Ma Hongjun Became a Laughingstock! The Evil Fire Phoenix Was Worse Than a Chicken!

Tang San sighed and said bluntly:

"The poisoner was ruthless. The toxin had remained in your body for too long. Although I did everything I could to preserve you, the flesh and meridians in some areas had already completely necrosed."

"To save your life, I could only... sacrifice a part of you."

"The thing down there is gone."

Boom!

Ma Hongjun felt as though a bolt from the blue had exploded in his mind.

He stiffly lowered his head, trembling as he reached beneath the blanket and felt around for a moment.

The next second, every trace of color drained from his face, and his eyes instantly went blank.

"Aah—!!!"

A shriek so miserable it barely sounded human burst from his throat.

His world had collapsed.

The happiness of being a man for the rest of his life, the asset he had always been so proud of, was just... gone?

That hurt even more than killing him!

The news quickly spread through Shrek Academy's temporary residence.

Xiao Wu, Oscar, and the others all came to visit. Seeing Ma Hongjun lying on the bed, utterly despondent and like a walking corpse, they could not help but sigh.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the courtyard, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing had heard about it as well.

"Zhuqing, did you hear? That fat guy..."

Ning Rongrong leaned close to Zhu Zhuqing and spoke softly.

Zhu Zhuqing's expression remained cool as she simply nodded.

"I heard."

Ning Rongrong curled her lips.

"I'd say he deserved it."

"He relied on the fact that he was a Soul Master to harass girls everywhere. This time, he finally ran into someone he couldn't afford to provoke."

"Good. Now that he's lost that thing, he won't be able to harm anyone else in the future."

After saying that, she grew a little curious.

"But who did it? Those methods were so formidable."

"I heard that fat guy did not even get a chance to fight back before he was pinned to the ground and beaten, then poisoned with something so vicious."

"If Third Brother hadn't spent several hours treating him, he would have died."

Zhu Zhuqing did not respond, but a strange glimmer flashed through her cool eyes.

She recalled the figure who had descended from the sky and saved her in the Star Dou Great Forest.

That man named Tang Shuo.

If he had encountered Ma Hongjun forcibly abducting a woman, what would he have done?

Zhu Zhuqing was almost certain.

He would have intervened.

Just as he had saved her back then, drawing his blade to aid those who faced injustice.

Could it have been him?

The thought quietly took root in Zhu Zhuqing's heart.

Zhu Zhuqing's thoughts drifted afar before quickly returning.

But she remembered clearly that Tang Shuo had never used poison...

That kind of complex poison formation made from more than a dozen deadly toxins did not seem like something a young man could master.

It was more like the work of an old monster who had immersed himself in the art of poison for decades.

It could not have been him.

Meanwhile, at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.

Tang Shuo had just entered the academy when a delighted voice came from nearby.

"Tang Shuo?"

Tang Shuo turned toward the sound and saw a tall, beautiful young woman in the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy uniform hurrying toward him.

She had long hair and clear eyes. Upon seeing him, the joy rising from the depths of her heart almost overflowed from her gaze.

It was Ye Lengleng, the support-type Soul Master of the Imperial Battle Team.

"It really is you!"

Ye Lengleng rushed up to Tang Shuo in a few strides, looking him over from head to toe with ecstatic delight.

"You... you came back!"

Ever since Tang Shuo had been publicly taken away by the Titled Douluo Dugu Bo that day, she had been worried sick.

That was the Poison Douluo, one of the most difficult people to provoke on the entire continent.

She had feared that something might happen to Tang Shuo. Over the past few days, she had even been too distracted to focus on training.

Now that she saw Tang Shuo standing safely before her with her own eyes, the weight on her heart finally lifted.

"I'm back."

Tang Shuo smiled faintly as he looked at her concerned expression.

Ye Lengleng studied him carefully and quickly noticed the difference.

The young man before her seemed to have grown a little taller since he had left, his figure even more upright.

His face, which had once retained a trace of youthful immaturity, now had sharper contours and carried an added air of steadiness and maturity.

What startled her most was the faint, almost imperceptible aura around Tang Shuo.

Though he was merely standing there calmly, he gave her an unfathomable feeling, like a peerless divine weapon hidden within its sheath, its sharpness restrained.

"You... are you all right? Senior Dugu Bo... he didn't make things difficult for you, did he?"

Ye Lengleng asked with concern.

"No. He treated me fairly well."

Tang Shuo answered simply.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries.

Looking into Tang Shuo's eyes, Ye Lengleng seemed to gather a great deal of courage before asking softly:

"During these past few days... did you miss me?"

Tang Shuo paused slightly at her words, then nodded without hesitation.

"I did."

Just one word, simple and direct.

A charming blush instantly spread across Ye Lengleng's cheeks, and the joy in her eyes deepened.

She quickly composed herself and turned to the matter at hand.

"What are you planning to do next? Will you continue training at the academy?"

Tang Shuo shook his head.

"Although the academy's simulated environment is good, it does not help me much anymore."

"I need real combat."

His gaze grew profound.

"I want to go to the Great Soul Arena and temper myself through constant battles, improving my strength."

"The Great Soul Arena?"

Ye Lengleng was somewhat surprised, but she quickly understood.

For true geniuses, actual combat was always the best teacher.

"But do you know much about the Great Soul Arena in Heaven Dou City?"

Tang Shuo admitted frankly:

"I don't."

"Perfect!"

Ye Lengleng's eyes lit up as she eagerly volunteered.

"I know it well! Let me explain it to you!"

"Come on, let's talk in your room."

Inside Tang Shuo's room.

Ye Lengleng sat in a chair beside the table, enthusiastically explaining everything about the Great Soul Arena to Tang Shuo.

"Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena is one of the highest-level Great Soul Arenas on the continent. Its scale is enormous, and its rules are also the most comprehensive."

"There are mainly three types of matches: one-on-one individual battles, two-on-two doubles battles, and the seven-on-seven team battles that our Imperial Battle Team has participated in."

She spoke animatedly, her voice crisp and pleasant.

"The rank of a Soul Master's Soul Fighting badge is an important measure of their strength. From lowest to highest, they are Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Purple Gold, Sapphire, Ruby, and the highest rank, Diamond Soul Fighting!"

"Every rank represents different honors and privileges."

"To raise your badge rank, you have to keep winning and accumulate points. Once you have enough points, you can advance."

Ye Lengleng spoke with great enthusiasm, and before she knew it, her mouth had gone dry.

She subconsciously picked up a cup from the table. Seeing that it still contained half a cup of water, she did not think twice before bringing it to her lips and gulping it down.

"Wait..."

Tang Shuo had just wanted to remind her, but it was already too late.

That was the cup he usually drank from.