Day after day passed—one day, two days, three days...
Only after three days had elapsed did Li Hao finally disperse the mirror barrier.
Outside.
One powerful expert after another peered inward, some lurking in secret, others scanning openly.
They dared not probe the truly formidable experts, but the thousands of soldiers in the compound were mostly ordinary martial masters. Even in armor, it was difficult to conceal their conditions. With their vital energy fluctuating and their individual cultivation modest, they held few secrets from the eyes of true powerhouses.
"What immense extravagance!"
Someone whispered in a low voice. It truly was an astonishing display of wealth.
Nearly every one of those more than two thousand soldiers had crossed the threshold into the Hundred-Breaker realm.
The soldiers of the Silver Moon Army had previously been mere ordinary mortals. Nourishing one person took little, but doing so for over a thousand cost a fortune.
As for the Martial Guard Army, nearly all of them had already been Hundred-Breakers, though with very few Thousand-Battlers among them. This time, however, a number of fighters who had reached the peak of the Hundred-Breaker realm and already possessed force had absorbed vast amounts of energy and the Spring of Life. The number of Thousand-Battlers had surged overnight, likely numbering fifty or sixty now.
Li Hao's Demon Hunt Corps had also seen several martial masters break through to Thousand-Battler.
Combining all three forces, their Thousand-Battler martial masters were now close to a hundred.
To supernaturals, a Thousand-Battler was only comparable to Three Suns. Expending such staggering resources just to foster around a hundred Three Suns might not seem particularly extraordinary in itself.
Yet for martial masters, breaking past the bottleneck of Hundred-Breaker to reach Thousand-Battler was a fundamentally different achievement.
"A new Rising Light has emerged as well..."
A new Rising Light had been born: Hao Lianchuan, whom several recognized.
A new Metamorphosis cultivator had also appeared: Qin Lian. Most onlookers were unfamiliar with her, though they knew she had taken action before as a dark-element supernatural. Her husband, Yang Shan, was also in the Metamorphosis stage.
Two Metamorphosis experts were neither overwhelmingly mighty nor weak.
A handful of new Three Suns supernaturals had also emerged, though people paid them little mind. For instance, Hu Hao and Yun Yao had stepped into Three Suns, and Wang Ming had reached late Three Suns. To the watching observers, however, they were far less noteworthy than the newly minted Thousand-Battler martial masters.
"A collective breakthrough for thousands of people... Truly astonishing extravagance!"
Such a lavish display was virtually unheard of.
In this era, supernaturals either advanced through their own grueling efforts or relied on personal fortune. Even if one pledged loyalty to a major faction, no one would elevate your strength without cause. Even if the faction did not lack the resources, they would never spend them so freely.
Soon, people turned their gazes toward the others in the courtyard. They could see nothing from the likes of Yao Si and Hou Xiaochen.
Even when cultivators possessing the Heavenly Eye peered from the shadows, gazing at those figures was blindingly agonizing. Their eyes felt as though they were about to be gouged out, and many suddenly coughed up blood—the distinct symptom of backlash suffered by a Heavenly Eye practitioner.
In the courtyard, Hou Xiaochen turned his head and glanced toward the perimeter.
The spies watching him felt as if their minds were being ripped apart. Blood sprayed from their mouths once again as they fled in panic.
Too terrifyingly strong!
Hou Xiaochen's true power remained an impenetrable mystery. Even when he had slain Divine Power Realm experts previously, he had done so with effortless ease.
Just how far this man had cultivated was impossible to fathom.
***
Nine Dragons Pavilion.
The ninth floor.
A commanding expert sat watching, a projection floating before him that depicted the exact scene within the compound.
After a long silence, he said coldly, "Hou Xiaochen's strength is at least between two and three elemental disciplines. That man is extraordinarily formidable!"
Beside him, some nodded while others stayed silent.
He turned his head toward a portly man beside him. "Mu Hai, is Liu Yunqing still going to play dead and refuse to show himself?"
Ever since Liu Yunqing of the Department of Finance had suffered his initial injury, he had vanished from public view on multiple occasions.
It was as if he had gone completely silent!
For an agency as vast as the Department of Finance, aside from continuing to collect state taxes, every other matter was completely neglected.
It was as though whatever havoc Li Hao wreaked had nothing to do with him.
And Mu Hai was none other than the director of the Department of Internal Affairs.
