Hope Shattered!?

He hurried to his feet and opened the door.

Flender stood outside with three Soul Masters in robes. They were of different ages, but all had a steady bearing.

The leader was a gray-haired man of about sixty with a deep, even aura. Two men in their forties stood behind him.

"This is Elder Lin, a guest elder at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Suotuo City branch. He's a level sixty-three healing-type Soul Emperor, and his Martial Soul is Sweet Dew. These two are his assistants, both healing-type Soul Ancestors above level forty-five."

Flender made the introductions with respect and a hint of anticipation in his voice.

Ning Rongrong had clearly put her heart into this. A level sixty-three healing-type Soul Emperor would rank among the finest support specialists even in the Star Dou Empire's capital, let alone a place like Suotuo City.

"Elder Lin, sorry for the trouble!" Yu Xiaogang hurriedly bowed.

Elder Lin nodded gently and walked to the bedside. He laid a thin but remarkably steady hand on Tang San's wrist, then carefully sent a thread of mild, pure Soul Power into him.

The room fell silent. Everyone held their breath.

Xiao Wu clenched her fists nervously. Ning Rongrong stood by the door, concern in her eyes alongside a trace of pride that was hard to detect.

Elder Lin closed his eyes and frowned slightly as his Soul Power probed Tang San's body.

His two assistants began their own examinations.

A faint light appeared in one man's eyes, as though he could see through flesh. It was probably some kind of Eye Technique Soul Skill.

The other gathered faint green points of light on his fingertips and held them close to Tang San's eyes.

The seconds ticked by.

After roughly half an incense stick had burned, Elder Lin slowly withdrew his hand and opened his eyes. His face held a trace of gravity and... regret.

His assistants stopped as well. They exchanged a glance and shook their heads slightly.

"Elder Lin, how is he?" Yu Xiaogang asked urgently, his voice trembling.

Elder Lin sighed. "The damage to this young man's meridians has stabilized and is gradually healing, thanks to the excellent medicine he received earlier. But..."

He paused and looked at Tang San's tightly shut eyes. "The injuries to his eyes are another matter."

"In all my decades of treating patients, I've never seen an injury this strange."

"It wasn't caused by an external toxin, physical trauma, or an ordinary Soul Power impact."

"It's more as though... a power of an exceptionally high order, carrying some special law or will, struck the source of his vision directly and caused irreversible damage deep within it in an instant."

He glanced at Yu Xiaogang and Flender. "Forgive my bluntness, but this injury is beyond the reach of ordinary healing-type Soul Skills and medicine."

"My Sweet Dew Martial Soul can nourish living things and restore vitality, but it cannot easily undo damage involving the Rules at such a fundamental level."

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda might amplify the treatment, but... an empty pot cannot be cooked in."

"Without a matching Power of Rules or a Divine Object of an even higher order to mend and restore an injury to the very source, there is almost... no cure."

"No cure?!"

Yu Xiaogang swayed. He caught the edge of the bed to keep from falling.

The hope that had just flared within him seemed to go out.

Tang San had been prepared for this, but hearing a healing-type Soul Emperor pronounce that verdict extinguished his last glimmer of hope.

The darkness seemed to become solid shackles, binding him fast.

His fingernails dug deep into his palms, yet he barely felt the pain.

"Is there... really nothing we can do?"

Xiao Wu's voice broke as she spoke.

Elder Lin considered for a moment. "I wouldn't say it's absolutely impossible."

"There are always miraculous places and Divine Objects in this world beyond anything we can imagine."

"For instance, a ruin or blessing left behind by the legendary Goddess of Life. Or a Soul Bone from the sacrifice of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast with supreme light or life attributes. Perhaps even... a supreme secret art of life and light passed down by some Hidden Sect."

"But those possibilities are too remote. One could search a lifetime and never find them."

He cupped his hands to Flender and Yu Xiaogang. "My knowledge is limited, and I can do nothing. I'm ashamed. There's no need to pay me; Miss Ning has already covered the fee. Farewell."

With that, he led his two assistants out of the room under Ning Rongrong's conflicted gaze.

Hope shattered again, fragile as a bubble.

The air in the room felt too oppressive to breathe.

Ning Rongrong opened her mouth to offer some comfort, but in the end, she quietly stepped outside.

For the first time, she realized that some problems could not be solved even with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's wealth and connections.

Flender patted Yu Xiaogang on the shoulder and sighed without a word. He, too, went out, leaving the despairing teacher and student alone.

Yu Xiaogang collapsed into a chair, as though all his strength had been drained from him in an instant.

He looked at Tang San, who lay on the bed as silent as a statue, and felt his heart twist.

His student's future lay in ruins, and he, the boy's teacher, was powerless to help.

"Teacher..."

After a long while, Tang San's hoarse voice broke the deathly silence.

"Xiao San..." Yu Xiaogang hurried to his side.

"You don't need to blame yourself."

Tang San sounded unexpectedly calm, with a weary detachment in his voice. "Perhaps... this is my fate."

"No! It isn't! Xiao San, you won't be blind."

Yu Xiaogang shook his head fiercely. "There must be a way! I'll find it, I promise!"

Tang San said nothing more. He simply "stared" into the endless darkness above him, as though he could see through it.

He thought back over everything that had led to this.

He could not help feeling deeply wary of Cao Kun, the so-called "senior martial brother."

At the same time, he began to wonder whether his teacher Yu Xiaogang's theory had truly been right.

On the fifth day, night lay heavy over Suotuo City.

In the underground chamber beneath the dilapidated house, Tang Hao slowly ended his cultivation and breathed out a foul breath tinged with blood.

His injuries had improved somewhat, but he was still far from healed. The cracks in his Martial Soul Avatar and the damage to his Soul Rings would take a long time to mend.

He opened his eyes. They were still bloodshot, and irritation simmered beneath his cold gaze.

He had never stopped worrying about his son Tang San, but with Cao Kun around, he did not dare approach Shrek Academy lightly.

All he could do was try to gather news through extremely discreet channels.

Today, he had paid a large sum to buy information from a greedy, timid, low-level healing-type Soul Master who had visited Shrek Academy before to serve the children of several minor nobles in the city.

After contacting the man through a special channel, Tang Hao received the latest news about Tang San.

"His eyes... may be permanently blind? Soul Power deviation? A conflict in his Blue Silver Grass cultivation?"

As Tang Hao listened to the Soul Master's trembling account, his expression grew darker and darker.

When he heard that "Cao Kun diagnosed the Soul Power deviation as the result of conflicting theories" and that "Yu Xiaogang was beside himself with guilt," fury and killing intent surged up inside him like an erupting volcano!