132: Chapter 132 Am I considered an Awakened One now?
Executive Jiang Xu did not speak.
In the main control room, the alarm lights turned deep red simultaneously.
That was the highest alert for a King-Rank source of pollution.
All screens at the Linhai Investigation Bureau began to flicker.
The needles on the psionic monitors hit their maximum.
On the big screen, that blood-colored vertical pupil opened.
Deep within the pupil, a tide of blood surged.
From behind the spatial rift, layers of red waves crashed out, filled with dense clusters of dead human faces.
Chen Jianguo was just about to sit down; before his backside even touched the chair, he froze.
The thermos in his hand wobbled twice, nearly spilling onto the keyboard.
"This thing..."
His throat felt dry.
"It couldn't be what I think it is, right?"
No one answered.
Because everyone present recognized it.
The Blood Sea.
One of the existing King-Rank Strange Tales on Blue Star.
It was a living sea.
It had swallowed three small coastal nations, polluted seven international shipping lanes, and to this day, it still topped the list of untouchable disaster sources.
It had no fixed territory, nor did it have a fixed form.
Sometimes it was a sea.
Sometimes it was a rain.
Sometimes, it was just a drop of blood in a fisherman's dream.
But as long as it targeted you, an entire region would be polluted by blood water.
Su Yao's fingers tightened.
In her memories from her previous life, the Blood Sea did not appear often.
But every time it appeared, it was a major catastrophe.
She remembered a coastal base city where, at night, one could only hear the sound of waves.
By the next morning, only a single clock tower remained of the entire city, floating on blood water.
That clock rang for seven days.
No one came out alive.
Ye Zhiwei closed her eyes, her fingers pressing against the armrest.
Her voice was very low.
"It is it."
Chen Jianguo swallowed hard.
"Is it really the Blood Sea?"
Ye Zhiwei: "King-Rank."
No one in the main control room spoke again.
Chen Jianguo stared at the screen, sweat breaking out on his back.
"No."
"The Ghost Emperor hasn't left yet, and the Blood Sea has come too?"
"Is Linhai hosting a King-Rank tea party today?"
No one laughed.
That wasn't funny.
Linhai had just finished fighting the Mirage of the Sea Kingdom, and then it received a "greeting" from the Ghost Emperor.
Now, another Blood Sea had arrived.
Chen Jianguo even seriously wondered if Linhai City should hire someone to check its feng shui.
Executive Jiang Xu stared at the screen.
The dark gold spear leaned against his side, its tip vibrating slightly.
He did not speak.
In front of a King-Rank, S-Rankers were often just spectators in the front row.
...
Linhai No. 2 High School.
Senior Year Class 2.
Su Yun sat in his seat, looking at that blood-colored vertical pupil in the sky.
He frowned.
Another King-Rank.
And so foul-mouthed.
It seems the devouring progress really needs to be sped up.
Before, he thought that a semi-King-Rank was not bad.
Now it seems that only the King-Rank can truly sit at the table.
He was still picking up vegetable leaves under the table.
It didn't quite fit his status.
Su Yun tapped on the desk.
The Lord of Blind Idiot God's Strange Tales core inside him did not leak out.
But it wanted to eat.
It really wanted to eat.
In the aura of the Blood Sea, there were rules of chaos, devouring, pollution, and life distortion.
Not necessarily clean.
But the portion was sufficient.
Li Hao lay by the window, his voice drifting.
"Brother Yun, are we still having class today?"
Su Yun glanced at him.
"What do you think?"
Li Hao pondered it seriously.
"I think we can."
Gu Lang was stunned.
"Are you crazy?"
Li Hao pointed at the sky.
"Anyway, I don't understand King-Rank fights, so I might as well use the opportunity to catch up on math."
Gu Lang was silent for two seconds.
"Did you develop feelings after being controlled just now?"
Li Hao looked down at his three pages of function problems.
The steps were complete.
The handwriting was neat.
The answers were all correct.
For him, this was already a major life event.
He rubbed his nose.
"People always have to grow."
Gu Lang: "..."
It's over.
This was the true rule pollution.
Not memorizing vocabulary.
