"And so...the...I don't know what I would call that ....abyss king? appeared....It broke the altar...large wave of energy...luckily we had a protection talisman."
Xin Fan roughly explained what had transpired on that day. There wasn't much to hide anyway. As long as he kept the most important bits a secret, it should be fine. As he explained, Jun Fan took down notes on the paper. His face became more grim as the story progressed. From the looks of it, things weren't looking good.
"This is...bad...really bad..."
Jun Fan stood up and walked over to the window letting the breeze pass through his face. He looked up at the moons that were now changing, aligning itself to another constellation. He rubbed his forehead while looking at the school from afar.
"Humanity...is in for a bad time."
"What do you mean?"
Xin Fan asked in curiosity. He did not know what his actions have done to the rest of the world. Why was Jun Fan saying these things? Jun Fan looked at the child who was still sitting there.
"I think you may have unlocked the seal between the abyss and well...the world..."
"Why?....How?"
"The altars are there for a reason. To restrict the darkness. By breaking that, you are essentially letting all the darkness out. You can probably tell now that the qi concentration has increased."
Xin Fan silently nodded.
"Well...this means that naturally, the cultivation speed of everyone will increase...however...at what cost?"
"You don't mean to say..."
Jun Fan shook his head.
"Yes...that is exactly what I am saying...The beasts within the abyss can now leave it...these beasts...let's call them abyssal beasts...add another enemy for humanity."
Xin Fan thought deeply. He was unsure of how he felt about this. Did he really force humanity to such a dire situation? However, he did not feel like what he did was wrong. He knew himself that he is no saint. Thinking retrospectively, there was only two options. Dying there by starving in the abyss or to die later getting mauled by a beast. In his own eyes, both choices lead to the same result. This mindset was something that was shared by Jun Fan.
"I don't blame you. Not to make light of our military...but I doubt the captains would have found you guys on time without a guide."
A small bird fluttered down by the windowsill. Jun Fan wrote something on a piece of paper and tied it to the leg of the bird. The bird fluttered off in the direction of the school. Jun Fan turned around and sat on the table.
"I suspect that the abyss king you speak of, will be headed to other abysses. No use thinking about it. The flame has been lit. We would be expecting surges of qi ever so often now."
Jun Fan pressed the button on the table. There was a small ringing and then Han Zhong entered the room.
"Just a simple meal."
Han Zhong bowed before leaving the room. There was an awkward tension in the room. Xin Fan felt that something must of happened between those two however he chose not to delve any further into the topic.
"Well...not that I care really. After breaking through, there are not that much things that can kill you. I can't really say I did not benefit from it."
Xin Fan looked at the man quietly. This was all a lot to take in. Was this the reason with the change?Perhaps it could be, perhaps it's not. He couldn't say anything for sure until there was definite proof. Han Zhong walked into the the room holding two bowls. He placed the bowls on the table in front of Xin Fan and Jun Fan. The cutlery was already there so he did not stay for long and left the room to the two of them. The meal was very simple. Pork congee with a century egg. Xin Fan picked up the spoon and slowly ate. There was a nice saltiness to it which complemented well with the egg. It was simple meal for simple times. Jun Fan was first to finish his meal and he left without waiting for Xin Fan. It seemed he had business to take care of.
"Be careful on your way back."
Jun Fan re-extended his wings and flew back to the academy to be met with the principal waiting for him. Principal Yao was reading his letter in intrigue.
"So is it true...?"
Jun Fan said nothing and simply nodded silently. Principal Yao rubbed his head while looking at a scroll on his desk. He knew that trouble was brewing and there was nothing he or anyone could do to stop it. Principal Yao looked at the document on the desk and stamped it with his seal.
"It seems we need to put cultivation on a higher priority...I seriously doubt the children can survive outside the walls otherwise."
Jun Fan looked at the document that had been approved and nodded his head.
"So should I send the message out?"
"Please do...we are going to follow 'That' academy's method."
Jun Fan gently flew into the the air and went to the communications room. He relayed a simple message to all of the staff.
'Approved'
-
Xin Fan finished his dinner around 5 minutes after Jun Fan did. He slowly got off his seat and stretched for a moment. Walking out of the door, he noticed Han Zhong looking at him in a strange way.
'I guess it was my fault that last time...'
As he passed, he said a simple phrase and left the restaurant.
"Sorry."
Xin Fan let the night breeze touch his skin and refresh his mind. At night, the city was considerably quiet. The roads were clear as if it was never used at all. A sneering voice sounded out from an alleyway.
"Look...a child all alone in the night."
Xin Fan tensed up slightly hearing the voice. It was the tone that he spoke at that simply tore open some past trauma. A man much older than he was emerged from the depths of the alleyway holding a small pocket knife. Xin Fan used his spiritual sense and detected that he was around the middle tier. Although he could not make out what it was, he saw a animal tattoo on the man's arm.
'Hmm...black circus again.'
The man was alone and so was he. Nobody would know what transpired here. The man walked forwards threatening of what appeared to be an easy target with his knife. Suddenly, he felt a hand covering his eyes and something sharp touching his neck.
"I'm giving you one chance for the trouble I caused."
The man felt the hands disappear and he found himself alone on the streets. The man collapsed to his knees shaking in fear. He knew very well that his life was almost over at that moment.
Xin Fan walked up to the dorm slowly opening the doors. He looked to the moon and asked it in wonder.
"Whose fault is it?"