The Dark Palm Settles the Situation, A Secret Love is Born

A violent gale rose suddenly, and the ground of the entire Shrek training field trembled slightly.

Opposite them, over a dozen students released their Martial Souls in unison. Soul Rings of various colors surged upward. Power Attack, Agility Attack, Support, and Control types each performed their duties; clearly, after a brief, tacit understanding, they intended to use their sheer numbers to encircle and forcibly crush the Shrek six-man team.

In everyone's eyes, this was a grueling battle of many against few.

Dai Mubai's expression was stern. With his White Tiger Martial Soul fully unleashed and his yellow-purple-purple Soul Rings circulating, he took the lead, his sharp tiger claws carrying a wind that tore through the air as he stood at the very front: "Everyone, hold the formation! Leave the front line to me!"

Oscar instantly activated his Sausage Martial Soul, and two amplification sausages condensed rapidly: "Strength boost, speed boost! Everyone, grab them quickly!"

Ma Hongjun spread his flaming wings, a faint Phoenix Flame rising as a scorching heat washed over the field, ready for long-range suppression at any moment.

Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda shone brilliantly in her palm, and a dazzling golden light instantly showered over everyone.

"Strength boost! Speed boost! Soul power boost!"

The three overlapping buffs landed steadily, instantly pushing the momentum of Dai Mubai and the others to its peak. The young girl's gaze subconsciously swept toward Lin Chen, who was standing slightly behind, and only after confirming he was firmly within the range of the buffs did she quietly heave a sigh of relief.

She did not know when it started, but her sense of security in team battles no longer came solely from Dai Mubai's ferocity or Tang San's steadiness, but from this seemingly unremarkable boy who always silently held the line.

Xiao Wu tapped her toes against the ground. Her Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul remained latent as she nimbly retreated half a step, pressing close to Lin Chen's side.

Others merely assumed this was standard positioning, but only the two of them knew the truth: this was Xiao Wu's subconscious reliance, a form of close-quarters protection that no one else could perceive. Her peripheral vision remained glued to Lin Chen; no matter how chaotic the battle became, as long as the boy stood there safely, she felt completely at ease.

Zhu Zhuqing's figure transformed into a cold, black shadow. With her Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul possessed, her body was taut, and her purple-black Soul Rings circulated against her skin, ready to weave through the lines and flank the rear.

Yet, the moment she moved, her cold eyes also darted quickly toward Lin Chen.

The warmth of his secret protection during yesterday's desperate situation still lingered in her heart. She had never been one to believe in unprovoked kindness, but all of Lin Chen's assistance had been given without demand, without showing off, and he had even deliberately erased his tracks so that she, in her pride, would not feel embarrassed or need to offer thanks.

In all of Shrek, he was the only one who possessed such tact.

The battle erupted in an instant!

Several Power Attack soul skills roared toward them. Earth-type shields, wind-type blade energy, and fire-type fireballs densely packed the air, sealing off every possible escape route for the six of them.

Dai Mubai, at the front, bore the brunt of the pressure. His tiger claws clashed hard against several soul skills, his blood surging slightly and his shoulders growing numb. The opponents were too numerous, their soul power continuous, and the crushing momentum of their numbers was already manifesting.

"Zhuqing, flank around and take out the support!" Dai Mubai shouted in a deep voice.

Zhu Zhuqing leaped, her extreme speed erupting. Like a black shadow, she streaked out diagonally, aiming straight for the two support soul masters in the opponent's rear.

But just as she was about to break through the defensive line, two Control-type soul masters suddenly turned to encircle her. Two entangling vines and an ice-sealing soul skill blocked her path in advance!

It was a trap!

The opposing team had long since figured out Zhu Zhuqing's high-speed flanking tactics; they had deliberately left a flaw to lure her deep before instantly closing in to seal her fate!

On the sidelines, Zhao Wuji's eyes narrowed, already prepared to step in and call a halt to critique the mistake.

