[Restart Volume] Chapter 259: Someone Poisoned the Food!

"Phantom Purple Academy, Xiao Ming."

The senior student held up the student ID card in his hand. The photo on it was indeed the tied-up Xiao Ming himself, instantly sparking a wave of discussion among the crowd.

"What kind of school is Phantom Purple Academy?"
"Never heard of it."
"Me neither."
"Must be some third-rate school, right?"
"That classmate's name is quite interesting, though!"
"Xiao Ming, hahahaha—"
"I suppose I'm Xiao Hong then!"
"Can they be any more casual with names?"
"Quiet down."

At this moment, Mentor Su Yunzhou spoke up, and the students who had just been chattering instantly shut their mouths.

With a snap of his fingers, a flash of purple light washed over Xiao Ming, and he was able to speak once more:

"What the hell? This skill even comes with a built-in mute function?"
"Which baldy had the nerve to call my school a third-rate school?"
"Never heard of Phantom Purple Academy?"
"Educate yourselves on the City of Evolution, little brothers!"
"And whoever called me dirt poor, you better step out right now and confess!"
"I'll show you what cruelty really means!"
"You think I didn't take a bath?"
"I'm not sharing a dorm with you, what the hell are you whining about for?"
"And another thing, making fun of my name!"
"What's wrong with Xiao Ming, Xiao Ming?"
"Are your names so damn noble?"
"You're rich, so what?"
"Bullying me with such a huge crowd?"
"Where is your morality? Where is your justice?"
"If you're a real man, step up for a one-on-one!"
"Dare you? Too scared, aren't you?"
"Cowards!"

Faced with Xiao Ming's rapid-fire five-pronged verbal assault, the onlookers were left feeling somewhat shaken. Before they could even fire back, his subsequent statements kept right on piling up.

This torrent of mudslide-like complaints made Mo Xing's ears ring.

Was this a debate against a gallery of scholars?
No, this was a loudspeaker blaring at a vegetable market!

One tirade hadn't even ended when another began!

"Seal!"

Mentor Su Yunzhou released his [Sound Domain] once more, locking Xiao Ming's voice tight. Only his mouth continued to writhe, muttering indistinct hums and grunts.

"I understand the general situation," Mentor Su Yunzhou smoothed his brow and continued, "Take him away and temporarily confine him to a room on the third floor."
"Take turns keeping watch. You are all elite students of the academy; you should know how to assign the shifts." With a calm smile, Mentor Su Yunzhou turned and walked away.
"Understood!"

The senior students beside Xiao Ming turned around, grinning maliciously as they looked at him. They had taken every single one of those complaints to heart and were definitely going to seize this opportunity to teach this guy a proper lesson.

Xiao Ming shook his head violently, but he still couldn't escape a thorough "beating" from the others. The scene was somewhat unsuitable for younger audiences, so Mo Xing wisely distanced himself and ran off to train elsewhere.

"Hump-ha-hey!"

Mo Xing drew [Frostless Divine Blade] at the other end of the deck and began practicing, full of youthful vigor.

"Cold Water: Reeling Strike!"

As soon as the blade swept out, water elements converged into several sharp, curved ice blades that shot toward the empty space in the distance. After hovering in mid-air for a moment, they quickly flew back in a semi-arc.

"Grasp of Cold Water!"

Mo Xing immediately released a basketball-board-sized hand made of water elements, catching all the returning curved ice blades before tossing them out into the open airspace outside the divine vessel.

Like throwing a javelin!

The combination of these two skills produced a completely different effect! Much like a chemical equation, the collision of elements could sometimes synthesize entirely different reactions!

Just like adding potassium permanganate and sulfuric acid to acetylene to yield potassium sulfate, manganese sulfate, formic acid, and water!

How wonderful!

Come to think of it...
This felt a bit like dropping objects from a high altitude...

He had previously heard the great Zhang Zhihao mention that the world of Aslant was hidden within Earth's atmosphere. If he just went and hurled ice blades downward like this, would there be any trouble thousands and tens of thousands of feet up in the air?

It would be a real hassle if it hit someone!

At this thought, Mo Xing hurriedly ran to the edge of the divine vessel's deck railing and looked down.

He saw countless ethereal floating clouds and a blurry landscape below, unable to tell whether it was land or ocean.

At any rate, he couldn't see the ice blades!

Oh lord, I really hope I didn't hit anyone!

"Mo Xing!"

A familiar voice came from behind. Mo Xing hastily turned around and saw that it was Shi Yan.

"S-Shi Yan? Good morning!" Mo Xing greeted her.
"It's already high noon, you should say good afternoon instead~" Shi Yan covered her mouth and smiled.
"Oh oh oh! That's right, it's already noon!" Mo Xing said in sudden realization.
"Were... were you just training?" Shi Yan asked with curiosity.
"Yeah, yeah! I was just practicing some moves," Mo Xing scratched his head sheepishly. "Is there something you needed me for, Shi Yan?"
"Not really anything important, President Zhang just asked me to come call you for lunch," Shi Yan smiled gently. "I heard you were out here, so I came over to take a look."
"I see!" Mo Xing nodded, thinking to himself that this guy Zhang Zhihao was really trying to play matchmaker between him and Shi Yan!

Was he possessed by the Matchmaker God or Cupid?

