Perfect Jade

As the last wisp of pure spiritual energy was greedily absorbed by Little Black Tiger, the black sheen on its body seemed to grow a little deeper. Even its illusory form became slightly more solid. Satisfied, it let out a small yawn, turned into a streak of light, and reentered Situ Xuan's body, falling asleep to digest the energy.

Situ Xuan could clearly sense that Little Black Tiger's origin was steadily strengthening, and the spiritual connection fed back to him had grown closer as well.

As for himself, the spiritual energy dispersed after those Soul Beasts died mainly nourished a Soul Master's body and restored expended strength. Its direct effect on Soul Power Level was minimal, nowhere near as significant as what a Soul Spirit could absorb.

But he did not care. The greatest gain from this trip had long ceased to be an increase in Soul Power Level. It was the will tempered between life and death, the Malevolent Qi he had initially fused with, and that fleeting experience of the profound realm of the "Hokuto Shinken Secret Art: Dragon Turning Breathing Method."

The injuries he had sustained in battle had mostly healed under the nourishment of spiritual energy and the circulation of the Dragon-Turning Breathing Method. His depleted Soul Power had also recovered by thirty to forty percent.

He stood up and looked around the forest clearing he had turned upside down. The smell of blood remained thick, but that suffocating sense of oppression had vanished.

"Time to go back."

He muttered softly. Without lingering any longer, he raised his wrist decisively and pressed his thumb down hard on the bright red Rescue Signal Device.

Bzz—

A gentle yet irresistible force of Space Power instantly enveloped him. The scenery around him rapidly blurred and twisted like a fading oil painting, eventually turning into a field of pure white.

A faint sensation of weightlessness came over him, followed immediately by the solid feeling of his feet touching the ground.

The scene before him changed, and the cold metallic texture replaced the primitive wilderness of the forest.

He was lying inside that strangely shaped metal coffin.

Situ Xuan took a deep breath of the outside air, which carried a faint scent of disinfectant. Bracing both hands against the coffin walls, he pushed himself upright, his body somewhat stiff.

The exhaustion brought on by prolonged mental concentration and the extreme strain on his body surged over him in waves like the tide, but his powerful will forcibly suppressed it.

He stepped out of the metal coffin and rolled his neck, his joints giving off faint crackling sounds.

Then he felt several scorching gazes, intense enough to almost bore through him.

Looking up, he saw Long Hengxu, director of Eastsea Academy's Intermediate Division, homeroom teacher Wu Zhangkong, and several Spirit Pagoda staff members gathered before the one-way glass in the observation room. Their eyes were wide and their mouths slightly open, their faces filled with disbelief, shock, and... the wary uncertainty one might show toward something inhuman.

Those gazes mixed scrutiny, investigation, and even a trace of barely perceptible apprehension as they locked onto him. It was as though he was not a student who had just emerged from the Spirit Ascension Platform, but a savage beast wearing human form that had stepped out of ancient Malevolent Qi.

Situ Xuan's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He disliked being watched like some kind of monster, especially after a fierce battle that had drained both body and mind. What he wanted more than anything now was peace and quiet to process his insights.

"Tch."

He clicked his tongue in displeasure, the sound exceptionally clear in the silent observation room.

Meeting those gazes, his voice carried a trace of the cold hardness that had yet to fade after battle. "Why are you all staring at me? Did flowers grow on my face, or is there something wrong with me?"

His voice shattered the frozen atmosphere in the observation room.

Long Hengxu abruptly came back to his senses. A somewhat stiff smile appeared on his plump face as he hurriedly pushed open the observation room door and walked out. "No, no! Student Situ, are... are you alright? How do you feel?"

His tone was filled with excitement and caution he could not conceal.

Wu Zhangkong also walked out slowly. His handsome face, frozen like it had been for ten thousand years, still showed little expression, but his ice-blue eyes were sharp as blades, as though they wanted to dissect Situ Xuan inside and out. He remained silent, saying nothing, yet the invisible pressure he gave off was even greater than Long Hengxu's questioning.

A middle-aged Spirit Pagoda staff member followed him out, holding a clipboard. His eyes were full of professional curiosity and shock as he said sincerely, "What a talent, truly a remarkable talent! You... are you really only ten years old?"

The staff member's gaze was somewhat feverish as he looked at Situ Xuan's nearly perfect physique and the unique combat techniques he had displayed in the Spirit Ascension Platform.

He was, without a doubt, a flawless piece of jade!

Situ Xuan did not answer immediately. He glanced at the locations of the other five metal coffins and discovered that he was the first to wake up. Without much concern, he pulled free of the suction cups attached to his body, stood up casually, then sat listlessly in a chair without responding to the staff member's presumptuous question.

Perhaps sensing what the Spirit Pagoda staff member was thinking, Wu Zhangkong stepped forward first and blocked the staff member, who still wanted to ask more questions. He said seriously, "My student has just gone through a severe battle. Please do not disturb him excessively."

Wu Zhangkong's words formed a cold barrier, keeping the overly enthusiastic Spirit Pagoda staff member at a slight distance. His tall figure deliberately—or perhaps unintentionally—stood between Situ Xuan and the staff member. His ice-blue eyes swept over the man with an unmistakable air of finality.

Stung by Wu Zhangkong's frosty gaze, the staff member's overheated mind immediately cleared somewhat. Realizing his lapse in manners, he hurriedly took an embarrassed step back. Yet his eyes still could not help roaming over Situ Xuan, while the pen on his clipboard moved unconsciously. Clearly, he was still dwelling on the astonishing data they had just recorded.

Long Hengxu came to his senses as well and quickly tried to smooth things over. His plump face was piled with smiles as he asked Situ Xuan with concern, "Yes, yes, Teacher Wu is right! Student Situ, you just went through such an... ah, intense battle. You must have used up a great deal of energy and need rest! How are you feeling? Is there anywhere you feel unwell? Especially your left arm, that poison..."

He recalled the terrifying toxicity of the Seven-Colored Poisonous Miasma Python, and lingering fear still gripped his heart.

Even though he knew that the poison and injuries were merely simulated in the Spirit Ascension Platform, the pain and damage still acted directly on the mind. There had been no shortage of cases throughout history where phantom pain left behind psychological scars, even affecting future cultivation.

Situ Xuan leaned lazily against the chair back, his eyes half-lidded as he felt the meridians within his body become smoother and tougher from the initial fusion of Malevolent Qi and Soul Power. The Dragon-Turning Breathing Method flowed like a gentle stream, silently nourishing every inch of flesh and blood.

He raised his left arm and flexed his wrist, his tone calm. "It's nothing. Just a little poison. It's no longer a problem."

That casually delivered sentence made the corners of Long Hengxu's and the staff member's eyes twitch again.

A little poison?

That had been the deadly venom of a thousand-year Seven-Colored Poisonous Miasma Python!

Even if the effect had been simulated inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, the pain and the erosion of Soul Power and mental strength had been completely real!

Yet he looked as relaxed as if he had merely been bitten by a mosquito.