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*****
Who else could it be? Xue Aoying and the other three were stunned, never expecting another comrade to be hidden in their midst. Shangguan Tianyang looked toward a specific spot. Shortly after, the others sensed movement and turned their gaze behind Su Wen.
"Long Shiya!"
The three Shangguan brothers and the envoys from the four Holy Lands were all visibly shaken. They had never expected this "comrade" to be none other than Long Shiya himself. Moreover, judging by Su Wen's previous words, it was impossible to believe there was no connection between them. Had this fellow been in contact with Long Shiya for a long time?
"Everyone, allow me to introduce him: this is the 'Emperor of the Six Absolutes,' Long Shiya, who is also the Supreme Elder of the Academy," Su Wen introduced calmly.
Though everyone present already knew Long Shiya, this introduction was necessary. Once Su Wen finished, Shangguan Tianyang's expression shifted drastically as he looked at Su Wen. What is going on? You've invited another Heaven Emperor to join the Academy? What exactly are you trying to do?
Shangguan Tianyang was livid, and the other envoys were equally dissatisfied with Su Wen's maneuvers, all harboring a vague sense of foreboding. Yet, what could they do? Even as that sense of dread arose, they could guess the source: Su Wen clearly intended to forge the Academy into a legitimate Holy Land. But under the current model of the Academy, how could he possibly build such a thing?
"Your methods are impressive indeed, to have convinced the Emperor of the Six Absolutes," Xue Aoying said, sounding genuinely surprised. He wasn't as repulsed as the others. In truth, the rulers of Snow God Mountain were not even human—they were high-level Celestial Beasts who had mastered the ability to shapeshift, calling themselves Heavenly Bead Masters. Within their world, the law of the jungle was the norm; they were not particularly averse to Su Wen attempting to establish a sixth Holy Land. They saw it as natural. As for whether he would succeed, Snow God Mountain would neither hope for nor oppose it. In the process, who could say which camp they might end up in?
Fen Jue's expression was incredibly ugly, but with Long Shiya present, he had to rein in his arrogance. Yun Ruoyu's beautiful face was equally heavy, her expression guarded, yet she could not pinpoint exactly where the threat of the Academy lay.
"Since the four of you have come, you must have some intent to cooperate. Why not put all our cards on the table?" Su Wen didn't beat around the bush. "Your Holy Lands can surely make decisions for the empires under your rule. My Academy wishes to cooperate with the four Holy Lands to establish branches within your territories. Naturally, we will also build branches in the major cities of the four empires. What are your thoughts?"
Fen Jue's voice was rough as he growled, "Since it is cooperation, shouldn't you demonstrate your sincerity?"
Since it had come to this, there was no need for pretense. Coming from the Blood Red Prison, he disliked circuitous paths and demanded to know what price Su Wen was willing to pay. The other three looked at Su Wen, clearly wanting to know the same.
"Cooperation is, of course, about mutual win-win results," Su Wen smiled and glanced at Shangguan Tianyang. Shangguan Tianyang was startled, not understanding the meaning behind that look. He soon realized, however.
"I possess the 'Book of Imprinting,' which can guide the flow of Heavenly Power within a Heavenly Bead Master to manifest skills."
"Oh?" The four were curious. They had never heard of a "Book of Imprinting," and even Long Shiya, never having seen one, wore an expression of intrigue. The three Shangguan brothers, however, stiffened. They knew exactly what it was. The Book of Imprinting was nothing more than the pages Su Wen had provided them for his "attribute development" method. Though the name had changed, the description made the truth clear.
In this moment, Shangguan Tianyang understood Su Wen's source of confidence. Indeed. If a page could guide a Heavenly Bead Master to manifest a skill, why limit it to adjusting one's affinity for different attributes? Adjusting affinity was the most wasteful approach—it wasted countless opportunities to guide skill manifestation, requiring endless repetition just to improve one's adaptation to different elements. But if used as a substitute for an Intent Bead...
Shangguan Tianyang had tested it: a single page could be reused dozens, perhaps hundreds of times. Thus, its function was almost identical to a standard Intent Bead. It could be used entirely as an "extra" Intent Bead.
"The four of you may test it," Su Wen said with a wave of his right hand, sending four pages flying toward them. He then produced one for Long Shiya as well. The five of them received the pages and activated them, immediately feeling their internal Heavenly Power being channeled. Not wanting to appear ignorant, they allowed the power of the pages to lead their energy, confident that with so many Heaven Emperors present, this fellow would not dare to pull any tricks.
As their Heavenly Power circulated, a fierce lightning force erupted from the bodies of the four envoys.
"The 'Method of Lightning Forging'—a technique to temper the physique with the power of lightning. How do you find it, gentlemen?"
This was a gift. A free method for body tempering. As for Long Shiya's page, it was not inscribed with the Method of Lightning Forging, but rather another skill: Direct Lightning Element Manipulation!
Long Shiya extended his right hand, his eyes filled with shock. In the palm of his hand, Heaven and Earth Vital Energy gathered and transformed into the Lightning attribute, crackling with electricity. He could feel it—he could control this lightning.
Terrifying!
With a thought, he forced the power manifesting from the page out of his body, where it returned to the form of a single page. The power within the page had diminished slightly, but otherwise, it was no different from before.
"What do you think? If you cooperate with my Academy, I can provide the four Holy Lands with a batch of these Books of Imprinting." Su Wen looked at Xue Aoying and the other three, waiting for their reaction. "Know this: the Method of Lightning Forging is not the only skill the Book of Imprinting can manifest. Almost any skill corresponding to the attributes I have mastered can be imprinted into the Book."
Xue Aoying looked at Su Wen, then at Shangguan Tianyang, and finally swept a glance at Long Shiya. To say these Books of Imprinting had nothing to do with Long Shiya would be a lie; they would never believe that! This method was no longer limited to Long Shiya using the Six-Absolute Heaven Dao Array to manifest any skill corresponding to the six attributes—it now allowed others to do the same via these pages!
"What do you think of my Book of Imprinting?" Su Wen asked.
Xue Aoying offered a bitter smile. What else could they think? This Book of Imprinting was nothing short of a divine skill! It held the same significance for a Heavenly Bead Master as a Manifested Equipment did for a Body Bead Master. With the Book of Imprinting, it was equivalent to gaining one—or even several—additional Intent Beads!
(End of Chapter)