Ling Zichen: Want to Join the Tang Sect?

"Hmph!"

Watching Ling Zichen and the others look even worse than if they had swallowed flies, Mu Xi proudly raised her snow-white chin like an arrogant swan.

However, the other party was the Tang Sect. Although Zhen Hua doted on her like a daughter, Mu Xi did not want to make him fall out with the Tang Sect over something like this.

In the end, Mu Xi chose to take a step back first.

Mu Xi cleared her throat and looked at Ling Zichen with a smile. "Can you explain why you came this time now?"

Seeing that Mu Xi had actually backed down on her own, Ling Zichen and the others, who had been stuck in an awkward position, no longer dared to put on airs and hurriedly explained their purpose.

After listening to Ling Zichen's account, Mu Xi finally understood the whole story.

She had previously wondered how someone as strong as Su Mo could have been so badly injured during practical combat training. It turned out the Tang Sect's system had malfunctioned.

"Since my junior was injured because of an error in your Tang Sect's system, how does the Tang Sect plan to compensate him?"

Before Su Mo could say anything, Mu Xi reached out and demanded compensation from Ling Zichen on his behalf.

"This..."

Ling Zichen's expression turned rather unpleasant.

Originally, they had planned to follow the compensation standards set by the Federation, casually hand Su Mo a few million Federation Coins to shut him up, and send him on his way.

But with a little rich girl like Mu Xi here, trying to dismiss Su Mo with Federation Coins would be tantamount to slapping Mu Xi in the face.

"Talking money with a blacksmith is an insult."

This was a consensus shared by everyone in the Soul Master world.

"You didn't prepare any compensation, did you?"

When Ling Zichen remained silent for so long, Mu Xi's expression gradually darkened.

Earlier, she had taken the initiative to give ground because she did not want to offend the Tang Sect over some trivial matter.

But now that the full story was clear and reason was on her side, she was going to come down hard on the Tang Sect.

Watching Mu Xi's expression grow increasingly grim, Ling Zichen felt like tearing her hair out. If she had known things would turn out this way, she would never have come along for the excitement.

Who would have thought that a backwater place like Eastsea City could produce someone with the status of a Divine Craftsman's niece?

"Miss Mu, compensation for your junior isn't something we can decide ourselves."

Just as Ling Zichen was at a loss, her other assistant spoke up again and helped her out.

"We need to diagnose your junior's injuries, report the results to headquarters, and let headquarters make the decision."

Ling Zichen glanced at her assistant, who answered in such an orderly manner, and a trace of surprise flashed across her face.

For a moment, Mu Xi could not tell whether the other woman was telling the truth. She could only glare at her suspiciously and warn, "Is that true? You'd better not be lying to me!"

"Otherwise, I'll definitely tell Uncle Zhen Hua!"

Faced with Mu Xi's threat, the other woman did not get angry. She still wore a gentle smile. "Please rest assured."

"The Tang Sect's reputation is renowned throughout the continent. How could we possibly do something like refusing to pay a debt and damaging the Tang Sect's name?"

Her words were reasonable and well-supported, leaving Mu Xi unable to find any fault with them. She could only nod and accept the explanation.

"Fine, then hurry up and examine him!"

Mu Xi stepped back several paces, making room for the examination.

Seeing Mu Xi make room for her, the woman nodded and confidently sat down.

The woman was named Xu Li. Like Song Yi, who had just threatened Mu Xi, she was one of the assistants Cao Dezhi had assigned to Ling Zichen, though their duties differed.

Song Yi was an assault-type Soul Master responsible for Ling Zichen's personal protection, while Xu Li was a healing-type Soul Master responsible for treating Su Mo's injuries.

Originally, Xu Li should have been the one to deal with Su Mo, while Ling Zichen was only responsible for gathering the abnormal data from Hero Hall.

But Ling Zichen had been too impatient and insisted on personally handling the conversation, which was how things had ended up like this.

"May I examine you?"

Xu Li looked at Su Mo and asked politely.

Although he knew perfectly well that her earlier explanation had merely been meant to fool Mu Xi, Su Mo still nodded in agreement.

If he did not let her examine him, how was he supposed to extort the Tang Sect?

After Su Mo agreed, Xu Li placed a hand on his right arm. A green glow brimming with vigorous life force suddenly lit up, and Su Mo felt a gentle power spread through his body, reaching every corner of it.

As Xu Li's examination of Su Mo's body deepened, her expression grew uglier and uglier.

"What is it? My junior isn't seriously hurt, is he?"

Seeing this, Mu Xi hurried forward in concern, obvious panic coloring her voice.

Xu Li felt guilty under Mu Xi's stare. Her gaze shifted several times before she forced herself to continue. "Student Su Mo's life signs are not in any major danger at the moment. It's just... just..."

Xu Li suddenly began to hem and haw halfway through her sentence, nearly driving Mu Xi frantic. "Just say it already!"

"Student Su Mo's life force has been depleted to an outrageous degree. It is almost impossible for him to live past eighteen."

Xu Li gritted her teeth and delivered her conclusion.

Upon hearing Xu Li's conclusion, Mu Xi felt as if the sky had collapsed. Her face turned deathly pale as she sank to the floor.

As a blacksmith, Mu Xi knew very well that depleted life force was almost irreversible.

The reason Divine Craftsmen throughout history had lived such short lives was because Heavenly Forging depleted their life force.

"Is there any way to remedy it?"

Mu Xi raised her head and stared at Xu Li with hope filling her eyes, like a drowning person desperately clutching at the last straw.

"Yes!"

Xu Li's answer rekindled a sliver of hope in Mu Xi's heart, but that hope was quickly extinguished by Xu Li's next words.

"As long as Student Su Mo can cultivate to Titled Douluo before turning eighteen... then everything can be resolved."

The hospital room fell so silent that even breathing became clearly audible.

Titled Douluo. To any Soul Master, that realm was an insurmountable peak.

Even in this era, when Titled Douluo had become a unit for measuring combat power, its true value had never changed.

A Titled Douluo possessed a life beyond mortals, the threshold to another form of existence.

An eighty-ninth-rank Spirit Douluo and a ninetieth-rank Titled Douluo were only one rank apart, but their lifespans differed vastly.

The former had a lifespan like that of an ordinary person, at most a little over a hundred years, while the latter could easily live to two hundred.

Even someone like Su Mo, who had depleted a great deal of life force, could still live another hundred years without issue as long as he cultivated to Titled Douluo before eighteen.

"Junior..."

Mu Xi murmured, her eyes reddening.

"Alright, Senior Sister. Don't worry. I'm a genius."

Seeing that Mu Xi was nearly in tears, Su Mo comforted her. "Cultivating to Titled Douluo before eighteen is nothing more than a piece of cake for me!"

Su Mo's words were filled with ease and showed no anxiety at all, as though Xu Li had not been talking about him.

"You little brat, you're young, but you sure talk big."

"Cultivating to Titled Douluo before eighteen is something even His Excellency Yun Ming failed to accomplish. You really dare to say it!"

Yun Ming was the publicly acknowledged number one person on the continent and the current Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion.

Facing Ling Zichen's teasing, Su Mo said confidently, "Exactly. That's why I'll replace him as the number one person on the continent someday."

"You little brat, you're quite arrogant."

Ling Zichen laughed at Su Mo's confident appearance, then invited him, "Want to join the Tang Sect and become my assistant? Maybe I can save your life when the time comes."