Zoran floated through the portal and landed before Shendu.
Shendu hurriedly rose to his feet, dismissing his servants with a sharp gesture. Zoran had only just departed, yet he had returned so soon; he undoubtedly had something important to say.
"Brother?" he asked.
Zoran reached out, his gravity manipulation supporting the skeletal remains of the Bronze and Fire King, slowly guiding it toward Shendu.
He curled his lips into a smirk. "Taste this."
A flash of realization crossed Shendu's mind. His intuition had been correct; the persistent feeling of being watched over the past few days had indeed originated from his elder brother. He simply hadn't expected that while his brother was exploring another world, he would still be looking out for him, even opening a portal mid-journey just to deliver some "local specialties."
Shendu gave a solemn nod. A wisp of Fire Demon Chi instantly enveloped the dry bones, reducing them to fine powder in the blink of an eye.
"Well?" Zoran asked, watching him.
"Very weak," Shendu critiqued. "It shares some similarities with my own Demon Chi, but its intensity is quite low. It is of little use to me in my current state."
"How low?" Zoran frowned slightly. He needed to judge whether this authority met the minimum standard for his requirements.
"Had it been alive, it might have counted as a slight supplement, but not much more."
Zoran closed his eyes in thought. Shendu's underlying meaning was clear: the power and authority contained within these dry bones were somewhat low-end. However, if it were a living Dragon King, it should suffice, especially since it would undergo further enhancement.
Since the authority of the Bronze and Fire King could serve as a supplement, then the King of Earth and Mountain surely could as well. With this thought, Zoran's heart was at ease.
His brow relaxed, and he looked at his brother with a faint, genuine smile. If Angers were here to witness this, he would have to overturn his initial impression of Zoran. It wasn't that Zoran was incapable of smiling, nor was he perpetually cold; rather, it depended entirely on who was standing before the elder.
Looking at Shendu, Zoran suddenly had an incredibly interesting and pleasant idea.
"My brother," Zoran began, "I need you to do me a favor."
As his words fell softly, Shendu became instantly excited. In an instant, his aura surged, his powerful presence sweeping across the landscape with such intensity that the very sky began to change color.
"Shendu is always at your disposal!" he declared in a deep voice.
Zoran smiled and pressed his palm down, signaling him to calm down. With the way Shendu was acting, he looked ready to charge out and lay waste to anyone in their path at a single word.
Zoran said, "I need to borrow some of your Demon Chi."
"I see." Shendu's aura retracted in a heartbeat. The world turned clear again, as if nothing had ever happened.
Then, he reached out his hand. Powerful Fire Demon Chi surged into a sphere, instantly filling the entire courtyard. As if fearing it wasn't enough, he split off another large cluster and asked tentatively, "Is this... enough?"
Gazing at the mountain-like mass of Demon Chi before him, a trace of helplessness flickered across Zoran's face. He waved it away. "Too much."
"Too much?" Shendu blinked, pulling half of it back.
Zoran said, "Cut that in half again."
Shendu hurriedly followed his instructions and retracted another half.
Zoran thought of a certain figure, performed an internal assessment, and said, "Still too much. Cut it again."
A moment later, Shendu stared blankly at the tiny wisp of Demon Chi, no larger than a fingernail, resting between his dragon claws. Seeing that Zoran was about to speak again, he quickly interjected, "Brother, it cannot be any less than this."
He could replenish a wisp this small in the time it took to blink; any less and there would truly be nothing left.
"Fine then." Zoran chuckled, taking the wisp of Shendu's Fire Demon Chi into his palm.
A golden portal opened behind him. Facing Shendu, he slowly backed into the portal. The golden light bathed his body, making him look incomparably regal. Until the portal closed, Shendu could only blink in a daze.
Zoran came and went in a hurry, traversing the myriad worlds with but a single purpose.
…
Cassell College.
The news of last night's earthquake had spread like wildfire through the college. The entire forum was as rowdy as a boiling pot of oil. Whether they were hybrids or ordinary humans, the world was never short on gossips.
The main discussion on the forum was: Who exactly had blasted a massive hole into the college's surface? This was a question destined to remain unanswered.
Dormitory.
Lu Mingfei was chewing on potato chips with a look of profound melancholy. His roommate, Finger, was hanging half-way off his bed, reaching down to scavenge from Lu Mingfei's chip bag.
There were two knocks at the door, followed by a pause.
"Who is it?" Lu Mingfei opened the door, his face twisting into surprise when he saw the visitor. "Professor Tso Lan?"
Using the ambient light, Finger caught a glimpse of the man outside. The sight startled him so much he nearly tumbled off the bed.
"Ahem…" Finger coughed loudly. "So sleepy. Time for bed!" Without another word, he stuffed himself under the covers.
He had already dug up some information on Zoran. Apparently, the man was staying at the college under some kind of partnership with Principal Angers. To think, Angers had actually given him the dragon bones.
Finger's mind was in a whirlwind. This man was strong, extraordinarily strong. That was an indisputable fact. Last night in the ice cellar, the pressure he exerted was like the arrival of a god. Every movement he made was irresistible.
Was he here for Lu Mingfei?
"Do you need me for something?" Lu Mingfei asked, puzzled.
Zoran gave a slight nod. He glanced around the somewhat cluttered dormitory and said, "Let's talk in here."
As soon as he spoke, Finger hit the floor with a thud. Dressed in nothing but pajama shorts, he scrambled toward the door, shouting over his shoulder, "You guys talk! I just remembered a junior girl invited me on a date!"
He bolted out of the room like a lightning bolt.
Lu Mingfei was utterly confused. As if a girl would actually ask Finger out on a date! Was he... afraid of Zoran?
As Finger's silhouette disappeared, Zoran smiled. He didn't dislike people who knew how to be tactful. He stepped into the room, and the door closed behind him as if moved by an unseen wind.
"Is there something you need to talk to me about?" Lu Mingfei sat quietly on the edge of his bed, grabbing one of Finger's discarded shirts to wipe the chip grease from his fingers.
This professor had saved his life. Although he was mysterious, he didn't seem to harbor any ill intent. Lu Mingfei looked toward Zoran's feet; he could now confirm that the man indeed never touched the ground. His unbranded leather shoes appeared to be on the floor, but they maintained a microscopic distance from the surface. He appeared to be walking, but his steps were trodding upon the air itself.
This is a master from beyond the mundane world, Lu Mingfei was certain.
The entire college was under the suppression of the Night Watchman's Yanling. Normal people couldn't use Yanlings, superpowers, within the college. Yet Zoran seemed to be using his abilities at all times. There was only one answer: he was far stronger than the Night Watchman, enough so to completely ignore the restrictions of the Night Watchman's Yanling.
Furthermore, Zoran had been able to kick the Little Devil, Lu Mingze, out of his own dream world. This was an existence so powerful it defied comprehension.
And this existence, it seemed, wanted to have a chat.