Aftershock

The night in Linhe City was torn to pieces by the howls of gamblers.

The owners of the three largest gambling houses in the eastern district did not even have time to lock their doors before fleeing into the depths of the alleys with their sisters-in-law and their last few crates of Gold Soul Coins.

One to 1.95.

What had once been seen as "a farewell offering for Sky Abyss Academy" became the guillotine for every bookmaker that night.

Winners waved banknotes in the streets, while losers smashed cups in taverns.

There was only one topic of debate: was that Su Chen even human?

No one could give a definite answer about his rank.

Shrek Academy's residence, small courtyard.

Only three oil lamps were lit inside the room.

The faint crackle of the wicks sounded especially piercing in the suffocating silence.

Dai Mubai sat at the table, his right hand pressed tightly against his knee.

A pale purple mark that would not wash away ran from the web of his thumb to the base of his fingers.

It was the poison Chu Yao had left behind.

"Twelve minutes."

Dai Mubai spoke.

His voice sounded as though it had been ground over coarse sand, carrying an involuntary tremor.

"The seven of us didn't even touch the corner of his clothes."

No one answered.

Ma Hongjun huddled in the corner, the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul flickering over his body.

He tried to condense a fireball, but the instant a trace of orange appeared at his fingertips, the poison threads rampaging through his body shattered it apart.

He lowered his hand dejectedly and hid his clenched fist in his sleeve.

Ning Rongrong sat on the stone floor with her knees hugged to her chest.

She had stopped crying.

But that look in her eyes was even more unsettling—like an exquisite porcelain doll whose heart had been cracked open in a way that could never be repaired.

Ye Linglong's move, All Thoughts Turn to Ash, had drained away all her trust in this world.

Whenever she closed her eyes, she felt that the light of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tower was gray.

Zhu Zhuqing leaned against the window, her fingers unconsciously tracing through the air.

Her movements were extremely slow.

Her right hand rose from her waist, curved in an arc, and turned outward from the heel of her palm.

This was the path Mo Qianye had taken when he deflected her Netherworld Hundred Claws.

She had broken it down for three hours.

In the end, she discovered that the motion contained not a single superfluous line.

It was ultimate geometry, born for slaughter and defense.

Zhu Zhuqing closed her eyes, her fingertips trembling faintly.

Tang San sat in the middle of the room.

Xiao Wu knelt halfway before him, her head lowered as she treated the injury on his right hand.

The Haotian Hammer had vanished, but the backlash had fractured three of Tang San's finger bones.

Tang San did not look at his hand. He merely stared into the void beyond the window.

"We lost the team match."

The Master's voice came from the doorway, carrying an unquestionable coldness.

Yu Xiaogang turned around, the lamplight outlining his deeply sunken eye sockets.

"But the competition isn't over."

"What comes next is the individual match. One against one, single-match elimination."

The Master's gaze swept over every disciple.

"No tactics, no coordination. Only you and Su Chen."

"This is your only chance to turn things around."

Dai Mubai was the first to stand.

He looked at the purpled web of his thumb, brutality flashing in his eyes.

"I want Mo Qianye."

Ma Hongjun also pushed himself upright against the wall. Though his face was deathly pale, his eyes burned red.

"Yan Wuji... I'll burn through that brat's ice no matter what."

Ning Rongrong supported herself against the wall and slowly straightened up.

She said nothing, only clenched the corner of her clothes so tightly that her nails sank into her flesh.

Zhu Zhuqing opened her eyes, her voice cold as ice.

"Ling Shuang."

At last, everyone's gaze gathered on Tang San.

Xiao Wu tied the final knot and asked softly, "Third Brother?"

Tang San flexed his right hand, wrapped in strips of cloth.

The piercing pain in the gaps between his bones kept him absolutely lucid.

"I'll wait for Su Chen."

Sky Abyss Academy's residence.

The rich scent of lamb ribs drifted through the air.

Jiang Tieyi clanged about in the kitchen, humming an off-key folk song.

Yan Wuji stood at the door with a teacup in hand, fanning away the cooking smoke with a disgusted expression.

Mo Qianye had returned to his room to wipe down his blade.

Ling Shuang was pruning her vines in the courtyard.

Ye Linglong sat beneath the corridor, flipping through an ancient book with a yellowed cover.

This place looked less like an arena and more like a vacation estate.

Victory and defeat seemed as natural to them as washing their faces after waking up.

Third floor.

Su Chen leaned by the window, his fingertip brushing over his right cheekbone.

There was an extremely fine scar there, already covered by a thin scab.

Chu Yao pushed open the door and entered. She said nothing, only stared at the scar.

"Thinking about Tang San's final hammer strike?"

"Mm."

Su Chen looked at the faint trace of blood on his fingertip, his expression calm.

"He used shattered stones as hidden weapons, guided them with Blue Silver Grass, and accelerated them with the Haotian Hammer."

"Under that kind of pressure, he calculated the flight paths of tens of thousands of stones in an instant."

Su Chen paused, and the corner of his mouth curved slightly.

"That was the instinct of a beast driven into a corner."

Chu Yao walked to his side, a rare note of seriousness in her voice.

"You're praising him."

"I'm assessing the risk."

Su Chen turned his head. Moonlight fell into his eyes, unfathomably deep.

"He'll be more troublesome in the individual match."

"Because Tang San carried six people on his back in the team match. He had to divide his attention to protect Xiao Wu, coordinate with Dai Mubai, and account for Ning Rongrong."

"He was shackled."

Su Chen extended one finger and lightly tapped the window frame.

"One-on-one, Tang San has no burden."

"Blue Silver Grass will only bind one person, Purple Demon Eyes will only watch one person, and the Haotian Hammer will only smash one person."

"Only then can he truly be considered an opponent."

Chu Yao stared at Su Chen's face and suddenly spoke.

"Medicine. Three days is enough to make that scar disappear."

"Leave it."

Su Chen turned and walked into the darkened room.

"Leave it?"

Chu Yao frowned.

"It's proof that he touched me, the only time he ever did."

Su Chen's voice echoed through the empty room, carrying a chilling composure.

"I want him to look at this scar and understand—that is the highest height he will ever reach in his life."

Chu Yao snorted and slammed the door as she left.

Su Chen sat in the darkness.

Jiang Tieyi's roar came from outside the window.

"Iron Wall! You stole my lamb soup again! Get out here and prepare to die!"

Su Chen rubbed his brow and sighed helplessly.

Even a god had to clean up after these overly energetic subordinates.