Chapter 156: Do You Have What It Takes?

Boom!

A dazzling and brilliant light suddenly burst forth from Li Jiansan's body.

At this moment, even the void seemed to tremble violently.

The intense radiance of Li Jiansan illuminated the entire heaven and earth, and even the sun in the sky dimmed in comparison.

At this moment, across the heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon lost their luster!

"Hoo hoo hoo..."

Meanwhile, the surrounding heaven and earth vital energy converged into Li Jiansan's body like a series of storms.

It seemed as if all the vital energy of the entire Lost Forest was gathering around Li Jiansan as the center.

For a time, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within the Lost Forest—

Even some birds and beasts were affected, gradually growing weak and on the verge of death...

In an instant, the vital energy of heaven and earth within the Lost Forest fell into a state of chaos.

As for Li Jiansan, this massive surge of vital energy instantly poured into his body, and under the violent power of the purple flame, it rapidly transformed into wisps of pure spiritual energy, which then integrated into his limbs and skeletal bones.

Relying on this vast energy, earth-shaking changes took place within Li Jiansan's body, and his astonishing aura surged forth like rolling thunder!

Instantly, his cultivation realm skyrocketed at a breathtaking speed!

It was not until he reached the peak of the fourth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage that the aura around Li Jiansan slowly calmed down.

The fourth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage!

And this was still the result of Li Jiansan suppressing his aura; if he had allowed this momentum to surge unchecked, he could have even broken through directly to the Profound Realm in one go!

However, what Li Jiansan needed was formidable combat power, not merely an advanced cultivation realm.

Suppressing his realm now was intended to better temper and refine his true strength.

"Let's test this current strength."

Li Jiansan felt extremely exhilarated; right now, he could sense massive and terrifying power coursing through his body.

Immediately, he punched out fiercely toward a giant tree a hundred meters away.

Boom!

The moment the punch was thrown, overlapping shadows of wind flickered continuously, and the razor-sharp power was several times stronger than before. The piercing gale tore through the void with a crackling sound,

instantly reducing the giant tree a hundred meters away into dust and fragments.

Killing from a hundred meters away—this was Li Jiansan's current power!

Next, Li Jiansan utilized the power of the purple flame.

"Hum!"

A streak of purple flame swept across Li Jiansan's hand, turning a large swath of grass before him into scorched earth within a few breaths.

"What a terrifying power!"

Li Jiansan said with deep satisfaction. This purple flame possessed such formidable might that probably even someone at the ninth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage would struggle to withstand it.

"Since it was refined from the companion beast of the Purple Flame, let's call it the Purple Flame."

Li Jiansan smiled and thought, "Estimating the time, an hour or two should have passed by now."

"The higher-ups of the Azure Dragon Academy would never dream that a newcomer could actually crack their teleportation array."

"Now, it's time to return to the Azure Dragon Academy, or those old fellows will soon become suspicious."

What Li Jiansan did not know was that the higher-ups of the Azure Dragon Academy were not merely suspicious; they were already extremely anxious.

The moment Li Jiansan went missing, they had begun to feel uneasy.

Then, when the array of the Lost Forest was broken, their anxiety deepened further.

And now, the third-grade spirit crystals had actually vanished—this discovery terrified them completely!

Someone had managed to infiltrate the Azure Dragon Academy without a sound!

Not only did they break the array of the Lost Forest, but they also took away the third-grade spirit crystals without anyone knowing!

The crucial point was that until now, they still had no clue whatsoever!

Who on earth possessed such extraordinary ability?

Although Li Jiansan was missing, they did not suspect him at all, ruling him out from the very beginning.

How could a mere newcomer possibly accomplish such earth-shattering feats?

Just as the Grand Deacon and numerous elders were consumed with anxiety, Li Jiansan emerged from the Lost Forest.

When they caught sight of Li Jiansan's figure, they were startled.

The Grand Deacon felt a trace of surprise in his heart at this moment; had Li Jiansan actually emerged safe and sound?

In the Grand Deacon's speculation, Li Jiansan should have been nothing more than a corpse inside the Lost Forest by now.

Could it really have been done by this kid?

Soon, the Grand Deacon dismissed the thought.

Because Li Jiansan's strength was simply too weak.

"Why are you late by several hours?" The Grand Deacon looked at Li Jiansan and questioned him.

Judging by the Grand Deacon's expression, he wore the unmistakable look of 'if your answer isn't satisfactory, you're dead.'

"I'm not sure if something went wrong with the teleportation array. I was trapped inside the Lost Forest the whole time and was only just teleported back now."

Li Jiansan replied calmly, having fabricated a flawless excuse long ago.

The Grand Deacon glanced at Li Jiansan, failing to detect any abnormality on his face, and thought to himself:

"The teleportation array of the Lost Forest has indeed had similar issues in the past. It seems what this kid said is true."

Li Jiansan exchanged a glance with the Grand Deacon, a fleeting, wicked smile flashing across his face. This excuse of his had been crafted based on the inherent flaws of the Lost Forest's teleportation array.

As early as when the teleportation array was activated, Li Jiansan had already discovered many of its loopholes.

After a pause, the Grand Deacon instructed an elder, "You, go tally his core crystals."

"Understood."

That person bowed slightly to the Grand Deacon, walked over to Li Jiansan, and took the core crystals from his hand.

A moment later, the elder counting the core crystals suddenly wore an expression of utter shock. "How can this be possible!"

"What are you making such a fuss about?" the Grand Deacon reprimanded. "How many core crystals did he harvest?"

