Chapter 256 Holy crap! The testing stone exploded again!!!

The Deans of the Academy in the sky.

Their expressions at this moment were truly spectacular.

They stood suspended beneath the firmament.

Their auras were as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea.

They were all big shots in the Provincial Capital who could cause an earthquake with a stomp of their feet; normally, which one of them wasn't deeply dignified and impassive?

However, at this moment.

On those faces that were usually dignified, refined, boisterous, or cold, the same word was written in unison!

Dumbfounded!

Zhan Qiong, Medicine Dust Son, Tie Kuang, Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi, Wen Yuan, Vice Dean Yan Song, Vice Dean Yan Lie... these were beings at least at the high Falling Star Rank or even half-step eclipsing moon.

When Jiang Yun's palm touched the Testing Stone for the second time.

When that red pillar of light, purer and more domineering than the first, as if it could even burn the Soul, soared into the sky again.

They felt their own perception and composure.

Just like that first Testing Stone.

Were violently struck by some kind of unreasonable power.

Their original thoughts were very simple.

Since this kid dared to take the initiative to ask for a retest, perhaps he really had some skill, and his talent should not be bad; B-Rank would be excellent, A-Rank would be stunning, and if he had an S-Rank Talent... then he would be another brilliant new star among the younger generation in the Provincial Capital, worth fighting over.

But what was this before them?!

Red light!

It was that blinding red light again, as if it wanted to brand itself onto their retinas!

SSS-Rank Talent!

This youth from the barren land of City C, as they called it, actually, truly, and surely possessed that Legendary, theoretical Peak of human talent!

SSS-Rank Talent!

Once might be an accident.

A one-in-a-billion chance of failure.

But twice?

Under the witness of everyone's eyes.

After changing to a perfectly intact Testing Stone.

The same, or even more dazzling red pillar of light erupted again?

This was already an ironclad fact.

An unquestionable miracle!

After a brief moment of extreme shock.

What followed.

Was more burning, more frantic, and more desperate than at any other time.

The desire to fight for him!

"Hahahaha! Good! What a fine SSS-Rank Talent! This boy should belong to my Pill Institute!"

Medicine Dust Son was the first to react.

His long laughter carried an unquestionable certainty.

"With talent of this level, if he takes the Pill Path Beast Taming route, with his vast Mental Energy and terrifying affinity for energy, supplemented by the supreme Pill Path Beast Taming route of my Pill Institute, he will surely become a Pill Path Saint Master in the future and refine Saint King Rank Medicinal Pills!"

"Bullshit! You old medicine pot!"

Tie Kuang's roar directly interrupted him.

His hair and beard were all flared out, like an angry lion.

"Such talent should be accompanied by divine weapons! Join my Artifact Institute, and I will personally teach him the Ancient Divine Forging Technique, using heaven and earth as the furnace and the sun and moon as fuel, to tailor-make a Life-Bound Divine Weapon for his beast, cultivating the beast with a Life-Bound Treasure Tool, making him a peerless Artifact Path War God!"

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi's body was surrounded by circulating Formation diagrams.

His voice was cold yet carried a decisive tone.

"The Formation Path reaches the profound, evolving all things. Such talent precisely needs the Formation Path to connect with the Laws of heaven and earth to reach its Peak. Join my Formation Institute, and I can invite the previous Dean of my Formation Institute to teach him the lost Ancient Beast Taming Formation Map!"

Wen Yuan waved the jade brush in his hand.

Golden runes manifested out of thin air.

"Runes are the Dao, writing the rules. This boy's talent is at the Peak, and his Mental Energy will surely be vast in the future; he is the perfect candidate to practice supreme runes. Join my Rune Institute, and I can open the top floor of the Wending Pavilion for him to browse at will!"

Vice Dean Yan Lie was not to be outdone.

Flames rose around him.

"Beast taming should take the traditional beast taming path as its foundation! Dean Zhan, this boy should join my Beast Taming Institute! I am willing to give up the... teaching resources of the Vice Dean position to fully assist him in contracting and cultivating the strongest beasts!"

Vice Dean Yan Song looked at Jiang Yun in the red light below.

Then he looked at Qian Rongrong beside him, whose gaze was complex.

His heart grew even more fervent.

"Appraisal Institute! He must come to the Appraisal Institute! Grand Tutor Dongxuan is about to take office; if this boy comes, in the future, our Sky Dome Academy's Appraisal Institute will be famous in the Provincial Capital and Central Continent... no, we will hold the discourse power over Materials and knowledge in an even larger region!"

