A Cramp

"Wulin, promise me you'll take the train less often in the future."

Jiang Mingyuan released Tang Wulin's hand.

Six astonishing Soul Ring, red, red, red, and gold, rose from beneath his feet.

A powerful aura of Soul Power erupted from that seemingly petite body.

The knot binding his hair burned away under the intense heat, and his long hair fluttered wildly amidst the surging Soul Power. A pair of blood-red wings burning with jet-black Flame rose from his back, and Jiang Mingyuan ascended into the air.

With a gentle wave of his hand, Jiang Mingyuan unleashed a visible burst of intense heat that radiated outwards from himself in a 360-degree circle, creating a crimson domain with a radius of 500 meters.

All enemies that appeared within the area were instantly incinerated, leaving not even ashes.

"This power... no wonder Yun Ming paying so much attention to this kid," Cai Yue'er murmured to herself, then turned back to confront the Red-Grade Mecha.

On the roof of the vehicle, Xie Xie swallowed hard. He stared blankly at the burnt remains of the Mecha on the ground, reduced to mere fragments.

"Did you see that? That was a Purple-Grade Mecha, and Jiang Mingyuan burned it to ashes in an instant."

Xie Xie's family was in the Mecha business, and he developed a love for Mecha from a young age. He already owned a simple Mecha when he was at the Eastsea Academy. After entering Shrek Academy, he not only manufactured Battle Armor but also made time to prepare his own Mecha.

Xie Xie only managed to upgrade his Mecha to a Purple-Grade Mecha after the start of this semester. At the time, he proudly boasted to everyone that he would find an opportunity to show them how powerful he was in piloting his Mecha.

Xie Xie still remembers that Jiang Mingyuan just smiled slightly at the time.

Xie Xie finally realized the gap between himself and geniuses. The Mecha he had painstakingly acquired could be reduced to ashes with a mere flick of his wrist by others.

Within the area, endless Flame erupted, annihilating every terrorist who tried to rush in.

Fifteen minutes later.

Once again, a dense swarm of black dots appeared on the horizon; this time, the Star Luo Empire's army had finally arrived.

Seeing this, the terrorist members did not linger in the fight, immediately turned their guns around, and scattered and fled.

Jiang Mingyuan withdrew his domain and slowly landed next to Tang Wulin. However, Jiang Mingyuan was clearly not fully recovered at this moment.

Since merging with the Phoenix God Core, Jiang Mingyuan's mental strength and soul resilience have increased dramatically.

Currently, 60% of the Flame intensity is enough to maintain normal alertness.

"Brother Yuan, are you alright?" Tang Wulin pulled Jiang Mingyuan into his arms.

"It's nothing serious. I'll rest for a while. Thank you for your help, Wulin."

After murmuring a few words in Tang Wulin's arms, Jiang Mingyuan fainted.

When Jiang Mingyuan woke up again, he found himself in a hotel room.

"Brother Yuan, you're awake. Don't move, just lie down and rest."

Upon seeing this, Tang Wulin, who was sitting on another bed watching over Jiang Mingyuan, immediately got up and went to Jiang Mingyuan.

"Wulin, what's the situation now?"

Tang Wulin first took a glass of water from the bedside table and fed it to Jiang Mingyuan, who was lying on the bed, little by little with a spoon. Then he explained, "Brother Yuan, we're in Star Luo City now. As soon as the Star Luo Empire's army arrived, those terrorists were driven away. I asked Teacher Wu, and those who attacked us were from a terrorist organization called Green Skull."

How long did I sleep?

Tang Wulin reached out and rubbed Jiang Mingyuan's forehead, checking that his body temperature had completely returned to normal, which meant that Jiang Mingyuan had basically recovered from the effects of his corruption.

"You've only slept for half a day, it's alright, rest a bit more. I'll go to the restaurant and bring you some food." With that, Tang Wulin bent down slightly.

Still not fully conscious, Jiang Mingyuan mumbled a thank you.

The blanket was bulging, and Jiang Xiaoyue had somehow transformed into human form. Jiang Mingyuan hastily pulled his daughter into his arms; the little one was warm and cozy, and it felt especially comfortable to hold her.

Tang Wulin smiled as he looked at the heartwarming scene, but his expression changed after he left the room.

Tang Wulin slammed his fist into the wall. If he hadn't held back a bit, the wall would probably have been left with a big hole.

"I'm still too weak. I must become stronger, strong enough to protect Brother Yuan behind me."

