After the match, in the Shrek Academy's rest area, Tang San sat in a chair with his eyes closed, a tear in the back of his clothes revealing his pale skin.
The cost of the Eight Spider Lances shattering and shooting out was greater than he had anticipated.
Those fragments were part of his body; the moment they shattered, it was as if someone had torn pieces of flesh from his body.
Although the fragments can be recycled and reassembled, it takes time. His face was pale, and fine beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, but his back remained straight.
Dai Mubai stood to the side, arms crossed, saying nothing. Xiao Wu squatted beside Tang San, looking at the wound on his back, her lips pressed tightly together, her eyes filled with heartache.
Third Brother, your injury--
"I'm fine," Tang San opened his eyes. "I just need a few days of rest."
Just then, there was a knock at the door. A substitute player from Shrek walked in and said, "People from the Blazing Fire Academy are here. They want to see Tang San."
Tang San paused for a moment, then stood up and walked out of the lounge.
In the corridor, the teacher leading the team from the Blazing Fire Academy stood at the front, next to Huo Wushuang, whose expression was not good.
Behind Huo Wushuang were the other six members. All seven were poisoned, but Huo Wu and the two Support System were the most severely affected—they forcibly activated Huo Wu's Brilliant Sun after being poisoned, causing the poison to spread even further.
The three were pale, their lips were purple, and they were unsteady on their feet, needing the support of their teammates to stand. Purple poison marks remained on Huo Wu's arm, her flame temperature had dropped to freezing point, and her Martial Soul spirit was as sluggish as if it were dead.
Huo Wushuang and the other three team members were less severely poisoned, but they still looked unwell.
Upon seeing Tang San emerge, Huo Wushuang took a deep breath, stepped forward, and eagerly said, " Tang San, please help us detoxify."
Tang San looked at him but did not answer immediately.
Huo Wushuang clenched his fist, then relaxed it. He knew Tang San had no obligation to help.
There's no rule stating that the poison External Soul Bone must be cured. Attacks during the competition are permitted by the rules. When Blazing Fire Academy came to Tang San for an antidote, it was a request, not a demand.
"We can't cure the poison from the External Soul Bone ourselves," Huo Wushuang said in a low voice. " The Antidote Pill from the Pill Pavilion can only stabilize the condition, not eradicate it."
Tang San examined his back. After the Eight Spider Lances shattered, new bone spurs were slowly growing, but it would take at least another day to fully recover.
"My External Soul Bone, the Eight Spider Lances, has broken," Tang San said. "It needs to grow back to extract the toxins. It can't extract them now."
Huo Wushuang frowned. "Then what do we do?"
"Wait one day," Tang San said. "I'll help you detoxify tomorrow."
Huo Wushuang remained silent for a few moments, then nodded. He turned and walked back, supporting the swaying Huo Wu, and led the others away with their teacher.
The corridor fell silent again. Tang San stood there watching their departing figures, saying nothing.
He knew that while the Eight Spider Lances absorbed the toxins, they would also devour the essence of the Martial Soul. That was an inherent characteristic of the Eight Spider Lances, something he couldn't control. But he didn't say anything.
In the rest area of the Blazing Fire Academy, Huo Wu leaned back in her chair, her face pale and her lips purple. Two Support System sat beside her, equally weak and powerless.
Huo Wushuang took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket and poured out a few pills— Antidote Pill he had bought from the Pill Pavilion. Although they weren't specifically for the Eight Spider Lances poison, they could temporarily stabilize the situation and prevent the poison from worsening.
Huo Wu took the Antidote Pill, and her complexion improved slightly, but she was still weak, and her Soul Power was sluggish. The flame temperature was lower than before, and her Martial Soul's reaction was also slower.
Huo Wushuang looked at her and remained silent for a long time.
He recalled Feng Xiaotian's words before the match, " Tang San of Shrek is not as simple as he seems. Be careful."
He took those words to heart and made serious preparations. But he hadn't expected Tang San to have such a trump card as External Soul Bone. It wasn't that he didn't take it seriously, but he genuinely had no way to deal with it. Nevertheless, he still felt a little guilty.
The next day, Tang San's Eight Spider Lances grew back.
He stood in the rest area of the Blazing Fire Academy, eight purple bone spurs spread out behind him, gleaming with a cold light.
Huo Wu and the two Support System sat in chairs, their faces still pale and their Soul Power still sluggish.
Tang San walked up to Huo Wu and squatted down.
"Bear with it," he said.
One of the Eight Spider Lances ' bone spikes pierced Huo Wu's arm, and the purple toxin flowed back along the spike and was absorbed into Tang San's body.
Huo Wu felt something being drained away, not Soul Power, but something deeper, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
Tang San didn't look at her; he was focused on manipulating the Eight Spider Lances, slowly drawing out the poison. His movements were slow, and fine beads of sweat covered his forehead.
Huo Wushuang stood aside, watching Tang San's Eight Spider Lances pierce his sister's arm, his teeth grinding together.
But he knew Tang San was helping them detoxify, and he had no reason to stop him. He felt conflicted—grateful to Tang San for detoxifying them, yet heartbroken for his sister's suffering.
Huo Wu's flames slowly regained their temperature, and her Martial Soul's activity also recovered. But she always felt something was off, as if something was missing.
Tang San then sucked out the toxins from the two Support System in turn, and checked the other team members who had been hit by the shards, including Huo Wushuang. His movements were skilled and calm, as if he were doing something very ordinary.
The purple poison lines on Huo Wu's arm gradually faded. Her face was no longer pale, and her lips were no longer purple. But the temperature of her flames was slightly lower than before.
She sensed it, but couldn't quite put her finger on what the change was.
Tang San retrieved the Eight Spider Lances, stood up, and his face was paler than before. Absorbing the toxins had also taken a toll on the Eight Spider Lances, and his Soul Power had been significantly depleted.
"Alright," Tang San said.
Huo Wushuang glanced at him, nodded, and said nothing. Tang San turned and left.
Huo Wu sat in the chair, watching Tang San's departing figure, and remained silent for a long time.
A few days later, Huo Wushuang found Feng Xiaotian.
"Thank you for reminding me to be careful of Tang San before the match, but things changed in an instant, and no one expected Tang San to have such a trump card. We still fell for it."
Feng Xiaotian remained silent.
Huo Wushuang was silent for a few moments, then said, " Tang San cured us of the poison. But I still feel like something's not right—everyone is different than before. Xiao Wu's flame temperature is lower than before, and her Martial Soul's reaction is slower. Although it's not obvious, it's definitely different."
Feng Xiaotian glanced at him but didn't press the matter. He knew Tang San's Eight Spider Lances were poisonous, but he didn't know what the aftereffects would be after the antidote was administered.
Huo Wushuang didn't say anything more and turned to leave.
Feng Xiaotian stood there watching his retreating figure, remained silent for a moment, and then went to find Feng Lingtian.
"Will the poison from the Eight Spider Lances still have any effects after the antidote is administered?" Feng Xiaotian asked.
Feng Lingtian was silent for a moment. He knew the answer. The poison of the Eight Spider Lances would devour the essence of Martial Soul. Detoxification only cleared away the poison; what had been devoured could not be brought back.
But he didn't say, he couldn't explain how he knew.
"I don't know," Feng Lingtian said.
Feng Xiaotian glanced at him but didn't ask any further questions.
This unknown issue can only be studied gradually in the future.