Chapter 58: Standoff – “What Right Do You Have?”

Regardless of the exact relationship between Xiang Lun and Xuzhi, the emergence of the Element River gave the Miasma-Clearing Team a legitimate excuse to seal off the academy.

Next, they needed to confirm Xuzhi’s identity and his strength.

The God Clan had suffered an accident back then and vanished without a trace for a century. The outside world had thought they were long extinct, yet remnants still lingered.

Most people at Miasma-Clearing Team Headquarters harbored hostility toward Xuzhi’s appearance, no matter what his purpose might be.

After all, the God Clan was the source of the miasma fog. A living God Clan member felt like a heavenly disaster on the verge of erupting at any moment.

One elder asked, “Are the other contacted teams all on their way?”

“They all are,” his subordinate replied from nearby. “Only a small contingent remains in each district, but Elder Qiu will distribute teleportation stones. They can respond swiftly to any emergencies.”

A single teleportation stone wasn’t cheap. For Elder Qiu to summon a large force of beast tamers back to Central City by shouldering the cost of all those supplies himself, the expense must have been staggering.

Still, only someone with the resources to become an elder at Headquarters could afford it.

After some discussion among them, another elder said in a low voice, “Old Qiu’s wife was killed in an attack by a rampaging magical beast… The defenses weren’t as sophisticated back then, so no one detected the miasma fog inside it right away.”

Fortunately, these days most emerging miasma fog outbreaks were contained within manageable limits, keeping losses to a minimum. Once the fog receded, rare minerals could even be harvested from the aftermath.

But the catastrophes of the past were all too real—especially to the elders, who were top-tier beast tamers with extended lifespans and clearer memories than most.

It was nearly five in the morning, the sky just beginning to lighten with the faintest hint of dawn.

Lobe Academy was fully sealed off, with academy personnel patrolling and standing guard outside to prevent further incidents.

A snow fox perched on the wall, its purple eyes quietly gazing at the world beyond.

