Inside the great hall, the Single Divine Character Faction was being held accountable.
Students from other factions were deeply dissatisfied. First, the session had not lasted three full days. Second, there had been repeated instances throughout the run where the willpower was sucked completely dry.
Although Yangxing students only absorbed willpower passively and did not have massive appetites, many had come specifically to nurture their divine characters, and nurturing divine characters required enormous amounts of willpower.
This time, their goals had been cut short.
Zhou Mingren and several elders had by now stabilized the mystic realm once more. The realm's explosion had little effect on the divine characters themselves—Sun and Moon realm divine characters were not easily damaged. But the real issue was that the mystic realm could not be reopened without burning another round of resources.
In truth, even if it had not blown apart, it wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway, simply because the willpower had run dry.
The original projection was three full days, yet they had not even managed two.
This fell far short of everyone's expectations.
Hong Tan muttered, "You just had to throw a few Lingyun cultivators in there. If there were only Yangxing and Tengkong students, it wouldn't have drained so fast."
There was truth in his words.
Having several Lingyun cultivators devouring it too fast was indeed a major factor.
Of course, the most critical factor was that a certain someone had sucked down more than several Lingyun cultivators combined.
If not to restrict the overall load, they wouldn't have reduced the entrant slots earlier, treating each Lingyun student as three quotas specifically out of fear that they would absorb too quickly.
Zhou Mingren turned to Hong Tan and said coldly, "Earlier, when the realm's willpower was down to a mere thread, why didn't you stop its operation?"
Hong Tan put on an innocent look. "When I left, there was still plenty left. If those Lingyun and Tengkong cultivators hadn't been vacuuming haphazardly, how could it have collapsed so quickly?"
He then added, "With your strength, you could keep the realm stable even if the willpower ran out. You promised it would last three days, so just toss in a few more natural treasures."
Easy to say!
Talk was cheap for someone not paying the bill!
Resources of that specific type were scarce even for them. If they had plenty, they would have opened the mystic realm long ago.
Zhou Mingren gave Hong Tan a searching look. "Everyone here knows what your objective was. There's no need to play innocent!"
They were all clever people. Did he think nobody could see through it?
Hong Tan smiled faintly. "I had no objective. If the resources and willpower were insufficient, that was on you to replenish, nothing to do with me. Did I deliberately exhaust the willpower? You were the ones who threw several Lingyun cultivators inside to indiscriminately suck it all up!"
Zhou Mingren said evenly, "And how do you know it was the Lingyun cultivators? For all we know, it was one of your people absorbing out of control. Su Yu is exceptionally gifted. Couldn't it be that his rampaging absorption caused the collapse?"
Hong Tan shrugged and let out a bizarre chuckle. "Maybe it really was Su Yu! How amazing is he? His absorption speed rivaled advanced Lingyun experts! He must have opened at least a hundred divine apertures, otherwise how could he compete? After all, he's only in the Yangxing Realm!"
Hong Tan's smile grew weirder. "In fact, Su Yu is actually a Lingyun cultivator in disguise! Does that answer satisfy you? Wu Jia too—she's a Shanhai cultivator in disguise! Happy now?"
Zhou Mingren fell silent.
There was no answering that.
Shifting the blame onto Su Yu... If Su Yu were in the Tengkong Realm, it might sound plausible. Blaming a mere Yangxing cultivator made no sense at all.
If a massive mystic realm were truly brought down by a single Yangxing student, it would be the joke of the academy.
Besides, Su Yu had been injured and evacuated early.
Hong Tan pressed no further on that point, cutting straight to the chase: "Elder Zhou, don't bother picking fights with us right now. You'd better handle your own mess. This has nothing to do with most of the people here. If you want to blame someone, blame that bastard who went around sucking willpower everywhere until localized vacuums formed, forcing extra willpower to be spent just to keep the space stable. If you knew he was so gluttonous, why send him in?"
That struck right at the heart of the matter!
The early termination of the mystic realm had little to do with anyone else; it was largely that bastard's fault.
Zhou Mingren took a light breath, turned toward Zhan Hai, Zhang Hao, Xia Huyou, and the others, and spoke in a deep voice: "The mystic realm lasted two days, which is indeed shorter than expected. The quotas given to you were practically gifts in the first place; we had no intention of making a profit, as you all well know!"
