When the bloody drama in the forest concluded, its echoes still resonated.
Inside Lac Hong Academy, the tense and panicked atmosphere had not yet dissipated. Students and instructors gathered in the square, looking towards the partially flattened forest where columns of smoke still rose, their hearts full of questions and fear.
They had witnessed the entire battle via livestream, a battle that surpassed all their imagination.
Lam Minh's final declaration of war still rang in their ears, deepening their worship for their headmaster, but at the same time, making them realize just how cruel and dangerous the outside world was.
To Quyen and Quynh Nhu, after reassuring the students, immediately led an elite security team from the academy into the forest. They had to confirm the situation and ensure Lam Minh's safety.
When they arrived, the scene before them made even the most seasoned soldiers take a sharp intake of cold air.
A massive crater, as if struck by a meteor. The surrounding trees had all turned to ash. The ground was cracked, still stained with residual dark energy and dragon qi.
In the middle of this desolate wasteland were the dismembered corpses of the "Saint Children," and a pile of tightly bound prisoners, including instructor Hung Ba, all of them unconscious.
And Lam Minh was sitting on a boulder, silently wiping his God-Slayer sword, as if he had just completed a daily chore. His calmness created a chilling contrast with the surrounding scenery.
"Lam Minh!" Quynh Nhu and To Quyen rushed over.
"Are... are you okay?" To Quyen asked worriedly, looking at the tears in his clothes and the minor wounds on his body (the wounds that remained from before his resurrection).
"I'm fine," Lam Minh shook his head. "Just a bit drained."
Quynh Nhu looked at the pile of prisoners. "These are...?"
"The 'Saintly Way's' moles in the academy," Lam Minh said succinctly. "Hand them over to General Khang. They'll know what to do."
The security team quickly took control of the scene, escorting the prisoners away.
After everything was handled, only the three of them remained.
To Quyen looked at Lam Minh, her eyes full of complex emotions. "You... faced them all alone again. Do you have any idea how worried we were?"
"I'm sorry," Lam Minh could only say those two words.
"Don't be sorry!" Quynh Nhu snapped, but the rims of her eyes were a little red. "Next time... next time if something happens, at least let us know! You don't have to fight alone, you know?"
Lam Minh looked at the two girls, a warm feeling rising in his heart. He nodded. "I know."
He knew he was a lone wolf. But having friends, having comrades who always cared for him, wasn't a bad feeling either.
They returned to the academy together.
The news of a group of "Saintly Way" moles being eliminated and captured right at the academy caused a huge shock within ASEAN's internal structure. General Khang immediately arrived to personally interrogate Hung Ba and the others.
Lam Minh did not participate in that. He had done his part.
He returned to his room, sat down, and felt a wave of mental fatigue. The recent battle, though he had won overwhelmingly after resurrecting, had also drained him mentally.
He knew that after his declaration of war, there was no turning back. The "Saintly Way" would certainly not let it rest. The coming attacks, the coming plots, would be even more vicious and cunning.
He felt he needed to become stronger, but he also needed a breakthrough in his mental state, not just his cultivation level. He needed a place where he could quiet his mind, to think about the path ahead.
As he was lost in thought, a familiar voice echoed in the room, though no one was there.
"Not a bad fight, kid. But your mental state is still too green."
It was Lac Long Quan.
Lam Minh was not surprised. He knew his uncle must have been watching the entire battle.
"Uncle, what are you doing here again?"
"Came to see if my nephew was getting bullied," Lac Long Quan laughed. "And also to show you a path. I know what you need."
"You do?"
"Of course. You need a place to temper your mind. A place that can help you calm down, to see through the essence of power, not just use it to slaughter," Lac Long Quan said. "And I have just the place for you."
He paused, his voice tinged with nostalgia.
"A very familiar place. A place you have been to before. The home of an old turtle friend of mine."
....
"The home of an old turtle friend?" Lam Minh was surprised. "You mean... Sword Lake?"