Not taking exams.
It was making someone who wanted to run away at the sight of a function start discussing studying voluntarily.
This was scarier than the arrival of a King-Rank.
The Homeroom Teacher stood by the podium, and upon hearing this, the chalk in her hand moved.
Gu Lang looked at her immediately.
"Teacher, please calm down."
The Homeroom Teacher pushed up her glasses.
"I didn't say anything."
Gu Lang stared at her.
No, you were already about to write an application.
Saintess Lin Xinglan stood by the window, Holy Light flowing at her fingertips.
King-Rank Blood Sea.
The Holy Domain did not want to see it.
Especially since Chu Youwei had just ascended to King-Rank, and Su Yun was still at school.
If the Blood Sea and the Ghost Emperor joined forces, Linhai would become a King-Rank battlefield today.
No one dared to guarantee whether this city could be saved.
In the sky.
Laughter came from the blood-colored vertical pupil.
"Ghost Emperor, you are regressing as you live."
"A little girl who just ascended to King-Rank, holding a broken register, made you cede territory and pay reparations."
"You've lost all the face of a King-Rank."
The Blood Sea's voice spread.
The glass in Linhai City was covered in a layer of red.
Many ordinary people couldn't hear it speaking, but their chests began to feel tight, and their throats tasted of blood.
The Ghost Emperor did not move.
The profound black imperial robe hung behind the judgment scroll.
Grayish-white chains fell from the clouds.
He spoke: "Blood Sea, you have crossed the line."
The blood-colored vertical pupil laughed even louder.
"Crossed the line?"
"I am just here to watch the show."
"What, now I'm not even allowed to watch the show?"
Ghost Emperor: "Watching the show is fine."
Blood Sea: "Then what do you want?"
The Ghost Emperor looked up.
His face could not be seen behind the beaded curtain.
But all the Awakened in Linhai sensed that he was in a very bad mood.
"Shut up and watch."
The Blood Sea's laughter paused.
The next second, blood light filled the sky.
"Ghost Emperor, do you think I'm afraid of you?"
Ghost Emperor: "Whether you are afraid or not is not important."
Blood Sea sneered: "Then what is important?"
The Ghost Emperor raised his hand.
"I am in a bad mood."
As the words fell.
The judgment scroll turned a page.
The grayish-white chains did not fall toward Linhai, but lashed directly upward.
The sky was torn open by the Underworld judgment scroll.
The blood-colored vertical pupil contracted.
"How dare you!"
The Ghost Emperor did not answer.
He clenched his five fingers.
Boom!
The blood-colored rift exploded.
That vertical pupil was pierced by the grayish-white chains, and the surging Blood Sea projection behind it was also pressed into the judgment scroll with a single palm strike.
Half of the blood light over Linhai dissipated.
Everyone went quiet.
This palm strike came too fast.
No pleasantries.
No testing.
And no threats that usually last half a day between King-Ranks.
Just as the Blood Sea finished mocking, the Ghost Emperor made his move.
And he struck very hard.
Li Hao opened his mouth wide.
"They're fighting already?"
Gu Lang stared at the sky.
"Between King-Ranks, shouldn't there be 300 rounds of testing first?"
Su Yun: "He was just retorted by a female student."
Li Hao understood immediately.
"So he's taking it out on a male student?"
Gu Lang: "Your angle of understanding is very dangerous."
Su Yun added: "But it's about right."
Gu Lang: "..."
In the sky.
The Blood Sea projection shattered.
A roar came from behind the rift.
"Ghost Emperor!"
"You bastard!"
The Ghost Emperor's projection raised his hand.
The judgment scroll over Linhai began to close.
The next moment.
In the direction of Dahuang Prefecture, a King-Rank pressure soared into the sky.
The main body had moved.
In the Investigation Bureau's main control room.
Chen Jianguo almost crushed his thermos.
"His main body moved?"
Executive Jiang Xu stared at the maxed-out alarm on the screen.
"He went to fight the Blood Sea."
Chen Jianguo was dumbfounded.
"Why?"
Su Yao said coldly: "Because the Blood Sea has no leverage on him."
