Chapter 501: Chapter 48: Shocking Upheaval at Canglan Lake (Part 3)

The instructors came down from the mountain peaks without any hesitation, diving directly into the lake to pull the students absorbing Canglan energy out of the water.

This sudden change left many students baffled; they had never encountered such a situation before.

Within just over ten breaths, these instructors returned to the shore, each carrying a student.

"Are there any students still not up?"

"Li Yuan and Lin Chen are missing."

This statement caused the instructors present to immediately shift to a grave demeanor.

Poof!

But at that moment, near the central area of the lake, a figure appeared. Liu Ru was carrying an unconscious Li Yuan back to the shore.

"Li Yuan fainted in the water, almost got sucked into Canglan Creek. If we were a bit later, the consequences would be unimaginable."

Liu Ru let out a long sigh of relief after reaching the shore, but as he noticed the serious expressions on the other instructors’ faces, he seemed to have realized something. Scanning around, without finding the figure, his heart skipped a beat.

"Lin Chen... didn’t make it to the shore?"

Three breaths later!

A bell rang from the Canglan Mountains, and several elderly figures quickly rushed towards Canglan Lake.

...

...

At Canglan Lake’s edge, all the students’ figures had disappeared, leaving only a few vice-deans standing there.

Moments later, Hua Qianwu emerged from the lake’s center, his expression extremely grim.

"The Canglan Creek has closed, but Lin Chen was sucked into it."

Upon hearing this, although they had some speculations, the expressions of the other vice-deans turned even darker.

This was the outcome they least wanted to see.

Before the dean went down, they still had a sliver of hope that Lin Chen might have fainted due to the violent Canglan energy, and maybe he was still in the lake.

"Dean, the Canglan Creek appears only once every thirty years. The last appearance was five years ago. Why did it appear again so soon this time?"

One vice-dean, with pondering eyes, knew that the Canglan energy in Canglan Lake came from Canglan Creek in the lake’s center.

The lake’s bottom is usually sealed, with Canglan energy seeping through the rock crevices at the bottom. On high tide days, more Canglan energy merely overflows.

Canglan Lake is like a volcano, and the Canglan energy is like magma.

The magma is sealed deep under the lake, constantly rushing upwards, and a major eruption occurs every thirty years, breaking through the lake bottom to form a massive rift similar to a mountain creek.

Once the Canglan Creek is formed, a lot of Canglan energy not only erupts, but during the ebb and flow, everything in the lake is also pulled towards the Canglan Creek.

The Canglan Martial Arts Academy has existed for hundreds of years and is well aware of the pattern of the Canglan Creek beneath the lake; a major eruption every thirty years without deviation.

This time is evidently different.

"Issue the order, Canglan Martial Arts Academy is to enter first-tier alert status!"

With an extremely gloomy expression, Hua Qianwu looked at the vice-deans and issued an order immediately.

"Dean?"

"Senior Brother Hua?"

The vice-deans’ eyes shone brightly upon hearing Hua Qianwu’s order, as if they had thought of something.

"Activate the Yard Protection Array!"

"Yes!"

All the vice-deans responded immediately, their figures quickly vanishing from the spot.

Hua Qianwu glanced at the surface of Canglan Lake, said nothing, but exuded endless killing intent as he turned to leave.

...

...

Time reversed!

At the lake bottom, while absorbing and refining the Canglan energy, Lin Chen suddenly felt a terrifying suction pulling him towards the lake’s center.

Yesterday, he also sensed the suction, but it was far less terrifying than it is now. Even if he resisted with all his might, his body was still drawn towards the center of the lake.

If it were just a matter of being pulled, that would be one thing, but what alarmed Lin Chen was that the closer he got to the center, the more terrifying the Canglan energy became. Eventually, it was almost tangible, without needing any effort to absorb; the Canglan energy poured into his body on its own.

In just a few breaths, it filled his entire body, even covering the Golden Man in his dantian.

"Canglan Lake has changed!"

If Canglan Lake were to surge, the suction would be this terrifying. Senior Brother Li or Qu Feng would certainly warn him, and the dean would also brief him, but neither the dean nor Senior Brother Li mentioned any danger regarding Canglan Lake.

But now the Canglan energy, if it were Qu Feng instead, would probably have already fainted and then been sucked into the lake’s center by this terrifying suction.

There’s only one possible explanation for the current situation: some anomaly has occurred in Canglan Lake.

And just as Lin Chen figured this out, the suction force quickly drew him forward, while more and more Canglan energy surged in, causing his consciousness to become increasingly blurred.

The Canglan energy was starting to destroy his Spirit Platform.

Without any hesitation, Lin Chen took out the Jade Pendant that Murong Yan had given him from his chest and pressed it against his chest; he had to protect his Spirit Platform and Divine Soul.

Looking inward at the Jade Pendant in his Spirit Platform, the explosive feeling in his head eased, but before Lin Chen could heave a sigh of relief, a graceful figure appeared to him.

...

...

Yan Kingdom.

The Princess’s Manor.

"Princess, aren’t you going? Today, Young Master Wei, ranked first on the Earth List, and many other martial path talents will attend."

"Not going."

Murong Yan waved it off. In the past, she would definitely attend such a banquet hosted by her aunt.

As a daughter of the Great Yan Royal Family, she would either marry into another kingdom’s royalty or to a celestial pride of another kingdom.

Her aunt hosting a talent feast was a chance for them to choose their future husbands.

Those invited to the banquet meet the qualifications, and if someone stands out at the banquet, it’s naturally much better than being later betrothed by her father.

"Just tell my aunt that I’m feeling a bit unwell."

The maid nodded, sensing that since her mistress returned from Liang, she seemed to have changed entirely.

Previously, the princess would have them gather information on martial path talents from other countries, but now the princess seemed uninterested in these matters.

Seeing the confusion in her maid’s eyes, Murong Yan knew what her maid was curious about, but she wouldn’t explain, and the only one who knew the reason, Aunt Qin, wouldn’t reveal anything either. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Moreover, it’s not that she hadn’t gathered information on celestial prides from other nations; she was just focused on one person.

Remembering a certain someone, a touch of wistfulness also surfaced in Murong Yan’s eyes.

It’s been three months, and there hasn’t been a single letter from him.

While the wistfulness in Murong Yan’s eyes had not yet dissipated, a flush suddenly spread across her delicate face.

"I need to rest now."

Murong Yan couldn’t care about anything else, grabbing her elegant long gown and hurriedly heading to her palace chambers.

"Could the princess truly be unwell?"

Seeing the blush on her mistress’s face, the maid muttered softly. Just as she turned, a figure blocked her path.

"Lord Su."

Su Qin looked at the maid with a composed expression, "The princess is unwell, go report to the Eldest Princess’s manor."

"If the Eldest Princess inquires, just say that the princess encountered some issues with her cultivation technique, but I have resolved them, and she just needs a few days of rest."

"Understood, my lady."

Watching the maid leave, Su Qin turned her gaze towards the direction of the palace chambers, her eyes filled with complexity.

Even now, she didn’t know if the princess’s decision was right, but now that she and the princess were on the same boat, she could only cover for the princess.