A Curse! Damn It, a Curse!

"Mystic Ancestor!!!"

You Jie had finally escaped the secret chamber. He immediately charged out of the Sea God Pavilion and spotted Mu En lounging in a chair, gazing leisurely up at the sky. Without hesitation, he launched a Knight Kick.

Mu En merely raised his withered left hand and easily caught You Jie's flying kick. He even held him suspended in midair, still in the Knight Kick pose.

"Xiaojie, how are you feeling now? Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue can do wonders for a Soul Master's physical constitution.

"And you should've let Lexuan have a taste of it too, right?"

Mu En turned to look at You Jie, his smile exceptionally bright.

"But! My first time with Sister Lexuan! I didn't want it to happen! Like this! Under the influence of some external force!!!"

You Jie flipped backward and landed steadily on the ground, then charged at Mu En again, raining punches down on him.

Since Zhang Lexuan had used the opportunity of the Whale Glue to take him into the secret chamber, Mu En had surely been the one plotting behind the scenes.

And for one reason or another, You Jie couldn't bring himself to hit Zhang Lexuan hard. So after it was all over, he could only come charging out and give Mu En a good pummeling instead.

Sure enough, even though Mu En was crippled, his strength remained unfathomable. Facing You Jie's relentless attacks, he blocked them all with one hand, perfectly neutralizing You Jie's force so that the recoil wouldn't injure him.

"As long as you're both willing, there's nothing wrong with it.

"Besides, you enjoyed it too, didn't you? Then what's the problem? Right, Lexuan?"

Mu En gently caught every one of You Jie's punches, then turned his gaze toward Zhang Lexuan, who had just walked out of the Sea God Pavilion with a rosy face.

Zhang Lexuan said nothing. She only nodded lightly, but the blissful smile on her face said everything.

Seeing that, You Jie could only draw back his fists, quietly step over to Zhang Lexuan, and take her hand.

Since things had come to this...

They might as well eat first.

Although Mu En had set him up, You Jie had to admit that the training methods passed down through the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon lineage were indeed very effective.

That only made him even more baffled by Bei Bei's physical strength.

If Bei Bei had trained this way before, You Jie's Scrap Iron Fist wouldn't have knocked him unconscious with a single punch. At most, it would've sent him rolling around on the ground like Flip-Over King, letting out a string of meaningless screams.

However, after Zhang Lexuan had taken You Jie into the secret chamber, Bei Bei had also been made to train this way alongside him. His physical strength had improved at a visible pace, and even the speed at which his Soul Power increased had picked up a little.

He was getting closer and closer to Mu En's requirement that he reach level forty by the end of the school year.

"Brother Bei Bei, your Martial Soul is the ancestral Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. How come you never used this method to train?"

One day, after training, You Jie could no longer hold back his curiosity and voiced the question that had been on his mind.

Bei Bei froze, then answered almost instinctively:

"That's right. Why didn't I...? By rights, I should've started training this way as soon as I reached the third ring..."

You Jie was taken aback by the rather nonsensical answer. Then his expression darkened slightly.

Even Bei Bei himself didn't know the answer, and he wasn't a chaotic troublemaker like Wang Xiaoming. That left only one possibility:

A curse!

Damn it, a curse!

"Could God King Tang cast a curse without going through his Chimera daughter, and instead cast it through Tang Ya, the Tang Sect's leader?

"Could Bei Bei willingly sharing his cultivation resources with Tang Ya also be because of this curse?

"Was it all to pave the way for Prisoner Huo to save the Tang Sect?"

You Jie shook his head, clearing his mind and casting aside a few rather frightening conspiracy theories.

If Tang Ya's curse were really that terrifying, reviving the Tang Sect wouldn't be so difficult for her. She could just cast the curse, make the whole class shout their loyalty, and the Tang Sect's revival would be just around the corner.

It seemed Tang Ya's curse might only work on Tang Sect disciples. So all he had to do was avoid becoming one.

As for Prisoner Huo...

You Jie suddenly wondered what the God King Tang's invisible hand would do if someone stepped in and stopped Prisoner Huo from joining the Tang Sect.

That could be interesting!

At the thought, You Jie couldn't help jumping to his feet. Before he could do anything, though, Zhang Lexuan put a hand on his shoulder.

"You Jie, you've trained enough for today. Don't overdo it."

"Okay, Sister Lexuan..."

You Jie knew Zhang Lexuan had misunderstood him, but he enjoyed her concern all the same. He relaxed completely.

Watching You Jie and Zhang Lexuan's affectionate interaction, Bei Bei felt a brief pang of loss, but then he smiled in acceptance. There was even a hint of gossip in his expression.

When the school year ended, Bei Bei reached level forty without a hitch. He planned to use the break to visit the Star Dou Great Forest for his fourth Soul Ring, while also helping Tang Ya obtain her third.

You Jie and Zhang Lexuan were going along partly to explore the Star Dou Great Forest and partly to protect Bei Bei. So they joined Bei Bei and Tang Ya on the trip.

Tang Ya was usually lively and cheerful, with a scatterbrained streak that could make her seem downright ridiculous. But the moment she saw Zhang Lexuan, her attitude visibly turned respectful. She even greeted Zhang Lexuan properly, leaving Bei Bei, who stood nearby, utterly astonished.

You Jie, standing beside him, only shook his head.

"Bei Bei, what are you so surprised about? Sister Lexuan and I may be together now, but she hasn't completely gotten over the fact that you once chose Tang Ya and abandoned her.

"And Sister Lexuan is a Soul Douluo, the Inner Court's senior sister. Taking care of little Tang Ya would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?"

The four of them made their way toward the Star Dou Great Forest at an unhurried pace. After traveling for most of the day, they reached the forest's outer region.

The trees grew thicker all around them, filling the place with a vibrant sense of life, as though all creation were bursting into bloom.

Just then, Tang Ya, who was walking at the front of the group, suddenly stopped and twitched her nose.

"That smells so good! Bei Bei, everyone, can we go check it out?"

As she spoke, Tang Ya turned to look at them, curiosity and hunger written all over her face.

"Sister Lexuan, what do you think?"

"You can decide among yourselves. I'm just here to accompany you."

You Jie and Zhang Lexuan exchanged a quick glance, then nodded, agreeing to Tang Ya's request.

"Great! Let's hurry!"

Overjoyed, Tang Ya grabbed Bei Bei's hand and ran toward the source of the smell.

You Jie and Zhang Lexuan followed hand in hand, taking their time.