Chapter 88: Lu Mingrong's Breakthrough
"Dean, do you think it's not green enough? No worries, I'll have Dean Wu bring over more wild grass to make sure your room is fully green, with a unique touch... all green, through and through…" Zhang Xuan smiled as he explained.
"Green your sister!"
Lu Mingrong could no longer hold back his anger.
His tragic past had been kept secret for decades, and while many had forgotten, the incident had caused such a stir back then that if soone deliberately brought it up, it would surely resurface as gossip over als and drinks. This was sothing he wanted to avoid at all costs.
In the past, as a regular teacher, he was alone and didn't care about his tarnished reputation. But now, as the dean of White Roc Academy and the second strongest in White Roc City, how could he face people if this scandal ca to light? How could he face his late ntor?
Years ago, when his ntor saw him in despair, he spared no effort to help him regain his confidence, even sacrificing his life to find a dicinal herb in Huaiyuan Mountain…
When he saw his ntor again, he had been torn apart by a Source Beast, leaving only a tattered robe.
From that mont, he completely abandoned any thoughts of love. He devoted all his energy to the academy, leading it to the point where thousands, even upper-class families, vied for admission each year.
In the past, children from families like Yu Xiaoyu and Mo Yanxue would have had enough of their family's techniques. How could they co to the academy for further studies?
"Why is Dean Lu swearing? Isn't green good? It's soothing to the eyes and refreshing for the spirit! Dean Wu, let explain to you carefully why Dean Lu loves the grasslands…"
Zhang Xuan, unfazed, smiled faintly and turned to look at the sowhat awkward Wu Yunzhou nearby.
"Shut up…"
Knowing that if Zhang Xuan continued, he would completely lose face, Lu Mingrong couldn't bear it any longer. He took a large step forward, rushing over, but before he could get close, he saw two horse hooves suddenly appear in front of him.
His chest shook, and he was sent flying back again.
With his Source Pool sealed, he could rely only on his physical strength, which, though not slow, was still no match for this well-trained horse. Every ti he tried to get close to Zhang Xuan, he was forcibly blocked by the horse.
"D*mn it…"
Seeing the young man smiling, whispering in Wu Yunzhou's ear, and occasionally casting a mocking glance, the second strongest in White Roc City could no longer suppress his anger. He roared, and the powerful energy from the Source Pool charged at the seal.
The robust True Energy of a Source Pool seventh level Jade Bone Realm practitioner clashed with Wu Yunzhou's seal, causing veins to bulge on Lu Mingrong's forehead, his body flickering like a neon light, radiating astonishing power.
Though Wu Yunzhou's strength was slightly inferior, he was not far behind. The power of his full-strength seal was imnse, and in his haste, Lu Mingrong found it difficult to break through in a short ti.
At this mont, whether by luck or coincidence, the horse's hooves landed on two of Lu Mingrong's cultivation nodes.
Usually, these two nodes were like a river blocked by mud, with the flow unable to pass through, and he dared not touch them easily. But now, the shock from the horse's hooves created two cracks. The next mont, the blockage was washed away by a powerful surge, growing larger and larger until it could no longer be contained, forming a torrential flood.
Crack! Crack!
The flood surged forward, soon encountering another blockage, but the horse's hooves struck again, precisely shattering the obstruction. With the combination of his own power and Wu Yunzhou's seal, it was like the Yellow River and the Yangtze River converging, unstoppable.
Lu Mingrong felt a shock throughout his body, his mind exploding like a balloon, as if his consciousness had suddenly broken free from the confines of his body and spread outward.
At the sa ti, the fierce flow of True Energy suddenly beca as docile as a kitten, tightly restrained within his ridians by a powerful ntal force.
His pupils contracted, and Lu Mingrong's body stiffened. "Source Pool eighth level… Divine Soul Realm?"
He had thought Zhang Xuan was just joking about helping him break through, but it turned out to be true.
This… this…
Clenching his fists, forgetting to consolidate his cultivation, Lu Mingrong couldn't help but look at the young man not far away. At this mont, Zhang Xuan was no longer gossiping with Wu Yunzhou but was quietly sitting on a nearby chair, sipping tea, calm and composed, like a reclusive expert, untouched by the world.
Even the horse, Dao Li, which had been thrashing him earlier, now stood calmly by Zhang Xuan's side, its expression serene, with no sign of the previous violence.
Wu Yunzhou, who was not far away, seed puzzled by the sudden change and continued to look over curiously. "Teacher Zhang, weren't you about to explain why the dean likes the grasslands? Why did you stop…?"
Stirring the tea leaves, Zhang Xuan frowned slightly. "Why would the dean like the grasslands? It's my horse that likes grass, so I asked Dean Wu to prepare more…"
"Heh heh, heh heh!"
Dao Li nodded, let out a long neigh, and trotted over to the grass on the ground, munching contentedly.
Everything looked perfectly normal.
"Did I… hear wrong?" Wu Yunzhou scratched his head.
"Yes, you did hear wrong. Teacher Zhang asked you to cut grass just to feed the horse…" Lu Mingrong walked over.
"Dean, your cultivation…"
Only then did Wu Yunzhou realize that Lu Mingrong's aura had changed, filled with disbelief.
The level that had troubled the dean for thirty years had really been broken through with this guy's help!
"Yunzhou, go to the warehouse and fetch a Destiny Disk. I'll cover the rits and costs myself," Lu Mingrong ordered.
"Yes!"
Knowing that the dean had more to say to Teacher Zhang, Wu Yunzhou responded and left.
Once Wu Yunzhou was gone, Lu Mingrong couldn't hold back his curiosity. "Teacher Zhang, how… did you do it?"
To be honest, even though he had broken through, it still felt like a dream, and he couldn't understand how it had happened.
