The Seventh Prince's participation was indeed icing on the cake for the Divine Fusion School. Their students felt even more sense of pride surging within them.
A prince was a special identity, and this kind of public announcement was equivalent to spreading the news to the outside world. This caused more people to believe in the Divine Fusion School, which already had many students in Imperial Academy.
After all, even a prince had chosen the Divine Fusion, which would be a clear signal to many people.
And the Seventh Prince himself naturally became the spokesperson for the school, attracting widespread attention from the outside world.
This feeling was what the Seventh Prince needed. Since the death of King Tian Lan, he had returned to the capital in a sorry state, like a stray dog. All his former glory had vanished, forcing him to choose to be discreet and avoid confrontation with Xu Qing.
The resentment in his heart had long since become extremely intense.
He was waiting for his fifth brother to return.
The Fifth Prince was his biological brother. Compared to the other princes, the two of them were his closest relatives.
The Fifth Prince was second only to the eldest prince in terms of martial prowess among all the princes. He was known for his bravery and skill in battle, catching the attention of the emperor, who granted him the privilege of apprenticing under the First Heavenly King. He and the First Heavenly king stayed at the border of the Flame Moon, rarely returning to the Imperial City.
Some time ago, the Seventh Prince had received a secret report that his fifth brother was about to return.
This news greatly excited him. Hence, he followed his fifth brother's arrangements and joined the Divine Fusion School. He was determined to walk the path of Divine Fusion, even if it meant changing his cultivation technique.
The Divine Fusion School also made good use of this and provided great help to the Seventh Prince. After he joined the Divine Fusion School, the school head personally guided him in replacing his body parts.
Just like that, a month later, with the help of the Divine Fusion School, the Seventh Prince's cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. 30% of his body was replaced with divine being's flesh, thereby breaking through the Spirit Repository and stepping into the first stage of Nihility.
The day he broke through, all the forces cast paid some attention to him.
The students in the Imperial Academy who hadn't joined the Divine Fusion School were also tempted.
In an instant, the position of the Divine Fusion School became even more stable. The believers once again soared and it became the true number one school. This indirectly affected the outside world, causing the cultivators in the capital to frequently mention the Divine Fusion School.
Such a thing had only happened during the heyday of the Variant Immortal School.
Divine Fusion was spreading among the human race.
Compared to the Divine Fusion School, which was at its peak, the Variant Immortal School became more and more quiet. It completely returned to normal.
Among the disciples arranged by the various forces to enter it, five of them disappeared and no longer came. Only the four latecomers, including the mysterious woman, persisted in appearing every day.
However, it was obvious that their motivation was lacking.
As for Xu Qing and the three core disciples from the start, they had no choice. Initially, they believed what the school head said, but gradually they began to have doubts. Now, they felt that it's just how things were.
In the end, their main focus was still on managing the newsletters. They pulled Xu Qing along and immersed themselves in it all day.
As for the school head… he kept on sighing to himself all day long. The persistence in his heart caused him to maintain his upright posture, but from the looks of it, he wouldn't be able to hold on for long.
If nothing unexpected happened, the Variant Immortal School would eventually return to its previous declined state.
However, something unexpected still happened… The newsletters of the Variant Immortal School became a fuse.
The purpose of the newspaper established by the three earliest disciples was not to seek the truth but to create sensational headlines with various gossips. Only in this way could it appeal to human nature and generate a certain level of sales.
Usually, they would make up stories about various schools. Since the Variant Immortal School was already declining, they had nothing to lose, while other schools, even if they were criticized, couldn't do anything about it.
There had been people who came looking for them before, but in the face of the Variant Immortal School that was like a latrine, they could only leave angrily.
After all, the Variant Immortal School was already like this. They were poor and there was nothing they could do.
In fact, the more they tried to look for trouble, the happier the disciples of the Variant Immortal School became. On the next day's news, they would emphasize this matter and use all kinds of hints to tell that the information in their newsletters was true.
As time passed, everyone stopped paying attention to it.
However, after the mysterious master appeared, to a certain extent, the newsletters had gained some popularity as well. Hence… after several times of posting gossip about the Divine Fusion School, the people from the Divine Fusion School came looking for them on this day.
The identity of the person who came wasn't simple. He was a famous student in the Divine Fusion School, second only to the chief student. There were also hundreds of students following behind him.
Their arrival attracted the attention of passersby.
This was especially so when the anger in these people's eyes was intense. After stepping into the white tower of the Variant Immortal School, the atmosphere became even more tense.
The disciples in the white tower of the Variant Immortal School also put down what they were doing and looked at the angry disciples of the Divine Fusion School.
"Variant Immortal School, you guys are going too far!"
"As the peak school back then, it's fine if you have declined, but how can you be so shameless? For the sake of gimmicks, you are making up nonsense about other schools!"
"Especially your late-night premium newsletters!"
"Today, you have to give an explanation!"
The student from the Divine Fusion School spoke angrily, his eyes bloodshot.
As soon as he finished speaking, the disciples who had joined the Variant Immortal School turned their heads in unison and looked at Xu Qing and the other three in the corner.
Xu Qing's heart was calm as his gaze swept past these people. However, the three core disciples beside him instinctively took a few steps back, feeling a little guilty.
The late-night premium newsletter was a project they had added a month ago, taking advantage of the sudden popularity to bring them considerable profits.
