Within the Domain, every change was within Wang Nan's perception—from the dazed Spirit Beasts that seemed to have lost their minds to the subtle shifts in wind direction and airflow, all of it appeared in his mind.
Stepping on water, Wang Nan's figure appeared above the Life Lake. Looking around, he saw that countless Spirit Beasts had gathered, all staring blankly at the surface of the lake.
Wang Nan felt that with just a slight movement of his mind, he could harvest the lives of these Spirit Beasts.
However, he did not act rashly. His mental force churned, and the surrounding Domain was completely withdrawn. A moment later, these Spirit Beasts finally came to their senses. Feeling the lingering Vicious Beast aura, they all turned and fled in terror.
Some Spirit Beasts with higher cultivation and greater courage, as they fled, did not forget to look back. But upon seeing Wang Nan's gaze, they whimpered softly in their throats, then dared not look back again.
Wang Nan looked around and found that the highest cultivated Spirit Beasts attracted by his aura were only ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts.
Spirit Beasts with cultivation exceeding one hundred thousand years already possessed intelligence comparable to humans and could resist the mental Domain inadvertently released by Wang Nan during his cultivation. Furthermore, those who had reached one hundred thousand years of cultivation already knew whose territory this core area was and naturally dared not enter easily.
This saved Wang Nan a lot of trouble. Even without the Auspicious Beast leading the way, he could leave here smoothly without having to take action.
The Vicious Beasts in the core area were gone. Wang Nan knew where they had gone without even guessing.
His gaze turned toward the northwest, and with a flash of his figure, he had already left this place.
Upon re-ascending Sea God Island, Wang Nan did not detect the usual probes from the elders of the Sea God Pavilion.
He slightly expanded his mental force, and the general situation of most of Sea God Island was immediately understood. In Wang Nan's investigation, the number of people on Sea God Island seemed to have significantly decreased. Apart from some Disciples who had recently entered the Inner Courtyard, most of the higher-cultivated Disciples were nowhere to be seen.
Even the vicinity of the Sea God Pavilion was much emptier at this time.
Taking two steps with a hint of doubt, a figure appeared before Wang Nan.
"Wang Nan?" Cai Meier spoke with some surprise upon seeing Wang Nan.
"Dean Cai."
Cai Meier frowned and swept her gaze over Wang Nan, her eyes widening slightly. "I thought an outsider had ascended Sea God Island."
Cai Meier had just sensed a massive mental force fluctuation. Although she vaguely felt it was somewhat familiar, she hadn't expected to see Wang Nan.
Wang Nan's breakthrough to rank eighty was no secret. Cai Meier had seen him when he was absorbing a Spirit Bone under the Golden Tree, but she hadn't expected that upon seeing him again, Wang Nan's mental force would already surpass hers.
As a Titled Douluo, Cai Meier naturally knew the convenience that powerful mental force would bring to cultivation, and she couldn't help but give Wang Nan an extra look.
"Dean Cai, why are there so few people on Sea God Island today?"
Wang Nan hadn't seen Cai Meier for some time. Ever since Yan Shaozhe resumed managing the affairs of the Martial Soul Department, every time Wang Nan returned to the Academy, Cai Meier was meditating in the Sea God Pavilion. He recalled that it was through Cai Meier's Spirit that Wang Nan realized the essence of the Evil Breaking Dragon in the Sea of Spirit.
"Elder Xuan Zi and several other elders have taken Beibei and the others to the Sun Moon Empire to participate in the Elite Competition in Mingdu. Oh, you should know that the previous Soul Duel Tournament has been renamed the Elite Competition, right?"
Wang Nan nodded, but in his heart, he was calculating the time. In deep meditation, he couldn't feel the passage of time. He hadn't expected that treating the Silver Dragon King and deep meditation combined had already taken over a year.
No wonder they say cultivation knows no years.
"What about the other Disciples?"
"They all went out to perform monitoring missions. You haven't returned to the Academy this year, so you might not know, but the Sun Moon Empire is about to lose its patience. Our Shrek Academy naturally needs to be prepared."
Wang Nan was not surprised by this. The war was estimated to break out in the next few years.
"Oh, Dean Cai, did you just say Beibei and the others went to participate in the Elite Competition? Are they representing the Academy?"
Cai Meier glanced at Wang Nan and nodded. "Yes. The Sun Moon Empire's attitude is already clear. Whether for their safety or the protection of other Disciples, no other Disciples were sent."
"Besides us, the academies of the Three Great Empires have also sent many experts to ensure the safety of the Elite Competition. However, although we privately contacted many Sects, there are still some Sects that, in order to become famous in the Elite Competition, took their Disciples to the Sun Moon Empire."
Wang Nan didn't know how to comment for a moment. After all, they were just Sects, not as sensitive to war as the Three Great Empires. They probably still dreamed of becoming famous in one battle and recruiting more Disciples.
"Is Dean Yan on the island?"
Cai Meier shook her head.
"This time, Le Xuan and Xiao Tao are leading the team for the Soul Duel Tournament. Shao Zhe was worried about them, so he went to the Sun Moon Empire with Elder Xuan Zi."
Wang Nan's expression froze slightly, and he glanced at Cai Meier.
"You don't need to worry about Xiao Tao's safety. With so many elders going together this time, at least the safety of a few Disciples can be guaranteed."
"I understand. Thank you, Dean Cai. I'll head back to my dormitory now."
Wang Nan took a deep breath and nodded to Cai Meier.
"Alright, if there's anything else, you can come to the Sea God Pavilion to find me."
With that, Wang Nan strode towards the dormitory. Behind him, Cai Meier looked at Wang Nan's retreating figure, lost in thought.
Spatial force subtly fluctuated around him, allowing his body to naturally appear in another place. This casual, leisurely feeling, however, gave Cai Meier a sense of absurdity, as if she was seeing Xuan Zi.
Wang Nan's dormitory was exceptionally clean. Even after more than a year of not returning, there was not a speck of dust on the table or bed.
On the table, besides a spirit tool for illumination, there were only some paper and pens that had almost never been used, and next to them, a chubby wooden carving.
Although the carving technique for this wooden carving was exquisite, whether intentionally or accidentally, it was carved to be very round.
His gaze fell upon the wooden carving, and Wang Nan let out a long breath. He did not sit down but instead turned and went under the Golden Tree.
Here, as usual, gentle life energy fell upon Wang Nan. However, at this time, his body was already filled with the power of life gold and could no longer accommodate the power of the Golden Tree.
Wang Nan looked up, his eyes seemingly piercing through space, seeing the main body of the Golden Tree, and even "seeing" the figure of the old man within the tree.
This figure was no longer the cold, textual image in his mind. Similarly, another figure had long since occupied a place in his heart.
He knew that several elders had gone to the Sun Moon Empire. His strength was naturally inferior to theirs, but...
After a moment of silence, Wang Nan turned and headed out of the Academy.