The Secret of Tie Hong's Martial Soul

"Teacher Zhao! Teacher Zhao!" The cries of Shrek's six students were filled with anxiety and helplessness. They gathered around the unconscious Zhao Wuji, their eyes full of worry, yet utterly at a loss.

Tang San forced his way through the crowd and came before Zhao Wuji. "I know a little medicine. Let me try." Determination shone in his eyes, as if he were telling everyone, I'll do my best! Seeing the battered and bruised Zhao Wuji before him, Tang San furrowed his brow tightly, anger rising in his heart.

He swiftly took out whatever medicinal herbs he could use from Twenty-Four Bridges Bright Moon Night and carefully applied them to Zhao Wuji's wounds. Every movement was gentle, as though he were handling some precious treasure. Yet he knew full well that these herbs could only temporarily ease Zhao Wuji's pain and could not solve the problem at its root.

"Damn it, that teacher from Righteous Heaven Academy was so overbearing. Teacher Zhao merely sparred with him, yet he struck so ruthlessly. In my opinion, he has already earned himself a death sentence!" Tang San seethed inwardly. Clenching his fists, he said to the other five Shrek students, "Teacher Zhao's injuries are too severe. I can't cure him completely either. I can only stabilize his condition." His voice carried a trace of helplessness and self-reproach.

As the most senior student, Dai Mubai's gaze was steady and decisive. "Then we can only find somewhere to settle down for now. Once dawn comes, we'll return to the academy and ask Dean Flender to think of something." His words carried an unquestionable authority.

Elsewhere, Gu Hengzhi watched Tie Hong as strands of murderous aura were gradually absorbed into his body, and his mood eased somewhat. A trace of puzzlement appeared in his eyes as he asked the four deities within the God-Sealing Record, "The problem with Dean Tie Hong's martial soul seems quite serious. Do you seniors have any solution?"

The Kitchen God and the Earth Deity exchanged a glance before speaking in unison. "His attributes are incompatible with ours. Even if we help him suppress it this time, there will be a next time. And next time, that Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf will completely devour its master." Their voices carried a hint of regret.

The Day Patrol God beside them analyzed the situation calmly. "The Night Patrol God and I have joined forces to set up a Sun-Moon Prohibition. It can help him suppress it temporarily, but he must cultivate for one hour at noon and midnight every day to reinforce the prohibition's power."

The Night Patrol God also nodded from the side, though his icy expression made Gu Hengzhi afraid to look at him for too long. After leaving the sea of consciousness, Gu Hengzhi instructed the Peace Hotel staff to disperse the onlooking diners and close the establishment for repairs. Every customer who had paid that day would receive a full refund, along with a single-use twenty-percent-off coupon.

Outside the Peace Hotel, the fierce wind howled like raging waves. Before Gu Hengzhi could even lean out to take a look, a graceful figure leaped lightly through the Peace Hotel's window like a flying swallow. She surveyed the wrecked restaurant, and her gaze finally landed on Tie Hong, who was sitting on the ground suppressing the unrest in his martial soul. She could not help but let out a long sigh of relief.

"Dean Kong!" Xuan Yue recognized the woman at once and hurried forward to bow respectfully.

"Mm." Dean Kong Ling responded softly, a trace of authority in her gaze. "Xuan Yue, tell me what happened here."

Xuan Yue did not dare delay. He immediately recounted everything in detail, especially emphasizing the academy's two newly risen geniuses—Gu Hengzhi and Zhu Zhuqing.

After hearing Xuan Yue's account of the entire matter, Kong Ling bowed slightly toward Gu Hengzhi, guilt on her face. "I'm sorry, Student Gu. I truly didn't expect that while I was away, Tie Hong would cause such enormous losses to your Peace Hotel. Make a list of the damages, and the academy will reimburse every bit of it. I'm truly sorry."

