"Alright, alright… I get it…"
Jiang Shengyu nodded repeatedly, a little embarrassed. He looked at Jiang Qingtong, and Jiang Qingtong also looked back at him.
Seeing that familiar face—so similar to his own—on one side of their shared field of vision, the two took a deep breath at the same time to calm themselves.
Well then… that's that.
Self-respect and self-restraint.
Meng Hongchen took Jiang Qingtong's hand to leave. She said,
"Wearing this outfit—what do you think you look like? Come on! Back to my room. You can wear my clothes for now."
"I think this outfit is fine," Jiang Shengyu said from behind.
That comment earned him nothing but a white-eyed glare from Meng Hongchen. She opened the door with Jiang Qingtong—only to immediately see Xiao Hongchen crouched at the doorway, eavesdropping in some bizarre posture.
Xiao Hongchen, caught in the act, coughed lightly. His expression stiffened with embarrassment. Straightening his clothes and pretending to be busy, he said,
"You're done talking already? Not going to chat a bit more?"
Meng Hongchen rolled her eyes at him again before leading Jiang Qingtong past him and back to her room.
Xiao Hongchen watched the two walk in and close the door, then turned back inside to Jiang Shengyu with a frown.
"What's going on? Did they take the wrong medicine or something?"
"If your sister hears that, she'll beat you up," Jiang Shengyu said helplessly.
Xiao Hongchen clicked his tongue and waved dismissively.
"As if I can't beat her? Anyway, what happened with you two just now? Weren't you flying out of Star Luo City a moment ago? How did you end up back at the hotel?"
"No idea. I woke up here. Probably came back unconsciously under the influence of the evil fire."
Jiang Shengyu shook his head and made up a random excuse, then changed the topic:
"Forget that. How was the match? Did you beat Shrek Academy?"
Hearing this question, Xiao Hongchen spread his hands.
"Isn't that obvious? With the level of their reserve team, how could they beat us? Aside from that Ling Luochen being a bit troublesome, the rest weren't threatening at all."
Seeing Xiao Hongchen look so proud, Jiang Shengyu said,
"Just wait until their two official team members recover from their injuries. Then you won't be saying that. Whether it's Dai Yueheng or Ma Xiaotao, they're both over level sixty—Soul Emperors—top-tier assault-type Beast Spirit Masters!"
At that, Xiao Hongchen smirked mysteriously.
"My dear brother, you're a bit behind the times, aren't you? Don't forget we have soul tools. Ma Rulong brought the eighth-rank soul tool Judgment Sword this time. It's basically just one rune-quality step away from a ninth-rank soul tool!"
Of course Jiang Shengyu knew about the Judgment Sword.
But in their Sun Moon Imperial Team, only Ma Rulong had reached the Soul Emperor level.
As long as Dai Yueheng kept Ma Rulong occupied, Ma Xiaotao alone was enough to completely suppress the rest of them. Even if several Soul Kings—Xiao Hongchen included—worked together, they still might not be able to withstand Ma Xiaotao's attacks.
A Soul Emperor with the Evil Fire Phoenix spirit was far too violent—and she had natural elemental advantage over several members of the Sun Moon Team. Whether it was Meng Hongchen's Vermilion Ice Toad or Nana's Specter, they were thoroughly countered.
The upcoming team battle, two-man battle, and three-man battle…
They probably wouldn't win.
Unless Ma Xiaotao's evil fire lost control again.
But in the original plot, Ma Xiaotao's rampage and martial soul mutation, although triggered by the Judgment Sword, were still the result of multiple factors. Now that Huo Yuhao was no longer a member of Shrek Academy, no one knew whether Ma Xiaotao would lose control this time.
Seeing Jiang Shengyu frown deeply in thought, Xiao Hongchen patted his shoulder.
"Don't worry. It's not like this is the first time we've lost to Shrek Academy! This time, at least we got to fight them properly several times—that's good enough!"
Xiao Hongchen no longer cared about winning and losing as much as in the original storyline. His temperament had changed. Thanks to Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong, he had unknowingly become more cheerful and easy-going.
---
Meanwhile, Meng Hongchen had already helped Jiang Qingtong change into her clothes.
Just as Jiang Qingtong was about to leave, Gu Lingjun stopped her.
"Qingtong, come here. Let me examine your body condition."
"I'm fine, Dean Gu," Jiang Qingtong said, shaking her head.
"It's still better to check."
Gu Lingjun refused to let her leave just like that. She performed a full examination—activating her Silver Light Heavenly Ring martial soul. Warm soul power entered Jiang Qingtong's body, circulating through her meridians.
Only after carefully ensuring there were no hidden injuries did Gu Lingjun finally relax. Then she began to lecture:
"You two little troublemakers—why must you push yourselves like this for a match? If you really got hurt, what would I tell Lord Silvermoon?"
Standing nearby, Jiang Shengyu said,
"Don't worry, Dean Gu. We know our limits."
"Limits?"
Gu Lingjun looked straight at Jiang Shengyu.
"Jiang Marquis, which part of what you did today showed any so-called 'limits'? You even forced Qingtong's evil fire out…"
Jiang Shengyu could only look helpless.
How was he supposed to tell her that an Ultimate Douluo like Ye Yushui had secretly interfered?
He couldn't.
So he could only lower his head and accept the scolding.
Gu Lingjun prepared some medicinal supplements for Jiang Qingtong and told her to take them back. She repeatedly reminded her to come find her immediately if she felt any discomfort.
When Jiang Qingtong returned to Shrek Academy's guest room, she found Wang Dong, He Caitou, and the others sitting there listlessly. Jiang Nan Nan and Xiao Xiao seemed anxious, and Bei Bei looked utterly devastated as if he had been dealt a massive blow.
"I'm back!"
Jiang Qingtong called out from the doorway.
Seeing her, Jiang Nan Nan and Xiao Xiao rushed forward, one on each side, pulling her inside.
"Qingtong, are you alright? Where did your brother take you just now? Elder Xuan said your evil fire lost control—how are you now…"
Their questions came rapid-fire, leaving Jiang Qingtong unsure which to answer first.
"Don't panic! I'm standing here perfectly fine, aren't I?" she reassured them.
Wang Yan and the rest came over. He asked,
"Elder Xuan went looking for you earlier. You didn't run into him?"
Jiang Qingtong shook her head.
"He was looking for me?"
Wang Yan nodded, then noticed that her clothes were different from before.
"Where did you come back from?"
Jiang Qingtong replied,
"My brother took me back to the Sun Moon Team's lounge to help suppress the evil fire."
All this trouble over a bout of evil-fire rampage… and for that the whole Continental Advanced Spirit Master Tournament got dragged into a mess like a pot of dumplings!
A few more chapters to wrap up the competition; after that, it'll be off to the Star Dou Forest to find Di Tian—then they'll no longer have to fear Ultimate Douluo at all.
PS: Access advance (100+) chapters at