So intense that he couldn't even scream before his consciousness threatened to black out.
"Su Wen! Su Wen.....are you okay?! Don't scare me!"
Ma Xiaotao rushed over, scooping him into her arms.
Her beautiful face was filled with panic, and the evil fire within her body showed faint signs of spiraling out of control.
Zhang Lexuan, supported by another Inner Court senior sister, hurried over as well.
Her expression was just as anxious.
Among everyone present, she was the only one who truly understood Su Wen's martial soul—even if she didn't know its full details.
But a twelve-level child forcibly sealing a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.....
No matter what method he used, the price would be unimaginable.
About a minute later..
Crack.
A crisp shattering sound rang out.
The white ball clenched tightly in Su Wen's hand shattered silently.
A streak of blood-red light burst forth—
The enraged Corrosive Blood Devil Tiger reappeared, roaring furiously as it prepared to charge once more.
But in the very next instant....
That terrifying, razor-sharp aura abruptly stalled....
Then collapsed like a punctured balloon.
Its strength plummeted wildly.
"Haa…"
Zhang Lexuan finally let out a breath.
Her eyes flashed with icy resolve.
"Kill it!!!"
"Please don't be too late… please…"
Xuan Zi's face was darker than it had ever been.
Though he muttered hopeful words under his breath, he knew better than anyone.....
From the moment the warning activated on the fan until now, at least ten minutes had passed.
Given the enemy's strength, if his luck were bad, he might arrive only to find fresh remains—
the aftermath of Shrek Academy's elite being devoured by a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
Even if some survived, the casualties would be catastrophic.
Rustle...
As he leapt past another ancient tree, Xuan Zi suddenly halted.
His pupils shrank.
A massive corpse lay ahead.
But almost immediately, he realized....
The hundred-thousand-year soul beast was already dead.
Its body was riddled with wounds—deep, fatal gashes across its neck and abdomen.
These weren't the marks of a clean kill.
They looked more like… vented fury.
Nearby, Shrek Inner Court disciples were setting up a temporary camp.
Wounded students were being bandaged.
Scouts were on alert.
But—
Zhang Lexuan was nowhere to be seen.
Neither was Su Wen.
Xuan Zi's heart dropped.
No…
He quickened his pace into the camp.
Everyone noticed his arrival.
Yet the looks they gave him weren't relief.
They were muted.
Disappointed.
Silent.
The loss of trust pressed heavily on his chest, making it hard to breathe.
"Lexuan?"
At last, inside a tent, he saw her.
And lying in Ma Xiaotao's arms...
Su Wen, pale and unmoving.
"Elder Xuan… you're here."
Zhang Lexuan sighed softly.
"..."
Xuan Zi took a deep breath.
"How is the child?"
"He bought us a minute that decided life and death," Zhang Lexuan said quietly.
"At the cost of shattering his own martial soul, he restrained the Corrosive Blood Devil Tiger. As for whether his martial soul can reform…"
She shook her head.
Xuan Zi's mouth opened slightly, his face filled with disbelief.
A six-year-old.....
a child who had only just stepped into the world of soul masters.....
Had tipped the scales in a battle involving forces at the Title Douluo level.
"Roar…"
A low growl sounded.
A snow-white baboon crawled into the tent and glared at Xuan Zi, scolding him in its own way.
Xuan Zi slowly closed his eyes.
"When we return, I will request to resign as Vice Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion.
This mission's failure is entirely my responsibility. I have failed everyone's trust."
"That is your decision," Zhang Lexuan replied softly.
"You don't need to tell me."
Xuan Zi opened his mouth, then closed it again, filled with regret.
He knew—even if she didn't say it aloud...
A thorn had already lodged itself in her heart.
Ma Xiaotao bit her lip.
She wanted to lash out at Xuan Zi, but Zhang Lexuan stopped her with a look.
Even her teacher, Yan Shaozhe, treated Xuan Zi with utmost respect.
There was no way the academy would allow him to step down over this.
Still...
Being careless was one thing.
Doing so in the core of the Star Dou Great Forest, leaving to look for food like it was a sightseeing trip.....
That crossed a line.
"Xiaotao… are you hurt?" Xuan Zi asked hesitantly.
"Hmph."
Ma Xiaotao snorted and turned away.
Su Wen felt as though he were falling again.
Sinking into an endless abyss.
Suddenly—
A light appeared.
A hand reached toward him.
He grasped it with everything he had and pulled himself upward.
"Huff—!"
The world shattered.
Su Wen jolted upright, gasping for breath.
He was in a quiet bedroom.
Simple yet elegant wooden furnishings filled the space.
The air carried a faint scent of timber.
Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing the room in warmth.
Turning his head, he saw....
A fair hand intertwined with his own.
Slender fingers.
Soft skin.
Red nail polish gleaming faintly.
And the owner of that hand—
Ma Xiaotao, asleep at his bedside.
He lay on a soft wooden bed.
Aside from some dizziness, his body felt fine.
Wait—my martial soul!
Su Wen's pupils contracted sharply as he checked his condition.
His meridians flowed smoothly.
No blockages.
No collapse.
In his sea of consciousness, the Poké Ball still floated quietly.
…It repaired itself?
Su Wen was stunned.
Then relieved.
This world demanded strength.
Without it, one couldn't take a single step forward.
If he had truly been crippled...
That would've been a disaster.
The Poké Ball was empty—Gale wasn't inside.
But Su Wen wasn't worried.
He remembered enough.
After the Devil Tiger weakened, it had been slain by the Inner Court elites.
Gale had likely returned with the team.
As for where it was now.....
Zhang Lexuan would surely have made arrangements.
Then Su Wen checked his soul power.
"…Huh?"
"Fourteen… levels?!"
He exclaimed aloud.
Not only had he not fallen.....
He had advanced.
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