Gu Hengzhi hurriedly jumped aside and waved his hands repeatedly. "Dean, you absolutely mustn't! In this incident, Dean Tie stood up for me and supported me. I'm already deeply grateful. How could I dare make the academy bear these losses? If you truly feel bad about it, then let the academy's students work part-time as Peace Guards at my Peace Hotel. Meals and pay included, with excellent benefits. Oh, and Dean Tie Hong's condition doesn't seem very optimistic right now. Would you like to examine him again?"

Kong Ling nodded, a look in her eyes that seemed to say, "This kid has promise." Then she turned and walked toward Tie Hong, slowly sending a thread of pure soul power into his body to help regulate him. However, after her soul power circulated through Tie Hong's meridians once, Kong Ling discovered in astonishment that Tie Hong's soul power had actually broken through to the limit of Rank 82, and it even contained a mysterious prohibition. A flash of surprise streaked through her eyes like a meteor across the night sky, but it quickly returned to calm.

With Dean Kong Ling's careful assistance, Tie Hong took only the time it took two incense sticks to fully draw back the murderous aura within his martial soul. When he slowly opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was an angry yet breathtakingly beautiful woman's face. Completely unlike the wild delight Gu Hengzhi had expected, Tie Hong's first words upon waking were a terrified plea for mercy. "Senior Sister! Y-you listen to me first, this time it really wasn't my fault..." As he spoke, he raised his trembling hands before Kong Ling, as though they were his last defensive shield. From his actions, it was obvious that he had suffered no shortage of Kong Ling's "beatings" over the years.

"This time, I'll only pull your ears and leave you some dignity. But behave yourself from now on! Don't let your martial soul lose control again. You have Student Gu to thank this time. Otherwise, who knows how much trouble you would have caused?" Kong Ling turned her gaze toward Gu Hengzhi, admiration appearing in her eyes. "Ah, Student Gu, was the prohibition inside Tie Hong's body created by you? It's quite profound."

Gu Hengzhi nodded slightly, a confident smile appearing on his face. His voice was low and firm, as though it contained endless wisdom. "Yes. I carefully set up a Sun-Moon Prohibition by relying on a unique characteristic of my martial soul. It can effectively help Dean Tie suppress his martial soul's current problem. For now, this is all I can do. It has no other special functions."

Delight gleamed in Kong Ling's eyes like brilliant stars in the night sky, impossible to ignore. She immediately asked, "Then is there a way to solve the problem with Tie Hong's martial soul?"

Gu Hengzhi gently shook his head, regret in his tone. "I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. With my current abilities, I still can't help Dean Tie solve the problem with his martial soul at its root. However, if you can tell me in detail about Dean Tie's current condition, perhaps I can study it further and find a better solution."

"All right. Tie Hong's martial soul is the Blood Wolf. Unfortunately, because of special circumstances, it underwent a shocking mutation and has become increasingly similar to the long-extinct Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf. Moreover, as Tie Hong's level rises, its independence becomes more and more severe. With the slightest mistake, he falls into a bloodthirsty frenzy. Even our master, a Rank 95 Super Douluo, has no solution." Although Kong Ling held a trace of hope in her heart, she also knew that this matter could not be rushed. "After all, my martial soul is the Seven-Colored Peacock. Whether in martial soul quality or the purity of my soul power, I surpass Tie Hong. Therefore, I can barely suppress the evil nature of his martial soul. But now, all I can do is try my best to restrain his cultivation and keep his level below mine. Yet this is not a long-term solution. No matter how I suppress him, his cultivation speed remains almost equal to mine. I originally wanted to keep him from breaking through Rank 80, but who would have thought that the excessive accumulation of energy would nearly cause Tie Hong to explode and die?"

Kong Ling's brows knitted tightly, worry showing in her eyes. Her hands unconsciously clenched, as if she wanted to crush that invisible pressure. Her voice lowered slightly, carrying helplessness and unwillingness. "Yet I've been stuck at Rank 89 soul power, unable to advance even a step. Ah..."