"Give up... I'm throwing your words right back at you."
Tang Ya repeated Beibei's words from not long ago, her tone calm and mocking.
On the arena, Beibei's expression shifted between the flashes of lightning and shadow. He looked at Tang Ya, whose aura had already surpassed his own, then glanced at the two teammates behind her.
His clenched fists trembled slightly. Lightning flickered on and off at his fingertips several times.
This was simply humiliating. He'd been just one point away from advancing to fifth year, and now he'd have to wait another semester...
In the end, all his unwillingness, anger, and some deeper, more complicated emotion became three words he practically spat through clenched teeth:
"...I give up."
"Whoa—!"
The crowd below erupted. Waves of doubt, disappointment, and anger nearly lifted the roof off the arena.
"Senior Beibei! Don't! Referee! That doesn't count!"
"Useless! I bet all my Gold Soul Coins on you!!"
"Fix! This has to be fixed! What kind of evil power was that woman using?!"
The referee onstage was visibly taken aback too. He clearly hadn't expected Beibei, one of the Outer Court Twin Stars, to give up so decisively.
Ultimately, he didn't question the surrender. He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and raised Tang Ya's arm high. His booming voice drowned out the commotion:
"I hereby announce that the winning team in this year's Outer Court fourth-year final examination is—" He paused briefly, then raised Tang Ya's hand even higher and declared, "The team of Tang Ya, Li Ru, and Luo Yunyun!"
After his announcement, the stands fell briefly silent before scattered applause finally broke out.
As soon as the referee let go, Tang Ya turned around without sparing Beibei another glance and hurried to Li Ru and Luo Yunsong, who were struggling to get to their feet at the edge of the arena. She reached out to support them.
"Come on, let's get you treated." Her voice was a little hoarse, but remarkably firm.
"Xiao Ya!" Lin Feng had already made his way through the crowd. In a few quick strides, he reached the edge of the arena and firmly supported Tang Ya's other arm.
His gaze swept over Tang Ya's pale face and the lingering wisps of black aura around her. His voice was urgent. "How are you? Does anything feel wrong?"
"I'm fine." Leaning some of her weight against his arm, Tang Ya gently shook her head. Fine beads of cold sweat had appeared on her forehead, betraying her deep exhaustion. "I'm just a little tired. Get me out of here."
"All right. Let's go."
Lin Feng knew Tang Ya was teetering on the edge of losing control, so he said no more.
He slipped one arm beneath her knees and the other around her shoulders, then lifted her into his arms with ease.
Tang Ya naturally raised her arms around his neck and rested her cheek against his shoulder, closing her eyes as if all the noise around them had nothing to do with her.
Ignoring the stares and whispers around them, they walked straight through the crowd toward the venue's main entrance.
On the arena, Beibei stood alone amid the wreckage, watching helplessly as the two of them left with their arms around each other, oblivious to everything. He watched Tang Ya lean into Lin Feng's arms without a trace of wariness.
His face flushed red again. He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white...
Lin Feng carried Tang Ya securely in his arms as he hurried along. At the same time, he quietly released a little Blue Silver Nether Fire, gradually channeling it into her body.
Then, using it, he carefully guided, absorbed, and suppressed the Darkness Power still stirring faintly in Tang Ya's meridians.
By the time they returned to the Tang Sect shop, Huo Yuhao had already left, and the Darkness Power around Tang Ya had been completely suppressed.
"Xiao Ya, get some rest." Lin Feng gently laid Tang Ya on the bed, his voice soft. "I'll get our things ready for the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. If everything goes smoothly, we can set off this afternoon..."
He hadn't finished speaking and was just about to stand when a cool hand gently tugged at his sleeve.
Lin Feng looked down and met Tang Ya's eyes. He hadn't realized she'd opened them.
Her eyes had lost the confusion from before. Now they were as clear as ever, with a hint of... almost tender pleading.
"Don't go," she said softly. "Stay with me today, all right? We can... leave tomorrow morning."
It didn't sound like an order so much as a quiet confession of how much she needed him.
Tang Ya looked at Lin Feng without her usual strength. There was only vulnerability and reluctance in her gaze.
The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was perilous beyond measure.
What she needed most right now wasn't the endless opportunities waiting there, but a little reassuring company and peace.
"All right."
Lin Feng answered softly.
Following the faint pull of Tang Ya's hand, he slowly turned and lay down beside her.
Tang Ya seemed to breathe a small sigh of relief. Her body naturally nestled closer to his, and she gently rested her forehead against his shoulder.
Lin Feng let her lean against him. Then a wisp of powerful Soul Power flew out through the door, locked the shop's front entrance, and hung up the wooden sign that read "Closed."
Right afterward, a breeze-like wisp of Soul Power wafted over the bed.
The plain bed curtain swayed gently, then fell, shutting the little bed off from the rest of the shop and drawing a private space around the two of them alone.
Silence returned to the shop. Only their gentle breathing and heartbeats mingled behind the curtain.
A peaceful night passed, and the next day soon arrived.
They got up early, packed their things, and requested a month-long leave from the academy.
A few days later, at dusk, they found a suitable spot on the outskirts of Sunset Forest and set up a temporary camp.
The nights in Sunset Forest were much colder than those in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Lin Feng used Golden Crow True Fire to kindle a bonfire. It kept them warm, dispersed the surrounding poisonous miasma, and deterred any Soul Beasts that might approach.
What worried them most wasn't the Soul Beasts, but the poisonous miasma that had accumulated in the forest over the years, along with the water, soil, and vegetation tainted by it. That was also why they'd brought their own food and drinking water.
"Here, have some hot soup." Lin Feng filled a bowl and handed it to Tang Ya.
"Xiao Feng," Tang Ya said, taking the bowl with a hint of worry still on her face. "The poisonous miasma isn't much of a problem for you, but what if we run into several Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts... Are you really confident you can handle them?"
"Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts? With you by my side, I'm not afraid." Lin Feng smiled. "Besides, I heard from Dean Yan that no Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts have appeared in Sunset Forest for decades. There's no need to worry too much."
Over the past ten thousand years, the overall strength of human Soul Masters had grown steadily. In particular, the flourishing of Soul Guidance Technology had continually squeezed the Soul Beasts' living space, and their population had plunged.
Sunset Forest hadn't escaped the many resulting changes. There weren't even any Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts to be found anymore.
If Soul Beasts eventually went extinct, the profession of Soul Master might disappear with them... Of course, that wasn't something Lin Feng, currently a Soul King, needed to worry about. He stopped his pointless train of thought.
"Mm." Tang Ya nodded and gazed into the dim depths of the forest. "The miasma is usually thickest in the early morning and thinnest at noon. Let's wait until tomorrow at midday before setting out."
"Sure, whatever you say," Lin Feng replied.
The night passed. At noon the following day, the two set off without delay, heading deeper into the forest according to the map Mu En had given them.
The farther they went, the thicker the surrounding miasma became, and the dimmer the light grew.
Lin Feng summoned Golden Crow True Fire and condensed it into a blazing spherical barrier. Like a small sun, it enveloped him and Tang Ya, completely blocking out the dense miasma outside.
He also released Spiritual Detection, vigilantly sensing their surroundings and watching for any powerful Soul Beasts that might approach.
"We're about to reach the terrifying poisonous miasma zone formed by the Jade Phosphorus Seven Absolute Flowers..." Lin Feng said gravely.
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