Though still disgruntled, Zhan Hai and the others nodded.
That was true enough. The Single Divine Character Faction had offered the spots to do them a favor, and the fees charged had not been unreasonable.
"All of your merit points will be refunded in full!"
Zhou Mingren had regained his composure, speaking calmly. "Not a single point will be kept. Although this session fell short of our expected duration, I believe everyone gained something. Even if there was some disturbance, it shouldn't have been too significant. Consider these merit points a gift from the Divine Character College to help soothe your nerves!"
Since he offered a full refund, no one had any further complaints.
Even with the early collapse, their gains were substantial.
Everyone's willpower had grown!
And now it was completely free. Even the Shanhai elders nodded. One elder chuckled, "Elder Zhou, what a mess this turned out to be... That wasn't what we meant, really. The Divine Character College opening the mystic realm was an opportunity for all of us. It was just a little disappointing, that's all. Please don't misunderstand."
Zhou Mingren scoffed internally.
Misunderstand?
If he didn't refund the merit points, these people would never have let the matter drop. After all, three days had been promised, and the realm had collapsed early.
Fortunately, the loss was manageable.
Very few slots had actually been paid for, only a handful, and the prices hadn't been set too high—amounting to a little over ten thousand merit points in total.
Having already swallowed such a massive loss, taking on another ten thousand was endurable.
Hong Tan grinned. "What about the ten thousand merit points subsidized by the academy? Shouldn't you return those to reward the top five students from earlier?"
The academy had provided a ten-thousand-merit-point subsidy.
Zhou Mingren glanced sideways at him and said coolly, "Those slots were never intended to be given out in the first place. Two days of cultivation is plenty. Don't push your luck! Besides, did we ever promise a specific number of days for that cultivation? Hong Tan, I refunded the others because the early collapse caused them harm, not because the mystic realm was ineffective!"
Hong Tan shrugged with a laugh. "Never mind, then. Most of those were your own people anyway. My side only had Su Yu. If you won't give it, forget it."
Zhou Mingren could not be bothered with him.
Ignoring Hong Tan, he addressed the crowd: "The mystic realm is now closed. Due to our mistake, it had to be shut down prematurely, and everyone's willpower suffered some turbulence. You had all better return quickly to consolidate your realms!"
His words made his intention clear: it was time for them to leave.
The others exchanged glances. Soon, an elder smiled and said, "Very well, Old Zhou, we'll take our leave. But regarding your side... you really ought to do some housecleaning. It isn't right that you have to take the blame every single time!"
They knew it had nothing to do with him and refrained from saying more, merely dropping a few hints.
*Stop taking the fall for a few bad apples!*
*You're a half-step Sun and Moon expert, yet look at what these people have dragged you into.*
*Every single one of them is trouble. If it were us, we would have exploded in fury long ago!*
Zhou Mingren forced a smile and offered no reply, watching as the crowd departed.
Seeing that Hong Tan still hadn't moved, he said coldly, "Hong Tan, are you waiting for me to treat you to dinner?"
Hong Tan chuckled casually. "Then I'll be off. Take care of your health, Elder Zhou, and don't get too angry. Such a headache, sigh! My disciple is just the same—nothing but trouble. Annoying, really, and he has to head off to the All-Heavens Battlefield soon..."
Muttering a few laments, Hong Tan sauntered away.
The moment he left, Elder Sun and the other elders let out annoyed snorts.
So sarcastic!
Listening to him was utterly grating, yet they had no way to refute him.
With everyone else gone, a small voice suddenly spoke up: "Grandpa Zhou, I didn't pay any money, but I spent all my savings to buy a gift for Grandpa Qi. I'm too embarrassed to ask for it back..."
Only then did Zhou Mingren realize someone remained.
Seeing Ji Xiaomeng, he was rendered somewhat speechless.
Ji Xiaomeng poked her head out from behind Zhou Pingsheng and said timidly, "Grandpa Zhou, don't misunderstand, I don't mean anything bad, but... sob... I really don't have any money left..."
Her voice choked with tears as she spoke.
