Just as Lam Minh predicted, Lac Long Quan did not delay.
Less than a few minutes after he cut the connection, a ripple in space appeared at the cave entrance, and the majestic figure of Lac Long Quan slowly stepped out. The speed of a Late Nascent Soul Realm expert was truly beyond the measure of common sense.
He glanced at the three Golden Core corpses on the ground, then at Lam Minh sitting nonchalantly, a look of unconcealed satisfaction in his eyes.
"Well done, son," he walked over, raising his hand to pat Lam Minh's head like a father praising his child. "I'm proud of you."
"Ahem... ahem..." Lam Minh quickly dodged, pushing Lac Long Quan's hand away. "My hair is looking good, don't mess it up."
Lac Long Quan wasn't angry, just laughed heartily. "Alright, alright. You're grown up now, don't want your head patted anymore. Tell me, this Lam Tinh Stone mine, I'll help you bring it back, but how do you plan to handle it? Supply it to the ASEAN military, or keep it for yourself?"
This was a test question.
Lam Minh gazed deep into the cave, a thoughtful look in his eyes, then replied, his voice filled with seriousness. "My plan is bigger, uncle. I need development for all of humanity. The best place to achieve that is Lac Hong Academy."
He turned to look at Lac Long Quan, his gaze firm. "I will use this entire Lam Tinh Stone mine to design a colossal Spirit-Gathering Formation, enveloping the entire academy. This will provide all the students and teachers there with an abundant source of spiritual qi for cultivation, shortening their time to maturity."
Hearing Lam Minh's plan, Lac Long Quan's eyes lit up. The satisfaction in them deepened. "Truly the one I put my faith in. Alright! Move your butt to the side and watch me work and learn."
Lam Minh knew what Lac Long Quan was about to do. He didn't dare to stay close. He chuckled and quickly flew a few kilometers away, finding a high hill to stand on and observe.
Lac Long Quan hovered in the desert sky. He simply raised one hand.
Intertwined red and gold Dragon Qi, carrying the pressure of a Late Nascent Soul Realm, poured from his palm, not to attack, but to permeate deep into the earth.
The ground of the entire Huyet Sa Desert began to tremble violently. Sand swirled into the air.
Then, an earth-shattering scene unfolded.
A gigantic mass of ore, stretching for tens of kilometers, slowly rose from the ground, carrying with it countless sparkling blue crystals. The entire Lam Tinh Stone mine had been lifted from the earth by Lac Long Quan's power.
"Uncle is 666! Encore! So cool! You're my idol!" Lam Minh shouted from a distance, not forgetting to "cheer" him on.
After about ten minutes, Lac Long Quan had completely separated the ore deposit from the ground. He used his spiritual power to compress it slightly, then shouldered it with one hand as if carrying a sack of rice.
He flew forward. Lam Minh quietly followed behind, slowly heading towards the ASEAN bloc.
The skies of the ASEAN bloc, which had been peaceful, were suddenly obscured by a giant shadow.
People in the cities below looked up in terror.
"What... what is that?"
"Is it a meteorite?"
"No! Look! There are two people flying! Oh my god! It's the Silver-Haired God of War, Lac Long Quan! And... and the hero Lam Minh too!"
The news spread like wildfire. Every TV channel, every livestream pointed their cameras to the sky. The whole world was once again in an uproar, discussing their two guardian gods and the giant blue "mountain" they were carrying.
Half an hour later, at Lac Hong Academy.
The entire academy was in a commotion. All students and instructors had gathered in the main square, looking up at the sky with curiosity.
"Uncle, wait," Lam Minh flew ahead, speaking quietly to Lac Long newQuan.
Lac Long Quan paused, hovering in the sky above the academy, a puzzled look on his face.
Lam Minh landed on the main stage, appearing before the entire student body. He cleared his throat a few times to get their attention.
"Ahem! I have a few words to say to everyone!"
He pointed to the giant ore deposit in the sky. "This is Lam Tinh Stone, a rare cultivation resource that can rapidly increase one's cultivation level. I, your Principal, just single-handedly fought a hundred-thousand-strong Madakaros army of the Huyet Sa clan, defeated their three Golden Core and one Nascent Soul cultivators, and seized this prize for you!"
He spoke with great bravado, his face not red, his heart not pounding.
The students below, after hearing this, were stunned, then erupted into a round of applause and cheers even louder than at the opening ceremony.
"PRINCIPAL IS 666!!!"
"HANDSOME PRINCIPAL! INVINCIBLE PRINCIPAL!"
