Chapter 103

Mm…

Huo Yutong let out a soft moan and gradually regained consciousness.

"Yutong, you're awake? How do you feel? Are you alright?"

Hearing that familiar, warm voice, she realized she was in the arms of the person she liked most, and instantly showed a happy smile.

"I'm fine, Wulin, and you're fine too—that's great."

"…"

But for some reason, upon hearing her words, Tang Wulin fell silent.

This silence made Huo Yutong a little uneasy; she opened her eyes to see Tang Wulin's complex expression.

She suddenly felt a bit flustered.

"Could it be that you're injured somewhere, Wulin?"

Could it be that she failed to protect Tang Wulin, letting him get hurt when she was captured? Or perhaps, after she left his side, a member of Death's Hand struck him, causing his injury? Neither of these was the answer; Tang Wulin sighed and shook his head.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Sometimes I really just want to give you a good beating, using violence to control your behavior."

"Huh, why?"

"You still ask why…" Tang Wulin's expression was grim. "I ask you, why did you push me away back then? If we had been captured together, our chances of successfully using the Soul Fusion Technique would have been much higher, and you wouldn't have overexerted yourself to the point of fainting."

"I…"

"Besides that." Huo Yutong wanted to reply, but Tang Wulin interrupted: "After you woke up, you actually had the leisure to worry about me, when clearly you should be worrying about yourself more. I've told you so many times to cherish yourself—why won't you listen?"

"Sorry."

Seeing that Tang Wulin seemed truly angry, Huo Yutong had no choice but to apologize sincerely.

Tang Wulin rubbed his head in frustration.

"I don't want you to apologize; I want you to change."

If she continues like this, something will eventually happen.

Heaven knows how desperate he felt just now; he never wants to experience that feeling again.

Having said that, he sighed.

"At the end of the day, I'm just too weak; if I were stronger, this kind of thing wouldn't happen at all."

No matter how little Huo Yutong values herself, if he could, when she pushed him away, reflexively pull her into an embrace, he could stop her behavior.

Or, more simply, if he had enough strength, he could personally strike down the Death's Hand emissary when they attacked, preventing everything that followed.

This was the first time he so profoundly understood his own weakness.

Tang Wulin's gaze drifted to the bracelet on his hand.

It was the Storage Soul Conductor Device he brought back from ten thousand years ago, containing the herbs Mu En had prepared for him.

In theory, now that he wants to, he can attempt to break the fourth seal.

Following the precedent of the second seal, it's likely that when he breaks the fourth seal, while his physical fitness surges, he will also gain a second blood essence soul ring.

If that's the case, could he get closer to Huo Yutong?

Before he could make up his mind, Xuanzi walked over and said, "Now that she's awake, I can finally ask, right?"

Huo Yutong looked at Tang Wulin with some confusion.

Her meaning was easy to understand: she wanted to know what Xuanzi wanted to ask.

Tang Wulin explained:

"Xuan Lao wants to know the full process of how you defeated that Death's Hand emissary and how you managed to freeze such a large area. Yutong, if you don't want to answer, you don't have to."

Although he was also curious about exactly how Huo Yutong did it, he respected her privacy.

Huo Yutong gently shook her head and said:

"I'm not entirely sure of the details either; I just, while he was hugging me, struck him with an Imperial Palm. He then went berserk and tried to attack me, and for some reason my martial soul spontaneously reacted, freezing the passageway. Thinking back now, it's probably similar to the principle I used a year ago to repel Senior Ma Xiaotao."

"There's such a thing?"

Xuanzi was greatly startled.

What Huo Yutong said exceeded his understanding, leaving him unsure whether to believe it.

But with Tang Wulin protecting her, he felt embarrassed to press further, so he finally let it go and stopped thinking about it for now.

He spoke solemnly:

"Yutong, Wulin, I've just finished checking the injuries of the main team members; though their wounds aren't fatal, they've caused significant impact, and if not treated promptly they could affect their futures—I must take them back to the Academy."

"Oh, then hurry up and leave."

Because of what just happened, Tang Wulin's goodwill toward Xuanzi can be said to have vanished completely, and his tone is no longer polite.

Xuanzi furrowed his brows.

"Leaving is leaving, but I still need to give you a few reminders about the competition—after all, the Academy's honor now rests entirely on your shoulders."

Tang Wulin was dumbfounded.

"Could it be that the Academy's honor is more important than the futures of our upperclassmen?"

Xuanzi himself had just said that delaying treatment would affect their futures, yet now he's delaying their treatment for the sake of this so-called honor—this made him feel like cursing someone.

Xuanzi naturally said, "These two are naturally equally important; if we let those kids choose, I believe they'd also be willing to sacrifice part of their futures to keep Shrek's honor intact."

"…"

Tang Wulin fell silent, suddenly feeling that he and this old man before him were not of the same species.

Xuanzi mistakenly took Tang Wulin's silence as agreement and said, "I'll leave Dai Yaoheng and Ling Luochen here; their injuries are lighter, and they can recover mid-match. You just need to hold out until they're able to compete. After that, continuing to win won't be so hard. I'll bring the support team as fast as I can—you must hold out until then."

Tang Wulin didn't know what to say, so he just silently nodded.

Seeing his agreement, Xuanzi felt a wave of relief; Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong are the two strongest reserves and the only two capable of fighting in high-level matches. As long as they stay spirited, holding out until Dai Yaoheng and Ling Luochen recover isn't that difficult.

He stood up and said, "In short, I'm counting on you. Of course, even if you lose, no one will blame you—I'll take all responsibility. You just need to fight for Shrek's honor on the field."

After saying that, he quickly walked away, taking a few members of the starting team and left here, flying toward the Academy.

Tang Wulin stared blankly at his retreating figure, suddenly feeling that he now truly understood why Mu En was so pessimistic about the Academy's future.

(End of chapter)