Everyone was certain that Zhu Zhuqing's charge had failed and that she would be forced to retreat in defeat.

Only Lin Chen remained, his eyes calm and unruffled.

Just as the ice-sealing soul power was about to wrap around Zhu Zhuqing's waist and the vines were about to lock her limbs—

A wisp of imperceptible, transparent soul power, like a passing breeze, swept silently across those two control soul skills.

There were no earth-shattering phenomena, nor any leakage of soul power.

Only a minute, undetectable change occurred: the trajectory of the ice-sealing soul power shifted by half an inch, and the nodes of the entangling vines loosened ever so slightly.

Zhu Zhuqing, in the midst of her high-speed charge, had no idea of the change behind her; she only instinctively felt a fatal gap appear in the otherwise inescapable blockade.

Her gaze sharpened, her superb combat intuition erupting. She twisted her body to the extreme, narrowly dodging all the control effects, and pierced through the defensive line like a ghost, arriving instantly behind the enemy support soul masters!

Two flashes of Hell Spirit claws struck, cleanly and efficiently shattering the opponents' support buffs.

The entire audience saw only Zhu Zhuqing's extreme movement and stunning execution; no one realized that someone had secretly smoothed out a dead end for her.

Zhu Zhuqing landed and turned to the side, her heart skipping a beat.

Something was wrong.

The blockade just now had been airtight; at her speed, it should have been impossible to escape. That momentary gap was too bizarre—it was definitely not a coincidence.

She subconsciously looked back, her gaze piercing through the chaotic battlefield to land once more on Lin Chen at the end of the formation.

The boy still stood in his original spot, his posture relaxed and his expression indifferent, as if he had been quietly watching the battle the entire time without having made a single move.

Yet, deep within her cold and aloof heart, a massive wave surged for the first time.

Once is a coincidence, twice is an accident, but every single time... it could never be unintentional.

Just how many unknown things was this seemingly ordinary and introverted boy hiding?

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield.

Ning Rongrong was fully immersed in providing buffs, the brilliant glazed light continuously covering the entire team. Too focused on her output, she completely failed to notice an Agility Attack soul master on the flank bypassing the main battle and quietly closing in under the cover of the chaotic dust!

That sharp claw light aimed straight for the opening in Ning Rongrong's back. It was extremely fast, and the distance was already less than three feet!

Support soul masters were extremely weak in close combat; once ambushed, they would instantly lose all their buffs, and the team battle would collapse.

The students on the sidelines cried out in alarm, and it was already too late for Dai Mubai to turn back and defend!

Hearing the commotion, Ning Rongrong panicked. She instinctively wanted to dodge, but her Martial Soul infusion could not be interrupted, and she could not move her body even an inch. Her pretty face turned pale in an instant.

At this critical, life-or-death moment!

The flow of soul power remained silent and imperceptible.

Lin Chen stood where he was, hands hanging at his sides, his fingertips not lifting a fraction, his expression devoid of the slightest change.

Only within his spirit did the origin power of the Star Hidden Grass quietly unfurl, a layer of extremely thin, completely transparent soul power barrier instantly enveloping Ning Rongrong.

Chi—

The low, subtle sound of the collision was completely drowned out by the roar of the battlefield.

That fierce claw strike slammed into the invisible barrier, its force instantly dissipated by eighty percent, and the remaining momentum failed to even harm a single strand of Ning Rongrong's hair before scattering into the air.

The student who had launched the sneak attack froze, his face filled with confusion, completely unable to understand why his sure-kill strike had failed out of thin air.

Ning Rongrong only felt a slight chill on her back, which returned to stability in an instant, the crisis dissolving in an inexplicable manner.

She turned her head to scan her surroundings, still shaken; the battle was chaotic, everyone was locked in fierce combat, no one was specifically watching her, and certainly no one had stepped in to help.

