1188 Branching Out
The moment the school head of the Variant Immortal School used the purple snowflake, Xu Qing opened his eyes in the secret chamber of Ning Yan’s residence. A dark glint flashed in his eyes.

He lifted his head and looked in the direction of the Imperial Academy.

“This school head of the Variant Immortal School is indeed a decisive person.”

He was naturally the one who arranged for the pouch to be sent over. The jade slip inside explained all the pros and cons without hiding anything, even mentioning that the soul seed could be retracted with a thought.

However, it was obvious the school head of the Variant Immortal School could accept such a thing. After all, he yearned more than anyone else for the Variant Immortal School to return to its peak.

For this, he was willing to sacrifice everything.

It could even be said that that pouch was something he had been waiting for a long time. In order to obtain it, he didn’t hesitate to take the blame and build momentum, taking the initiative to force himself to the point where he had no way out.

This was his deliberate act, using his actions to show his allegiance to that mysterious master!

Xu Qing had seen all of this during this period of time. Hence, he sent a soul seed over. He also sensed the school head’s fusion and cultivation through the faint connection between him and the soul seed.

This perception was one-sided.

Xu Qing’s research some time ago had already given him a thorough understanding of the soul seed. This soul seed was domineering. After it fused into the body, it would be almost impossible for the host to sense the source, but the source could sense his movements clearly.

“According to my analysis, after the school head fuses with the soul seed, his soul threads will condense and increase greatly… Of course, the prerequisite is that his soul is strong enough. And his improvement should bring me benefits.”

Xu Qing’s eyes revealed anticipation. After that, he closed his eyes and continued to cultivate, absorbing the anomalous substances in the world and transforming them into his divine source.

This was what he thought of. In his current state, he could increase the soul threads. However, this absorption was incomparably slow.

Time flowed by. In Imperial Academy, the school head, who had absorbed the soul thread, gradually trembled as he circulated the cultivation art of the Variant Immortal School. The expression under the mask revealed intense excitement.

He clearly sensed that the number of soul threads in his body was rapidly increasing.

From the initial explosive increase of more than 30,000, it seemed to increase by hundreds every 15 minutes. This speed made him feel incredulous and waves of emotions surged in his heart.

“This is the correct cultivation method of the Variant Immortal School!”

The school head was excited and continued to cultivate. He was indeed the most suitable person to fuse with a soul seed in the current Variant Immortal School.

As the school head, he had studied the cultivation arts of the Variant Immortal School his entire life and cultivated it at all times. Although the speed of condensing soul threads was slow, he had always been nurturing his soul. Hence, the state of his soul was very strong.

This was also a characteristic of the Variant Immortal School. On this point, it was the same for the Divine Fusion School. Because they needed to fuse all the divine body with their souls, the souls of both sides were stronger than ordinary people.

Hence, the integration of the soul seed caused his soul to directly rumble. After cultivating for four consecutive hours, his soul threads broke through 30,000 to 40,000. Although it gradually slowed down, it continued to increase.

At the same time, Xu Qing also sensed through his soul seed that the soul threads of the school head were increasing explosively.

This explosive increase caused the soul thread vortex in Xu Qing’s sea of consciousness to spin even more rapidly. One could vaguely see a trace of divine source forming in the vortex.

Although it was only a trace, to Xu Qing, this was equivalent to nourishment. It was much faster than him simply absorbing anomalous substances and transforming them into divine sources. It was like the difference between heaven and earth.

“It’s indeed effective!”

Xu Qing’s eyes lit up and he became increasingly expectant as he continued to cultivate.

The next morning, at dawn, Xu Qing arrived at the tower of the Variant Immortal School. Today, the school head didn’t come down from the upper floor of the white tower, which was a rare occurrence. This matter caused these core disciples of the Variant Immortal School to be surprised.

After all, the school head rarely went to the upper floor. He would usually sit upright on a chair in the main hall.

Only Xu Qing knew that the school head was still cultivating. The number of his soul threads had already reached more than 45,000 during this night.

“At this speed, his soul threads will break through 50,000 in a few days and meet the requirement to weave an earth child.”

As Xu Qing pondered, he was pulled to make newsletters. As for the other core disciples, because of the school head’s bold words, they had regained their spirit and decided to stay for these two months.

Among them, the mysterious woman who still didn’t know that she had already been exposed was the most proactive. She took the initiative to join the newsletter group of Xu Qing and the others and helped imprint the newsletters. From time to time, she would ask Xu Qing and the others about their cultivation progress.

Three days passed.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, when Xu Qing was rummaging through some books of the Variant Immortal School, an astonishing fluctuation suddenly spread out from the upper floor of the white tower.

This fluctuation revealed divinity, causing all the disciples in the white tower to be stunned.
Xu Qing also lifted his head. The corners of his mouth under the mask revealed a smile.

He could sense that the school head’s soul threads had broken through to 50,000.

Immediately after, a roar that spread throughout Imperial Academy echoed from the upper floor of the white tower. At the next instant, a huge earth child rushed out of the white tower in a flash and appeared in the air above Imperial Academy.

Its black body and dense aura shook the Imperial Academy. As the gazes of the students from various schools gathered, a commotion erupted.

As for the earth child outside the Variant Immortal School’s white tower, after it emitted its pressure and attracted enough attention, it transformed into the appearance of the school head again.