"Now," Lam Minh raised a hand to signal for silence. "I will use it to create a Spirit-Gathering Formation, giving you unprecedented speed and resources for cultivation!"
He turned his head, looked up to the sky, and shouted loudly. "Uncle, you can start now!"
In the sky, a vein popped on Lac Long Quan's forehead. "This damned brat! Am I your errand boy?"
He knew perfectly well that Lam Minh was "telling a tall tale" to show off and build his prestige, so he didn't bother to refute it, just shot him a glare and began his work.
As for Lam Minh, he stood there with his arms crossed, grinning as he watched his "errand boy uncle."
The students below looked at their young principal with an expression of utmost adoration. In their eyes, he was no longer just a hero.
He was a god.
...
After Lam Minh's "tall tale," Lac Long Quan, though inwardly "cursing" his god-damned nephew, began his work. He couldn't let Lam Minh's act fall apart in front of hundreds of thousands of students.
He took a deep breath. The teasing demeanor vanished, replaced by the solemnity of a king, a true Late Nascent Soul Realm expert.
His right hand still shouldered the colossal Lam Tinh Stone. With his left, he began to form a series of incredibly complex and incomprehensible hand seals. His fingers moved at dizzying speeds, creating afterimages in the air.
Instantly, Dragon Qi poured violently from his body. But this time, it was not the tyrannical red-gold Dragon Qi, but a stream of Dragon Qi the color of ancient bronze, archaic and steady.
That stream of Dragon Qi condensed before him, forming a gigantic, swirling pattern.
When that pattern appeared, everyone present, especially the Vietnamese students and instructors, was stunned, and then an unusually familiar and proud feeling welled up in their hearts.
They recognized that pattern.
It was the familiar motifs from the surface of the Dong Son Bronze Drum. The image of the sun at the center, surrounded by dancing figures, boats, and Lac birds... the symbol of the Lac Hong civilization, of the bloodline of the Dragon's children and the Fairy's grandchildren.
An ancient aura, carrying the very soul of the nation, emanated from the pattern, enveloping everyone.
The pattern slowly expanded, growing so large that it covered the entire academy valley, as well as the giant Lam Tinh Stone hovering above.
Only then did Lac Long Quan release the Lam Tinh Stone, letting it float freely in the center of the pattern. He used both hands, continuously changing the seals.
The bronze drum pattern and the Lam Tinh Stone began to rotate in the sky, faster and faster, forming a massive vortex of energy.
The air within the academy began to change noticeably.
The spiritual qi, already abundant, now condensed into a fog-like substance, visible to the naked eye. Every breath felt like inhaling a source of pure energy, refreshing the spirit and dispelling all fatigue.
The students, under the guidance of their instructors, did not miss this golden opportunity. They all sat down cross-legged on the spot and began to circulate their energy, absorbing the precious spiritual qi.
Lac Long Quan looked at the scene below, his expression becoming incredibly solemn. He gathered all his strength and pushed both hands forward forcefully.
He shouted, his voice like rolling thunder, echoing throughout the valley.
"LAC HONG HEAVEN AND EARTH FORMATION - COMPLETE!!!"
As the final word "COMPLETE" rang out.
The energy vortex in the sky abruptly stopped.
The giant bronze drum pattern slowly faded, transforming into countless ancient symbols, then sank into the air, concealing itself as if it had never appeared.
Only the colossal Lam Tinh Stone remained, still hovering there, atop the highest mountain of the academy. It was no longer a rough block of stone but had become as transparent as a giant piece of jade, rotating slowly.
From that Lam Tinh Stone, streams of pure spiritual qi, like waterfalls of azure light, slowly flowed down, covering the entire academy, then seeping into the ground, turning this place into a true cultivation paradise.
And immediately, the first effects appeared.
BOOM!
An Early-stage Foundation Establishment student, after absorbing this spiritual qi, broke through the bottleneck he had been stuck at for half a year, advancing to the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sounds of breakthroughs echoed continuously from all over.
There were newly enrolled students who had not yet even sensed qi, who, under the guidance of this spiritual qi, directly broke through, becoming Early-stage Qi Refining cultivators, officially stepping onto the path of cultivation.
There were those at the Late-stage Qi Refining who also smoothly advanced to the Peak.
Hundreds of thousands of students, in an instant, all gained their own insights and progress.
Lam Minh stood on the stage, looking at this scene full of life and hope, a truly satisfied smile on his lips.
This was the result he had hoped for. A solid foundation to create a new generation of warriors for humanity.
The Lac Hong Heaven and Earth Formation was complete.
A new era for Lac Hong Academy, and for all of humanity, had officially begun.