Chapter 165: Chapter 163: Heading to the District Competition Venue (Second Update)_1
Chapter 165: Chapter 163: Heading to the District Competition Venue (Second Update)_1
"That Void beast must also be a secret of Indra Sky, and if they haven't moved the beast in advance, they'll definitely release it on the battlefield to serve their purposes," Jian Qi'er said.
"I really can't understand these guys; it's one thing to use humans for experiments, but to experiment on Void beasts?" Fang Ren said with a speechless expression, "And those cultivators they've turned into mutants, do they really think they can use that group of mutated practitioners to resist the Void? Facing the power of the Void beasts, those mutated practitioners are utterly useless."
Jian Qi'er said, "Those are merely experimental subjects they use to accumulate experience. Their ultimate goal is to find certain methods to enable the cultivators to evolve. The final test subject is Bai Qi; they will impose all their achievements on Bai Qi, making him the strongest practitioner in the world."
"That's truly a sick mindset."
"Indeed it is sick, but if ultimately Bai Qi can shatter the Void and return a peaceful homeland to humanity… then no matter how grave the sins of Indra Sky have been in the past, they will end up being the 'savior organization' praised by humanity."
"This is so-called history being written by the victors I suppose."
"Yes, they will say whatever they want at that time, even claiming that the experimental subjects were volunteers who contributed to their research willingly—who could then uncover the truth?" Jian Qi'er said, "The cultivators brutally killed by them will have their souls wandering the world without a resting place, with no one to cry for justice on their behalf, with no one knowing their suffering, and foolish people might even regard them as martyrs, not realizing that those who were experimented upon and led to death, feel nothing but hatred for this world."
Fang Ren didn't speak further, his heart was in turmoil.
The ultimate test subject? Shattering the Void? Truly, a bunch of fools beyond redemption.
According to Qianye, Liu Qianqian alone could grow up to travel the Ten Thousand Realms. A mere Void, returning a peaceful world to humanity, that's nothing.
The people of Indra Sky aren't thinking of how to discover human geniuses and nurture them. Instead, they're fixated on shattering the Void by any means necessary. They seem to be protecting future generations with the sacrifice of the modern day, but in reality, they are nothing but petty villains who use the lives of others as stepping stones for eternal fame!
They become famous for eternity, admired by posterity, but what about the restless souls that died at their hands? Those souls don't desire admiration from future generations; they only wish to slaughter those who killed them in the first place.
As of now, the Void is killing people, but humans still can resist; there's really no need for desperate measures. And with each generation, practitioners are progressing, becoming stronger. At this rate, the shattering of the Void is merely a matter of time.
Indra Sky is looking to expedite the shattering of the Void, which is not improper in itself, but by killing people, they're out of their minds—that needs to be cured.
"The Large Elixir Association's laboratory here has already been cleared. Is your organization preparing to move to another location?" Fang Ren asked.
"Indeed, we need to prepare to move, but we haven't found a new destination yet. Besides, a large-scale relocation at this time would draw attention from Tianjiang. Although it's dangerous here, it's hard for Tianjiang's sent ones to find us," Jian Qi'er said.
"The most dangerous place is the safest?"
"That's the idea."
"By the way, it seems that your leader has no intention of making contact with me; what's going on?"
"The situation hasn't settled yet, and there are still strong individuals around you, so it's not convenient for other members of our organization to meet with you." As Jian Qi'er spoke, she brought up another matter, "Right, there's something very important to tell you. Recently, keep a closer eye on Bai Qi as she might be taken away by Chen Cheng to Indra Sky at any moment."
Fang Ren was taken aback, "What's going on? Isn't the scientific research technology of Indra Sky still not mature enough?"
"The Void beast you mentioned before, our organization speculates that the reason they didn't abandon the Void beast in the battlefield is because they've had a significant research breakthrough with it. Next, it's very likely that Bai Qi will be asked to cooperate with the experiment's progress," Jian Qi'er said.
Fang Ren nodded, "So the day Bai Qi suddenly gets taken away is also the beginning of the next great battle between the two organizations?"
"Correct." Jian Qi'er stood up and said, "Well, I've said everything I needed to say on this visit. Be extra careful on your own."
Having said that, Jian Qi'er left the classroom directly.
Fang Ren also didn't choose to stay in class but went back to the campus garden and resumed his study of Soul force.
He can now slightly control this power.
At least when he harnessed that power to touch plants, he could choose not to harm them and just quietly touch them. He could even feel the slight vibrations on the plants.