The man speaking was Hu Mingfa of the Department of Criminal Law. Ever since Hu Xiao had been slain, Hu Mingfa had fiercely advocated killing Li Hao to eliminate any future threat.
Mu Hai sipped his tea without a word.
Only when Hu Mingfa pressed him did he slowly reply, "I don't know. There's been no word from him."
"Chen Yao isn't coming either?"
Hu Mingfa's gaze grew colder and sharper. "How long does he plan to hide?"
Chen Yao was the chief of the Inspectorate.
Hearing this, Mu Hai answered languidly, "He says he'll contribute funds, but his divine abilities are unstable. The ruin under the Inspectorate's control requires far too much energy for the monster plant to revive, leaving it unable to supply him with enough of the Spring of Life. His divine abilities haven't stabilized yet..."
"Bullshit!"
Hu Mingfa snorted coldly. It was nothing but an excuse.
If it were anyone else claiming instability, it might be plausible.
Men like them sat upon mountains of resources. Setting aside two disciplines, even rushing into three or four disciplines was entirely possible—so long as one was willing to pay the price, their divine abilities could be stabilized.
Of course, that price was exceedingly difficult to bear.
Even if the Nine Departments were rich enough to rival a nation, they could not pour every last scrap of resources into a single individual. If they did, offering nothing to the subordinates, who would risk their lives for them?
A department of a single man would no longer be the ruling Nine Departments.
Every expert stepping into the Divine Power Realm needed the Spring of Life to stabilize their foundations, yet where was there enough of it to go around?
At the current stage, the Spring of Life was an indispensable necessity for all Divine Power experts.
And that also meant the advancement of Divine Power experts was fundamentally controlled by the monster plants. This placed supernaturals at an immense disadvantage. Anyone with eyes could see the inherent danger, yet they had no choice but to press forward.
After venting his anger, Hu Mingfa quickly composed himself. "So both the Inspectorate and the Department of Finance refuse to participate this time?"
Around him, some sipped tea and others drank wine, neither group offering much of a response.
Whether they took part or not, having one more or one fewer didn't truly make a critical difference.
After a long pause, someone said slowly, "That isn't key, nor is it important. What matters right now is whether Li Hao is willing to step inside."
That was the crux of the matter.
The speaker gave a soft laugh. "If Li Hao refuses to enter, trying to kill him outside... At our current level, unless someone is willing to do whatever it takes to break through to five disciplines, who has absolute certainty they can keep him from fleeing? He is exceptionally guarded right now, surrounded by powerhouses like Yao Si, Hou Xiaochen, and Hong Yitang. Trying to strike him down directly... is simply too difficult!"
"Even though we created the appearance of a massive energy vein, he has consumed a tremendous amount of resources—perhaps completely exhausting his reserves. Word is he even used the Spring of Life this time to elevate those martial masters. But frankly speaking, an energy vein of that scale suddenly appearing in a ruin isn't entirely normal."
It was almost an open conspiracy.
*I throw in a hundred million divine energy stones. Do you dare take the gamble, Li Hao?*
Anyone with a clear head could tell there was something amiss.
Hu Mingfa frowned slightly. "He has always been reckless. Back then, just for the Wind-Chasing Boots, he dared venture into the Xu family. At that time he was only at the Rising Light level, while the Xu family already had a Divine Power expert, yet he went anyway. That was a gamble too. Since that's the case, so long as the stakes are high enough, why wouldn't he be willing?"
"It's different!"
The speaker pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "It really won't be easy. After all, they're just divine energy stones. What if another sacred weapon of the Eight Great Families were to appear? Would his heart be moved then?"
At those words, several people turned toward him.
Three of the Eight Great Families' sacred weapons had surfaced so far, all in the hands of Li Hao's faction: the Wind-Chasing Boots, the Starry Sky Sword, and the stone saber.
Meanwhile, the Wang family's Black Tortoise Seal remained inside Battle Heaven City.
In the outside world, there were at most four sacred weapons left unaccounted for.
They stared at him. None of them possessed a weapon of the Eight Great Families. The intelligence on the Eight Families had first been obtained by Red Moon. Could Red Moon be willing to offer up one of them as bait?
The middle-aged man said slowly, "Don't look at me. Ying Hongyue didn't mention it... but I don't believe for a second that he doesn't want Li Hao dead. With Li Hao growing at this rate, Ying Hongyue is the one most threatened. If we want to lure Li Hao inside, perhaps he'll need to contribute a sacred weapon. Would he refuse?"
