"The methods are proven!" Wei slammed his desk. "It can't be true, it's a deception, it's earth control generating a statue, it's...!"
"Taro," Ren ignored Wei's outburst, "show them what we practiced."
Taro nodded.
Newfound confidence was visible in his every movement.
The Living Tunnel began to move, its segments interweaving in patterns. Before the class's astonished eyes, it began manipulating the earth, creating what at first glance appeared to be a disordered mound.
"Is that all?" Wei tried to recover some of his confidence, though his voice trembled. "A pile of dirt? See, that's what I mean, any beetle can…!"
His words died in his throat as the Living Tunnel began secreting a crystalline liquid that covered the mound. The substance gleamed with a characteristic yellow tone, the same found in deep tunnels 300 meters down in the caves.
