Ugh~
A wave of pain swept through his entire body. Zeng Fan felt as though he were drifting through darkness, his whole person immersed in nothingness. He had no idea what he was doing; he only felt that floating like this was incredibly comfortable.
Slowly, he smelled something—a faint, secluded fragrance. Along with it, fragments of memory began surfacing in his mind: the match, his injuries, the battle, Wang Beichen, Yuan Jin, Murong Xue... Murong Xue!
He remembered the owner of that fragrance. In the palace disciples' infirmary, Zeng Fan suddenly opened his eyes.
The first thing that entered his vision was a red roof beam. A faint fragrance mixed with the strong smell of medicine assailed his nose. Then pain swept through his entire body, and he could not help letting out a groan.
Ahhh~~~~
"He's awake, he's awake! Yuan Jin, come over quickly!" A delighted voice rang out. Zeng Fan turned his head and saw a graceful figure standing with her back to him, seemingly waving toward the doorway. As if sensing his gaze from behind, the girl turned around and flashed Zeng Fan her little tiger teeth.
"You're finally awake! Don't move, don't move. Lie down first." It was Murong Xue. Seeing Zeng Fan try to sit up, she hurriedly pressed him back down—right on his wound. The pain made him bare his teeth and grimace again.
Hiss, hiss, hiss~~~
"Ah, I didn't mean to!" The girl raised her hands in a panic.
"It's fine, it's fine. Hiss... how long was I unconscious?" Zeng Fan had intended to wave his hand, but a sharp pain shot through it, reminding him that both his arms had been broken by that little bastard Wang Beichen. They had already been bandaged, however, and his clothes and wounds had all been properly dealt with.
"Three shichen. That boy Wang Beichen woke up an hour before you. He told me to say that you're really to his liking—fighting once makes friends—and that you should have a drink together if you get the chance." Murong Xue smiled, her tone carrying a trace of helplessness.
Zeng Fan let out a dry laugh. A ten-year-old brat was already talking about drinking together. Still, the two of them had no deep enmity between them, and being able to gain the goodwill of an Earth Vein disciple after the match was not bad.
"I made it into the top ten, right?" Zeng Fan asked Murong Xue. After all, he had earned this by fighting with half his life on the line. Although he had heard the announcement of his victory before passing out, he still wanted to confirm it once more.
"You did, you did! You're seriously incredible. You actually knocked down an Earth Vein disciple who was a minor realm above you. You have no idea—the people below the stage were all dumbfounded." Yuan Jin had also walked over to Zeng Fan by then, giving him a thumbs-up.
According to Yuan Jin, after Wang Beichen fainted onstage, the area below had fallen utterly silent. Even the Earth Vein disciples' elevated platform had gone quiet. Everyone had been stunned by the outcome of their match.
When the disciple onstage announced that Zeng Fan had won, the crowd had erupted. By then, however, Zeng Fan had no energy left to pay attention to what was happening around him. The moment he heard that he had won, he had also passed out. Murong Xue had already rushed over from the Earth Vein disciples' platform during their final clash, catching Zeng Fan in time when he collapsed.
Hearing this, Zeng Fan froze and looked toward Murong Xue. The sensation before he passed out had not been false—someone really had caught him.
When Murong Xue saw Zeng Fan looking at her, her cheeks gradually flushed. "That's right. When I saw the two of you fighting like that, I was afraid something might happen to you. Yuan Jin wasn't by your side either. After all, the two of us are friends." As she spoke, the girl's voice grew softer and softer, while her dainty earlobes slowly reddened.
Zeng Fan felt something stir in a corner of his heart. Could something happen between the two of us? Ripples stirred within him, but now was not the time to discuss such things.
He abruptly changed the subject. "What about your match, Murong? How did it go? Did you make the top ten?" When Murong Xue heard that Zeng Fan was no longer pressing her about it, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though she also felt a little annoyed. A young girl's thoughts were the hardest to fathom. Yet when she heard the concern in Zeng Fan's question, her anger vanished in an instant.
"I placed sixth. Making the top ten was enough for me. I never planned to compete with those Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters for the higher rankings anyway. I couldn't beat them." Murong Xue stuck out her tongue.
Zeng Fan swept his gaze over Murong Xue. He knew that making the top ten had clearly posed no difficulty for her, and he could not help feeling depressed. He had nearly lost half his life doing it.