This scene was even more sensational.

“That’s… the school head of the Variant Immortal School?!”

“He weaved an earth child!”

“Another mastery stage cultivator has appeared in the Variant Immortal School?”

The core disciples of the Variant Immortal School in the white tower also rushed out quickly. Looking at the school head in the air, all of their eyes revealed shock. Xu Qing’s eyes also revealed an appropriate surprise.

As for the mysterious woman, her heart churned.

‘I was wrong. That mysterious master isn’t the school head but I have found the right direction. This Variant Immortal School… contains a huge secret!’

Seeing that he was the center of attention, the school head in the air placed his hands behind his back and calmly spoke. The cultivation changes brought about by the breakthrough of the soul threads caused his voice to be incomparably deep.

“This is the inner method of my Variant Immortal School!”

“Those who cultivate the inner method of my Variant Immortal School will definitely be able to form 50,000 soul threads in three months at most. Of course, the prerequisite is that their souls are strong enough.”

As soon as the school head finished speaking, all the students who were paying attention to this scene felt waves in their hearts.

Seeing this, the school head took a deep breath and determination appeared in his eyes as he continued to speak.

“In addition, from today onwards, our Variant Immortal School will break the tradition and open the tower to accept core disciples. We will impart inner methods and open another path for us human cultivators.”

With that, the school head disappeared into the air.

Although he had left, the news that his soul threads had reached the mastery stage and the Variant Immortal School was about to accept a large number of disciples caused a storm in Imperial Academy.

The popularity of the Variant Immortal School soared again. Previously, every time it decreased, it would be stirred up again. Hence, now that the school head had reached mastery stage and continued the momentum from before, it caused the storm to become huge, causing a commotion in all the schools of Imperial Academy.

The commotion spread outside as well. In an instant, the popularity of the Variant Immortal School rose to the extreme. Even the 13 core disciples, including Xu Qing, didn’t have the time to do their own things. They received an endless stream of students all day.

There were still not many who were truly determined to become a core disciple, but it was obvious that many students were tempted. However, it would take some time or more powerful events to firm their faith.

For example, if another person at the mastery stage appeared, or if there was a student whose cultivation speed was obvious.

Hence, Xu Qing began to consider whether he should give away another soul seed…

However, before Xu Qing could choose a target to inspect, on the third dusk after the school head finished weaving the earth child, Xu Qing suddenly sensed something through the other party’s soul seed.

He sensed that the soul threads on the school head’s side had also formed a vortex. Although they weren’t as majestic as his, snowflakes actually appeared inside.

Its color wasn’t purple but green. Its level wasn’t as good as the former but its effects seemed to be the same. At the same time, it could also be affected by him and the source was the same.

Xu Qing’s heart trembled. This change was beyond his expectations. However, before he could sense carefully, the school head sent his words from the upper floor, calling him and the other three core disciples over.

Everyone was given a pill bottle.

“This is the inner method dao seed of my Variant Immortal School!”

“After merging it into your bodies, you will have the qualifications to cultivate the inner method!”

Looking at the pill bottle in front of them, the three core disciples were extremely excited. Xu Qing swept his gaze over and his heart wasn’t calm either. He could sense that there was indeed a soul seed snowflake in this pill bottle.

“This inner method dao seed was developed by my school after countless years of research. I didn’t give it to you previously because there were some hidden dangers. Now that it has been completely resolved, it has become perfect.”

“After you absorb it, nurture the Variant Immortal School art and you will see that your cultivation speed has increased explosively.”

The school head calmly spoke. He didn’t tell Xu Qing and the other three about the control problem after absorbing the soul seed. At that moment, his gaze was like lightning as he stared at Xu Qing and the other three.

“Now, crush the pill bottle and begin the fusion. I will protect you.”

The three core disciples looked at each other and then at the headmaster in front of them. Outsiders didn’t know what they were thinking but in the end, they still chose to crush the bottles and absorb the green snowflake inside into their bodies.

Seeing that the three of them had absorbed the dao seeds, the headmaster nodded and looked at Xu Qing. There was a hint of grandeur in his voice.

“Xuan Leizi, aren’t you going to accept my Variant Immortal School’s dao seed?”

Xu Qing felt strange. He didn’t hesitate and crushed the pill bottled, allowing the small green snowflake to fuse into his palm. The instant it entered his body, no one, including the school head, sensed it. The snowflake had already melted.

It increased the rotation of the vortex in Xu Qing’s body.

The headmaster was satisfied and gestured for Xu Qing and the others to return. He then closed his eyes and meditated.

Xu Qing cupped his hands and left the white tower with the three core followers beside him whose emotions were fluctuating. On the way back to the residence, Xu Qing confirmed that this green snowflake soul seed could be considered a branch of his purple snowflake.

“I didn’t expect there to be such a change.”

“I just don’t know how many branched soul seeds the headmaster formed. If it’s also 100…”

Xu Qing turned his head and looked in the direction of the Imperial Academy.

He had a feeling that because of the existence of his purple soul seed, the Variant Immortal Institution might undergo a huge change and its rising momentum would be formed.

If everything was normal and didn’t violate human nature, Xu Qing was also willing to see the other party’s glory.

However, if this lineage acted inhumanely, he would take everything back.