Tang San: Lin Ye! You Have Sealed Your Own Doom!

A long time passed.

Flender finally recovered a little strength. He forced himself to rally and swept his gaze over Tang San and the others.

"Ahem."

Flender cleared his dry throat and said hoarsely, "Now... this is no longer the time to argue over right and wrong."

"Shrek... no longer exists for now. But you..." Flender paused, his gaze settling on Tang San and the others. "You're still here. Our Shrek cannot end here."

Dai Mubai drew a deep breath. He knew someone had to step forward now and fight for the academy's survival.

He straightened his back and said decisively, "Dean, Grandmaster, I'll handle the money. Although I... spent quite a bit earlier."

Dai Mubai gave Flender a discreet glance, choosing to skip over the matter of hiring someone to assassinate Lin Ye.

"But I still have some savings. Not much, but it should be enough to find us somewhere to stay and get us through this crisis first."

"For the academy, I'm willing to give every last bit of it."

A flicker of surprise crossed Flender's eyes, and warmth stirred in his heart. He opened his mouth, wanting to offer his thanks, but in the end, he merely nodded heavily.

At Dai Mubai's words, Ma Hongjun's and Oscar's eyes instantly lit up.

Yu Xiaogang finally struggled free of his emotional low as well. His theories were not useless; they simply had yet to be widely proven. Perhaps Lin Ye was merely an exception.

Bracing himself against the wall, he slowly rose and wiped the tear stains from his face.

"Flen... Boss, what we need now is an extremely cheap temporary base, somewhere to settle down, recover, and continue cultivating. The lowliest... cheapest inn or a shared cottage in Suotuo City is our only choice right now."

As Yu Xiaogang spoke, his gaze gradually sharpened.

"Then comes the Soul Fighting Arena! We can participate in soul fighting every day. Not only will it hone our practical combat skills and build experience, it will also bring in money quickly, covering our basic expenses and the cost of finding a stable base."

Flender looked at Yu Xiaogang, then at Dai Mubai and the others. A bitter hope of finding life in a hopeless situation slowly rose within him.

He rubbed his face hard, casting aside all his anguish.

"Good! That's our only option! Mubai, about the money... thank you for this. I'll pay you back someday."

"Xiao Gang, you'll be responsible for finding a place. Remember, the cheaper, the better! Everyone else..."

He looked at Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and Tang San, who was still immersed in grief, and said, "Pull yourselves together! Shrek's monsters can be knocked down, but they will never be crushed!"

After rekindling their fighting spirit, Flender walked over to Tang San.

Looking at this boy who had just lost his father, at those eyes still burning with hatred yet forcing down the pain to remain clearheaded, he felt a stab of anguish.

He reached out and gave Tang San's shoulder a firm pat, saying gravely, "Little San, don't bottle it up. Carve this hatred and this pain into your heart, and turn them into strength."

"Only by living on and growing stronger will you have a chance to settle the score. Our academy has been destroyed, but we haven't scattered! Wherever we are, that is your home."

Tang San abruptly raised his head and looked at Flender.

Within his bloodshot eyes, scorching hatred and icy reason intertwined, struggling against each other.

After a long while, he finally nodded.

"I'll remember that, Dean."

Tang San's voice was utterly cold, as though it came from the depths of the Ninefold Netherworld, devoid of any warmth and filled only with bone-deep killing intent.

"Lin Ye, you have sealed your own doom! One day, I will take the head from your shoulders as an offering to my father's spirit in heaven!"

Meanwhile, amid Shrek's ruins.

"Mm..."

Lin Ye's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was the deep night sky, and...

"You're awake!"

Two female voices rang out at once, filled with delighted surprise.

One carried excitement and a trace of worry; the other held an almost imperceptible tenderness beneath its coolness.

Lin Ye tilted his head slightly. His vision was a little blurry, and all he could feel was a warm, soft sensation beneath the back of his head.

He finally realized that his head was resting on something.

His gaze gradually focused, and at last he could make out the person above him...

It was Zhu Zhuqing.

Her thighs were serving as his temporary pillow. Cool moonlight spilled across her face, tracing its graceful contours, while her deep, beautiful eyes remained fixed on him.

Turning his head again, he saw Ning Rongrong crouching beside him, her face a mixture of joy and profound worry.

"How long... was I asleep?"

Ning Rongrong hurriedly replied, "Several hours! It's already dark! Brother Lin Ye, you scared us to death earlier! How do you feel? How's your body? Does anything still hurt?"

Zhu Zhuqing said nothing, but her gaze never left Lin Ye's face, and her eyes were filled with worry. She was every bit as anxious as Ning Rongrong.

Lin Ye tried moving his body, and his brows immediately furrowed.

The aftereffects of releasing the Divine Seal were far too severe. His body was exceptionally weak now, and even his soul power was completely depleted.

Fortunately, nothing was seriously wrong with him. He had merely exhausted himself.

"What a familiar emptiness~" Lin Ye sighed helplessly.

The aftereffect of releasing the Divine Seal was a half-month period of weakness, during which he could not use any of his powers.

"Ahem..." Lin Ye coughed softly and tried to prop himself up.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing instinctively reached out and gently pressed down on Lin Ye's shoulder, her movement natural yet careful.

Ning Rongrong reached out to support his arm and settled him onto her own thighs.

"Brother Lin Ye, you should stay lying down."

Seeing how anxious the two girls were, Lin Ye felt a little warmth in his heart and obediently stopped moving.

"It's nothing serious. Rongrong, you don't need to worry. I'll just have to rely on you two to protect me and look after me for the next half month."

Both girls nodded.

Ning Rongrong spoke first. "I'll take care of you, Brother Lin Ye."

"Then I'll be responsible for keeping you safe," Zhu Zhuqing said.

"Where are we going next, Brother Lin Ye?" Ning Rongrong suddenly asked.

Lin Ye did not answer immediately, instead glancing around.

The buildings, the training grounds, and the distinctive archway had all vanished, leaving only a stretch of scorched earth.

Bricks and stones had been reduced to powder, and the vegetation had dissolved into ash and smoke. At the center lay a terrifying, bottomless ravine, its very existence silently recounting the horror of that earlier sword strike.

"Heh, it really was destroyed completely."

Lin Ye looked at the ruins and offered that casual assessment, as though he were merely watching an inconsequential fireworks display.

Only after thinking it over carefully did Lin Ye answer, "For our next stop, let's go to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. But before that..."

"Rongrong, our trip outside the sect isn't over yet. While I need time to recover, let's enjoy ourselves properly. Is there anywhere you'd like to see?"

Ning Rongrong thought for a while, then her eyes lit up. "How about we go see the sea?"