Chapter 263: Canglan Lake: Sudden Change

The next day!

At the Canglan Lake, the number of disciples present was significantly greater than yesterday.

Disciples seeking to absorb Canglan energy always come before the tide rises.

On this day, Canglan energy surges continuously from the lake; enduring the same cold, they can absorb far more Canglan energy.

All disciples of Canglan Wu Academy know how to choose what benefits them most.

Many senior disciples, seeing Li Yuan standing beside another unfamiliar face, wore expressions of confusion.

Senior Brother Li is usually reclusive and rarely associates with others—what is this person's background, that he can stand beside Senior Brother Li and even receive an explanation about Canglan Lake from him?

Could he be some dean or vice-dean's illegitimate son?

"Stop staring. People aren't comparable—this is Lin Shi-di."

Someone who recognized Lin Chen explained, and upon hearing this, everyone present suddenly understood—if it's Lin Shi-di, then it makes sense.

Though Lin Shi-di's current strength doesn't match Senior Brother Li's, his potential is obvious; it's natural Senior Brother Li takes special notice.

"All this talk still boils down to Senior Brother Li looking down on us."

One disciple sneered, his tone laced with resentment—but the moment he spoke, other disciples around him immediately rebutted him.

"Why should Senior Brother Li look up to you? Warriors speak through strength. If you had Lin Shi-di's potential, Senior Brother Li would treat you the same."

"If you can't speak properly, say less and stop being bitter."

"Senior Brother Li is the senior disciple among the old students; Lin Shi-di is the senior disciple among the newcomers. This is the passing of the torch from old to new."

The moment this disciple spoke, all others turned to look at him.

Damn, he knows how to talk.

Senior Brother Li's behavior? Those who know how to speak call it "passing the torch from old to new."

Only those who can't speak properly say Senior Brother Li looks down on them.

"Lin Shi-di, during the tide, Canglan energy will be far greater than usual, and more will rush into your body at once. If it exceeds your body's limit, your meridians will be damaged."

Li Yuan warned Lin Chen—disciples like them who had entered the ranks had nothing to fear, but many others dared not enter the lake during the tide because the surge of Canglan energy could overwhelm them; if they absorbed too much at once and couldn't refine it, it would injure their bodies.

Of course, Li Yuan believed Lin Shi-di wouldn't face this issue—he merely reminded him out of habit.

The hour of Chen!

Crack!

A violent collision suddenly echoed from the lakeside.

Lin Chen's gaze snapped to the lake's surface—the once calm waters now churned violently, with ripples radiating outward from the center.

Each ripple spread faster than the last, later waves absorbing earlier ones, until by the time they reached the shore, they had swelled into waves three feet high.

The waves crashed against the shore, hurling water ten feet into the air.

Shh!

Immediately after the first wave struck the shore, dozens of figures leapt into the Canglan Lake.

"Lin Shi-di, the tide lasts a full day—the later it gets, the more terrifying the Canglan energy becomes. Many disciples can't endure it, which is why they must race against time."

The surge of Canglan energy is both good and bad.

It's good because disciples can absorb more Canglan energy; it's bad because the later surges are so intense that many disciples can't withstand even a single wave.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Lin Chen nodded, didn't wait for the last moment, and leapt into the lake like the other senior disciples, plunging from above.

Li Yuan did not do the same—he leapt directly, gliding across the lake's surface, then halted thirty zhang from the center before slowly sinking beneath the water.

Less than a cup of tea's time, dozens of disciples on the shore had all entered the lake; the surface grew quiet once more.

Boom!

The moment Lin Chen's body sank into the lakebed, he clearly felt a freezing force slam into him, halting his movement underwater.

From the shore, one only sensed the lake's turbulence—but now, deep beneath the surface, Lin Chen realized just how terrifying the surge of Canglan energy truly was.

Wave after wave.

Each surge of Canglan energy struck like a sledgehammer against his entire body; even without activating his cultivation technique, Lin Chen could feel Canglan energy flooding into him.

Yet these spontaneously entering Canglan energies were expelled from his body within less than a breath.

This Canglan energy isn't enough!