She had given a gift in exchange for her quota.
Now that refunds were being handed out, she hadn't received anything.
Her gift had already been handed over; how could she possibly demand it back?
Zhou Mingren felt an immense wave of exasperation, but forced a gentle smile. "Xiaomeng, how much did that gift for Old Qi cost?"
"Thirty merit points."
Ji Xiaomeng said timidly, "Really! I even have the receipt. Should I go fetch it...?"
"No need!"
Zhou Mingren smiled kindly. "Good child, go on home. Thirty merit points, right? I'll have someone deliver it to you shortly."
"Thank you, Grandpa Zhou!"
Ji Xiaomeng beamed with delight. "Grandpa is so kind! Um... please don't tell Grandpa Qi, okay? Otherwise he'll think I'm petty."
"I won't!"
Zhou Mingren kept his smile in place as Ji Xiaomeng bounced away in sheer happiness.
Thirty merit points...
Zhou Mingren was utterly helpless. Ji Hong's daughter... whether she was genuinely innocent or merely playing dumb, he couldn't tell. He had braced himself for an extortionate demand, yet she had asked for nothing of the sort.
She had waited until everyone else left and only their own people remained before asking for thirty merit points.
She had spared his face and refrained from taking advantage. What could he possibly say?
To resolve this annoyance for thirty merit points, Zhou Mingren practically had to thank Ji Hong's daughter for not being insatiable.
***
Now, all outsiders had departed.
Only Xia Yuwen remained.
Zhou Mingren looked at Xia Yuwen and smiled lightly. "Yuwen, forgive the embarrassing spectacle today! Did it affect you much?"
Xia Yuwen gave a slight nod and answered calmly, "Not by much. Dean Zhou, while this matter has nothing to do with me, I will say one thing: don't let outsiders treat this as a joke."
Zhou Mingren smiled. "Naturally!"
"Then I shall take my leave!"
Expressionless, Xia Yuwen turned and walked out.
Behind him, Zhou Hao quickly followed.
Once they were gone, only members of the Single Divine Character Faction remained in the great hall.
Zhou Mingren's face smoothed into calm as his gaze swept across the group, lingering on Zhou Pingsheng. After a long pause, he finally spoke: "Who was the one running around and absorbing willpower recklessly inside the mystic realm?"
Silence fell.
After waiting a moment, Zhou Mingren turned to Hu Wensheng. "Wensheng, was it you?"
Hu Wensheng shook his head. "Master, once I entered, I cultivated in place the entire time. I only moved once—after Hong Tan took over, when I gathered at the area where willpower was densest."
Zhou Mingren turned his eyes onto Zhou Pingsheng. "Pingsheng, what about you?"
Zhou Pingsheng lowered his head and whispered, "Master, I didn't cultivate on the first day. On the second day, I was cultivating together with Junior Brother Liu and the others the entire time."
Zhou Mingren frowned. Beside him, Liu Hong hurriedly interjected, "Yes, Senior Brother Zhou was with me. Not just us, but Senior Brother Wang and Senior Sister Chen as well..."
Zhou Mingren looked at the other cultivators, all of whom were in the Tengkong Realm.
They nodded in confirmation. "Near the end of the first day, we all gathered to cultivate together."
In other words, from the second day onward, they had cultivated as a group.
And indeed, on the second day, there had been no wide-scale drainages across the mystic realm.
The issue had been concentrated entirely on the first day!
On that first day, Zhou Pingsheng had been roaming everywhere, while Hu Wensheng had remained in one spot.
Clearly, if anyone was suspicious, Zhou Pingsheng was the prime suspect.
Zhou Mingren forced a smile and said, "Opening the mystic realm for everyone was meant to help you advance. Being able to devour willpower to cultivate is a good thing, but when cultivating in a mystic realm, it is best to stay in one place. Moving around recklessly causes uneven distribution of willpower and leads to unnecessary waste..."
He cast a glance at Zhou Pingsheng without directly rebuking him, continuing, "Everyone made gains, which is very good! Even though an unexpected hiccup occurred, the overall outcome remains positive. Seeing that all of you have reaped rewards means our goal was achieved!"
