The World Outside the Well

The black-robed elder was unfazed by Su Baadao's provocation. Instead, he spoke softly.

"Diligence is the path through the mountain of books; hardship is the boat across the boundless sea of learning."

"Su Baadao, you must have heard the story of the frog in the well, haven't you?"

"In my eyes, you are that frog, content in your own little world, thinking the sky is only as large as the mouth of the well."

"Hahahaha!"

Su Baadao couldn't contain himself and burst into laughter.

"Then why don't you let me see just how large this sky outside the well really is?"

Though Su Baadao was laughing, there wasn't a trace of warmth in his voice.

The rotating fireball behind him suddenly flared with light, and a river of flames surged toward the black-robed elder!

Boom!

The scorching heat was so intense it warped the very color of the air.

Yet, as the raging torrent of fire reached the elder, it became as docile as a pet.

With a casual wave of his hand, the flames rapidly cooled and vanished.

Like the sparks of molten iron thrown in a festival display, they were brilliant for a moment before turning cold and dead.

Sssst!

A river surged beneath Su Baadao's feet as he pressed the attack alongside the flames.

A bizarre balance was struck between the water and fire, like two silk ribbons weaving toward the black-robed elder.

"Draped in mountains and girded by rivers, the four frontiers are secure."

Rumble!

Mountains and rivers manifested beneath the elder's feet as well. Great peaks blocked the flames while flowing currents swallowed the river, neutralizing Su Baadao's offensive with effortless ease.

"The prestige of a Great Wei Top Scholar seems to be worth very little."

The black-robed elder stood in the center of his mountains and rivers, looking down at Su Baadao.

"Hahahaha!"

Su Baadao laughed again, his eyes fixed on his opponent with a playful glint.

"What? Jealous? Is that why you're trying to prove you don't care by belittling me?"

"Then why didn't you become the Top Scholar? Was it because you didn't like the title?"

These words successfully caused the elder's expression to sour.

"Frog in the well, let me show you the world outside!"

The black-robed elder raised both hands, and black energy began to emanate from between his brows.

Whoosh!

A streak of black light pierced through the containment of the sealed object, shining directly onto his forehead.

"Humans are too fragile; they need rest and sleep."

"But how long is a human life? Isn't sleep just a waste of that life?"

"There is so much knowledge in this world. How can one sleep before understanding it all?"

"Fortunately, I met that lord."

"He gave me a brand-new brain—one that never needs rest."

"An external brain that helps me learn constantly, even while I am handling other matters!"

As he spoke, the black light fully merged into his brow. His forehead began to swell, and his entire head expanded like a balloon, becoming grotesquely disproportionate to his body.

Gurgle...

Gurgle...

The veins on his head throbbed as if they were about to burst at any second.

"I have always felt that there is something wrong with the advancement of the Scholar pathway."

"We are clearly the brilliant ones, the masters of knowledge, yet we are expected to manage and educate those fools."

"Isn't it better for everyone to stick to their roles? Shouldn't fools just be content being fools?"

"Do you think the world progresses because of those idiots?"

"No! It is because of us, the brilliant ones, that the world can keep moving forward."

"So why waste precious time on educating those fools?"

Su Baadao's smile grew increasingly strange.

"Oh? What happened to that compassionate act you were putting on?"

The black-robed elder glared at Su Baadao.

"On the contrary, I still find them pitiable."

"Isn't it tragic that they waste their limited lives on such meaningless things?"

"Is that so? Then do you plan to save them?"

Su Baadao asked while continuing his assault.

However, his attacks were repeatedly blocked by the elder's mountains and rivers.

"It's simple. I'll give them a meaningful life—by letting them become my nutrients!"

Pfft!

The veins on his head ruptured, but it wasn't blood that poured out. Instead, it was a mass of writhing tentacles.

This scene was identical to what Su Baadao and Wang Gen had witnessed before!

"Hahaha!"

"And here I was wondering what was outside the well. Turns out it's just an evil god."

"Hahaha!"

Su Baadao laughed even more joyfully, staring at the black-robed elder.

"Did you forget where you are right now?"

Hum...

The surrounding red light flared intensely as Su Baadao's laughter became increasingly manic.

"You're inside the perimeter of a sealed object! You idiot!!!"

The elder's mountains and rivers began to crumble and dissipate!

The beams of light that were once straight began to twist, coiling around the elder like ropes.

This time, the black-robed elder did not dodge. Mouths opened all over his tentacle-covered head, each reciting different scriptures simultaneously.

His voice was a chaotic cacophony, and various phenomena appeared around him to block the red light of the sealed object.

Su Baadao held his right hand forward, gathering streaks of light.

"Or the tablet that struck the traitor, cracking the rebel's skull."

"It is the majestic spirit that surges forth, enduring through the ages in its frigid intensity."

A terrifying force slammed directly onto the elder's head. Spiritual and divine energies intertwined, manifesting as a Hu tablet that struck the elder's crown with brutal force.

The elder let out a muffled groan. The tablet seemed to carry immense heat, scorching the tentacles on his head until they curled and blackened, sending waves of agony straight to his soul.

The red light grew more vivid, and Su Baadao narrowed his eyes.

Initially, he had only used the sealed object to prevent the True Knowledge Society from escaping, never intending to trigger its true power.

After all, a sealed object was a sealed object. There were civilians nearby, and activating it would certainly leave them with lasting side effects.

But now that those people had fled far enough away, he no longer needed to hold back.

Wail...

A bizarre, mournful wail echoed, and as the sound rang out, the red light solidified.

Splash!

The red light transformed into a red liquid, enveloping the black-robed elder.

The elder unleashed his divinity to protect his body, attempting to flee.

But the red liquid ignored his divinity, burrowing into his body along his tentacles.

In just two breaths, every tentacle on his head had turned blood-red.

Seeing this, Su Baadao's smile became even more predatory.

"Scum, you certainly know how to put on a show."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted casually toward the Sequence 7 member of the True Knowledge Society.

The other reason he had activated the sealed object was to give that person an opportunity to escape.

The man didn't disappoint; he was running as fast as his legs could carry him.

...

"Next."

Inside the tent, Yin Yang was still busy treating external wounds.

Beside him, the young nurse looked at him with eyes full of pure admiration.

Comparisons were truly odious.

Yin Yang's wound treatments were both swift and precise. He would often finish five or six patients in the time it took the other surgeon to finish one—and the quality of Yin Yang's work was incomparable.

Initially, the surgeon had thought about competing with Yin Yang, but he had eventually given up and accepted his lot, comforting himself internally.

"He is a distinguished graduate of Central City Medical School, after all. It's only natural that I can't keep up."

...