CHAPTER 240: CHAPTER 181 CRITICAL HIT!!! SUPREME MYSTERIOUS DIRECTIVE! (5000 WORDS)_3

This is just the fringe area. The real Holy Academy lies beyond this curtain of Spiritual Energy!"

"So this is the Spiritual Energy Curtain!" Li Zuoyue’s eyes lit up with excitement.

Ji Zidian’s small face also flushed. "I’ve heard that behind this Spiritual Energy Curtain, the density and purity of spiritual energy far surpasses the outside. Newcomers might even find it difficult to move due to the difference in Spiritual Pressure!"

"Difficult to move?" Luo Hongyi sneered. "You think too highly of yourselves. If you manage not to collapse the moment you go in, you’ll have saved me some face!"

Hearing this, Xiang Tiange, Li Zuoyue, Huang Yunchong, and the others fell silent.

Luo Hongyi stepped into the curtain and disappeared from sight. Guan Shanyue and the others followed closely behind.

Finally, with them gone, Huang Yunchong’s bravado returned. He began to bluster, "Hey, who does that old hag think she is, looking down on us? So she was born in the Holy Realm, what’s so great about that? If I were born here, I’d be stronger than her!"

Li Zuoyue’s face was filled with indignation. "Exactly! I am the top disciple of the Sword Sect, born with a Sword Bone. What can mere Spiritual Pressure do to me?"

[Ding!]

[Bragging detected nearby. Congratulations to the Host for gaining Mana +99!]

Huang Yunchong cursed, "Junior Brother Wang Xiu, don’t hold me back! I’m going in there to have words with her!"

[Ding!]

[Bragging detected nearby. Congratulations to the Host for gaining Mana +99!]

Wang Xiu glanced at the several-body-lengths of distance between himself and Huang Yunchong. He paused for a moment before quickly closing the gap. "Whoa there, Senior Brother Huang, calm down. A gentleman doesn’t fight with a woman. Let’s spare her this once!"

Li Zuoyue was easily persuaded, huffing, "It’s only because you’re holding me back, Junior Brother Wang Xiu. Otherwise, I’d have already unleashed my twenty-four swords and riddled her with forty-eight holes!"

[Ding!]

[Bragging detected nearby. Congratulations to the Host for gaining Mana +99!]

Wang Xiu took out a stick of nether incense, lit it, and fanned the smoldering tip. "Senior Brother Li is truly magnanimous. Here... take a sniff, cool your head!"

Ji Zidian was speechless.

Mo Wuwei said nothing.

Jiang Ling’er’s eyes sparkled. Senior Brother is always so gentle, so doting on everyone~

Meanwhile, Xiang Tiange’s face was dark as he stood in silence.

On the other side of the curtain, Guan Shanyue glanced tentatively at Luo Hongyi. "Big Sister... they’re probably just joking around!"

Luo Hongyi’s face was like frost. She remained silent.

Guan Shanyue groaned inwardly. For crying out loud, people... If you’re going to talk trash, can’t you do it from farther away? We’re just separated by a thin curtain! And the damned thing isn’t even soundproof! This is going to be the death of me!

...

After Huang Yunchong and the others finished venting their frustrations, they felt refreshed and walked toward the curtain.

In the middle of the group, Wang Xiu observed the approaching curtain and stealthily activated his [Supreme Sensing Chapter]!

In an instant, a sense of total perception filled Wang Xiu’s mind. He could clearly capture the slightest change in the surrounding Spiritual Energy, even accurately determining its movement and flow from moment to moment. Even the most subtle circulation of the worldly elements was as clear as day to him!

He focused on the curtain, sensing it secretly. The Spiritual Energy density is incredibly high, and its purity is far beyond the outside world. With my previous strength, I might have lasted about ten breaths...

He mulled it over, deciding on his plan. I’ll pretend to hold on for five or six breaths after I go in, then collapse with everyone else. That should be about right. It won’t draw too much attention. It’s better to keep a low profile when you’re the new guy. Yep, that’s the plan!

HUM!

With that thought, he stepped through the energy curtain.

Before he could even get a clear look at his surroundings, a chorus of "Oof!," "Agh!," and "Aaaah!" erupted around him.

Every single Sanqing disciple around him had collapsed without exception. Only Ji Zidian remained, propping herself up with her sword, but she too crumpled to the ground a moment later.

Looking around, Wang Xiu was the only one still standing.

From a distance, Guan Shanyue and the other disciples from the Holy Academy’s Sanqing branch watched the newcomers fall, not a hint of surprise in their eyes. But when they saw the still-standing Wang Xiu, their expressions morphed into ones of utter shock, as if they were seeing a ghost.

Nearby, the sneer on Luo Hongyi’s face froze.

They had lived in the Holy Academy’s Secret Realm since childhood and knew just how vast the difference in Spiritual Pressure was compared to the outside world. For an ordinary Cultivator—no matter how strong their physique, how high their Cultivation Level, or how great their talent—the immense pressure created by the disparity in Spiritual Energy density and purity was unbearable for a first-timer.

At most, those with greater talent could adapt more quickly. Their process of absorbing and converting the local Spiritual Energy to improve their mana quality would simply be much shorter.

Unless the quality and purity of your mana was on par with, or even surpassed, that of the Spiritual Energy in the Holy Academy’s world!

To reach such a state, one would have had to grow up in this environment. Otherwise, it was nearly impossible for anyone beneath the Nascent Soul realm.

But what was going on with Wang Xiu? Judging by his expression, aside from a bit of surprise, there was no sign of struggle. It was as if the immense pressure here didn’t exist for him at all!

...

I was careless! Wang Xiu groaned inwardly. I didn’t expect Li Zuoyue and the others to collapse so quickly! But on second thought, it makes sense. After all, my mana’s strength and quality have been boosted by the System many times, far exceeding others at my level. Even without the [Supreme Mysterious Directive], I could last much longer here than any of them!

He glanced at the strange looks he was receiving and couldn’t help but cough twice.

Then, with a dramatic "Oof!" he flopped to the ground, conveniently landing right on top of Ji Zidian. "Wow, the pressure here is intense!"

The young girl’s body instantly went rigid, her face flushing crimson.

Luo Hongyi was speechless.

Guan Shanyue was speechless.

Everyone was speechless.

Could you *be* any more obvious with your acting?!

Luo Hongyi stared intently at Wang Xiu, her eyes gleaming. Her curiosity about him had reached its absolute peak!

"You, come here!"