Chapter 469: Whack-A-Mole (2)
Flying in the air, Zhou Pingsheng continued looking everywhere. Before long, he noticed several areas with high willpower density. He ignored those spots. Those were probably the spots of the Skysoar and Cloudbreach cultivators.
He continued observing the grotto in accordance to the flow of willpower. He found his own student, Di Feng, some other people, and even Xia Chan. But Su Yu was nowhere to be seen.
"Junior Sister Xia, Su Yu entered with you. Did you see where he went?"
Xia Chan frowned as she opened her eyes and said, "I don't know. Senior Brother Zhou, since you're already here, focus on your cultivation. Suppressing others is the lowest method you can use to strengthen your position."
Zhou Pingsheng snorted inwardly.
Low?
Easy for her to say that when she was a part of the Xia Family.
If he couldn't suppress Su Yu, who would show him any respect? He had already embarrassed himself enough before this. In that case, why would he care about further embarrassing himself?
Of his four students, only one had been able to enter. The rest were either too badly injured or were still banned. How could he accept that? At this point, it had almost been an hour since he entered. He couldn't help but to curse inwardly.
Where was the kid?
The grotto wasn't exactly a big place. Just where had that kid hidden himself? He couldn't help but wonder if the kid was actually hiding inside one of the spots that had been claimed by the Skysoar and Cloudbreach cultivators.
...
After another half an hour.
After searching a few different spots, Zhou Pingsheng had arrived at an area with high willpower density.
He was just about to approach the place when someone yelled, "This place has been claimed by Zhang Hao of the talisman faction. I was the first to find this place. Don't try to steal from me. Find your own spot or this will turn into a personal feud between us."
Even from far away, Zhou Pingsheng could see Zhang Hao. He frowned. This kid's senses were pretty sharp for detecting him from so far away.
And the kid was also quite lucky. Although this place wasn't the spot with the highest willpower density in the grotto, it definitely ranked at the top. Most of the similar spots had been claimed by Skysoar or Cloudbreach cultivators. Surprisingly, this spot had been claimed by a mere Mental Tempering Stage student like him.
Zhou Pingsheng ignored Zhang Hao and scanned the area with his willpower. Digging a hole was impossible in this grotto, so he was starting to suspect that Su Yu had hidden himself with a concealment character. Due to that suspicion, Zhou Pingsheng had started scanning everywhere in his attempt to flush Su Yu out.
But he found nothing.
Thus, he asked, "Have you seen Su Yu?"
"No." Zhang Hao frowned and said, "Manager Zhou, you are disturbing my cultivation. Your issue with Su Yu is your private affair. My teacher had bought this slot with money. Are you intentionally disturbing me to chase me off after seeing me with a good spot?"
"You..."
Zhou Pingsheng was slightly angered. That was absolute bullshit!
He had not intended to cultivate in the grotto. Why would he do so?
Zhang Hao coldly said, "You may leave, Manager Zhou. Cultivation is a highly private affair. I do not wish to have a spectator when I'm cultivating. I might not have a Mountainsea in my family, but I'm still not someone just anyone can bully."
"Hmph!"
Zhou Pingsheng snorted unhappily.
Despite his displeasure, he said nothing more and flew away.
Inwardly, he was getting more and more suspicious. Just where was Su Yu?
Damn it!
How was the kid doing this?
...
After Zhou Pingsheng left, Su Yu checked his Perception Jade and confirmed that Zhou Pingsheng was no longer nearby. At the very least, Zhou Pingsheng was no longer scanning the area.
"Brother Zhang, the willpower here is getting denser and denser. I'll need to leave soon."
In a short period of time, Su Yu had opened three apertures. His cultivation was extremely fast. But he had also gathered too much willpower in the area. If this continued, Zhou Pingsheng would discover him sooner or later.
"He won't dare to investigate me..."
Su Yu said, "The willpower is too dense. His attention will definitely be attracted. I'll cultivate here for another half an hour to gather more willpower here. Try to open all six of the apertures before leaving the grotto, Brother Zhang."
At this point, Zhang Hao had opened two apertures. He said nothing else and resumed his cultivation in silence.
Su Yu continued gathering more willpower. With 47 apertures, he had an incredible absorption speed. He was probably as fast as a regular first or second-stage Cloudbreach.
And since he was a Mental Tempering Stage student, his acupoints were also much easier to open. Within the grotto, he was able to open an average of one aperture every half an hour.
He could still see the indistinct silhouette of Zhou Pingsheng in the distance. Zhou Pingsheng was still busy scanning everywhere for him.
Staring into the distance from under the robe, Su Yu smiled. It wouldn't be easy for Zhou Pingsheng to find him without openly scanning the entire grotto. Just wait. It was time to give Zhou Pingsheng some trouble.