More and more Element River was seeping up from underground, forming ever-widening bands of elemental energy—but space magic held them all at bay for the time being, neutralizing the immediate threat.

~~~

The next morning, every teacher and student in the academy received an urgent notice: an Element River had appeared in Central City, perilously close to their doorstep.

Shock and fear rippled through the crowd, but news that Dean Xiang was working tirelessly to seal it off—and that the Miasma-Clearing Team had arrived overnight to assist—brought some measure of relief.

Even so, the situation was far too dangerous. Everyone had to evacuate the academy as quickly as possible.

That morning, more beast tamers from the Miasma-Clearing Team arrived and established checkpoints at the gates.

Anyone—or any magical beast—wishing to leave had to pass a rigorous inspection before being allowed through.

Outside, squads of beast tamers in matching uniforms kept their magical beasts close at hand. High above, teams of flying magic beasts circled now and then, as if the entire Miasma-Clearing Team force from Central City had mobilized.

The sight left some onlookers puzzled. Was all this really necessary?

Element Rivers were dangerous, yes, but the miasma fog clinging to the elemental particles was limited in potency. With timely evacuation, the disaster shouldn’t be catastrophic.

Such doubts lingered in their minds, but this wasn’t the time to voice them. The academy prioritized getting the students out first, followed by the teachers.

Ming Shuang clutched Coal Ball close, blending into the throng. He spotted several Miasma-Clearing Team beast tamers attempting to enter, only to be blocked by academy teachers.

Unable to force their way past, the beast tamers withdrew.

After watching for a moment, Ming Shuang slipped away quietly, doubling back to a secluded corner.

Xuzhi waited there. Ming Shuang tugged at his sleeve. “Brother, let’s head back.”

“Do you want to leave?” Xuzhi replied. “With the two from my clan first…”

“No,” Ming Shuang said, his eyes widening just a fraction. “I don’t want to go…”

Xuzhi paused mid-sentence, leaning down close and murmuring reassuringly, “Don’t worry. They can’t hurt me.”

Never mind his recent gains in strength—plenty of black qi still lingered in his magic veins, awaiting the moment to be unleashed.

Even Xuzhi wasn’t sure what heights he might reach once it was all absorbed.

Ming Shuang knew none of this. He bit his lip. “B-but what if we run out of magic stones? I’ve gotten so much better lately. I can use ice magic to protect you…”

He trailed off, swallowing the rest. Remembering Yan Si’s warning, he held back from telling Xuzhi about the Dragon Clan’s imminent return to the continent.

Xuzhi’s lips curved faintly. He took Ming Shuang’s hand. “All right. Let’s go back first.”

From afar, Yan Si watched over them like a shadow guardian, trailing the pair on their return.

The evacuation dragged on until four in the afternoon, seeing off every last student—and most of the teachers.

A handful of teachers stayed behind voluntarily, ready to assist the two deans with any further crises.

In under a day, the sprawling academy stood eerily empty.

The beast tamer squads outside showed no sign of thinning out. Five elders had arrived in total.

Elder Qiu was among them. Fresh on the scene, he inquired, “Any leads on that suspected God Clan member?”

“None,” his subordinate replied, shaking his head. “We’ve laid a magic array. Teleportation stone or no, he can’t escape. He’s definitely still inside.”

“Patient one, isn’t he?” Elder Qiu muttered. “With all the bystanders cleared out, it’s time we went in for a look.”

He led his team inside alongside two other elders.

Xiang Lun stood guard not far from the entrance—and ran straight into them.

“Dean Xiang,” Elder Qiu said, halting. “I was just coming to find you.”

Xiang Lun stood alone, the snow fox his only companion. His gaze flicked toward the forces arrayed outside the academy. “All these people… Is that really necessary?”

“Don’t you know how dangerous a heavenly disaster can be?” Elder Qiu cut straight to it. “Especially… when it’s a God Clan member—the very source of them.”

Xiang Lun frowned faintly. Xuzhi’s features had been seen; denying the God Clan connection was impossible now.

“Since I brought him into the academy, he’s my responsibility,” Xiang Lun said. “He poses no threat to the outside world. Any consequences will be on me.”

As vice dean, his position carried weight, and such a pledge demonstrated due gravity.

Elder Qiu remained unmoved. “Anything tied to a heavenly disaster must be vetted by the Miasma-Clearing Team to assess the risk.”

He sized up Xiang Lun. “Besides, at your age, you shouldn’t be concerning yourself with this.”

The subtext was clear: Xiang Lun held no authority here. At 350 years old, even if he could watch over Xuzhi now, how many more years could he last?

Xiang Lun’s expression turned icy in an instant. He hadn’t anticipated such unyielding resolve from the Miasma-Clearing Team—no room for discussion at all.

Magic power surged from his raised hand. “So you’re forcing your way in?”

The snow fox growled low beside him. The moment Xiang Lun spoke, a red shadow plummeted from the sky, trailed by a black blob and a blue one.

Ming Shuang, uneasy, had dispatched Tomato to protect him, bringing Coal Ball and Taro Ball along. Mochi lurked in the shadows, poised to intervene.

The magical beasts flanked Xiang Lun protectively. Moments later, a brown-furred giant bear lumbered into view from nearby.

The giant bear was Herl’s beast. On account of its hulking size and savage looks, it rarely showed itself around campus.

As it approached, Herl emerged from the side, plainly taking Xiang Lun’s side.

Elder Qiu sneered at the sight. “Does Dean Herl know the full story—and still choose to shield a God Clan member?”

“This isn’t shielding anyone,” Herl replied, his tone gentler. “Withdraw most of your beast tamers from outside, and we can talk this through properly.”

More beast tamers poured into the academy during the exchange, watching with predatory intent.

The remaining academy teachers had either left or been redirected by Xiang Lun—he had no desire to drag innocents into this.

Confronted by the swelling ranks of beast tamers, Xiang Lun and Herl refused to budge an inch.

Elder Qiu fell silent, weighing whether to truly clash with them.

In the taut standoff, he suddenly snapped coldly, “He’s here, isn’t he? So why hide?”

High overhead, a flying magic beast tore through the air—but it veered away from them, zeroing in on the rear of a distant classroom building.

~~~Xuzhi was there… with Ming Shuang.

The flying magic beast was a sturdy long-beaked bird. It slashed downward with razor-sharp talons, ignoring Ivan at Xuzhi’s side.

