Chapter 50: The Medicine is Finished

“The Dean speaks wisely!”

“So what if the Devouring Origin Dragon can swallow an elephant? Having the ability to swallow it shows some skill, but being able to digest it, now that’s the real deal!”

“Greed leads to biting off more than one can chew, so he wants to swallow, does he? Then let’s strike first, pouring all our strength into him to see if he can withstand it; if he can’t, he will naturally release us.”

Originally trapped and unable to escape the Devouring Origin Dragon’s clutches, everyone relaxed and regained their confidence after hearing Lu Mingrong’s words.

No matter how high a cultivator’s talent or how vast their Source Pool, there are limits. Being able to absorb Origin qi to induce the phenomenon of the Devouring Origin Dragon is indeed powerful, but… their pouring of power had also reached its end!

These high-level experts, each having practiced for at least thirty years and absorbed at least fifty strands of Origin qi daily, even with some losses over time, had amassed a terrifying amount. Releasing their full strength, though not enough to move mountains and fill seas, could still shake the entire Baiyan City.

Such powerhouses, and there were fourteen of them… if they couldn’t suppress a guy who had just made a breakthrough, they really might as well kill themselves.

“I’ll let you swallow! Let’s see if you don’t choke!”

Realizing this, Lu Mingrong, Wu Yunzhou, and the other thirteen masters no longer held back their power; nor did they retract it. Instead, they accelerated the circulation of power within their bodies, frantically infusing it into the bodies of the nine Origin Dragons.

Boom!

With so much power absorbed, the nine Origin Dragons immediately swelled up, doubling in thickness, and shone with a golden light, seeming as if they could break through the sky at any moment.

…

“It really works!”

Seeing the Origin qi he had dreaded transformed into strands of pure strength by the Mystic Yellow Qi Furnace and filling the entire Suspended Realm, Zhang Xuan’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

The Suspended Realm had been able to absorb Origin qi before, but it was strand by strand and not very efficient. Now, the speed had increased nearly ten or a hundred times!

“But… it still seems a bit slow!”

Looking up, he saw strands of Origin qi falling into the furnace like raindrops, immediately converted into pure strength and falling to the ground. This rate of absorption was faster than that of ordinary people, and yet… the Suspended Realm was just too vast!

At this rate of absorption, to fill the entire world and reach the pinnacle of the Accumulative Phase, it would take at least a fortnight, if not ten days…

“Heavenly Mandate Vitality emanates from the Destiny Plate, and with cultivators all around, one needs to be cautious about drawing power. However, this is the Book Collection Vault, plus there’s an endless flow of Origin qi. I should be able to absorb it as I please, with no need for concern…”

After some thought, Zhang Xuan nodded secretly.

At this moment, his consciousness, immersed in the Suspended Realm and controlling the Mystic Yellow Qi Furnace, couldn’t return to his body. Yet the Book Collection Vault was extremely safe and was filled with Origin qi everywhere. Given his weak strength, even if he absorbed with all his might, he probably wouldn’t be noticed…

With this thought and hardly any hesitation, the Suspended Realm vibrated violently and transformed into nine black holes, madly devouring the Origin qi in the air.

“Hmm, indeed much faster…”

Seeing the speed increase eightfold again, Zhang Xuan was slightly excited.

What had previously taken about ten days, now took just a bit over a day.

A day and a bit to break through from the early stage to the pinnacle of the Accumulative Phase…

“Although it’s still a bit slow, but… it’ll have to do!”

After pondering for half the day and finding no faster method, Zhang Xuan sighed.

Back on the Master Teacher Continent, a minor level breakthrough would usually take about two hours, and at best, it could be done within half an hour. Over here, however, it required more than a full day… Indeed, practicing in the Source World was much more difficult than before.

However, although cultivation was slower, the space containing power was a small world in itself, with divine energy ever abundant, making the foundation many times stronger and more vigorous than it was in the Master Teacher Continent. Therefore, it wasn’t a total waste of effort.

“I’ll continue back at the residence. Staying in the Book Collection Vault still carries the risk of being discovered…”

After absorbing Origin qi for a while and feeling his strength stabilize, Zhang Xuan decided to leave the Book Collection Vault when suddenly, the nine black holes above him expanded instantaneously, turning into a pale golden color. In the next moment, countless streams of pure Origin qi cascaded down.

If the speed of absorbing Origin qi just now was like a torrential rain, now it was like a tsunami!

And it was like countless tides continuously gushing inward…

“What’s happening?”

Zhang Xuan’s eyes widened.

Did he feel the absorption was too slow and sincerely moved the Heavenly Dao to directly infuse strength into him? Otherwise, why would there be so many streams of pure Origin qi, one wave after another, seemingly endless, descending through the black holes?

“Never mind that for now, let’s talk after absorbing it all…”

Knowing that the Origin qi was descending too quickly and that he must rely on more primordial energy to transform into a Furnace, Zhang Xuan had no time to think further. His mind couldn’t return to his body, so he had no choice but to forge desperately, absorbing as much as he could.

Fortunately, he owned a world and had enough primordial energy; otherwise, an ordinary person really couldn’t cope with it.

…

Inside the Suspended Realm, Zhang Xuan was frantically forging the surging Origin qi. In the Book Collection Vault, the fourteen top powerhouses from Baiyan Academy no longer had their earlier confidence; instead, they were all pale-faced, feeling like vomiting blood.

“Dean, my internal strength is almost exhausted, I can’t hold on much longer…”

Elder Chen Jinlin let out a dull low shout.

His cultivation wasn’t outstanding among the group, having barely hung on for a short hour before hitting rock bottom.

“I’m almost out too…”

Wu Liuyun gave a bitter smile.

They thought it was “one finger half a lake”; as long as everyone worked together, they would surely manage to crush the guy in front of them… but instead, the opponent was fine, and they were the ones collapsing!

The guy in front of them was like a bottomless pit, no amount of strength could fill him up.

“Take some pills! You should all have medicine for restoring strength… Don’t be stingy!”

Dean Lu Mingrong’s voice trembled, his teeth clenched tight.

Though he was the strongest among them, the opponent absorbed even more from him, reaching a critically dangerous state.

“Alright!”

Caught by the Devouring Origin Dragon, they couldn’t escape if they wanted to. If they didn’t want to die, their only choice was to keep popping pills!

Struggling, they took out pills and placed them in their mouths.

In an instant, the dried-up Source Pool regained some strength, and they continued to channel energy into the enormous Origin qi dragon before them.

Earlier, everyone thought that with fourteen experts continuously devouring, even if the opponent had a Holy-grade Source Pool, they would be the first to succumb and retreat.

But in their wildest dreams, they didn’t expect to be the ones to fold first…

Previously they had adamantly believed in letting the opponent devour to their fill. Now, thinking about it, they would rather not… Stop devouring; we were naïve!

Previously they thought, “Let you devour, devour you to death,” but in fact, the opponent truly couldn’t be devoured to death, yet it could devour them to death…

All kinds of strange emotions swirled in everyone’s minds, and after an indeterminate length of time, just when Dean Lu Mingrong also felt a tingling on his scalp, unable to hold on any longer, Elder He Qin’s trembling voice rang out.

“My medicine… it’s all gone! Is he… still absorbing?”