"His core crystals total up to... one thousand three hundred and ten first-grade core crystals, four hundred and eighty-two second-grade core crystals..."

The elder said with trembling lips.

A jolt ran through the Grand Deacon's heart, but he quickly regained his composure. "There's no need to make a mountain out of a molehill. In that case, your results—"

Before the Grand Deacon could finish, the elder suddenly stammered, "He also has... he also has a third-grade core crystal!"

"What!"

At this, even the composed Grand Deacon could no longer sit still!

He let out a sharp cry, his aged eyes staring straight at Li Jiansan.

The Grand Deacon confirmed once more, "Are you certain you didn't see wrong?"

The elder responsible for the tally rubbed his eyes, looked again, and shouted in a low voice, "Grand Deacon, this is indeed a third-grade core crystal!"

As these words fell, heaven and earth plunged into utter silence!

Everyone around widened their eyes, staring fixedly at Li Jiansan.

A third-grade core crystal—that meant Li Jiansan had slain a third-grade fierce beast!

Good heavens!

A third-grade fierce beast was a formidable monster comparable to a Martial Lord!

Li Jiansan was actually able to slaughter such a powerful beast; it was simply unbelievable.

The pupils of the onlookers shrank sharply as they gazed at the third-grade core crystal, forced to believe what was right before their eyes.

Even the Grand Deacon drew in a sharp breath of cold air. This kid had actually killed a third-grade fierce beast—his combat power was terrifying! In the history of the Azure Dragon Academy, no such monstrous talent had ever appeared before!

This was definitely a peerless genius that only emerged once in a century!

The Grand Deacon's heart trembled continuously.

The surprise Li Jiansan had brought him was simply too immense.

A third-grade fierce beast—Li Jiansan had actually slain a third-grade fierce beast!

His potential was simply unrivaled!

If there were no one else around right now, the Grand Deacon would have leaped up and shouted in excitement.

The talent Li Jiansan was displaying now practically guaranteed that he would be able to break through to the Golden Core realm in the future, and perhaps even surpass it!

The rise of a Golden Core realm expert from the Azure Dragon Academy would not only bring supreme glory but also serve as an awe-inspiring trump card that shook all directions.

One must know, a genius with the potential for the Golden Core realm had not appeared for several centuries.

Yet now, a genius of this caliber had appeared right before the Grand Deacon.

"Li Jiansan actually killed a third-grade fierce beast!"

"My heart can't take this anymore."

"If I hadn't seen the third-grade core crystal in Li Jiansan's hand with my own eyes, even if you beat me to death, I wouldn't believe he killed a third-grade fierce beast!"

"Good god, just how terrifying is his true strength?"

A tempest raged in the hearts of the onlookers, their hearts feeling as though they were about leap out of their chests, while expressions of extreme shock plastered their faces.

At this moment, profound silence reigned, and all other sounds died away.

It was as if their breathing and heartbeats had momentarily frozen.

Everyone was stunned, standing frozen in place like wooden stakes, completely motionless.

A full half-quarter of an hour passed before the color slowly returned to the faces of the crowd.

"Li Jiansan, I can let bygones be bygones regarding what happened before, and I am even willing to focus my resources on cultivating you."

At this moment, Liu Yan narrowed his eyes into slits and smiled faintly at Li Jiansan.

The moment Liu Yan finished speaking, the crowd let out a collective gasp of disbelief.

Elder Liu Yan's words implied that he had made a concession.

Earlier, Liu Yan had openly threatened Li Jiansan, but now he was backing down. This was essentially Liu Yan apologizing to Li Jiansan!

As an elder of the prestigious Class-A of the Azure Dragon Academy, his status was infinitely noble.

Yet now, a figure of such standing was actually apologizing to Li Jiansan!

Exaggerated—extremely exaggerated!

Was all of this merely because of Li Jiansan's talent?

However, was his talent really enough to enable him to break through to the Golden Core realm?

In the eyes of the Grand Deacon, Liu Yan's actions were not exaggerated in the slightest.

In fact, they fell far short!

Because Li Jiansan's might had already surpassed their imaginations.

The feeling Li Jiansan gave them could no longer be described simply by shock.

Li Jiansan was nothing short of a living fantasy!

What was a fantasy?

It was challenging all the inner-circle geniuses alone during the Lost Forest assessment, and ultimately slaying the absolute champion among the newcomers!

Furthermore, he was decisive and ruthless in his killings, executing even an elder with a single sword strike!

And finally, even a third-grade fierce beast was no match for him, butchered at his hands.

Li Jiansan's potential could no longer be captured by the word 'talent'.

It was a legend, a myth!

One must know, even the most monstrous genius in the history of the Azure Dragon Academy could not achieve the feat of slaughtering a Profound-tier fierce beast while still in the Foundation Establishment stage.

And yet, this youth, Li Jiansan, had accomplished it...

"Now, as long as you nod, I will pour all my resources into cultivating you. Within three years, you will reach the pinnacle of the Azure Dragon Academy and trample everyone beneath your feet. By then, even Chen Yao, the foremost of the top ten direct disciples, won't be your match!"

"Liu Yan, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to poach Li Jiansan for your own faction?"

Upon hearing Liu Yan's words, Wu Jiang felt his heart skip a beat, and he immediately cursed angrily. Under Liu Yan's carrot-and-stick approach, he felt as though he had already lost Li Jiansan; after all, water flowed downwards while people strived upwards.

"Are you even worthy?"