Eldritch Horror Theatre

It was comparable to the Heavenly Dao purging evil. The Sword Pavilion certainly lived up to its reputation!

Fu Qian marveled inwardly, completely unbothered by classifying himself as part of that evil.

The strike was truly astonishing. To unleash such devastating power with a mere touch—it was hard to believe it came from the Rotting Sword.

Even when Old Man Li He broke through mid-battle, his power couldn't compare to this.

This had to be the supreme realm pursued by the countless teachers and students of the Sword Comprehension Institute, right?

To think it was actually hidden in the Sword Pavilion—or, strictly speaking, inside the Sword Pavilion at this very moment.

More than half of the building's roof had been completely torn off. For the first time in years, this secluded corner basked in glorious sunlight...

Amid the shrieks ringing in his ears, the gatekeeper's aura rapidly closed in...

The destruction ravaging his arm had slowed, though it hadn't stopped completely...

'Interesting...'

The light shifted from bright to dim, and the antique table and chairs reappeared. Returning to the Warehouse, Fu Qian surveyed his surroundings before his gaze finally fell on his other hand.

It was still a bare elbow. The return trip hadn't changed a thing.

Looking on the bright side, at least he could still teleport back.

Fu Qian tilted his head back, gazing as if into the endless heights.

Nothing was actually there, yet a bizarre connection lingered—a feeling that it hadn't been completely severed even here in the Warehouse.

He had been right. Following that meteor shower, the Academy had become exceptionally lively.

...

'Master Yuhun?'

The sensation was too faint. He could only grasp the bare concept of this connection, remaining completely ignorant of its exact nature.

But it wasn't difficult for Fu Qian to make a guess.

He leaned toward the idea that this highly transcendent entanglement stemmed from the very name he had just heard from Old Man Stoss.

It also matched his theory regarding the Pure Soul—the entity that had avoided confronting him directly back in Akons.

This bizarre connection traced back to him, as did the arm that wouldn't be growing back anytime soon... and even the Linghui Courtyard's newfound smugness.

Every anomaly had a deeper reason behind it.

His urgency in checking up on Eldest Miss Wen's progress certainly wasn't born out of some petty rivalry with the Linghui Courtyard.

Even when that individual had paid a visit, his casual use of reverse psychology hadn't just been a ploy to secure more resources for her.

There was also the matter of Senior Liliana's relic. He had suggested that Wen Li hand it over so they could use the Linghui Courtyard's resources to study it...

He had noted long ago that the Linghui Courtyard's actions seemed slightly radical, and their speed in producing results was truly astonishing.

Naturally, all of this could be chalked up to years of accumulated effort, illustrious people and blessed land, and the like. It wasn't easy to find any glaring flaws.

Unfortunately for them, Fu Qian was intentionally searching for flaws with extreme prejudice.

The Human Mind World of this reality undoubtedly possessed incredible power, the most glaring trait of which was its refusal to allow an outsider to enter normally.

While repeatedly confirming this fact and feeling indignant over the discrimination, the first question that came to Fu Qian's mind was the exact opposite: did anyone receive special privileges in this regard?

The first answer that popped into his head was the opponent he had encountered in Akons.

The final mission summary had explicitly stated that by simply tracing the name Akons, this opponent had actually located the depths of the Human Mind World and attempted to 'refine' it.

Such methods were undoubtedly a difference between clouds and soil compared to his own.

This naturally led Fu Qian to a second question.

Under his interference, the entity's plans had ultimately failed. But what about the places he hadn't interfered? Had that entity achieved any victories?

For instance, the Linghui Courtyard?

...

The Academy wasn't in the Mind World; it was in reality.

The Linghui Courtyard possessed more than one demigod, not to mention years of accumulated experience exploring the Mind World.

He had even interacted with them recently and hadn't noticed anything abnormal.

Fu Qian knew all of this, yet he refused to limit his thinking. He stubbornly entertained the hypothesis: what if the Linghui Courtyard had actually fallen victim to it?

Good swimmers drown in water. This group practically lived in the Mind World.

In a sense, they and the suspected Master Yuhun were in the same line of work. Yet regardless of their respective Rank, the other party's state of mind was clearly much higher.

Not only had the entity been able to guide a Tier 2 Night Watcher like Stoss, but Fu Qian himself had been inspired by its ideological concepts during his final mission of the week.

Compared to the Linghui faction, who were obsessed with mere techniques, it felt like a dimensional strike.

Therefore, in Fu Qian's view, it was entirely possible—provided Master Yuhun actually intended to do it.

As for what symptoms they would show if they had actually fallen victim?

Would they end up like those people in Akons were supposed to—suddenly realizing that their very existence was nothing more than a stray thought of Master Yuhun?

Fu Qian couldn't be certain. He simply didn't know enough.

However, reverse engineering the problem provided an easy alternative: observe the Linghui faction for any abnormal behavior, or better yet, test them.

When Wen Li had originally been invited to the Academy, Fu Qian hadn't planned on getting too involved.

However, the energy fluctuation that shattered the Linghui Courtyard's barrier and swept all the way into his Laboratory had changed his mind.

That was what led him to visit the Benevolent Curse Institute, giving Old Man Weilong a perfect opportunity to show off.

He had even made an assessment at the time—the seniors of the Linghui Courtyard were acting far too aggressively.

And judging by their reactions during the recent visit, it seemed they had quietly achieved a monumental feat—extracting tangible results from Liliana's relic in a mere two days.

They might have even helped Wen Li achieve something that would make his jaw drop—like reaching the Demigod Realm?

It was true that Eldest Miss Wen was talented, but the Linghui Courtyard had only produced two demigods over all these years.

If that wasn't considered abnormal, what was?

At that moment, Fu Qian felt exactly as though he had just kicked a backpack bomb.

Something very wrong was quietly unfolding within the Academy.

Of course, this was still far from enough to prove that the entity he suspected was truly pulling the strings. Thus, Fu Qian's choice was to activate the Decree of Return to strike the grass to startle the snake.

The result? Old Man Weilong's reaction remained completely normal.

Unfazed, Fu Qian chose to continue his stroll through the Academy, eventually arriving at the Sacred Land of the Sword Comprehension Institute.

If he remembered correctly, back in Akons, that entity had been able to recreate the glory of an ancient Divine Entity through sheer imagination.

And although he had never seen a Deity of the cultivation path, Fu Qian had decided to commit another act of casual blasphemy.

The facts proved that an absurdly high-level power truly had manifested out of thin air. It was so intense that—Fu Qian casually slipped the Emissary back on.

'Oh?'

The light grew brighter, though not blindingly so.

Fu Qian confirmed that he had returned to his previous position. At the same time, the fourth floor of the Sword Pavilion was completely intact.

It was as if his earlier destruction had never happened.

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