"Seriously, Xie Xie, did you steal one of their cubs or something? Why do they keep chasing us?" Tang Wulin panted as he ran.
The wind howled shrilly through the woods. A thousand-year-old Flame Lion King, massive and magnificent, its mane surging with blazing flames, was leading its consorts in a mad pursuit. Tang Wulin and the others sprinted with all their might, not daring to slow down for even a moment.
High up in the branches of a towering tree, Lin Chen and Gu Yuena crouched comfortably, leisurely watching the four below flee for their lives.
Lin Chen turned to Gu Yuena beside him and asked quietly, "Na'er, should we go down and lend them a hand?"
Gu Yuena glanced at the four members of the team being chased into a miserable state. "You can't always be the one to bail them out. They're capable enough as it is. This is a good chance for them to get some training."
Lin Chen nodded. Na'er had a point.
Outside the Spirit Ascension Platform, Wu Changkong was watching the situation inside from start to finish through the soul-guidance screen.
The screen clearly showed the two people lounging in the tree and watching the show, alongside the four below scrambling to escape. The corner of his mouth twitched sharply, and faint lines appeared at his temples.
Below, Tang Wulin pumped his legs as hard as he could, then turned and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Xie Xie! What kind of monster did you piss off? The thousand-year-old Flame Lion King and its whole pride are after us!"
Xie Xie was panting hard, his face pale as he protested aggrievedly, "I was just curious, so I went over for a look. The Lion King was lying on top of a lioness, and who could've guessed it would fly into a rage?"
Hearing Xie Xie's outrageous explanation from the tree, Lin Chen, with the knowledge of two lifetimes, understood at once. His mouth twitched as he thought, You peeked while they were getting busy. Who else would they chase?
Lin Chen rose to his feet. Strands of blue lightning crackled around him as he dropped from the sky and landed in the middle of the pride. Immediately afterward, a vast web of blue lightning crashed down upon the lions.
The crowded pride had no time to dodge. In an instant, they were swallowed by the lightning and fell one after another onto the scorched earth, their life force completely extinguished.
The thousand-year-old Flame Lion King, which had been too busy chasing the group to notice anything else, abruptly stopped. It looked around at its fallen consorts. Its once-flaming mane bristled, its beastly eyes turned a terrifying crimson, and a roar that shook heaven and earth resounded through the forest.
Its fury exploded. Blazing flames surged wildly from its body as it fixed its gaze on Lin Chen and charged at him without hesitation, all four paws pounding the ground.
Taking the opportunity, Tang Wulin and the others stopped running and gasped for breath.
Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. "Your whole harem's been wiped out. Come on, Flame Husky Lion."
Lin Chen didn't hesitate. He released his Martial Soul, and the Azure Dragon's phantom slowly emerged behind him. His aquamarine eyes became the vertical pupils of a dragon, and overwhelming Soul Power, wrapped in blue lightning, swept outward.
After a little loving petting, the once-rabid Flame Lion King, its eyes blazing red, lowered its massive head and obediently stuck out its tongue. It rubbed its fluffy head against Lin Chen's palm, turning into a real husky lion.
Under the tree, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Zhang Yangzi, and Wang Jinxi had just recovered. All four stared with their mouths hanging open, unable to believe their eyes. Bro, you can do that?
Gu Yuena lightly tapped her dainty foot against the branch. Air currents stirred around her as the wind element swirled, carrying her gently to the ground like a goddess descending from heaven.
The Flame Lion King was no fool. Seeing Gu Yuena come down, it turned and stuck out its tongue at Na'er. It knew that if it won Na'er over, Lin Chen wouldn't hit it.
Watching this theatrical scene unfold on the screen, Wu Changkong's usually impassive expression faltered.
Xie Xie came back to his senses and stammered, "Wait, Captain, you've already beaten it into submission? We ran for nothing!"
At the sound of Xie Xie's voice, the Flame Lion King, which had been fawning over Gu Yuena with a docile expression, immediately bared its teeth and glared viciously at him.
Lin Chen covered his forehead and looked at Xie Xie's aggrieved face with exasperation. "You shouldn't have gone and bothered it for no reason. You brought this on yourself."
Xie Xie scratched the back of his head and drooped miserably. He couldn't come up with a single retort. After all, the whole mess really had been his fault from beginning to end.
Lin Chen patted the Flame Lion King's head. "Still baring your teeth? Looking for a beating?"
The Flame Husky Lion immediately stopped snarling at Xie Xie after Lin Chen smacked its head. It lowered its ears obediently and lay down nearby, not daring to make trouble.
Lin Chen gestured for the Flame Husky Lion to go back on its own. After watching it disappear into the distance, he clapped his hands and looked at the others. "That's about it. Let's leave the Spirit Ascension Platform."
They nodded. Gu Yuena stood quietly beside Lin Chen, her expression calm. Together, they exited the Spirit Ascension Platform. Soft white light enveloped all six of them, and they returned to reality.
Lin Chen and Gu Yuena were the first to push open their cabins and step out. They immediately spotted Wu Changkong not far ahead, though they didn't notice that his expression was a little off.
The two exchanged a glance, then blinked a few times and asked with concern, "Teacher Wu, you don't look well. Did something happen?"
Wu Changkong's eyes swept over the two of them, who looked utterly innocent. He held back a few words of exasperation, but his voice remained cool. "It's nothing."
As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Wulin and the others came out of their cabins too. When Xie Xie saw Wu Changkong's tense expression, he remembered what had happened inside the Spirit Ascension Platform and shrank his neck, moving half a step behind Tang Wulin.
Once everyone was out, Wu Changkong didn't pursue the little incident in the Spirit Ascension Platform. He simply said in a low voice, "Based on your performance in the Spirit Ascension Platform..."
"Lin Chen and Gu Yuena, full marks."
"Tang Wulin, ninety-nine. Xie Xie, Wang Jinxi, and Zhang Yangzi, ninety-eight."
Xie Xie had still been cowering behind the others, uneasy. As soon as he heard he'd scored ninety-eight, he popped his head out from behind Tang Wulin, delighted. "I got ninety-eight? I thought I'd lose a bunch of points for peeking at the Lion King and causing trouble!"
Wu Changkong shot Xie Xie a cold glance and said flatly, "Let's return to the academy."
On the way back to the academy, Tang Wulin gave his assessment seriously. "Xie Xie, your stamina is really poor. Starting tomorrow, get up early every morning and go jogging with me."
Xie Xie raised an eyebrow, a teasing grin curling his lips. He answered casually, "Sounds great. We can run every morning, and I can come along with you to chat up the upperclassmen on the way. How relaxing."
Tang Wulin's ears turned bright red. He hurriedly protested, "What are you talking about? We're still so young. How can you talk about chasing after upperclassmen like that?"
Even as he said it, Ouyang Zixin's face unconsciously appeared in his mind.
Xie Xie paid no attention to Tang Wulin's embarrassment. Instead, he got more and more carried away, glancing back at Lin Chen and Gu Yuena walking side by side. "What's so inappropriate about it? Just look at our captain and Gu Yuena..."
Before he could finish his teasing remark, Xie Xie suddenly felt a chill down his back. The air around him seemed to drop several degrees.
His whole body stiffened. He turned to look behind him, and Gu Yuena's purple eyes rested quietly on him. A voice sounded in Xie Xie's mind: "Say one more word about Lin Chen and me, and I'll twist your head off and kick it like a ball!"
Xie Xie swallowed the rest of his words and laughed awkwardly. "I didn't say anything. I'll definitely go jogging, and I won't slack off."
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