The various Deans became more excited as they spoke.

Their voices grew louder and louder.

They even began to undermine each other and launch personal attacks.

"Tie Kuang! What can that blacksmith shop of yours teach? Don't delay the natural talent of such a Genius!"

"Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi! Your Formations are all twists and turns; how can they compare to the compatibility of my Runes and the path of beast taming? My Rune beast taming path points directly to the Great Dao!"

"Vice Dean Yan Lie! The Beast Taming Institute already has Qian Luoyun; do you still want to monopolize him?!"

"Vice Dean Yan Song! Appraisal is ultimately just a support; don't mislead the youth!"

"Bastard! Do you want to fight?"

"Come on! You old geezer! Do you think I'm afraid of you?!"

For a moment, spit flew in the air, and auras collided. The image of the high-and-mighty Deans vanished completely, replaced by a group of red-eyed old eccentrics arguing over a peerless treasure.

The people on the plaza below.

Were already dumbfounded, their minds completely blank.

"My god... are these... are these the various Inner Court Deans of the Academy we usually hear about, who are as elusive as divine dragons?"

"To fight over Jiang Yun... they've even thrown away their image!"

"But... this is too normal, right? If it were me, I'd fight for him too! SSS-Rank! A living Legendary!"

"I've really had my eyes opened today... it's worth it, this life is worth it..."

Just as the argument in the sky grew more intense.

And almost reached the point of a physical brawl.

Zhan Qiong, the Dean of the Beast Taming Institute who had been silently observing with the deepest aura, finally spoke. His voice was not loud, but it was like a stabilizing pillar, instantly suppressing all the noise:

"Enough!"

He looked around at his red-faced colleagues.

He said in a deep voice:

"What's the use of us arguing here until we're red in the face? His final destination will ultimately depend on young friend Jiang Yun's own wishes."

These words woke everyone up.

That's right!

They were arguing up a storm, but the protagonist hadn't expressed his stance yet!

Zhan Qiong's gaze fell on Jiang Yun below.

On that domineering and dignified face.

A Rare, somewhat gentle smile was squeezed out, though it looked a bit awkward.

He cleared his throat.

And said in what he thought was his most amiable voice.

"Young friend Jiang Yun."

The entire venue fell silent again.

Everyone pricked up their ears.

"I wonder if you are willing to join my Beast Taming Institute?"

Zhan Qiong showed his hand.

Directly dropping a bombshell.

"If you are willing to come, I... am willing to make an exception and take you as my Personal Disciple! All resources in the institute will be at your disposal! I will personally teach you cultivation, combat, and beast nurturing, giving you everything I have without reservation! What do you think?"

Personal Disciple!

Resource priority!

Personal teaching by the Inner Court Dean!

These three promises!

Any one of them would be enough to make countless geniuses in the Provincial Capital go crazy!

Yet at this moment, they were thrown out as a package deal by Zhan Qiong without hesitation!

It was clear to what extent he valued Jiang Yun!

When the other Deans heard this.

Their faces instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot!

"Zhan Qiong! You old scoundrel! How shameless!"

"To actually use such methods!"

"Young friend Jiang Yun, don't listen to him! Come to my Pill Institute, and I..."

The Deans were filled with righteous indignation.

However.

Before their rebuttals and promises could be fully voiced.

A mutation occurred!!

Just as everyone's attention was focused on Zhan Qiong's promise and Jiang Yun's possible response.

It happened suddenly!

BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A roar, more muffled and heavy than the previous Testing Stone explosion, as if coming from deep underground, erupted violently from the plaza below!

Immediately following.

A red light, more blinding and violent than the previous two, almost setting the sky on fire, erupted like a volcano suppressed to its limit!

The red light was no longer a pillar.

But like a crimson tide.

Instantly sweeping across nearly half the plaza!

A terrifying shockwave, accompanied by the tooth-aching sound of crystal shattering, spread frantically in all directions like a tsunami!

"What?!"

"What's going on?!"

"Shields!"

The Deans in the sky reacted the fastest.

In their shock, they almost all acted at once.

Streams of vast power of various colors and attributes descended instantly, laying down layers of protection above and around the plaza, blocking and neutralizing most of the explosion's power and debris, protecting the students on the plaza.

But their Divine Sense.

Saw the scene at the center of the explosion with absolute clarity.

They saw that in front of Jiang Yun.

That Testing Stone, which had just erupted with the second red pillar of light and should have been intact... at this moment, had disappeared.

In its place.

Only a larger shallow pit remained, along with... the sky full of fluttering Amethyst dust that hadn't yet settled, shimmering with faint light!

