Walking off the Spirit Fighting Arena, Gu Xuan returned to the lounge through the designated passage. At this moment, only Qin Ming and Ye Lingling were in the room; the others were still in the middle of their duels.
Seeing Gu Xuan enter, Ye Lingling said with a smile, "Congratulations on your twenty-seventh consecutive victory."
After a month of spending time together, coupled with Gu Xuan's deliberate guidance, Ye Lingling had become more cheerful than she was in the original records. At the very least, she could now offer Gu Xuan a genuine smile.
Gu Xuan waved his hand and replied, "The pressure is immense. Feng Xiaotian is not weak. If my abilities didn't happen to counter his perfectly, it's hard to say who would have won this match!"
Ye Lingling didn't argue, but Qin Ming spoke up. "Xiao Xuan, your strength and talent are truly the greatest I've ever seen. Feng Xiaotian's soul power has reached Rank 40; he is very strong. Even without a fourth soul ring, I suspect he could hold his own against a Soul Ancestor for a few rounds. Being able to defeat him, even with a stylistic advantage, is enough to prove your power."
Qin Ming's praise was unreserved because Gu Xuan had completely earned his recognition—and even his admiration.
Indeed, it was admiration. The strength and talent Gu Xuan displayed were unlike anything he had ever seen; even in his own youth, he was far from being able to compare with Gu Xuan.
Just as Gu Xuan was about to respond, there was a knock at the door. He turned to open it and found himself looking into Feng Xiaotian's weary eyes.
Feng Xiaotian's current state was poor. His soul power consumption had been significant, and having his Stormwind Wings severed by Gu Xuan had taken a toll. Although his third soul skill would eventually restore them to their original state, he was currently in very rough shape.
Gu Xuan was somewhat surprised that Feng Xiaotian would show up. Seeing no hostility, only fatigue in the other man's gaze, Gu Xuan asked calmly, "You are here. For what purpose?"
Feng Xiaotian knew he was being a bit forward. Enduring the pain in his back, he cupped his hands toward Gu Xuan and whispered, "I... I want to know how you severed my Stormwind Wings."
Hearing this, Gu Xuan couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Whoa there, don't be so naive. Have you ever seen a soul master tell someone else their trump cards?"
Feng Xiaotian's expression stiffened. He stared at Gu Xuan for a moment, looking as if he wanted to say something more, but finally turned to leave in silence.
Just then, a large hand pressed down on his shoulder. Gu Xuan's voice followed. "Your injuries aren't light. If you leave our team's lounge and collapse in the hallway, we won't be able to explain ourselves."
Without further ado, he pulled Feng Xiaotian directly into the room. The sheer force caused a sharp pang of pain that made Feng Xiaotian gasp.
"Hiss~"
"Lingling, give him some treatment," Gu Xuan said, giving Ye Lingling a wink.
Ye Lingling gave Gu Xuan a playful roll of her eyes but silently released her Martial Soul. A pale purple begonia appeared, and as her soul rings flashed, delicate purple petals drifted onto both Gu Xuan and Feng Xiaotian. Gu Xuan's minor scratches vanished instantly, and the color began to return to Feng Xiaotian's face.
After three minutes, Feng Xiaotian tested his right arm and found that the pain in his back had lessened considerably. His external wounds had all healed.
Gu Xuan spoke again. "External injuries are easy to treat, but internal damage takes time to recover. Remember, do not engage in any more duels for a week after you return."
Feng Xiaotian nodded, cupped his hands to Gu Xuan, and gave a respectful nod to Ye Lingling. "Thank you," he said.
Qin Ming glanced at Feng Xiaotian but said nothing, leaving the lounge immediately. Ye Lingling followed right behind him.
Feng Xiaotian watched them leave, feeling a bit bewildered. Gu Xuan said plainly, "Teacher Qin is going to watch the others' matches. As for why Lingling left, I don't know."
Feng Xiaotian hadn't expected Gu Xuan to be so casual with him. He was unwilling to just walk away, so after a moment of thought, he spoke again. "Gu Xuan, let's be friends."
"?" Gu Xuan was taken aback. "What? You want to stay close so you can steal my techniques and defeat me in the future?"
Seeing his little scheme exposed, Feng Xiaotian felt a bit embarrassed. "The Heaven Dou Imperial Academy and Godwind Academy are both institutions of the Heaven Dou Empire. It wouldn't be so bad if we became friends, right?"
Gu Xuan smiled. "You've got a silver tongue. Everyone else is gone, yet you have the skin to stay behind."
Feng Xiaotian's expression turned helpless, but he didn't care anymore. He truly wanted to know how Gu Xuan had severed his wings.
The biggest weakness of his self-created soul skill was the wings themselves. If the wings were gone, the skill couldn't be executed.
Glancing at Feng Xiaotian, Gu Xuan gestured for him to sit. "Since you're being so sincere, I'll tell you the truth. It was a stroke of luck; I could sever your wings because my abilities happen to counter yours perfectly."
Feng Xiaotian's eyes lit up, but Gu Xuan immediately cut him off. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I'm not telling you my specific abilities. However, I can talk to you about that self-created soul skill of yours."
Feng Xiaotian looked at Gu Xuan in shock. "How did you know it was a self-created soul skill?"
When he used the Stormwind Demon Wolf's Twelve Successive Slashes, he hadn't told Gu Xuan what it was—only that the ability was powerful. Yet Gu Xuan had named it outright.
Gu Xuan's heart skipped a beat. 'Damn, almost let it slip.' Fortunately, he was good at improvising.
"When you struck my Sky-Tearing Claw, you didn't use a soul skill," Gu Xuan explained. "You didn't use one when you lunged at me either, yet that terrifying attack power was real. Aside from a soul bone, the only other possibility is a self-created soul skill."
"And when you used that special slash, there were no extra soul power fluctuations, which means it couldn't have been a soul bone. Therefore, it had to be a self-created soul skill."
Feng Xiaotian nodded thoughtfully, his curiosity about Gu Xuan growing. To identify a self-created soul skill based on such small details meant the opponent's victory was indeed a result of genuine skill.
He still didn't know exactly how it was done, though.
"I see. Brother Gu Xuan truly has a discerning eye," Feng Xiaotian praised.
Gu Xuan waved him off. "It's too early for 'brother' talk. Don't try to get too close!"
Feng Xiaotian felt helpless but didn't argue, waiting for Gu Xuan to continue.
(End of Chapter)
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