Xiao Wu, Who Tugged at His Heart?

After the Heaven Dou Division preliminaries entered their middle stage, Shrek Academy's reputation had been thoroughly established.

From being mocked for their strange team uniforms at the start to drawing waves of cheers every time they appeared now, Shrek had needed only a few victories.

Their opponent today was Canghui Academy.

Compared to Elephant Armor Academy, Canghui Academy was not considered one of the strongest teams.

Yet when Gu Changsheng sat in the stands and watched Canghui Academy's seven members take the stage, his gaze narrowed slightly.

"Interesting."

Hu Liena sat beside him. Hearing that, she turned her eyes toward him and asked,

"Did you notice something?"

Gu Changsheng watched Canghui's seven members.

"Their Mental Power fluctuations are very uniform."

Yan sat behind them with a blade of grass hanging from his mouth.

"Mental Power fluctuations? Is Canghui Academy that strong?"

Xie Yue said blandly,

"Canghui Academy itself is not particularly strong, but their team leader, Shinian, is a Mental Attribute Spirit Saint."

Hu Liena's eyes flickered.

"Remnant Dream Shinian?"

Gu Changsheng nodded.

"If he trained this team, this match won't be simple."

Yan grew interested.

"Will Shrek lose?"

Of course, Gu Changsheng knew the outcome of this match. He knew Tang San far too well. Looking at Yan before him, he could only shake his head helplessly.

"They won't lose, but they may suffer a setback."

On the Soul Arena, the Shrek Seven Monsters had already taken their positions.

Tang San stood in the center, looking calm.

Xiao Wu stood slightly ahead of him to the side, but her peripheral vision unconsciously swept toward the stands.

Soon, she spotted Gu Changsheng.

Gu Changsheng was not standing in the shadows today. Instead, he sat in Spirit Hall's exclusive viewing area.

Their gazes met briefly, and Gu Changsheng gave a slight nod.

Xiao Wu gave a soft snort and looked away.

Tang San noticed something unusual about her and asked quietly,

"Xiao Wu?"

Xiao Wu hurriedly replied,

"I'm fine."

Tang San lifted his eyes and looked in the direction she had just been watching.

He saw Gu Changsheng, as well as Hu Liena seated beside him.

The appearance of the Spirit Hall Team made Tang San's gaze tighten slightly.

Then, in the next instant, the referee loudly announced,

"Match begin!"

Canghui Academy's seven members released their Martial Souls simultaneously.

In an instant, seven gemstone-type Martial Souls appeared.

Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, violet.

The seven-colored lights intertwined, instantly illuminating the Soul Arena.

Gasps erupted from the stands.

"Gemstone Martial Souls?"

"What powerful light!"

Gu Changsheng sat up straighter and began watching more carefully.

"Here it comes."

Hu Liena's expression also became serious.

"A mental fusion?"

Gu Changsheng said,

"Something similar, perhaps. It isn't a Martial Soul fusion skill, but the seven of them have forcibly pulled their Soul Power and Mental Power fluctuations onto the same frequency."

"They're going to attack with an illusion."

Yan looked toward the arena.

"An illusion? Isn't that walking right into your line of fire?"

Gu Changsheng did not smile as he explained,

"If a mental attack is concentrated enough, it can still be very threatening."

On the Soul Arena, the seven-colored light suddenly spread.

Canghui's seven members shouted in unison,

"Seven Asura Illusion!"

The light enveloped the entire arena, and the Shrek Seven Monsters were instantly swallowed within it.

An uproar immediately broke out in the stands.

From the outside, Shrek's seven members seemed trapped within a seven-colored curtain of light, their movements visibly slowing.

Hu Liena frowned slightly.

"They've been pulled into a Mental Illusion."

Gu Changsheng's gaze fell upon Xiao Wu.

Within the seven-colored curtain, Xiao Wu's body stiffened slightly, and a brief daze appeared in her eyes.

It was as though she had seen something terrifying. Her face suddenly turned pale.

