Gandalf wasn't just happy; his entire being seemed to be blooming with joy. He couldn't stop thanking Angelia, which only served to confuse her further.
He thanked Angelia for no particular reason; if one had to be named, it was simply because Angelia had called him over!
The reason for his elation was even simpler: Zhong Shenxiu had just gifted him something—a magical treasure he wouldn't have dreamed of in his wildest fantasies! As for what this gift was, and how mysterious it truly was, the answer would be revealed to everyone later!
“Uh, if you ever need anything in the future, just come find me!” Gandalf, energized by his excitement, became unusually talkative.
He now had a dramatically improved impression of Zhong Shenxiu, thinking to himself: What an open-hearted person! How did I never notice before?
However, Zhong Shenxiu was too indifferent to listen to his rambling; he simply motioned for Robin and Angelia to follow him, and they left!
Gandalf wasn't offended in the least; the smile never left his face. Instead, he glanced left and right, and then departed as well! It was likely he was off to find a secluded spot to admire his treasure!
Meanwhile, the trio of Zhong Shenxiu, Robin, and Angelia, knowing they still had over three hours before the official afternoon matches, headed back toward the small courtyard.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, Zhong Shenxiu abruptly stopped. He turned to Angelia and asked, “Girl, do you still have the bracers I gave you?”
Angelia blinked, nodding slowly, not understanding why Zhong Shenxiu suddenly brought that up.
“I’ll tell you how to use them now!” Zhong Shenxiu stated calmly.
Originally, he had intended to wait until later to instruct Angelia—at least after this “Academy Ranking Tournament” concluded—but an imminent event forced him to accelerate all his plans!
Hearing Zhong Shenxiu’s words, Angelia felt an overwhelming urge to scream. This was the day she had dreamed of constantly, and she never expected it to arrive so suddenly. Her expression instantly lit up with excitement.
Not daring to say more, Angelia quickly retrieved the bracer and held it out before Zhong Shenxiu.
Zhong Shenxiu didn't reach out to take it; he didn't even glance at the bracer. His deep eyes remained fixed on Angelia as he spoke, “Drip a drop of your blood onto it!”
What?
Angelia was startled, her eyes widening considerably.
“Don’t make me repeat myself!” Zhong Shenxiu said again.
But Angelia remained motionless, as if she hadn't understood!
“Robin, go help her,” Zhong Shenxiu said, turning toward Robin beside him.
This statement instantly jolted Angelia back to reality. She hurriedly said, “No, no need, I’ll do it myself!”
Nonsense! If Robin helped her, this wouldn't be as simple as just dripping a drop of blood!
Gently pricking her finger, Angelia let a drop of blood fall onto the bracer. Instantly, a profound, mystical sensation flooded her mind—indescribable, yet she felt as if something had been added to her being!
Zhong Shenxiu spared Angelia a brief glance at her dazed look, then spoke: “Listen carefully, I will only say this once. If you can’t remember it, don’t blame me!”
Angelia quickly composed herself, terrified of missing a single word.
Fortunately, Zhong Shenxiu didn't explain much. And Angelia's bracer was far simpler to operate than Robin’s, so her intellect allowed her to grasp it easily; the only missing element was diligent practice!
Before leaving, Zhong Shenxiu added one final instruction to Angelia: “Don’t rely on it too heavily!”
Angelia watched Zhong Shenxiu enter the room with a somewhat vacant stare. She sensed that Zhong Shenxiu was acting strangely today, different from his usual self!
Indeed, Zhong Shenxiu was somewhat atypical at that moment, appearing deeply preoccupied.
※
The afternoon was dedicated to the elimination rounds for the various groups. It was a straight win-or-lose format, with no halftime breaks.
The surrounding crowd was even larger than in the morning—truly jam-packed!
Since Angelia and Robin had no scheduled matches today, they stayed close to Zhong Shenxiu. Lis, however, did have a match, scheduled as the seventh contest.
Zhong Shenxiu didn't go watch the matches; partly because of the sheer press of the crowd, and partly out of disinterest. He felt he could spend the time better researching his inventions and creations!
But what none of them expected was for Lis to return, covered in injuries, with several strips torn from his clothing, looking utterly wretched!
“Lis!” Charlotte gasped. In the time they had spent together, she had come to regard Lis as a younger brother. “What on earth happened?”
Although Angelia didn't ask further questions, she walked over with evident concern.
Lis kept his head bowed, otherwise, his bruised and swollen face would have been clearly visible.
“I lost!” Lis’s voice was muffled and low.
Charlotte and Angelia both froze, neither expecting Lis’s first battle to end this way. Who was his opponent, and why had they beaten Lis so badly? …They dared not imagine that Lis’s opponent for his first match was actually Garif!