Lin Chen continued moving underwater, reaching the spot he'd occupied yesterday.

The underwater water was no longer clear as yesterday—terrible Canglan energy filled the entire lakebed, turning the entire lake an icy blue.

He halted his advance and activated the Nine-Turn True Blood Organ Cultivation Technique. The instant he did, endless Canglan energy surged violently into his body.

The icy Canglan energy tore chaotically through his meridians, surging through every limb and bone.

This time, even the golden sun on his spiritual platform pouring down golden light could not expel the Canglan energy from his body.

Lord Lingxiao energy and Canglan energy clashed relentlessly within him; his body became a battlefield, limbs and bones alternating between freezing and burning, his face twisting in agony.

This pain far surpassed any he'd endured before.

Even when he'd absorbed energy in the Lord Lingxiao Hall, it paled in comparison to this.

Helpless, Lin Chen activated his 【Medicine Jar Illness Body】 again—here, underwater, losing clarity of mind from pain meant risking drowning.

With the 【Medicine Jar Illness Body】 activated, Lin Chen's pain lessened; he continued cultivating underwater, absorbing the Canglan energy hidden in the surrounding water. If someone had watched from above, they'd have seen a vortex forming directly above Lin Chen.

As time passed, the vortex grew larger—but Lin Chen remained unsatisfied.

This Canglan energy still isn't enough—at least, not yet sufficient for his sixth transformation.

After the fifth transformation, each subsequent transformation requires energy equal to the sum of all previous five. For the sixth, he didn't know how much Mother Tree essence the Wu Yuan had prepared for him—but it would surely be a terrifying amount.

From second to fifth transformation, he spent over two months in the Lord Lingxiao Hall. Now, for sixth to seventh transformation, the Canglan energy he needs is no less than what he absorbed in the Lord Lingxiao Hall.

Lin Chen continued cultivating while moving deeper toward the lake's center—he needed more Canglan energy.

On the nearest peak to Canglan Lake, several figures stood.

Every day during the Canglan Lake tide, Canglan Wu Academy sends instructors to monitor the peak—though the disciples are unaware.

"Three vortices are moving toward the lake center. The one on the left is surely Li Yuan—but who are the other two?"

From their high vantage point, the instructors clearly saw a dozen vortices on the lake's surface, but the smaller ones farther from the center drew no attention.

Only the three vortices steadily advancing toward the center caught their notice.

The vortex on the left was not only large but moved swiftly—according to the instructors' judgment, only Li Yuan could achieve this.

The two vortices in the middle and right were smaller and slower in movement, making them harder to identify.

Today, five ranked disciples from the academy came to Canglan Lake; excluding Li Yuan, any two of the other four could have created such vortices.

"Rather than wondering which two disciples made the other two vortices, I'm more curious which vortex is Lin Chen's—and how long he'll last during the tide."

Liu Ru smiled faintly—he'd come today because Qu Feng had told him Lin Chen had visited Canglan Lake yesterday, and he'd come to observe.

Though Lin Chen ultimately chose Canglan Wu Academy largely due to its astonishing offer, as the recruitment instructor, his contribution couldn't be erased; upon returning, the academy rewarded him handsomely.

He'd kept a low profile this time, using the academy's resources to close himself off for breakthrough—though he hadn't ascended a rank, his strength had surged dramatically.

Even better, since entering the academy, Lin Chen had already shone brightly, especially in his two battles after arriving in Lord Lingxiao City.

The better Lin Chen performed, the greater the value of Liu Ru's recruitment.

Which instructor at the academy didn't envy him now?

The academy has even established the Dragon Rising List—no exaggeration: if Lin Chen enters the Heavenly List's top three, Liu Ru's recruitment achievement alone will make him the academy's top instructor.

If Lin Chen claims the top spot on the Heavenly List…

A future vice-dean position of the academy will surely be his.

Too wonderful to even imagine.

Liu Ru suddenly understood the instructor from Poyang County—the one who, it was said, taught Lin Chen and was promoted from a Qi Refining cultivator to the eighth rank by the Jiangnan Dao Wuzheng Office.

