Wang Chuan's thoughts raced as he swiftly recalled the relevant plot from the original story. A flash of realization suddenly passed through his eyes.
In the original story, Tang Wulin had been seriously injured while shielding Gu Yue from the "Forest of Ice and Snow." Overcome by emotion, Gu Yue had used her own origin power to heal him.
Tang Wulin had gained certain benefits as a result, and the bond between the two had deepened from there...
At that thought, an uncontrollable look of deep disgust flashed through Wang Chuan's eyes.
Disgusting.
They treated other people's lives like a chessboard, wantonly moving the pieces and forcibly arranging the course of their lives...
Did they really think of themselves as gods high above all others?!
Had they forgotten...
That they, too, had once been one among the countless common people?!
A cold sneer rose in Wang Chuan's heart.
Of course. Ten thousand years ago, hadn't they treated Huo Yuhao, the child of destiny, in exactly the same way?
What was so surprising about them continuing such behavior ten thousand years later?
Moreover, Tang Hao was now the Plane Master, hidden behind the scenes. To the vast majority of living beings on this plane, his minor manipulations were simply impossible to detect; they would only regard them as accidents or coincidences.
Only Wang Chuan, whose Five Virtues Phoenix Martial Soul possessed unparalleled affinity with heaven and earth and nature, and who was extraordinarily sensitive to shifts in the flow of vital energy, had caught that trace of manipulation hidden beneath the surface.
However, Wang Chuan did not panic because of this.
He was certain that Tang Hao would not dare reveal himself openly.
Because once the aura of this Plane Master was exposed, the Abyssal Sage King would certainly notice.
At that point, the Abyss Plane might choose to retreat.
Then Sea God Tang San's ten-thousand-year "fishing" plan would also come to nothing.
That cost...
Tang Hao and Tang San absolutely could not bear it.
Just as Wang Chuan's thoughts turned, several figures had already rushed onto the competition stage.
Wu Zhangkong arrived first. He initially gave Wang Chuan, who possessed an aura as unfathomable as the sea and had effortlessly neutralized the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, a complicated look.
He then quickly turned his concerned gaze toward Tang Wulin and the other two. A barely perceptible tension showed on his stern face.
"Are you three alright?"
Tang Wulin shook his head, some color returning to his face.
"Teacher Wu, we're fine."
"Brother Chuan arrived just in time..."
"We weren't hurt at all."
Wu Zhangkong carefully sensed the three of their auras. Only after confirming that they had merely expended too much Soul Power and were somewhat exhausted, while their bodies were indeed unharmed, did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief. He then turned to Wang Chuan and spoke solemnly.
"Thank you."
Wang Chuan was slightly surprised. He had not expected Wu Zhangkong, Dragon Ice, who was known for being cold and proud, to offer such a formal expression of gratitude.
He waved a hand, his expression calm.
"You're too polite, Teacher Wu."
"Wulin is my younger brother, and Gu Yue and Xie Xie are also my classmates. Protecting them is what I should do..."
"There's no need for thanks."
On the other side, after their Martial Soul Fusion Skill was forcibly interrupted, Zhou Hanyou and Zhou Tian'er nearly fell to the ground at the same time.
Their faces were pale as paper, their chests heaving violently as they gasped for breath. Cold sweat streamed down their foreheads.
Forcibly using the Martial Soul Fusion Skill only for it to be violently interrupted had severely overdrawn both their Soul Power and Mental Power.
Zhang Zhenpeng, the team leader from Hailu Academy, flashed to the sisters' side and hurriedly checked their condition. His face showed both lingering fear and reproach.
"You two!"
"How could you casually use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill in a match like this?!"
"What if you couldn't control it and hurt someone?"
"And what if you hurt yourselves?!"
As he reprimanded them in a low voice, he quickly pressed his palms against the girls' backs, sending gentle Soul Power into them to stabilize their breathing. At the same time, he asked anxiously.
"How are you?"
"Are your bodies seriously injured?"
"Did you suffer any internal injuries from backlash?"
Zhou Hanyou weakly shook her head. Her lips moved as though she wanted to say something.
But the double exhaustion of her Soul Power and mind caused her vision to go black, and her body softly collapsed backward.
At nearly the same moment, Zhou Tian'er also lost consciousness. The sisters both fainted.
Seeing this, Zhang Zhenpeng was both anxious and furious. When he saw Wang Chuan's group seemingly about to turn and leave, an inexplicable rage shot to his head, and he shouted sharply without a second thought.
"You think you can just leave after hurting people?!"
Wang Chuan, who had been preparing to leave, paused. He turned back with a slight frown and looked at Zhang Zhenpeng's hostile expression, surprise flashing through his eyes.
He had not intended to pursue the matter.
Whether it was the referee's delay or the subtle increase in the power of the Zhou sisters' Martial Soul Fusion Skill, it all ultimately stemmed from the indirect influence of Tang Hao's invisible hand.
Since Tang Wulin and the other two were safe and sound, he had not wanted to make further trouble.
But Zhang Zhenpeng's utterly unreasonable attempt to turn the tables truly opened his eyes...
So people really could distort right and wrong so completely.
Before Wang Chuan could speak, an icy chill suddenly surged beside him. A flash of ice-blue light appeared, and the Sky Frost Sword was already in Wu Zhangkong's hand.
Bone-piercing cold radiated from him as he stared coldly at Zhang Zhenpeng. Clear fury had gathered in those eyes that usually held little warmth to begin with.
His thoughts were similar to Wang Chuan's. Since his students were unharmed and the other side had suffered backlash from using their fusion skill, the matter could have ended there.
Yet Zhang Zhenpeng not only failed to reflect on his students' excessive force and poor control, but even accused them first...
That domineering and unreasonable attitude instantly ignited Wu Zhangkong's fury at seeing his own students wronged.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black—six Soul Rings rose and circled beneath Wu Zhangkong's feet. The powerful pressure of a Soul Emperor, mixed with icy sword intent, pointed directly at Zhang Zhenpeng.
The Sky Frost Sword tilted up slightly, cold air billowing from its edge. Even the cracks in the competition stage's floor became covered with a layer of white frost.
Yet at that moment, Wang Chuan stepped forward, passing Wu Zhangkong, who stood like an ice sculpture.
There was little expression on his face as he calmly looked at Zhang Zhenpeng, whose expression had changed slightly. His voice was not loud, yet every person present heard it clearly.
"I had no intention of arguing with you."
"But since you harbor resentment..."
"What a coincidence. I also have a few questions I would like to ask."
He raised one finger.
"First, is this the Youth Soul Master Elite Tournament, where sparring and exchange are the focus, or an arena where people fight to the death?"
"Why did your academy's students use a potentially fatal Martial Soul Fusion Skill when they clearly knew they could not control it?"
"If I had not intervened in time, the three members of Eastsea Academy would likely be dead or crippled by now!"
"Who would bear that responsibility?!"
Immediately afterward, Wang Chuan raised a second finger.
"Second, as the team leader and a senior Soul Master, you did not ask what happened or distinguish right from wrong before publicly slandering us, saying that we 'hurt people and wanted to leave.'"
"I would like to ask: in that situation, should I have stood by and watched my classmates be severely injured or even killed by your students? Would that have been the right thing to do?"
"With your inability to distinguish right from wrong, how can you serve as an example to your students?"
The two questions were clear and logical.
Zhang Zhenpeng was left speechless. His face instantly flushed red, and though he opened his mouth, he found not a single defensible reason to refute him.
Before you continue