Chapter 129: The Riven Sky

"Earth-Heart Clan, Tian Xin."
"Purple Star Academy, Bai Wan'er."

Tian Xin and Bai Wan'er exchanged introductions. At this point, Ye Bai also learned that the member of the Earth-Heart Clan opposite him was named Lang Xin.

"Why don't we travel together?" Tian Xin looked at Bai Wan'er’s face. Deep within her exquisite, icy eyes, there seemed to be a hidden, suppressed heat. Tian Xin felt a sudden sense of fascination—not with her delicate features, but with that smoldering intensity hidden in the depths of her gaze. What could possibly compel a woman like this to bury her true self so deeply?

"That is acceptable. If our Earth-Heart Clan friends do not mind our humble strength, traveling together would certainly help us avoid many dangers. However...?"

Guests are meant to be welcomed, and since humans are the masters of this land, one could hardly refuse the Earth-Heart Clan, especially given that the two races are allies. Yet, Bai Wan'er could clearly sense that the strength of the Tian Xin before her was unfathomable, and the remaining four Earth-Heart members were significantly stronger than any first-year freshman.

Seeing Bai Wan'er’s hesitation, Tian Xin glanced at Ye Bai and the others. He seemed to understand something and said with a smile, "Do not worry about us using our strength to pressure you. If we find something valuable, it belongs to the finder. If both teams discover something simultaneously, we shall split it equally. How does that sound?"

"A humble gentleman, gentle as jade." This description embodied Tian Xin perfectly at that moment. Among all the people Bai Wan'er had ever met, no one could compare to him—not even Xiao Ou. Xiao Ou provided her with a sense of security, but this was different.

What Tian Xin had just proposed gave the Purple Star Academy side a clear advantage. Bai Wan'er did not know why he would suggest such a thing, but at this point, she felt she had no reason to refuse.

"Very well, then we shall trouble you, members of the Earth-Heart Clan." If you treat me with respect, I shall return it tenfold; this was Bai Wan'er’s code of conduct.

"Tian Xin, have you forgotten what the Seer told us before we arrived!" Lang Xin stepped forward, standing before Tian Xin, and whispered. In this group, only Lang Xin had the standing to challenge Tian Xin’s decisions.

Tian Xin paused for a moment upon hearing this, then a scholarly, elegant smile returned to his lips. "It is of no consequence. I have my own judgment."

Tian Xin and Bai Wan'er walked at the front, ignoring Lang Xin further.

"If this is inconvenient, then never mind. If you have important matters to attend to, please feel free to proceed with your own tasks." Bai Wan'er had heard what Lang Xin said, and it provided her with an excuse—a pretext to part ways with the Earth-Heart Clan.

Tian Xin’s previous proposal would only be fair if both teams were of similar strength. With the current disparity between the two groups, the initiative was entirely out of the hands of Purple Star Academy. The Earth-Heart Clan might look down on minor resources, but if they encountered something truly alluring, could Tian Xin’s promise really hold?

However, Tian Xin was clearly not so easily discouraged; he simply brushed off the topic with a vague remark before turning back to the conversation.

"In the time you have been here, have you encountered any creatures native to this space?" Tian Xin asked Bai Wan'er, probing for information.

"Yes, but they were merely primitive creations of this space—Fire Crystal Tigers. They are low-tier resources, nothing more."

The ground beneath their feet was becoming increasingly solid; with every step, the previous sensation of walking on air vanished. It seemed the construction of this world was nearing its end. One could only wonder if anything truly surprising would emerge.

Lang Xin walked alongside Ye Bai, his eyes flickering with light. The traces of elemental essence that had been visible to him moments ago had already vanished, and everything around them was growing closer to reality.

***

"Fire Crystal Tigers." Tian Xin rubbed his chin. He knew of these spatial constructs; they were not of much use to him, but for people like Hui Xin, it was a different story. The core of a Fire Crystal Tiger contained a trace of elemental essence that could refine one's internal elemental power and even increase its capacity.

Questions began to surface in Tian Xin's mind. Why had Elder Dong sent them here? As the Clan's Seer, he shouldn't have made such a mistake. Yet, they had found nothing here, and had even missed out on the Fire Crystal Tiger cores.

"What exactly is hidden here?" Tian Xin looked up at the sky through the gaps in the leaves, as if trying to uncover the truth hidden behind them.

"This is...?" The pupils in Lang Xin’s eyes turned a deep crimson. This was the maximum output of his 'Horn-Pupil Eyes.' Like Tian Xin, he did not believe that Elder Dong had sent them here without a reason.

