56: Chapter 56 The Turtle Protecting the Principal

The night at Magic City Martial Arts University was quiet and luxurious.

Especially in the exclusive area for Class A located in the center of the campus, where pavilions and towers stood amidst swirling spiritual energy, and even the streetlights were crafted from expensive fluorite.

At this moment, a black phantom was gliding silently along the base of the wall.

He wore that pale, featureless mask, his movements stiff yet absurdly fast; wherever he passed, even the infrared surveillance cameras only captured a gust of wind.

[Internal Chat Group]

[Kidneys (twitching nose frantically)]:

"Smelled it! Smelled it!"

"It's right ahead! Such rich spiritual water energy!"

"It's not that murky tap water; it's top-tier, sweet, mineral-rich... happy water!"

[stomach (drooling)]:

"I smelled it too!"

"There seem to be living things in the water? It carries a fresh, sweet meaty scent!"

"Is it sashimi? Is it that kind of top-tier sashimi that melts in your mouth?"

[Brain (navigating)]:

"Target locked: Class A exclusive resource point, Jade Clear Spirit Spring."

"According to data, this is pure spirit vein water extracted from 3,000 meters underground, exclusively for Class A students to drink and cultivate with."

"Furthermore, to maintain the water's vitality, thirty rare Golden Scale Spirit Fish are raised inside."

"Attention everyone, it's buffet time. Be fast, look cool."

Moments later.

Jiang You stood before an exquisite white marble pool.

Clouds swirled above the pool, and the water was crystal clear, emitting a faint blue glow.

Dozens of palm-sized, golden little fish were swimming happily in the water, completely unaware that the "Grim Reaper" standing by the pool was drooling over them.

Jiang You didn't waste any words.

He couldn't even be bothered to find a cup.

[Skin (activating full-power osmosis mode)]:

"Pores fully open! Negative pressure engaged!"

"I don't produce water; I'm just a transporter of the spirit spring!"

Jiang You lay directly on the edge of the pool, submerging his entire face and both hands into the water.

"Gurgle—"

There was no swallowing sound of drinking water.

Instead, there was a low rumble like an industrial water pump starting up.

The water level began to drop visibly to the naked eye!

That wasn't just drinking; that was an all-encompassing "whale swallow"!

The Kidneys were like two greedy black holes, frantically extracting the essence from the spirit spring and converting it into pure kidney qi for storage.

"Slurp—"

A Golden Scale Spirit Fish, because the water level dropped too quickly, panicked and jumped out of the water.

It happened to land right by Jiang You's mouth.

[stomach (ecstatic)]:

"Extra meal! Extra meal!"

"This little thing looks delicious!"

"Crunch."

Jiang You closed his eyes, not even looking, his mouth instinctively opening and closing.

That priceless Golden Scale Spirit Fish, which Class A students usually only dared to nurture with spiritual power and never dared to eat, was crushed between his teeth like a crispy snack.

"Texture's not bad, just a bit small."

"Bring me a few more!"

Thus, a terrifying scene unfolded.

The originally ethereal Jade Clear Spirit Spring had now turned into a slaughterhouse.

That faceless monster lay by the pool, frantically draining the water while, like catching loaches, his [Right Hand] shot into the water with lightning speed.

He caught one every time.

He grabbed them and stuffed them straight into his mouth.

"Gulp."

"Crunch."

"Burp~"

In just five minutes.

This supposedly "inexhaustible" spirit spring had completely bottomed out.

Only a few dry pebbles and a thick layer of moss remained at the bottom.

Not a drop of water, not even a single fish fry, was left.

"Burp—"

Jiang You stood up, licking his lips as if still unsatisfied, his face beneath the mask seeming somewhat dissatisfied.

[stomach]:

"I'm full of water, but these little dried fish are too few; they're not even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth."

"I want to eat a main course."

"I want to eat that kind of big, chewy main course!"

[Kidneys]:

"When I was drinking water just now, I sensed it!"

