You're Strong But Now You're Mine

Under the radiant red glow, pairs of eyes filled with hope and greed were undisguised.

The path to Immortality!

Those who could enter the Imperial Academy were generally not fools, but no matter how smart a person was, they were still susceptible to being consumed by greed. Moreover, what lay before them was not some crude, void deception, but a plan with a system, foundation, and results!

Smiling's speech was flawless; why come to the Imperial Academy, why share these benefits, why tread the path to immortality, he answered all these questions, even giving people the idea, 'If I were him, I would also do the same.' Even if Li Ying put herself in his shoes, she couldn't come up with a plan more exploitative than the Immortal Palace plan.

The strength of the Immortal Palace plan lay in its ability to make all new members willingly accept exploitation. Although they had to hand over seven parts of their Primordial Spirit while keeping only three for themselves, Li Ying found herself not resisting this at all—because in the future, she too could use this system to exploit others!

They all knew that Smiling, who controlled the Blood Essence Stone, surely had ulterior motives, and that the biggest beneficiary would undoubtedly be Smiling, but they didn't care.

Hope is the sweetest poison, the only water source a desert traveler can find.

Resentment is the sharpest bone, the torment of one's own pain at midnight.

Who doesn't want to shine brightly? Who doesn't want to be revered by all? Even if you have no interest in fame or immortality, or moving mountains and seas, can you refuse the chance to solve all the troubles you may encounter in life?

More importantly, the Immortal Palace plan requires no qualifications, no comprehension, not even much effort, as long as you can recruit people, you will eventually enjoy the benefits created by everyone together.

Everyone becomes immortal, no one is left behind, and all can obtain happiness.

The three newcomers couldn't help but breathe faster, eager to immediately find someone to become their subordinate member. They did not perceive this with malice, but saw it as a great benevolent act of handing money to others—the earlier you join, the faster you can tread the path to immortality. I take two parts of your Primordial Spirit as a gift for bringing you along, is that unreasonable?

"So, your answer is..."

"I'm willing to join!" the three replied in unison.

"Very well." Smiling hooked his finger, and suddenly something flew out of the darkness and landed in front of the members. Li Ying looked down and saw it was ten boxes of Spirit Condensing Pills.

"The Spirit Condensing Pills are provided for free. You can use them yourself or use them as bait to entice others to join the Immortal Palace plan." Smiling said, "As for who to recruit to the Immortal Palace plan, you know in your heart. Just don't forget, if something goes wrong, no matter whose hands the Blood Essence Stone ends up in, the path to immortality will remain out of reach for you."

"Understood," everyone said in unison. Li Ying immediately understood why no information had leaked out from here—not even if it were her, she definitely wouldn't divulge anything!

At least not until she exchanged for the first drop of Immortal Blood; she might consider turning traitor then!

Greed is indeed the best leash, as long as they haven't obtained the benefits they desire, they are loyal custodians of secrets!

"Now it's time to offer your Primordial Spirit," Smiling said. "One after another, place your hand on it."

Everyone obediently followed the instruction, the hooded figure at the front placed their hand on the ethereal pyramid. Under the red glow, Li Ying could faintly see an invisible stream merging from the hooded person into the pyramid. Whether it was an illusion or not, the red glow of the Blood Essence Stone seemed even more intense.

But when the hooded person released their hand, they almost collapsed to the ground, immediately opened a box of Spirit Condensing Pills, swallowed them all, sat cross-legged for deep breaths, and even emitted a faint sweating scent, as if they had engaged in strenuous exercise that drained their body fluids.

When it was Li Ying's turn, she understood why they displayed such a posture.

As Li Ying placed her hand towards the Blood Essence Stone, although she did not touch the stone's entity, she felt as if she was bound by hundreds of tentacles, with suction cups constantly absorbing from her surface, rapidly draining her life energy and Spiritual Energy.

She clearly felt her stamina depleting, her spirit becoming increasingly weak. The loss rate was so terrifying that it made Li Ying worry that she'd be sucked to death. However, when she was on the verge of collapse and exhaustion, her connection with the Blood Essence Stone suddenly broke, and she collapsed to her knees, immediately stuffing a Spirit Condensing Pill into her mouth.

She barely had the strength to swallow, but the Spirit Condensing Pill melted in her mouth, the cool pleasure stimulating her pituitary gland, spreading warmth throughout her limbs and bones, quickly restoring her lost stamina and spirit.

If it weren't for the Spirit Condensing Pill, a single extraction by the Blood Essence Stone could have caused unconsciousness! But even after taking the Spirit Condensing Pill, Li Ying estimated that it would take several days to recover fully. She even anticipated that her muscles would ache as if she'd run five kilometers when she woke up the next day.

At this moment, Li Ying felt herself being supported by an invisible force, looked up to see Smiling watching her. With a gentle push, Li Ying was steadied back to her original position.

Pa.

With a soft thud, a yellow-covered novel fell to the ground. Li Ying quickly picked it up, relieved to see no one noticed her.

In less than half an hour, everyone had offered their Primordial Spirit once, and Smiling nodded in satisfaction, saying: "Thank you all for your effort. The next gathering is three days from now, please take care of your spirit, and in the meantime, you can seek suitable members, strive to redeem your deserved Immortal Blood sooner. The path to immortality is long, isn't it too lonely without companions?"

He snapped his fingers, the red light in the basement dissipated, and in everyone's view, the Blood Essence Stone on the pillar vanished into thin air.

Taken away? Or moved elsewhere?

With the prior foreshadowing, Li Ying naturally knew this might also be part of the 'Immortal Trace.' No wonder Smiling dared to place the Blood Essence Stone openly before everyone; he wasn't afraid of anyone stealing it—though it seemed placed before their eyes, he could make it disappear at any moment!

"According to the sequence, one by one, leave with a one-minute interval," Smiling said. "Yue Sheng, you've rested enough, please leave first."

The first hooded figure to offer their Primordial Spirit respectfully stood up, bowed to Smiling, and exited to the passage out of the basement.

As each member left, Li Ying feeling something, looked towards Smiling, while the gray wolf beside, who couldn't hold its tongue like a Nosy Parker of the Nightmare lineage, couldn't help but ask:

"Smiling, are you leaving last?"