Chapter 95: Ling Luochen, Sea God Pavilion Meeting
The air fell silent as the four looked at each other, none of them speaking immediately.
It wasn't that they didn't want to, but Lin Xuan had spoken so casually that everyone present had clearly heard the words "several years of accumulation." Such a precious thing was hard for anyone to take the initiative to ask for.
Dai Yueheng was the first to break the silence with a light cough.
"My cultivation is high enough to suppress my injuries. Besides, what's a few scars on a man?"
He looked down at his blood-streaked arm and said in a relaxed tone, "What's that saying again? Scars are a man's medals of honor."
Chen Zifeng's lip twitched slightly.
'My goodness, if you put it that way, how am I supposed to ask?'
However, he really hadn't intended to compete for it anyway.
Chen Zifeng smiled at Lin Xuan and said frankly,
"Junior Lin Xuan, why don't you ask Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen? They're girls... they're different from us."
Lin Xuan didn't waste any words and turned directly to the two of them.
"Make a decision quickly. Dragging this out won't do anyone any good."
Ma Xiaotao opened her mouth as if to say something, but when her gaze swept past her side, she suddenly froze.
Ling Luochen sat there quietly, her ice-blue hair stained with blood, with a few strands clinging to her pale cheek. Her eyes were lowered, making it impossible to see her expression, but her lower lip was pressed white.
On her right cheek, three hideous wounds were oozing black blood, slashing diagonally from her cheekbone down to her chin. Under the erosion of the poisonous blood, the edges of the wounds had already turned a faint grayish-green.
She didn't cry out in pain, nor did she even reach out to touch it; she simply turned her head, hiding the injured side of her face in the shadows.
The words Ma Xiaotao was about to say suddenly got stuck in her throat. She looked away and said indifferently,
"There are no wounds on my face. Give it to her."
Ling Luochen's eyelids snapped up, her gaze falling on Ma Xiaotao's turned face, where it lingered for a long time.
Wang Yan stepped forward at this point and cleared his throat.
"Since it's decided, the rest of you should head out of the cave to rest and reorganize."
After he spoke, no one moved.
Xu Sanshi looked down to study the tips of his shoes, Bei Bei pretended to help He Caitou organize his spirit tools, Jiang Nannan gently tugged at Ning Tian's sleeve while Ning Tian kept her eyes lowered, lost in thought. As for Wang Dong, he was squatting on the ground in a slump, drawing circles.
Wang Yan pushed his glasses up awkwardly and stopped speaking.
Lin Xuan glanced at the crowd and said, "Listen to Teacher Wang."
"Get out."
With that, everyone started moving.
Xu Sanshi was the first to head out, his pace so fast it was as if a ghost were chasing him. Bei Bei, Wang Dong, and Caitou followed closely behind. Jiang Nannan and Ning Tian supported Ma Xiaotao, while Dai Yueheng and Chen Zifeng helped each other up.
In a moment, only two people remained in the cave.
Lin Xuan squatted down. At this moment, he was very close to Ling Luochen, close enough to see the tiny beads of blood on her eyelashes and hear the slight sound of her breathing.
The wounds on her right cheek were still bleeding, the flesh of several gashes was turned outward, and the edges were a poisoned grayish-green, looking shocking against her snow-white skin.
"This might be a bit forward in a moment."
Lin Xuan's voice was very calm. "If you feel shy, you can close your eyes."
Ling Luochen looked at Lin Xuan and finally said softly,
"...Thank you."
Ling Luochen did not close her eyes, and Lin Xuan didn't speak further. He raised his hand, his fingertips gently touching the longest wound on her right cheek.
In the next instant, Ling Luochen's eyelashes trembled, not because of pain, but quite the opposite.
The touch of his fingertips was slightly cool, as soft as a spring breeze blowing over melting ice. Wherever they passed, the burning sting receded like a tide, replaced by a shivering numbness.
Ling Luochen's breathing lightened, and her tensed shoulders quietly relaxed.
Lin Xuan's gaze remained calm as his fingertips slowly traced along that hideous wound.
The mangled flesh closed and healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the scar eventually disappeared completely, as if it had never existed.
Then came the second wound, and the third.
Ling Luochen's gaze fell on Lin Xuan's eyes. From beginning to end, he only looked at her wounds.
Those pitch-black eyes were very serene, without the slightest ripple, as if he truly had no stray thoughts, yet her cheeks uncontrollably grew hot.
Lin Xuan withdrew his hand and looked down. Ling Luochen's clothes had been torn in many places during the explosion, revealing a large expanse of her fair neck and collarbone.
Several fine wounds wound down from the side of her neck, disappearing into the depths of the torn fabric, their edges also tinged with the grayish-green of poison.
"Pardon me," Lin Xuan said, and in the next moment—
Rip—
The sound of fabric tearing echoed in the silent cave, and Ling Luochen's long eyelashes trembled violently.