Setting down his teacup, Zhang Xuan smiled. "To break through to the Source Pool eighth level, Divine Soul Realm, your ntal strength needs to reach a certain threshold. Your thirty years of cultivation naturally need no ntion. By all rights, you should have succeeded long ago, but… because of that emotional incident, you lost confidence and courage, and combined with the error in the Bone Tempering thod, you fell into self-doubt again and again. Simply put, you could have broken through, but you lacked the confidence, and so you failed each ti."
Lu Mingrong fell silent.
The young man was right. It wasn't that he hadn't tried to break through to the Divine Soul Realm, but each ti, just as he was about to succeed, he would convince himself that he couldn't do it…
Over ti, these negative emotions accumulated, making it nearly impossible to progress.
"But what does sealing my power and saying I'm 'green' have to do with this?"
Frowning, Lu Mingrong voiced his confusion.
"It has everything to do with it! In fact, it's crucial."
Zhang Xuan explained, "Your cultivation and ntal strength were sufficient, but you couldn't break through because your emotions were disconnected. Once you could control them and create a specific flow, breaking through to the Divine Soul Realm would be easy. I had you talk about your experiences to find out what your deepest regret was."
For serious illnesses, the harshest dicine is needed. Your biggest regret is that humiliating incident in your past. You not only ruined your life over a gold digger, but it also caused your ntor's tragic death…
"Therefore, only by tearing open this wound and forcing out the pus could you hope to start anew."
"For a man, the most unbearable thing is being cheated on. Even worse is being cheated on and having everyone know about it, spreading it in front of you… So, I deliberately had Dao Li humiliate you, making you lose your composure. Then I kept bringing it up in front of Dean Wu… You fell right into the trap. In your fury, you forgot your chaotic emotions, and your soul force connected, leading to your breakthrough."
"Did you co up with all this just from watching throw a few punches?"
Lu Mingrong's body stiffened as he looked at the young man in front of him, eyes full of disbelief.
He had thought it was just to humiliate him, but it turned out that every step had been part of Zhang Xuan's plan…
He had spent countless hours, read countless books, and studied nurous secret techniques, all to no avail. This young man, after just watching him throw a few punches, not only figured it all out but also devised a flawless plan that worked perfectly…
"Is this the ability of a Destiny Master?"
His heart skipped a beat as Lu Mingrong speculated.
Destiny Masters, the true chosen ones of the Source World, had abilities that were astonishing and difficult to believe. So were even the stuff of legends.
Considering the young man's low cultivation level yet his ability to help him break through, this was the only explanation that made sense.
Unaware of Lu Mingrong's thoughts, Zhang Xuan smiled. "Actually, it's all thanks to Dean Lu's solid foundation. I rely followed the flow."
"…"
"Where in the world is there so much 'going with the flow'? Even if it exists, it only happens when one has the strength to make it happen!"
Lu Mingrong sighed.
Just like that gold digger. If he hadn't managed to gather a million dowry, reached the Jade Bone Realm, and beco the dean, would she have co back to apologize and hope to rekindle the relationship?
Absolutely not!
"Dean, the Destiny Disk is here!"
As he was lost in thought, Wu Yunzhou returned, holding a brand-new Destiny Disk.
Lu Mingrong casually took it and handed it to the young man before him. "Teacher Zhang…"
A Destiny Disk purchased by White Roc Academy cost 200 Source Coins, and given the planned economy and limited supply, it wasn't sothing easily sold. Yet now, it was being offered willingly.
Even if it were 2 million Source Coins, people would still eagerly trade it for a chance to break through.
"Thank you!"
Zhang Xuan accepted the Destiny Disk and studied it with curiosity before asking, "How do I absorb this? Do I need to go to the Martial Arts Field?"
The Destiny Disk contains Heaven's Fate Energy, which requires a special formation to release, and this formation is the Nine Dragon Pillars on the Martial Arts Field.
Lu Mingrong looked embarrassed. "If we activate the Nine Dragon Pillars… I fear the commotion would be too great!"
Activating the Nine Dragon Pillars for one person to absorb energy would surely raise suspicions. Even a fool would notice sothing, and then it would be impossible to keep this genius's identity a secret.
"True, better to keep things low-key! I am, after all, a low-key and reserved person."
Zhang Xuan nodded thoughtfully.
Lu Mingrong's face twitched, unsure of how to respond.
You may say you're low-key, but everything you do is as high-profile as it gets…
But he couldn't say that out loud, so he explained, "If Teacher Zhang wants to absorb the energy, I can set up a small array at your place, similar to the one in the White Roc Trading Company. This array doesn't require any special talent to set up and would be much less noticeable!"
"That would be perfect, just what I wanted!"
Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly.
The two of them were about to head to the residence to set up the formation when they heard hurried footsteps approaching. Even before the person arrived, a voice called out.
"Dean Lu, did Teacher Zhang help you break through?"
Turning the corner, City Lord Yu Longqing strode over, speaking as he walked. "We've discussed your situation before. It's my foolish cousin's fault, and I've already requested the 'Soft Bone Elixir' from the court. Once it's refined, you'll be among the first to receive it, so don't worry too much…"
Before he could finish, he noticed Zhang Xuan standing with Lu Mingrong and imdiately looked embarrassed.
"City Lord Yu, I appreciate your concern. What happened back then was my problem; you don't need to bla yourself."
Lu Mingrong shook his head.
Love and hate stem from within; it's no one else's fault.
"It's not about bla. I just think that with your abilities and talent, this shouldn't have happened. It's because of that disgraceful mber of our Yu family that you've been stuck in the Jade Bone Realm for over thirty years, unable to break through… Wait, did you… breakthrough?"
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