Chen Jianguo: "Huh?"
Ye Zhiwei added in a low voice: "Chu Youwei does."
The main control room was silent for half a second.
Chen Jianguo reacted.
Chu Youwei could follow the Karma line between the Foreign Language Tribunal and Old Fengdu to tear down Old Fengdu's home.
She couldn't beat the Ghost Emperor.
But she could ensure the Ghost Emperor wouldn't have a moment of peace for many years.
The Blood Sea was different.
It was just here to watch the show.
It didn't have that Karma line.
No matter how loudly it laughed, it couldn't tear down the Ghost Emperor's home.
So the Ghost Emperor tolerated Chu Youwei.
But not the Blood Sea.
Chen Jianguo's mouth twitched.
"So the logic between King-Ranks is whoever can tear down a home is in the right?"
Executive Jiang Xu: "You can understand it that way."
Chen Jianguo was silent.
He learned another very dangerous world rule today.
In the distant sky.
In the direction of Dahuang Prefecture, the black imperial robe traversed the firmament.
On the other side, a deep red sea area rose.
Two King-Rank auras collided at the border line.
The sky was half grayish-white, half deep red.
The Blood Sea's roar spread across half the continent.
"Ghost Emperor!"
"You were forced to apologize by a little girl just now, and now you're showing off your might to me?"
The Ghost Emperor's voice turned cold.
"She can tear down my home."
The Blood Sea paused.
The Ghost Emperor continued: "You cannot."
Blood Sea: "..."
When these words fell, not even the Linhai main control room spoke anymore.
Chen Jianguo opened his mouth, but couldn't find an angle to refute it.
Absurd.
But it did make sense.
The Ghost Emperor raised his hand.
"So, what right do you have to laugh?"
Boom!
The Underworld judgment scroll pressed into the Blood Sea.
Deep red waves exploded.
The Blood Sea was furious.
"Are you sick!"
The Ghost Emperor didn't respond.
Another palm strike fell.
"Beating you."
Blood Sea: "..."
Linhai No. 2 High School.
Li Hao was dumbfounded listening to it.
"Gu Lang, why do I feel like the Ghost Emperor is quite reasonable?"
Gu Lang: "He is talking about his own logic."
Li Hao nodded.
"That still counts as logic."
Gu Lang glanced at him.
"You'd better not write that in your reflection report."
Li Hao was taken aback.
"Why?"
Gu Lang: "It's easy to make Old Fengdu think you are very suitable for employment."
Li Hao immediately shut his mouth.
Su Yun looked into the distance.
This was the veteran King-Rank.
Fast to strike.
Fast to concede.
Faster to flip the face.
They are not reckless.
Bowing their heads is because they calculated the cost.
Taking action is also because they calculated the benefits.
The Ghost Emperor could apologize to Chu Youwei because if he continued to fight, Old Fengdu would be stabbed through by her along the Karma line.
The Ghost Emperor could also turn around and beat up the Blood Sea because the Blood Sea was foul-mouthed and had no means to make him pay a price.
Those who can make him pay a price can be talked to.
Those who cannot, should shut up.
Su Yun didn't dislike this kind of creature.
The meat should be firm.
In the distance, the Blood Sea surged for a while, then began to retreat.
It didn't want to fight to the death with the Ghost Emperor's main body.
The blood-colored vertical pupil didn't open again, leaving only a suppressed, angry sentence.
"Ghost Emperor, I will remember today's events!"
The Ghost Emperor stood at the border of Dahuang Prefecture.
"Remember it clearly."
Blood Sea sneered: "You just wait."
Ghost Emperor: "Wait for what?"
The Blood Sea paused.
Ghost Emperor: "Wait for you to come back and get beaten up?"
The Blood Sea did not speak again.
The deep red sea area retreated into the spatial rift.
The sky returned to normal.
The Ghost Emperor's main body didn't linger either.
He turned and looked toward Linhai.
That gaze didn't stop on Chu Youwei but swept across the entire city.
Finally, it paused for half a breath at Linhai No. 2 High School.
Su Yun sat in the classroom, looked up, and met his gaze for a moment.
