The sound of a chair scraping across the floor pulled Suo Ling out of her thoughts.
"You were staring blankly for so long. You didn't move at all—I thought you'd turned to stone."
Suo Ling also came back to her senses.
"What are you thinking about?"
Mu Rong closed the book in his hands with a snap.
"Nothing."
He stood up, his face returning to its usual calm, though a deep, unspoken grief still lingered in his eyes.
"Let's go."
He rose and tucked the secret records of the Blue Tyrant Dragon Clan into the Soul Eater.
Meanwhile, in a luxurious hotel in Suotuo City, a guest room.
The strong scent of medicine hung in the air, mixed with a faint, bloody smell.
Jade Little Blade's eyelashes trembled, and his weary eyes slowly opened.
Above him was a ceiling decorated with elaborate carvings, strange yet beautiful.
"Little Blade! You're awake! You finally woke up!"
A woman's crying voice rang beside him, filled with joy and worry.
Mu Erlong stood guard by the bedside. When she saw Jade Little Blade wake, her tear-filled eyes shone with delight as she clasped his icy-cold hand.
"That's wonderful!"
The door was suddenly shoved open. Zhang Lanfeng hurried inside, his face rigid with anxiety, and stopped abruptly.
But when he saw how worried Mu Erlong looked, and the way she tenderly held Jade Little Blade's hand, a sharp pang pierced his heart, and uncontrolled bitterness welled up inside him.
Still, when he thought of the little blade lying there... perhaps there was still hope for him, too?
As that thought crossed his mind, Zhang Lanfeng felt a sudden sense of self-mockery. His heart filled with bitter helplessness and jealousy.
"I... I'm awake..."
Jade Little Blade's voice was hoarse, as if it had been ground down by sand. Each word sounded strained.
Mu Erlong hurried to her feet, intending to help him up.
"Erlong, I'm fine. You're so weak."
Zhang Lanfeng stepped forward and, without a word, gently eased Mu Erlong aside.
"Teacher Zhang, no need. I can manage!"
Mu Erlong pushed him away awkwardly and tried to move by herself.
With the three of them supporting him from either side, Jade Little Blade was helped to sit up on the bed.
Just as they lifted him, an indescribable, violent pain shot through him, as though his heart had been pierced by a blade.
It was a tearing, heart-piercing agony. The strongest part of his body had been forcibly torn away.
His body went rigid. Cold sweat soaked through his clothes in an instant. He sat like a stone statue, not daring to move again.
"Little Blade, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
Mu Erlong noticed his unusual expression and asked anxiously.
That question was like a key opening a door that had long been locked.
Jade Little Blade's mind flashed back to the terrible scene from the night before.
The three masked youths, their merciless attacks—and then... one of them raising a leg, then kicking hard into...
Ah!
Jade Little Blade's mind went blank. His expression stiffened as if he wanted to say something, but the pain in his heart brought back that nightmarish memory.
It was gone.
It really was gone.
A wave of overwhelming humiliation and fury surged up from the depths of his heart like an erupting volcano.
"Get out!"
Using all his strength, he let out a furious roar.
"Get out! All of you!"
"Little Blade..."
Mu Erlong was startled by his sudden rage. She hesitated, unable to accept it, and wanted to ask what was wrong.
"Let's go, Erlong."
Zhang Lanfeng pulled her away, gently closing the door behind them.
Outside the room, Mu Erlong could no longer hold back. She leaned against Zhang Lanfeng's shoulder and sobbed in a muffled voice.
"Who was it? Who was it? If I ever find the bastard who did this, I'll make him beg for death and beg for life!"
Her voice was full of hatred and murderous intent.
At the thought of what had happened, Zhang Lanfeng's anger rose as well. Jade Little Blade was his best brother.
He patted Mu Erlong on the back to comfort her, but a secretive smile crossed his face.
Inside the room, Jade Little Blade lay on the bed, his eyes unfocused, staring blankly ahead.
The three youths—one of their figures was etched into his mind, impossible to erase.
That person looked familiar, especially those dark, profound eyes, and the cold, penetrating gaze that seemed to have seen through him.
No matter how he tried, he couldn't remember anything.
"I don't care who you are..."
Jade Little Blade gritted his teeth, forcing the words out between them.
"I, Jade Little Blade, will make you pay!"
Tsk...
The words had barely left his mouth before pain shot through his lower body, making him suck in a sharp breath. His face twisted.
At the same time, in the dormitory of the Spirit Hall's training academy in Suotuo City.
Mu Rong closed the last book in his hands with a snap.
He stretched languidly, a playful smile curling his lips.
It had taken him half a month, but he had finally finished reading all the records Zhang Lanfeng had "borrowed" from Jade Little Blade.
Tsk, so this was what he'd been racking his brains over? What a little thief.
The core secrets of the Spirit Hall were accessible only to core disciples and elders.
They included theories about combining different martial spirits, as well as analyses of the effects of their core components.
There were also detailed explanations of the principles and methods for developing martial-spirit fusion techniques.
In addition, the records contained research gathered over many years on various spirit beasts, including information about some that had already gone extinct or were on the verge of extinction.
Most interesting of all were the theories on cultivating spirit power for spirit beasts that had been given human form, along with analyses of the strengths and weaknesses of the various martial spirits they possessed.
Tsk, these things... weren't they clearly stolen from the Spirit Hall's restricted archives by Bi Bi, that cunning little wolf?
And then given to that shameless little thief, Zhang Lanfeng?
Mu Rong's lips curled. His heart filled with disdain.
If he built up his strength and then found a chance to ambush that white-eyed wolf who'd turned against his own kind, she'd surely beg for her life, then beg for death.
Even if it were Suo Ling, he wouldn't hesitate to strike if she dared to cross him.
Bi Bi was simply lucky. She had joined the Spirit Hall, where she was treated like a precious treasure.
If she had been in one of the upper three clans or lower four clans, she'd have been lucky to survive. He would have kicked her head clean off her shoulders.
Putting those thoughts aside, Mu Rong once more focused his attention on the theories about martial-spirit fusion in the Spirit Hall's records.
He flipped through them carefully, scrutinizing every word.
What exactly was the theory behind the Douluo Continent?
Was it to use spiritual power to connect with one's martial spirit, draw in the energy of heaven and earth, and then channel it into the body, transforming it into spirit power?
That process could not only increase one's spirit-power rank and nourish one's martial spirit, but also strengthen control over spiritual power, which was essential for spirit skills. It also laid the foundation for the fusion of Spirit Seeds and spirit bones.
Before you continue