Elder Sun and the others exchanged looks. Yu Hong transmitted her voice: "Old Zhou..."
Zhou Mingren replied through sound transmission: "Do not blow this up! We barely managed to rebuild some confidence; must we stir up internal strife within the Single Divine Character Faction again? I know what you're thinking—you believe Pingsheng did it. But while Pingsheng can be foolish, he isn't entirely brainless... I will cover the refunded merit points myself. There might be some misunderstanding in all this..."
With him taking that stance, the elders kept their dissatisfaction to themselves and dropped the topic.
Just as Zhou Mingren said, things were already a chaotic mess. Pressing for answers right now would only strike another blow to everyone's morale. If the Single Divine Character Faction constantly spawned blundering allies, people would lose heart.
"Elder Sun, take the other students back. Those who need to break through should break through; those who need healing should heal; those who need seclusion should go into seclusion. Through this journey into the mystic realm, everyone's strength will improve. Very good. I hope you will all continue to develop well!"
Zhou Mingren spoke a few pleasantries, then added as the crowd began to leave, "Pingsheng, Wensheng, Liu Hong, you three stay behind!"
Having their names called, the three had no choice but to linger silently.
Once the others had departed under Elder Sun's lead, Zhou Mingren looked at Liu Hong first and smiled. "Liu Hong, you're close to the Lingyun Realm, aren't you?"
Liu Hong looked profoundly grateful. "Thank you for your guidance, Dean. Very close! Once I enter seclusion after returning, I'm confident I can break through to Lingyun!"
"Good!"
Zhou Mingren nodded with a smile. "Excellent. Our faction gains another capable general!"
Pausing, Zhou Mingren chuckled softly. "Liu Hong, Yuming is heading to the All-Heavens Battlefield soon, so he must vacate the position of lineage head. You will soon enter Lingyun. Who do you think would be more suitable to take up the mantle?"
Liu Hong quickly responded, "Dean, that is a decision for you and the elders to make. How could I have any say? Whoever becomes lineage head, I will faithfully carry out their instructions..."
"You!"
Zhou Mingren laughed. "A slippery fellow! Once you enter Lingyun, actually... you might not be out of the running yourself..."
"Dean, please don't joke at my expense!"
Liu Hong appeared terrified. "I'm still just a Tengkong cultivator. I've never even dreamed of such a thing, nor would I dare to. I could never shoulder such a responsibility! Dean, please don't say that..."
"Hahaha!"
Zhou Mingren chuckled. "Look at how frightened you are. Off you go, you're dismissed!"
"Thank you, Dean!"
Bowing in dread and reverence, Liu Hong hurried out, cursing viciously under his breath.
*Lineage head my ass!*
*You never considered me for a second; you're just using me to warn your two disciples. What a bastard.*
*Trying to turn me into a buffer between those two?*
Zhou Mingren was indeed an old, scheming fox. He had clearly noticed the open and covert strife between his two disciples and wanted to turn Liu Hong into a lightning rod. Damned old scoundrel.
Cursing non-stop in his heart, he sprinted away.
***
Once Liu Hong was gone, Zhou Mingren's expression turned frigid.
He stared at the two disciples for a long time before asking coldly, "Who did it?"
Neither spoke.
"Pingsheng, you speak!"
Zhou Pingsheng kept his head down, clenching his teeth. "I know Master suspects me, but it truly wasn't me! When I went in, I had no expectation of cultivating; my sole objective was to ensure Su Yu gained nothing. That was why I spent the entire first day searching for him, with no time or interest in absorbing willpower to cultivate..."
"Wensheng, what about you?"
Hu Wensheng said calmly, "Master, it wasn't me either! I only just entered the Lingyun Realm and need to advance step by step. Rashly absorbing large quantities of willpower would bring me no benefit whatsoever."
"If it wasn't you two, could it be Xia Yuwen?"
Zhou Mingren said coldly, "Don't tell me Xia Yuwen pulled this off just to provoke internal strife between you two!"
Zhou Pingsheng fell silent for a moment before speaking up: "Master, on that day I was moving all over the place, so everyone probably assumed it was me. But if it truly were me, I wouldn't have been so obvious about it. Clearly, someone deliberately framed me. Please see the truth, Master!"
