After Yang Ning climbed to the top of the tree, the Flying Boat soon arrived, with a rope hanging down from it.
He climbed up the rope, casually sweeping his gaze toward the distant waterfall midway through, then withdrew it.
In that brief span of time, the waterfall had been widened by several hundred meters, and a massive crater had been blasted into its center. The waterfall, once shaped like a straight line, had now caved inward into a U shape.
Yang Ning was not surprised by Lin Tianheng's actions. After all, Tuo Buchuan could not possibly have gone to his death obediently. He had surely left something behind that could infuriate Lin Tianheng.
What shocked him more was the scale of the destruction. Was this the destructive power of the Golden Core Stage? He just did not know whether Lin Tianheng had done this casually or with all his strength.
"Deep Blue, what level of damage would it take to cause destruction on this scale?" Yang Ning asked.
"Qin Mountain's main structure is granite, whose rock is hard and dense. The damage caused by Lin Tianheng is cylindrical in shape, with a diameter of 477 meters and a height of 1,866 meters. It is as if it was struck heavily by a colossal pillar descending from a clear sky. Its power is equivalent to 300,000 tons of TNT, twenty times that of the Hiroshima atomic bomb!"
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Yang Ning immediately retorted. "That place was never hit by an atomic bomb. I never even saw one with my own eyes!"
Deep Blue immediately changed her wording. "Then it is equivalent to the explosion of a 300-kiloton atomic bomb!"
"That's more like it!" Yang Ning nodded. So the destructive power of the Golden Core Stage was this terrifyingly high?
He just did not know whether Lin Tianheng had left such a huge mark in one strike or after many attacks.
Climbing onto the ship along the rope, Yang Ning spotted Lin Tianheng at first glance. He was sitting atop the mast, his expression dark and sinister.
His azure-blue eyes were fixed on Yang Ning with a deadly stare.
Have I been discovered? The thought crossed Yang Ning's mind, but he only felt a slight flutter of panic. His expression even held a trace of guilt. I've worked tirelessly for over half a month, yet I haven't found the slightest clue about the culprit. I've truly failed Your Excellency's trust!
"Hmph!" Lin Tianheng snorted coldly and withdrew his gaze.
As expected, he was trying to bluff me—or rather, bluff everyone! After all, if a Golden Core Stage powerhouse did nothing but stare at someone, anyone with a guilty conscience would surely reveal themselves.
But Yang Ning had practiced the Black Tortoise Breath Concealment Technique and could now completely control his emotions, heartbeat, blood pressure, and even his mind!
Lin Tianheng naturally would not imagine that a mere Body Tempering Triple Layer cultivator could master such a thing. After one glance, he let Yang Ning go.
"Brother Yang!" Ning Rong cried out softly. She was seated in a corner, with a girl in green leaning against her beside her.
The girl lay in her arms, her body trembling as though she were crying. Yang Ning did not know what had happened, but with Lin Tianheng sitting above them, the entire ship was silent. Naturally, he would not ask at a time like this.
He sat down beside them and first looked over the other people aboard the ship. Only then did he realize that all two hundred Ascension Academy disciples had arrived, but only six hundred and forty of the eight hundred Immortal Seedlings had boarded.
The Flying Boat was still picking people up. Just as he had done to Yang Ning, Lin Tianheng glared at every person who came aboard, one after another. Only two hours later did Lin Tianheng climb down from the mast, looking far more relaxed.
"My lord, there should still be forty people who haven't boarded!" Seeing Lin Tianheng come down, Wei Chaoyang hurried over.
"There are no forty people left!" Lin Tianheng sneered. "Everyone still alive is already here!"
"What?" Wei Chaoyang cried out in alarm. "But—"
"But what? Ascension Academy disciples actually died in the jaws of wild mountain beasts. Your judgment in selecting candidates is not much to speak of!" Lin Tianheng said blandly.
"This..." Wei Chaoyang's eyes widened. Even cultivators spent their first month merely practicing the Breathing Technique, gaining barely any combat power.
Even at the Second Level of Body Tempering, a twelve-year-old at that level would still be no match for an adult tiger or black bear!
But he did not dare argue. He could only watch as Lin Tianheng flicked his sleeve lightly, took one step forward, and vanished from the ship.
"Alas!" Wei Chaoyang sighed, then waved his hand. "Since no one else is coming, let's head back!"
"Th-this is just over?" With Lin Tianheng gone, the Immortal Seedlings aboard seemed to have lost a natural predator. Their voices immediately rose.
"What else would happen?"
"But he got so many people killed. Doesn't he have to be punished?"
