Chapter 16: Greedy for Wealth
Saint Grade talent, if not unique in the world, is certainly rare. Such talent in anyone else would have had them showing off by now, but this "unregistered" individual remained completely quiet, their expression just like everyone else's, with nothing special to show...
This level of willingness to stay low-key was admirable.
But... being too low-key isn't necessarily a good thing! Such a genius needs to be found and given special training. How can they cultivate them if they can’t find them?
After searching for a while without success, Wu Yunzhou couldn’t help but say, "Dean, this person has such good character and is so humble. If we don't find them today and they don't come back tomorrow, the academy will lose a true super genius!"
"That's exactly what I'm worried about!" Lu Mingrong nodded.
Despite their incredible talent, none of the teachers had ever heard of them, and they weren't even selected in the top three thousand names... How much must one avoid the spotlight to achieve that?
This kind of unassuming attitude was something even he admired.
"Dean, I have an idea, but I don't know if it's appropriate to say," Second Elder Wu Liuyun interjected.
Wu Liuyun suggested, "Regardless of whether this genius was inside or outside the venue earlier, as long as they weren’t one of our previous students, we can find out who they are by having everyone go through the Source Pool Mountain."
"Right!" Wu Yunzhou's eyes lit up. "Source Pool Mountain can test the stability of the Source Pool. Since this person could absorb tens of thousands of strands of Heaven's Fate Energy, their Source Pool must be incredibly strong. Once they step in, it will definitely cause a phenomenon..."
Source Pool Mountain was a device used in the academy to test the stability of the Source Pool. Once a Source Warrior stepped in, it would emit bright light in different colors, indicating various levels of stability.
Normally, it displayed red, yellow, or green lights.
Red indicated a stable Source Pool, yellow semi-stable, and green the weakest. If no light was emitted, it meant the Source Pool hadn’t been opened.
"Let's do that! Let's see how they stay low-key now!" Lu Mingrong laughed heartily.
He disliked ostentatious students, but being too low-key was also problematic.
"I'll make the announcement!" With the dean’s approval, Wu Yunzhou didn't hesitate. He looked around and his loud voice echoed through the area, "Everyone, the academy has decided to add an assessment at Source Pool Mountain. Each of you must take the test, so please follow the teachers' guidance and don't panic..."
"Source Pool Mountain?"
"Don't we usually take this test after absorbing Heaven's Fate Energy and stabilizing our Source Pools? Why are we doing it now?"
Normally, this assessment was done after absorbing Heaven's Fate Energy to stabilize the Source Pool. This sudden test felt like starting exams before even beginning classes.
Everyone was puzzled, including Mo Yanxue, who was now with Yu Xiaoyu, Yu Feng, Zhang Xuan, and the others. They all looked at each other, not knowing what the academy was planning.
"I heard someone say that a super genius appeared. Walking through Source Pool Mountain might be their way to identify that person," Yu Feng, who was well-informed, explained.
"A super genius?" Mo Yanxue's frown relaxed. "That makes sense. No wonder the dean said he would take a personal disciple. It must be for this person."
"I wish I could be the genius noticed by the dean..." Yu Xiaoyu nodded, her eyes full of longing. Then she noticed the groom nearby, "Zhang Xuan, why are you here by the stage too? Do you also want to cultivate?"
"I do want to cultivate, but I don't have any techniques..." Zhang Xuan replied, feeling embarrassed.
As a renowned teacher, always regarded as a top genius, he now couldn't even locate his Source Pool. It was quite humbling...
"Never cultivated even once?"
Yu Xiaoyu finally realized what was happening and turned to Mo Yanxue, "Xue'er, you're being too stingy! As I said before... just give him to me, and I'll teach him!"
"No need, he’s my servant, and I’ll handle it myself!" Mo Yanxue shook her head, taking out a book from her bosom and handing it over, "This is our Mo family’s 'Hongshan Source Pool Method.' It’s your reward from the competition with Liu Mingyue. You can start studying it, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask."
"Uh... what about the 100 source coins?" Zhang Xuan looked conflicted.
Although he really wanted the cultivation method, the money was also very important!
Seeing that he was still hung up on the money at this point, Mo Yanxue frowned, "You have to choose: the cultivation method or the source coins!"
"Miss, can I take a look at the manual first before deciding? Don’t worry, I won’t open the book."
After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Xuan asked.
"Alright." Mo Yanxue didn’t mind, since she had intended to give him the book anyway.
Zhang Xuan took the book, and as soon as his fingers touched it, he called out silently in his heart, "Defects!"
Boom!
The Library of Heaven’s Path lit up, alternating between light and dark. The ability to identify defects activated, and the book, infused with Heaven's Fate Energy, changed its text on the surface, revealing five large characters on the page: 'Hongshan Source Pool Method!'
"It's replacing the book instead of generating a new one..." Zhang Xuan suddenly understood.
Previously, the Library of Heaven’s Path would generate an identical copy of any book it touched, marking its defects. Now, it required a book infused with Heaven's Fate Energy to replace.
It seemed that the library, although activated, was still very weak.
Without dwelling on it, Zhang Xuan's eyes showed reluctance, but he ultimately shook his head and handed the manual back, "Miss, I've thought it over. I’ll take the 100 source coins instead."
"Once you can cultivate and become a Source Warrior, earning 100 source coins will be easy..." Yu Xiaoyu couldn't help but say.
"I’ve made my decision..." Zhang Xuan clasped his hands in a bow.
"Miss this opportunity, and I won’t give you a second chance!" Mo Yanxue’s eyes were cold.
"Understood!" Zhang Xuan nodded.
"Hmph!" Not wanting to say more, Mo Yanxue took out 100 source coins and threw them over.
She had thought he was motivated and eager to learn, but it turned out he was just greedy for money. Her initial good impression of him vanished instantly.
"Thank you, Miss!" Zhang Xuan said with a joyful expression.
The book had already been copied by the Library of Heaven's Path, so asking for it again was pointless. The money was more practical!
"Actually, his choice is the most sensible..." Seeing the confusion on his sister and Miss Mo's faces, Yu Feng explained, "Brother Zhang is over twenty years old. His meridians are set, and even if he finds his Source Pool, who knows how long it will take to develop it? Plus, the resources needed... given his status, who knows how long it would take to gather them? Instead of betting on something uncertain, it’s better to take what he needs immediately!"
"That makes sense!" Yu Xiaoyu realized.
Mo Yanxue frowned but didn't say anything.
That reasoning was indeed sound.
At an older age, the potential is much lower. Whether he could develop his Source Pool in his lifetime was uncertain. Though he lacked ambition, he at least had self-awareness.
"Let’s go to Source Pool Mountain to test and see who this genius that the dean is so interested in really is..."
Not dwelling on it any longer, Mo Yanxue began walking forward.