As Chris and the others returned to the States, Tiannan University gradually settled back into a semblance of peace. Due to the strict blackout order, no trace of the recent events could be found in newspapers, periodicals, or even online.

Once the bloodstains at the classroom door and beneath the teaching buildings were scrubbed clean, some students passing by could almost harbor the illusion that none of it had ever happened.

But the reality remained: these things had occurred. Zhao Yujian and the two men he shot were beyond recovery, and Li Yundong, meanwhile, had become the campus legend, a figure of unparalleled notoriety.

"If one has not known Li Yundong, their wanderings across campus are utterly in vain."

Although the school committee had even shut down the university forum to suppress the story, the public’s mouth is harder to stop than a flood. These energetic university students, unable to vent their excess energy on the forums, spoke ceaselessly of Li Yundong in private.

In this day and age, digging up dirt on someone was trivially easy, especially when that person was one of their own classmates.

In less than half a day, the gossipmongers had unearthed every detail of Li Yundong’s ancestry spanning eight generations. Yet, when the curious gossip brigade finally uncovered his background, they were universally stunned, which only fueled their curiosity further!

"This guy’s family background, origins, and entire experience are no different from ours!" the gossip devotees exclaimed in unison.

No extraordinary family lineage, no mysterious, high-level master, and no exceptional innate talent or fortuitous encounters.

Based on the data they procured, Li Yundong appeared no different from any other university student in the world. So, how could such an outwardly ordinary individual, with such mundane origins, suddenly achieve the most magnificent transformation of his life?

Sometimes, the more mysterious and unbelievable a person is, the stronger the public’s curiosity, reverence, and awe become.

Li Yundong remained entirely unaware that he had ascended from being a campus idol to a genuine hero figure.

The day after Chris and his group departed Tiannan City, just as the sun began to peek over the horizon, Li Yundong awoke from his deep meditative absorption, letting out a long, deep breath.

Opening his eyes, Li Yundong gazed fixedly at the vast sky beyond the balcony and the bustling metropolis, overwhelmed with emotion.

For a man who had always been a carefree, homebody type, enduring such trials—especially watching a living soul plummet from the sky, shattering into bloody pulp before his very eyes—meant that even the thickest-skinned person could not remain unmoved. Only the truly cold-blooded and ruthless could.

Having witnessed and personally experienced all of it, Li Yundong, for the first time, began to grapple with a profound question: What is Karma?

Back home, even while practicing Qi cultivation in his meditative state, Li Yundong pondered this question within his Sea of Consciousness. If Zhao Yujian’s mothers’ limitless indulgence and spoiling were his cause, leading to his disgrace and tragic death as the effect, then what was his own cause, and what would be his effect?

Li Yundong looked at the boundless sky, then at the busy city streets. It suddenly struck him that the sky was vast and untethered; as long as one could fly, one could go anywhere! The ocean was immense; as long as one could breathe underwater, one could also go wherever one pleased.

But humans could not. Humans neither fly nor breathe in the sea; thus, they were confined to the land, sealing themselves within cities, segmenting them with streets, clearly delineated for pedestrians and vehicles, orderly and structured.

Li Yundong suddenly had a dim realization: Humans cannot fly or swim; the individual human is a weak life form—this is the cause. Therefore, humanity established cities of powerful order upon the land, one after another. But what kind of restraint and confinement lay behind this very order?

Li Yundong clenched his fist tightly. He could feel a powerful current flowing within his body, having now definitively confirmed one thing: he truly possessed power far exceeding that of ordinary mortals!

This power must also be linked to Su Chan!

The thought brought a wry smile to his lips. When he had pressed Su Chan for answers previously, the little girl had only blinked her eyes and skillfully changed the subject.

“Let’s go, time for school!” Su Chan called out from behind him, carrying Li Yundong’s schoolbag. This girl was now far more eager to attend class than he was.

Li Yundong glanced at the time, stood up, and chuckled, “It’s only seven, why are we leaving so early?”

Su Chan looked at Li Yundong, let out a soft sound of surprise, walked up to him, examined him closely, and suddenly asked, “Have you been thinking about something lately?”

Li Yundong laughed heartily, “Isn’t that an obvious question? After such a serious shooting incident, how could I not be thinking?”

Su Chan shook her head. “No, no. I mean, have you been pondering philosophical questions about this world, about life, about yourself, and things like that?”

Li Yundong stared at Su Chan in astonishment. “Are you a tapeworm in my stomach? How did you know what I was thinking?”

Su Chan giggled, playfully chided, “Pah! You’re the tapeworm, how disgusting! So, what have you been thinking about?”