The second Testing Stone... also... exploded!!!

This time.

The aftershocks of the explosion and that instantly erupting red light.

Were even stronger than the first time!

The entire plaza.

Fell into a third.

And also the most complete and bewildered silence.

Everyone.

From the Deans in the sky to Elder Mo Chen on the high platform, to the various Families in the audience area, and then to every student and teacher on the plaza.

All of them seemed to have been hit by a freezing spell, stiffly maintaining their actions and expressions from the previous second, their eyes staring blankly at the dust-filled center of the explosion, and at the figure of the youth in the center who still stood there, also appearing a bit dazed.

Time seemed to be stretched infinitely.

A full three breaths passed.

"Ho... holy crap..."

It was unknown which student.

Used all their strength to squeeze these words out from the depths of their throat, their voice dry and trembling.

These two words!

Were like flipping a switch.

"Exploded... it exploded?! It exploded again?!!!"

"The... the second one exploded too?!"

"Oh my god... what am I seeing..."

"The Testing Stone... was... blown apart again?!"

"What... what the hell is going on here?!!"

Exclamations, screams, and cries of disbelief erupted like a dam breaking!

This time's shock.

Was far more intense than when the red light first appeared.

Because it was mixed with incomprehensible absurdity and horror!

One explosion!

Could be attributed to an old, malfunctioning Testing Stone.

Two tests!

Both lit up with red light, proving the talent was real.

But just as this second test ended.

Before he even had time to withdraw his hand.

Even before the big shots' words of contention had settled... the Testing Stone that bore the SSS-Rank light... it... exploded again?!"

What was this?!

The lingering prestige of an SSS-Rank Talent?!

Or was it that the height of Jiang Yun's talent Rank already far exceeded SSS-Rank?

So much so that even the Testing Stone couldn't briefly withstand the impact of its appearance?!

The Deans in the sky.

Their expressions at this moment could no longer be described in words.

The gentle smile Zhan Qiong had just squeezed out was completely frozen on his face.

Turning into extreme astonishment and suspicion.

Medicine Dust Son's hand, which was twirling his beard, froze in mid-air.

He didn't even notice that he had unconsciously pulled out several strands of his beard.

Tie Kuang forgot to close his wide-open mouth.

The giant hammer he was carrying had even tilted.

The Formation diagrams around Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi showed a moment of disorder.

The jade brush in Wen Yuan's hand had already fallen into the Void Realm with a click.

Vice Dean Yan Song and Vice Dean Yan Lie's pupils contracted.

They stared fixedly below.

Qian Rongrong even covered her mouth tightly with her fair hand to suppress the exclamation that almost escaped, her beautiful eyes filled with shock and bewilderment.

On the high platform.

Elder Mo Chen's legs went weak.

If he hadn't been holding onto the railing, he would have almost sat down directly.

His old face was pale, his lips trembling in disbelief.

"This, this, this... exploded again... this, this, this..."

In the audience area.

The wild joy and pride on Su Yuntian's face hadn't even fully unfolded.

Before it was frozen again by this sudden explosion.

The laughter of Su Qingshan and the others froze on their faces.

Turning into shock.

And those representatives of the fair-weather families had even more spectacular expressions on their faces, shifting from flattery to shock to bewilderment, like a revolving lantern.

Lin Tao and Su Mingxuan.

Their faces had already turned ashen and their hearts like dead water in the second red light.

Seeing the Testing Stone explode again at this moment.

A faint, twisted spark of hope actually reignited weirdly in their hearts!

It exploded! It exploded again!

This is definitely not normal!

There must be a problem!

Right!

Jiang Yun must have used some kind of wicked method!

However.

This spark of hope quickly went out in the heavy, horrified, and even slightly reverent silence of the Deans in the sky, turning into a deeper chill.

Because everyone realized a more terrifying problem.

The first explosion might have been an accident.

The second test showing red light proved the talent was real.

But after this red light was measured.

The stone immediately exploded again... what did this mean?

It meant that Jiang Yun's talent.

Might not be as simple as just SSS-Rank... the appearance of that red light.

Perhaps... itself was a kind of... overload impact on the container that was the Testing Stone?

Under the focused gaze of everyone looking at him like a monster.

Standing between the ruins of the two explosions, surrounded by faint dust, Jiang Yun.

Slowly raised his right hand, looking at his palm, a trace of... weirdness and helplessness that he hadn't even noticed himself appeared on his face.

It seemed like he... had made the Testing Stone... explode again?

Now... how was he supposed to wrap this up...