Several brows furrowed slightly. It was hard to say.
No one could truly guess what was going on in Ying Hongyue's head.
"Three days have already passed. If we still can't lure Li Hao out, are we really going to wait until seven days are up, letting Li Hao trample the dignity of the Nine Departments beneath his feet once again?"
"Is there truly no hope of killing Li Hao by force?" someone asked again.
"By force? Perhaps there is... If every faction exhausts all their hidden trump cards, even without relying on the monster plants, there might be a chance to kill him. But... what price would we have to pay? How many of us here would die? Are you all willing to pay that price?"
Silence fell over the room.
In the ruins, the monster plants would do the fighting.
The danger to themselves was minimal.
Killing Li Hao on the surface, however, would mean clashing with genuine blade and steel.
"What about the Department of Administration? Is the old director willing to act?"
"It isn't a question of willingness... They must pin down the imperial family. Otherwise, we would only be driving away a wolf to let in a tiger. Li Hao is a wolf, but the imperial family is a tiger. The moment the Department of Administration moves against Li Hao, they release that ferocious beast from its cage!"
The group engaged in another round of discussion.
After a while, Hu Mingfa spoke up again. "I negotiated with the monster plant. It's willing to act... but on one condition. All the divine energy stones brought in this time must be left to them!"
The others had already anticipated this; otherwise, they would not have needed to prepare so many divine energy stones in the first place.
A monster plant's intervention naturally demanded a hefty price.
And that price was the very divine energy stones serving as bait.
"Over a hundred million... Insatiably greedy!" someone sneered. Those monster plants wished they could devour every single divine energy stone collected by the Nine Departments. If not for the need to keep the Nine Departments gathering more for them, they probably wouldn't even spit out a single drop of the Spring of Life.
"Give it to them. If you want the horse to run, how can you not feed it sweet grass?"
After some further discussion, Hu Mingfa concluded, "Li Hao is an extraordinary cultivator now, so his ability to mask his aura is no longer as potent as before, and the same goes for Hong Yitang. The reason I called you all here is so everyone can bring out their Heaven-Peeking Mirror fragments and assemble them to project through the void, assessing Li Hao's exact strength—just in case!"
Mirror fragments.
At these words, everyone considered it briefly before agreeing.
"That's fine! But... the mirror is shattered. It probably can't be fully reunited, can it?"
"Uniting it temporarily is more than enough."
"Very well, then!"
A decision was reached. Knowing oneself and one's enemy guaranteed victory. Although it appeared Li Hao had failed to cultivate three disciplines, no one could be certain whether he was simply using a powerful concealing technique to mask his presence.
Moreover, Li Hao very likely possessed a mirror fragment himself—no, he definitely did.
When he cultivated in the north earlier, masking the surrounding area entirely, had that not been the work of a mirror fragment?
***
North City.
The two thousand soldiers were already drilling, practicing the Ten Rings Mountain-Sealing Method.
Li Hao and the others had returned to the main hall, chatting and laughing freely.
"We still have a little time left, but the Nine Departments don't have much time to spare!" Li Hao remarked with a sigh.
Hong Yitang glanced sideways at him. *Four disciplines of divine abilities, and you've already grown this cocky?*
*Be careful not to capsize in a ditch!*
Disinclined to dwell on it, he asked, "Are you truly intent on opening the Heavenly Star Martial Arts Academy?"
"Of course!"
Li Hao nodded. "At a time like this, anyone who dares come is either backed into a corner, daring beyond measure, or harbors a blood feud with the Nine Departments. Why shouldn't I open it?"
Pausing, Li Hao added, "They call it a martial arts academy, but it isn't merely for martial arts. It's a pretext. Martial arts isn't mastered in a day or two. I still hope Martial Uncle will cultivate a cohort of specialized talents according to your own vision!"
Hong Yitang frowned slightly. "I understand your intent, but... I lack instructors in that area. If it's pure martial arts, plenty of people can teach it, but when it comes to other subjects, teaching faculty is a major hurdle."
"I know,"
Li Hao nodded. "That's why I'm arranging for people to locate the scattered faculty and students of the old Heavenly Star Ancient Academy, including those detained by Nine Dragons Pavilion. They've been dragging their feet on handing them over, so today I'll demand them directly! The imperial family won't dare deny me face right now; they're counting on me to battle the Nine Departments."
