Chapter Fifty-Two: The Ruins Awaken

“Lin Qingyun, just you wait. I, Zheng Haoyue, swear I will make you beg for death, unable to live and unable to die. I will force you to kneel before me and plead for forgiveness. I will utterly destroy your Lin Pharmaceutical Group.”

“I, Zheng Haoyue, swear that the humiliation of today will be repaid a hundredfold…”

At this moment, Zheng Haoyue had lost all his composure. From childhood, he was the young master of Zhenggang Group, president of the Alchemy Society, and even at Haicheng University, he quickly became the vice president of the student council through his schemes and innate talent. Given time, he was certain to become the student council president.

With his family background, his rise was unstoppable. He was always the refined young master, standing high above others, never subjected to such humiliation.

When he regained consciousness earlier, he saw the flashes of sword light and several experts escorting those who had forfeited and pleaded for rescue away from the competition.

Zheng Haoyue had no desire to be removed in such a manner—hair and eyebrows burned off, naked and withdrawing from the match. If it really came to that, how could he ever show his face again?

Days ago, while people discussed those who had quit, he had commented that those who withdrew after being injured by Lin Qingyun were nothing compared to Song Yichen. Song Yichen, despite setbacks, grew stronger, embodying the indomitable spirit that students should possess.

But when he himself was beaten so badly, he felt like dying. Yet he knew he couldn’t withdraw. With Song Yichen as a precedent, he could salvage his reputation later; to quit outright would be laughable.

Still, not withdrawing meant that after fleeing and suffering pain, recalling what had happened brought him to the brink of rage and shame. He roared inwardly, but dared not show it, afraid of attracting attention.

Only after hiding in a subterranean crevice and sealing off the outside completely—

“Ah… ah…” Zheng Haoyue finally let out anguished cries. The pain was physical, but far worse was the feeling that years of accumulated dignity and prestige had been trampled.

He had merely encountered the seriously wounded Lin Qingyun—why had it turned out like this?

Resentment, fury, and murderous intent filled his chest.

Ever since learning about Lin Qingyun’s situation, especially before entering university when he saw Lin Qingyun and realized the Lin family’s internal struggle had begun, Zheng Haoyue had made preparations and laid plans.

He hadn’t expected repeated setbacks, and now, in the freshman combat trial—a stage meant for him to shine—he had been beaten so miserably.

Back in the wild flora and fauna park, Lin Qingyun returned to his tree hollow and began cultivating peacefully.

Were it not for the special circumstances, if this were truly within the ruins, Lin Qingyun would have killed them all.

Having lived another life, he was no longer soft-hearted. There was no rule against killing young classmates. Those who schemed against him and opposed him—why spare them?

But as things stood, he wasn’t the one making the rules. So, he could only deal with the opposition within the constraints of the system.

That night, chaos reigned for miles around. The sand rats, agitated, ran rampant. Once they dispersed and lost their numerical advantage, they became prey for the freshmen.

The rat demons were slaughtered en masse, and by the time they retreated, seventy percent of the sand rats and rat demons had been killed.

The largest organized group in the area had dissolved, and without Zheng Haoyue and his followers, the scattered freshmen couldn’t immediately seize the opportunity.

“Buzz…”

The next day, when the leaderboard was published again, people from other areas were shocked—over sixty had withdrawn from the competition in a single day.

And the changes in the entire ranking far exceeded expectations. The freshman combat trial was expected to last at least half a month, with the duration subject to extension based on circumstances.

If someone managed to swiftly slay the most powerful beast king in the trial, the competition would end sooner.

In previous years, never had so many withdrawn so soon.

That day, Lin Qingyun didn’t even check the leaderboard or his communicator. He was quietly sensing the fluctuations of spiritual energy in the world. With intent, his soul merged into the creation pill furnace, silently perceiving the subtle changes in the world’s spiritual energy.

Without being immersed in it, without being a super powerful cultivator or possessing special treasures, it was nearly impossible to notice such minute shifts.

“It’s coming…”

Lin Qingyun sensed it quietly. Not only was this a rare opportunity, but it was also the greatest period of transformation since the planet’s spiritual energy had revived a century ago.

In the first decades of spiritual recovery, humanity and mutated beasts battled for control. The middle decades saw the suppression of the seas and stabilizing of the situation. In recent decades, countless ruins were unlocked, and humanity entered a new era of flourishing cultivation.

At this point, there were no true external enemies. Though the seas and deep mountains held dangers, humans had super strong cultivators who could suppress them. The mutated beasts had fallen behind, unable to match the humans who continually received ancient legacies and advanced their cultivation.

