Three days after the earth-shattering explosion at the bottom of the sea.
In the Holy Sanctuary, within the familiar round chamber.
The space was utterly silent. Eleven Holy Messengers sat on their thrones, no one saying a word. Tenth's life tablet was still intact, proving he was still alive. But the fact that he had been out of contact for the past three days made the atmosphere extremely heavy.
Suddenly, the heavy stone door of the great hall swung open.
A battered, staggering figure walked in.
It was Tenth.
His appearance couldn't be more wretched. The black robe was tattered like a cleaning rag, revealing a body covered in deep wounds, some of which were still bleeding black blood, carrying the aura of a deep-sea monster. His Nascent Soul aura was extremely weak and unstable.
"Damn you, Lam Minh," he murmured, his voice hoarse. "Lucky I was fast, that damned octopus was too crazy."
After fleeing for three days and three nights at the bottom of the sea, constantly pursued by the Kraken, he had finally shaken it off, but the price was that he was severely injured, his cultivation level almost dropping.
He looked up, seeing his "comrades" sitting on their thrones, looking at him with different expressions. Some with pity, some with gloating, and some with contempt.
Before he could say anything, a cold, emotionless voice came from the throne carved with the number "11".
"You look pathetic. I think you should move down to the Eleventh position soon. The future Tenth position is more deserving of me."
The speaker was Zeros, the new Eleventh.
He was still sitting there, arms crossed, his face cold and expressionless. He didn't even bother to look directly at Tenth, as if he were just stating an obvious fact.
Zeros's words were like a knife, stabbing straight into Tenth's wounded pride.
"You...!" Tenth angrily blurted out, about to retort.
But before he could finish his sentence.
BOOM!
A terrifying, sharp, and cold pressure suddenly erupted from Zeros, slamming straight into Tenth.
This pressure didn't injure Tenth further, as he was a Nascent Soul after all. But he could feel it clearly.
This pressure already vaguely carried the aura of an Initial-Stage Nascent Soul.
In less than two months, this guy had gone from Peak Golden Core and was about to break through to Nascent Soul? This speed... was absurd!
This was a warning. A declaration.
Zeros was using his strength to tell Tenth and everyone else: "I will replace you soon."
The pressure came and went quickly. Zeros stood up, still with that cold face, said no more words, and slowly walked away, leaving behind a stunned and humiliated Tenth.
"Damn it... why... WHY?" Tenth roared in his heart, his fists clenched, blood seeping from his wounds again.
He didn't understand. Why would a nameless newcomer be so favored by the Holy Master? How could he have such a terrifying cultivation speed?
The other Holy Messengers also remained silent, each with their own calculations. Zeros's rise had broken the existing balance, creating an even more fierce undercurrent of competition.
Tenth didn't know that the Holy Master's favor towards Zeros stemmed from their very first meeting.
At that time, the Holy Master had asked Zeros: "What do you want?"
Zeros, with his cold, emotionless eyes, had replied: "I want nothing. I just want to see this world disappear."
The indifference, the apathy, the disgust for all things in Zeros's eyes, resonated deeply with the Holy Master's own soul. He saw in Zeros an image of his past self.
One with nothing to lose is the most terrifying of all.
And the Holy Master had decided to cultivate Zeros, to turn him into his most capable right-hand man, his sharpest blade.
The internal power struggle of the Saintly Way had officially begun.
And Lam Minh, at this moment, was leisurely swimming towards the mainland, completely unaware that Tenth's greatest "rival" and a great calamity for humanity had already taken shape.
...
After nearly a day of swimming and flying, Lam Minh finally reached the mainland. He found a secluded spot, changed into a set of clean clothes, and then immediately contacted Lac Long Quan.
He reported the entire encounter with Tenth, from being overpowered, the endless "beating," to the "pass the buck" plan and the self-destruction escape. He didn't hide anything, except for the secret about the system and the Golden Blood drop.
On the other end of the line, Lac Long Quan was silent for a long time. It seemed he too was shocked by his nephew's "roguishness" and "insanity."
"You..." he finally spoke, his voice caught between laughter and scolding. "You really managed to shake off an Initial-Stage Nascent Soul like that? I was already preparing to come and save you."
"I knew you cared about me, Uncle," Lam Minh chuckled. "But this little matter, I can handle it myself."
"Little matter?" Lac Long Quan snapped. "Do you know that your explosion caused a tsunami that shook the entire ASEAN bloc? If it weren't for the Great Wall, you would have become a sinner of humanity!"
"Ah... about that... it was unintentional, purely unintentional," Lam Minh scratched his head.
Lac Long Quan sighed. "Alright, fine. It's good that you came back alive. The mission to seize the Azure Star Ore mine failed, but in return, you've gathered intel on a Nascent Soul level Holy Messenger and even severely injured him. I guess it's not a total loss. For now, just rest. Don't go causing any more trouble. Let me and that old turtle handle things from here."
After ending the call, Lam Minh felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. Not physically, but mentally. He decided to give himself a real vacation.
He didn't return to the academy right away. He went home.
It had been a long time since he had been back. The small house in Zone Z-7 was still the same, warm and loving.
His return brought tears of joy to his family. Mrs. Mai hugged him tightly, sobbing. Mr. Dao just patted him on the shoulder, his eyes full of pride. His little sister, Lam An, clung to him, chattering endlessly about school.
Lam Minh savored these mundane moments. He realized that after all the life-and-death battles, the grand conspiracies, family was still the most peaceful harbor.
He stayed home for five whole days.
He didn't cultivate, didn't think about his enemies.
He spent time talking with his parents, telling them (with many omissions and edits, of course) about his journey at the academy, about his new friends.
He spent time helping Lam An with her homework, playing with her.
He even went into the kitchen and cooked for the whole family, dishes he had learned.
This rare peace allowed his soul to completely relax.
After five days, he bid farewell to his family and returned to Lac Hong Academy.
That evening, to celebrate the "headmaster's" return, and also to relieve stress, he decided to host a small BBQ party on the rooftop of the command building.
He invited all his closest friends.
To Quyen, Quynh Nhu, Minh Thu, Ly Thien Ba, and his girlfriend Diep Chi. And there was also Hung 'Fat,' his old friend from high school, who hadn't qualified as a student after graduation but, with his passion for cooking, had applied for a job in the academy's kitchen staff.
The seven of them sat around the grill. The aroma of grilled meat was fragrant, and beer and soft drinks flowed freely.
They chatted and laughed together.
They talked about the past, about their naive school days.
They talked about the present, about the pressures and responsibilities at the academy.
And they talked about the future, about a day when the war would end, and they could live normal lives.
The atmosphere was incredibly joyful and warm.
Quynh Nhu's familiar jealousy as she constantly teased Lam Minh, making him grill a separate, extra-charred skewer just for her.
To Quyen's attentiveness as she quietly put vegetables into his bowl, reminding him to eat a balanced meal.
Minh Thu's shyness, as she just sat quietly in a corner, but her eyes never left him.
Lam Minh looked at his friends, feeling incredibly content. This, this was what he was fighting to protect.
The party lasted late into the night. Everyone was a little tipsy, their faces flushed and happy.
But no one knew that the biggest surprise, a fateful night, was waiting for Lam Minh after this party.