Shen Yi was about to restrain Wu Zhangkong, but after realizing something, she paused in midair.

  She thrusted out her arms, unleashing a tyrannical aura that rendered all the present mecha pilots and soul masters motionless.

  As the silver halation around Wu Zhangkong receded into his body, a black soul ring appeared underneath him. It expanded, fusing swiftly with his battle armor.

  A look of helplessness crossed her face. She was at a loss for words. I can’t believe this guy. He just suddenly had a breakthrough. Wu Zhangkong was no longer a Soul Emperor, but a Soul Sage!

  “Congratulations, Zhangkong.” Shen Yi flew over to his side carrying these heartfelt words.

  Despite his breakthrough, he wore an expression devoid of joy. In that instant, he noticed that the golden cocoon of light, which encased his two disciples, was dimming. He dropped down in a flash, landing right beside them.

  Finally, the two’s forms grew clear.

  Gu Yue sat on the ground, eyes closed and pale-faced as if she was drained of blood. Only the barest whispers of life lingered on her. Tang Wulin was still soaked in blood, but the enormous wounds covering him like a gruesome blanket were already healed. While his breath and pulse were weak, they both persisted at a steady pace.

  “Wow! These brats sure know how to surprise people!” Shen Yi muttered to herself. With a wave of a hand, her body lit up with a green glow. Two lights that resembled leafy plants flew toward Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, merging with the children.

  Wu Zhangkong’s tension eased once he saw that his two disciples were fine. Tilting up his head, he met Shen Yi’s gaze. “You specialize in treatment; how are they right now?”


  She directed a strange look at him. “The boy was heavily wounded and his organs were crushed—a fatal injury for an ordinary person. But as you can see, his heart wasn’t touched. However, he took the full brunt of a soul fusion skill and should by all means be dead now. Somehow, he’s still clinging on to life tenaciously. That’s the first thing that I can’t make sense of.

  “The next is this girl. She’s truly brave; she used her life’s light to heal him. Light is the purest and brightest element, after all. It is filled with life at its core. The greatest source of vitality one can draw upon is one’s life’s light, and this girl had mustered hers. She ignited her own life force in order to heal the boy. His wounds and damaged organs have already been restored. You’re really living up to Shrek’s name by raising these little monsters!”


  Wu Zhangkong furrowed his brows. “Just tell me, will this affect them in the future?”


  Shen Yi said, “I don’t know. I’ll have to examine them once they they’ve recovered fully. Since they have overexerted themselves, it will take some time. How about this: I’ll go back with you and look after these two children until they’re healed.”


  “Thank you.” Wu Zhangkong nodded appreciatively. He took Tang Wulin into his arms, treating him as a fragile object. A layer of azure light radiated from his Sky Ice battle armor, sheltering them from the outside world. After gesturing with his head at Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan, he left with large strides.

  Shen Yi picked up Gu Yue and followed.

  As they exited the stadium, they paid no mind to the spectators or the two academy presidents, Long Huantian and Zhang Zhenpeng.

  Even so, no one dared to obstruct them.

  ☀

  Away from the arena, Mu Chen stood with his hands folded behind his back, dark clouds practically completing his image. Duan Xuan stood at his side.

  Considering his status as the president of Eastsea’s Blacksmith’s Association, he shouldn’t have made an appearance. His place was in the boxes with Duan Xuan. However, when he had seen Tang Wulin receiving such grievous injuries, it felt like a dagger stabbing into his heart.

  His martial soul did not excel in speed and as such, he had lagged behind Wu Zhangkong. Duan Xuan had restrained him, warning him not to act impulsively.

  Soon after, Wu Zhangkong displayed his godly might much to Mu Chen’s delight. It was also his first time seeing how formidable Tang Wulin’s soul master teacher was.

  Although Mu Chen was powerful in his own right, he hadn’t expected this unassuming school teacher to exceed him. With Wu Zhangkong’s appearance, Mu Chen no longer felt the need to act. Sure enough, Wu Zhangkong revealed his battle armor, suppressing everyone with unadulterated power. In the end, the threat of his might was enough, and he left with Tang Wulin in his arms as if he was taking a stroll. From such a display, Mu Chen knew that Tang Wulin’s safety was preserved.

  “Teacher, let’s go take a look,” Mu Chen said.

  Duan Xuan eyes didn’t leave Shen Yi as he said, “No matter what the situation is, don’t act impetuously. The child should be relatively fine; otherwise, there’s no way that battle armor master would leave things like this. Your disciple sure is great! He actually has a battle armor master for a teacher!”


  Mu Chen smiled bitterly. “This is the first time I’ve seen his teacher too. I didn’t expect it would be under such circumstances. I hope none of the injuries are permanent.”


  A sigh escaped Duan Xuan’s lips. “Hurry up and go. If you need anything, just tell me.”


  ☀

  Tang Wulin felt as if a deep, deep sleep was calling out to him, tempting him to lie in its embrace. Regaining consciousness, he opened his eyes; the first thing he saw was Gu Yue’s tear-stricken face.

  Following that, a boundless golden light enveloped them like a cocoon. His body still felt cold and numb after being impaled by numerous icicles. The chill had nearly frozen his blood over. The only thing that stood in between him and death was his throbbing heart.

  Shielding Gu Yue with his body had been instinctual. In spite of that, during the event his mind had operated at max speed. He had activated the Purple Demon Eyes, barely able to avoid the incoming icicles stabbing his heart.

  The chilling numbness that engulfed his body allowed him to disregard the damage he had sustained. Yet, he had felt his life slipping away, his mind growing dim.

  Swathed in that golden world, the cold receded bit by bit, replaced with a pleasant warmth. Blanketed in this comfortable feeling, he lost consciousness.

  ☀

  It’s been three days. Three whole days.

  Wu Zhangkong sat by the bedside, watching his two sleeping disciples.

  Both had yet to awake and had been sleeping soundly the entire time. Although their complexions were still pale, their breathing and heartbeats had improved.

  Shen Yi determined that there would be no lasting effects and cleared them for natural recovery. Afterward, she departed. There were still many things to attend to at Shrek Academy. Tarrying for so long was already pushing the limit.

  According to Shen Yi, Tang Wulin’s self-healing ability was extraordinary. Despite receiving such grave injuries, his damaged viscera were healed by life’s curing light. He could now leave it to his body to do the rest. Surviving was certain for him; that being said, it was unknown whether his cultivation would be affected. Only time would tell.

  Wu Zhangkong, however, was confident in his disciple. He still recalled the root of Tang Wulin’s unfathomable healing ability—his bloodline.