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Shrek Academy was quiet, but inside a dormitory that now served as a sickroom, the atmosphere was heavy with tension. Tang San lay on the bed, looking like a ghost of his former self. His face was bruised and swollen, and his skin was as pale as white paper.
His breathing was so weak that it was hard to tell if he was still alive. His entire body was wrapped in thick white bandages from head to toe. He looked like a mummy that someone had tried to piece back together after it had been smashed into a thousand pieces.
Jiang Zhu, the healing Spirit Master of the team, stood by the bed. She was using every bit of her spirit power. Her Spirit, the Healing Scepter, glowed with a soft green light that filled the room.
This light flowed into Tang San, slowly working to repair his broken Meridians, mend his shattered bones, and heal his damaged internal organs. After a long time, the green light faded away. Jiang Zhu looked exhausted. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and stepped back, her legs shaking from the effort.
Yu Xiaogang sat in his wheelchair nearby. He had been watching with eyes full of fear and worry. As soon as the light stopped, he pushed his wheelchair forward. He looked at Flender and asked in a shaking voice if Little San was going to be okay.
Flender reached up and adjusted his crooked crystal glasses. He looked down at his student and let out a very heavy sigh. He told Yu Xiaogang that they had finally saved his life and that Jiang Zhu had stabilized the injuries. However, he warned that the damage was incredibly severe.
Little San had broken Meridians, his organs had been shaken badly, and he had lost a lot of blood. The worst part was that his external Spirit Bone had been destroyed, which caused serious damage to his spine. Flender admitted that it would take at least half a month or even longer before Tang San could even think about fighting again.
When he heard the words half a month, Yu Xiaogang's face turned pale. His voice rose as he cried out in despair. He reminded Flender that the schedule for the qualifiers was very tight. He worried that without Little San, the team would lose their upcoming matches. He was afraid they wouldn't even make it out of the qualifiers, let alone reach the main competition.
The thought of Shrek Academy failing so early made Yu Xiaogang's expression turn dark and angry. He slammed his fist onto the armrest of his wheelchair. The sound was a dull thud that echoed in the quiet room. He began to growl in a low, hateful voice. He called Tang Chen a bastard and a beast.
He claimed that Tang Chen had deliberately hurt Little San so badly just to make sure Shrek Academy couldn't advance. He shouted that such a person was not human and was not acting like an older brother at all. He made a vow that if he, Yu Xiaogang, did not get revenge for this, he was not a man.
Outside the room, the night was dark. Under the shadow of a large tree with thick leaves, a massive figure was hiding. It was Tang Hao. He was so still that he seemed to be part of the tree itself. His eyes were sharp like an eagle's.
He looked through the window, staring at his son who was wrapped in bandages on the bed. Even though he was standing outside, his power was so great that he could hear every word spoken inside the room.
As he listened to Yu Xiaogang's angry words, Tang Hao's hands began to shake. He clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles made a loud creaking sound. A violent and scary energy started to leak out of his body. It was so intense that the birds sleeping in the trees nearby got scared and flew away into the night.
Tang Hao whispered to himself, calling Tang Chen a beast for hurting his own brother. He noted that the Death Spider Emperor's venom in his own body was mostly gone now. He decided that he had to get justice for Little San. He muttered that those two Titled Douluo would not be able to protect Tang Chen forever.
As soon as he finished speaking, his body flickered. He moved so fast that he didn't even make a sound or move a single leaf. He vanished into the shadows as if he had never been there at all.
Across the city at Tianxing Academy, things were much more peaceful. Inside a quiet room, the moonlight shone through the window like a stream of water. Tang Chen sat quietly on his bed. He was in the middle of his Cultivation. His hands were folded in a special seal, and his breathing was very steady. You could feel small waves of energy moving around him.
Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the door. Tang Chen opened his eyes, and a small flash of light disappeared from his pupils. He told the person to come in. The door opened slowly, and a beautiful woman in gold walked in. The moonlight made her golden hair look like it was glowing. She was noble and very beautiful, but she also looked a bit cold. It was Qian Renxue.
Tang Chen acted a little surprised to see her. He called her Little Xue and asked why she was there. He mentioned that her brother said she was supposed to join the tournament, but he hadn't seen her at the arena or the academy all day.
Qian Renxue didn't answer him right away. She walked over to the table and sat down gracefully. She looked away for a second and said she had some private things to take care of and had gone on a short trip. She claimed she had just gotten back to Heaven Dou City and came straight to the academy.
Tang Chen just nodded and said oh. He didn't show any emotion, but he knew she was lying. He knew she had been busy pretending to be Crown Prince Xue Qinghe. Today was the opening of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament. Important people like Emperor Xue Ye and Ning Fengzhi were there.
There was no way she would let someone else pretend to be the Prince on such a big day. If she made one mistake, all her years of hiding would be wasted. Her excuse about private matters was just a cover story.
Tang Chen stood up and stretched his body. He walked to the table and poured a glass of water. He looked at her and asked why she had come to see him so late at night. Qian Renxue lifted her chin and looked him in the eye. Her golden eyes were very bright. She said she wanted to know about the plans for the matches and when she would get to fight on stage.
Tang Chen stopped drinking for a moment. He acted surprised and asked if she really wanted to go on stage. He then asked her what her Spirit Power Rank was, since they had to report that for the competition.
Qian Renxue didn't want to tell him the number. She looked a bit competitive and proud. She told him that she was definitely not weaker than Xiao Ruier. Tang Chen just smiled and told her that Ruier had actually reached Rank fifty a few days ago.
Before he could finish, Qian Renxue cut him off. Her voice got louder and she sounded like she wanted to prove something. She told him he didn't need to know her rank. She challenged him by saying that if he didn't believe her, he should let her fight Ruier to see who was stronger and more qualified for the big matches.
Tang Chen looked at her closely. He was very curious about how strong she actually was. She was a genius who started at Rank twenty, but she had spent so much time hiding her identity. He wondered if she was still as strong as she should be.
He put his water cup down and gave her a friendly smile. He told her it was too late to wake up Ruier for a fight. Then he looked at her and suggested that he should be the one to spar with her instead. He wanted to see how much confidence she really had.
Qian Renxue's eyes lit up. This was exactly what she wanted. She smiled and agreed. She stood up and looked around the small room. She said the room was too small and they might break things if they fought here. She suggested going to the small forest outside the academy.
She didn't just want to show off; she wanted to see how strong Tang Chen was too. He was a mystery to her. Tang Chen knew what she was thinking, but he wanted to test her as well, so he agreed. They didn't say anything else. They both moved like shadows and slipped out of the room into the night.
They quickly left the academy grounds. As they did, a large man stepped out from the darkness nearby. It was Tang Hao again. He looked toward where Tang Chen had gone and called him an unfilial son. He whispered that Tang Chen was probably just jealous of Little San's twin spirits and was afraid of being surpassed.
He thought Tang Chen had tried to ruin Little San's future during the match. Tang Hao narrowed his eyes and promised that he would make Tang Chen feel what it was like to be hurt soon.