"You've been training for so long, your stomach must be empty by now, right?" Shi Yan asked.
"Uh... It really is, haha." Mo Xing rubbed his somewhat hollow stomach.
"Right, this weapon of yours is quite exquisite," Shi Yan pointed at the [Frostless Divine Blade] in Mo Xing's hand. "Though I don't think I've ever seen you take it out before. Was it a gift from a mentor?"
"Yeah, Mentor Apocalypse gave it to me," Mo Xing nodded. "The sword incantation for this blade is: Azure radiance revealed, resembling frosty splendor."
"Ah, it's a fine sword," Shi Yan smiled. "Under normal circumstances, mentors don't gift students such high-quality weapons; students usually acquire them through other means."
"So... what do you mean by that?" Mo Xing scratched his head.
"Mentor Apocalypse holds you in very high regard," Shi Yan added.
"Yeah, I know," Mo Xing sighed. "Pity I couldn't get a spot in his class. My actual combat class is currently taught by substitute mentor Chen Muxi."
"Mentor Muxi!" Shi Yan covered her mouth in surprise. "She's the number one female mentor in the academy! Having her teach your actual combat class means you'll improve immensely!"
"Is that so? Indeed it is," Mo Xing scratched his head, recalling how Mentor Chen Muxi had pinched his face to tease him during the previous combat class, and even made the whole class frantically "hunt" him down.

She was simply a capricious little demoness!
Impossible to either love or hate her!

"Mo Xing..." Shi Yan paused. "Can I ask you a question? Will you answer me honestly?"
"Sure, of course I will," Mo Xing nodded, putting the [Frostless Divine Blade] in his hand back into his storage ring. "Ask me anything!"
"Do... do you find me a bit annoying?" Shi Yan's voice grew quieter and quieter.
"Ah, not at all!" Mo Xing shook his head. How could he ever find Shi Yan annoying?

绝对不会! (Definitely not!)

"What happened with me throwing a tantrum this morning, you surely aren't holding it against me, right..." Shi Yan stammered, her voice as faint as a buzzing mosquito.
"No, no, how could I?" Mo Xing rubbed the back of his neck.
"Then... then Mo Xing, do you think I'm more important compared to other girls?" Shi Yan puffed out her cheeks.
"Ah... well, you really are more important!"

Mo Xing was completely baffled, unable to fathom why Shi Yan would ask such a thing. But deep down in his heart, Shi Yan truly was the most important.

"Alright, I know now," Shi Yan flashed a smile. "Let's go, time to eat."
"Yeah." Mo Xing nodded and followed in her footsteps.

Lunch was served on the third floor.

It was a European-style自助餐厅 (buffet restaurant), with several rather ornate lamps hanging from the ceiling. The entire left wall was made of a single large glass pane, through which one could see the azure sky outside and the people on the deck. To the right was the food collection station, displaying all kinds of delicacies and dining utensils for people to choose from. A red carpet ran down the middle toward the doors at both ends, cleverly accented by small potted plants along the sides.

At this moment, Mo Xing, Shi Yan, Wu Danche, and Zhang Zhihao were sitting at the same table. Xia Ningxin had chosen not to come to such a public place to eat due to personal reasons, so just the four of them had gathered for lunch.

"Mmm~ Not bad, delicious!" Wu Danche sat across from Mo Xing, wolfing down his food like a starving wolf.
"Brother Wu? Are you really that hungry?" Mo Xing asked in surprise, looking at Wu Danche's ravenous devouring, which seemed rather out of place compared to the moderate dining habits of the other three.
"Starving! Absolutely starving!" Wu Danche polished off another bowl of noodles. "You need to eat your fill to have the strength to work!"
"Everyone has their own quirks, no need to be surprised," Zhang Zhihao smiled faintly, seemingly accustomed to such scenes.
"That's right, Mo Xing, you should eat more too. Once the operation starts, you might be too busy to even eat," Shi Yan leaned over to say.
"Is that so..." Mo Xing scratched his head, beginning to imagine what his operation on Dragon Fang Island would look like.

"Oh no! Someone's been poisoned!"

Hearing a shout, the four of them turned their heads simultaneously and saw someone at a nearby table foaming at the mouth.

"Don't move yet, check the food!" Zhang Zhihao put on his black coat and strode over after dropping those words.
"What's going on?" Mo Xing asked in astonishment, wondering how such a mess could suddenly break out.
"Oh my god! Is there something wrong with the food?" Wu Danche looked down at the several large plates he had eaten.
"Let me check our food first."

Shi Yan released a white radiance as the leftover food slowly filled with a translucent phantom outline.

"So magical?" Mo Xing marveled.

On the other side.

Zhang Zhihao walked up to that table.
"Hello, President Zhang!" The onlookers greeted him, and he waved his hand in acknowledgment.

He stretched out two fingers and pressed them systematically against several specific points on the poisoned person's neck.

"Is there a doctor or healer present?" Zhang Zhihao asked.
"Yes, at the other end of the divine vessel. Someone has already gone to notify them and they're on their way!" someone replied.
"Time is of the essence. Lay him flat on the floor first," Zhang Zhihao nodded.

The others lifted the poisoned person and laid him flat on the deck as requested.

"By the way, find a few ice-attribute mages, and call Mo Xing over here," Zhang Zhihao rolled up his sleeves. "Everyone else, please keep a five-meter distance."

The others stepped back one after another. Zhang Zhihao extended his five fingers, and a cluster of cyan flames materialized—

Nether Shadow Cyan Flame!

——————Notes from the Edge of the Pit——————
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