Though this method nearly forfeited future cultivation growth, to be blunt, if that instructor cultivated on his own, he'd likely never rise beyond ninth rank.

He'd achieved eighth rank by lying down—saving himself a decade of effort.

As academy instructors, their cultivation resources come from the academy, and the quantity they receive depends entirely on how much their students' strength improves.

Though he couldn't match that instructor from Poyang, because of Lin Chen, the academy had granted him more resources, giving him a clear advantage in cultivation breakthroughs over other instructors.

Half an hour later, many disciples had already surfaced from the lake.

During the Canglan Lake tide, disciples below the ranked level could rarely endure half an hour. Seeing no sign of Lin Chen on shore, Liu Ru's eyes flickered with hope.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, one instructor let out a soft exclamation, his gaze fixed on the lake center: "A vortex is moving toward the center!"

"Is it Li Yuan?"

"No—it's the one that was in the middle."

The instructor who spoke had been watching the middle vortex closely: "It moved slowly at first, but just a few breaths ago, it suddenly accelerated…"

A slightly older instructor's face changed instantly: "Could the Canglan Gorge have appeared again!"

An older instructor's face turned pale: "Could the Canglan Abyss have reappeared again!"

Almost as the words fell, the instructors shot from the peaks toward the lake's surface.

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, the instructors shot from the peak toward the lake surface.

"All disciples, get to shore immediately!"

The instructor's voice echoed across the entire Canglan Lake. Some disciples who had already surfaced stared in shock at the instructors racing toward them, bewildered by what was happening.

The instructors, rushing from the peak, didn't pause—they plunged into the lake and yanked out disciples still absorbing Canglan energy.

This sudden upheaval left the disciples utterly confused—they'd never encountered anything like this.

Within a dozen breaths, the instructors had dragged all the disciples back to shore.

【101】 "Are any disciples still underwater?"

Li Yuan and Lin Chen are nowhere to be seen.

At these words, the faces of the instructors present instantly darkened.

Puff!

But just then, near the center of the lake, a figure appeared—Liu Ru dragged the unconscious Li Yuan back to shore.

"This brat Li Yuan passed out in the water and nearly got sucked into Canglan Gorge. If we'd been a moment later, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Liu Ru, now on shore, let out a long breath—but seeing the still grim expressions of the other instructors, he suddenly realized something, his gaze sweeping the surroundings. When he scanned the entire area and found no trace of that figure, his heart lurched.

"Lin Chen… didn't come ashore?"

Three breaths later!

A bell rang from the Canglan Mountains, and several ancient figures sped toward Canglan Lake with astonishing speed.

…

…

At the edge of Canglan Lake, all the disciples had vanished, leaving only several vice-deans standing there.

A few breaths later, Hua Hua Qianwu appeared from the lake's center, his face utterly grim.

"Canglan Gorge has closed—Lin Chen was pulled into it."

Though they had suspected as much, the other vice-deans' faces grew even darker.

It was the outcome they least wished to see.

Before the dean descended, they had clung to a sliver of hope—that Lin Chen had merely been knocked unconscious by the wild Canglan energy, and might still be in the lake.

"Dean, Canglan Gorge appears only once every thirty years. The last time it opened was five years ago. Why has it appeared so soon this time?"

One vice-dean's eyes held deep thought—the Canglan energy of the lake originated from the Canglan Gorge at its center.

The lakebed, normally sealed, had Canglan energy seeping through cracks in the rocks beneath; during high tide, the energy merely seeped out more abundantly.

Canglan Lake was like a volcano, and the Canglan energy its magma.

This magma was sealed deep beneath the lakebed, constantly surging upward, erupting violently once every thirty years to rupture the lakebed and form a massive chasm resembling a mountain gorge.

Once formed, the Canglan Gorge not only spewed vast amounts of Canglan energy, but with each inhalation and exhalation, it also pulled everything in the lake toward itself.

Canglan Martial Academy had existed for centuries and understood the Canglan Gorge beneath the lake thoroughly—its eruption occurred precisely once every thirty years, without exception.

This time, it was clearly abnormal.

"Issue orders—Canglan Martial Academy enters Class-A defense status!"

