The Great Master nodded to Tang San as well. "Since that's the case, then settle it in a single battle. As for tomorrow's fight, the final outcome will ultimately be decided by the two of you."
Watching each of his companions nod toward him, Tang San turned his gaze back to Feng Xiaotian.
"All right. I accept your challenge." In that instant, Tang San's eyes turned razor-sharp. The aura contained within him erupted like a volcano, slamming into Feng Xiaotian with brutal force.
Feng Xiaotian instinctively took a step back, but quickly steadied himself and stepped forward again. The auras between the two of them clashed violently.
"If you lose, I don't want to see you around Huo Wu ever again," Feng Xiaotian said through gritted teeth.
Tang San replied coldly, "She is her, and I am me. There has never been anything between us." With those words, he held Xiao Wu in his arms and walked away without a backward glance, following the rest of the Shrek Academy group.
The tension in the air naturally drew the attention of onlookers, including the students of the Infernal Fire Academy.
Huo Wushuang looked at his somewhat dazed sister. "Is this what you wanted to see?"
Huo Wu shook her head blankly. "I don't know."
Huo Wushuang's gaze carried a deeper meaning. "Then whose victory do you wish for?"
Huo Wu blinked, and in that moment she suddenly realized that her desire to defeat Tang San wasn't nearly as strong as she had thought.
Back at the camp, everyone gathered around Dai Mubai. After a thorough examination, the Great Master, Flandre, and the others discovered that Dai Mubai's injuries weren't as serious as they had imagined. Most of them were merely surface wounds. His bones and tendons were perfectly fine, and after a few days of rest, he would heal naturally. A Soul Master's self-healing ability was far superior to that of an ordinary person.
The news from the Thunder Academy, however, was the complete opposite. Yu Tianxin had suffered severe injuries—forget about recovery, whether he could even participate in the finals was now uncertain. Lei Dong had outright lost the use of one arm at Dai Mubai's hands, and without several months of recuperation, there was no hope of recovery.
Dai Mubai and Yu Tianxin were indeed close in strength, especially after both had already expended some Soul Power earlier, making them evenly matched. Only Dai Mubai himself knew that the true reason he had won this battle was that Marvellous Mushroom Reaching Heaven chrysanthemum. Its diamond indestructibility had not only shielded him from much of the lightning damage to his body, but also protected his bones and meridians. Meanwhile, his opponent's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul—whose defenses should have been superior—had gone from an advantage straight to a disadvantage.
But Dai Mubai showed no outward gratitude toward Tang San. The bond between brothers didn't need to be spelled out in words.
To let Dai Mubai recover properly, just as they had done when Tang San was injured, a room had been set aside for him. No one had said anything about it, but Zhu Zhuqing naturally stayed behind.
"What would you like to eat? I'll go get it for you." Looking at Dai Mubai, wrapped head to toe in bandages, the coldness that usually lingered on Zhu Zhuqing's face had vanished entirely. Her gentle gaze made her large eyes look even more beautiful.
"I'm not hungry. Zhuqing, come here."
Zhu Zhuqing walked over to Dai Mubai's bedside and pulled up a chair to sit down.
Dai Mubai took Zhu Zhuqing's hand. "Have you always hated me?"
Zhu Zhuqing glanced at him. "Why would I hate you?"
Dai Mubai smiled bitterly. "Because of my, ah, indiscretions. If those stories hadn't made their way back to you, why would you have ever come looking for me? To be honest, I never imagined your father would actually be willing to let you come all the way to the Tian Dou Empire."
Zhu Zhuqing answered calmly, "Did you really think I came looking for you, and treated you coldly, because of those little affairs of yours?"
Dai Mubai blinked, startled. "Isn't that the case?"
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head. "It isn't. A man being romantic isn't a sin—as long as he isn't being vulgar, it's hardly a big problem. But you're different. You're no ordinary man. You should understand how cruel your future is going to be. I don't want the man I'm with to lose himself in pleasures and die one day beneath a woman's skirt. My mother told me that if I couldn't marry a true man, I'd be better off never marrying at all."
The light in Dai Mubai's wicked eyes flickered. "You came here… to push me toward cultivating harder?"
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Dai Mubai, and a few degrees of chill crept into her gaze. "If you can't meet my expectations, I won't just refuse to marry you—I'll kill you. And then kill myself."
Dai Mubai let out a bitter laugh. "You really are his daughter. That's always been your family's way."
Zhu Zhuqing said mildly, "Is there something wrong with that? If you couldn't handle it, your father never would have let me become your fiancée. From the day I was betrothed to you, your fate was already changed. You were never destined to be a carefree, ordinary man. The marriage between us isn't just about the two of us—it concerns my family and…