Those vibrations were like the emotions of the plants; they were afraid of him.
"All things have spirits, and that saying is indeed true."
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The next day, Fang Ren carried on with his usual routine: attending classes and cultivating, eating with Bai Qi, and spending the night with the two robust men in the dormitory.
Life was peaceful and swift, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for the regional competition of this session's Elixir Contest.
Today, Fang Ren had no classes, as he would be participating in the regional competition. He took the shuttle to the new competition area early on.
Originally, on this special vehicle, there should have been no one else besides him and the driver, but now there was an extra passenger—Bai Qi.
Fang Ren sat in the back seat, a puzzled look on his face as he said to her, "This isn't the finals, what are you following me for?"
"If I don't come out now, I probably won't have the chance later," Bai Qi said seriously, "You have no idea how hard it is for me to get a leave."
"How hard can it be for a princess to get a leave?" Fang Ren said.
"It's not that I have trouble getting a leave; it's that the butler grandpa won't allow me to take leave and go out. He insists that I stay at school, saying that his mission this time is to make sure I finish my studies well here. Even if I run away, he would drag me back."
"So how did you end up running out?"
With a helpless expression, Bai Qi said, "What else can I do? I just told him that I need to be with you all the time, that I want to build a rapport with you, and only then did he allow me to leave."
"That old coot..."
"Exactly! An old coot!" Bai Qi said huffily, "He's so old and still worries about young people dating. Moreover, when I left, he said a bunch of things I didn't understand."
"What did he say?"
"Something about... I should often drink more with you when I'm outside. I don't get it. He used to be very strict with me; why all of a sudden is he allowing me to drink? And even telling me to drink more? It's baffling," Bai Qi said with a troubled face.
After listening, Fang Ren couldn't help but twitch the corner of his eye. The old man of the Bai family really is a piece of work...
This time, the regional competition was held in a Large Elixir Association in the North Wind City District. It took three hours to get there from Linyang City by this special vehicle.
Today's preliminary was set at noon, and besides Yangming University, the other universities participating were all globally ranked within the top hundred.
"Say, with opponents that strong, are you sure you can cheat from the sidelines?" Bai Qi, looking at the competition information on her phone, couldn't help but frown and whispered in his ear.
"I told you it's fine, why won't you believe me?"
Bai Qi was still not at ease, "So what elixirs did you prepare?"
"A high-level second-tier Qi and Blood Pill and a high-level third-tier Derivative Pill—one of each. That should be enough to get me through," Fang Ren said.
"But how will you put the pills into the Pill Furnace when the time comes?"
"You don't need to worry about that; I have my ways."
"Even if you say so, I'm still really concerned," Bai Qi said with a still gloomy face, "Let's get one thing straight—if you really get caught cheating, I'll step in and take the blame, and you can say you were coerced by me."
Fang Ren stared at her in amazement, "You're that righteous?"
"Of course, I, Bai Qi, am willing to go through fire and water for you," Bai Qi declared.
Fang Ren smiled and said, "Then when the time comes, if I say I was coerced by you, wouldn't that make me look bad? A big man like me being pushed around by a little girl."
"So what?" Bai Qi said. "My power is now at the Xuanyang realm level; being coerced by me is nothing to be ashamed of, okay?"
"Alright, alright, whatever you say," he conceded.
...
The special vehicle was a bus, and since their conversation was quiet and they were sitting in the last row, it was obviously not something the driver was meant to overhear.
Bai Qi flipped through her phone for a while and suddenly saw a news report, remarking, "The experts' predictions from a few days ago were really accurate. Right when the Elixir Competition finals are happening, a Void Hole is going to drift right above the finals venue."
"You know, I've never actually seen a Void Hole with my own eyes," said Fang Ren.
"You'll see one once we get to the finals venue. It's really eerie. I remember once when I was training, just standing underneath it made my hair stand on end," Bai Qi said, continuing to scroll through her phone.
"Do you think a Void Beast might fall out during the match?" Fang Ren asked.
"There's a big chance of that happening, but as long as it's not too strong of a Void Beast, it won't be much of a problem. The warriors of Tianjiang can slay them before they even touch the ground," Bai Qi explained.
"Actually... I kind of want to see a higher-level Void Beast," Fang Ren said, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Bai Qi rolled her eyes at him and then continued to look at her phone. After a short while, she suddenly spoke with a look of surprise, "News from three minutes ago! The army sent to protect the students during the Elixir Competition is being led by Sister Hui Qing's Nine Heavens Corps!"