The proctor's expression changed. He was just about to step forward to stop him, but when his eyes met Lin Mo's blue-gold, diamond-shaped pupils, his heart gave a violent tremor!
One glance was enough to freeze every limb in his body, leaving him unable to take even half a step.
Lin Mo swept straight past him.
One step.
A yellow Soul Ring traced with blue patterns slowly rose beneath his feet.
Two steps.
The Soul Ring lit up.
Boom-!
The heavenly might emanating from Lin Mo surged!
The three-ring Soul Elder had only just recovered from the shadow of the light blade when he looked up and saw a foot bearing the force of wind and thunder slam into his chest.
Bam!!
Without so much as a chance to resist, the three-ring Soul Elder flew backward like a cannonball fired from its barrel, smashing hard into the ground dozens of meters away and tumbling much farther before finally coming to a stop.
Pfft-!
He spat out a great mouthful of blood, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out.
A deathly silence fell over the entire arena.
Under the pressure of that terrifying heavenly might emanating from Lin Mo, not a single person present dared step forward to stop him.
On the elevated spectator platform.
Watching the scene below, Wang Yan adjusted his glasses, his brows creasing slightly, then turned to the dean of studies beside him, Du Weilun. "Director, aren't you going to stop him?"
Du Weilun glanced at him. "If you're not afraid of getting struck by lightning when you step outside or suffering a backlash during cultivation, go right ahead. I promise I won't stop you."
Wang Yan immediately fell silent.
Was he kidding? Go against the Heavenly Mandate Mystic Bird? Did he think his life had been going too smoothly?
In the infirmary.
After an examination by a high-ranking healing-type soul master, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er were both found to be largely unharmed. Only Xiao Xiao was in poor condition. In the battle just now, she had overdrawn not only her Soul Power but also her Spiritual Power.
Thus, after taking a healing pill, Xiao Xiao fell into a deep coma.
The teacher treating her also said that she needed at least a full day and night of rest, without any disturbances, to avoid lasting aftereffects.
By a conservative estimate, Xiao Xiao would be unable to participate in the matches that afternoon or the following morning.
Lin Mo stood beside Xiao Xiao's hospital bed, looking at her little face, which usually held such liveliness but was now utterly bloodless. His brows involuntarily drew tighter and tighter.
Suddenly, he remembered what Zhou Yi had said.
His body was itself a miraculous medicine, capable of reviving the dead and restoring flesh to bare bones, though he did not know whether that was true.
So Lin Mo decided to try.
After making certain there was no one else in the infirmary, he raised his left hand, and a sharp strand of blue-gold Soul Power emerged from his fingertip.
After drawing a deep breath, he slowly sliced open his right wrist.
Yet the instant blood spilled out, Lin Mo himself froze.
A normal person's blood should have been bright red.
His blood, however, was golden-red.
Flecks of gold shimmered within the deep crimson, radiant light flowing through it at a glance. More troubling still, a strange fragrance faintly wafted from the blood, crisp and lingering, almost impossibly pleasant.
Lin Mo swallowed.
This didn't seem to be Tang Seng's flesh anymore, but something from some webnovel...
A dual cultivation furnace?!
The moment that thought arose, chills ran down Lin Mo's back, and he hurriedly looked up.
Good, good.
No strange labels like "Pure Yang Sacred Physique" had appeared above his head.
Lin Mo hesitated no longer and pressed his wrist directly to Xiao Xiao's lips. The instant the golden-red blood touched them, it transformed into a golden streak of light and disappeared into her mouth.
Then something strange happened.
Specks of blue-gold light began to radiate from Xiao Xiao's entire body, floating up like fireflies and gently enveloping her.
Her pale little face regained its rosy color at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Even her skin grew increasingly fine and smooth.
Lin Mo reached out and gently touched her cheek. It was practically like a freshly peeled egg, unbelievably soft and smooth.
So his blood could not only revive the dead and restore flesh to bare bones...
It could also beautify the skin??
If word got out, wouldn't every woman on the continent come hunting him down??
Just as Lin Mo's thoughts wandered, a soft murmur suddenly reached his ears, instantly drawing his attention back.
He lowered his gaze.
Xiao Xiao's two rows of thick eyelashes fluttered before her eyes slowly opened. As her vision gradually cleared, the first thing she saw was Lin Mo's wrist, still seeping blood.
Her pupils abruptly contracted, and she practically sprang upright.
"Lin Mo!"
Xiao Xiao seized his hand, her other hand hastily pressing against his wound, her voice frantic and anxious:
"How did you get hurt? Who hurt you? Is it serious?"
"I'll go find a teach-"
Lin Mo instinctively tried to pull his hand back, only to discover that the girl's grip had suddenly become exceptionally strong. She actually dragged him two steps outward.
"I'm fine."
After steadying himself, he shook his head helplessly and said:
"Don't worry about me yet. Check your body. Does anything still feel uncomfortable?"
Xiao Xiao paused, then closed her eyes and carefully examined herself.
A moment later, her eyes flew open, filled with incredulous delight. "Oh my goodness, Lin Mo! I'm better! I'm completely better!"
"My Spiritual Power and Soul Power are both fully restored! I don't feel uncomfortable at all!" Her little face flushed red with excitement, and her grip on his hand tightened further. "This is amazing! H-how did you do it?!"
Lin Mo's skill at spinning lies had long since reached perfect mastery, and the words rolled off his tongue:
"We have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, so we naturally complement each other. On top of that, my Martial Soul is special, giving my blood a tiny bit of healing ability."
"So I tried feeding you some. Judging by things now, it worked pretty well."
As Xiao Xiao listened, her eyes suddenly reddened.
Looking at the wound on Lin Mo's wrist, her heart ached terribly. She leaned closer and gently blew on it.
"Lin Mo, does it hurt?"
Lin Mo froze.
"...No."
The next instant, Xiao Xiao's pupils abruptly widened.
Lin Mo bent his right leg backward, slowly bending his other leg as he sank straight down onto one knee before her.
One above, one below, their eyes met.
Xiao Xiao's breath caught.
She stared blankly at the boy so close before her-Lin Mo's face, usually so lazy and composed, held none of its customary nonchalance now. His eyes brimmed with a tenderness she had never seen before.
Lin Mo looked up at Xiao Xiao, who sat on the edge of the bed before him, raised a hand to ruffle her hair, and said with a smile:
"Now that Xiao Xiao's blown on it for me, it doesn't hurt anymore."
Xiao Xiao felt a buzz inside her head, as though something had exploded. Her cheeks burned at a speed visible to the naked eye, the redness spreading all the way to her ears.
Lin Mo, h-he-what was he doing?!
How could he do this! That was far too unfair!!
But where neither of them noticed, a bead of golden-red blood suddenly trembled at the edge of the still-unhealed wound on Lin Mo's wrist.
Then a strange sight unfolded.
As though suddenly coming alive, the blood stopped sliding down his skin and quietly began to move instead. Like a tiny golden-red spirit snake, it silently climbed onto Xiao Xiao's fingertip resting against his wrist.
Round and round, it slowly wound upward.
Strand after strand, extending without end.
Seen from afar, it looked just like a red thread, one end tied to his wrist and the other twined around her hand.
Binding the two tightly together.