Li Yundong looked at Su Chan very seriously, speaking slowly, word by careful word. “Since you appeared, I’ve possessed a wondrous power, a strength beyond the mortal realm. Just now, I was thinking: Trapped in this powerful, mechanized cage, can my strength break this mechanical order? Can I transcend everyone else in this world and become a unique form of life…”

Li Yundong let out a soft sound, lowering his head slightly, a hint of embarrassment in his tone. “Am I being too arrogant?”

Su Chan, however, beamed, linking her arm through his. “My dear master, you are so modest. Don’t you realize you are already a life form transcending others?”

Li Yundong murmured, “Is that so? How can you tell?”

Su Chan winked playfully and tapped her small nose. “It’s because I’m by your side, of course!”

Li Yundong gave another drawn-out “Ohh,” stretching the sound. “Is that so? Then hurry up and tell me truthfully, just what divine entity are you!”

Su Chan once again deployed her ultimate weapon, shaking Li Yundong’s arm playfully as she pouted. “Aiya, stop asking all the time! When I can tell you, I will!”

Li Yundong’s bones seemed to soften under Su Chan’s cloying, saccharine voice. He conceded helplessly, “Alright, alright, I won’t ask. I’ll see when you decide to tell me!”

Su Chan secretly chuckled, thinking to herself: You have now passed the initial stage of the Third Heaven, ‘Concentrating Spirit,’ and have begun the intermediate stage of ‘Seeking, Proving the Dao, and Enlightenment.’ Most cultivators entering this stage become bewildered by their newfound, immense power. They must find the path of cultivation most suited to them.

There are countless paths to cultivation; one cannot possibly tread them all. Therefore, at this juncture, a cultivator must, like a high school student choosing their major, select the avenue best aligned with them and determine their future direction—whether to study literature, economics, or law.

Entering this phase, Li Yundong’s previously flighty and restless nature began to calm down due to his deep contemplation; his demeanor and actions gradually became composed and measured.

The two left the house, finished breakfast, and arrived at school. As soon as they entered the gate, Li Yundong noticed that the students who saw him paused simultaneously before clearing a path for him and Su Chan.

Su Chan whispered cheekily to Li Yundong, “You’ve become famous!”

Li Yundong smiled. “It’s better not to have this kind of fame.”

Su Chan looked at the varied gazes of the students around them, unable to resist lifting her chin high, acting haughty, as if the students lining up for Li Yundong gave her more joy than if they were welcoming her.

“This is the companion I chose! Sooner or later, he will ride a multi-colored divine beast, looking down upon the world. The colorful clouds of the sky will be his carpet, and even the gods and buddhas in the heavens will clear a path for him!” Su Chan gazed at Li Yundong, utterly delighted. A warm current surged in her chest, feeling full to bursting, a chaotic mix of excitement, joy, and achievement that was impossible to articulate.

From her initial decision to use Li Yundong as a cauldron for Yin essence collection to now diligently assisting and guiding him, Su Chan, just like Li Yundong, had completed the most significant, magnificent turn in her own life.

For the little fox, there was now nothing that brought her greater happiness and satisfaction than watching this young man mature, inch by inch.

Li Yundong felt uncomfortable with the intense scrutiny from all sides. However, if Chris and the others were still present, they would surely be cheering and applauding, welcoming him as a hero.

But Eastern people are reserved. Upon seeing Li Yundong, these students simply made way for him, looking upon him with admiration and awe—that was the maximum expression they could muster.

Yet, there were always exceptions. As Li Yundong and Su Chan settled into their classroom seats, a moment later, a head poked around the doorway. A pair of bright, lively eyes scanned the room and broke into a smile upon spotting Li Yundong.

Feng Na turned and told Cheng Cheng waiting outside the classroom, “He’s here!”

With that, the two girls trotted over to Li Yundong and plopped down beside him. They said nothing, merely blinking as they stared at him, as if examining some rare, precious treasure.

Li Yundong’s temperament had begun to shift after the incident with Zhao Yujian. In the past, he would have already been boisterous and loud. But now, he simply watched the two girls calmly, remaining silent himself.

The two girls and one boy stared at each other for a good while before Feng Na suddenly sighed with admiration. “Different. Truly different! A man called a hero must be different. You…”

In Feng Na’s eyes, although the imposing heroic spirit radiating from Li Yundong was still sharp, his dark eyes had grown much deeper. And as he sat there, saying nothing, he exuded a stability born of surviving life and death—a quality she had never sensed in him before, nor in any boy his age.

As Feng Na spoke, her gaze fixed on Li Yundong, her heart suddenly fluttered like a startled fawn, pounding rapidly. The teasing remarks she had intended to direct at him caught in her throat, unable to be spoken.

Alright, the double bonus chapters for last week's flower chart ranking are done. Whether there will be an explosion next week depends on you comrades’ fighting power!~