A barely perceptible chill entered Gu Changsheng's eyes.

Hu Liena noticed immediately.

She turned to look at him.

"Junior Brother?"

Gu Changsheng did not respond. The Myriad Heaven Book turned on its own within his Mental Sea.

He did not release a Soul Skill, but his Mental Power had instinctively caught the structure of the Seven Asura Illusion.

Seven nodes, seven mental tethers!

The core was not any single person, but the resonance among all seven.

As long as one node was broken, the illusion would become unstable.

But this was a match. He could not intervene, and he would not intervene!

At that moment, Tang San also closed his eyes on the Soul Arena.

His Purple Demon Eye spun wildly!

His Mental Power pierced into the core of the seven-colored illusion like a sharp blade.

Gu Changsheng's eyes shifted slightly.

"Tang San found the flaw."

Xie Yue asked,

"So quickly?"

Gu Changsheng said in a low voice,

"Very quickly. His Mental Power is stronger than I expected."

Within the seven-colored illusion, Tang San suddenly opened his eyes.

Purple light erupted.

"Break!"

In an instant, the seven-colored curtain shook violently.

Canghui's seven members all turned pale and swayed on their feet.

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass surged wildly from the ground, accurately entangling the ankles of three of them.

Dai Mubai unleashed the White Tiger Fierce Light Wave, while Zhu Zhuqing turned into a Black Shadow and darted in!

Xiao Wu also broke free from the illusion's influence, anger still lingering in her eyes.

She leaped directly in front of a Canghui team member.

"What you made me see just now was disgusting!"

The Waist Bow activated.

Bang!

That Canghui team member was violently thrown away.

Once the seven-person resonance was broken, Canghui Academy had no strength left to resist.

Only a few breaths later, the referee announced,

"Shrek Academy, victory!"

The Soul Arena fell silent for an instant before deafening cheers erupted.

"Shrek!"

"Shrek!"

In the VIP seats, Ning Fengzhi's eyes held even greater admiration.

Salas, however, wore a dark expression.

In the stands, Yan could not help saying,

"This Tang San is really something. He can even break a Mental Illusion."

Xie Yue nodded.

"His Mental Power is not weak."

Hu Liena looked at Gu Changsheng.

"If it were you, how long would it take you to break it?"

Gu Changsheng answered calmly,

"Within ten breaths."

Yan froze.

"Faster than Tang San?"

Gu Changsheng shook his head.

"The methods are different."

"Tang San used overwhelming Mental Power to forcibly break the core."

"I would first mislead their seven-person resonance and make them disrupt the illusion themselves."

Hu Liena gave a light laugh.

"So you'd make them suffer backlash from their own attack?"

"Yes."

Gu Changsheng looked once more at Tang San on the Soul Arena and said,

"But Tang San revealed something today..."

Xie Yue asked,

"What?"

"His Mental Power far surpasses that of Spirit Masters at the same level."

Gu Changsheng said slowly,

"In the future, we cannot treat him merely as a control-type opponent. We must also regard him as half a Mental Attribute opponent."

Hu Liena nodded, her expression serious.

But after a moment, she suddenly asked softly,

"Junior Brother, when Xiao Wu fell into the illusion just now, were you very nervous?"

Gu Changsheng's gaze paused slightly, and he did not dare answer at all.

Yan had been watching the match, but upon hearing that, he immediately pricked up his ears.

Xie Yue expressionlessly took half a step to the side.

Gu Changsheng said,

"If she suffered a mental injury during the match, Shrek's fighting strength would be affected."

Hu Liena smiled faintly.

"Only because Shrek's fighting strength?"

Gu Changsheng fell silent for a moment.

"And because she once helped me."

Hu Liena gave a soft snort.

"At least you're honest."

Yan could not help interrupting,

"Junior Brother, do you feel a little... different toward that Xiao Wu?"

Before he could finish, Hu Liena gave him a bland look, her eyes seemingly filled with

Yan immediately shut his mouth, while Gu Changsheng felt somewhat helpless.