The next morning, the first rays of sunlight rose in the east.

A faint purple hue seeped into my eyes.

Tang Wulin didn't sleep all night; the helplessness he felt in the face of disaster transformed into motivation for cultivation.

Jiang Mingyuan held Jiang Xiaoyue in his arms, and the mother and daughter peeked out from under the covers, watching quietly.

"Call."

Tang Wulin exhaled a long breath, indicating that he had completed his cultivation of the Purple Demon Eye for the day.

"Hey! Brother Yuan, when did you wake up?"

Tang Wulin immediately spotted Jiang Mingyuan, who was staring at him with a smile.

"Hmm." Jiang Mingyuan tilted his head back, tapping his chin with his finger as if deep in thought. "It's been about half an hour, hasn't it? You're too focused on your cultivation. Didn't you notice a thing in the past half hour? I've been watching you the whole time."

No, no.

"Brother Yuan, have you been staring at me like this for half an hour?"

Jiang Mingyuan smiled.

"Yes, because you look so reassuring."

Since that attempt, the fusion of their Soul Power has reached 100%.

Jiang Mingyuan's mental strength was strong enough that he could vaguely sense Tang Wulin's unease.

Jiang Mingyuan could understand Tang Wulin's desire to become stronger, but becoming stronger was something that couldn't be rushed; it had to be done step by step.

But seeing Tang Wulin's anxious expression, Jiang Mingyuan felt quite uneasy.

After much deliberation, Jiang Mingyuan decided to help him change his mindset.

Jiang Mingyuan stood up, holding Jiang Xiaoyue in his arms. The large, fluffy blanket was placed on top of their heads, like a small tent, to cover Jiang Mingyuan's movements.

Under Tang Wulin's curious gaze.

Jiang Mingyuan stood up abruptly.

Jiang Mingyuan began to lift the blanket little by little, raising it upwards.

You can guess for yourselves. I lost to the auditors.

Half an hour later.

There was a loud knocking on the guest room door.

Xie Xie's voice came from outside the door.

"Tang Wulin, Jiang Mingyuan, are you two up yet? Teacher Wu wants us to meet at the restaurant."

Xie Xie only heard a flurry of footsteps coming from the room, followed by Tang Wulin's voice.

"Xie Xie, you... you go first. Please tell Teacher Wu that Brother Yuan and I will come down in a little while."

Tang Wulin's tone was strange, but Xie Xie didn't think much of it.

"Perhaps Jiang Mingyuan hasn't recovered yet," Xie Xie replied, then turned and walked downstairs.

The situation in the room at this time.

Jiang Mingyuan wrapped Jiang Xiaoyue tightly in the quilt.

Jiang Mingyuan covered his mouth and laughed uncontrollably at Tang Wulin's embarrassed look.

"Brother Yuan, don't laugh at me. You're the one who started this."

Tang Wulin exuded youth and vitality.

Not to mention that as Tang Wulin gradually absorbed the Golden Dragon King Bloodline, some characteristics of the Dragon Race also began to manifest in him.

In short, Tang Wulin's current appearance is not suitable for meeting outsiders for the time being.

Jiang Mingyuan stopped laughing. He was a very responsible person, after all. Besides, if things dragged on and they came looking for him, it would be difficult to explain.

Jiang Mingyuan gently patted Jiang Xiaoyue's head.

"Xiaoyue, how about we play a game? Mom will get out of bed in a little while, and you'll stay in bed all by yourself. Wrap yourself up tightly in the blankets, don't look outside, close your eyes, and cover your ears. No matter what noises you hear, don't come out. You can only come out when Mom calls you, okay? The longer you stay in bed, the more snacks Mom will buy you, okay?"

Jiang Xiaoyue, who was at the most beautiful and innocent age, nodded happily as soon as she heard there were snacks to eat.

The little child huddled under the covers, covering his ears and silently counting in his mind.

Jiang Mingyuan got out of bed.

Half an hour later.

The group of people who had already finished breakfast in the restaurant saw Jiang and Tang walking slowly towards them.

"Hey? Jiang Mingyuan, what happened to your hair?" Xie Xie noticed something was wrong at a glance.

"Ah." Jiang Mingyuan was taken aback, then quickly explained (made up a lie). "It was washing my hair, I washed my hair this morning."

Why is your face red?

"He looks refreshed."

"Why are you acting strange?"

Jiang Mingyuan, suppressing the urge to beat Xie Xie to death, gritted his teeth and said, "He's got a cramp."