Those Without Power or Influence

Tang Hao took Tang San and swiftly fled to a secluded barren mountain. Using the Clear Sky Hammer, he carved out a temporary cave dwelling and hid inside.

Once they were safe, Tang Hao's body, which had been holding on by sheer force of will, could no longer endure. The old wounds within him worsened, compounded by the backlash from detonating his spirit rings. He spat out a mouthful of black blood and could not even maintain his stance, dropping to his knees.

With such severe injuries, he would be unable to fight again for half a year.

Although he had made a seven-year agreement with Mu Yuan, Tang Hao could not believe Mu Yuan would abide by it completely. Putting himself in Mu Yuan's place, he knew he certainly would not honor such an agreement. That was why he had taken Tang San into hiding.

Meanwhile, at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

After the battle ended, Sword Douluo departed as well.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy had suffered considerable losses in this battle. Many buildings had been damaged, and some students had been injured by the aftermath of the fighting.

The root cause of this situation was Blue Tyrant Academy's deliberate provocation. Furious, Meng Shenji rushed to Heaven Dou City, intending to seek an audience with Xue Ye and request that the imperial family punish Blue Tyrant Academy.

As for Mu Yuan, after Tang Hao spoke those words, Xiao Wu's condition became extremely poor. Her face had gone pale, and her little hands clutched tightly at Mu Yuan's collar, as though she were grasping the last lifeline she could rely on.

Only now did Xiao Wu understand that Tang San's father was a Titled Douluo. Her identity had been exposed from the very beginning, and all these years, she had been raised as a spirit ring and spirit bone that could be taken at any time.

Being deceived hurt terribly. If Mu Yuan had not been there, Xiao Wu would have broken down completely by now.

Mu Yuan understood Xiao Wu's feelings as well, so he carried her back to the dormitory.

At that moment, a figure approached them.

Ning Rongrong looked at Mu Yuan holding Xiao Wu and felt somewhat hesitant. But remembering Sword Douluo's words, she still gathered her courage and stepped forward.

"Brother Mu Yuan... are you all right?" Ning Rongrong asked.

Mu Yuan was somewhat surprised by how Ning Rongrong addressed him. Has this girl changed? He replied politely, "I'm fine."

After hearing that, Ning Rongrong remained where she was, looking awkward and hesitant. But in the end, she made up her mind. "Brother Mu Yuan, actually, I..."

Just then, Mu Yuan felt Xiao Wu's grip tighten further. He hurriedly said, "Wait, Rongrong. I'll take Xiao Wu back to rest first. If it isn't anything too important, let's talk another time!"

With that, Mu Yuan carried Xiao Wu away at a brisk pace.

Ning Rongrong stood there blankly, watching Mu Yuan leave while holding Xiao Wu with such concern in his eyes. Her lips parted, but she had nothing to say.

Once upon a time, in a similar situation, Xiao Wu had invited Brother Mu Yuan out, yet Brother Mu Yuan had been the first to show concern for her.

When had their circumstances changed?

Two words surfaced in Ning Rongrong's heart: so annoying. Yes, whenever faced with Brother Mu Yuan's concern, the only response she had ever given was those two words: so annoying.

It seemed she could never go back.

Helplessly, Ning Rongrong crouched down where she stood and buried her delicate face.

Several days later.

The damage Heaven Dou Royal Academy had suffered had already been repaired.

After all, this was a world with spirit masters, and all manner of wondrous martial souls made many things extremely simple.

Meng Shenji personally reported Blue Tyrant Academy's actions to Xue Ye.

Xue Ye immediately ordered the arrest of the three instigators: Flender, Liu Erlong, and Yu Xiaogang.

However, Xue Ye did not immediately deal with the three of them. Although Yu Xiaogang was a publicly acknowledged waste, he was Thunder Douluo's son. Blue Tyrant Academy was backed by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, while Liu Erlong was the illegitimate daughter of Yu Luomian, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's second-in-command.

As emperor, Xue Ye had to consider the stability of all factions and could not make a decision lightly.

Before long, after learning of the situation, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan immediately apologized to all parties and offered substantial compensation. Yu Luomian even came personally to Heaven Dou Royal Academy to apologize to Mu Yuan, giving him many resources as compensation.

Afterward, Yu Luomian shifted all responsibility onto Flender, who had no backing whatsoever. He claimed that Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang had acted under Flender's instigation and that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had nothing to do with it.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was, after all, one of the Upper Three Sects, and Xue Ye also had to consider the repercussions. In the end, Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang received only light punishment as a warning before being released.

After her release, Liu Erlong was sent back to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan by Yu Luomian to cultivate, so she would not cause further trouble. Yu Luomian temporarily took over as the headmaster of Blue Tyrant Academy. As for Grandmaster, Yu Luomian placed him under house arrest to keep that waste from bringing further shame to the clan.

As for Flender, who had no background whatsoever, he was thrown directly into a deep prison. It was said that after the new year, he would be sent to the City of Slaughter along with other serious criminals.

Mu Yuan did not know the more specific details.

At Heaven Dou Royal Academy, after the Shrek Team split apart, its remaining members were no longer enough to form a team.

After obtaining Mu Yuan and the others' agreement, Meng Shenji assigned them to Heaven Dou Royal Academy's first team—the team Yu Tianheng belonged to.

Today was the first day the two teams would be merged. Although the significance of a team had become minimal given Mu Yuan's strength, both sides still needed to familiarize themselves with one another.

The members of both sides had met before, so there was no need for further introductions.

Upon seeing Mu Yuan, Yu Tianheng was the first to bow and apologize. "Mu Yuan, regarding my uncle's actions, I apologize to you on his behalf."

Mu Yuan helped Yu Tianheng up with a smile. "All right, this has nothing to do with you."

Dugu Yan, standing nearby, looked at Mu Yuan curiously and stepped forward. "Grandfather told me as well that I should thank you properly."

Mu Yuan said, "Then I'll accept your thanks right away. Later, I'll help you remove the toxins from your body."

After hearing this, Dugu Yan became even more curious about Mu Yuan.

The others were also very interested in Mu Yuan, especially the Wood Man from that day. It had simply been too shocking. They found it hard to imagine that a soul skill capable of fighting a Titled Douluo had been unleashed by a spirit master younger than they were.

Ning Rongrong watched Mu Yuan being surrounded by the others, but she could not get a word in at all.

Next, according to custom, Mu Yuan and the others needed to spar with the members of the Imperial Fighting Team.

This was mainly to test the new members' strength, making it easier to arrange the order of deployment based on their abilities when they encountered battles in the future.

Naturally, Mu Yuan did not need to participate.

After all, none of the Soul Elders present was foolish enough to want a taste of the seventy-meter Wood Man's strength.

During the sparring, Mu Yuan called Dugu Yan over alone and raised a hand to press it against her forehead.

The devouring power of the Divine Tree Martial Soul activated, completely absorbing the inherited toxins within Dugu Yan's body.

"Mm~"

Dugu Yan let out an unconscious moan. She felt something powerful penetrate deep into her body, then absorb something within her.

A moment later, Mu Yuan withdrew his hand.

The toxins in Dugu Yan's body had been dealt with, but accordingly, her Poison Cultivation had dissipated as well, greatly weakening her strength.

Mu Yuan took out an Immortal Herb and handed it to Dugu Yan.

This counted as a form of compensation to Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo was a man of loyalty and sentiment. Even after learning from Tang San of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's value, he had not shown the slightest regret. Naturally, Mu Yuan could not be any less generous.