Chapter 101 - 83: Spiritual Strength Surges
5:30 AM.
Mo Ning withdrew from the Meditation World and opened his eyes.
His gaze slowly came into focus, locking onto the Radiant Spirit Lamp and the Phantom Carved Statue placed beside him.
Before starting his Meditation, he had used Walking into the Painting to return to the academy and retrieve the statue.
After gaining a higher level of clearance, he could go directly from the Cabin in the Woods to apartment 804 without having to pass through the Birch Forest.
"SCREEE—"
The faint cry of a hawk still echoed in his ears.
Mo Ning’s expression was a little dazed.
This time, his Meditation had taken a surprisingly fantastical turn.
He could only describe it with one word—unbelievable.
Inside the Meditation World.
It was spring break, and the school had organized an outing for the entire student body.
Of course, while it was called an "outing," it was really just a "trip."
Buses filed out from the school gates, carrying the chattering students to a scenic mountain area a hundred kilometers away.
The morning was sunny and pleasant, and the students were having a blast.
Using the excuse of looking after the students, Xia Bamboo didn’t stick with the other teachers, instead loitering around Mo Ning.
As usual, she was wearing black stockings again.
Her skirt was slightly shorter than usual, the hem stopping about three fingers’ width above her knees—a length that definitely put it in the "miniskirt" category.
As a result, her long, stocking-clad legs drew quite a few stares and stirred indescribable fantasies in the minds of many around them.
Mo Ning, however, was as calm as still water.
His Spiritual Strength had undergone a transformation, he had the Phantom Carving’s Illusion Breaker ability, and he had help from his "anchor," Anya. On top of that, he had successfully turned the tables on Xia Bamboo last time—pulling her into a dance in a dark office.
The sum of these experiences gave him an extremely strong resistance to Xia Bamboo’s charms.
In the afternoon, the weather took a sudden turn.
A sudden downpour drenched the mountainous region where the scenic area was located.
The rainfall was so heavy that certain areas couldn’t drain in time, and signs of flash floods began to appear.
Unfortunately, the students were scattered all over the scenic area, and some were trapped by the rapidly rising water. The situation was critical.
At the critical moment, Mo Ning connected to the Phantom Carving’s perspective.
In that instant, he possessed two perspectives at once—one on the ground and one in the sky.
The key point was—simultaneously.
During his last Meditation, he could only use one perspective at a time. He couldn’t even choose freely, only being able to switch passively under specific circumstances.
This time, it was as if some mysterious power had helped him break through a barrier, allowing him to achieve this with ease.
Mo Ning controlled the Phantom Carving, making it circle in the sky. Its sharp, hawk-like eyes pierced through the rain, taking in the clear outline of the entire mountain range.
He saw the small paths hidden by the tree canopies, the gullies being washed out by the rain, and the routes the forming floodwaters were taking.
Meanwhile, he himself began using his phone to guide the trapped students, remotely directing them to avoid the paths of the flash floods.
At first, no one believed Mo Ning.
But Mo Ning could describe the terrain around the trapped students in detail and even state accurately how many people were in their group.
This god-like ability stunned everyone, allowing him to smoothly take command.
Not long after.
The flash floods erupted, just as he’d predicted.
A deafening RUMBLE echoed throughout the entire scenic area.
Thanks to Mo Ning’s guidance, not a single student was harmed.
However, there were casualties among the other tourists.
From the Phantom Carving’s perspective, Mo Ning clearly saw three tourists swept away by the floodwaters.
They had stubbornly stayed put, thinking it was safer there, and had refused to listen to his advice.
When the floodwaters rushed in, they didn’t even have a chance to run. After struggling for a few moments on the surface, they vanished.
In response, Mo Ning could only let out a sigh.
But this didn’t stop the surrounding students and teachers, including Xia Bamboo, from staring at him with looks of either shock or admiration.
He even thought he could faintly see a different kind of meaning in Xia Bamboo’s beautiful eyes.
An hour later, the rain lessened significantly.
But then, the unexpected happened.
"CRACK—"
A clap of thunder exploded across the sky.
A bolt of lightning sliced down from the heavens, striking the soaring Phantom Carving with pinpoint accuracy.
The Phantom Carving’s body instantly spun out of control, spiraling as it plummeted downward.
Many of its feathers were scorched, and its body was paralyzed.
At the same time, Mo Ning himself felt what seemed to be an electric current coursing through his body.
The current poured in from the crown of his head and spread down his spine, leaving him unable to move even a single finger.
Strangest of all, he faintly sensed that the current seemed to have seeped into his very soul.
It was as if something had appeared within his soul and was now peeking out from the darkness.
"Mo Ning! Why are your eyes glowing?"
It was Xia Bamboo’s voice, full of astonishment. To Mo Ning’s ears, it sounded as if it were coming from the far-off horizon.
He had no time to wonder why his eyes were glowing, because the Phantom Carving was falling.
Seeing the Phantom Carving’s altitude drop lower and lower, he focused all of his spirit and used his consciousness to connect to it, trying with all his might to make it flap its wings.
In that moment, he felt the strength draining from his body, flowing through the air and into the Phantom Carving.
Two seconds later, the Phantom Carving managed a difficult flap of its wings, breaking out of its downward spiral.
It beat its wings forcefully once more and entered a slowing dive, heading straight for a patch of mountain forest.
’I saved it.’
Mo Ning blinked. His vision went black, his body went limp, and he collapsed backward.
"Mo Ning!"