Zhong Xiuxiu merely looked down his nose at the old man, saying nothing more, but instead produced two dual-attribute "Synthetic Crystal Cores," fiddling with them casually in his hand, looking utterly relaxed.
Never mind that the crystal cores Zhong Xiuxiu showed were artificial; in terms of luster, volume, and elemental content, they surpassed genuine magical beast cores! These "Synthetic Crystal Cores" were so tempting that even great figures like Gessgall and Augus couldn't resist their allure, let alone this old man before him.
When Zhong Xiuxiu brought out these "Synthetic Crystal Cores," the old man's eyes went wide, his mind screaming internally: Heavens above, what is this?
The smile on Zhong Xiuxiu's lips widened, but he stopped looking at the old man, instead tossing the "Synthetic Crystal Cores" up and down, executing several difficult maneuvers, even nearly dropping them a few times.
The cores looked incredibly hard on the surface, but they were quite the opposite—as fragile as glass, shattering easily upon impact. Watching Zhong Xiuxiu toss these treasures around as if they were worthless made the old man's heart ache. Seeing the near-misses almost gave him a heart attack, and he cursed internally: This little spendthrift, this reckless brat...
Just as the old man was about to speak, there was a sudden, sharp crack. A crystal core in Zhong Xiuxiu's hand plummeted to the ground and shattered into four pieces!
Normally, these "Synthetic Crystal Cores," being transformed from stone, were incredibly resilient, unlike true cores. But under Zhong Xiuxiu's deliberate handling, even a piece of hundred-refined steel would produce a similar result if dropped this way!
Zhong Xiuxiu slanted a look at the old man again, his smile growing even wider!
The old man’s lips twitched, his face ashen, his chest heaving violently—clearly severely provoked.
The heavens! A high-grade crystal core, just like that?!
The old man now felt like he could devour Zhong Xiuxiu whole. This was no different from deliberately provoking him! He himself was struggling to acquire a high-grade core, hoping to risk a trade with his old stash, only to have this little brat treat a high-grade core like a marble, and worse, shatter one! Heavens above!
Zhong Xiuxiu was currently employing the strategy of "Jiang Taigong fishing, waiting for the willing to bite." In just this short time, another core was in peril. If no one intervened, it would soon meet the same fate as the previous one.
"Stop—stop it!" the old man suddenly roared.
However, as if startled by the shout, Zhong Xiuxiu fumbled an upward toss. A series of smacks followed as several cores instantly shattered. Now, only the core he hadn't yet tossed remained in Zhong Xiuxiu's hand!
Gasp!
The old man's complexion had shifted from green to white. He had never anticipated such an outcome. Those were several high-grade cores! They had... they had just been destroyed like that...
The old man felt like crying, looking at the shards scattered on the floor, feeling as though his heart was bleeding out, the agonizing, conflicted sensation like something relentlessly whipping his soul!
"Hey, old man!" Zhong Xiuxiu's voice cut through the old man’s anguish.
The old man lifted his gaze to Zhong Xiuxiu, his eyes filled with a complex mixture of regret and anger.
"Old man, you told me to stop. Now that things are broken, what do you propose we do?" Zhong Xiuxiu stared straight at the elder, adopting an accusatory posture.
Gah!
The old man’s face instantly darkened from white to black. Zhong Xiuxiu’s words forced him to realize that if he hadn't yelled out, those cores might not have shattered. He bore a significant portion of the responsibility!
But even selling him wouldn't cover the cost of so many high-grade cores!
Beads of sweat now slicked his entire face. It wasn't that he wanted to renege, but the dignity of a mage, coupled with so many witnesses, left him no room to deny it!
What should I do? What should I do?
The once arrogant mage, within moments, was flustered and on the verge of collapse—a testament to Zhong Xiuxiu's prodigious talent for tormenting people! Alas, crossing paths with a "genius" was purely an act of "asking for a beating"!
The way the old man looked at Zhong Xiuxiu now held none of the prior disdain or loathing; there was only sheer terror. If this child were to stage a dramatic scene—crying, making a scene, or threatening suicide—the mage's reputation would be utterly ruined! He might have to hide from the world forever, becoming fodder for gossip!
The more he thought of it, the more sweat streamed down his cheeks, running downward under gravity.
A strange glint flashed in Zhong Xiuxiu's eyes, as if silently saying: Keep throwing your weight around, why stop now? To Zhong Xiuxiu, destroying these "Synthetic Crystal Cores" brought no heartache, as they held zero research value for him! Their only use was for trading for money or bribing others; otherwise, they would have long been tossed out as trash!
