Chapter 152
Chapter 152
Until now, Qin Lan possessed enormous mental power but had no idea how to use it.
He was like a farmer sitting upon mountains of gold and silver whose best idea was melting gold bars into a hoe so he could dig faster.
Yin Manqing was now explaining how to extract the greatest possible value from Qin Lan’s treasury.
“Mind Reading is actually a very basic mental technique.”
“It appears to read another person’s thoughts, but in reality, it simply makes your mental frequency resonate with theirs. Once that happens, no barrier remains between your consciousness and theirs.”
“Every mind instinctively rejects foreign intruders. But when the resonant frequencies match, it mistakenly identifies the ‘outsider’ as one of its own.”
Yin Manqing patiently explained the key points.
“Since you cultivate the Soul Tower, you should know some crude mental techniques.”
“What you need to do now is step backward. Forget those methods and skills, return to the most primitive and genuine state, and sense your consciousness.”
“First identify your own mental frequency. Only then can we discuss the next step.”
It sounded like an incomprehensible scripture to Qin Lan. After a long while, he stammered,
“Could you… say that again?”
“Frequencies and resonance… Are you certain you didn’t just invent this?”
…
The Nine Academies Tournament ended.
Skyfeather Academy ultimately won the championship.
On the bus home, no one felt depressed. Quite the opposite–they were excited.
Their results had been excellent, far beyond their original expectations.
Despite losing to Skyfeather Academy, no one felt discouraged.
Duan Tianpeng even clicked his tongue and commented, “That Li Fengyun wasn’t much… Sure, he’s stronger than us, but Brother Qin is streets ahead of him.”
“I could still fight back against Li Fengyun. In front of Brother Qin, all I could do was take the beating.”
In Duan Tianpeng’s mouth, Qin Lan had already been promoted to “Brother Qin.”
The others agreed deeply. Though disappointed by the loss, they didn’t feel nearly as miserable as expected. Instead, they recognized their shortcomings and gained hope of becoming stronger.
While they chatted happily, Su Xiaoyue sat alone, staring absently at the scenery outside.
Then Xu Minghu suddenly sat beside her.
“You held back during the tournament, didn’t you?”
“I could tell. You didn’t use your full strength.”
Professor Xu’s hawk-like gaze was sharp. His voice wasn’t loud, yet carried tremendous pressure.
He stared into Su Xiaoyue’s eyes, seeking an answer.
“Yes.” Su Xiaoyue didn’t evade the question and directly admitted coasting. “Because I didn’t want to.”
Not wanting to was reason enough.
Her righteous reply stunned Xu Minghu.
Strange.
During training, she had clearly aimed for the championship. Even after hearing how strong Li Fengyun was, the fighting spirit in her eyes hadn’t dimmed.
Why did victory suddenly mean nothing to her?
Xu Minghu swiftly guessed the answer.
“That brat said something to you, didn’t he?”
Su Xiaoyue neither confirmed nor denied it. She merely smiled and looked toward the others. “Perhaps.”
Xu Minghu knew his student’s character–gentle, stubborn, and utterly unchangeable once she chose a course.
Though full of anger, he ultimately suppressed it.
The tournament was over. Saying more would be meaningless. Besides, Clear Spring Academy’s third-place finish among the Nine Academies was enough to satisfy the principal.
Still, Xu Minghu regretted that Su Xiaoyue had missed her opportunity to shine.
In his original expectations, even if Clear Spring Academy lost, Su Xiaoyue would stand at Li Fengyun’s level and become a celebrated star.
Yet for some inexplicable reason, she had abandoned that perfect opportunity.
“Forget it. Everyone chooses their own path…”
Xu Minghu shook his head, rose, and returned to the front seats, no longer bothering with the matter.
Watching Lu Ming get swindled so badly he nearly vomited blood had already made the trip worthwhile.
Remembering Lu Ming’s furious expression, Xu Minghu couldn’t help chuckling. “That old bastard looked like he’d eaten shit even after winning the tournament…”
“Three Pure Hearts. Heh heh, that must have nearly emptied his family’s reserves.”
Recalling Lu Ming’s ashen face filled Xu Minghu with secret delight.
They had fought for years without Xu Minghu ever gaining an advantage. Unexpectedly, Qin Lan had dealt Lu Ming a devastating loss, one he had no choice but to swallow.
Telling anyone would only invite ridicule.
Before long, the bus reached the academy gates.
Before anyone disembarked, Xu Minghu noticed something wrong.
“Why are so many people at the entrance…? Are they welcoming us?” Duan Tianpeng peered outside and exclaimed at the dense crowd packed around the gates.
Xu Minghu looked too, then quickly frowned.
“No… They seem afraid to enter.”
Unease and anxiety covered the students’ faces as they whispered among themselves.
Hardly anyone noticed the bus. They kept staring into the academy.
“What’s going on? Why are you all gathered here?”
Before the bus fully stopped, Xu Minghu leaped down and shouted, beard bristling.
Some students recognized him and immediately crowded over.
“Professor Xu! Professor Xu is back!”
“Professor! Something happened inside the academy…”
“Please go look! Many people have already been affected!”
Their overlapping voices made Xu Minghu’s head ache.
“Quiet! Speak one at a time!”
“Keep shouting and I’ll deduct every one of your credits to zero!”
Silence instantly fell.
“You. Speak.” Xu Minghu rubbed his temples and pointed at a boy nearby.
“Professor, will you still deduct my credits if I talk?”
“Keep stalling and I’ll deduct them all right now.”
Without hesitation, the boy poured out everything.
As Xu Minghu listened, his expression grew grave.
According to the boy, strange abnormal fluctuations had begun emanating from the men’s dormitories in Zone B two hours earlier.
Anyone approaching them lost consciousness within seconds and collapsed.
The affected range was also expanding continuously.
At first, it covered one building. Then several surrounding buildings. It continued growing.
By rough estimates, at least a hundred unconscious students were trapped inside the area!
The boy rambled, “…It was terrifying, Professor Xu! People tried to help, but after taking only two steps inside, they passed out too…”
“Luckily I ran fast, otherwise–”
Xu Minghu impatiently raised a hand and interrupted him.
“The Zone B dormitories?”
He frowned, then suddenly thought of something and looked shocked.
“Isn’t that where we arranged his room?!”
Xu Minghu immediately turned toward the stunned Su Xiaoyue.
His expression was severe, his voice low.
“Contact Qin Lan!”
“Something must have happened to him!”