The imperial family was stalling, likely waiting to see the final outcome.
Yet to Li Hao... who was going to give them the luxury of waiting?
Hong Yitang gave a faint nod.
Li Hao turned his gaze toward Deputy Director Zhou beside him. *How are your arrangements coming along?*
*Last time you spoke with absolute confidence, and I paid a steep price of two hundred drops of the Spring of Life. Have you done anything over these past few days?*
Noticing his gaze, Deputy Director Zhou smiled faintly. "On my end, so long as you can win this battle, the harvest will undoubtedly be immense! If you enter the ruin... I will make a trip to the East. If nothing else, all problems on the eastern front will be settled. The prerequisite... is that you win!"
If he lost, there was nothing left to say.
If he won, he would naturally sweep across the four quarters.
Li Hao nodded; that sounded reasonable.
Yao Si, however, frowned. "What do you mean? If Li Hao goes into the ruin, you aren't going?"
Deputy Director Zhou chuckled. "Why send so many people?"
Yao Si's brow furrowed deeper.
He gave Zhou a pointed look. *So confident?*
Li Hao's four disciplines were indeed potent, but to say he was truly invincible—especially inside a ruin—was going too far. The danger remained acute. Would the Nine Departments be careless when setting out to kill him?
*Is this fellow truly that unworried? Or does he simply not care?*
As they spoke, Li Hao's eyes twitched slightly. He retrieved a mirror fragment, which was trembling faintly. Li Hao frowned. *What is happening?*
Yao Si's expression shifted slightly, and he transmitted a message quickly: "Be careful. The Nine Departments might be using other fragments to probe you..."
Li Hao's brow tightened.
After a moment's thought, the wind and lightning attributes within his body dispersed outward, enveloping his entire frame. Beside him, Hong Yitang also allowed his divine energy to radiate.
Hong Yitang transmitted his voice: "Can this thing... freely spy on anyone?"
Li Hao shook his head. "I'm not sure. Mine can too, but only over a very small range. The Nine Departments are so far away from North City... Can they really probe from there?"
He was somewhat puzzled.
Yao Si explained, "Perhaps the Nine Departments combined their fragments... It's said that when this mirror was unearthed, it was already shattered into many pieces. People didn't pay it much heed back then, treating them as ordinary pieces of a sacred weapon. That's why they ended up dispersed. It was only after supernatural energies revived that their mysteries were uncovered."
As they were speaking, Li Hao vaguely sensed a prying presence, and his frown deepened.
It truly was the distinct feeling of being surveyed by a mirror.
This sensation was thoroughly uncomfortable.
Evidently, the Nine Departments were probing him, and quite brazenly at that. *We're spying on you, so what can you do about it?* Li Hao kept silent, his brow furrowed.
Glancing toward the east, he thought, *The Nine Departments are cautious indeed. I've already revealed two divine abilities, yet they still feel the need to probe.*
He felt a prick of worry: could the characters of his divine abilities be exposed?
He couldn't be certain.
His own fragment was incapable of such a feat, but if the enemy could reach across such a distance, they had either united several fragments or possessed an unimaginably large one. Li Hao was not sure whether they could detect the water and fire characters within him.
With that in mind, he concealed the two divine characters deep within his internal organs.
As for the character for "Extinguish," formed from sword force, he veiled it as well. That thing was essentially a hodgepodge that Li Hao used to absorb various divine abilities whose forces could not otherwise be fused. It wasn't tremendously useful on its own, serving mostly to prevent conflicting energies from clashing.
***
Inside Nine Dragons Pavilion.
Several powerhouses had left and returned, each now holding a fragment. The fragments resonated with one another, quickly forming a massive screen in the hall that clearly displayed Li Hao and his companions.
Beacons of light flickered across their figures.
Upon Li Hao, two points of light representing wind and lightning flickered.
Upon Hong Yitang, fluctuations of lightning and fire energy pulsed.
On Yao Si's side, however, nothing clear could be discerned. Only a few supernatural locks faintly materialized, their exact number obscured—one of the reasons martial masters were difficult to fathom.
Yet this was sufficient. So long as he was a martial master, there were firm limits to his strength in the current era.
They turned their eyes to Hou Xiaochen, who showed a similar pattern to Yao Si.
Finally, they looked toward Bright Light Sword and the others... all of whom merely displayed the faint outlines of supernatural locks.