Finally, under Zhong Xiuxiu's subtle, good-natured guidance, the old man willingly offered up the core he had been guarding with his life. Zhong Xiuxiu didn't mistreat him, instead gifting him all the shattered synthetic cores on the ground, causing the old man to offer profuse, repeated thanks!
Ah, a classic case of being sold out while helping count the money!
Behind him, Wu Feiyan and Yue Nongying recognized the sheer wickedness of Zhong Xiuxiu from this incident alone. They resolved that it was best to humor him from now on, lest they too end up trapped in his palm!
As for this realization, the elders like Angixinya had long held it as an ingrained truth!
Subsequently, the group continued their explorations, during which Zhong Xiuxiu unearthed many more valuable items. For him, this world seemed perpetually filled with endless surprises; treasures that once required arduous effort to find were abundant here, underscoring the world's profound richness!
After walking for an indeterminate time, a sudden cry erupted from Amyridah, exclaiming, "Sister Betty, look!"
Betty followed where she pointed and also gasped, saying, "How can he be here!"
Influenced by their reactions, Zhong Xiuxiu stopped. It was Charlotte who explained the reason: "Oh, Amyridah, isn't that the principal from your old academy?"
Indeed, they had spotted the exceptionally genial Principal Roland Roger!
Roland Roger was seated at a small table covered with several thick notebooks. Passing mages occasionally paused, flipping through them with curiosity, but quickly followed up with a sneer before moving on.
Roland Roger seemed utterly unconcerned, merely sketching and writing on the papers on his desk, deeply focused. Unless someone actively spoke to him, he wouldn't even look up!
"What a coincidence, how is the Principal here?" Betty remarked with emotion.
Driven by curiosity about the old man's intense concentration, Zhong Xiuxiu walked over. Once he moved, the group behind him naturally followed.
"Greetings, Principal!" Amyridah called out.
Although she was no longer a student at the 'Warm and Sweet Martial Arts Academy,' the principal had left a deep impression on her, so she still addressed him with respect!
Roland Roger looked up, his gaze showing slight confusion as he looked at Amyridah, but finally, he seemed to recall, "You are that student from last time?"
Amyridah nodded and eagerly asked, "Principal, why are you here?"
"Nothing much, just a personal interest," Roland Roger replied vaguely, returning the question, "Young student, why are you here?"
"Principal, I am a student here now!" Amyridah stated with pride, two dimples appearing on her cheeks, making her look quite charming!
Since arriving here, she had been thriving. The students here were highly motivated, entirely engrossed in their studies, with none of the idle, bullying types she encountered before, allowing Amyridah to fully experience campus life!
Roland Roger showed no great surprise, offering a brief blessing to Amyridah. Just then, Zhong Xiuxiu interjected, "Old man, did you write these?"
Looking where he pointed, Zhong Xiuxiu’s eyes were gleaming as he stared at Roland Roger, holding one of the notebooks from the desk!
Roland Roger leaned forward slightly, catching a glimpse of Zhong Xiuxiu, and simultaneously noticed Robin standing beside him. Roger had a strong memory of Robin, the mysterious child who had bypassed the barrier he set using 'Spatial Magic.'
He had expected their meeting to be a one-off, but running into him again here was unexpected!
Though unsure of the relationship between the boy and the girl, the kind-natured Roland Roger smiled and replied, "Yes, these are some concepts I've been formulating, hoping to exchange ideas with fellow enthusiasts."
Truthfully, given Roland Roger's disposition, he was ill-suited to be a principal. He lacked cunning and disliked management; his greatest passion was letting his thoughts wander while researching esoteric magic! To him, magic couldn't be as simple as it seemed; it held countless hidden secrets. He even believed that magical attributes were not limited to the known few—people just hadn't discovered the rest yet!
Furthermore, Roland Roger often made bold conjectures about existing magic. These notebooks contained all his various hypotheses, most of which were impractical, explaining why other mages scoffed upon viewing them.
However, these conjectures struck Zhong Xiuxiu differently; they were like igniting a spark of inspiration, leading to an entirely new understanding of magic for him!
"Old man, your concepts are excellent. Interested in researching them with me?" Zhong Xiuxiu looked at Roland Roger with a smile. This world lacked for treasures and talent; it only lacked those who could recognize them! Zhong Xiuxiu's appearance was destined to change this world!