Will That Smile Be Xiao Bai?

"I... I can't take it anymore..."

Bai Yuan's voice was hoarse and broken, his consciousness gradually blurring amid the pain.

The Soul Power within his body ran wildly out of control. The Worldbearing Coreflame shone brighter and brighter, while that aura of Destruction continued to rise...

"No... no! I can't hold on anymore!!"

He roared with the last shred of his strength as the tearing pain in his sea of consciousness grew increasingly intense.

It felt as though he would completely collapse the next second. His body began to convulse uncontrollably, teetering on the brink of breakdown.

At that critical moment.

The Worldbearing Coreflame in his palm suddenly shed its violent halo of Destruction.

An exceedingly gentle, mellow power slowly seeped out from the depths of the Core Flame.

Like the warm sun of spring, it instantly enveloped Bai Yuan's entire body.

That gentle power carried an immensely soothing force. It slowly flowed along his meridians, and everywhere it passed, his chaotic Soul Power gradually calmed down.

The Power of Destruction that had been rampaging through his sea of consciousness was also suppressed and wrapped up bit by bit, no longer wantonly tearing at his mind.

As the pain eased slightly, Bai Yuan gritted his teeth. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and only one thought remained in his heart as he desperately encouraged himself.

Hold on... I have to hold on! I can't disgrace Xiao Bai! Absolutely not!

He clenched his fists tightly and, supported by that gentle power, desperately resisted the remaining Power of Destruction.

But the repeated tearing of his mind had already drained all his strength. His consciousness still gradually blurred, as if it were being swallowed by a tide.

His vision began to fade, and the roaring in his ears slowly receded.

Just as he was about to completely lose consciousness, a blurry figure silently appeared within his sea of consciousness.

The figure's features could not be seen. A faint glow surrounded it, and all he could make out was a slight smile.

Its form was indistinct, but he saw it raise a hand and gently draw in a breath.

The Power of Destruction that had been suppressed by the gentle force surged toward it like a tide and was slowly absorbed.

As the Power of Destruction was continuously drawn away, Bai Yuan's pain rapidly dissipated. His taut body gradually relaxed, and his chaotic aura stabilized considerably.

His sea of consciousness, which had been on the verge of shattering, slowly returned to calm as well.

He narrowed his heavy eyelids and used the last of his strength to see the figure clearly.

Only a vague question remained in his heart: Who was that?... Could it really be...

Before the thought could finish, his consciousness completely sank into darkness, and he fell unconscious.

Only that blurry figure remained, standing silently within his sea of consciousness.

The early morning sunlight fell across Bai Yuan's face, slowly rousing him from his deep unconsciousness.

Bai Yuan's eyelashes trembled lightly as he slowly opened his eyes.

The familiar ceiling of the Training Ground came into view.

The faint scent of sweat and fluctuating Soul Power lingered beneath his nose.

He moved his fingers and felt that his entire body was still somewhat sore and weak.

Then he abruptly sat up and instinctively raised a hand to examine himself.

His meridians were unobstructed. Though his Soul Power was still somewhat weak, it was exceptionally stable.

There was not the slightest tearing pain in his sea of consciousness either. From head to toe, he had somehow not suffered even the smallest injury.

"I'm fine?"

Bai Yuan muttered to himself. Only after confirming that he was truly unharmed did he finally breathe a slight sigh of relief.

But when he recalled yesterday's experience, a cold sweat instantly broke out across his back.

It had been terrifying.

The pain of his sea of consciousness being torn apart and his soul being crushed seemed to still linger in his senses. Even now, he was deeply shaken by it.

Who would have thought that within the seemingly mellow Worldbearing Coreflame—

there lurked such boundless Power of Destruction? Once stirred, it could so easily devour him completely.

Bai Yuan's gaze turned grave as he silently warned himself.

Until his strength was sufficient, he absolutely could not rashly explore the power of the Worldbearing Coreflame again.

Otherwise, if this happened again, he might not be so lucky next time.

