Bai Yuan's Well-Intentioned Effort! He Wanted to Slap Himself!

Bai Yuan sheathed Dawnmaker and turned to look at Gu Yuena.

Sunlight fell on his shoulders, bathing his figure in a pale golden halo.

"Let's go, let's keep going in."

He put his hands back in his pockets and waved them towards the depths of the forest.

"Let's upgrade your Soul Ring first."

Gu Yuena looked at him, the afterglow of that sword strike still lingering in her purple eyes, nodded, and said nothing more.

Bai Yuan turned and walked into the depths of the forest, with Gu Yuena following beside him.

"Riot Period, this is a rare opportunity; we can't miss it."

Bai Yuan's voice drifted from the front.

Gu Yuena hummed in agreement.

The two walked side by side into the depths of the dense forest.

Outside the Spirit Pagoda, in the hall at the exit of the Spirit Ascension Platform, several students who had been cleared out beforehand sat in twos and threes on the ground.

Some were rubbing their temples, some were still in a daze, and some were talking in hushed tones.

A sense of weariness, as if surviving a catastrophe, filled the air.

Occasionally, someone would be teleported out of the Spirit Ascension Platform, and all eyes in the hall would turn to them.

Another flash of light, and a figure emerged from the teleportation array.

Black hair, blue clothes.

"Tang Wulin!"

Xie Xie was the first to rush over and reach out to support his shoulder.

"Wake up! Are you alright?"

Tang Wulin had his eyes closed, his brows slightly furrowed, and his face somewhat pale.

His right hand was still trembling slightly, as if some lingering force remained.

He struggled to open his eyes, and his vision gradually cleared from blurry.

Xie Xie's face was full of anxiety, and behind him were several teammates who had also been cleared out.

"I'm fine..."

Tang Wulin's voice was hoarse, as if something was blocking his throat.

He slowly sat up, looked around, and his gaze swept over the familiar faces.

Some lowered their heads, not daring to look at him; some hesitated to speak; and some simply turned their faces away.

He saw Mu Xi.

The blonde girl sat in the corner, her arms wrapped around her knees, her chin resting on them, her golden eyes staring unfocused at the ground, lost in thought.

Her henchmen surrounded her, none of them daring to speak.

Xu Xiaoyu stood by the window, her back ramrod straight, seemingly lost in thought, perhaps admiring the scenery outside.

His Ice Staff lay at his feet, the blue crystal at its tip now dulled.

"What am I doing...?"

Tang Wulin withdrew his gaze.

"You've been kicked out?"

Xie Xie was silent for a moment, then nodded.

Tang Wulin didn't speak, he just looked at his right hand.

That hand, once shimmering with golden scales within the Spirit Ascension Platform, once formed sharp claws, once slapped towards Bai Yuan.

Mu Xi walked over at some point, her golden eyes looking at him, her lips moving slightly, her expression somewhat complicated.

After a moment of silence, she spoke, her voice soft, but as if she had been holding it in for a long time.

"That... we started it."

Senior Xu advised us, but I didn't listen.

Then... then it was wiped out.

Tang Wulin raised his head and looked into Mu Xi's eyes, which no longer held an overbearing air.

He wanted to say something, opened his mouth, and then swallowed it back.

"Sorry."

Mu Xi said.

Tang Wulin was taken aback.

Tang Wulin remained silent, then finally shook his head, his voice slightly hoarse.

"It's not my fault, and it's not your fault... we were just too weak."

Mu Xi bit her lip, said nothing more, and turned to walk back to the corner.

Tang Wulin leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and kept replaying the scene in the Spirit Ascension Platform in his mind.

He remembered Bai Yuan reaching out his hand and pulling him up from the ground.

He recalled Gu Yuena standing under the shade of a tree, her long silver hair swaying gently in the breeze, her purple eyes calmly looking at him.

He looked down at his right hand.

That hand once held Bai Yuan's hand; that warm hand once pulled him up from the ground.

Then, with that hand, he swung the Golden Dragon Claw at Bai Yuan.

Tang Wulin clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.

He was too impulsive.

They were the ones who started it; Bai Yuan was just retaliating. What right did he have to be angry?

What right did he have to throw a punch at Bai Yuan?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt like a fool, blinded by his emotions.

Without asking anything or thinking about anything, just rush in and start fighting.

Tang Wulin buried his face in his palms, making muffled sounds that sounded like a sigh or regret.

I wonder if Big Brother Bai can forgive himself.

He held back with that sword strike.

But instead of being grateful, he swung his Golden Dragon Claw at him...

Tang Wulin muttered another curse to himself.

And there's Gu Yue.

He recalled the image of Gu Yuena standing under the shade of a tree.

She didn't look at him once, not even sparing him a glance.

