Di Qiu'er Calls!

The Tang Sect had remained standing for ten thousand years after Huo Yuhao ascended.

It was not because the Tang Sect had abandoned hidden weapons and embraced Soul Tools, but because it had latched onto Shrek's thigh.

Without Shrek constantly supplying the Tang Sect with outstanding talent and fresh blood, how could the Tang Sect have replaced Mingde Hall's original niche?

Su Mo had once conducted an in-depth analysis of Douluo Continent's history.

It was precisely because he had analyzed that history so thoroughly that Su Mo felt the people of Douluo Continent did not have much sense.

The Sun Moon Empire had brought about its transformation into the Sun Moon Federation entirely by its own stupidity.

After the Sun Moon Empire unified the two continents, no one knew what madness had possessed it.

Not only did it fail to suppress Shrek, the greatest power on Douluo Continent, it instead continued allowing Shrek to maintain its lofty status.

To firmly establish Shrek's title as the "number one academy under heaven," the Sun Moon Empire had even gifted Shrek plenty of advanced Soul Tool technology.

Rather than restoring Mingde Hall and nurturing a force capable of competing with Shrek, it continued investing in Shrek. Was that something a sane person would do?

The Sun Moon Empire had vigorously supported Shrek, but Shrek had not been polite about it. It turned around and shared the technology with the Tang Sect.

It had the ironic feeling of a simp giving a goddess a gift, only for her to hand it to her boyfriend.

By the time the Sun Moon Empire realized that Shrek and the Tang Sect had grown too powerful to control, it was already far too late.

With Shrek and the Tang Sect taking the lead, many neutral factions began pressuring the Sun Moon Empire, forcing it to shift from a monarchy to a republic.

If the Qiangu Family had not stolen the Spirit Pagoda from Shrek and the Tang Sect, perhaps even the words "Sun Moon Federation" would have been changed to "Douluo Federation."

Seeing Su Mo agree with him, Wu Zhangkong hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "If possible, I hope you won't spread word about the Hero Hall system malfunction."

Su Mo put on a hesitant expression, trying to get Tang Wulin, Wu Zhangkong's favorite student, to speak up for him.

Seeing Su Mo's hesitation, Tang Wulin indeed could not hold back and stepped forward.

He and Xie Xie had already joined the Tang Sect. As a member of the Tang Sect, he needed to consider its reputation.

"Su Mo, I..."

"Fine, I agree!"

Before Tang Wulin could finish, Su Mo agreed to Wu Zhangkong's request.

A trace of delight appeared on Wu Zhangkong's face when he saw Su Mo agree.

The Tang Sect's reputation had been preserved, and the heavy stone hanging over his heart finally dropped.

In high spirits, Wu Zhangkong chatted with Su Mo a little longer and comforted him, telling him not to worry too much. Then he got up and led Tang Wulin and the others back to Eastsea Academy.

Although Donghai City Hospital had said Su Mo's injuries were serious, staying here would not help him recover any faster.

Rather than waste time here for nothing, they might as well return to the academy and settle themselves.

"Thanks for what happened just now!"

As he watched Tang Wulin's retreating figure about to leave the hospital room, Su Mo suddenly spoke. "Once I recover, I'll repay you!"

"There's no need. It was only a small matter!"

Hearing that Su Mo wanted to repay him, Tang Wulin hurriedly turned around and waved his hands as though flattered. "We're partners. There's no need to be so particular."

"Partners?"

Su Mo quietly repeated the word.

Tang Wulin did not know whether it had been an illusion, but as he left, he seemed to see Su Mo smile—a very gentle smile.

!!!

Hidden in Tang Wulin's spiritual world, Tang San, who had been watching Su Mo all along, was so excited when he saw the smile curl at Su Mo's lips that his own grin nearly split his face.

Tang San had not expected that his ruthless attack on Su Mo would, through a twist of fate, create a connection between Tang Wulin and Su Mo.

Having lived for so long, Tang San, that old fox, had an exceptionally refined grasp of human nature. How could he fail to understand the meaning behind Su Mo's smile?

But it made sense. Someone like Su Mo, who had always appeared detached and indifferent toward others, surely had some unknown tragic past.

Such people often seemed cold and aloof, but in truth, their hearts could easily be moved by a small kindness.

Thinking that Su Mo would not interfere with Tang Wulin becoming the future leader of the Shrek Seven Devils, Tang San's mood immediately improved, and the frustration of being brutally beaten by Su Mo vanished completely.

The reason he had acted against Su Mo before was because Su Mo's performance had been far too monstrous, enough to threaten Tang Wulin's position in Shrek.

Tang Wulin originally possessed the Golden Dragon King bloodline, enough to crush any opponent at the same level, but Su Mo's performance was simply too outrageous.

Not only did he cultivate faster than Tang Wulin, his combat ability at the same level also surpassed Tang Wulin's by a considerable margin.

At least before Tang Wulin removed the fifth seal, Tang San did not believe Tang Wulin had the ability to fight Su Mo.

But Tang Wulin would still need several years to remove the fifth seal.

What if Shrek began selecting the new generation of Shrek Seven Devils before then? That would be a huge problem.

As one of the Original Shrek Seven Devils, Tang San understood better than anyone how distorted a group the Shrek Seven Devils were.

In name, the Shrek Seven Devils were a team, but in reality, the other six merely existed to support the most outstanding one.

Their purpose was to unconditionally help that most outstanding person safely survive their period of weakness.

Once that most outstanding person had grown strong, their usefulness became negligible.

That was why Tang San had to ensure Tang Wulin became the leader of the Shrek Seven Devils, even if it meant ruthlessly attacking Su Mo.

His son, Tang San's son, could never become someone else's supporting cast.

Once Tang Wulin and the others left the hospital room, Su Mo immediately withdrew the smile from his face.

Although he had not personally seen Tang San's expression, Su Mo was certain Tang San was smugly congratulating himself inside.

They were all foxes who had lived for ten thousand years. They all understood those crooked, underhanded tricks that could not be brought into the open.

Tang San probably never imagined that this time, he was facing one of Ninja World's classic conceptual gods: "Intelligence Su Mo."

Not only did Su Mo know that Tang San was behind the Hero Hall incident, he also knew every detail of Tang San's relationship with Tang Wulin.

Since Tang San believed he was the one hiding in the shadows, Su Mo did not mind acting along with him.

Just as Su Mo was about to contact Leng Yulai and have her prepare a surprise for Tang Wulin, he saw the long-silent avatar in his friends list suddenly come online.

The other party then sent him a message.

"I ran into Di Tian!"

"Is that so?"

"How did it feel to meet an old acquaintance? Did it give you that sense of how much the world has changed?"

Su Mo tilted his head and pondered for a moment before composing and sending a message.

"..."