With that thought, he took a deep breath. His mind stirred, and he instinctively circulated his Soul Power, intending to summon the Worldbearing Coreflame and inspect its changes more carefully.

A faint light flashed, and the Worldbearing Coreflame slowly rose from within his body, hovering above his palm.

Compared to before, it still looked as mellow as ever. Its cold, dim radiance flowed steadily, without the slightest agitation.

Nor did even a trace of the Power of Destruction leak out, as if yesterday's violent eruption had been nothing more than an absurd nightmare.

Bai Yuan stared intently at the Core Flame in his palm, unable to stop the memories from resurfacing in his mind.

When that blurry figure had appeared before he lost consciousness yesterday, he seemed to have vaguely caught a faint, familiar hint of a smile.

That smile... was warm yet somewhat lazy, far too similar to Xiao Bai's usual expression.

A thought suddenly rose in his heart, and a bright light instantly burst from his eyes.

The corners of his mouth could not help but lift slightly. "Could that figure yesterday... really have been Xiao Bai?"

If Xiao Bai was truly inside the Core Flame, then it was undoubtedly tremendous news for him!

With Xiao Bai there, not to mention these God Kings of the Douluo Continent—even if something happened in the Honkai World, he would have a little more confidence.

Bai Yuan gazed at the Core Flame in his palm, his eyes filled with anticipation. He tentatively called out softly again, "Xiao Bai? Are you there?"

The only response was the Core Flame's steady flickering glow. There was no other reaction at all.

Yet this time, Bai Yuan was not disappointed in the slightest. Instead, his smile became even more genuine.

He could vaguely sense that deep within the Core Flame—

a trace of exceedingly faint warmth seemed to be quietly responding to him.

Just then, the doors of the Training Ground were gently pushed open.

A cool and dignified figure slowly walked in. It was Leng Yaozhu.

Dressed in a simple white gown, her gaze swept across the Training Ground before quickly settling on Bai Yuan.

When she saw Bai Yuan sitting cross-legged on the floor, cold sweat still lingering on his cheeks—

and his Soul Power still somewhat weak and unstable, Leng Yaozhu's brows furrowed slightly, and obvious shock flashed through her eyes.

This kid... had trained that hard?

She slowly walked up to Bai Yuan. Her voice was cool, yet it carried a hint of concern that was difficult to detect as she asked, "Bai Yuan, were you training here all night yesterday?"

Bai Yuan's heart stirred. He instantly concealed the thoughts in his eyes, showing no panic at all. Instead, he calmly rose to his feet and gave Leng Yaozhu a slight bow.

"Yes, Teacher.

Sorry. I got too immersed in training yesterday and failed to control myself. By the end, I was completely out of strength, so I rested here directly."

His face did not redden, and his heart did not race. His tone was frank, without the slightest visible flaw.

Naturally, Leng Yaozhu could not be allowed to learn of last night's danger or the Core Flame's abnormality.

Leng Yaozhu gave him a long, deep look.

"Mm, very good. Having such diligence is a good thing."

Then her tone turned more serious. "But you must remember that cultivation is most afraid of impatience.

Blindly pushing yourself too hard will not only make it difficult to improve your strength, but may also damage your foundation. That would be like pulling up seedlings to help them grow. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Teacher."

Bai Yuan quickly answered, his attitude respectful and his eyes sincere.

"I'll definitely be more careful in the future. I won't be so reckless again."

Leng Yaozhu nodded in satisfaction and waved a hand.

"Alright. Since you're awake, go back and wash up properly. Change into clean clothes."

After a pause, she added.

"Come find me after you've washed up. I'll take you to meet your new teacher."

"A new teacher?" Bai Yuan abruptly raised his head, obvious surprise flashing through his eyes as he instinctively asked, "Teacher, who is this new teacher?"

Leng Yaozhu looked at his surprised expression. The corners of her mouth curved into a faint smile as she slowly spoke.

"Illusion Brain Douluo · Han Tianyi."