Four Days later-
.
Leroy popped up in his bed and acted almost like a feral beast several times after arriving. His canines were exposed and his lips stuck up. The wild look in his eyes caused the Alchemist watching him to run away in fear. The guards watching however stayed back but then fainted from the spiritual pressure directed toward them.
It didn't take long before someone came to check on him that could actually help. Proctor Constance had done so since the first day he returned. Part of the group that checked over the various people from Port Tundra, they still couldn't find anything overly wrong.
The people were headstrong and very combative to any type of manipulation. Not to mention an overly suspicious attitude toward any type of medicine or food given.
"Be at peace." Constance extended her hand and washed the room in her Qi. Like a confused animal, Leroy sniffed the air as he moved around her licking his lips in a predatory manner. "I am not an enemy, you have to get ahold of yourself."
Showing him pictures of what the people describe on what happened and those who this to them served the purpose of agitating Leroy.
"Grrr!" Baser's instincts mixed with his situation made for odd responses. He chomped and snapped at her periodically.
"Are you a man or a stupid beast?" Despite what she said, Constance noticed how his fingers and toes cut into the stone. She looked around the room briefly and could see other marks all over on close inspection. 'He is making a Formation!'
Scared, she looked around to make sure she was not in it.
"I am.. a man!" Snapping at her with a feral grin, Leroy's mind pushed back as he exerted to get control again. He forced himself down and started to cultivate. The material that was restrained inside the Flame Vortex Core was refined fully and provided Qi to his Flamelighting Dantian. "For your safety, I suggest you get out of the room!"
Not risking it, she got out everyone out of the room but immediately watched from the Observation Area. However, all of the Formations and Inscription patterns that let them see into the room broke. They were disrupted as Leroy worked hard to make sure what happened next would not be seen.
'How much was an act and how much was real?' Constance was troubled as she thought it over. Not only did Leroy keep them from treating him too much he also let them believe something was wrong with his mental state. 'Was it because of the Mission itself or does just not trust us?'
"Ugh!" A few others in the room cried out in pain. With the flash, they could no longer see anything because of the disrupted formations.
"Send word the Doctor has recovered, make sure to check on those that came with him." Constance didn't know why she mentioned the last part but she figured those people might be important to him or knew something they haven't mentioned yet. "Make sure the Imperial Official makes it here as well."
As those actions were implemented, Leroy's friends were on their way for the typical visit. Having been told he had a small accident it was pretty hard to keep them out. It was done but not for Tang Xui who was able to as she was his employer and it was known enough as the case.
Tang Xuan had his means and visited Leroy periodically as per the order of the Emperor.
Marks started to appear on Leroy's skin in the pattern of ice crystals. Feeding his Qi into it, he focused so hard it carved down into the bones. Mixing and connecting with the other ones set up.
Refining his entire body to repair it, he could feel the memories of those not assimilated by the creature. Even the memory of those that served the Lord and the mantra he said over several months before it turned into the no-return point.
He kept repeating...
"I tried to contain it! They were supposed to send me help to reinforce the formations! Filthy Rebels have doomed us all! Why can't do this on our own!"
The memory faded as the guard died from his wounds. The sight of his kin and fellow guards dying to the Lord that was taken over was one of the last things he saw.
Leroy's body filled out and his clarity returned with a grim determination. The Heart Monster that started to take root was devoured and used to strengthen himself. Less trust in the Occupations here and those from that Country he went to as a whole.
"Haaa..." An unrestrained sigh, and he stood up. The Flame Vortex advancement allowed a lot of his body to push higher. Not to mention his Flamelighting Dantian getting better and its overall Tempering itself. "..form!"
The temperature in the room drop significantly as the Icebeast Martial Arts Dantian formed. With the information discovered from the memories bridging the gap, he needed to focus it all somewhere.
*Crrrck!* Ice formed over his body that then shattered. Followed by melting due to the temperature increase because of his Fire and Lighting Affinity. As the Dantian was formed and caused his body to go through Body Tempering better than what he did before.
A combination of the Flame Vortex ability and everything he exposed it to. Of course, it had a way to go as well as the fact he knew the Monument was a key to something growing in that regard. He had no intention of pushing the new Dantian into the Qi Refining Realm and would use it specifically for the Body Tempering higher stages continuously.
As he had the chance and a better understanding of his abilities, he used the chance to put Inscription Pattens and Formation Patterns on every surface of his body possible. The Metal Seed was repaired and helped more than before in doing this process.
Leroy couldn't inscribe at the Microscopic level but he was getting closer to getting the levels before that.
Outside the room, his friends had arrived and dealt with the change in the situation. Tang Bo and Tang Xui had called for their uncle and father to help after thinking the situation was weird. Yet there was nothing to be done as they were told Leroy was not under arrest and the Mission had been cleared.
The quarantine was over and the observation itself was on his condition.
"Glad you all are here." As her Proctor status was needed more, Constance had come out after making arrangements. "It will make the situation better to have people he knows to help celebrate."
In her hand was Leroy's Doctor Sash with markings to identify him as a Tier 1 Smith and Tier 3 Teacher. As more of the details that took place at Fort Tundra was revealed, it made it easier to release his achievements. Not as something past achieved but presently.
"Why can't we go in?" Saiori asked the question that mattered.
"He must be cultivating, after taking out his Inner Heart Monster, it is to be expected." Constance already was implementing the cover for what happened as agreed in the meeting. Depending on the situation change itself. 'Hopefully, Leroy can answer in a way that satisfies a lot of the concern.'
"Tch, he was rapid last time I was here, now he has conquered it?" Charlotte found it odd. The others didn't know she visited to see him. She also didn't elaborate on it at all. "Leroy is talented but one does not just conquer an Inner Heart Monster."