Zhou Mingren pondered. What Zhou Pingsheng said was not entirely wrong. If everyone assumed it was him, was it really him?
Could he truly be that stupid?
If so, he would never have cultivated to the seventh tier of the Lingyun Realm.
Of course, the possibility that he was using this reverse psychology to clear himself could not be ruled out.
"Who do you think it was?" Zhou Mingren asked again.
Zhou Pingsheng replied in a low voice, "I don't know. Perhaps... it was Su Yu!"
His words carried a heavy implication.
*Perhaps it really was Su Yu!*
Regardless of whether it was or wasn't, pointing fingers at Hu Wensheng right now served no purpose.
Hu Wensheng chimed in, "Senior Brother is right. This matter is fraught with suspicion! Someone may well have muddied the waters on purpose. Master, the sudden collapse occurred after Hong Tan took over. Su Yu might lack the capability, but Hong Tan... that's hard to say! He is an expert of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, and the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm was originally left behind by an expert from their faction. He might have had ways to disperse the willpower."
Hearing this, Zhou Mingren looked pensive, then nodded slowly. "Mm, let that be the official word! Hong Tan and Su Yu conspired from inside and out, intentionally dispersing the dense willpower inside the mystic realm and causing its collapse!"
That was the only viable narrative!
Whether it was them or not, it had to be them now. Believe it or not, that was how it would stand!
***
The Single Divine Character Faction made its decision: pin the blame on Hong Tan and Su Yu.
In truth, Hong Tan had no mind to care about any of that.
At this moment, he was staring at Su Yu, his eyes filled with bewilderment.
After a long time, he finally asked, "Are you awake?"
Su Yu wished he could hit himself with a few more hammers!
*Why is Grandmaster looking at me like that?*
Feeling helpless, he forced a dry laugh. "Grandmaster, I'm awake."
"Reaped good gains, did you?"
"Not bad!"
"Not bad?"
Hong Tan chuckled. "'Not bad' was enough to collapse the entire mystic realm?"
"Well... Grandmaster... I..."
Hong Tan sighed and studied him for a long moment before asking, "How many divine apertures did you open?"
"Quite a few..."
"Quite a few?"
Hong Tan laughed. Slippery little brat!
It was definitely far more than thirty-six!
Since Su Yu didn't want to specify, Hong Tan didn't bother pressing, regaining his calm demeanor. "Don't expose it, or everyone will know this was your handy work! Right now, they all think it was Zhou Pingsheng. But those who truly understand the situation know Zhou Pingsheng wouldn't do something so pointless unless he went mad. Plenty probably suspect I pulled some tricks. Oh well, let them think what they want."
The realm's collapse could be blamed on his tampering.
As for the willpower draining continuously on the first day, that couldn't possibly be pinned on him, as he hadn't taken over yet.
Some might suspect an internal conflict between Zhou Mingren's two disciples, but Hong Tan couldn't care less.
"Keep a low profile!"
Hong Tan exhaled. "In a few days, I must go into seclusion as well! As for you... your willpower is ridiculously solid, you've opened a great many divine apertures, and your saturation is nearly maxed out. Are you preparing to break through to Tengkong?"
"Not yet."
Su Yu shook his head. "I plan to merge apertures in my physical body first to reach the Wanshi Realm! Then outline more divine characters and advance both simultaneously. It would be best to step into Tengkong with both my body and willpower at the same time!"
"Besides, so long as I don't enter Tengkong, I pose little threat to the others. A Yangxing student is just a low-tier rookie and can't affect the big picture. Once I reach Tengkong, troubles will inevitably multiply."
Staying below Tengkong was safer!
Even when he did advance, it wouldn't be now. Outlining divine characters and merging apertures for Wanshi would both take time.
Su Yu had already worked out his plan: next would be merging apertures and outlining divine characters.
By the time he reached the ninth tier of the Wanshi Realm, he would have outlined most of his divine characters and opened most of his divine apertures. When he finally stepped into Tengkong, he might advance through all nine tiers in a single day!
Stepping into Tengkong and instantly becoming a top-tier powerhouse!
That way, he could catch everyone off guard.