The content was even bolder and more explicit. The feedback was not bad…
Seeing this, the school head, who was sitting there, felt annoyed. Hence, he glared fiercely at Xu Qing and the other three. He then turned his head and looked at the enraged Divine Fusion student.
"Noisy!"
As soon as he spoke, those students from the Divine Fusion School lowered their heads one after another. After all, he was a school head. According to the rules, he had to be respected. However, after he lowered his head, the Divine Fusion School student still spoke.
"All these years, the Variant Immortal School has not only fabricated rumors about our Divine Fusion School. In the entire Imperial Academy, which famous school or student hasn't been slandered by you?!"
"Such a shameless act will damage the dignity of the Variant Immortal School. I think that the mysterious master of the Variant Immortal School will also think that the Variant Immortal School is dirty after hearing about this."
"This might also be the reason why that senior never showed his face again. After all, if I were that senior, I would also be very ashamed of the current Variant Immortal School and feel ashamed to be associated with them."
"The current Variant Immortal School has not only lost its former glory but also its dignity and clarity of heart. It has become an anomaly of the Imperial Academy and is a disgrace."
"Therefore, today, I ask the Variant Immortal School to give an explanation!"
This student had a glib tongue. After he finished speaking, the other students behind him also spoke up one after another. This news spread outside the white tower, causing many passerby students outside to stop and discuss spiritedly.
Many thoughts rose in the hearts of everyone from the Variant Immortal School. Xu Qing fell into deep thought and could tell that the origin of this matter might not be that simple.
Someone wanted to take this opportunity to test the Variant Immortal School and completely trample on its popularity.
The mysterious woman dressed as a student at the side also perked up. She felt that this was a chance to probe, so she paid close attention to the school head.
The school head's eyes instantly narrowed. He naturally saw some clues. Hence, he sat there and leaned forward slightly. He carefully sized up these students from the Divine Fusion School and calmly spoke.
"What kind of explanation do you want?"
"The Variant Immortal School, please carry out a self-
inspection!" The student looked into the eyes of the school head and uttered word by word.
These words echoed in the white tower and also spread outside.
"Ridiculous!" The school head sneered and stood up. His gaze swept past the student before looking outside.
"You came here to probe that senior of my Variant Immortal School. Since you want to know, just ask. There's no need to find so many excuses."
"The reason why that senior didn't appear again is because he is in closed-door cultivation to break through the barrier of a million soul threads!"
"Before he proceeded into seclusion, he told me that he would come out of seclusion in three months at most. On the day he comes out, a million soul threads will flow in the sky of the Imperial Capital and form the appearance of a Variant Immortal. It will emit a million rays of light to verify that my Variant Immortal School has returned to its peak!"
"Now, there are still two months. Whether it's true or false, you can see it with your own eyes in two months."
"Now, leave!"
The school head's voice was filled with pride. With a flick of his sleeve, the Variant Immortal School's white tower instantly rumbled and emitted a repulsive force, causing those students from the Divine Fusion School to have no choice but to retreat and leave the white tower.
After doing this, the school head raised his head and sat down again.
He gazed calm but his heart was actually filled with helplessness. He could sense that the opportunity for the rise of the Variant Immortal School was right in front of him but if that senior didn't appear, everything would be useless.
Since that was the case, he could only bite the bullet and brag to build momentum.
As for the consequences of bragging, he didn't care. Since the Variant Immortal School was already like this, so be it.
As soon as he finished speaking, the hearts of the disciples in the white tower stirred. The eyes of the mysterious woman lit up.
As for the students from the Divine Fusion School who were pushed out of the white tower, their eyes gleamed. Most of the passersby in the outside world were the same.
Xu Qing also took a few more glances at the school head and then looked at the million soul threads in his sea of consciousness… Hesitation rose in his heart. He instinctively felt that the other party shouldn't have seen through his identity.
However, his words were very realistic.
In the end, the students from the Divine Fusion School gazed at each other and chose to leave. This time, there was a result of their probing.
As for the matter of that master coming out of seclusion in two months, it quickly spread in Imperial Academy. All of this inflicted the popularity of the Variant Immortal School, which was about to dissipate, to gather again.
That evening, before Xu Qing departed the Variant Immortal School, he bowed to the school head. Looking at the school head's anxious eyes and his impatient gesture of waving his hand to let him leave, Xu Qing confirmed that the other party indeed didn't see through his identity.
'Then… maybe I can give my soul seed a try.'
Xu Qing fell silent.
At dusk seven days later, when the other core disciples were leaving, an unfamiliar student who had been entrusted with a mission sent a sealed pouch to the white tower of the Variant Immortal School and placed it in front of the school head.
The school head didn't hesitate at all, nor did he ask. He seemed to have sensed something, as though he had been waiting for it. He picked up the pouch and instantly opened it.
In the pouch, there was a jade slip and a pill bottle containing a purple snowflake.
Looking at these two items, the school head's breathing was hurried. He didn't know what the snowflake was but he could sense the fluctuations of the Variant Immortal School's art coming from it. Hence, he excitedly grabbed the jade slip and checked it.
His expression changed continuously as he read it. Finally, he put down the jade slip and gazed at the pill bottle.
After a long time… determination manifested in his eyes as he crushed the pill bottle. After the purple snowflake inside floated out, it imprinted in his palm and fused into his flesh and blood.
The soul threads in his body instantly erupted.
