Coexistence

The match had been won in spectacular fashion.

The match on the other side was still underway. It was Ling Luochеn's team, and they were working together much better than they had in their first match, but their opponents were incredibly difficult to deal with.

"Yue Ling, you..."

Gongyang Mo stared at Yue Ling, who was looking completely unruffled, his mouth gone dry.

"Well, well, you were hiding a trick after all. I never thought you'd have a domain skill up your sleeve." Ma Xiaotao teased him, nudging him with her elbow.

"Aw, I was just keeping a low profile. It's not like I had a choice when our opponents were so difficult to handle. Xixi kept harassing them nonstop, and if we'd dragged things out any longer, something was bound to go wrong. I had no choice but to use my domain skill."

"I see."

Gongyang Mo nodded in sudden understanding.

He was just about to say something else when Yue Ling's gaze suddenly went hazy, and his ears began to ring.

A chill ran down his spine.

Yue Ling looked at his two teammates and said, feeling unwell, "Why don't we leave first? This afternoon's match definitely won't be easy."

"Let's go back and recover some Soul Power, get some rest, and prepare for the final match this afternoon."

"Sure. Just don't forget to come this afternoon, and don't be late!" Ma Xiaotao grinned. Perhaps it was because they'd just won so decisively.

"All right, we'll get going, then."

"Mm."

Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo said goodbye to Dean Yan and Director Du before leaving the Assessment Area.

Back at the Dormitory, Yue Ling went to wash his face and clear his head.

He'd actually been feeling a little off lately, growing unusually tired all the time.

Gongyang Mo had even teased him about it the night before.

But when he'd released his domain during the match, the scent of the flowers had made his mind feel much better.

Yue Ling chalked up his poor mental state to all the fighting he'd been doing lately, and didn't pay it much mind.

Gongyang Mo glanced out the window at the beautiful weather, looking eager to get out. He turned to Yue Ling and asked, "Want to go wander around Shrek City? I cultivated all night yesterday and I'm exhausted. I really don't feel like cultivating at all right now."

Yue Ling endured his discomfort. "No. I don't think I'm in very good shape mentally. I need to rest."

Gongyang Mo looked a little disappointed. "All right, then. I'll head out first. Get some good rest."

"Mm."

Gongyang Mo took a close look at Yue Ling and saw that nothing seemed seriously wrong; he was just a little tired. Suspecting he'd been overthinking things, Gongyang Mo cheerfully went out to have fun.

Yue Ling watched him leave without a care in the world and smiled faintly. After they said goodbye, Gongyang Mo walked out.

"Click." The Dormitory door shut completely, and silence settled over the room.

Yue Ling dropped the act and collapsed straight onto the bed.

A sudden, needle-like pain pierced his Spirit Sea.

"What the hell is going on...?"

Yue Ling clenched his teeth and forced himself to sit up through the drowsiness. He assumed a cultivation posture, trying to inspect his inner self.

But before he could even begin, a wave of dizziness washed over him.

His vision blurred and doubled.

He could hold on no longer, and slowly passed out.

As Yue Ling lost consciousness,

a strange, ancient face appeared and disappeared within his own, as if it were trying to break free of its shackles.

Had anyone been there, they might even have seen the greed of someone who had nearly gotten what they wanted.

"Little fellow, thank you for raising this perfect body for me all these years. Your Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum was mine from the very beginning."

"If you'd stayed by that old man's side, I really wouldn't have had a chance to use this opportunity to hatch. But you left, and that was a gift from heaven."

"So, little fellow, don't be in a hurry... We'll fuse, slowly."

"Ahahahahahaha! Hahaha!"

It wasn't until lunchtime that Gongyang Mo came back, humming as he pushed open the Dormitory door.

He would've been better off not looking. One glance was enough to make his heart jump.

Yue Ling was slumped over his Little Pink. His right arm had gone completely limp, hanging loosely at his side.

His left arm was raised as if clutching his head, making his whole figure look incredibly strange.

Gongyang Mo covered his mouth and froze for a moment, then immediately shouted, "Yue Ling, are you all right?" He rushed over and began shaking him.

"Yue Ling! Yue Ling! Yue Ling...!"

After several shouts, Yue Ling finally seemed to sense something and slowly opened his exhausted eyes.

He tried to sit up, but immediately fell back down. He tried again and managed to prop himself up.

"All right, all right, I'm awake. Is the match this afternoon about to start?"

Gongyang Mo's anxious heart still hadn't settled. "What happened to you just now? You looked like you were about to die!"

"Pah, you're the one who's about to die. I was just a little tired... I must've fallen asleep."

He used his mental power to force down the exhaustion in his body, then paused. "I'm fine. Don't worry. The final is this afternoon. Once it's over, I'll get some proper rest."

"Mm. If you can't hold on, you have to tell me!"

"Sure."

Yue Ling slowly stood up and smoothed the wrinkles from his clothes, then prepared to wash his face again.

After the Dormitory door closed behind him, Gongyang Mo watched him leave, worry written all over his face.

This was clearly not normal. Yue Ling had been fine before—even after the match that morning. How had he ended up like this?

He'd clearly been forcing himself to keep going.

Maybe... he shouldn't let him compete.

The thought surfaced in Gongyang Mo's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

They'd worked so hard for so long. The final match was right around the corner, and they stood to earn generous rewards...

Was it really all right to give up now?

Three Spirit Bones... and it was the last match.

He agonized over it, again and again.

Gongyang Mo furrowed his brow as he recalled the look on Yue Ling's face when he'd opened his eyes. The exhaustion in his gaze and that trace of pain hadn't looked fake at all.

He gritted his teeth.

The resentment he felt at giving up balanced against his concern for Yue Ling.

Maybe... he should ask what Yue Ling thought. It really wasn't a good idea to compete in this condition.

Having made up his mind, he sat on the bed and waited uneasily.

His bright eyes kept flicking toward the Dormitory door.

In the hallway,

Yue Ling had finished washing his face and was leaning against the wall, clutching his head.

His mind felt blocked, as if something else had appeared inside it...

The foreign presence was deeply uncomfortable.

He immediately assumed a cultivation posture and searched his body carefully, bit by bit.

Unfortunately, he found nothing.

Yue Ling clenched his fist, felt the Soul Power flowing normally through his body, and let out a soft sigh as he headed back to the Dormitory.

He pushed open the door and found Gongyang Mo looking as if he had something to say but couldn't bring himself to say it.

Yue Ling knew what he wanted to ask and refused without hesitation.

"Stop. I'm not giving up. At the very least, I'm not giving up in the final match."

"But you..."

"I checked my Spirit Sea, and my Soul Power doesn't feel strange at all. It should just be a problem with me. It's nothing serious."

He felt his heart pounding rapidly with unease.

A hair-raising sensation kept creeping through his body, too.

This was too strange. Being tired alone couldn't cause something like this...

Yue Ling couldn't voice his concerns, much less let his friend worry.

He'd wait until the match was over and tell his teacher.

"All right, let's go eat something, then head to the Assessment Area this afternoon and finish the final match."

Yue Ling waved a hand as if it were nothing.

"Fine, but if you feel unwell, don't push yourself!"

"Sure."

Yue Ling smoothed the wrinkles from his clothes, then left with Gongyang Mo for the academy cafeteria to eat.