The Calm Before the Storm

"Ugh... My head hurts..."

On a hospital bed in Shrek Academy's Outer Court infirmary, Huo Yutong let out a soft groan and opened her eyes with some difficulty.

Seeing that she was awake, a delighted voice rang out beside her.

"Yutong, you're awake? How do you feel now?"

Turning her head slightly, she saw Tang Wulin looking at her with concern.

She checked the condition of her body and answered,

"I'm fine. My head just hurts a little, and I don't have much strength... Come to think of it, did I faint?"

"Mm." After confirming that Huo Yutong was all right, Tang Wulin visibly sighed in relief. "The infirmary doctor said you'd overdrawn both your Spiritual Power and Soul Power. He also said that, judging from your condition, you probably hadn't relaxed much lately and had been pushing yourself too hard."

By this point, he was clearly unhappy.

"Yutong, you need to take care of yourself. You can't keep cultivating like your life depends on it, or the people around you will worry."

"...It's not that bad."

Huo Yutong guiltily looked away.

For some reason, when Xiao Xiao said something similar, she could easily argue back. But when facing Tang Wulin, she had no confidence to talk back at all.

She was even a little happy to hear his concern for her.

That unfamiliar feeling left her at a loss.

Tang Wulin sighed.

"Forget it. You fainted in class partly because I didn't pay enough attention to how you were doing. If I'd noticed something was wrong sooner, things definitely wouldn't have turned out like this."

At that point, he suddenly remembered a question.

He had wanted to ask it throughout the entire class, but with people around them, he had not been able to bring himself to ask.

Now that they were in the infirmary and the doctor had just stepped out, this was the perfect chance.

"Yutong, isn't your soul skill Spiritual Detection Sharing? Why were you able to knock your opponents unconscious from a distance?"

He had not been able to figure it out for the entire class.

Zhou Sichen and Dai Huabin were both extremely powerful opponents. With Tang Wulin's current strength, he might not necessarily defeat either of them one-on-one.

The reason those two battles had gone so easily was largely due to Huo Yutong's mysterious offensive ability.

That kind of Attack Power was clearly something only a soul skill could possess, yet Tang Wulin knew Huo Yutong's soul skill, and it obviously had no such offensive capability.

So how had she done it?

Huo Yutong hesitated before explaining,

"My Spirit Eyes Martial Soul has a spiritual attribute. Because it's highly compatible with the Tang Sect's Purple Demon Eyes Cultivation Technique, I developed a skill similar to a spiritual attack from it. It works quite well for catching people off guard, but it consumes a lot."

"So that's how it is." Tang Wulin did not doubt her words and was greatly surprised. "I never expected Purple Demon Eyes to have such a hidden ability. Unfortunately, I'm not part of the Spiritual System, so I probably can't use it the way you do."

"..."

Huo Yutong did not respond. Looking into Tang Wulin's trusting eyes, she felt guilt fill her heart.

Tang Wulin trusted her so much, yet she had lied to him. It made her feel terrible.

If she had only possessed four First Soul Skills, she probably would have come clean to Tang Wulin long ago.

The problem was that Tian Meng, who had given her those soul skills, possessed intelligence and had given her a second chance at life. No matter what, she could not reveal Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's existence.

Being caught in the middle like this made her feel miserable.

She did not notice the worried expression Tang Wulin wore as he looked at her.

In his view, Huo Yutong's pained expression was surely due to lingering effects from having exhausted her Spiritual Power.

The infirmary doctor had just told him that it would be best to let Huo Yutong rest for two days.

But he understood Huo Yutong's temperament. She would most likely never allow herself to slack off.

What should he do...

At that moment, as if struck by inspiration, Tang Wulin suddenly remembered what Wang Dong had said to him in the dormitory that morning.

"Wulin, whenever Shrek City enrolls new students each year, it holds all sorts of events collectively known as the Opening Festival. Want to take a look around with me this weekend?"

Tang Wulin had refused at the time, saying that he needed to earn money through forging. But now that he thought about it, wasn't this a perfect opportunity?

He could take Huo Yutong out of the dormitory and let her relax, while keeping a close eye on her so she would not push herself too hard.

It was like being handed a pillow just when he was sleepy.

Tang Wulin excitedly said to Huo Yutong,

"Yutong, how about we go have some fun in Shrek City together tomorrow? It's the weekend."

"..."

Hearing his words, Huo Yutong blinked in astonishment.

"...Huh?"

In a corner of Shrek Academy, Dai Huabin leaned against a wall with a dark expression.

Before long, several men in black arrived before him, lowered their heads, and respectfully said,

"Young Master, what are your orders?"

Dai Huabin said coldly,

"I want you to help me get rid of someone."

Tang Wulin had repeatedly humiliated him in front of the entire class and had even taken the class monitor position that should have been his. He could no longer tolerate him.

The bloodthirsty education he had received since childhood taught him that if he wanted something, he had to seize it with all his strength.

Thus, in his eyes, Tang Wulin was not much different from a dead man.

The men in black exchanged glances. In the end, their leader cautiously asked,

"Young Master, is the target you want us to eliminate a student of Shrek Academy?"

"Yes."

The leader's face immediately fell.

"Young Master, please reconsider. Even the Duke's Mansion cannot casually touch Shrek Academy's students."

"You mean Inner Court Disciples, right?" Dai Huabin remained unmoved. "Don't be afraid. The person I want you to kill isn't an Inner Court Disciple. He's not even more than a first-year freshman. Even if you touch him, the academy won't say anything."

"This..."

The man in black wanted to say more, but Dai Huabin grabbed him by the collar.

A ferocious light flashed in his eyes as he snarled,

"Enough. You're nothing more than my dogs. Know your place, and don't forget the Duke's Mansion's kindness toward you!"

With that, he exerted force and flung the leader of the men in black to the ground.

The other men in black all lowered their heads, concealing their emotions.

Lying on the ground, the leader's eyes turned savage for an instant before he buried the look deep within. Rising to his feet, he said,

"This subordinate understands. I'll go make arrangements immediately."

"Hmph."

Dai Huabin merely snorted in response, indicating that he had heard.

Seeing this, the men in black deeply bowed to him before turning and leaving.

A vicious glint flashed through the leader's eyes.

He had already warned that Second Young Master who did not know the immensity of heaven and earth. Since he refused to listen, what happened next would no longer be within that brat's control.

He had endured quite a lot of anger during this time. Since Dai Huabin was about to die anyway, he did not mind risking his life to take that Profligate Young Master down with him.