Perhaps in her eyes, he was just a ridiculous brat who overestimated himself and threw a punch at her Senior Brother, only to be cleared away by a single sword strike.

Perhaps her impression of him was that of an impulsive, foolish, and ungrateful brute.

Tang Wulin buried his face even deeper, running his fingers through his short black hair.

He should think about how to face Big Brother Bai later.

And Gu Yue, he owes her an apology.

Although he didn't know how to start the conversation.

Xie Xie stood aside, watching his dejected appearance.

I wanted to offer some comfort but didn't know what to say, so I could only sigh.

I sat down beside him and quietly kept him company.

Xu Xiaoyu was by the window, finally turned around.

She glanced at Tang Wulin, then at Mu Xi, who was silently standing in the corner.

He had previously thought that the Black Robe youth had gone too far.

Now that he knows the whole story, he actually feels that the other party has been quite polite.

If it were him, he wouldn't show any mercy if someone dared to rob him.

Xu Xiaoyu withdrew her gaze and looked out the window again.

He bent down to pick up the ice staff at his feet, his fingers gently tracing the dull blue crystal at its tip.

He had to thank that person in person when they came out.

It wasn't for myself, it was for Xu Xiaoyan.

That silly girl was removed from the Spirit Ascension Platform.

At least I'm still alive, and it ended cleanly and decisively, without suffering any unnecessary pain.

Xie Xie sat down next to Tang Wulin and watched him slowly raise his head. His eyes were still bloodshot, but the confusion and self-blame he had felt earlier were gone.

He patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder.

"We'll talk things out properly once Big Brother Bai and the others come out."

Big Brother Bai is not an unreasonable person.

Tang Wulin nodded, leaned against the wall, and stared at the ceiling.

Then let's wait until Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena come out of the Spirit Ascension Platform, explain things clearly, and then sincerely apologize.

He closed his eyes, stopped thinking about those messy things, and waited quietly.

A black, Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring slowly rose from Gu Yuena's feet.

Her long silver hair appeared even purer against the black light.

She looked down at the slowly rotating black Soul Ring and reached out her hand.

She lightly touched the halo with her fingertips, and black light rippled out from them.

Bai Yuan stood a few steps away, sheathing his sword.

"Your task is complete."

Gu Yuena put away her Soul Ring, glanced at him, and didn't say thank you.

It wasn't that she was ungrateful, she just couldn't bring herself to say it.

The Silver Dragon King's pride wouldn't allow her to thank a human.

Bai Yuan didn't care and turned to walk deeper into the forest.

"Let's go find the Spirit Ascension Platform Guardian."

Gu Yuena frowned slightly.

Spirit Ascension Platform Guardian.

She had heard of this name.

The core of the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform, and also the most troublesome entity in this area.

It's not because of its high cultivation level, but because it's incredibly powerful in combat.

This kind of monster is at the top level in the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform.

Many experienced warriors have tested its power here, and most chose to avoid it after a few encounters.

The two walked through a dense forest and came to a low cave, its entrance hidden by vines and bushes.

If it weren't for the strong, fishy smell of Soul Beast wafting from the cave entrance, Bai Yuan would have almost missed this place.

The scent made Gu Yuena frown even more; she smelled a familiar scent in it.

Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear.

Bai Yuan pushed aside the bushes in front of him and saw the enormous creature slowly emerging from the cave entrance.

When it emerged from the cave, it looked like a demon crawling out of hell.

Its massive body was over three meters tall, every muscle exuding explosive power, and its thick, dark golden fur, like armor, gleamed with a cold metallic sheen under the sunlight.

Its arms were disproportionately thick, with high shoulder blades and forearms thicker than its waist.

A massive, dark golden claw extended from between its fingers.

Two enormous front paws dragged along the sides of its body, their tips scraping the ground.

Sparks flew up, making a sizzling sound that made your teeth ache.

A hundred years can be used to wage war for ten thousand years.

This saying has been circulating in the Soul Beast Realm for countless years.

Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear, the king of the jungle, the bear among bears.

Other Soul Beast rely on cultivation to increase their strength, but this one relies on its racial talent to fight monsters that are several levels higher.

A hundred-year-old Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear dares to go head-to-head with an ordinary Soul Beast of ten thousand years.

It's not because it's not afraid of death, it's because it can actually win.

Bai Yuan stared at the two giant bears, a slow smile playing on his lips.

The Spirit Ascension Platform Guardian truly deserves the title.

Gu Yuena stood beside him, her gaze fixed on the pair of dark golden giant claws, her purple eyes slightly narrowed.

Her expression was calm, but Bai Yuan noticed that her fingers twitched slightly.

This girl's hands are itching to get involved.

"Junior sister, why don't you go?"

"???"