Xiao Wu: Third Brother, if one day you need a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring and spirit bone, will you kill me?

Countless soul masters stood with mouths agape, yet not a single sound could escape their throats.

Their brains seemed to have crashed, overwhelmed by the relentless barrage of reversals.

On the assessment grounds of Shrek Academy, the atmosphere had frozen to an extreme.

Tang San's defense caught in his throat; faced with his father's greedy gaze and cold inner monologue displayed on the Sky Screen, any words felt pale and powerless.

He could only watch helplessly as Xiao Wu's body trembled more and more violently, watching the light in her eyes fade bit by bit, replaced by endless fear and icy coldness.

High in the tree, Tang Hao's figure shuddered violently. After spitting out a mouthful of blood, he seemed to age decades in an instant.

The schemes he took such pride in, the deep affection he convinced himself he possessed.

The "protection" for which he had wasted half his life was, at this moment, torn to shreds by the Sky Screen, revealed as a laughable, earth-shattering fraud.

He was finished.

Not a death of the body, but a total bankruptcy of spirit and reputation.

Amidst this oppressive, deathly silence, all the images on the Sky Screen slowly faded, dissolving into a deep, profound darkness.

But the ranking was not over.

The next second, from the endless darkness, a golden light bloomed, more brilliant and dazzling than any before!

The light converged, finally coalescing in the center of the Sky Screen into a few lines of solemn and cold final commentary.

This commentary, like the judgment of a god, resonated deep within the soul of every person present.

[Clear Sky Douluo · Tang Hao · Final Commentary]

[In the name of love, he built a cage; what was called resurrection was actually control.]

[In the name of a father, he forged a weapon; what was called kinship was actually inheritance.]

[In the name of protection, he kept a sacrificial offering; what was called fate was actually calculation.]

[He is no hero, but the director of a tragedy;
He is no romantic, merely a selfish actor.
Everything he did in his life was for his own gain;
His overflowing deep affection was, in the end, nothing but hypocrisy.]

[Overall Rating: Extreme selfishness, hypocritical affection.]

BOOM!

Every one of these words struck like a heavy hammer, smashing fiercely against the hearts of everyone on the continent!

It shattered the mask of the "tragic hero" Tang Hao had worn, exposing the selfish, cold, and calculating face beneath.

All the previous emotions of being moved, sympathetic, or awestruck transformed in this moment into endless mockery and disgust.

"So... this is the truth!"

"He loved Ah Yin? He loved the tool that sacrificed herself for him, allowing him to ascend to the heavens and become a Title Douluo!"

"He loved Tang San? He loved the tool that could inherit his martial soul and complete his grand cause of revenge!"

"He set his sights on Xiao Wu? He simply viewed her as a 'supplement' to upgrade his tool! From beginning to end, the only person he loved was himself!"

"Beast! He is worse than a beast!"

Curses, expressions of contempt, and spitting insults erupted from every corner of the continent, converging into a wave of sound capable of drowning everything.

Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao, the supreme powerhouse who once gave Martial Soul Hall such a headache, had his reputation completely ruined on this day, nailed to the pillar of shame in history!

The light of the Sky Screen slowly dissipated; the ranking regarding Tang Hao had finally come to a true end.

On the assessment grounds.

Tang San stood there, lost and soul-broken, feeling as though his entire worldview had collapsed.

He wanted to reach out and take Xiao Wu's hand, wanted to explain, but found he didn't know where to begin.

How could he explain?

Should he say the Sky Screen was fake?

Should he say his father wasn't that kind of person?

He couldn't even convince himself.

Just then, Xiao Wu, who had been trembling all this time, suddenly stopped.

Xiao Wu slowly raised her head; in those eyes that were once lively and spirited, there now remained only a heartbreaking calm and detachment.

Xiao Wu looked at Tang San, her voice soft, yet it reached the ears of everyone clearly.

"Brother San..."

"...If one day, you also needed a hundred-thousand-year soul ring to become stronger..."

"Would you... kill me?"

Facing Xiao Wu's question, so calm it was heartbreaking, Tang San felt a buzz in his brain, as if something had exploded inside.

The cruel truth revealed by the Sky Screen had already shaken his spirit to the core, and the sudden collapse of his father's image had left him in complete disarray.

At this moment, Xiao Wu's soul-piercing question threw him into a total panic, stripping away the composure and wit he usually took such pride in.

"No! Xiao Wu, that's not it! Listen to me!"

Tang San grabbed Xiao Wu's shoulders abruptly, his tone hurried, carrying a hint of pleading and panic he didn't even realize was there.

"How could I... how could I ever hurt you!

You are the person closest to me, the one I swore to protect with my life!

I have always thought of you as... as my own little sister!

Everything the Sky Screen said was my father's intent, it has nothing to do with me, I never had such thoughts! You have to believe me!"

Tang San's words were incoherent from his desperation, his eyes filled with terror.

He was terrified that if he were even a second too slow, the girl who had long since become part of his life would vanish forever.

Xiao Wu listened quietly, neither pulling away nor refuting him.

Her eyes, once so lively and bright, now looked as if they were covered in ash, hollow and numb.

Xiao Wu simply nodded gently, responding with a voice that was barely audible: "Mm."

That "Mm" was light as a feather, yet it struck Tang San's heart like a boulder; it held no warmth, let alone the reliance and intimacy of the past.

Then, Xiao Wu slowly but firmly pushed away the hands Tang San had on her shoulders and turned to leave.

"Xiao Wu! Where are you going?"

Tang San's heart tightened as he hurriedly asked, his voice trembling in a way he couldn't hide.

Xiao Wu paused, but she did not look back. Her silhouette stretched long under the setting sun, exuding a weariness and sorrow so thick it could not be dissolved.

Xiao Wu's voice was listless, as if all her vitality had been drained away:

"I... I'm a little tired. I want to find a place to rest by myself for the night."

Watching her in such a devastated state, Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong, standing nearby, revealed looks of pity and concern.

Although they were also shocked and even terrified by the actions of Tang San's father, Xiao Wu's current state worried them even more.

"Xiao Wu, I'll go with you."

Zhu Zhuqing's cool voice rang out as she stepped forward, taking the initiative to support Xiao Wu's swaying arm.

Her movements were crisp and decisive, carrying a silent form of support.

Ning Rongrong reacted immediately as well, trotting over to Xiao Wu's other side to take her arm, saying softly:

"That's right, Xiao Wu. The academy dorms might be simple, but they're safer than being out there.

Let's go together; we wouldn't be at ease if you were alone."

Xiao Wu did not refuse, nor did she respond; she simply let them support her, moving along numbly like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

Zhao Wuji watched all of this from the side, the expression on his rugged face shifting constantly.