But after today, everything would change.

Though some among the planet’s leadership had worries and concerns, they were isolated voices and theories, difficult to unify.

In the command center, chaos caused by the sand rat horde drew much attention.

“Hm?”

Unlike others, the Desert Wind King, Nangong Aoshu, beneath his armor, closed his eyes slowly. He sensed an indescribable unease.

A true expert’s premonition was never ordinary.

But Nangong Aoshu didn’t connect it to the freshman combat trial. He thought some restless figure nearby was plotting against him, triggering his alertness.

As the new day dawned, battles continued throughout the trial zone, as usual.

As for the sand rat beast tide, relative to the whole battlefield, it was just a local disturbance. For those who had withdrawn—Li Daoze, Mao Yiqiang—it was earth-shattering; for Zheng Haoyue, it was the height of shame. For others, it was insignificant.

In a zone of tens of thousands, affecting one or two thousand, a few hundred withdrawals—big to some, small to others. For the uninvolved, it was mere gossip; the busy barely paid it any mind.

“Rumble…”

Outside the trial zone, suddenly, a mysterious gale swept through.

A desert storm, once it hit, was terrifying. But with modern technology, such events could usually be forecast accurately. This time, however, the wind came abruptly.

It was unbelievably fast, and in some areas, clouds gathered and local temperatures plummeted—hail even appeared.

“Rumble…”

The earth began to tear open, spreading toward the trial zone.

“This is odd…”

“Buzz, buzz, buzz… Lord Wind King, something’s happening…”

“Beep, beep, beep…”

Nangong Aoshu was still pondering the source of unease when his communicator was flooded with messages. The command center’s intelligent monitoring suddenly issued a red alert.

One, two, three…

Instantly, a dozen red warning signals lit up.

The command center began to shake—earthquake, hail, storm, sandstorm…

“What’s going on? Investigate immediately and prepare emergency plans.” Feng Shouyi was shocked, instantly ordering everyone into action.

“Mobilize the troops and prepare to respond.” While Feng Shouyi directed the investigation, Qin Xiong had already ordered the military to prepare.

The sudden disasters stunned everyone, but there was no panic. In the past, when ruins appeared, the commotion was great. Though this was happening in the trial zone, first priority was evacuation.

“Protect the students. I’ll go check…”

As everyone heard Nangong Aoshu’s voice, he vanished from the spot.

Soon, the sandstorm forming dozens of miles from the trial zone was dispersed by another sandstorm before it could fully gather.

“Earthly upheaval—likely ruins are opening nearby. The freshman combat trial must be temporarily halted…”

From dozens of miles away, the Desert Wind King unleashed his spiritual sense fully, finally detecting the abnormality, and contacted Qin Xiong and Feng Shouyi again.

“Pass the word—the freshman combat trial is over. Prepare for evacuation. The military will assist the Wind King in taking command…”

With swift action, Nangong Aoshu, Qin Xiong, and Feng Shouyi responded immediately and appropriately.

But what none of them noticed was that before the earthquakes, hail, sandstorms, and hurricanes began, a yellow mist—eluding even satellite monitoring—had gradually spread through the trial zone.

In various surveillance feeds, people were still visible.

But sudden changes made communication impossible. Even the Education Ministry teachers observing from midair couldn’t be reached.

“Calling, prepare for evacuation immediately…”

After repeated failed attempts, Feng Shouyi and his team’s expressions changed. They sent personnel into the zone to make contact.

From their vantage point, those entering could still communicate, but once inside the trial zone, contact was lost. On the screens, it seemed the people moved like drunkards, staggering in slow motion.

The distance was close, yet they moved as if slowed, unable to cross over.

“This is bad. This is likely the site of ruins, and the space is changing. Notify the minister immediately…” Feng Shouyi’s expression shifted dramatically, then he turned to Nan Yutong and the others.

“All responsible parties, take a team inside and protect the students. Upon encountering freshmen, keep them close and then try to leave. Those above the Cloud Ascending Realm cannot enter. With spatial anomalies, our entry could trigger local collapse. Enter at once.”

“Yes.” No matter the previous rivalry or competition, now it was different. They were teachers, and all present were students.

In this moment, the freshman combat trial had ended. At Feng Shouyi’s command, Nan Yutong and all school leaders left at once.

Outside, those who hadn’t entered the zone quickly regrouped and formed teams to enter.

“General Qin, with the Wind King outside, this newly emerged ruin is rather strange…” Feng Shouyi looked at Qin Xiong.

“All military personnel will follow your lead,” Qin Xiong declared without waiting for Feng Shouyi to finish.