Zhang Lexuan Awakens

Sea God Pavilion.

In the simple chamber carved entirely by hand, life force slowly seeped from every direction, filling the room with a rich vitality.

Ordinarily, if a Soul Master stayed here for some time, even if their cultivation did not advance by leaps and bounds, extending their life by a year or so would be no problem.

Yet Zhang Lexuan lay quietly on the bed. Though she had been in the room for some time, her face remained utterly bloodless, unnaturally pale.

Her eyelids twitched almost imperceptibly. A moment later, she struggled to open her eyes.

That alone nearly exhausted all her strength.

Trapped in her Sea of Consciousness and unable to sense the outside world, Zhang Lexuan had no idea how much time had passed since she fell unconscious.

It seemed like many years, yet also like only a few hours.

Her memory was a blank. Zhang Lexuan did not even know whose name to call.

Fortunately, the person who checked on her each day arrived just then and found her awake.

It was Teacher Li, who had treated Lu Yi, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong after Ma Xiaotao lost control.

As a Healing Soul Saint responsible for treating Outer Court students, he ordinarily would not have been permitted to enter and leave Sea God Pavilion so often.

But Zhang Lexuan needed daily care while unconscious, and Elder Zhuang could not stay by her side all the time, so the task fell to him.

He had been more than willing to take it.

Coming to the Golden Ancient Tree every day greatly benefited his Tree of Life Martial Soul.

But as a healer, seeing Zhang Lexuan awaken delighted him even more.

"Lexuan, you're finally awake!" Li Musheng hurried over to examine her.

He placed his fingers on Zhang Lexuan's pulse and, a moment later, let out a long breath of relief.

His examination showed that Zhang Lexuan had survived the hidden danger period. Her Martial Soul had suffered no further damage.

Still, all that time in bed had given Zhang Lexuan no real rest.

She had been resisting the backlash and suppressing the chaotic Soul Power within her all along. Even as a Soul Douluo, she could barely endure it.

But with time to recuperate, she could make a full recovery.

"Teacher Li..."

Zhang Lexuan's voice was faint as a mosquito's buzz. Li Musheng leaned closer.

"How long... has it been?"

Hearing her clearly, Li Musheng straightened and replied, "It's been two and a half months since Xuan Zi brought you here."

"What about the others? How... are they?"

Li Musheng assumed Zhang Lexuan meant the other Inner Court disciples. He had no idea that two of those injured by Ma Xiaotao had also witnessed the incident firsthand.

As far as he knew, the Academy had held funerals for the four Inner Court disciples who had died in battle, then buried them in the garden behind the Inspection Corps Monument.

Two other students had survived their grave injuries, but they had been left disabled and might never make another breakthrough.

Given her condition, though, he could only tell her the good news to avoid upsetting her.

"They're all fine. What matters most now is that you rest and recover. They're all waiting for you to get better!"

Star Dou Great Forest.

Feeling the tremendous leap in her strength, Xiao Xiao opened her bright, watery eyes and jumped up in excitement.

Two gleaming yellow Soul Rings circled her body. She had finally become a Soul Grandmaster.

At the thought, she planted her hands on her hips, unable to hide the pride on her face.

"Lu Yi, I'm Level 21 now. What do you think?"

For some reason, Xiao Xiao felt that these past few days of Soul Hunting had been her most relaxing time in a while, despite being in the dangerous Star Dou Great Forest.

Lu Yi did not stint on praise. "Congratulations! You're one of the strong ones among this year's freshmen now."

Hearing Lu Yi call her strong made Xiao Xiao even happier. When the group set off again, she practically skipped along.

After spending several days with her, Lu Yi discovered that this seemingly shy little girl was actually quite lively.

Yet she often wore a worried frown and seemed under enormous pressure. She had even developed a sense of inferiority, which surprised him.

You have Twin Martial Souls!

On average, Twin Martial Souls appear only once in nearly a hundred years. Any Soul Master with them would have their tail sticking up to the sky. How can you feel inferior?

But through their conversations, Lu Yi finally understood the root of the problem.

Xiao Xiao's homeroom teacher—Zhou Yi.

Lu Yi had never heard Huo Yuhao complain about Zhou Yi. On the contrary, her teaching methods seemed to motivate him to train even harder.

Wang Dong, meanwhile, was not the sort to brood. She would curse a little, vent her frustration, then go right back to eating and drinking as usual.

Perhaps because he had spent so much time with Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, Lu Yi knew only that Zhou Yi was strict. He had never asked how she usually taught.

But judging by Xiao Xiao's account, Zhou Yi was truly terrifying.

Words like "useless" and "trash" were practically pinned to every student in Freshman Class One. If someone displeased Zhou Yi, even harsher words awaited them.

Some had been unable to bear her abuse and had openly defied her.

No one knew where those students were now. They certainly were not at Shrek anymore.

Only seventy students remained in Zhou Yi's class. She had expelled a full thirty.

Remembering that, in the original story, Xiao Xiao had added a Hundred-Year Soul Ring to her Second Martial Soul ahead of time, Lu Yi understood.

Unable to bear the pressure, Xiao Xiao must have made that desperate choice, sacrificing her own future potential.

What a silly girl!

Just show her your Second Martial Soul. If Zhou Yi still dares to expel you, the Academy will readmit you the moment she does.

If she won't teach you, plenty of others will!

Lu Yi could not say all that outright, but Xiao Xiao's worries were easy enough to address.

He only had to praise her now and then and offer a little encouragement. That settled it.

As the deputy class monitor of Class Nine, Lu Yi knew the cultivation levels of his classmates.

Of the class's hundred students, fewer than twenty had reached Soul Grandmaster.

Even across the entire freshman year, the figure was unlikely to exceed thirty percent.

And with Wang Yan, a teacher specializing in theory, backing him up, Lu Yi's praise carried weight.

After hearing praise again and again, Xiao Xiao finally seemed to realize over the past two days that she was not nearly as bad as Zhou Yi claimed.

Once that thought took hold, she visibly brightened. She also put the idea of adding a Soul Ring to her Second Martial Soul out of her mind.

"Lu Yi, what sort of Soul Beast is Teacher Wang looking for you?" A probing look flashed through Xiao Xiao's eyes as she tried to get an answer from him.

They had encountered quite a few Soul Beasts over the past two days. Several had seemed suitable to her, but Wang Yan had found none satisfactory and had not let Lu Yi absorb a Soul Ring from any of them.

He was so particular that Xiao Xiao felt even her own elders had not taken such care when helping her hunt for a Soul Ring. She could not help feeling envious.

Lu Yi did not know what Soul Beast Wang Yan was looking for either, so he shook his head.

Still, he trusted that, with Wang Yan's expertise, whichever Soul Beast he chose would have something special about it.

As the two spoke, a loud commotion came from ahead. Wang Yan, who was leading the way, immediately raised a hand for silence.

"Stay here and don't move. I'll take a look!"

With that, the Dragon Pattern Staff appeared in Wang Yan's hand, and he darted into the thicket ahead in the blink of an eye.

The others exchanged puzzled glances, but the next moment, Wang Yan's excited voice rang out.

"Lu Yi, come quickly! You'll never guess what I found!"