It was very far away.
The Ghost Emperor didn't see anything.
At least not on the surface.
He only saw a high school student who had experienced King-Rank pressure but was still sitting very steadily.
This steadiness was, in itself, abnormal.
But the Ghost Emperor didn't do anything.
He withdrew his gaze.
The Underworld Emperor's shadow retreated to Dahuang Prefecture.
The black judgment scroll disappeared.
The Linhai alarm finally stopped.
Many people only then realized that the clothes on their backs were already soaked.
Senior Year Class 2.
The Homeroom Teacher held the chalk, silent for a long time.
Then she turned around and wrote two words on the blackboard: "Self-study."
After writing them, she turned back.
"No new lesson today."
The whole class was just about to cheer when the Homeroom Teacher added,
"Write a reflection paper."
The whole class: "..."
Li Hao slowly raised his hand.
"Teacher, what is the topic?"
The Homeroom Teacher thought for a moment.
"《On the Impact of Conflicts Between King-Rank Powerhouses on the Learning Mindset of High School Students》."
Li Hao was silent.
"Teacher, don't you think this topic is beyond the syllabus?"
The Homeroom Teacher pushed up her glasses.
"You all witnessed the King-Rank meeting on-site; are you still afraid of the essay being beyond the syllabus?"
Li Hao: "..."
Logical and well-founded, impossible to refute.
He looked at Gu Lang.
"Can you write it?"
Gu Lang: "Yes."
Li Hao's eyes lit up.
"Let me borrow it for reference."
Gu Lang: "My topic is 《On the Impact of Conflicts Between King-Rank Powerhouses on the Stability of High-Risk Strange Talk Sequences》."
Li Hao thought about it.
"Never mind then."
At this moment, black letters appeared in the center of the classroom.
One by one, the letters arranged themselves in the air, forming a door.
Chu Youwei had returned.
Her face was a little pale, but she stood very steadily.
Her black uniform had retracted into a regular school uniform, with a circle of tiny letters remaining on the cuffs.
Those letters clung to the edge of the fabric, remaining silent and still.
Everyone knew clearly that those were not decorations.
They were traces left by King-Rank rules.
As soon as she appeared, the whole class subconsciously sat up straight.
Li Hao instinctively shoved his math workbook into his desk compartment.
Halfway through, he felt it was too spineless, so he took it back out.
Chu Youwei paid no attention to the others.
She walked to Su Yun's desk and opened her hand.
Lying in her palm was that Yin-Yang Spirit Awakening Seed.
On the black seed, golden patterns glowed in circles.
This thing was small, but it could change the fate of an ordinary person.
Saintess Lin Xinglan frowned.
"What are you going to do?"
Chu Youwei looked at Su Yun.
"For you."
Su Yun looked down at it.
"This thing is very expensive, right?"
Chu Youwei nodded.
"That's why I'm giving it to you."
Su Yun: "..."
This logic was very Chu Youwei.
Li Hao, listening from the side, stared blankly.
Expensive. So, for you.
Is this the romantic philosophy of a King-Rank school beauty?
He looked down at the half-used mechanical pencil on his desk.
He suddenly felt that he might never be worthy of dating in this lifetime.
In the Investigation Bureau control room.
Commander Li Zhenshan's communication had not yet ended.
He watched the Yin-Yang Spirit Awakening Seed on the live feed, silent for two seconds.
Chen Jianguo swallowed hard.
"Commander-in-Chief, should we..."
He stopped halfway through his sentence because he knew what Commander Li Zhenshan wanted to say.
Great Xia research team.
Highest-level laboratory.
Full range of tests.
Ninety percent of ordinary people awaken.
Sixty percent of Awakened gain a second ability.
No side effects.
If any results could be researched from this thing, it would be enough to change the national destiny.
Even if only one-tenth of the principles were understood, it could push the Great Xia Awakened system a big step forward.
Commander Li Zhenshan also stared at the seed.
His lips moved, but he didn't say it out loud.
Because on the screen, Chu Youwei had already held the seed to Su Yun's lips.
"Eat it."
Su Yun looked at her.
