Eldritch Horror Theatre

That was exactly it. The sword strike Fu Qian had just executed—down to the prop and the motion itself—was drawn entirely from his experience within the Record of Recollection. It was the masterpiece Old Man Li He had created in a state of complete enlightenment after the tragic loss of his beloved.

Even his preliminary dialogue had been completely plagiarized.

And this was the true purpose behind his challenge today.

As the task summary had indicated, aside from himself as the task runner, the other liberated survivors retained no clear memories of their experiences inside the Record of Recollection.

In other words, Old Man Li He’s heaven-shaking sword strike was destined to be buried within those unformed memories.

As an academic worker, Fu Qian naturally felt it a profound shame to let such intellectual wealth go to waste.

Given the right opportunity, passing it down on the old man’s behalf was nothing more than an effortless favor.

And Brother Weixuan, standing right in front of him, was undoubtedly the perfect candidate.

He was at Peak Tier 4, just one step shy of the Demigod Realm, resolute in mind and fearless of illusions—and on top of that, he was already the old man’s blood descendant.

Seizing this excellent opportunity, Fu Qian decisively chose to use Lucid Dream to recreate that sword strike to the greatest extent possible.If this Dean candidate, who was fulfilling popular expectations, could gain some insight and benefit from the demonstration, it would be a blessing for the Academy.

Then he and old-timers like Cass could more freely live as drifting clouds and wild cranes.

As it turned out, the man appeared to have genuinely gained something from it.

The dream faded. Fu Qian, whose posture remained completely unchanged, studied Li Weixuan opposite him—who was exhibiting the exact same stillness—with a gratified expression.

”Exhilarating—”

Yet the very next moment, without bothering to utter another word, Fu Qian let out a hearty laugh at the sky, turned on his heel, and walked away without taking a single cloud with him.

......

So what exactly was so exhilarating?!

The untamed spirit of a Demigod was incredibly infectious.

For a moment, the spectators who had automatically cleared a path watched him leave. Everyone seemed to feel that free-spiritedness, their hearts stirring with the sheer emotion of it.

However, no matter how much idealism colored their feelings, they still couldn’t deny reality.

The pose had indeed been extremely cool, and the aura was impeccable, but hadn’t they forgotten something?

For an instructional spar that had so rapidly maxed out everyone’s expectations to end in a manner akin to a worldline jump—the vast majority of the audience found it completely unacceptable.

Most importantly, the newly ascended Demigod of Apocalypse actually wore the demeanor of someone returning thoroughly satisfied after enjoying himself to the fullest.

For a moment, the air of disappointment across the White Stone Terrace was so thick it almost congealed into a domain.

This...

As the catalyst of the event in a certain sense, the Sword Comprehension Institute elite, Professor Chang Mo, naturally couldn’t view what had just happened as a mere farce.

Her feelings were especially solidified when she caught Ji Liushuang deep in thought from the corner of her eye, a faint smile curling the corners of her lips.

This ”research assistant” clearly knew the newly ascended Demigod of Apocalypse very well. Something had definitely happened just now, completely outside the bounds of their perception.

”Dean...”

However, she didn’t force her beloved disciple to explain. Instead, she took two steps forward and softly called out to one of the men involved.

Hoo—

At the same time, Li Weixuan, who seemed to have finally awakened from some profound immersion, let out a long breath.

”Truly exhilarating... Professor Fu is extraordinary indeed!”

Glancing at Chang Mo, his first words essentially announced the result of the spar.

......

Even you...

Chang Mo wasn’t surprised that the Dean acknowledged that man.

But this echoed evaluation of ”exhilarating” was making it hard for her to maintain her composure.

Of course, what she absolutely hadn’t expected was that something even more composure-breaking was yet to come.

”From today’s battle, even I have benefited greatly.”

Before she could respond, Li Weixuan had even copied the posture of gazing up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.

”If the Night Watchers send any more feedback, you will handle it temporarily.”

Huh?

Realizing she would very likely have to deal with Demigod Fu again, Chang Mo felt a faint resistance, but her eyes suddenly lit up as if she had just understood something.

”I need to seclude myself for a period of time.”

Giving a slight nod, Li Weixuan confirmed the guess in her heart.

”Alright.”

Without the slightest hesitation, Chang Mo agreed immediately.

Had the Dean actually touched upon an opportunity for advancement? Under Professor Fu’s influence?

Of course, this realization didn’t stop a stormy sea from churning in her heart.

Just now, in a realm beyond perception, had that man not only genuinely displayed his sword intent, but even granted enlightenment to the Dean of the Sword Comprehension Institute?

That was too unbelievable—although no matter how one looked at it, it was absolutely a good thing.

......

Since it was just something he did in passing, Fu Qian didn’t even bother to pay attention to the outcome.

With the matter here concluded, he strolled at a leisurely pace, heading straight back to his own Laboratory.

Did they not know that senior experts always believed in knowing when to stop, leaving the rest to fate and fortune?

Furthermore, the Four Colleges of the Academy were branches of the same root. His highly valued research assistant was from Sword Comprehension, so even if they really did gain something, there was no need for them to express any special gratitude.

Compared to all this red tape, it was better to cherish his remaining time at the Academy and steal a moment of leisure—though it seemed he wouldn’t be able to steal any.

Looking from afar at the figure standing in front of his Laboratory with her back turned toward him, Fu Qian didn’t stop walking, nor did he feel any dissatisfaction.

Even though this scene felt seemingly familiar, he could still tell at a glance that she was definitely not Jia Keke, who had waited here previously.

While Jia Keke could be called graceful, compared to this tall, water-like lithe figure whose elegance could be felt just from her back, it was obviously too easy to tell them apart.

A black and white dress, Rimless Glasses, fine hair coiled on her head—who else could it be but Tutor Lisa?

Under the arrangement of the person in charge, she was responsible for Lotte’s arm recovery project. For her to suddenly appear here right now, there could only be one reason.

”That fast?”

As he mused, the other party, possessing keen senses, had already turned around and was staring in his direction.

However, faced with Fu Qian’s friendly greeting, Lisa didn’t look too pleased, nor did she answer.

”Where did you go? To think you even specifically turned on the defenses.”

”Don’t tell me you really thought someone would go inside to steal things? Did it serve any purpose other than locking me out?”

It was just that the reason for her dissatisfaction wasn’t even because Fu Qian had made her waste a trip, but because she had been forced to wait outside.

”It was for your own good. I recently acquired some expensive furniture.”

Yet, in the face of this deeply resentful complaint, Fu Qian actually smoothly admitted to it.

”...You were genuinely worried I’d steal things? Are you sure I’d need to?”

This time, it was the one who made the guess—Professor Lisa herself—who was left dumbfounded.

Of course she wouldn’t need to. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been to her laboratory before; compared to his side, they were practically at opposite extremes.

”I was only worried you might feel unwell looking at it.”

Shaking his head lightly, Fu Qian casually opened the door and invited this meritorious contributor inside.

This...

But the next moment, Professor Lisa, who had been frowning and preparing to retort, suddenly froze. Her gaze fell upon a certain luxuriously styled armchair.

See, I told you so.