The Tale of the Loss of Immortal Power
Ling Yao's performance of "being unconscious" was, from an artistic point of view, perfect. Her breathing was even and steady, her pulse was stable, and her expression was peaceful with just the right amount of weakness, perfectly interpreting what "sudden weakness" means. Even the most discerning drama teacher could not find any fault with it.
The only problem is—it's a little too perfect.
So perfect was the very person she had implicated, Judge Silas, whose face had gone from ashen to black as the bottom of a pot. The veins on the back of his hand, gripping the mace, bulged, and the pure white holy energy emanating from his body rippled like a magical furnace about to explode. He stared intently at the "corpse" on the ground, his suspicion and rage almost tangible, burning two holes in Ling Yao's back.
"Pretending!" Silas spat out a few cold syllables through gritted teeth, slightly raising the mace in his hand, and holy light began to gather again. "Think you can get away with such a clumsy trick? Heretic, your act should end!"
As the hammer, imbued with purifying power, was about to fall, Old Dean Maurice lunged forward, practically shielding Ling Yao with his old bones, his voice trembling: "Your Honor! Please calm down! We cannot..."
“Dean Morris!” Silas’s voice was like ice shards. “Are you going to protect this mysterious and extremely dangerous otherworldly creature? The aura emanating from her is the greatest blasphemy against the Holy Light! I must…”
“A comprehensive examination and evaluation are imperative!” A clear, calm, and academically stubborn female voice interrupted. Professor Eleanor Silversharp adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, her sharp gaze sweeping over Silas before settling on Ling Yao. Her eyes seemed to be examining a rare, potentially groundbreaking experimental subject. “Such peculiar energy responses and physiological states make her an extremely valuable research subject! Any form of 'purification' before systematic testing and data recording is a tremendous waste of knowledge and a crime!”
Once the banner of academic debate was raised, Silas's momentum faltered. Openly opposing a professor's "research demands" on Rockefeller School of Magic's premises was a rather troublesome matter.
Finn also took the opportunity to whisper in the back of the crowd, "Exactly! What if it's some lost ancient race? Maybe even a friendly neighbor! How can they just purify people like that? It's so undiplomatic!"
Silas's expression darkened further. He glared fiercely at Ling Yao, who was "unconscious" on the ground, then glanced at the academy members who clearly preferred to investigate first. Finally, he let out a cold snort and withdrew his holy light. But he didn't leave; instead, he stood there like a black statue of death, clearly determined to keep watch.
"Immediately transfer her to the medical school's observation room!" The old dean, Maurice, breathed a sigh of relief and quickly gave orders. "Professor Yinrui, please take charge of the initial examination. Captain of guard, increase security; no one is to approach without my order!"
So, surrounded by a group of guards on edge, and escorted by the cold gaze of Judge Silas, our "unconscious" Fellow Daoist Ling Yao was carefully lifted up using levitation magic and sent to the Academy's Medical School.
Ling Yao's inner voice pursed its lips. Well, she'd been upgraded from the bottom of an open pit to an indoor ward. Would that count as a boost in treatment? She maintained her perfect coma, but her consciousness, like the finest tentacles, struggled to penetrate the numerous interferences of this world's rules, perceiving the outside world.
The flow of her immortal energy remained so sluggish it was infuriating. If in her original world immortal energy was a flowing river that flowed effortlessly at her command, here it was a murky, reef-strewn mudslide; every wisp of it required tremendous effort, and its effectiveness was greatly diminished. It felt like a seasoned driver accustomed to supercars suddenly being thrown into an old tractor with a malfunctioning steering wheel, a stuck accelerator, and rolling around in the mud—utterly frustrating.
"Rules-based suppression... is it really this ruthless?" Ling Yao muttered to herself, "Is the Heavenly Dao of this world petty? Is its xenophobia so severe?"
What troubled her even more was the language barrier. The babbling around her sounded like a meaningless jumble of noises, and she couldn't understand a thing, not even by guessing. She tried to use her divine sense to directly perceive the other person's thoughts, but as soon as she extended her divine sense, it was swirled up by the excessively active elemental energies in the air, making her feel like a tinnitus patient in a market, unable to hear anything but a buzzing sound.