Xuzhi and Yan Si, standing nearby, reacted in a flash. Fire element and metal magic met the assault head-on, holding it at bay.

Ming Shuang had been ready to unleash ice magic and dragon breath, but after shapeshifting that morning, he was back in little dragon hatchling form, tucked safely inside Xuzhi’s coat and pinned too tightly to break free.

The flying magic beast’s first strike missed. It wheeled for a ferocious dive.

This time, Xuzhi was quickest. An earth array whisked him aside as lightning system magic hammered down on the intruder.

A gray streak flashed past—the owl swooping in, unleashing a storm of wind blades that shredded the flying magic beast.

It screeched in agony and fled skyward.

Yan Si, seeing the threat repelled, let the magic in his palm dissipate.

The entire skirmish unfolded in heartbeats. Xiang Lun spotted the rear attack and paled with fury. “You!”

Tomato caught sight of the trouble around Ming Shuang and fretted to rush back, only for Taro Ball to hold it in place.

Ming Shuang’s side had two Dragon Clan warriors and a cadre of elite guardian beasts—they were needed here to back Xiang Lun.

Xiang Lun wasted no more time. With the snow fox, he invoked space magic to ensnare Elder Qiu and the other beast tamers.

Elder Qiu had countermeasures ready, but the space magic’s grip proved overwhelmingly potent. For the moment, he couldn’t break loose.

But his magical beast had already detected Xuzhi’s trail and sprung into action. This was the signal.

In an instant, more beast tamers poured into the academy, including the flying squadron high in the sky above.

All of them had one target: Xuzhi.

Xuzhi was well aware of it. He lifted his gaze and scanned his surroundings, his expression blank.

The space magic was far too formidable. It had already erected a fresh barrier in midair to block any more beast tamers from breaking in, but the Miasma-Clearing Team had too many members.

As Xuzhi repelled several beast tamers, he glanced toward the academy gates. His eyes then settled on Elder Qiu.

He didn’t deliberate for long. The earth array beneath his feet shifted, whisking him toward Xiang Lun.

Ming Shuang, cradled in his arms, had no idea what was going on, but the cacophony of noises around him made him wonder how things had blown up into a fight so quickly.

There was no time to worry about it now. Ming Shuang ducked his head and clawed at the pendant around his neck, releasing all the fluffy balls inside.

The fluffy balls had been tumbling along in Xuzhi’s wake. They had received their instructions from Ming Shuang long ago and now scanned left and right with spirited vigilance, charging straight at their targets the moment they spotted them.

None of the beast tamers on site had ever seen fluffy balls before—and with so many identical magical beasts, no one knew who they belonged to. They were all caught off guard for a moment, only to take a thorough beating right after.

Elder Qiu soon noticed the fluffy balls as well.

He frowned faintly. In that brief moment of distraction, Xuzhi appeared right in front of him.

At the same time—unnoticed by the crowd—a silver-white shadow darted toward Xiang Lun.

Xiang Lun hurriedly tucked the little dragon hatchling into his wide sleeve and retreated a few steps with caution.

Elder Qiu paid no attention to Xiang Lun. The moment he spotted Xuzhi, he tensed up like he was facing a deadly foe.

Before he or the beast tamers around him could react, a torrent of light magic erupted.

The radiance not only blocked their view but grew as thick and viscous as mud and sand, hampering everyone’s movements.

Elder Qiu couldn’t see a thing, and his subordinates nearby seemed to have been scattered.

He swiftly inscribed an array at his feet and summoned his own magical beast, all while warily checking his surroundings.

Yet the instant the flying magic beast emerged from the teleportation array, it let out an inexplicable scream of agony. At the same time, Elder Qiu caught the scent of fire magic.

The flames parted the light magic slightly, allowing him to glimpse Xuzhi’s figure amid the white glow.

Xuzhi drew closer at a leisurely pace. Elder Qiu suddenly felt a choking pressure in his throat. When he raised a hand, he found a vine—sprouted by wood magic—wrapped around his neck.

“So you’re this weak,” Xuzhi murmured, almost to himself, as he watched Elder Qiu’s face flush red from asphyxiation. “What right do you have to make me go with you?”

~~~