Hu Mingfa frowned. "Martial masters are a nuisance in that regard. Still, it's partly because the mirror is broken. Otherwise... it would have projected their full forms directly, laying even martial masters bare!"
None of them replied. Broken was broken; the fragments were incomplete, so what was the use of lamenting it?
Mu Hai, however, glanced toward Deputy Director Zhou, his brows knitting slightly. "Is that fellow a martial master too? He stayed in Silver Moon alongside that Zhao fellow for decades, completely low-profile and unmoving as a mountain. I thought he had become a supernatural and crossed into the Divine Power Realm long ago, but he's actually still a martial master."
The others looked toward Deputy Director Zhou as well. A few supernatural locks faintly surfaced over his frame before vanishing in an instant.
This was indeed the hallmark of a martial master.
As for his exact strength, it was hard to tell, but he had at least begun saturating his supernatural locks. Weak martial masters would have been exposed immediately, powerless to resist the projection.
"Not bad!"
Hu Mingfa breathed a sigh of relief. "Both Li Hao and Hong Yitang remain at two disciplines of divine abilities. Li Hao truly hasn't severed any other supernatural locks. Even if he breaks through on the spot, reaching three disciplines is the best he can hope for. If he tries to jump straight to four, the instantaneous explosion of two disciplines' worth of energy would be more than his body could endure."
Events were still within their calculations.
"Then release the word. Contact Ying Hongyue and bait him with divine energy stones first. If that fails... we'll press Ying Hongyue to provide a sacred weapon as bait. Place it in the most prominent spot in the ruin, so he sees and senses it the moment he walks in!"
***
In the North City Compound, Li Hao's expression was grim.
The feeling of being scrutinized through and through was profoundly unpleasant.
He gazed toward the central district, his frown tightening.
Seeing his displeasure, Yao Si consoled him, "The Nine Departments won't keep the fragments united for long. They know that once it's whole, none of them will have any secrets left. That's why the fragments remained separate all this time—it's a tacit agreement among them. Aside from dealing with you this time, they won't bring them together again unless they face another common enemy. Otherwise, if anyone can peek into another's household, all their secrets would vanish."
"Are these truly fragments of the legendary Heaven-Peeking Mirror?"
Li Hao had heard the little tree mention that the most famous mirror of the ancient civilization was the Heaven-Peeking Mirror, which had supposedly shattered in the past.
"I cannot say for certain... Ancient texts mentioned it, but confirming it is difficult. The ancient records describe it with divine grandeur, claiming the Heaven-Peeking Mirror could peer into all things in heaven and earth with omnipotent sight. The fragments we see today possess nowhere near that kind of power."
Li Hao said no more.
After a moment, Southern Fist strode inside. "Word just came from the imperial family. The ruin provided by the Department of Finance will officially open tomorrow! They've invited me to explore it with them..."
He looked at Li Hao. "The general rules of this ruin are as follows: once you enter, if the number of people inside exceeds one hundred, it locks down automatically, and no one can leave until five days have passed. If there are fewer than a hundred people, one can enter and leave at will."
Li Hao was taken aback. "There's such a rule?"
"Yes!"
Southern Fist nodded. "Many ruins have this, especially martial arts universities. They were closed-campus academies. Once you went in, you had to wait five days until the weekend recess before they opened again."
"It can only hold a hundred people?"
"It's not that it can only hold a hundred, but that exceeding one hundred people causes it to seal shut!"
Southern Fist explained, "In other words, whether a thousand or ten thousand people go inside makes no difference... but once the count passes one hundred, the ruin seals itself. Under normal circumstances, it cannot be reopened from within."
Li Hao frowned. A sealed ruin was the most troublesome kind, locking everyone inside for five entire days.
In five days, anything could happen.
Li Hao said in a low voice, "When you say sealed... does it mean no one can exit, but people can still enter? For instance, once it exceeds a hundred people, more can enter, but no one can get out?"
Southern Fist nodded. "Correct, people can still enter! So it isn't completely sealed, only half-sealed. But during that time, no one inside can leave."
Southern Fist continued, "The initial scouting party will definitely number fewer than a hundred to keep the ruin open. But... if you choose to enter, the count will likely exceed a hundred in an instant!"
The moment Li Hao set foot inside, the ruin would immediately become a sealed tomb from which there was no exit.
Inviting Southern Fist to scout... was undeniably a clever choice.
