Chapter 2990: The Inner Demon's Invitation

Worldly affairs might be full of petty and unprincipled squabbles, but flashes of brilliance could always be found mixed within.

For example, although Professor Fu spouted endless nonsense, he at least wasn't one to lie.

He genuinely found the cultivation concept the Old Lady spoke of to be rather interesting.

Strictly speaking, this trip was already highly rewarding.

Not only had he figured out the Laboratory's origins, but he had also gained considerable insight regarding the research on Meria.

Then, he had paid a cordial visit to the Academy's retired personnel, exchanging extensive ideas on scientific research development and talent cultivation.

His only regret was perhaps the lack of a certain customary "minus one, plus one"—neither his SAN Value nor his inspiration had seen any movement.

Of course, this could theoretically be explained.

Perhaps, just like over at Excellency Aike's office, there was some incredible commotion this time—perhaps even the emergence of a Deity's power.

However, the entity behind that power was strongly bound by "Zero," rendering it unable to come out and offer up its head.

No kills meant no loot; this was a business principle recognized even by the Warehouse.

Still, from Fu Qian's perspective, while he wouldn't blindly rule out this possibility, he also wouldn't let his thinking grow so slack. Aside from the Fungal Emperor being unable to come out, were there any other lines of thought to explain this desolation?

There were, and they came to mind instantly.

Whether it was Meria or the Fungal Emperor, a moment of recollection was enough to remember that a certain guide's figure was indispensable to the great research concerning them.

Even this guide himself was an undisputed mighty figure in the cultivation world.

That's right; it was precisely Master Yuhun, who had righteously stepped in back then to help him completely take control of the Abandoned Prison.

And among all his titles, the most resounding was none other than the Inner Demon of the Mechanical Abandoned Prison King.

Ever since discovering the Birthday Party's tearing at the "self," Fu Qian had already been holding expectations for this old friend.

Now, standing before this former residence and old acquaintance, especially after hearing of that special cultivation concept, his expectations had reached their absolute peak.

Regrettably, even after earnestly teaching along the way and intentionally lingering here a bit longer, the inner demon's figure still hadn't appeared.

Since that was the case, he might as well try extending a slight invitation—

"Hello there."

It actually received a response. Surrounded by the Black Banners, the head in his hand blinked.

...

"Sorry, I don't see the difference."

It was quite an eerie scene, even if the surrounding Black Banners weren't swaying without wind.

Yet someone still ruined the atmosphere. The Old Lady, who had previously been tormented to the point of aphasia, had actually recovered a bit of vigor and unexpectedly raised her doubts on the spot.

"How is there no difference?"

Although this behavior was hard to clear of the suspicion that she was seeking an opportunity to retaliate for the harsh critiques she had suffered earlier, Professor Fu still replied.

The basic premise of harshly critiquing others was that others could harshly critique you in turn.

If one couldn't even manage that much, how could they dare falsely claim to be an Academic Leader?

"Didn't you notice? My two heads are the exact same age; I didn't make one look younger like yours."

Professor Fu even directly held up the head in his hand, turning around to let the Old Lady make a comparison.

Wasn't that nonsense... How old was his face to begin with? If he made it any younger, what was he planning to turn into? Anyone with eyes could see that, but the Old Lady obviously couldn't understand why it was worth emphasizing.

"So?"

However, she was ultimately not far from having a heart like dead ashes. After some faintly visible psychological struggle, she just asked back in a hoarse voice, not venting her feelings excessively.

"So for a true researcher, those flashy things are meaningless. Look, I just used the most unadorned model and achieved remarkable results."

However, it was hard to say whether she regretted asking. Even at such a critical moment, Professor Fu didn't forget to lecture.

In the end, he even specifically gestured toward the head on the ground, using it as a typical negative example.

"...But that's exactly what I wanted to say. Is what you're doing any different from me? You're just controlling another head to speak."

The effect proved remarkable. The Old Lady finally couldn't hold back and spoke a bit more.

"Sure enough, if you don't understand, you just don't understand..."

It was a pity she ultimately didn't know that rebutting Professor Fu would always bring humiliation upon oneself.

This time, the one that opened its mouth was actually the head in Fu Qian's hand, once again repeating Executive Yama Su's comment.

"However, I can't blame you for this. After all, you don't have scientific research conditions as good as mine."

...

Controlling a detached head to speak? Who told you Professor Fu had this kind of ability?

Perhaps for many Transcendent Tier individuals, achieving this wasn't difficult; they might not even need to be High Tier.

But could Professor Fu's constitution be compared to an ordinary person's? What kind of mental fortitude and absolute absence of stray thoughts did he possess?

A detached head was like spilled water; theoretically, he shouldn't be able to sense a single thing from it.

The world called him too crazy, but little did they know that Professor Fu truly rarely spoke nonsense.

The Old Lady's head speaking and the head in his hand speaking were by no means the same concept.

The fact that Classmate Su Gao, who hadn't spoken this whole time, gripped her sword hilt again at that moment with her full attention locked onto him was proof enough.

Was there great terror within cultivation?

To a theoretical higher entity, this kind of anomaly was undoubtedly worthy of the utmost attention.

But at that moment, Professor Fu only felt gratified.

It seemed his hypothesis had been proven: the inner demon had always been here.

Similar to the previous Excellency Father's Amnion, this was what had condensed from his "self" being torn at by the Birthday Party and their subsequent interaction.

It was just that due to the difference in its form of existence, it was much more concealed.

This was also precisely the terrifying part. Within the Birthday Party, where wounds never healed, letting it naturally erupt would likely be very tricky to handle.

"You mean... the one speaking isn't you?"

As stated before, due to some cognitive blind spots, the Old Lady clearly couldn't empathize. Her tone at that moment unavoidably carried a hint of mockery.

"How could that be? The one speaking is, of course, me."

This time, the head on his neck personally confirmed it, while Fu Qian simultaneously shook his head, indicating that an inner demon wasn't so easily dealt with.

Of course, it wasn't a resurgence of Master Yuhun from before the great inner demon battle.

That duel had been so brutal. Even if an identical image and mind were simulated again, its essence would be nothing more than a wisp of his own stray thoughts.

And the tricky part lay right here: the head in his hand was truly himself.

Even the words spoken just now had seamlessly flowed with his own will. There was even genuinely an image in his mind, seen through those eyes, merging with his original perspective and making everything seem like a wide-angle lens—not bad.

While toying with it, not only did Fu Qian not reject this ominous feeling, but at that moment, he didn't even "hold fast to his original heart." Instead, he attempted to bring his sense of self more into that other perspective.