Suddenly, the scene before his eyes shifted. Lang Xin’s expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Get back! Tian Xin, watch out!"

His cry brought everyone to a halt. Behind them, the two girls, Hui Xin and Wang Jiao, covered their mouths, their beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.

"The sky is splitting!"

Everyone present now noticed the anomaly in the heavens.

"How is this possible?"

Tian Xin had read much about spatial phenomena within his clan, but there was almost no record of an established space splitting apart—especially not with a red, magma-like substance flowing through the cracks.

"Everyone, fall back! Prepare to retreat!" Bai Wan'er made an immediate decision. When the Academy's teacher, Gu Zhi, had given her the mission, the bottom line was that even if they obtained nothing in the new space, no personnel were to be lost.

Bai Wan'er had never seen a space tear itself open. Even powerful figures of the generation like the Sky-Wood King could only influence space; causing a fissure of this magnitude was nearly impossible. The situation was now beyond her control. She believed that if things truly reached an irreparable state, the Sky-Wood King would appear to resolve it. Until then, her duty was to keep everyone from Purple Star Academy alive.

Everyone reflexively retreated, eyes fixed on the rift in the sky, unsure whether they were afraid of the unknown or expecting something to happen. A long time passed, and both teams had moved far from their original location.

Yet, the rift remained suspended in the sky, as if it were fixed in place. To everyone’s relief, the red, water-like substance merely trickled through the crack and did not, as they had feared, pour down to submerge the space.

Tian Xin’s expression was no longer his perpetually calm, elegant smile; it grew increasingly grave. He turned to Lang Xin and asked, "What is happening?"

Lang Xin was the first to notice the spatial shift and the one who had warned him. Tian Xin suspected that Lang Xin’s Horn-Pupil Eyes could see things they could not.

Lang Xin’s pupils shifted from a dark hue to deep crimson, then faded back into the depths of his eyes as faint marks. Only then did the others from Purple Star Academy realize how extraordinary his eyes were.

Lang Xin closed his eyes and rubbed them, as they were sore and burning. A few drops of crimson tears leaked from between his fingers. After a while, he opened them again and said, "I saw a giant foot shatter that part of the sky. I thought it was going to stomp down, which is why I warned you to move."

"You mean the spatial rift was caused by a giant foot?"

***

"Yes. It wasn't entirely clear—it looked like a solid entity, but most of what I saw was ethereal; I could only see the shapes constructed by lines," Lang Xin said, recalling what he had witnessed.

"Then how did you detect the anomaly in the sky?" Bai Wan'er asked, noticing Tian Xin lost in thought.

"The Horn-Pupil Eyes," Lang Xin said, a faint sense of pride surfacing on his face as he spoke with greater confidence. "My eyes are naturally extremely sensitive to changes in the elemental forces of the world. Not even the slightest shift escapes them. A moment ago, the elemental energy in this space suddenly began to riot, but before I could react, the chaotic energy simply vanished. Even now, there is no elemental energy left in our location."

Lang Xin stomped hard on the ground and continued, "Do you feel it? The ground beneath our feet has returned to that soft, unsubstantial state."

"What else did you see?" Tian Xin had opened his eyes, wanting to know the specifics. "I mean, when the red, water-like substance appeared?"

Tian Xin turned back to look at the rift in the sky. The space had stabilized; the red substance had vanished, and the crack now looked like a long, narrow red mirror.

"At that time?" Lang Xin looked where Tian Xin was pointing. Through his Horn-Pupil Eyes, he could see the space slowly closing. "There seemed to be something struggling within that red substance, but it acted like a barrier to my sight. I couldn't clearly see what it was." It was the first time Lang Xin had encountered something his eyes could not perceive.

"I see."

Tian Xin walked toward a nearby tree, his mind racing through everything he had read about spatial anomalies.

*Could it be... that?*

*No, impossible. A space as small as this is like a grain of dust to it; it wouldn't draw its attention.*

*Then what is it?*

For a moment, descriptions from books that matched their current situation flashed through Tian Xin’s mind, but every possibility seemed to be something neither they nor this world could withstand.

Hui Xin wanted to go over to see if Tian Xin had discovered anything, but Lang Xin held her back. He shook his head and said, "Do not disturb him. He is analyzing the situation. This might be the very reason Elder Dong sent us here."

Even if Lang Xin hadn't understood it before, he could now guess that this situation was something Elder Dong had foreseen.

Ye Bai stood with the others from Purple Star Academy. Dao maintained his usual expressionless face, but Wang Jiao looked fearful, clearly shaken by the events.