Escape from Death

After borrowing the bronze mirror in the Vice Dean's office to check his reflection, Xian Wu discovered that his hair had turned white and his face had swollen.

"Sit down and tell me what happened." Ye Sheng examined Xian Wu's drastically changed appearance, unable to figure out how he'd ended up looking like this. His hair was even whiter than that of Ye Sheng, an old man nearing seventy. Had he fallen into a vat of dye?

Xian Wu sat in a chair and recounted, in detail, how he'd been cultivating his Soul Force in the Trial Grounds.

"Utter nonsense!" Ye Sheng slammed his hand on the desk, his goatee trembling. "Why were you wandering around the Trial Grounds at night instead of sleeping? What if you'd run into a demon beast?"

"I know you're eager to become a Spirit Master, but you don't have to work yourself to death. If you keep this up, you'll wreck your body before you even reach Bronze Spirit Master."

"Father—no, Vice Dean, sir! Have I gone mad from cultivating? You have to save me! You're the only family I have in this world. If you don't save me, I won't be able to go on!" Xian Wu pleaded mournfully.

He didn't even have a girlfriend yet. He couldn't die young like this!

Father? Ye Sheng was speechless. He'd never met anyone as shameless as Xian Wu.

"Let's test your Soul Force first. I can't tell just by looking whether you've gone mad from cultivating." Ye Sheng pulled a Primary Soul Crystal from his Space Ring and tossed it to him.

Xian Wu caught it in both hands, closed his eyes, focused, and slowly channeled his Soul Force into it.

One by one, points of light sprang to life like mushrooms after the rain. One hundred... two hundred... four hundred...

With a BANG, the Primary Soul Crystal in Xian Wu's hands exploded.

Ye Sheng stared in stunned silence.

A Primary Soul Crystal could measure up to six hundred Soul Force. Anything beyond that would make it explode.

Did that mean Xian Wu's Soul Force had already surpassed that of a five-star Bronze Spirit Master?

With no time to mourn the Soul Crystal, worth over a thousand Demon Spirit Coins, Ye Sheng took an Advanced Soul Crystal from his Space Ring.

An Advanced Soul Crystal could measure up to sixty thousand Soul Force. This one shouldn't explode.

He didn't believe Xian Wu could raise his Soul Force from one to ten thousand in just a few days.

If he really could, then Xian Wu would be a once-in-ten-thousand-years genius. Even sacrificing an Advanced Soul Crystal would be worth it.

But Ye Sheng had overestimated him. Xian Wu's Soul Force was only a little over seven hundred, though it was climbing rapidly at a rate of one point per second.

Watching the reading on the Advanced Soul Crystal continue to rise, Ye Sheng was once again at a loss.

He'd never seen anything so strange.

Ye Sheng looked Xian Wu over again and realized he seemed to have grown even fatter. His face was swollen like a pig's head.

"Strange. This is really strange!" Ye Sheng paced back and forth in his office, unable to understand why the common Seven Star Divine Curse had such power.

"Father, I feel like I'm about to explode. Is there any way you can save me? If not, could you find me a doctor?" Xian Wu was already having trouble speaking clearly.

But Ye Sheng was a Black Gold Spirit Master, so he could just barely make out what Xian Wu meant.

"Forget it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!" Ye Sheng gritted his teeth. If they delayed any longer, Xian Wu might be in mortal danger.

"Here, swallow this!" Ye Sheng took a small blue pill from his Space Ring, pried open Xian Wu's mouth, and shoved it inside.

Xian Wu's heart pounded. Old man, that isn't Viagra you're giving me, is it?

Trying to take advantage of me while I'm helpless? You old pervert!

As the pill slid into his stomach, a searing sensation surged through his insides. Xian Wu clutched his belly, groaning in pain as he rolled on the ground.

Ye Sheng pinned Xian Wu down. He was about to do something indecent—no, he channeled his Soul Force and pressed it against the major acupoints all over Xian Wu's body.

Xian Wu looked like a deflating balloon. His swollen body rapidly shrank before their eyes.

A short while later, once Xian Wu had stopped rolling on the floor in pain, Ye Sheng channeled his Soul Force again and resealed his acupoints.

"Th...thank you, Father." With the Vice Dean's help, Xian Wu slowly got to his feet and sat back down.

Ye Sheng took the Advanced Soul Crystal out again and handed it to Xian Wu, asking him to test his Soul Force once more.

Xian Wu took a deep breath and slowly channeled his Soul Force into it. Only a single point of light appeared inside the crystal, and it no longer rose rapidly.

"How could this happen?" Xian Wu was speechless. He'd had over seven hundred Soul Force just a moment ago. How had he ended up with only one point?

Ye Sheng nodded with satisfaction and took back the Advanced Soul Crystal.

"Your condition is very unusual. I'll need to consult the library's texts before I can understand what's going on. Until then, don't cultivate your Soul Force, or you could end up in danger again," Ye Sheng warned him.

He couldn't cultivate his Soul Force? Xian Wu's heart sank. Did that mean he'd have to give up on his career as a Spirit Master for the rest of his life?

"All right, go back and get some rest. I'll let you know if I learn anything." The Vice Dean patted Xian Wu on the shoulder, then reminded him again, "Until I figure out the cause, don't cultivate the Seven Star Divine Curse again. Spirit Transformation Pills are expensive!"

"How expensive?"

"Expensive enough that you couldn't afford one if you sold yourself!" Ye Sheng rolled his eyes. "I only have one Spirit Transformation Pill, and I'm giving it to you. If you come back to see me again, I won't have another. All right, go get some sleep!"

Ye Sheng pushed and shoved Xian Wu out of the office.

"Wait, come back!" Just as Ye Sheng was about to close the door, he suddenly remembered something.

Xian Wu gave him a pale smile. "What is it, Father?"

"Don't call me Father. That's all!" Ye Sheng flicked Xian Wu on the forehead. That shameless kid was always taking advantage of him.

Uh...wasn't I the one taking advantage of him? Never mind. Whatever the case, Xian Wu couldn't call him Father.

"I understand, Father!" Xian Wu saluted and ran off.

Ye Sheng spat after him. "You little brat! Call me Father again and I'll kick you out of Sacred Orchid Academy! Do you hear me?"

"I...can't hear you~~~"

Late that night.

Knock, knock, knock... knock, knock, knock... knock, knock...

Someone was knocking on the door of Room Forty-Four in the Yellow section.

"Damn it, who is it? Old Zhu, go answer the door!" Zhang Ming grumbled. "Knock, knock, knock! It's the middle of the night! Are we not allowed to sleep?"

"Shut up! Watch your language." Zhu Jun Xiang put on his coat and chided him. "It might be my big brother coming back."

"Your big brother?" Zhang Ming raised an eyebrow. He must have meant Xian Wu.

That kid was probably fast asleep in the voluptuous Hu Yan Lan Ruo's bed right now. Why would he come back?

Just thinking about Hu Yan Lan Ruo's sexy, curvaceous figure made Zhang Ming's blood boil.

Damn it, the best women always end up with some lucky bastard. Is there no justice? No law?

"Who is it?" Zhu Jun Xiang asked through the door without undoing the latch.

It was unlikely, but if it was a criminal, opening the door carelessly would put him and Zhang Ming in danger.

"It's me!" Xian Wu panted back.