Friends

Yan Shaozhe sighed softly.

That had been Elder Mu's self-created soul skill; Ma Xiaotao could not possibly withstand it. Furthermore, anyone struck by "Monarch Descends Upon the World" would have a unique mark of pressure left in their mind. In future encounters with the user, they would instinctively feel fear and lose their drive, with their combat power suppressed.

He absolutely could not let Xiaotao suffer such an injury.

With that thought, Yan Shaozhe appeared instantly between the two attacks, raising his hand to manifest a gentle barrier of soul power that softly separated the shockwaves from both sides.

He then used his soul power to push a prepared Cold Cooling Pill into Ma Xiaotao's mouth to soothe the sanity being devoured by her evil fire.

By doing this, he gave Elder Xuan face while also protecting his own disciple. It was impartial and perfectly measured. Moreover, who knew if any academy bigwigs were watching from the shadows? He could not handle this carelessly.

The moment Dean Yan appeared, the entire scene fell silent, then erupted into chaos.

"Look! It's Dean Yan!"

"So that girl... that red-haired girl, she's actually Dean Yan's disciple!"

"Watching this drama today was worth it!"

Listening to the noisy discussions around him, Yan Shaozhe shook his head helplessly.

"Alright, alright, are you lot planning to tear down the outer courtyard?"

Ma Xiaotao's sanity returned. Seeing her teacher arrive, the grievances she had bottled up during the fight instantly overwhelmed her. She rushed over, hugged Yan Shaozhe, and began to cry with red-rimmed eyes.

"Wuu wuu, Teacher, the two of them teamed up to bully me!"

Yan Shaozhe raised his hand and patted her hair with a mix of helplessness and gentleness.

"Xiaotao, they didn't mean it, and they just apologized. Don't worry, Teacher knows what happened; I won't let you suffer in vain."

"Mm..." Ma Xiaotao replied sullenly.

Yan Shaozhe looked up and beckoned to Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo.

Yue Ling knew clearly that his side was in the wrong, so he simply pulled Gongyang Mo, who had already retracted his martial soul, and walked forward honestly.

"You must be the new disciple Elder Xuan took in, Yue Ling?"

"It is me, Dean Yan." Yue Ling nodded in response.

"Mm, you certainly have an impressive temperament. I watched the entire spar just now, and both of you performed well. Especially Gongyang Mo; the timing of your support soul skill was steady and very precise."

His tone shifted, and he looked at Yue Ling with a serious expression.

"I know that in a normal spar, one should hold back, but remember, that only applies when you are certain the opponent has no further strength to fight."

"Remember, you must take every battle seriously. If you always underestimate your enemy, it will only harm you when you face true powerhouses."

Yue Ling sobered up instantly and quickly thanked him.

"This student has been taught! I was indeed careless and underestimated my opponent this time. In every future battle, I will definitely give it my all!"

Seeing this, Yan Shaozhe's expression softened considerably, and he nodded slightly.

"Good. Now, let's talk about a private matter."

Gongyang Mo, who had been standing anxiously to the side, gathered his courage upon hearing this and stepped forward to apologize.

"Ma Xiaotao, I'm sorry. It was my fault just now; I shouldn't have gossiped about you."

"I'm sorry."

Ma Xiaotao, having calmed down, still had tear tracks on her cheeks. She gave a light huff and awkwardly accepted the apology.

The observing students, seeing that the show was over and not daring to stir up trouble with the Dean present, dispersed one after another.

Yan Shaozhe looked at the two of them and spoke calmly.

"The private matter I mentioned is not about the apology."

Yue Ling was stunned. "Then what is it?"

"I want you two to be friends with Xiaotao."

"Friends?"

Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo exchanged a glance, both feeling a bit bewildered, and looked simultaneously at Ma Xiaotao beside them.

Ma Xiaotao's cheeks flushed red. She bit her lip and turned her head away awkwardly, not daring to meet their eyes.

"Not just friends; it is very likely you will be teammates in the future," Yan Shaozhe added.