"Aren't you going to ask for High Command's opinion?"
Chu Youwei: "This is compensation from the Ghost Emperor."
Su Yun: "So?"
Chu Youwei: "It's my item; High Command has no say in who I give it to."
In the control room.
Chen Jianguo looked silently at Commander Li Zhenshan.
Commander Li Zhenshan was expressionless.
"She is right."
Chen Jianguo lowered his voice.
"Commander-in-Chief, does it pain you?"
Commander Li Zhenshan: "It does not."
Chen Jianguo: "Really?"
Commander Li Zhenshan turned off his feed.
"Don't ask."
Chen Jianguo understood.
It wasn't that it didn't pain him; it was that he was afraid of being too obviously pained.
Executive Jiang Xu stared at the screen.
The Yin-Yang Spirit Awakening Seed.
Whatever the Ghost Emperor brought out was definitely real.
The question was, what would happen if this thing fell into Su Yun's hands?
If Su Yun really was The Rancher, this seed was most likely just a joke.
If Su Yun was not The Rancher, what would an ordinary high school student awaken into after eating this?
Either way, it wouldn't be ordinary.
Su Yao stood to the side, her fingers clenched tight.
She wanted to stop him, but she couldn't find a reason.
As his sister, she should hope Su Yun would awaken, at least to have the ability to protect himself.
As a Rebirth practitioner, she was afraid of Su Yun becoming even more uncontrollable.
The monster from her previous life was already terrifying enough.
If he also gained the identity of an Awakened, what would happen?
No one could say for sure.
In the classroom.
Su Yun took the Yin-Yang Spirit Awakening Seed.
Gu Lang immediately stood up.
"Wait!"
Everyone looked at him.
Gu Lang took a breath.
"The origin of this thing is unknown; it's best to test it first."
Chu Youwei looked at him.
"I have tested it."
Gu Lang: "You just ascended to King-Rank; you lack experience."
Chu Youwei narrowed her eyes.
Gu Lang's back went cold, but he still braced himself and continued.
"I'm not questioning you; I'm questioning the Ghost Emperor."
After saying this, he felt it was absurd himself.
An S-Rank investigator questioning the Ghost Emperor in a Senior Year classroom.
Wasn't this work intensity a bit too high?
Saintess Lin Xinglan also spoke up.
"I suggest caution."
She looked at Su Yun, her tone very serious.
"Things sent out by the Ghost Emperor need to be processed before use."
Su Yun looked at the seed in his palm.
He could confirm that there was no problem with this thing.
At least for him, even if it were truly poisonous, it wouldn't matter.
The power structure inside the seed was very clean.
Yin and Yang intertwined.
Awakening the spirit, opening the door.
It was indeed not a pollutant.
The Ghost Emperor hadn't tampered with it here.
The reason was simple: this was compensation for Chu Youwei.
If there really were a problem and Chu Youwei discovered it, she might turn around and continue dismantling Old Fengdu.
The Ghost Emperor didn't like working overtime.
Su Yun thought for a moment and tossed the seed directly into his mouth.
Crunch.
The whole class went quiet.
Gu Lang's outstretched hand froze.
Li Hao's eyes widened.
"Brother Yun, how could you eat it so decisively?"
Su Yun swallowed it.
"You guys talk too slowly."
Li Hao: "..."
This reason was so simple that it was impossible to refute.
The next second.
A soft sound came from inside Su Yun's body.
A certain door had been pushed open.
The chalk dust in the classroom stopped in mid-air.
The leaves outside the window froze.
Sunlight fell in, refracting into transparent patterns in the air.
Saintess Lin Xinglan's expression changed.
Chu Youwei also raised her head.
The Corpse-eating Dog inside Gu Lang had just poked its head out, only to crawl back in immediately.
It crawled back faster than when facing the Ghost Emperor.
Gu Lang's throat went dry.
He felt a pure spatial fluctuation.
It wasn't the crude fluctuation of storage space, nor was it the spiritual energy channel torn open during short-distance teleportation.
This was higher.
Space itself was making way for Su Yun.
Su Yun sat in his seat and raised his hand.