Penniless, unable to speak the language, suppressed in power, and suspected of vandalizing someone's important premises, plus a menacing black-clad leader who looked like he wanted to burn her at the stake...
Ling Yao carefully considered her current situation and came to a very accurate conclusion: this start was simply hellishly unlucky!
After an unknown amount of time, she was placed on something soft... well, it should be a bed. The surrounding sounds gradually subsided, leaving only the breathing of a few people and... the sound of some strange, buzzing magical instrument?
She felt the woman known as "Professor Silverstaple" approach her, holding something cold in her hand, moving slowly above her. A faint, peculiar energy fluctuation scanned her body.
Alarm bells rang in Ling Yao's mind! Investigating? Trying to find out my background?
Almost instinctively, she activated her pitiful amount of immortal power, not to retaliate, but to simulate! She simulated a bizarre state of extreme weakness, chaotic energy, as if she were about to die at any moment, yet stubbornly clinging to life—this was a trick she had mastered years ago to trick her stingy master out of his pills, a benchmark of the art of feigning weakness in the cultivation world.
Professor Eleanor frowned more and more as she watched the data on the crystal detector fluctuate wildly and erratically, sometimes dropping to zero and sometimes soaring to the top.
“Incredible…” she murmured to herself, her voice filled with confusion. “The vital signs are weak, but the structure is unusually resilient… The energy field is extremely chaotic, with various readings contradicting each other… This… this completely contradicts any known model of life or energy! It’s like… like several completely different laws have been forcibly crammed into the same body!”
She tried to take a blood sample, but the tiny crystal needle seemed to hit some kind of invisible barrier just before it touched Ling Yao's skin, deflecting slightly without leaving even a white mark.
Eleanor: "???" She increased her magical output, and the needle tip, shimmering with a faint light, pierced down again.
Ling Yao rolled her eyes inwardly: Could such a childish toy possibly break through my flawless immortal body? Even if my immortal power is suppressed, my basic physical constitution is still intact! But she's currently a weak, "unconscious" person, so she can't appear too tough. Therefore, she secretly mobilized an extremely faint trace of immortal power, simulating the subtle sensation of her skin being pierced and a very slight energy leak—just right, making her appear less indestructible while leaving no substantial trace.
Eleanor looked at the tiny, almost negligible sample of "□□" on the tip of the needle, which emitted a strange faint light, and felt as if she had found a treasure. She immediately and carefully introduced it into another more sophisticated analytical instrument.
Ling Yao sighed inwardly: What a loss! Simulating this drop of "pseudo-essence blood" has consumed another sliver of her precious immortal power. I can't live in this other world anymore. I need to find a way to replenish my "local energy" as soon as possible.
The examination seemed to have come to a temporary end. The room quieted down, with only the soft hum of the instruments remaining.
Ling Yao decided to stop pretending to be unconscious. Lying down all the time wasn't a solution; she needed to get up, move around, familiarize herself with the environment, and see if she could find a way to break through.
So, while Professor Eleanor was intently staring at the jumbled data on the analyzer screen, behind her, on the hospital bed, the black-haired girl let out an extremely faint, perfectly timed groan. Her long eyelashes trembled a few times, and then slowly, with a hint of bewilderment... she opened her eyes.
Their eyes met.
Professor Eleanor was startled, nearly dropping the notepad in her hand. She instinctively took a half step back, adjusted her glasses, and looked warily at the "otherworldly creature" that had awakened on the bed.
Ling Yao then fully exploited her dazed state of "just woken up," looking around the room full of unfamiliar magical instruments with a blank expression before finally fixing her gaze on the well-dressed, serious-looking female professor in front of her.
She opened her mouth, producing a dry and hoarse voice (of course, it was feigned), and tentatively asked in Chinese, "...Where is this...? Who...are you?"
Professor Eleanor: "???" She couldn't understand at all.
