Chapter 1992: Fateful Challenge

They must have worked through the night to approve this application.

Without needing to open the box, Fu Qian knew exactly what Classmate Liushuang was holding—the Mysterious Hand Axe that had crossed between two realms, stained with faint traces of blood.

His research assistant had previously emphasized that to ensure its safety, she would specifically dispatch her own assistant to hand-deliver it.

He wasn't sure exactly where this collectible had been sealed away, but the vicinity of the Academy was clearly outside the Ji Clan's sphere of influence. If the item had been kept at Silver Mist Manor—which he had visited before—the distance alone meant Jia Keke must have had a rather exhausting journey.

And absolutely no time had been wasted waiting for approvals.

He suspected this was one reason Ji Liushuang wasn't exactly thrilled at the moment.

Cooperating was one thing, but this was far too accommodating.

Connecting it to the incident involving her Mother back then, the clan's hope that she would repeat the exact same path was glaringly obvious.

Besides, An Gui of the Demigod Realm was likely keeping a nervous watch on their progress.

"Did you bring the item? Just set it here."

Though he understood Classmate Liushuang's reservations, Fu Qian didn't stand on ceremony, simply having her place the item on the table.

"Yes. I haven't opened it yet."

Her gaze sweeping imperceptibly past Professor Lisa, Ji Liushuang's tone remained perfectly normal as she handed over the dark metal box.

"What's so mysterious?"

The box featured a rather complex locking mechanism, but before Fu Qian could study it, Professor Lisa showed intense interest from the side, unable to resist reaching for it.

Of course, she hadn't just noticed it now. While Professor Lisa didn't exactly respect her elders, she was quite protective of young people she found agreeable.

Fu Qian suspected this curiosity had been brewing for a while. But with the item in Classmate Liushuang's hands and the girl not proactively showing it off, Professor Lisa had clearly respected her privacy and refrained from prying.

As for why Classmate Liushuang was keeping such a low profile?

For one thing, it genuinely involved personal secrets. For another, she likely wasn't sure what he intended to do with this Hand Axe, or whether it was appropriate for Professor Lisa to know about it.

Naturally, once he explicitly indicated it was fine, Classmate Liushuang raised no objections.

"You'll know once you open it."

Fu Qian replied to Lisa with a beaming smile. Just as he fumbled around the box for a moment, Ji Liushuang handed him a delicate Key.

...

Click!

Although he was confident he could bypass it, Fu Qian wasn't bored enough to show off his lock-picking skills on the spot. He honestly took the Key and opened it.

He naturally believed Ji Liushuang's claim that she hadn't opened it the entire time.

In truth, everyone was curious. Given how intimately tied this item was to her, Ji Liushuang should have been the most curious person present.

The reason she hadn't stolen a single glance was undoubtedly out of consideration for the danger. Aside from not wanting to get her hand cut like her Mother, it was to completely eliminate any further risks.

Although in this world, many risks were so abstract and unreasonable that such caution wasn't necessarily effective.

But just this level of self-control alone should offer His Excellency An Gui some slight comfort if he knew.

"An axe?"

While Fu Qian was full of silent praise, Professor Lisa's tone carried an unconcealable sense of disappointment.

She had been intrigued by the duo's secretive attitude earlier, and Professor Fu's box-opening motions had been as sluggish as an old man's, thoroughly whetting her appetite.

And in the end, this was all that was inside?

It was a rather dull golden-yellow. The blade was reasonably sharp, but one could barely sense any Transcendent Tier aura from it.

The ornamentation was quite exquisite, however—complex enough that the axe head was entirely hollowed out. Coupled with its pocket size, even a toddler could probably lift it.

"Was this brought out from the Sword Pavilion?"

Losing interest after just a few glances, Lisa looked at Fu Qian—who was still observing it intently—and casually asked for confirmation.

She couldn't be blamed for thinking that. As mentioned before, although the Sword Comprehension Institute went by that name, broadly speaking, it served as a representative of the entire cultivation path. It was just that sword cultivators had such a good image that they occupied the absolute mainstream.

Therefore, it wasn't the least bit surprising to find a few other Weapons within the Sword Pavilion's collection.

Not to mention, the impression this Hand Axe gave off—that of a broken remnant of the old ones—fit the style of that place perfectly.

"No, I brought it over from my home."

Without waiting for Fu Qian to answer, Ji Liushuang took the initiative to reveal the truth.

...

Oh?

Shocked by Ji Liushuang's statement, Lisa visibly regained a bit of interest.

"So what exactly are you planning to do with this thing?"

She lowered her head to take a few more looks, still found nothing of note, and helplessly stared fixedly at Fu Qian.

This was too much!

Based on her understanding of Professor Fu, there had to be some hidden secret behind such a bizarre affair; at the very least, he was preparing to study something.

The more she thought about it, the more infuriating it was. Not only did a Laboratory assistant have to do menial chores, but they even had to provide the testing materials?

Such frenzied exploitation! If word of this got out, what would remain of Apocalypse's reputation?

"Just a small test. It just so happens that Classmate Liushuang had this item at home."

Shockingly, Professor Fu openly admitted it the next moment. He confessed that it was indeed a selfless contribution from his employee, not blushing in the slightest.

"Of course, it does look rather ordinary."

Not only that, as he grabbed the axe in his hand, his tone even carried a hint of disdain.

...

This was the item that senior had painstakingly dug out from Madam Sissi's home?

She could only say it was even more mediocre than the Bronze Madam.

Fu Qian could completely understand Professor Lisa's impression.

From the perspective of a Tier 2 Transcendent, although one couldn't deny that the item before them possessed a tiny sliver of extraordinary nature, it was truly faint.

It wasn't strange at all that the senior from back then had to rely on Madam Sissi's self-mutilation just to pick it out from a pile of collectibles.

However, having crossed between two realms and ultimately falling so miraculously into the Ji Clan's hands—even forming a fateful connection with the previous family head, Ji Xue—made it impossible to treat lightly.

Even if everything ultimately proved to be a mere coincidence, the story behind the item alone—namely its connection to that senior—was worth paying attention to.

"Should I help with the test?"

As expected, Ji Liushuang looked as if she were seeing the item for the first time. As she scrutinized it closely, watching Fu Qian juggle the axe in a dazzling display, she proactively offered a suggestion.

The subtext was easy to understand. This item's primary battle record from back then was cutting her Mother's hand; immediately afterward, the latter had run away from home and ultimately given birth to her as a crystallization of love.

The testing method now was undoubtedly to mimic the events of that year, starting by using the axe to leave a wound on her body.

Refusing to even glance at it earlier was one thing, but in this regard, Classmate Liushuang had clearly already made up her mind to face the challenge.

"Help out? Sure."

With his assistant volunteering herself, Fu Qian cheerfully agreed. He finally ceased his hand movements, held the axe up before his eyes, and looked at Lisa through the hollowed-out gaps.

"In a moment, you'll follow Professor Lisa and me to fetch some materials."