He still had eighty divine apertures left to open and ninety-one divine characters left to outline. Even with sufficient resources, it would take around half a year.
As for the Wanshi Realm... Su Yu figured he might need just as long.
There was no need to compare himself to that fellow from the Great Zhou Manor who entered Tengkong in six months; that was meaningless. Half a year later, when Su Yu successfully advanced, he might hit the ninth tier instantly, while that guy might not even have reached the ninth tier of Tengkong.
Seeing that Su Yu had his own plans, Hong Tan said no more on the matter, giving a slight nod. "Once you step into Tengkong, you will need to establish your physical foundation. This foundation directly affects your ability to achieve the Invincible Realm through physical cultivation in the future. The stronger the blood essence used for foundation-building, the better... I don't know when I will emerge from seclusion. If you reach Tengkong before I come out, go find Marquis Xia and buy some god and demon blood essence on credit!"
Su Yu stared in a daze.
On credit?
That was an option?
Hong Tan smiled. "Don't worry, just put up collateral. Use the Wen Tan Research Center. A bit of god and demon blood essence won't be an issue! If you advance after I exit seclusion, I'll see if I can go to the All-Heavens Battlefield to secure some Primordial God Race blood essence for your foundation!"
He added, "If you ask Marquis Xia, try your best to get Primordial God Race or Primordial Demon Race blood essence. Those are currently the two strongest races across the ten thousand realms! When advancing to the Invincible Realm through physical cultivation, the stronger the blood essence used for your foundation, the better!"
Su Yu nodded. "Thank you, Grandmaster. I understand."
"Also..."
Hong Tan fell silent for a moment before speaking solemnly: "Once I enter seclusion, I will not emerge unless I break through to the Sun and Moon Realm. Your martial uncle... he's a reserved man. He bottles up his thoughts inside. Keep an eye on him for me. If he ever tries to leave... go notify Marquis Xia or Principal Wan. I don't want to find my disciple gone when I come out."
Su Yu's eyes flickered. "Grandmaster, you mean..."
"Your martial uncle... carries heavy burdens and harbors bitter grief. In our lineage, his talent surpasses mine and your master's. He should have entered the Shanhai Realm long ago, yet he insists on holding back. I understood his mind years ago. He may seem calm, but I fear that at a crucial moment, he will throw caution to the wind."
Hong Tan sighed and added, "Furthermore, go outside as little as possible. It is best not to visit the All-Heavens Battlefield. That's all I have to say. Our faction has few members, so we cannot look after you constantly, but you have a good head on your shoulders..."
At this, Hong Tan paused, then said in a low voice, "If you truly encounter dire trouble and need aid, go to the detention area, enter the secret chamber in the back, and release those Shanhai great demons! I have already reached an agreement with them. Once you release them, they will be free. You will be responsible for escorting them out of the Human Realm back to the All-Heavens Battlefield. If those great demons commit crimes or kill people afterward, the responsibility falls squarely on our faction. You understand the gravity of this; you must weigh carefully when to release them and when not to."
"Grandmaster..."
Su Yu was stunned. Release Shanhai great demons?
"Will the Human Realm allow us to release them back to the All-Heavens Battlefield?"
Hong Tan said calmly, "They will, because they are my mounts! I am a half-step Sun and Moon expert on the verge of entering the Sun and Moon Realm. They will grant me that much face! However, as I said, if those great demons commit crimes in the All-Heavens Battlefield, that will be our responsibility. Think it through before you ever release them!"
"Those targeting us might deliberately provoke them, understand?"
"Understood!"
Su Yu nodded solemnly!
Hong Tan said no more. Standing up, he walked outside, speaking as he went: "Go into seclusion for a few days. In a couple of days, come see your master off. Your willpower is far too dense right now and easily seen through; rein it in."
"All right!"
Su Yu nodded, drawing a deep breath inside.
All the satisfaction of scamming people in the mystic realm had vanished entirely.
Master and the others were leaving, Grandmaster was going into seclusion, and from the sound of it, Martial Uncle might cause trouble once Grandmaster was locked away...
In this entire family, not a single one was peaceful!
*At such a tender age, I'm saddled with such a heavy burden. Life is too hard!*
Chapter 223