Taking out his talisman, Su Yu asked around for Di Feng's location. He was planning to stealthily absorb the area around Di Feng dry of willpower before running off.
Half an hour passed. Su Yu had successfully opened his 48th aperture.
Su Yu said, "Brother Zhang, I'll be taking my leave. When that fellow comes again, you should stand up before scolding him. I'm afraid that he's starting to suspect you."
"Sure!"
Zhang Hao said nothing else and watched on as Su Yu left. Su Yu was moving while sticking close to the ground. A certain darkness seemed to envelop him as he moved while his surroundings continued twisting and turning.
With the deceit character, he was sealing all his acupoints and apertures.
With his blood character, he was constantly producing a mirage around him. Unless someone was performing a detailed scan on the area, nobody would notice him.
After about 15 minutes.
Zhou Pingsheng had arrived yet again. He looked at the distance Zhang Hao with a frown.
With Su Yu's strong talent, he was definitely hiding somewhere with high willpower density. The other spots had been claimed by the people of the single character faction. This spot, on the other hand, had only been claimed by a Mental Tempering Stage like Zhang Hao. Was it possible that Su Yu was hiding here?
"Zhang Hao..."
Zhang Hao opened his eyes with an unsightly expression. He clenched his teeth and said, "Manager Zhou, you must be deliberately doing this. Are you trying to cause me to suffer from cultivation deviation? This is the second time you've disturbed me. I won't tolerate a third transgression. My teacher and my grandpa won't let this slide."
Zhou Pingsheng frowned and stayed silent for a short while before explaining himself, "This is a misunderstanding. I came here because I was worried about you. The willpower here is too thick."
After saying that, his willpower erupted and dispersed the ambient willpower around them.
The air rippled and Zhang Hao's body shook slightly. Then, he furiously said, "Zhou Pingsheng, unless you kill me right here, I will be getting an answer from you for this after leaving the grotto."
After saying that, he staggered, nearly collapsing onto the ground.
Zhou Pingsheng's eyes flickered as he smiled and said, "This is a misunderstanding. I'm really sorry. I only did that because I was really worried about you."
His willpower erupted again. This time, he gathered back all the willpower he had dispersed earlier.
He didn't absorb any of the gathered willpower. With a smile, he said, "Calm your anger, Student Zhang. That was really a misunderstanding."
He then flew away.
Zhang Hao snorted coldly and resumed his cultivation.
Somewhere in the distance, Zhou Pingsheng was frowning. Su Yu was not in the area. Just where was that person hiding?
"Maybe I can check Wu Jia's area..."
That thought had just crossed his mind when he heard a furious roar far away.
He hurriedly flew over.
...
A short while later, he arrived.
He saw his student, Di Feng, roaring furiously with blood dripping down the corner of his mouth.
"What's going on?"
"Teacher!" Di Feng furiously said, "The willpower around me has suddenly vanished! I was in the midst of my cultivation when that happened. I nearly suffered a backlash!"
"Vanished?"
Zhou Pingsheng frowned and scanned the area. Sure enough, a willpower vacuum had appeared.
Di Feng was in the midst of nurturing his willpower when the ambient willpower suddenly vanished. A backlash was inevitable. It wasn't too serious a backlash, but it was still enough to delay his cultivation. In fact, this was exactly what Zhou Pingsheng had been trying to do to Su Yu.
"Who was it?"
Zhou Pingsheng frowned.
Who was the culprit?
Or was this a coincidence? Or perhaps something had happened to the Mountainseas maintaining the grotto outside, resulting in a temporary willpower vacuum?
He looked around before saying with a frown, "Continue your cultivation. I'll look around."
"Teacher, have you found Su Yu?"
Zhou Pingsheng did not answer.
How the fuck was he supposed to find Su Yu?
That kid had vanished into thin air!
...
At the same time.
Outside the grotto, Elder Sun, who was one of the elders in charge of maintaining the grotto, cursed in annoyance.
Which bastard was running around emptying random spots of willpower? That was probably a high-stage Skysoar or a Cloudbreach. That person was running around randomly absorbing willpower everywhere.
Prior to this, there were only several fixed spots with higher willpower expenditure, so they had been able to focus on stabilizing those spots. But suddenly, the expenditure of one spot dropped while a different spot was cleared of willpower.
And that area just so happened to be the area he was in charge of. The sudden disturbance in the flow of willpower had even slightly destabilized the grotto.
Elder Sun couldn't help but curse furiously.
Who was that?
Zhou Pingsheng?
Xia Yuwen? Or Hu Wensheng?