Without this thing, even if I fought with my life on the line, I wouldn't have had a chance of making the top ten. Still shaken, Zeng Fan touched his chest. A Heart Protection Mirror lay there, made from the Jade Spirit Flood Dragon's scales. It was the true reason Wang Beichen had been sent fleeing in defeat, and the confidence that had allowed Zeng Fan to act so recklessly.
The earlier attacks had not left a mark on the scale. The reason Wang Beichen's punch had made Zeng Fan spit blood was the rebounding force. If Zeng Fan's physique had been even stronger, that punch might have caused him nothing more than minor injuries.
"I'll find time to go see that Jade Spirit Flood Dragon again." Zeng Fan felt somewhat grateful. He could say that most of his results this time were thanks to the Jade Spirit Flood Dragon. Whether it was cultivating his killing move or the final decisive battle, he could not have done without it.
"All right, all right, you two stop flirting here and spare a thought for poor me. I lost the match and suffered serious injuries, so my body already feels terrible. Then I have to watch the two of you acting all lovey-dovey, and now my heart is taking serious damage too." Yuan Jin clutched his chest in exaggerated fashion, looking as though he were suffering.
Murong Xue grew furious when she heard that. "You're awake, so I'll leave first. Take good care of yourself. See you when you enter the Quenching Body Pool!" With that, the girl hurried outside. This time, she surprisingly did not lose her temper at Yuan Jin again.
"You really are something. Aren't you afraid of getting beaten up again?" Zeng Fan looked at Yuan Jin helplessly.
Yuan Jin winked and gestured at Zeng Fan, then broke into a carefree grin. "You really surprised me this time. The biggest dark horse of this grand tournament was you. You defeated an Earth Vein disciple with Profound Vein aptitude. Among the Body Tempering Realm disciples, you're already somewhat famous."
"It was partly luck, and partly because I used some crafty tricks." Zeng Fan knew why he had won the match, so he naturally would not grow conceited over this so-called fame.
"Those guys won't look at how you did it. They only need to know the result: a Profound Vein disciple crossed a minor realm and made a comeback against an Earth Vein disciple. Heh heh, quite a few female disciples are interested in you now." Yuan Jin's expression once again became lecherous.
Zeng Fan did not pick up that thread. After a brief silence, he said, "As for that matter with Zhou Bao, wait for me. I'll cultivate as quickly as I can and catch up to you. Then we'll settle it together."
Yuan Jin fell silent when he heard Zeng Fan's words. His body trembled faintly, and his fingertips turned pale from clenching his fists. It seemed he had many things he wanted to say, but in the end, the boy calmed down and patted Zeng Fan on the shoulder.
"Yeah. Focus on recovering first."
Zeng Fan wanted to say something more, but a disciple walked toward the two of them at that moment.
Zeng Fan and Yuan Jin looked over at the same time. Noticing their gazes, the disciple approached and saluted them.
"By order of the Disciple Hall Elder: Brother Zeng defeated the Earth Vein disciple Wang Beichen with Profound Vein aptitude, and is specially rewarded with two Healing Spirit Pills. We hope you recover soon, continue cultivating diligently, and make contributions to the sect at an early date. Congratulations, Brother Zeng." After speaking, the disciple courteously took out a jade bottle and handed it to Zeng Fan, then bade the two farewell and left.
Zeng Fan looked at the jade bottle in his hand. "A reward for defeating an Earth Vein disciple? It seems I've already attracted some attention from the sect's upper ranks. That's a good thing. I may be able to obtain more resources in the future."
He opened the jade bottle. Two pills lay inside, completely different from the pills in the stipend he had received before. Wisps of medicinal fragrance wafted from them. Zeng Fan could sense that consuming just one would probably restore most of his injuries.
He took one out and handed it to Yuan Jin. "Take it. One is enough for me. Don't say anything about our relationship. Consider it repayment for that Spiritual Fruit you gave me in the Profound Spirit Dynasty."
Yuan Jin was just about to refuse, but after hearing Zeng Fan's words and seeing the determination in his eyes, he reached out and accepted the pill. The burly boy's eyes reddened slightly, and he raised a hand to wipe them.
"How strange. Why did something suddenly get into my eye?"
"Hey, hey, don't tell me you're so touched that you're about to cry. I never realized you were this fragile."
"Bastard, something really did get into my eye. Hurry up and take the pill so you can recover properly. Otherwise, how are you going to help me?"
"Fine!"
Before you continue