In front of his fingertips, the air refracted into a transparent crack.
The crack was very thin, but all the Awakened could see it.
That was not spiritual energy fluctuation; it was space being pried open.
Arbiter Lei Zhen gasped: "Space-type?"
Arbiter Qin Feng stared at the crack, his voice tight.
"Not just Space-type."
Saintess Lin Xinglan didn't speak.
The Holy Domain had records of Space-type Awakened.
They were very rare.
Each one was treated as a strategic talent by various factions.
But what Su Yun was displaying now was not an ordinary Space-type.
This crack was too stable.
It didn't look like it had just Awakened; it looked more like he had already mastered it for many years and was only opening the door for others to see today.
Gu Lang's throat was dry.
"This intensity..."
In the Investigation Bureau control room.
All instruments went off the charts simultaneously.
The deep red alarm hadn't stopped long ago before a new spiritual energy curve shot upward.
Chen Jianguo looked at the data, his voice changing pitch.
"Semi-King Rank?"
He suspected he had misread it.
A high school student directly at Semi-King Rank spatial authority?
Others crawled up from D-Rank upon Awakening.
Those more impressive could awaken directly at A-Rank or even S-Rank, but there had never been a record of directly Awakening into a Semi-King!
Executive Jiang Xu gripped his dark gold spear.
Ye Zhiwei opened her eyes.
Su Yao stood where she was, her face turning pale bit by bit.
Just Awakened and already at Semi-King Rank.
Isn't this going to heaven?
No.
If Su Yun really was The Rancher, then this might not be an Awakening.
It looked more like issuing a human ID card to a monster.
On the screen.
Su Yun looked down at his hand.
He looked quite fresh, like an ordinary student discovering for the first time that a lighter could ignite.
Then, he casually pinched his fingers.
The trash can at the back of the classroom disappeared from its spot.
The next second.
The trash can appeared above Li Hao's head.
Bang.
It slammed down.
Li Hao, wearing the trash can, was silent for three seconds.
The whole class was also silent for three seconds.
Su Yun looked at him.
Li Hao held the edge of the trash can, his voice trembling.
"Brother Yun."
Su Yun: "Hm?"
Li Hao: "The first skill you Awakened is precision-feeding me?"
Su Yun pondered seriously.
"Maybe it's a friendship binding."
Li Hao: "..."
Gu Lang closed his eyes.
Semi-King Rank spatial authority.
First use.
Target: trash can.
Purpose: slam it on his deskmate's head.
How was he supposed to write this report?
Write that Su Yun's ability was extremely dangerous?
Or write that his state was stable but the usage was absurd?
Chu Youwei looked at Su Yun, her eyes lighting up.
"It succeeded."
She was genuinely happy.
Happier than when she had ascended to King-Rank.
Su Yun had finally Awakened.
Even if it was only on the surface.
Even if it was unreasonably strong.
From this moment on, if anyone said Su Yun was just an ordinary student, no one would believe it.
No.
Perhaps some would still believe it.
Like Li Hao.
Li Hao took off the trash can and looked at Su Yun seriously.
"Brother Yun, can you help me teleport my homework to the teacher's office in the future?"
Su Yun looked at him.
"I can."
Li Hao's eyes lit up.
Su Yun continued: "I can also teleport you there."
Li Hao silently shut his mouth.
Saintess Lin Xinglan didn't speak.
Gu Lang didn't speak either.
Because they both felt it.
The spatial ability Su Yun had just Awakened did not start at A-Rank.
Nor was it S-Rank.
It was Semi-King.
An ordinary student who had just eaten the spirit Awakening seed.
He had leaped directly to Semi-King Rank spatial authority in one step.
The classroom quieted down.
The Homeroom Teacher held the chalk, her expression somewhat dazed.
That morning, she was still thinking about what to do because Su Yun's English was too poor.
Now, she started thinking about whether a Semi-King Rank Space-type Awakened needed to write a reflection paper.
This question was very realistic.
And very dangerous.
Su Yun looked up, observing everyone.
"What's wrong?"
No one answered.
Su Yun thought for a moment and added another sentence.
"I count as an Awakened now, right?"