Chapter 431: Chapter 418: Surging Undercurrents
Gu Ming glanced at Elder Huo, silently asking for his opinion.
At that, Elder Huo made a small gesture, signaling for him to be patient.
Gu Ming understood in an instant.
The editor-in-chief of *Peak* was probably trying to poach the original manuscript and "safeguard" it himself.
But Elder Huo had already seen right through this ploy:
"You can safeguard it for Gu Ming? So can Wenquxing. The entire university can safeguard it for him!"
The university had a museum specifically for displaying top-tier treasures and items of great historical importance.
Why should the journal get to hold onto it?
It would be far better to keep it at the university, allowing future students to bask in the aura of the original manuscript from the "founding father" of Qi Refining Evolution.
With that, the editor-in-chief of *Peak*’s little scheme was foiled by Elder Huo.
He kept a faint smile on his face, not seeming annoyed in the slightest.
They were both seasoned professionals, so a little thing like saving face didn’t matter.
It didn’t hurt to try.
The worst that could happen was being seen through.
He chuckled and shook Gu Ming’s hand one more time.
"Well then, I’ll be on my way."
Gu Ming nodded, and the exchange came to an end.
Meanwhile, the internet had already exploded.
A short video titled "The Hall of the Great Dao Returns! Nine-Colored Holy Light Strikes Wenquxing University!" and its related topic rocketed to the top of the trending charts on all major platforms, sparking endless speculation and fervent discussion.
Gu Ming glanced at the flood of notifications popping up on his phone, then calmly turned off the screen.
The brilliant light faded, and the night returned to its usual tranquility.
He needed to rest well and prepare for tomorrow’s expedition to the Yichuan Ruins.
...
The moment "Nine-Colored Holy Light Returns to Wenquxing" hit the top of the trending lists, countless eyes hidden behind screens suddenly snapped to attention.
「In the Zhou Capital.」
「Royal Martial Arts Research Institute.」
Late at night, the conference room was still brightly lit.
A white-haired elder, pointing at the brilliant Seven-Colored Holy Light on the projection screen, could no longer remain seated.
’Last time might have been an accident, a case of insane luck.’
’But for it to happen a second time... he wasn’t a fool.’
’Besides, the High Tier Beastmasters in the Capital had witnessed it themselves. It looked like seven colors, but it was actually nine.’
"It’s him again! It’s Gu Ming!"
"Qi Refining Evolution... He actually forged a completely new evolutionary system!"
"Why didn’t our Royal University accept him? A talent like this should be serving the Emperor of Great Zhou."
「Across the ocean. Aurora Hall, Far East Observation Station.」
The blond, blue-eyed director stared at the live feed, his coffee cup frozen in midair.
"Seven-colored... No, it’s a Nine-Colored Certification. This is the second time."
He spoke gravely into his communicator.
"Headquarters, I believe our previous assessment needs to be thrown out completely."
"This Gu Ming isn’t just a random flash of genius. He may be backed by a systematic, ancient legacy that we have yet to uncover."
"I recommend elevating his threat level and priority to the highest designation and reassessing the full extent of Great Zhou’s lead in the field of Evolution."
「On a dark, damp island. The Secret Technique Shrine.」
Several Black Magic Masters in traditional robes sat cross-legged around a brazier of eerie green flames, meditating.
Several bizarre, semi-ethereal Pet Beasts swirled around them, emitting waves of a sinister, cold aura.
While the others were immersed in some kind of spiritual resonance ritual, one of the Black Magic Masters, who wasn’t wearing a hood, stared for a long time at a smartphone glowing with an eerie light.
On the screen was the short video of Gu Ming’s paper triggering the Holy Light.
The eyes of the matriarch leading them glinted with greed and malice.
"A Nine-Colored Evolution Secret Technique that can trigger the Celestial Dao’s certification... If we could use it as a catalyst, supplemented by a blood sacrifice..."
"...we might be able to evolve an unprecedented Three-star ’Spirit Gu,’ or perhaps even a Demon Seed, which requires a much stronger foundation."
The matriarch wasn’t interested in the Evolution Method because of Cyan Treasure or Ah Kun; she was eyeing a completely new path for cultivating Demon Seeds.
A Spirit Gu born from this new Evolution Method, a new Demon Seed forged through countless battles—its potential would surely surpass that of the old Spirit Gu Pet Beasts.
The other Black Magic Masters mumbled strange incantations, not hearing their priestess’s words.
They revered their ancient and mysterious traditions, but sometimes, their old ways were no longer effective. They, too, needed to adapt, to integrate the evolution methods of the new era and make their Spirit Gu stronger than ever before.
The paper had yet to be published in the top journal, but undercurrents were already stirring throughout Great Zhou.
...
While the buzz around the Nine-Colored Holy Light at Wenquxing University had yet to fade, Gu Ming had already followed Elder Huo’s party back into the bizarre and perilous underground world of the Yichuan Ruins.
This time, with an Eight-star Array Grandmaster like Elder Huo personally leading, the team was small but exceptionally skilled.
In addition to Gu Ming and Lu You, the team included a dozen or so members from the Outdoor Adventure Club and a few upperclassmen from the Array Society.
This expedition was a joint venture between the two clubs.
Due to official restrictions on group size, fewer people signed up this time compared to the last.
The faculty lead for the trip was Elder Huo.
The faculty advisor for the Outdoor Adventure Club had also wanted to come, but he was too slow on the uptake. He rarely did much advising work anyway.
Since he rarely led expeditions, he didn’t insist on coming after Elder Huo stepped in to take the lead.
This, however, left the club president, Ruan Qitian, exasperated.
Normally, expeditions were run exclusively by the core members of the Outdoor Adventure Club.
With Elder Huo on the team, the final say was no longer his; everyone had to listen to Elder Huo.
Fortunately, Elder Huo’s Star Level and power were more than enough to command respect. Some might not have liked it, but no one would dare object.
The team’s objective for this expedition was to head straight for the depths of Level B2, find a safer route to the levels below, and attempt to gather environmental data from Level B3.
Just after they passed through the familiar entrance to Level B1, the ambient pressure in the environment spiked.
The Memory Essence permeating the air was so dense it had practically materialized, forming Five-Colored auroras that drifted through the air.
Spiritual Pet Beasts like Mianmian could directly perceive the psychic fragments. It seemed that compared to their last visit, something new had awakened within the Yichuan Ruins during the ongoing large-scale excavation.
Otherwise, there was no way the air would have changed so drastically.
Only after arriving did Gu Ming realize that the fragments drifting slowly through the air were different from what he’d seen in his dream simulations.
After the local data was updated, Gu Ming had taken advantage of a break to enter a dream and run a simulated exploration.
Gu Ming returned to reality before his Spiritual Power was significantly drained.
"Follow my steps. Don’t miss a single one," Elder Huo said from the front as he directed his Array Pet Beast.
He held a compass-like Array Plate that emitted a soft halo, enveloping the group and cleverly steering them around the shifting Illusion Realm traps.
Along the way, dangerous routes officially documented had been marked out with a special pigment.
"Looks like the Illusion Realm paths here need to be remapped. They’ve changed quite a bit since my last visit."
"It seems something new is active in the depths, altering the environment on Level B2."
Elder Huo said this while extending his Divine Sense into Mianmian’s Sea of Consciousness to sync with its perception of the environment.
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