"Precisely," Lac Long Quan's voice echoed. "That place is not just an ordinary lake. It is one of the places with the most abundant and stable spiritual energy in this land. It is a place where heaven and earth intersect. Especially after that old turtle returned after decades of imprisonment, his spiritual energy has once again merged with the lake water, turning it into an extremely suitable place for cultivating one's mental state."
Lam Minh thought in silence. He understood Lac Long Quan's meaning. After continuous battles, his mind had been affected by too much killing intent. He needed a quiet place to cleanse himself, to find balance again. And Sword Lake, a place that held both historical and spiritual value, was indeed the best possible choice.
"Besides," Lac Long Quan continued, his tone a bit mischievous, "you caused such a big earthquake, and even openly declared war on a mysterious force. The whole world is buzzing about you. Lying low for a while, to let things cool down, is not a bad choice. Just let General Khang and your subordinates handle the mess you've made."
Lam Minh could only smile wryly at that. This uncle of his could always find an excuse to "wash his hands" of things.
"Alright," he agreed. "So how do I get there? There must be a lot of people watching me now."
"No need to worry. I've prepared a way for you. Tonight, just go to the forest behind the academy, and someone will take you."
With that, Lac Long Quan's voice disappeared.
Lam Minh knew this was a good opportunity. He immediately went to find To Quyen, telling her he needed to go into "secluded cultivation" for a while to consolidate his realm after the battle, and that he was entrusting all academy matters to her.
To Quyen, though very worried, also understood that this was necessary. She only urged him to be careful.
That night, Lam Minh went alone to the forest behind the academy, which had become a barren wasteland.
He stood there and waited.
A moment later, a figure emerged from the darkness. It was not a Dragon race warrior, nor was it someone from Blacklight.
It was an old man, dressed in old farmer's clothes, with a woven basket on his back and a bamboo staff in his hand. He looked like an ordinary woodcutter who had gotten lost in the forest.
But Lam Minh, with his Golden Core spiritual sense, felt an unfathomably deep aura from the old man. It wasn't the aura of a cultivator, but something closer to nature, to the land and sky.
The old man looked at Lam Minh and smiled kindly. "You must be Lam Minh, the one the King Father told me to pick up, right?"
"Yes, greetings, senior," Lam Minh replied respectfully. "May I ask who senior is...?"
"I'm no senior," the old man waved his hand. "I'm just an old man who looks after the land for the King Father. People often call me Tho Dia. Well, let's go, we don't have much time."
With that, the old man turned and gently tapped the ground three times with his bamboo staff.
A strange thing happened. The ground beneath their feet suddenly softened, turning into a pool of mud, and then slowly swallowed them both.
Lam Minh only felt himself sinking, passing through layers of earth and rock, but he felt no sense of suffocation. It was as if he were traveling in a river of earth. The speed was incredibly fast.
This was the "Earth Evasion" technique, a legendary divine ability.
In the blink of an eye, before he could even register his surroundings, the ground beneath his feet opened up again. He and old man Tho Dia had appeared in a completely different place.
Before him was a vast lake, tranquil under the moonlight. In the distance were the silhouettes of the Turtle Tower and the ancient The Huc Bridge.
They had arrived at Sword Lake, in Hanoi.
"We're here," old man Tho Dia said. "My job is done. That old turtle is waiting for you in the tower. You can go over there by yourself."
After speaking, the old man tapped his staff on the ground again, sank back into the earth, and vanished without a trace.
Lam Minh stood by the lake, taking a deep breath of the fresh air, which carried the scent of water and a pure spiritual energy. He felt his soul being cleansed, and the fatigue and killing intent from the battle gradually faded away.
He looked towards the Turtle Tower in the middle of the lake, sensing a gentle, familiar aura there.
He didn't use a boat. He just took a light step.
The water surface beneath his feet didn't even ripple. He was walking on water as if it were solid ground.
He slowly walked towards the Turtle Tower, his heart filled with respect and a little curiosity. He didn't know what surprises this meeting with Lac Long Quan's old turtle friend would bring.