"Senior Sister, Tang San is more important right now. What does that have to do with Xiao Wu?"

Hu Liena chuckled softly.

"I know. I'll keep an eye on Tang San—and on you too!"

Gu Changsheng said, "Senior Sister... I..."

While they were still discussing it, Shrek's group was leaving the Soul Arena.

Xiao Wu suddenly turned back and glanced toward Spirit Hall's spectator section.

In the illusion just now, she had seen the Star Dou Great Forest, her mother, and Spirit Hall's shadow.

But when she broke free from the illusion, for an instant, she seemed to sense a familiar Mental Power fluctuation sweep past from outside the arena.

It was faint, restrained.

As if someone had nearly acted, only to forcibly hold back.

Xiao Wu looked toward Gu Changsheng.

Gu Changsheng merely sat there quietly, his expression calm.

Yet for some reason, Xiao Wu was certain.

Just now, he had worried about her.

The corners of Xiao Wu's lips lifted slightly before quickly settling again.

"Humph."

Tang San asked, "Xiao Wu, what's wrong?"

Xiao Wu shook her head.

"Nothing. I just think those people from Canghui are too annoying."

Tang San nodded, the coldness in his eyes still lingering.

"Their illusion was indeed vicious."

Yu Xiaogang stood at the passageway entrance, but his gaze was fixed on Gu Changsheng in the stands.

Although Gu Changsheng's Mental Power fluctuation had been extremely faint just now, he had still sensed something unusual.

"Something about this Gu Changsheng from Spirit Hall... doesn't feel right."

A few seconds later, Yu Xiaogang frowned slightly.

"I'm afraid he's even more troublesome than I thought."

That evening, at Spirit Hall's temporary residence.

Gu Changsheng finished organizing the records from today's matches.

Tang San's information had already been updated in the Myriad Heaven Book.

[Target: Tang San.]

[Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass.]

[Traits: Control, tactical judgment, strong Mental Power.]

[New intelligence: Possesses a powerful eye-based mental technique.]

[Threat level: Extremely high.]

Hu Liena stood behind him, looking at the contents on the page.

"Extremely high?"

Gu Changsheng nodded.

"He'll be the greatest variable in the Finals."

Hu Liena asked:

"More important than Xiao Wu?"

Gu Changsheng looked up at her.

Hu Liena looked perfectly natural, though there was a hint of teasing in her eyes.

Gu Changsheng sighed.

"Senior Sister! I really don't have any feelings for her. It's just, it's just..."

Hu Liena smiled when she saw Gu Changsheng stammering.

"All right, I won't tease you anymore."

She walked to the window and gazed at Tiandou City beneath the night sky.

"Chrysanthemum Elder said we'll return to Spirit City tomorrow."

Gu Changsheng froze briefly.

"So soon?"

"We've already seen what we needed to see in the preliminaries."

Hu Liena said:

"Teacher wants us to return and prepare for the Finals."

Gu Changsheng fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

"That's fine."

Hu Liena turned to look at him.

"Can't bear to leave?"

Gu Changsheng said:

"There are still some clues I haven't finished investigating."

Hu Liena stepped closer and said softly:

"Someone will continue looking into the clues."

"As for people..."

She paused, a subtle smile appearing on her lips. In the next instant, her long legs were displayed to their fullest as she stepped forward.

She leaned down to look directly at Gu Changsheng, slowly tapping a finger against his shoulder.

"Phew~ Little Junior Brother, if fate permits, we'll naturally meet again in the Finals."

Gu Changsheng felt a wave of scorching breath and turned to look out the window to avoid the awkwardness.

Tiandou City's lights gradually receded, while the night deepened.

Shrek would continue its winning streak, and Tang San would keep growing stronger...

When they met again, it would no longer be a distant gaze between the stands and the Soul Arena.

They would truly stand at opposite ends of the battlefield.

Gu Changsheng closed the Myriad Heaven Book.

"Then, see you in Spirit City."