"He is an Inner Disciple! In a dynasty, his status is equivalent to that of a prince. If a prince kills a few ordinary people, who would punish him? Who would dare punish him?"
"Ah, this..."
"Besides, didn't Teacher Wei say it when we boarded? The immortal path is misty and elusive, life and death unpredictable. Without the readiness to die, where would you find the courage to set foot upon the path of cultivation?"
Yang Ning did not join the discussion. He noticed that Xia Yi had not come aboard.
He first found Xun Hu with his eyes. Xun Hu was squeezed among several princes, animatedly telling them something.
Reading his lips, Yang Ning realized that Xun Hu had encountered a troop of apes in the forest. He had followed the apes and practiced ape forms for over twenty days, feeling that his skill had improved tremendously!
"After boarding the ship, he really doesn't seem to like hanging around with us anymore." Yang Ning remembered Tuo Buchuan's warning and looked toward the others.
Small groups had already formed across the deck. Yet for the most part, princes spoke with princes. Even in groups made up of princes, pages, and servants, it was always the princes speaking, while the pages and servants could only echo along from the side.
It seemed Tuo Buchuan's words did make some sense!
"Wuwu, Ning Rong, what should I do? I don't want to go back!" The sobbing of the girl in green beside her grew louder.
Yang Ning turned his head and saw Ning Rong looking at him with a pleading expression.
"What's going on?" Yang Ning asked.
"She is the maid of the prince from neighboring Yong Kingdom, and also my best friend. But her prince, page, and servants all died in Qin Mountain. According to the Ascension Academy's rules, she has also lost her qualification to cultivate immortality and will be sent back!" Ning Rong pleaded. "Brother Yang, I know you've always been clever. Do you have any way to help her stay?"
Once she finished speaking, the girl in green hurriedly raised her head as well. With tears shimmering in her eyes, she looked at him. "Brother Yang, p-please help me. If you can help me, I'll do anything you want!"
Four people were selected from each kingdom, and the maid's slot was the only female among those four. Naturally, the girl's looks, bearing, and background were all among the finest. Though she was only twelve, she had already grown into someone delicate and beautiful, dignified and elegant.
Coupled with the slightly disheveled air she had gained from living in the forest for over half a month, and the tears filling her eyes, she was truly pitiful enough to melt one's heart.
Yang Ning opened his mouth, looking as though he wanted to help. But after pondering for a long while, he helplessly shook his head. "What could I possibly do? I'm only an extra myself!"
"But..." Ning Rong blinked.
"Ning Rong!" Yang Ning said with a despondent expression. "I know that in your heart, my image is lofty, perhaps representing a mind holding all plans in its grasp, omnipotence, and a whole string of such terms. But that was in the world of ordinary people. Now, everything has changed!"
"My intelligence, my abilities—they are completely useless here!"
"Ah?" Ning Rong's heart trembled. "B-Brother Yang, did something happen to you? Why do you suddenly seem like a completely different person?"
"I merely realized how vast this world is and discovered that I am nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well!" Yang Ning shook his head dejectedly. "I'm tired. I'm going back to rest!"
"This..." Ning Rong blinked. "How did this happen?"
Xun Hu had always refused to play with her, and she looked down on the little fatty Su Bai. Now Yang Ning seemed to have suffered a blow and suddenly become utterly dispirited.
How did I suddenly end up with no one to rely on?
"Sister Rong?" The girl in green had come seeking help, but she was dumbfounded at the sight.
Yet after giving it some thought, she found it perfectly normal.
Although Yang Ning's reputation was widely known, she had never witnessed his abilities herself. Who knew whether he had been hyped up or truly possessed talent?
Now that she had seen him with her own eyes, the girl in green immediately felt that the legends surrounding Yang Ning might have been somewhat exaggerated.
At the very least, a true genius would not become lax and dispirited upon encountering hardship. No matter the circumstances, one ought to strive upward with vigor!
"I-I'd better find someone else," the girl said.
"O-okay!" Ning Rong nodded helplessly. "I'm sorry. I don't know why he suddenly became like this either."
"He probably saw Lord Tianheng's heroic bearing and felt the gap between them!" the girl said. "Not to mention him—even I felt the urge to bow my head and submit after sensing my lord's strength!"
"But I don't think Brother Yang is someone who gives up so easily!" Ning Rong said.
"That's because his earlier life went too smoothly. He never encountered setbacks at all!" the girl said. "Now that a setback has arrived, his true nature has been exposed!"
"Is that so?"
"That's exactly it!"
Ning Rong nodded blankly, yet she did not want to believe it. Could the youth who had created miracle after miracle in Yue Kingdom truly sink into ruin so easily?
Before you continue