Lin Xia watched the three of them practically crawling across the platform on their hands and blocked their way. He sighed helplessly, his voice weary but remarkably clear.
"I say, you lot, enough."
Lin Xia's voice wasn't loud, but it struck the three of them like a clap of thunder, cutting through their muddled minds.
Their movements abruptly stopped. They struggled to lift their heads and looked at Lin Xia, who stood in their way. Their bloodshot eyes held confusion, pain, and a trace of shame and anger at having their most wretched state laid bare.
Lin Xia looked at their pitiful condition, his tone touched with weariness and bewilderment.
"Back at the Spirit Academy, didn't you say you wanted me to join the Golden Generation? How come just a few days later, you started treating me like an imagined enemy, determined to fight to the death?"
Lin Xia pointed to the steaming food and water on the ground.
"Elder Yue Guan said your Punishment has been lifted. You don't have to run anymore."
Lin Xia gave them no chance to argue. His gaze swept over the blood seeping through their shoe soles and their swaying bodies, and his tone turned stern, striking straight to the heart of the matter.
"Look at yourselves! Look at the blood on the ground! If you keep running like this, you won't hurt your opponent—you'll hurt your own bodies!"
"Ruptured meridians, damaged foundations, depleted qi and blood... If you end up with some lasting injury that can't be healed, I don't need to spell out the consequences. Think about them yourselves."
Lin Xia paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over the three of them. His voice wasn't loud, but every word struck like a hammer against the most fragile part of their pride.
"With my