Southern Fist looked at him. "What is your decision? If you truly want to take the gamble... I'll go take a look. To lure you in, they'll inevitably have to place some good treasures inside. Perhaps I can pick up some easy pickings..."
Otherwise, how else could they tempt Li Hao?
Li Hao looked at him. Southern Fist was fundamentally an opportunist, yet this time... Li Hao said slowly, "Once you go in... you might not have the chance to come out. Of course, before I enter, you might have an opportunity to pull out early..."
Southern Fist frowned. "Are you certain you're going in?"
"Not certain. I want to see what kind of treasure they can produce that could tempt me, that could make me disregard the danger, that could make me step inside even knowing it's a trap! Since the Nine Departments dare do this, they must believe I won't be able to resist!"
Li Hao smiled. "In that case... I'd like to satisfy my curiosity!"
"Then I'll accept?"
Southern Fist looked at him, his tone turning somewhat somber. "Also, while you're in there, don't pin your hopes on the bloodlines of the Eight Great Families. The Eight Families' bloodlines only carry weight in Silver Moon. Here... they might be completely useless!"
"I know."
"Good!"
Southern Fist said no more. Li Hao wanted to see, and he wanted to see too: what kind of grand offering would the Nine Departments present?
This was an expedition where both sides understood the stakes.
They weren't looking for treasures originally left in the martial arts university; they were looking to see what the Nine Departments would provide.
It was almost laughable, yet it was unfolding in cold, hard reality.
***
Once Southern Fist departed, Yao Si let out a breath. "I'll go inside with you!"
Li Hao had made up his mind, and having already boarded the pirate ship, Yao Si felt he might as well see it through.
Li Hao shook his head. "We need people outside too. If everyone goes in... what if our home base gets razed?"
The Night Patrol remained a formidable force. If Yao Si left, it would leave their flank dangerously exposed.
"Let's wait and see!"
Li Hao chuckled. "How much they're willing to offer will show how determined they are to kill me, and what price they're prepared to pay. I'm quite looking forward to it. I hope the Nine Departments can present something that makes me utterly impatient to dive in!"
The others fell silent.
At this moment, no one knew whether this would end in triumph or disaster.
***
Southern Fist entered the very next day.
This was the fourth day since Li Hao had issued his ultimatum. Only six days remained before the inauguration of the Heavenly Star Governor-General's Office.
If Li Hao decided to go in, he had only a single day to make his decision.
Otherwise, even once the five-day lockdown lifted, he would not have enough time to attend the opening of the Heavenly Star Governor-General's Office.
***
In a low hill in the western suburbs of Heavenly Star City.
Southern Fist stood among the party.
Accompanying him were seventy to eighty people—representatives from the Nine Departments, the imperial family, and a few mysterious figures.
The head count was kept strictly below one hundred.
Southern Fist wore a somber expression, saying nothing.
Ahead, an underground passage had been excavated.
A portal resembling an energy barrier stood at the end of the tunnel.
Beside Southern Fist, a youth of the imperial family whispered, "Master He, this ruin is named Yuanping Martial Arts University. It isn't particularly large—just a minor martial arts school. Previous expeditions found few treasures, but it remains remarkably well-preserved, with its structures largely intact. In ancient times, this university couldn't have been an important institution... just mid-to-low tier."
Southern Fist nodded slightly.
The youth added in a hushed tone, "The Ninth Prince said... Master He need only take a look inside and shouldn't get overly involved. Once you've seen it... whether Master He wishes to remain is entirely up to you."
"Understood!"
Southern Fist gave a curt reply. When someone activated the ruin with a stone-like object, he strode straight through the barrier.
No apparent danger!
This ruin had never harbored immense peril. Previous expeditions had been led by Rising Light experts with minimal casualties. There were no monster plants inside, only a few guardians.
Some were merely mechanical puppets, not the ancient remains of soldiers like the Battle Heaven Army.
While they posed a slight threat to Three Suns or Rising Light cultivators, they were no threat at all to an expert like Southern Fist.
The moment he stepped through the entrance, a colossal campus gate loomed before him.
It was exceptionally broad—it felt nearly a hundred meters wide.
Of course, many structures from the ancient civilization were built on such a grand scale. The impressive facade was of little consequence; this martial arts university had virtually no records in ancient texts, proving it was nothing more than an obscure, dilapidated institution.
