Chapter 73: Undercutting the Source

“What’s going on? Why is all the spiritual energy surging toward the Number One Celestial Room?”
“I’ve never seen anything like this before. What kind of madness has that bastard unleashed?”
“I knew this newcomer was up to no good. We never should have let him into the Spiritual Vein Sanctuary—now everything’s ruined!”
The extraordinary spectacle of rampant spiritual energy left everyone’s faces drained of color.
Even Dongfang Ming’s eyes were filled with shock. He could sense that events were spiraling out of his control.

As time passed, the torrent of spiritual energy did not subside; instead, it grew ever more intense.

Suddenly, a streak of rainbow light shot through the air—it was Dongfang Lan, one of the two vice deans.

“What’s happened here? What’s causing this spiritual disturbance?” Dongfang Lan had been drawn by the abnormal fluctuation in spiritual energy.

“Vice Dean, Jun Wushuang is cultivating inside the Number One Celestial Room. He’s the cause of this phenomenon,” Dongfang Ming explained quickly.

Jun Wushuang? Dongfang Lan frowned slightly.

She had promised the Prince of Southern Suppression to offer the four great cultivation sanctuaries as compensation. But in her mind, even if Jun Wushuang entered the Number One Celestial Room, he could never absorb much spiritual energy.

The scene unfolding before her was a slap in the face.

“Vice Dean, shall I intervene and forcefully interrupt his cultivation?” A flash of harshness flickered in Dongfang Ming’s eyes. If he acted now, Jun Wushuang would surely suffer a backlash and risk falling into madness.

“Prince of Southern Suppression!” Dongfang Lan uttered just three words, and Dongfang Ming could only back down in frustration.

“Let’s wait and see. I refuse to believe he could truly drain the entire spiritual vein!” Dongfang Lan’s gaze was profound, fixed intently on the Number One Celestial Room.

Though the sanctuary was connected only to a branch vein, the spiritual energy it contained was vast and overwhelming. Even for a King-tier powerhouse, let alone Jun Wushuang, it would be impossible to absorb it all.

Silence fell over the crowd. Every eye was fixed on the Number One Celestial Room. They all wanted to know: just how much could Jun Wushuang devour?

Half a day later, every face turned ashen. There was no longer a trace of spiritual energy in the air. Within the sanctuary, Jun Wushuang had consumed every last wisp.

“He actually drained an entire branch vein?” Dongfang Ming’s eyes nearly popped from his head. The spiritual energy of a branch vein would make even him explode if he tried to take it all in. How on earth had Jun Wushuang managed it?

Beside him, Dongfang Lan’s expression was unsightly. Though the main vein would eventually replenish the branch, it would take a long time for it to recover. And with the life-and-death duel just over two months away, there simply wasn’t enough time.

Jun Wushuang hadn’t come for compensation—he was here to clean them out. This move, cutting off the source, was a devastating blow to the Royal Martial Academy.

Inside the room, Jun Wushuang was regulating his breath, consolidating his realm. He had smoothly broken through to the peak of the Ninth Level of the Myriad Forms Realm.

Not only that—within his dantian, the amount of demonic essence had far surpassed ninety drops, reaching as many as three hundred.

One hundred drops of spiritual essence was the mark of the first level of the Divine Sea Realm. Three hundred drops were enough to rival a third-level Divine Sea expert. What’s more, the demonic essence Jun Wushuang refined was a hundred times more potent than ordinary spiritual essence.

In terms of pure energy, Jun Wushuang feared no cultivator below the sixth or seventh level of the Divine Sea Realm.

The only thing he now lacked was to open his spiritual sea and awaken his mental power.

“If only I had the chance to devour the main vein as well!” Jun Wushuang opened his eyes, still unsatisfied. His Devouring Demonic Body, just at the beginner level, could accommodate an immeasurable amount of spiritual energy. This branch vein, powerful as it was, was still far from his limit. But the main vein was inside the imperial palace—out of reach for now.

“It’s time for the Infernal Thunderfire Crucible!” With his cultivation finished, Jun Wushuang pushed open the door. Instantly, countless gazes converged upon him.

Their eyes, in addition to the familiar hatred and fury, now brimmed with shock and confusion. They couldn’t understand how Jun Wushuang could swallow the entire branch vein’s energy and not explode. Moreover, his cultivation seemed barely improved—just a step from the eighth to the ninth level of the Myriad Forms Realm.

How could this be? A great question mark hovered over everyone’s heads.

Jun Wushuang offered no explanation. He glanced at Dongfang Lan, guessed her identity, but paid her no mind. Turning, he headed straight for the Infernal Thunderfire Crucible.

“He’s going to the Thunderfire Crucible now!”
“How arrogant! Not only did he drain our spiritual energy, now he dares enter the Thunderfire Crucible—I wish I could kill him myself!”
“The Crucible is different from the Spiritual Vein Sanctuary. Though it tempers the body, the pain is excruciating. No way he can last long in there.”

Tens of thousands of students, seething with anger, followed Jun Wushuang toward the Thunderfire Crucible.

The Thunderfire Crucible was located atop a volcanic crater, where earthfire surged and bolts of lightning were stored. At the summit stood a special great hall—the place for cultivation.

Jun Wushuang strolled in at his leisure.

“Heavens, send down your thunder and strike this country bumpkin dead!”
“The pain of the Crucible is unbearable. I refuse to believe he’ll make it through this time!”
“Best if he’s maimed by the thunder and fire, then we can all rest easy.”

As Jun Wushuang stepped into the Crucible, curses and invective poured from the crowd. Dongfang Ming and Dongfang Lan watched intently, not wanting any more surprises.

But fate had other plans.

Soon, another anomaly occurred. The earthfire in the volcano dwindled, then vanished entirely. The mountain became a dead, extinct volcano. No one knew when earthfire might return.

With a creak, Jun Wushuang emerged from the Thunderfire Crucible, completely unscathed. Yet he had not broken through to the Divine Sea Realm, nor had his Devouring Demonic Body reached the next minor stage. Though the Crucible did temper the body, for Jun Wushuang’s devouring physique, it was little more than a trivial benefit.

Nevertheless, having swallowed all the thunder and earthfire, his fusion divine ability had improved markedly. At the life-and-death duel, he would surely present the Royal Martial Academy with a shocking surprise.

“How can this be?” Seeing Jun Wushuang walk out without a scratch, everyone was dumbfounded.

“This boy is hiding something!” Dongfang Lan narrowed her eyes, cold light flashing within. She could not believe a mere Myriad Forms junior could drain a whole branch vein and the Crucible as well.

Yet the Prince of Southern Suppression’s authority still lingered—she dared not probe him directly. But the Spiritual Vein Sanctuary and Thunderfire Crucible were both now crippled. Who knew how long they would take to recover?

At this thought, Dongfang Lan’s hatred for Jun Wushuang deepened.

“One last stop—the Black and White Millstone.”

Jun Wushuang’s eyes shone with purpose. He intended to use the Millstone’s power to open his spiritual sea and step into the Divine Sea Realm.

The crowd hated him with a vengeance, but could only watch helplessly as he left the Crucible for the Black and White Millstone.

But when Jun Wushuang arrived, a figure was already waiting for him.

As Jun Wushuang approached, a terrifying cold gleam shot from the man’s eyes.

“Jun Wushuang, I’ve been waiting for you!”