Hua Hua Qianwu's face was utterly grim as he turned to the vice-deans and issued his first command.

"Dean?"

"Brother Hua?"

Hearing Hua Hua Qianwu's order, the vice-deans' eyes flashed with sharp light—they too had realized something.

"Activate the academy's protective array!"

"Yes!"

All vice-deans responded immediately, their figures vanishing from their spots.

Hua Hua Qianwu glanced at the surface of Canglan Lake, said nothing, but as he turned to leave, an endless aura of killing intent radiated from his body.

…

…

Time rewound!

Lin Chen, absorbing and refining Canglan energy at the lakebed, suddenly felt a terrifying force dragging him toward the lake's center.

Yesterday, he had felt this pull—but nothing like this. Even with all his strength, his body was still being pulled toward the lake's center.

Merely being pulled would have been bad enough—but what alarmed Lin Chen was that the closer he got to the center, the more terrifying the Canglan energy became, until finally, it solidified into tangible form, flooding into his body without him needing to absorb it.

In mere breaths, it filled his entire body, even covering the golden figure within his dantian.

"Something's wrong with Canglan Lake!"

If the lake's tide had risen this violently, Li Lin Shixiong or Qu Feng Lin Shixiong would have warned him—and the dean would have given him instructions. But neither the dean nor Li Lin Shixiong had mentioned anything—meaning Canglan Lake was supposed to be safe.

But this level of Canglan energy—if it had been Qu Feng Lin Shixiong, he would already have fainted and been sucked into the center.

Only one explanation fit this situation: Canglan Lake had undergone some anomaly.

Just as Lin Chen realized this, the pull accelerated, dragging him forward at speed, and more Canglan energy flooded in—his consciousness began to blur.

The Canglan energy was beginning to destroy his spiritual platform.

Without hesitation, Lin Chen pulled the jade pendant that Elder Murong Yan had given him from his robe and pressed it against his chest—he had to protect his spiritual foundation and soul.

As the pendant's inner spiritual vision soothed the explosion in his mind, he had barely begun to breathe easier when he saw a slender figure appear.

…

…

Yan State.

Princess's Mansion.

"Princess, won't you attend? Today's gathering includes Wei, the top-ranked on the Earth List, and many other martial prodigies."

"I won't go."

Elder Murong Yan waved her hand. In the past, she would have attended her aunt's banquets without a second thought.

Daughters of the Yan imperial family either married into other royal houses or into the most gifted martial talents of other states.

Her aunt hosted these prodigy banquets precisely to give them a chance to choose their future husbands.

Those invited met strict qualifications—finding someone they liked here was far better than being betrothed by their father's decree.

"Tell my aunt I'm unwell."

The maid nodded. She felt her princess had changed since returning from Liang State.

Before, the princess had ordered her to gather information on martial prodigies from every state—but now, she showed no interest at all.

Seeing the maid's confusion, Elder Murong Yan knew what she was thinking, but she wouldn't explain—and the only one who knew the truth, Qin Gu, would never reveal it.

Besides, she hadn't stopped collecting information on foreign prodigies—she'd simply focused on one person.

Thinking of that person, Elder Murong Yan's eyes flickered with a trace of resentment.

Three months—this man hadn't sent a single letter.

Before the resentment in Elder Murong Yan's eyes could fade, her face suddenly flushed crimson.

"I'm going to rest."

Without another word, Elder Murong Yan grabbed her elegant long skirt and rushed toward the palace's inner chambers.

"Is the princess truly unwell?"

The maid muttered, seeing the flush on her princess's face—but as she turned to leave, a figure blocked her path.

"Madam Su."

Su Qin looked at the maid, her expression cold: "The princess is unwell. Go report to Princess Dowager's residence."

"If the Princess Dowager asks, say the princess encountered a problem with her cultivation technique—but I've resolved it. She only needs quiet rest for a few days."

"Your servant understands."

Watching the maid's retreating back, Su Qin's gaze turned toward the palace's inner chambers, her eyes filled with complex emotion.

Even now, she didn't know whether the princess's decision was right—but she and the princess were on the same boat now; she could only cover for her.

(End of Chapter)