Charlotte and Angelia fell silent, knowing that any words now would be futile.
Lis, meanwhile, felt an intense, gnawing frustration. Losing to an arrogant brute like Garif was particularly unbearable! It wasn't that he couldn't accept defeat; it was that he couldn't tolerate the cutting words Garif had flung at him during the fight!
At the time, Lis genuinely wanted to kill that man, but he simply lacked the power; the gap between him and Garif was too immense!
In truth, if Lis had conceded earlier, he wouldn't have ended up in such a disastrous state. But when a person’s temper flares into blindness, they stop considering consequences!
Fortunately, his resilience had been honed by Angelia and the others to be far beyond the ordinary. Otherwise, after that storm of continuous blows from Garif, he might have already been unconscious!
Of course, the fact that he could walk back was also thanks to the “Purple Restoration Ointment” Robin had refined for them. Otherwise, no matter how strong his durability was, recovery wouldn't have been this swift!
Just as Charlotte and Angelia stood helplessly, Zhong Shenxiu and Robin emerged from the room.
Perhaps sensing Zhong Shenxiu’s presence, Lis clenched his fists involuntarily, his teeth grinding with a sharp k’ch k’ch sound.
"Boy, you’re not happy with the result, are you? Do you know the strength of your opponent? He must be at least a mid-rank Great Swordsman. Losing was inevitable!” Zhong Shenxiu surveyed Lis from head to toe.
Only then did Lis finally lift his head, staring blankly at Zhong Shenxiu.
Zhong Shenxiu walked over, examined Lis’s injuries again, and then suddenly remarked in a tone laced with intrigue, “Oh, your opponent isn’t bad; the fighting spirit he used was somewhat peculiar!”
Lis and the others simply stared at Zhong Shenxiu, completely failing to grasp the meaning of his words.
Zhong Shenxiu offered no explanation, instead uttering a sentence that stunned the three of them for a long time.
“In a few days, Robin and I will be leaving this place.”
Though brief, the statement was like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky, instantly turning Charlotte and the other two into statues!
They knew a day of parting would come, but they hadn't imagined it would arrive so soon; they had only shared a few days together!
After recovering from the shock, Lis found an unexpected surge of courage and grabbed Zhong Shenxiu’s robe, pleading, “Please let me come with you. I want to become stronger.”
This plea had been brewing in his heart for a long time, waiting for the right moment to surface, and now that opportunity was here!
However, Zhong Shenxiu refused him with resolute finality, leaving no room for negotiation!
Lis’s face immediately fell into an expression of profound disappointment, while Angelia and Charlotte remained lost in their own thoughts, neither speaking.
The next day.
Despite Robin and Angelia having their matches, Zhong Shenxiu still did not attend. Instead, he went alone to the Magical Beast Forest.
Strangely, he set up a defensive array in a spacious clearing! Even stranger was Zhong Shenxiu’s grave expression; it was clear some worry weighed heavily on his mind.
Over the past few days, Zhong Shenxiu had vaguely sensed that his “Black Tortoise Art” was on the verge of breaking through the second level and entering the third!
This should have been cause for celebration, so why the somber expression?
The reason was simple: advancing to the third level of the “Black Tortoise Art” would invoke a Heavenly Tribulation. Although Zhong Shenxiu possessed ample experience dealing with Heavenly Tribulations, who knew if the tribulation in this world would be as monstrously bizarre as its unique flora and fauna?
Therefore, necessary preparations had to be made!
In the preceding days, Zhong Shenxiu had refined several lightning-resistant artifacts for himself, and also brewed numerous “Tribulation Crossing Pills” to be consumed during the ordeal!
Of course, if Zhong Shenxiu successfully crossed the tribulation, the benefits gained would be considerable.
First, a Golden Core would form within his body, which, in a short time, would mature into an Nascent Soul—this was the true abnormality of the “Black Tortoise Art.”
Second, he would be able to unleash “Samadhi True Fire” and, furthermore, achieve sword flight. This meant not only could his artifact refining improve significantly, but his transportation issues would also be solved!
This implied that upon reaching the third level of the “Black Tortoise Art,” Zhong Shenxiu would have far greater capital for scientific research and development, enabling him to create even more miracles!
Without further digression, Zhong Shenxiu nearly exhausted every Immortal Stone on his person just to deploy the defensive arrays. That was an entire basketful of Immortal Stones! Even if they were substandard quality, that rate of consumption was staggering.
The reason so many were used was primarily because Zhong Shenxiu hadn’t set up just one array, but several—arrays linked, and arrays nested within each other!
After spending another two days completing all the preparatory work, only one thing remained: waiting for the descent of the Heavenly Tribulation.
And that day was not far off!