But she saw the confusion (acted) and weakness (partially genuine) in the other person's eyes. Her scholarly composure allowed her to temporarily suppress her wariness, and she tried to answer in the slowest, clearest common language of the continent: "This is the Rockefeller School of Magical Medicine. I am Eleanor Silverstalk, Professor of Potions. Can you understand me?"
Ling Yao remained completely bewildered, perfectly embodying the phrase "Who am I? Where am I? What are you saying?" She gestured with difficulty, pointing to her ear, then shook her head, indicating she didn't understand.
Communication failed again.
Professor Eleanor frowned. The language barrier was a major problem. She thought for a moment, then turned and grabbed a glass of water and something that looked like fruit from the table beside her. She handed them to Ling Yao, gesturing slowly and clearly, "Water. Food. Do you need any?"
Ling Yao looked at the clear water and the strange fruit emanating a faint magical aura, and quickly assessed in her mind: the water was pure and non-toxic. The fruit contained weak wood-elemental energy and some unknown element; its structure was stable, and it was likely edible.
Survival is the first priority. She nodded, took the water glass, and carefully took a sip—hmm, the water quality was alright, not as good as the sacred spring, but it was enough to quench her thirst. Then she took the fruit, hesitated for a moment, and took a small bite.
It has a crisp texture, sweet juice, and a peculiar fragrance. After entering the stomach, it dissipates as a tiny amount of energy. Better than nothing.
"Thank you," Ling Yao said in Chinese, forcing a grateful smile.
Although Eleanor couldn't understand the words, she understood that the other person was expressing gratitude. She nodded, her expression softening slightly. It seemed that this "otherworldly creature" possessed basic intelligence and social skills, and wasn't just a monster that knew only destruction.
Just then, the door to the ward was pushed open. The old headmaster, Maurice, and the still-stern-faced Judge Silas walked in, followed by Finn, who was peeking in and trying to squeeze in.
"Professor Yinrui, how is the situation?" the old dean asked with concern.
"Vital signs are basically stable, but the energy field is extremely chaotic and cannot be explained by existing theories. We can't communicate effectively because of the language barrier," Eleanor reported succinctly, while stepping aside to reveal Ling Yao, who was munching on fruit on the bed and looked harmless.
Silas's icy gaze immediately locked onto Ling Yao, as if he wanted to pierce her through.
Ling Yao's heart skipped a beat, but her face remained weak and bewildered. She could sense that the black-clad leader's hostility towards her had not diminished in the slightest.
Finn's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed softly, "He's awake! He doesn't seem so scary... he's actually quite pretty..."
The old dean looked at Ling Yao, pondered for a moment, and said, "Since she has not shown any aggression for the time being, perhaps we can try a more friendly approach... Your Excellency, before we ascertain her origins and intentions, I hope the academy can take the lead in handling this matter."
Silas sneered, "Dean Morris, don't forget how dangerous she is! The Vatican must..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a sudden, extremely loud "gurgling" sound.
The sound originated from Ling Yao's abdomen.
The entire room fell silent instantly, and everyone's attention was once again focused on Ling Yao.
Ling Yao: "..." She was embarrassed. Circulating immortal power was extremely energy-consuming, and the simulated blood essence she'd just used had already cost her dearly. She was truly hungry! This body was issuing its most primal and undisguised protest!
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she instinctively covered her stomach, a hint of genuine embarrassment flashing in her eyes.
The old dean paused for a moment, then seemed to understand something, his wrinkles smoothing out slightly: "It seems... our guest needs to replenish some energy. Finn!"
“Here! Dean!” Finn jumped out immediately.
"Go to the cafeteria and get some easily digestible food."
"Yes!" Finn answered excitedly, turned and ran, almost bumping into the door frame.
Silas's face darkened further as he watched. He felt things were spiraling out of his control. This otherworldly creature was actually using...hunger? to gain sympathy?
Ling Yao watched Finn run away, then glanced at the old headmaster whose expression had softened slightly and Silas who remained icy cold, and her inner thoughts began to race again.
Food...maybe that's a breakthrough? Could the things in this world be converted into energy she could absorb?
Dao Ancestor above, I hope the food in this world isn't as hard as its floor. She certainly doesn't want a once-great cultivator to end up eating dirt to survive.
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