Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Sorry, We’ve Already Absorbed the Spiritual Crystal
Zhao Qingtian’s lip twitched, and he laughed in exasperation. "Fine, fine, fine, then tell me! How did you and your First-Grade Early Stage mosquito ’casually’ kill a Second-Grade Middle Stage Demon Beast? Go on, say it! I refuse to believe you!"
"The way I see it, you must have just gotten lucky and stumbled upon the corpses of two Second-Grade Middle Stage Demon Beasts in the Secret Realm! How else can you explain it?!"
He didn’t care about the score anymore.
’So what if your score is higher than mine? You just got lucky!’
’My Contracted Beast’s realm! My Mental Power! I’m stronger than you in every single way! You can’t rely on luck forever, can you?’
The surrounding students all nodded, agreeing that Zhao Qingtian had a point.
This Flower Vase Beauty’s luck was just absurdly good. It was one thing to have a Contracted Beast with heaven-defying Spiritual Wisdom, but now she’d even taken first place through sheer luck!
It was enough to make one burn with jealousy...
However, Zhou Kai, Li Yueyao, and the various officials, including Lin Zhennan and Zhang Chengye, all frowned. They had a feeling things weren’t that simple.
’If it was just good luck, why would those proud and arrogant Array Masters be so terrified of her?’
Gu Yuexi glanced at Zhao Qingtian, a faint, barely-there smile playing on her lips. "You’re right. My luck is indeed very good."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the few Array Masters who were still trembling. "Not only did I stumble upon the corpse of a Second-Grade Middle Stage Demon Beast, but I was also fortunate enough to snatch a Spiritual Crystal from these Mages."
The Array Masters: "..."
’For crying out loud, lady! Are you trying to rub salt in our wounds?!’
The surrounding examinees, however, were mostly dumbfounded when they heard this.
"A Spiritual Crystal? What’s that?"
"I’ve never heard of it. Is it some kind of Heavenly and Earthly Treasure?"
While the ordinary students were clueless, the expressions of Zhao Qingtian, Li Yueyao, and Zhou Kai—three top students from extraordinary backgrounds—all changed the moment they heard the two words "Spiritual Crystal."
’She... has to be making that up, right?’
’How could something like that possibly appear in a Newbie Secret Realm?’
On the main platform, a middle-aged man in a white robe, a faint radiance swirling between his eyebrows, suddenly shot to his feet and cried out in shock, "A Spiritual Crystal?!"
He stared intently at Gu Yuexi as his immense Mental Power swept over her without holding back.
The next second, his expression became incredibly agitated, and he slapped his thigh. "It really is the aura of a Spiritual Crystal!"
"No wonder! No wonder I sensed an extremely pure form of Spiritual Energy from her earlier! I thought my senses were playing tricks on me!"
This was the vice-chairman of the Provincial Psychic Association, a Seventh-Grade Spiritual Mind Master.
His words instantly made the expressions of the leaders on the main platform change drastically.
"There’s really a Spiritual Crystal?"
"Holy shit! A Spiritual Crystal! Isn’t that a Celestial Tier Ultimate Treasure that can only possibly form in a Calamity Level Secret Realm?"
"Yeah! How could something like that appear in a Newbie Secret Realm?!"
"Chairman Wang, are you sure it’s a Spiritual Crystal?" Zhang Chengye’s expression changed as he asked hurriedly.
"I’m absolutely certain! My Perception is never wrong!" Chairman Wang stated, his tone firm as steel.
Noticing the bewildered looks from many in the crowd, he took it upon himself to explain, "Some of you here don’t cultivate Mental Power, so you may not be aware!"
"A Spiritual Crystal is a supreme treasure capable of allowing a Spiritual System Cultivator to be completely reborn!"
"Not only can it drastically increase one’s Mental Power, but more importantly, it can purify their Spiritual Origin and raise the upper limit of their innate spiritual talent!"
"It’s no exaggeration to say that a single Spiritual Crystal is enough to create a future King-level Powerhouse! Such a divine item typically only has a sliver of a chance of forming in the depths of a Calamity Level Secret Realm!"
HISS—!
Everyone in the entire square, from the leaders on the platform to the students below, let out a collective, sharp gasp of astonishment.
Create a King-level Powerhouse?!
’Holy shit!’
A King-level Powerhouse... What did that even mean? It meant an existence that could preside over an entire province, looking down upon all living beings like a god!
In all of Sui Ming Province, there were only a handful of publicly known King-level Powerhouses!
A tiny Crystal Stone possessed such a heaven-defying effect?
The leaders could no longer sit still. They whispered amongst themselves in a flurry of discussion, their gazes toward Gu Yuexi now filled with shock, greed, and fervor!
Chairman Wang couldn’t restrain himself any longer and was the first to stand up.
With utmost gravity, he said, "Student Gu Yuexi! A treasure like the Spiritual Crystal is a national-level strategic resource! It is by no means something an ordinary student like you should possess!"
"I advise you, for the sake of Great Xia, and to prevent you from inviting disaster upon yourself by possessing a treasure you cannot protect, I hope that you will hand it over voluntarily!"
"The Spiritual Mind Master Association, and indeed the entire Federation, will ensure you are handsomely compensated!"
The principal and dean at his side exchanged a look, instantly understanding the unspoken signal.
They quickly stood up to chime in, "Chairman Wang is right! Innocence is no protection when you possess a priceless treasure!"
"Student Gu Yuexi, as a First-Grade Martial Artist, you have no way of protecting such an ultimate treasure! Handing it over is the smartest and wisest choice!"
Leaders from other departments also began chiming in, their words a mixture of high-sounding moral blackmail, thinly-veiled threats, and empty promises.
Although Zhang Chengye and Lin Zhennan remained silent, they inwardly shook their heads.
’This girl is still just a student, after all. A bit too naive.’
’Now that a treasure of this caliber has been revealed in public, there’s no way it can remain her personal property.’
’What comes next is just a formality: have her ’voluntarily’ surrender it, issue a certificate of honor, and give her some token prize money... What a waste of a monumental opportunity.’
Zhao Qingtian, Zhou Kai, and Li Yueyao stared at Gu Yuexi as if she were a complete idiot.
’Is... is she out of her mind?’
’Who gets a treasure like this and doesn’t keep it a secret? She actually dared to announce it in public? What an absolute moron.’
Yet, in the face of everyone’s stares and the immense pressure, Gu Yuexi’s expression remained as serene as a calm lake.
She simply spoke, her calm voice carrying clearly across the entire square:
"I’m sorry, everyone."
"I’ve already refined and absorbed the Spiritual Crystal."
BOOM—!
The instant she finished speaking, a surge of Mental Power—far stronger, purer, and more immense than Zhao Qingtian’s had been—erupted from within her!
The spiritual pressure washed over the area like an invisible tidal wave, sweeping madly in all directions!
Second-Grade Middle Stage!
And at the very peak of the Second-Grade Middle Stage! She was just one step away from breaking through to the Second-Grade Late Stage!
Her Spiritual Realm had reached a terrifying level, one that left all her peers hopelessly behind!
"..."
The entire square once again fell into a dead silence.
The expressions on the faces of the principal and dean, who had just been speaking so righteously, instantly froze.
The other leaders who had been trying to persuade and pressure her all stood with their mouths agape, utterly speechless.