Upon hearing Dai Mubai say that the item was shattered, the members of Shrek Academy were instantly shocked, their mouths agape, and for a moment, they even intentionally slowed their breathing.
Even Yu Xiaogang, who was always adept at comforting others, was momentarily at a loss.
The Nine Heart Begonia was indeed a top-tier healing-type Martial Soul, but it wasn't omnipotent; it couldn't regenerate lost limbs.
After a long silence, it was Yu Xiaogang who finally broke the tension. He stepped forward and patted Dai Mubai's shoulder: "Mubai, don't worry, we'll all help you figure this out. I'll go check some resources for you first."
With that, Yu Xiaogang walked out of the room without looking back.
"Mubai, don't worry, I'll go ask around for you right now," Flender quickly added, enduring the severe pain in his body, and hurriedly followed Yu Xiaogang out.
"Mubai, don't worry."
"Don't lose heart."
"..."
Faced with such a situation, everyone was at a loss and quickly offered some words of comfort before leaving the room to give Dai Mubai some private space.
Even the injured Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ma Hongjun chose to move to another location.
In another room far from Dai Mubai, everyone looked grave and troubled.
Ma Hongjun, who had lost his playful mood, said, "That Li Xun is really despicable. Not only did he steal Mubai's fiancée and force him to break off the engagement, but now he's also crippled Mubai. What should we do?"
"Ahem, we must help Mubai avenge this," Flender coughed lightly.
"But Li Xun is from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Can we really go there to demand an explanation?" Yu Xiaogang shot Flender a glance.
"..."
"Ahem, let's study Li Xun's skills together. It's also a way to prepare for future revenge," Tang San, seeing the awkward atmosphere, decided to change the topic and proceeded to explain Li Xun's skill performances in detail.
Everyone now had a general understanding of Li Xun's Martial Soul abilities.
"Look at how scared you all are. Actually, the low-level skills of plant-type Soul Masters are nothing to fear."
Zhao Wuji snorted coldly, "Take Xiao San's Soul Skills as an example. When the opponent's strength reaches a certain level, his first Soul Skill will be completely useless. That Li Xun should be the same."
Zhao Wuji had once fought Tang San during the entrance exam. Things like Blue Silver Grass, when he limited his strength, were just things that could be easily broken with a little effort.
If it weren't for Tang San's use of some vicious Hidden Weapons, how could he have been injured?
Several teachers, including Flender, nodded thoughtfully. With their strength, except for support-type Soul Masters, they usually start with the Third Soul Skill in battles. They rarely use skills below the Third Soul Skill in combat.
Only Yu Xiaogang frowned slightly upon hearing this.
"Ahem, let me add something."
Flender recalled Tang San's skill performances: "Flying abilities also counter plant-type Soul Masters."
Plant-type Soul Masters generally rely on the ground for combat. If they encounter a Soul Master who can fly, they can easily be worn down. Of course, to quickly resolve battles, Soul Masters usually engage in direct confrontations, and there's rarely a situation of slowly wearing down the opponent.
"And speed," Yu Xiaogang spoke up calmly as he listened to the discussion.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Yes, even if a plant-type Soul Master's control is strong, it's all for naught if the opponent can dodge it.
"Xiao San, Tianheng, starting today, you will treat Li Xun as your imaginary opponent for special training, aiming to crush him underfoot in one fell swoop," Yu Xiaogang said, his gaze sweeping the room before finally settling on Tang San and Yu Tianheng. "Use this to wash away the shame of your previous defeat and avenge Mubai."
"Yes, Teacher, Uncle," Tang San and Yu Tianheng responded in unison, their spirits lifted.
The rest of the Shrek Eight Monsters were also infected by this sentiment, nodding solemnly. They all silently vowed to crush Li Xun underfoot.
Cao's Inn
Li Xun and a few others were gathered in a room for a meeting. It was a critical review and interrogation session aimed at him.
"Li Xun~ge~ge~, where have you been this past month? You've even become much handsomer," Ning Rongrong clung to Li Xun's arm, pressing herself against him, her voice dripping with coquettishness. "I want to be like you too~~"
"I just felt restless and decided to take a walk to clear my mind. Unexpectedly, I found a Soul Bone along the way. After absorbing it, I ended up looking like this," Li Xun replied, his skin crawling as he desperately tried to push Ning Rongrong's head away, wanting to escape from this clingy girl.
As people who spent every day together, those close to him would naturally know everything about him.