Yet, the delicate heart of the young girl clearly captured that fleeting, stable protection.

Inexplicably, her first instinct was to look toward Lin Chen again.

The youth stood there as indifferently as ever, as if nothing had anything to do with him, his gentle brows and eyes calm and ripple-free.

However, Ning Rongrong's cheeks grew uncontrollably warm, and a soft, tingling sensation spread through her heart once more.

She couldn't describe the feeling, only knowing that every time she fell into a crisis and was at a loss, there was always an invisible force silently protecting her, and the source of all this seemed to always be that unassuming, gentle, and low-profile youth.

Panic and timidity faded away, replaced by a sense of complete peace and a secret joy.

She bit her lower lip gently, her gaze fixed on Lin Chen, unwilling to look away for a long time; the budding affection in her heart had already taken root and sprouted.

The battle remained heated.

Having secretly provided cover twice in a row, Lin Chen's expression remained unchanged, his state of mind as steady as still water.

His gaze swept across the field, seeing through all the remaining soul power, residual combat strength, and subsequent offensives of every opponent.

To avoid dragging out the battle and drawing excessive attention from Zhao Wuji, and also to take the opportunity to train the team's synergy, Lin Chen stopped providing sporadic rescues and prepared to settle the outcome from the shadows.

He moved his feet two steps, seemingly at random, but perfectly positioned at the most subtle node of the team's formation.

The Star Hidden Grass soul power fully unfurled, threads of it merging into the world, silently winding around the soul skills of his teammates, subtly correcting their trajectories, amplifying their power, and covering their flaws.

The next moment—

The power of Dai Mubai's White Tiger Intense Light Wave quietly surged, shattering all of the opponent's defenses head-on;

Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Flame precisely covered the enemy cluster, sealing off all paths of retreat;

Xiao Wu seized the opening, using her Soft Technique to charge forward, instantly controlling two of the main force students.

All offensives flowed like water, the transitions perfect and flawless.

The originally deadlocked team battle instantly turned into a crushing victory!

In just three seconds, more than ten opposing students were defeated and suppressed, their martial souls forced to retract, the entire team falling in defeat.

The noisy battlefield fell silent in an instant.

After a moment of dead silence, the arena erupted with bursts of exclamation.

"Too strong! This coordination is simply unsolvable!"

"To win so easily despite being outnumbered!"

"Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing's charge, Ning Rongrong's amplification, Xiao Wu's control—it's absolutely seamless!"

Everyone was marveling at the synergy and strength of the Shrek six, yet no one knew that the rhythm, offense, defense, and outcome of the entire battle had been controlled from the shadows by the team's most inconspicuous member, Lin Chen.

Zhao Wuji nodded, his eyes full of approval: "Excellent team battle awareness. The transitions between offense and defense and the ability to cover for one another have almost no flaws. Keep it up!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at each other.

Only Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing had different thoughts, their gazes converging once again on the youth standing indifferently at the edge of the crowd.

In Xiao Wu's eyes was a gentle understanding and doting; she knew Lin Chen's forbearance best, knowing how much sharpness and tenderness he hid to protect everyone.

In Ning Rongrong's eyes was a budding, sinking infatuation, her heart filled with the youth's understated gentleness, her affection having taken deep root and quietly giving rise to an unspoken flutter.

Deep within Zhu Zhuqing's cold eyes, tiny ripples spread, suspicion and detachment fading away, leaving only complete trust and a secret concern for this mysterious youth.

Three different sentiments fermented quietly in the post-battle breeze, intertwining in the dark.

Lin Chen accepted everyone's gaze calmly, his expression gentle and ripple-free, still wearing that ordinary appearance that blended into the crowd.

Undercurrents hid in his heart, his sharpness tucked away in the shadows.

The chess game deepened, hearts were secretly pledged, and though the storm had yet to arrive, he already stood within the game, controlling all the winds and clouds ahead.