That was a powerful absorption force. And it happened so fast.
Only a Cloudbreach or a peak Skysoar was capable of something like that. Was that Liu Hong?
This was infuriating.
Just what were those bastards doing in the grotto?
While he was thinking about all that, a massive absorption force had suddenly appeared at a completely different spot, instantly clearing the willpower there.
The sudden pressure caused Elder Sun's body to shake. He furiously muttered, "Weren't they told to not roam around randomly before this?"
Fuck!
That was probably Zhou Pingsheng!
That fellow was doing this to mess with Su Yu!
Su Yu was probably running everywhere with Zhou Pingsheng following behind him while constantly clearing their surroundings of willpower. That damn fool! Was he not aware that this would subject them, the Mountainseas in charge of keeping the grotto active, a far greater pressure?
Couldn't he deploy a willpower barrier around Su Yu and keep the kid at one spot? He could easily get away from that. He had not laid his hands on Su Yu. The kid was the one insisting on entering the barriers he had placed. That was definitely not his fault! That would be the perfect way of dealing with the kid.
What an idiot. This was too infuriating!
Not far away, Zhou Mingren was also busy stabilizing the grotto. He was somewhat speechless. This was such a simple task yet Zhou Pingsheng had still found a way to mess things up.
What a fool.
Nearby, Hong Tan smiled and asked, "Do you need my help? I am quite strong. I can easily maintain the grotto for a day or two."
They ignored him.
They wouldn't allow anyone to get involved before reaching their limits.
...
Inside the grotto.
Su Yu had cleared the willpower around yet another single character faction student. He was feeling very pleased with himself.
This was great.
The student would need to wait some time before the willpower level in the area returned to normal. Su Yu did not dare to waste any time and hurriedly left the area. Before long, he saw a familiar face.
"Brother Lin!"
When Lin Yao heard the voice, he looked around in alarm. Suddenly, the space in front of him warped before Su Yu appeared out of thin air.
"I need to hide here for a bit." Su Yu hurriedly said, "I need to digest what I just absorbed. You can continue cultivating as usual."
Right after saying that, Su Yu slithered under Lin Yao's robe like a snake before sticking close to his back.
"Act natural. Don't panic even if Zhou Pingsheng himself is here."
"Sure!"
Inwardly, Lin Yao's heart was racing. His Brother Su was truly brave. If they were caught...wait, if they were caught, wouldn't he be the one who would be in trouble?
A helpless expression covered Lin Yao's face. But at this moment, Su Yu whispered something to Lin Yao, instantly turning that look of helplessness into a look of excitement.
The opening method of one aperture for this favor? Was that...true? He wasted no time and instantly started trying to open the aperture. He would know if that was real by trying it out.
As for the fact that he would drill a hole out of his sea of willpower if it was fake...well, he wouldn't be so unlucky, right?
Su Yu had just absorbed the willpower from two different spots without stopping to digest what he had absorbed. Thus, he started cultivating silently without absorbing any additional willpower.
After about half an hour, he opened his 49th aperture.
"Brother Lin, I'll empty this area of willpower. Just shout loudly in indignation..."
Su Yu said nothing else and emptied the area of willpower.
After doing that, he ran off.
Lin Yao waited until Su Yu was far away before shouting loudly.
A short while later, Zhou Pingsheng arrived. With a frown, he asked, "Something happened here as well?"
This was the third spot!
Who was the culprit?
Su Yu?
Impossible! How could that kid do this?
But who else could it be?
Lin Yao had a gloomy expression as he said, "Manager Zhou, I don't know what happened. I was in the middle of my cultivation when the willpower suddenly vanished. I nearly suffered from a backlash."
"Did you see anyone?"
"Nope." Lin Yao wanted to delay Zhou Pingsheng more so he asked, "Manager, what's happening? I thought they said that this place has endless willpower? Why is the willpower vanishing?"
"..."
Zhou Pingsheng cursed inwardly.
How was he supposed to know that?
Was it Su Yu?
If it was, how was the kid doing this?
If it wasn't Su Yu, was it really possible that the same coincidence had happened three times in a row?
Fuck!
Zhou Pingsheng cursed again. Just what was happening?
After thinking about it, his willpower erupted and gathered some ambient willpower to the area. Although this wasn't his student, this was still a student from the single character faction. And he had worked well with Liu Hong in the past.
Furthermore, Liu Hong was now in charge of all students below the Skysoar Realm in the faction. He needed to rely on Liu Hong to take care of his own students in the future. It wouldn't hurt for him to do Liu Hong's student a favor here.
After doing so, he left. He had given up on searching the grotto. Instead, he was going to wait nearby a single character student for the culprit.