The flying ability of this 100,000 Year Soul Bone was something he would inevitably use in the future. But to avoid leaving a bad impression in everyone's minds, Li Xun decided to weave a small lie, gradually revealing the truth.
Mainly, he had the confidence.
He wasn't Shi Hao, and these people wouldn't think of digging out his Supreme Bone. They would only hope for him to grow stronger and stronger, until he could lead the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School to new heights. And with his status as a Twin Spirits, wasn't that more valuable than a 100,000 Year Soul Bone?
Moreover, Sword Douluo and Tang Hao had recently had some conflicts.
In fact, this was also a test for him, as he was only good at bluffing, not lying.
"Really?" Zhu Zhuqing, sitting on the other side of Li Xun, looked at him with clear eyes, seemingly convinced.
This gaze made Li Xun even more uncomfortable than Ning Rongrong's clinginess, and the force with which he pushed her head away lessened.
Sword Douluo picked up his teacup, took a sip, and smiled.
This situation was something they, the old-timers, had anticipated. How could there be so many good things in the world? Enjoying the blessings of multiple beauties wasn't that easy.
"Ahem, I confess, I actually came here for this Soul Bone," Li Xun coughed into his hand, and as he lowered it, it inadvertently landed on Zhu Zhuqing's hand.
Zhu Zhuqing was startled, blinked, and her cheeks began to flush slightly. The clarity in her eyes turned into a pool of softness.
Seeing that his method was effective, Li Xun felt a surge of joy and gently squeezed Zhu Zhuqing's hand twice.
"Two years ago, while reading some books, I came across the conflict between the Clear Sky Sect and the Spirit Hall," Li Xun immediately recounted the past events involving Tang Hao, A Yin, and Tang Xiao.
"Was Tang Hao really that foolish?" Ning Rongrong looked shocked, her heart filled with confusion. "If he had taken A Yin back to the Clear Sky Sect and then claimed to have absorbed her Spirit Ring, wouldn't that have been enough?"
Back then, the Clear Sky Sect was the top power on the continent, and they were mutually supportive with us and the Blue Lightning Tyrant School. Would the Spirit Hall really have attacked the Clear Sky Sect over a 100,000 Year Soul Beast whose fate was unknown?
Sword Douluo set down his teacup and nodded in agreement. The mysterious actions of Tang Hao and the Clear Sky Sect were beyond his comprehension.
"Who knows? Maybe all that cultivation has addled his brain."
Li Xun chuckled, "I initially treated this as a joke, but later I came across some books. They not only recounted the past battles between Tang Hao and Qian Xunji but also documented the travels of A Yin and the other two."
"These records were quite fragmented. Some recounted their chivalrous deeds, while others expressed resentment over their violent actions."
At this point, the importance of one's persona became evident.
Collecting books had been a continuous habit of Li Xun since childhood.
This endeavor cost him merely a few thousand Gold Soul Coins each year.
But whenever Li Xun encountered something difficult to explain, he would use his extensive reading as an excuse to brush it off. If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do; the books are in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, go and look through them yourself. There are thousands of volumes.
"As I gathered more information, I suddenly became intrigued and started actively collecting intelligence about them," Li Xun said with a smile. "Guess what I found out?"
"Tang Hao's hiding place?"
"A Yin's lair?"
"Tang Hao and A Yin's child?"
Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Sword Douluo each offered their guesses.
"..." Li Xun's eye twitched. How was he supposed to continue this fabrication?
"Did we guess right?" Zhu Zhuqing asked with a smile, tilting her head to look at Li Xun.
"Haha, brother, your question was too easy to guess," Ning Rongrong covered her mouth, pleased with her own intelligence.
"..."
"You're almost there. I discovered the place where Tang Hao and A Yin got married," Li Xun said, feigning a look of being caught out.
Facing the trio's skeptical glances, Li Xun gathered his thoughts, "Based on my deductions, Tang Hao is likely to take his child back to this place where he and A Yin shared beautiful memories."
"Holy Soul Village."
To maintain the story's logic, Li Xun decided not to reveal A Yin's exact location but instead fabricated one near Holy Soul Village.
"After obtaining this information, I asked Aunt Xue to send people to Holy Soul Village to collect books, instructing them to keep an eye out for blacksmiths along the way. As a result, they actually discovered Tang Hao's whereabouts," Li Xun said, then pulled out a stack of documents from his Soul Guiding Device.
"Hey! I've seen these documents before. Aren't they the ones Aunt Xue brought?"
(End of Chapter)