Yue Ling pondered for a moment and spoke earnestly, "Dean, making friends is something that depends on whether Ma Xiaotao is willing."

"You are right." Yan Shaozhe turned to look at Ma Xiaotao. "Xiaotao, what do you think?"

Ma Xiaotao slowly turned her head back. Her face still bore dried tear tracks, and her expression remained defiant.

"We can be friends, but a fight is a fight! Next time, I want to fight you one-on-one to see if you can still beat me without his support!"

Yue Ling spread his hands helplessly and retorted with a smile, "Sure, just don't go running back to Dean Yan to cry if you lose."

"You!"

Ma Xiaotao glared at him in anger.

Both turned their heads away at the same time, each giving a soft huff, ignoring the other.

Watching this scene, the corners of Yan Shaozhe's mouth twitched slightly, but his heart was finally at ease.

Xiaotao had a solitary nature and almost no friends her own age.

It seemed she had agreed.

This child had always been sharp-tongued but soft-hearted.

"Alright, it's getting late. I'm taking Xiaotao now. You two remember: class as usual tomorrow, no tardiness."

"Thank you, Dean Yan."

The conflict came to a complete end. Yue Ling had gained much from the experience and had firmly taken this lesson to heart.

Yan Shaozhe led Ma Xiaotao away.

Not until they were far away did Gongyang Mo let out a long sigh of relief.

That was the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, a top-tier bigwig. Standing in front of him, the pressure had been immense.

"Alright, stop being so tense. I'm a bit hungry; let's go get something to eat." Yue Ling patted him on the shoulder.

Reminded, Gongyang Mo suddenly felt his stomach was empty. He nodded quickly, and the two walked toward Shrek City together.

Both were ravenous, so they found a random barbecue shop and sat down.

Gongyang Mo felt grateful that Yue Ling had protected him earlier and insisted on paying. Yue Ling didn't refuse and ate to his heart's content. They ate until they were stuffed and didn't want to move, only then slowly heading back to the academy.

The Shrek outer courtyard covered a vast area with wide roads lined with greenery.

The evening breeze blew gently, carrying the faint scent of grass and trees. As they walked slowly, the atmosphere relaxed.

"Thank you for today, really," Gongyang Mo said softly. "If it weren't for you, I would have been in trouble."

He kept the image of Yue Ling standing alone against Ma Xiaotao's fury, taking the brunt of the pressure for him, in his heart.

"Alright, alright, stop being so sentimental. I've had enough lectures for one day; let's move on." Yue Ling rubbed his forehead helplessly.

Gongyang Mo couldn't help but laugh, then asked, "Seriously, how do you plan on getting along with Ma Xiaotao in the future?"

"It's simple: one more friend, one less enemy," Yue Ling said casually. "She's hot-headed and combative, but she isn't bad, and she doesn't kill the innocent. During the fight, she clearly held back; she just wanted to teach us a lesson."

"After all, we were indeed in the wrong."

"And to be honest, in a same-level fight, with your support, I can definitely keep her in check."

Gongyang Mo instantly grew proud, puffing out his chest like a smug little goose. "You bet!"

He turned to look at Yue Ling, his eyes full of admiration. "You're the amazing one! A plant-type martial soul, and your second soul ring is directly a thousand-year one. Everyone watching was stunned."

"Just good luck." Yue Ling was modest in words, but he felt wonderful inside.

No one knew that during the high-intensity exchange with Ma Xiaotao, while under the pressure of her flame soul power, he had broken through a level!

He was now a level 34 Power Attack System Battle Soul Grandmaster!

Today was truly a blessing in disguise.

Watching Yue Ling secretly looking pleased with himself, Gongyang Mo gave him a look of disdain. "You're really full of yourself."

"What did you say?"

The two bickered and laughed all the way back to their dormitory.

Back in the room, Gongyang Mo, exhausted from the day's events, collapsed. He changed into his pajamas, let out a long yawn, said goodnight, and fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, soon breathing evenly in a deep slumber.