Had they discovered Magic Capital Martial Arts University or Capital Martial Arts University... that would have been truly earth-shattering.
Looking toward the entrance, Southern Fist even spotted a few mascot-like ornamental statues. He almost laughed. *Why does this look like an elementary school built to amuse children?*
As expected, this university was bottom-tier trash. No wonder the Department of Finance had been willing to yield it.
The main gates stood open. He stepped inside, and the others followed close behind, their eyes fixed on Southern Fist... as if he were the true leader of the expedition.
Knowing their underlying intentions, Southern Fist kept his thoughts to himself.
He continued walking forward...
The campus was tiny!
Indeed, Southern Fist had explored other martial arts universities before, and this was perhaps the smallest he had ever laid eyes on, looking utterly discordant with the massive main gate.
One could take in the entire campus in a single glance.
There were only four small buildings, none particularly tall:
A teaching building, a martial arts training hall, a dormitory, and an administrative building.
The entire campus barely covered a hundred mu. Could this even be considered a martial arts university?
Southern Fist couldn't help but scoff internally!
*More like a martial arts elementary school!*
However, powerful fluctuations of divine energy were pulsing from the distance. After a moment's hesitation, he strode over swiftly, passing the small buildings... and in that instant, a sparkling sea of radiance filled his vision!
His jaw dropped, frozen in disbelief!
He turned back to look at the others, and after a long silence, said slowly, "Does this... even need investigating? Why don't you just announce that you discovered an energy mine outright?"
These people were being far too blatant!
Blatant to an absurd degree!
Perhaps because the campus was so small, they had simply dumped mountains of divine energy stones into a small lake behind the buildings. At this moment, not just Southern Fist, but everyone present stood transfixed, dazzled by the brilliance.
Southern Fist sneered and took a step forward to inspect the hoard, but two experts materialized in his path. They said nothing, merely staring at him in silence.
Southern Fist's gaze turned hostile. "I want to verify whether they're genuine!"
Neither spoke, but after brief consideration, the two experts stepped aside. Southern Fist stepped forward, picked up a stone to inspect it, and drew in a sharp breath. It was real!
And before him... a mountainous heap of divine energy stones stretched out. Just how many were there?
He couldn't see the end of it!
*In such a tiny ruin, you claim to have unearthed this many divine energy stones? Fuck me, the Nine Departments might as well have told me to my face: 'Say no more—here are the stones. Can you bring Li Hao here or not?'*
"How many... are here?"
Southern Fist swallowed hard. Beside him, someone said indifferently, "Beyond your imagination. One hundred million!"
Southern Fist's heart shuddered violently!
He glared at the speaker. "You people... truly aren't afraid to die!"
The man replied with absolute calm, "Those words are meant for Governor-General Li."
"If he doesn't dare, he doesn't have to come!"
Southern Fist's expression shifted erratically. Madmen.
They had all gone completely mad!
The Nine Departments had coughed up a full hundred million divine energy stones just to lure Li Hao here. This martial arts university was smaller than a kindergarten... Well, that was an exaggeration, but it certainly fell far short of any standard university.
Aside from this mountain of divine energy stones, there was nothing here worth exploring.
There were supposedly a few puppets in the buildings, but no prior expedition had uncovered anything of value, and he couldn't be bothered to look. Right now, his mind was entirely consumed by the hundred million divine energy stones.
"Brother He, aren't you going to send word outside?"
Someone watched him with a faint, knowing smile. "There is a massive energy vein here. Does Brother He plan to swallow it all alone?"
Southern Fist glared at him, and the man chuckled softly. "Rest assured, as long as Governor-General Li arrives promptly, Brother He may keep watch at the entrance. The people here can enter, but none can leave; no one will carry off the treasures. The goods will remain right here!"
He Yong snorted coldly!
They had pushed things to the absolute extreme!
"You bastards... had better watch out, or there won't even be ashes left of you!"
With that parting snarl, He Yong grabbed a fistful of divine energy stones, shoved them into his pocket, and turned on his heel to leave. The onlookers' eyelids twitched at the sight, but no one stopped him. He had only taken a few dozen... The man could be shamelessly petty at times.
He Yong offered no further explanation. Striding swiftly out of the campus gates, he crossed through the glowing portal back to the outside world. He immediately sent a message to Li Hao, then lingered right where he was, waiting.
Whether Li Hao would come or not... was something only Li Hao himself knew.
Chapter 242