A roar that sounded nothing like a human was the only response to Xu Mo’s disdainful words.
“Roar!”
The mutated Li Yan threw his head back and howled, the sound vibrating out from his chest. Dropping onto all fours, he turned his head toward Xu Mo and the others who were still fighting on the arena, then lunged forward with explosive force.
The instructors from Yaoguang Academy turned pale. None of them had expected the aberration to happen so quickly, and they scrambled to get out of the way.
Xu Mo’s gaze bypassed the instructors, staring straight at the mutating Li Yan behind them.
As this scene unfolded, the people in the training hall instantly went into a frenzy.
“Holy shit! What is that?!”
“An aberration!”
“He mutated! How did this happen?!”
Reporters scrambled back on all fours, ignoring the chairs they knocked over in their desperate attempt to get away from the center of the hall. Some were so weak in the knees they couldn't even stand and were reduced to crawling away.
The students of Qingping Academy turned deathly pale, huddling together in the chaotic scene.
“How can this be...”
“He was fine just a second ago. How did he mutate so suddenly?”
“It’s the potion! Teacher Bai was right; there really is something wrong with the potions!”
The situation was even worse for the Yaoguang Academy side. Those students who had been arrogant just moments ago, claiming that “potions are the future of Dawn City,” were now ashen-faced.
Could there really be something wrong with the potions?
Then what about them...?
The students with weaker mental fortitude turned white as sheets; it was clear they had been juicing quite a bit themselves.
Watching this display of human nature, Xu Mo’s lips curled into a smirk.
Not bad. This little riot wasn't for nothing. A live performance like this saved him the trouble of having to spread the word himself every day.
“All instructors, manage the situation. Protect the students first and ensure an orderly evacuation.”
At that moment, Assistant Lin’s calm voice rang out across the venue, snapping the dazed Qingping Academy students back to reality.
“Everyone, stay away from the arena.”
No sooner had the words been spoken than the aberrant Li Yan reached Xu Mo, while the crowd below was still in total disarray.
Several bone spurs erupted from its body, thrusting simultaneously toward the smiling “Bai Feifei.”
Xu Mo took a deep breath, yet his eyes still didn't show much seriousness.
A stray dog is still a stray dog, even if it’s a bigger one. Just because Li Yan had mutated didn't mean he was suddenly a threat.
Still... it was better to end this quickly.
Black energy suddenly surged from his heart, permeating through his muscles, bones, and blood to every corner of his limbs, pushing his strength to a new level.
The black armor didn't manifest, but the aura alone made the mindless Li Yan tremble with instinctive fear.
On his right wrist, the Gaze of the Ancient One activated at the same time, enveloping the charging Li Yan.
“Screee!!”
After a wailing shriek, the aberration froze instantly in front of him.
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, the longsword turned into a streak of lightning, piercing through Li Yan’s chest.
A precision strike to a vital point. With the assistance of the Killing Machine and the augmentation of the Heart of Reality, Xu Mo didn't hold back in the slightest.
A one-hit kill!
Li Yan’s entire body was pinned to the arena floor. His limbs thrashed wildly in a desperate struggle, but Xu Mo gave him no chance. He withdrew the sword and swung it down again with brutal force.
Clang!
In the game of Old Ones' Awakening, landing a killing blow on a monster was a habit he had long since ingrained.
The head flew into the air and landed on the ground with a dull thud.
The entire hall fell into a dead silence.
With the threat of the aberration gone, people’s sanity began to return. They all stared blankly at the black-clad figure on the arena.
The shock Li Yan’s mutation had caused was instantly overshadowed by the shock of his swift death.
Xu Mo leaned over slightly, picked up the mutated head from the floor, and held it high, looking down at Ye Yu and the others.
“How was that? When I told you not to juice, I wasn't trying to hurt you, was I?”
“If you take too many potions, it’s not just your head getting a bit pointy.”
Meanwhile, below the arena, Zheng Ziyun’s face had shifted from a bruised purple to a deathly, ashen gray.
The speed of his facial changes was enough to rival a Sichuan opera performer.
Only one thought occupied his mind—it was over!
From any perspective, today’s events were a total catastrophe.
But just then, an instructor on the arena had a shift in expression and suddenly spoke up.
“What evidence do you have that this mutation was caused by the drugs?”
“This could just be a coincidence. There’s no causal link to prove anything.”
His voice startled Zheng Ziyun, whose expression immediately turned predatory.
That’s right!
Even though Bai Feifei had been harping on about the potions being problematic, a single case couldn't be definitively linked to the drugs.
It absolutely couldn't! He could not let her pin the blame on the potions right here and now!
Once Zheng Ziyun regained his senses, he immediately chimed in.
“Bai Feifei, enough with your glib-tongued lies!”
“You are devoid of conscience! To oppose the use of drugs, you used your own Containment Object to cause a normal person to mutate! And then you murdered him in public!”
“Move! Apprehend her, find the Containment Object on her person, and hand her over to the relevant authorities for investigation!”
Zheng Ziyun was desperate now. It didn't matter how he slandered her or if the slander was even effective; this was his only option.
He had to muddy the waters. Once it became a case of ‘he said, she said,’ the final verdict would be determined by the powers behind them. The stigma of the aberration wouldn't be forced onto the potions.
But Xu Mo just stood there. He listened to the man’s words without a single rebuttal or explanation, only lowering his head with a light chuckle.
He wasn't even surprised, nor was he angry.
In fact, he felt this was just perfect...
“Heh... A classic trope.”
“I wonder who scripted this.”
Black energy continued to surge within his heart. Even the whites of his eyes turned black, leaving his eyes looking like deep, bottomless abysses.
The power of the dark version of the Heart of Reality brought him intense negative emotions. Feelings of slaughter and violence demanded a release.
And as it happened, someone had just provided him with an outlet.
He stood still, looking as if he were about to surrender.
But the moment the first instructor lunged at him, he exploded into motion. His body twisted, and the longsword in his hand swept out!
The blade fell, and a head flew!
It was clean and decisive. The neck was severed in one stroke, and blood erupted like a fountain across the arena.
“Perhaps you should consider where the last person who tried this with me is currently making their fortune?”
“Generally speaking, I don't do explanations.”
“I only do... elimination!”
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