moments, it can also be used to confuse the enemy, create opportunities to escape or counterattack, or even... take the fall for someone else!
Although being destroyed will have backlash, compared to my life, that backlash is nothing!
High consumption? Limited duration?
None of these things matter to him!
The Chaos Green Lotus provides a near-infinite mana bar, and coupled with the insane recovery speed of the "Creation-Heaven-Penetrating Art" and the "Shadow Void Scripture," endurance is never an issue.
"Great stuff! Really great stuff!" Xiao Han couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.
This [Shadow Avatar] will definitely be another powerful trump card for him to use in the future, to protect himself in the underworld... cough.
Then, he turned his attention to the [Academy Grand Competition Champion’s Blessing] he had just received.
This name sounds awesome, I wonder how effective it will be...
[Tournament Champion's Blessing: A mysterious and profound blessing of fortune will take effect during the Academy Grand Competition. Effects include, but are not limited to: a temporary, slight increase in overall combat power, a minor increase in luck, and an increased probability of triggering enlightenment during battle. The specific effects will be experienced by the host themselves.]
"Experience it for yourself?" Xiao Han raised an eyebrow; this system was quite good at keeping people in suspense.
He tried to sense and guide this so-called "blessing" power.
Buzz!
A mysterious, indescribable energy, warm and comforting, instantly flowed throughout my body.
He felt his five senses had become exceptionally sharp, his mind was unusually clear, and even the flow of spiritual energy within his body seemed smoother.
The mental energy depleted from infiltrating the Old Book Tower and the brief exchange of blows was instantly restored to full strength.
What surprised him even more was that, in this state, his understanding of the martial arts techniques he had learned seemed to have increased dramatically!
Some parts of the Shadow Void Scripture were originally obscure and difficult to understand suddenly became clear.
The spatial conception of the "A Step to the Ends of the Earth" footwork is felt more clearly and intensely.
The Annihilation True Meaning in "The Annihilation Divine Fist" seems to be more condensed and pure.
Even the first Lotus in Motion of the incomplete "Green Lotus Sword Song," which he had just acquired and hadn't practiced much, automatically conjured up many exquisite variations and applications in his mind.
"Holy crap, this blessing... is it really that effective?" Xiao Han was genuinely surprised.
The system message said this would take effect during the competition, but it's only a preliminary guide yet, and the effect is already so immediate.
This precious surge in comprehension must not be wasted.
Xiao Han immediately sat down cross-legged and circulated his cultivation technique to stabilize his newly broken-through-to -Third Level of the Martial Master Realm.
At the same time, he diverted some of his attention to begin practicing [Shadow Avatar].
The power of the Eternal Night King Martial Soul was mobilized.
The shadow in front of him began to twist and writhe restlessly.
Slowly, a blurry human figure emerged from the shadows.
This figure was composed entirely of pure dark energy, making its face indistinct, but its outline bore a striking resemblance to Xiao Han.
It's done!
Although it was the first attempt, the avatar that was formed was still very crude, and its power fluctuations were extremely unstable. It only lasted for less than ten seconds before it collapsed with a "poof" and disappeared into a few wisps of black smoke.
But Xiao Han had already grasped a bit of the trick.
He could sense that with more practice and increased proficiency, the solidity, power ratio, and duration of his avatar would definitely improve.
Afterward, he immersed himself in the enlightenment of "The Green Lotus Sword Song," making the most of the time to digest the benefits brought by the recent surge in comprehension.