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Chapter 84: Gathered As A Flame, Scattered As Sky of Stars
"Nine years old at the fifth order? That is indeed a remarkable talent," the Saint Mother commented without much surprise. "Then, I’ll let you take good care of his instruction. The academy has sixteen children now, right?"
"Yes, including the new arrival, exactly sixteen," the mayor confirmed.
The Saint Mother sighed lightly. "Unfortunately...this place might not last much longer."
"Ah?" Zhang Haoxuan exclaimed in surprise. "What do you mean by that...?"
The Saint Mother calmly said, "It seems he has begun to notice. For safety's sake, we must be prepared to make changes. The academy might need to be relocated. Of course, nothing has been decided yet. There could still be changes. Unless necessary, I do not wish to alter anything here. We have worked hard to achieve this advantageous position."
Zhang Haoxuan asked with a wry smile, "How much time do we have left, then?"
The Saint Mother shook her head. "It's hard to say. Wait for my message for specifics. There shouldn't be too much danger."
"Understood. Please take care of yourself as well. You are our organization's backbone, having made great sacrifices for it. You must remain safe," Zhang Haoxuan said, bowing deeply.
"I will be fine. For the greater cause, I will certainly persevere."
Just then, the Saint Mother's veiled gaze turned toward the door. The next moment, the door burst open, and an angry voice followed, "How dare you, Zhang Haoxuan, you despicable—"
The words stopped abruptly as a blue-purple light gathered in the room, quickly turning corporeal. It was Si Ru.
When he noticed the woman seated in the leading position, his mouth twitched slightly and he bowed, saying, "Saint Mother, I apologize. I was not aware of your presence here."
The Saint Mother smiled slightly. "No need for formalities, Teacher Si Ru. I see that you still have that fiery temper."
Scratching his head awkwardly, Si Ru said, "Can't help it, my bloodline is like that."
Zhang Haoxuan, with a hint of annoyance, said, "You come rushing in like this. What if someone saw you? Why did you start scolding me the moment you entered?"
Si Ru retorted, "That child must be entrusted to me. He'd be wasted with you. What do you know about elemental control?"
Zhang Haoxuan sneered. "I knew you’d try to snatch him from me, old fart. That's why I acted first. Don't think about it; he has already become my formal disciple. You have no chance."
Before Si Ru could say anything, the Saint Mother asked, "Are you talking about the new boy?"
"Yes," Zhang Haoxuan nodded.
The Saint Mother smiled. "Alright, you’re even making me curious now. If Si Ru is so moved, the boy's talent must be exceptional!"
Si Ru explained, "He has a mutated Wind Wolf transformation, an extraordinary affinity and control over the wind element—a rare find! He's in the fifth order, and yet he’s actually on par with Wu Bingji in combat. He's one of the best prospects in the academy and only nine years old. I specialize in elemental control; not giving this child to me would be a complete waste of talent. Zhang Haoxuan, you know nothing about controlling elements."
"On par with Wu Bingji? Can wind element control really contend with Ice element control?" Even the mayor was surprised. When he had subdued Tang San that day, he hadn't allowed Tang San to display his abilities fully. He highly valued Tang San's multiple abilities, but he had not expected the boy to be even stronger than he imagined.
With that in mind, just the abilities related to the Wind Wolf Transformation were enough to make Si Ru desperately seek him out. If Si Ru knew about his other abilities...
The Saint Mother said with interest, "That's indeed impressive. Cultivation level isn't everything, but if his control is comparable to Wu Bingji's, that's truly remarkable. You must take care of him well. Alright, I must leave now. Mayor, remember to prepare for what I've mentioned, just in case."
As she spoke, she stood up.
Zhang Haoxuan and Si Ru each placed their right hand over their chest, revealing the Redemption Society runes on the back of their hands. If Tang San were here, he would notice that Si Ru's and Zhang Haoxuan's runes were the same shade of green, not the blue he had anticipated.
"Gather like a fire, disperse like the stars," the Saint Mother chanted softly, and the next instant, she had transformed into light and shadows, quietly vanishing.
"Gather like a fire, disperse like the stars," Zhang Haoxuan and Si Ru solemnly repeated her words.
After a moment, Si Ru turned to Zhang Haoxuan, "Will you give the kid to me, yes or no?"
"In your dreams!" Zhang Haoxuan refused without hesitation.
"Do you want a beating?" Si Ru retorted fiercely.
Zhang Haoxuan said in a stern voice, "Do you know why the Saint Mother came just now?"
Si Ru paused. "Why?"
Zhang Haoxuan said with a grave face, "She said that our situation here might not be sustainable. The academy could close down at any moment."
"Hmm?" Si Ru's pupils dilated. "Don’t tell me we were discovered? How’s that possible? We've been so careful!"
Zhang Haoxuan gave a wry smile in reply. "You know her capabilities. If not for the Saint Mother's protection, could we have been safe here for so long? We'd better prepare early. Notify everyone in advance to execute the plan. Besides the academy's children who don’t need to evacuate immediately, other departments should disperse and hide in different cities. We'll wait for the situation to settle before seeing if we can return."
Si Ru nodded. "If the Saint Mother herself came, it must be almost certain. What about the children?"
Zhang Haoxuan thought for a moment, then replied, "Go with the third plan."
"The third one? Why not the first? Wouldn't that be safer?"
Zhang Haoxuan shook his head, "Let's go with the third. This batch of children is too exceptional, I really don’t want to let them go. Besides, with the Saint Mother here, even if there are risks, she can help us avoid many of them."
"You're full of tricks, so let's follow your plan. But what about the disciple? Tang San would be better off following me!" Si Ru hadn't forgotten his original purpose.
Zhang Haoxuan replied, "Of course, you should instruct him. But forget about changing teachers. It wasn't easy for me to take a disciple. Even if he has a mutated Wind Wolf transformation, can he compare to Du Bai or Cheng Zicheng? Even Wu Bingji's Ice Nymph transformation didn't move you; why are you so eager this time? When will you change this impulsive nature of yours? If not for this flaw, you would've been Blue-class by now. Does the master have to keep an eye on you? At least wait until Tang San breaks through to the seventh order before you start thinking about it."
Si Ru looked at him intently, "You're too cunning. No wonder everyone says that we shouldn't listen to you too much. The best way is to beat you until you submit. But I'll let you off this time for Saint Mother's sake. Once Tang San reaches the seventh order, he must switch to me as his master."
Zhang Haoxuan glanced at him, but when he replied, his voice was perfectly calm. "Right, let him choose when he reaches the seventh order. If he's willing to betray his master and take you as his master instead, I won't oppose it."
"You..." Realizing he couldn't win the argument, Si Ru simply stopped talking. He turned and left without engaging in a physical confrontation with Zhang Haoxuan.
Watching him go, Zhang Haoxuan sighed softly, "Old Si, old Si, if only you knew. That child might represent another hope for humanity! Forget about you and the others, I haven’t even reported this to our leader. The fewer people who know about him before he grows up, the better."
***
"Here's the list of tasks." Back at the Redemption Academy, Du Bai led Tang San to a room in the corner.
To Tang San's surprise, the room belonged to Wu Bingji. It turned out that he was the one who managed the list of tasks.
"Hi, senior brother," Tang San greeted, taking the initiative to show respect.
Wu Bingji smiled slightly. "Hello, Tang San. Are you looking to take on a task?"