"It's in the northeast direction, about 500 meters away."

"There's an extremely heavy, ancient, and massive life energy!"

"That scent... it's like aged turtle soup!"

[Brain]:

"Target confirmed: Principal's office building backyard."

"A Tier 4 spirit beast, the Profound Water Giant Turtle, is kept there."

"That is Principal Pang's prized possession and the school's guardian spirit beast."

"Danger level: Low. Reward level: Extremely high."

"Plan: While it's sleeping, swipe some souvenirs and run."

"Whoosh—"

The well-fed Faceless Man transformed back into a black shadow and dashed straight toward the Principal's backyard.

Three minutes later.

A leisurely humming broke the silence here.

"Today is truly a happy day for us common folk."

The night patrol security captain, Old Zhang, carrying a police baton and with a thermos flask hanging from his waist, walked over with a swagger.

As a veteran security guard at Magic City Martial Arts University, Old Zhang loved patrolling the Class A area most.

Not only because the scenery was nice, but also because the spiritual energy emitted from that spirit pool would let him live two seconds longer with just one breath.

"Hehe, let's go to the spirit pool to breathe in some immortal energy and check if those Golden Scale Spirit Fish have gotten fatter."

Old Zhang thought happily, unscrewing his flashlight and habitually shining it into the pool.

"..."

The singing stopped abruptly.

Old Zhang's footsteps froze in mid-air.

He rubbed his eyes.

Rubbed them again.

Then he pinched his thigh hard.

"Hiss! Ouch!"

It wasn't a dream.

But the shimmering, ethereal Jade Clear Spirit Pool that should have been before him... was gone.

In its place was a pitch-black, dried-up large dirt pit, where even the mud had been scraped away as if it had been polished.

Forget spirit water.

Not even a trace of water vapor was left!

"Water... where's the water?"

Old Zhang walked tremblingly to the edge of the pit and shone his flashlight at the bottom.

"Where are the fish?"

"Where are those thirty... registered, more precious than my own son, Golden Scale Spirit Fish?"

Old Zhang felt the world spinning; his high blood pressure was about to flare up.

Was this a thief?

This was a drought demon, right?!

Even if you used a water pump, it wouldn't be this clean! Not even a water stain was left!

Just then.

The flashlight beam swept across the white marble railing nearby.

There were a few lines of freshly carved text there, still shedding stone dust.

[Portion too small, didn't fill me up.]

"Pfft—!!"

Old Zhang almost spat a mouthful of old blood onto the railing.

He clutched his chest, his eyes nearly popping out.

"Portion too small???"

"Didn't fill you up???"

"Did this bastard treat our school's resource point like a buffet restaurant?"

Old Zhang tremblingly picked up his walkie-talkie, his voice filled with a crying tone and the despair of a collapsing worldview:

"Com... Command Center..."

"Something big happened..."

"Class A spirit pool... is gone."

"Yes, it's just gone, gone in a physical sense."

"The culprit... the culprit is a big eater! He complained our school didn't fill him up!"

Suddenly, Old Zhang realized something.

Didn't fill him up?

Doesn't that mean... this guy is going to eat the next meal?

He subconsciously looked in the direction of the footprints that hadn't completely dissipated yet.

That is...

"No!!!"

Old Zhang let out a heart-wrenching scream:

"That's the Principal's backyard!"

"That's where the Profound Water Giant Turtle lives!"

"That's the real main course!"

"Quick! Sound the alarm!"

"Protect the Principal's... turtle!!!"

At this moment.

In a quiet lotus pond behind the Principal's office building.

A huge turtle with a diameter of one meter was fast asleep on a rockery.

Its dark green shell was covered in natural, mysterious runes, exuding a heart-palpitating pressure.

This was a Tier 4 spirit beast, its defense comparable to a tank; even a Tier 4 Martial Artist would have a hard time breaking through its defense.

However, tonight.

Its nightmare had arrived.