The Ascension of Contracted Spirits

Chapter 273 - 152: The Great Water Magician_4

After a while, when the ringing in their ears eased, everyone opened their eyes, unable to wait any longer.

They glanced around. The research institute was nowhere to be seen.

Ye Hanjun saw only a lake, with large quantities of broken tiles and bricks floating on the blue surface, looking like water-soaked ruins.

"Phew..."

The Water Tiger Sculpture dived into the water.

Several seconds later, it emerged with a semi-decomposed humanoid corpse encased in a ball of water and dropped it with a thud onto the ground.

"The Rotten Ancient Tree was killed by me. This man is still alive, but he’s unconscious," said Du Yuanjia, his eyes burning. He wasn’t sure if he was shocked by the intense life force of the Rotten Body, which defied death even when given the final blow.

Or was he lamenting that a young man, who should have been radiant, had been led astray and wasted his potential?

"Since he’s still alive, shall we interrogate him again before making any decisions?"

A mentor stepped forward with a serious proposal.

"After all, we only know half the story of how he reached this point or what he did behind our backs that betrayed the academy."

After some careful consideration, Du Yuanjia nodded in agreement.

"Alright," he said.

"This matter has caused a great commotion, alarming the entire academy. If we do not handle it properly, others will mock us.

"But... this man is too dangerous. I will question him personally."

"After the interrogation, I will pass judgement at the city gates, demonstrating Canghai Pavilion’s justice and authority."

"We will follow the Dean’s orders," the other mentors said in unison, expressing their respect.

"Apart from Hong Li, did anyone else get injured?"

Du Yuanjia threw a bottle of elixir to Ji Yan, who caught it and administered it to Hong Li, while answering:

"Thanks to quick response, and with Nie Zhuo’s Contracted Spirit Fond Spirit unable to move, we were all spared," added Ji Yan.

"That’s good," Du Yuanjia said with a nod. Suddenly he was in front of Jiang Yongnian and Ye Hanjun.

"Little Jiang, are you retiring?"

"I’ve just been in seclusion for ten years. Once I woke up, the changes in the academy were really not small."

"I’ve aged, I’ve aged. I want to live a quieter life..." Jiang Yongnian clasped his fist in respect before noticing Du Yuanjia’s gaze shifting towards Ye Hanjun. With a gracious smile, he continued,

"Let me introduce. This is the initiator of this operation."

"If it weren’t for his meticulous thinking and suspicions of academy insiders colluding with black evil forces, we might have remained oblivious."

"This operation may have been somewhat audacious."

"But the results proved his judgement was correct. If we had let Nie Zhuo continue to take root in the academy and let him rise when the time was ripe, the casualties would have been much more severe..."

"Hmm, he really did contribute..." Du Yuanjia nodded and stared at Ye Hanjun intently.

Despite having retreated and lost most of his stark power, his slender, withered body lingered like a dormant volcano.

When it erupted, instead of a sky full of fire, it would be a sky full of seawater.

"I’ve never seen him before."

"Upon examination, his physical health seems fragile, yet strong. He doesn’t appear to be over twenty-five years old. How did Canghai Pavilion get such a talented young man?"

"It’s a long story," said Jiang Yongnian with an awkward pause.

He probably remembered when Ye Hanjun just arrived at the academy. He had been resistant to accepting such a person as a mentor and hoped to recruit him as a student instead.

Unexpectedly, in less than three months, he was promoted from assistant to formal tutor.

The process may seem opportunistic, but it was also step by step, if a bit large, yet surely.

"He is an Active Awakener, and he still has an unused Blood Covenant mark..."

"He has also contracted a Desert Witch with a Grey Flash, and she’s more potent now after washing off the stigma of her polluted bone..."

"Throughout the nearly two hundred years of Canghai Pavilion’s development history, he is a man without precedent, creating numerous records with his own strength..."

"Plus, today’s incident, I think no one will question his abilities anymore..." Jiang Yongnian succinctly introduced Ye Hanjun’s basic information.

With each word, Du Yuanjia’s eyes became brighter, and his interest soared, making Ye Hanjun feel as if he were being stripped naked.