"They do if it didn't fully form." Constance said sharply. "Also, Leroy has developed Murderous Intent."
"That shouldn't be possible. It takes years of cultivating or someone really talented to do so." Tang Ansui voiced his doubts. "Not to mention he was already displaying Fist Intent itself."
"As well as Weapon Intent but mostly the reason for the Fist and Sword Intent." Long Fei said offhand. "I think we should just go in to make sure."
Tang Ansui and Tang Suo wanted to as well but stopped them from trying to go in just yet. They couldn't see inside or perceive the room itself besides what they visually saw. Any Qi they pushed in a swirl before getting caught off for their control.
The two guards however would not allow that. After the commotion itself, they had to make sure nothing happen. As well as kill Leroy if he lost control.
"This is stupid!" Tang Xui stomped her foot annoyed. "We should just go in and see! Besides the matches for the Country Cup start soon!"
As if on cue, her father and uncle stepped away with a smile. Leroy came out with a small scrap of clothing on his waist. A few changes besides his build was presented. His eyes were almost clear with a blue tint in them. His skin was a few shades darker and his hair turned completely white-blue.
"You burned your longevity?" Saori looked at him oddly and assumed that is what happened. "How bad were the wounds?"
"Just a year.. nothing to worry about." It was less than that but the benefits from the new Dantian gave way more life force than what was lost. "The best way to recover from the organ damage." He needed to do it, all the same to gain any benefits from having it when entering the Foundation Establishment Realm in the future.
"Here are some clothes." Tang Xui pulled some out of her Storage Bag and pushed him back into the room to change. A little difficult in doing so as Leroy resisted on instinct before letting it happen. "Change so we can make up for lost time."
"You are quite pushy daughter." Tang Ansui chuckled.
"Hoho, if he was not setback so, I would say arrange them to be wed dear cousin." Tang Suo meant it as a joke but those gathered didn't like it.
Mostly Tang Xuan who knew that would not go well. Constance definitely didn't want to compete with the younger girl. Tang Xui just shooked her head and laughed at that which made the situation a little more bearable.
"Hmm, thought friend Xui liked Leroy?" Saiori asked Charlotte in a whisper. Of course, the stronger cultivators could hear this.
"I did too, oh well if they don't. Less we have to word about training inference." Thinking it over, Charlotte excused herself. "I will go notify Vice-Principal Jin that he is awake and leaving."
A few of them took that as a chance to go since they saw Leroy was ok and they wouldn't be able to ask much considering those gathered.
"Well, these fit nicely, thanks." Leroy came back out and pulled on his sleeves a little. Seeing the Sash held by Constance he reached out for it. There was an Inscription he added to the thing to help with locating it if stolen or lost. "What did you put on my stuff?"
Since it was a bit of a story she put it off for later. Answering a bunch of small questions by everyone, Leroy answered with prepared statements. It was quite easy after having the time to think it all over.
.
Aftermath-
.
The process of getting cleared was easy. Not to mention the people were all cleared and it was good they took the clothes and burned them all. Close inspection they found dried worm pieces that mixed with sweat. The people themselves were clear and all mentioned a Blue white light helped them.
The Fake Artifact that Leroy used made the situation better, no trace of it could be found after use. Having passed his Mission for all of his Occupations in secret but only for Doctor T5 to the public was enough to deal with naysayers in the open.
As for the Occupation for Teacher and Smith, they used the time spent in isolation as the reason for it. The public release that his cultivation deviated when taking those tests and he needed time to recover and get it under control.
The funds for and resources for his various Occupations were tallied but the damage he did when arriving, to the building, to the guards, and to the people he brought him down to almost zero.
The room he was in had suffered from extreme fire damage and the entire wing had damage to the formations there. Leroy was not overly mad and figured something like this would happen at this point. Not to mention the other country might blame him for burning that plateau down.
If it was back on Earth, he did open about 3 million dollars worth. Then there was chucking the trees in different areas and creating more fires all over the place to spread it.
"The report you submitted is concerning." The Imperial Official frowned. It was easy to understand that Leroy included a lot in regard to what happened in very great detail. "Though the situation that lead up to how you got there has been found, what happened is too hard to believe for the public. One of the powers in that Country, the Unlimited Sect has backed it up but we can't go to that country and investigate ourselves."
The politics here were not much different than on Earth. It was bad enough the Empire had the Rebellion and was blamed by the entire world itself for having started it. But counter-arguments that several Countries' Merchant and Private Powers had actually sided with the Rebels and therefore were supplying them the entire time curbed those accusations some.
"I doubt he lied, and they back it up so what do we go from here?" Tang Ansui asked.
"Some of what has been reported does line up with other events taking place. Such as..." The Imperial Offical raised his hand to stop any accusations but he was met with a different issue.
"Hold it right there, I don't care so don't mention it. The less I know the better." Leroy cut in. "Since my resources have been taken for payment and everything this situation is done with. Those people are taken care of so talk with them, I am going home. Lot's of work to do."
Getting up, a guard wanted to stop Leroy since the Imperial Official didn't excuse him. Before the Officer could give the order further, Leroy struck out dropping the guard with a crippling blow to the chest that almost killed the man.
"I said I have nothing to do with this. If I have to say so again, I will not be nice." Stepping over the body and out of the room, he already had a way to escape if the situation turned for the worse. Not to mention the ability to disguise himself and change his Qi signature itself with the different Dantian. 'If I killed the Official, how much will I understand about my full strength?'
The Imperial Official was a Peak Nascent Soul Realm Cultivator and Leroy wondered if he concentrated the Flame Vortex Qi fine enough from the memories taken in by the few he refined, could he "actively" defeat someone across several Cultivation Realms.