Get Lost...

"Huh?"

Cao Kun froze for a moment.

He had suspected Tang Hao would not throw everything away just to take him down with him.

But he had not expected Tang Hao to feint so decisively and then flee.

It seemed his injuries were worse than Cao Kun had thought.

The backlash from Ring Detonation, the devastating damage to his very foundation, and his shattered spirit... The once-mighty Clear Sky Douluo was at the end of his strength, not far from death.

"Forget it. I'll let you go for now!"

Cao Kun slowly lowered his finger.

The exploded phantom of the Clear Sky Hammer in the sky silently broke apart, piece by piece. It dispersed into the purest Heaven and Earth Essence and returned to the surroundings without causing the slightest disturbance.

With that done, Cao Kun casually moved his arm.

Clearly,

using the power of the Rules at this level had cost him nothing.

And he had not even used his full strength.

What would happen if he did?

Kill Tang Hao in a single move?

Cao Kun glanced at the retreating Tang Hao. There was no victor's pride in his eyes, only an unruffled calm.

Cao Kun murmured to himself.

"Ring Detonation harms the enemy, but nearly destroys its user. It is an inferior technique."

"Strength lies in control, in understanding, in becoming one with heaven and earth—not in mindless burning and destruction."

"Tang Hao, you have power, but you don't understand its true nature. You brought this on yourself."

"I'll spare your life today. Get lost..."

Though several thousand meters separated them, Cao Kun's voice reached Tang Hao's ears with perfect clarity.

Tang Hao stopped short.

Blood surged up his throat.

"Pfft..."

Tang Hao spat out another mouthful of blood.

He looked back toward Cao Kun and snorted. "This isn't over!"

"I'll make you pay for this!"

With that, Tang Hao sped up, turning into a streak of light that vanished beyond the horizon.

Cao Kun gave a scornful smile, then turned and walked toward the stunned Zhao Wuji and Flender.

As he approached,

the suffocating pressure that had engulfed the entire area receded like the tide.

The night wind began to blow again, and moonlight fell once more. But the air still reeked of blood and carried the scorched scent left by surging Soul Power.

"Teacher, Dean, it's over."

Cao Kun reached them and held out both hands, helping them up from the ground.

His movements were steady. A gentle but firm force flowed from his hands, instantly calming the blood and Soul Power churning within them. Even their pain eased by more than half.

"Kun... Kun'er... you..." Zhao Wuji gripped Cao Kun's arm, feeling the steady support it offered. He stared at the young face before him, so familiar yet so strange. His throat worked, but he could not get a complete sentence out. Shock, lingering fear, confusion, joy, worry... The emotions tangled together until even this tough man's eyes reddened.

Flender was in much the same state. He looked at Cao Kun, then toward the distant ruins where Tang Hao had lain, his fate unknown, then at the sky where the pillar of destructive light had long since vanished. The world felt unreal.

"Master, Dean, it's a long story." Cao Kun saw the complicated looks in their eyes and sighed softly. "I didn't mean to hide it from you. It's just... my circumstances are unusual. The fewer people who know, the better. I only acted tonight because I had no choice. I'll explain everything to you both in detail later."

He surveyed the devastation around them and frowned slightly. "For now, we need to deal with the aftermath."

His gaze fell on Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and the others, who were still sprawled on the ground in a daze.

"What happened tonight must not get out."

Cao Kun's tone was resolute. "I'll deal with Tang Hao. As for the academy... we need everyone to tell the same story."

Zhao Wuji and Flender had recovered somewhat by then. They nodded at once.

Neither was a fool. They understood how serious tonight's events were.

A mysterious powerhouse who could gravely wound Tang Hao in three moves, and even hold a Ring Detonation strike in Stasis, had appeared at Shrek Academy. If word got out, it would send shock waves across the continent!

Countless factions would swarm in like sharks scenting blood!

Then Cao Kun's peaceful life would be shattered, and all of Shrek Academy could be caught at the center of the storm and torn apart!

"Kun'er, tell us what to do. We'll follow your lead!" Zhao Wuji said gravely, gripping Cao Kun's hand.

How could he not understand by now? His disciple had long since reached heights beyond anything he could imagine.

He even suspected Cao Kun's true strength might have... surpassed the realm of Titled Douluo?!

"Exactly! Cao Kun, don't worry about the academy. Old Zhao and I will take care of things here!"

Flender was quick to pledge his support, his eyes gleaming behind his glasses.

He was shocked, but more than that, he was excited! With such an extraordinary figure among its ranks, how could Shrek Academy fail to flourish? How could it fail to rise?

"Good." Cao Kun nodded without wasting words.

He went first to Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and the other new students. With a flick of his fingers, several gentle threads of Soul Power, mixed with a faint trace of Spiritual Power, entered their foreheads.

They shuddered. The fear and confusion in their eyes quickly faded, leaving them looking somewhat vacant, as though they had just woken from a hazy nightmare with gaps in their memories.

"Tonight, the shock waves from a battle between powerful fighters knocked you unconscious. You didn't see what happened clearly. When you wake, you'll remember that an unknown powerhouse attacked the academy, Teacher Zhao fought hard and was injured, and the attacker eventually withdrew." Cao Kun's voice carried a strange rhythm, imprinting the words deep in their subconscious minds.

It was a minor technique combining mental suggestion with the guidance of Soul Power, enough to alter their brief, muddled memories.

Only after dealing with all that did Cao Kun truly breathe a sigh of relief.

He turned to Zhao Wuji and Flender, who had regained enough strength to move and were directing the newly "awakened," still-bewildered students as they cleaned up the wreckage. A tired but genuine smile crossed his face.

"Master, Dean, things are under control here for now. Shall we... find somewhere quiet and talk?"

Zhao Wuji and Flender exchanged a glance, then nodded firmly.

None of them would sleep tonight.

At Shrek Academy's Back Mountain, the lights in that mysterious little house burned through the night.

Elsewhere beneath the continent's night sky, in several forbidden places, the beings at the pinnacle of power who had sensed the disturbance from Tang Hao's Ring Detonation—and then that mysterious aura of Stasis—opened their eyes almost in unison. They looked toward Suotuo City, their gazes filled with confusion, wariness, and a deep desire to learn more.

A new, unknown variable seemed to have... appeared.