[You are mistaken, my friend. Those are not improvements.]
Hudson added-
[Previously, these children were not properly nurtured. They were led in the path of Wizardry with the spells alone. That greatly shunted their innate ability to recognise Mana as the true source of power.
Now that they have all been savouring Mana for the past week, their bodies have found delicacy in the resonating signature of energy.
Thus it becomes easy for them to accumulate Mana in their empty bodies. Their physique clearly yearns for more and more Mana to fill in the gaps of all these years.]
[So it is the gluttony of a hungry monkey, eh?]
[In a way.]
Lee chuckled on the inside after hearing how D comprehended the situation. Not that he was wrong or insulting, but was right and precise to the point.
Glancing at the 9 students still absorbing Mana, Lee Shen could tell that all of them will reach the saturation point in an hour or two. But he wanted the students to rest plenty so that they are not sluggish for tomorrow's events.
'Gradually decrease the output and bring it to zero.'
At his command, the Mana outpouring from his being began to slow down. It reached a point where the aura was literally non-existent.
The students felt this change and opened their eyes. They could see the four students who broke through to the Official Level Mastery sitting next to the professor. With confusion and frown decorated their faces, all 13 students peered at Lee Shen.
"We can stop here. The time for sleep has arrived."
Lee Shen spoke as he stood up and walked to the tent entrance. He pulled the veil and the pitch-black sky was visible to the students. The darkness outside the tent was bizarre and strangely hostile.
Lee quickly let go of the cover and it returned to its place. Turning around, he walked to his bed and sat on it. After placing his rear firmly on the fluffy bedding, he skimmed through the faces of the students.
"Tomorrow marks your first field experience day and also the first Ruin Expedition of the academy in decades. We will represent the academy and shall act as its task force. Thus it is necessary to have a good night sleep.
Those who have broken through to the Official Mastery level should keep your power in check and prevent it from going haywire. Those who are at the verge of breaking through can take it slow. No need to hurry.
There is no need to be cautious. Be at ease as this tent is sturdy and can withstand some serious damage without any troubles.
Now, go to sleep."
The students nodded at Lee Shen's words. Their faces were brimming with energy. Within a minute, 7 of them have fallen asleep. The rest were hushedly talking about their experiences and opinions. Within another five minutes, the inside of the tent became silent.
Lee Shen decreased the brightness of the tent and the insides began to lose lustre. Soon it came to a state where the outlines of other people were vaguely visible.
'Good night fellows.'
---------
*ding*
=====
6 AM.
5,976,500 Essence harvested.
=====
The notification bell was gentle and did not jolt Lee Shen from his bed. The receding echo reverberated in his head and almost reached the threshold of irritation.
[Wake up boy. You've been sleeping for 8 hours.]
'Well, it only felt like a blink of an eye.'
Lee opened his eyes wide and sat up on his futon. It was uncomparably soft and cozy that he did not knew when he fell asleep. And as he had guessed, the students were still in deep slumber.
'D, did you enchant these futons when I wasn't looking?'
[With a very few amount of Serenity element.]
'Thought so.'
Lee had a plain smile on his face as he stretched his limbs. He almost yawned out loud but quickly covered his mouth with his hands. The yawn was so intense that his eyes began to well up.
'Did I really sleep at all? I am yawning like crazy.'
[Maybe you slept more than your body needed. Human body tend to go weak if slept more than it needs.]
Lee nodded as he wiped his welled up eyes. Then he turned his head and looked around him.
The students had not woken up. They did not even move an inch as they were deep in their slumber. Lee spreaded his sense across the tent and he found no fluctuations of thoughts.
The tent did not had any windows but Lee Shen observed the outside through the Map. He could see the relatively brighter surroundings as the daylight crawled forth from the horizon.
'The Ruin barrier status.'
[Intact. I don't think that it will open up any time soon.]
'An estimate.'
[By 12 midday, I assume.]
Lee Shen nodded in return and focused on the Map. Through the hologram, Lee could see numerous tents and temporary settlements setup around the Ruin entrance.
The expedition party and reinforcements from the Typhoon Clan, Iron Shadow Sect and Long Sect had already established their presence around the Ruin. Even rogue cultivators from the Guild have also assembled with their private parties. The silent hostility in the air was evident and Lee Shen felt that he indeed did a good thing not taking the students to the Ruin vicinity.
What the Ruin held was a mystery to all but not for Lee Shen. Using the Map function, he scouted the entire Ruin complex to its nook and corner. The entire underground labyrinth spanning for miles and miles were clearly visible to him.
'D, Hudson, what do think of this Ruin?'
Hudson, in the System Space, rubbed his chin with a frowned face.
[I don't think this is a Ruin.]
The answer was unexpected and revealed that there are mysteries hiding beneath the ground.
D sounded his agreement with Hudson's words and spoke-
[A Ruin is actually a Ruin when something prehistoric is left buried or forsaken. But this is a Lureland.]