The cool air brushed over her shoulder, bringing a slight shiver. She instinctively tensed her body and clenched her hands, but in the end, she didn't pull away.
Lin Xuan's gaze fell on those wounds, and then his fingertips once again rested on that cool skin.
From the side of her neck to her collarbone, from her left shoulder to the wound just above her heart that had narrowly missed her vitals.
A moment later, Lin Xuan withdrew his hand and said in a flat tone,
"It's done."
Ling Luochen opened her eyes and instinctively raised her hand to touch her right cheek. Those hideous wounds could no longer be felt; the new skin was smooth and delicate, no different from before.
She stared blankly at Lin Xuan as he casually wiped away the blood, and said softly once more,
"...Thank you."
Lin Xuan gave an 'en' and stood up, casually tossing the blood-stained strip of cloth aside, and then asked politely,
"Let's go out. Do you need me to help you?"
"En..."
Ling Luochen's voice was very small, so much so that even Lin Xuan doubted if he had heard correctly.
But since she had agreed, Lin Xuan couldn't very well refuse, so he took hold of Ling Luochen's raised right hand.
...
A day later, Shrek Academy.
Sea God Pavilion, Conference Hall.
The conference hall was currently so silent that a pin drop could be heard. Nineteen people sat around an oval wooden table. The four deans—Yan Shaozhe, Cai Meier, Xian Liner, and Qian Duoduo—sat at the foot of the table on the left and right sides respectively.
Besides the four of them, the five people sitting in front were all white-haired elders, the true pillars of Shrek Academy.
Whenever a major change occurred at Shrek Academy, a meeting would be held in the Sea God Pavilion. Thus, the Sea God Pavilion Meeting was the highest leadership meeting of Shrek Academy.
Only the deans and vice-deans of the two departments and the Elders of the Hall of Enshrinement were eligible to participate, deciding the future of the continent's number one academy through a show of hands.
There were two ways to convene a Sea God Pavilion Meeting: an annual regular meeting and an extraordinary meeting.
And this one was an extraordinary meeting.
Mu En, sitting at the head, lay on his lounge chair without speaking. The other Elders didn't dare to make a move, and the atmosphere was nearly frozen. Xuan Zi, sitting at the top right, was especially breaking out in a cold sweat.
This deathly atmosphere lasted for a long time until the doors of the conference hall were pushed open, providing some relief.
A white-haired figure walked in slowly with heavy steps, radiating a rich aura of life.
This was the Elder who had been absent previously, the Healing Titled Douluo, Elder Zhuang.
Xuan Zi stood up abruptly and asked urgently, "How is it?! Did they survive?!"
Elder Zhuang first bowed slightly toward Mu En before taking his seat and sighing.
"Gongyang Mo, Yao Hao Xuan, and Xixi are out of danger. They just need to rest and recover slowly. However, they won't make it in time for this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition."
"It's good they're alive, it's good they're alive..." Xuan Zi muttered in a low voice, slumping back into his chair as if all his strength had been drained at that moment.
But no one else spoke. Everyone had already learned the details of how Xuan Zi's oversight had nearly resulted in a team-wiping catastrophe, and they felt both helpless and speechless.
If not for Lin Xuan, at least a third of the fourteen people would have been lost. The tragedy of Zhang Lexuan and the others years ago had nearly repeated itself.
And the one who had forcibly dragged everyone back from the gates of hell was actually just a second-year Outer Court student who hadn't even officially stepped across the threshold of the Inner Court.
Elder Zhuang looked at Xuan Zi again, his eyes shining brilliantly.
"Xuan Zi, say it one more time. How did Lin Xuan save Gongyang Mo and the others?"
Xuan Zi was stunned. "Didn't I just..."
"Say it again," Elder Zhuang interrupted him directly, his white eyebrows arching slightly and his gaze burning, as if he had seen some kind of treasure.
"I've lived a whole lifetime and have never heard of a healing Soul Sect being able to pull someone on the brink of death back from the gates of hell."
"Furthermore, Lin Xuan isn't even a healing Soul Master."
"Exactly, exactly."
"Xuan Zi, tell it again in detail, don't leave anything out."
"What exactly is the origin of that kid's Martial Soul? Was this ability also granted by a Shikigami?"
"You said just now that when he placed his hand on them, no Soul Rings lit up, and there wasn't much Soul Power fluctuation?"
Four Elders spoke up one after another, their gazes all falling on Xuan Zi, showing none of the reserve expected of their status.
Xuan Zi felt his scalp tingle from the questioning and had to recount the scene inside the cave from yesterday once more, in exhaustive detail.
"Lin Xuan placed his hand on Xixi's chest. No Soul Rings lit up, nor was there any light. He just held it there. After about three seconds, her face began to turn red and her heart started beating..."
"It was the same for Yao Haoxuan and Gongyang Mo. In less than twenty seconds total, three people with half a foot in the grave were forcibly dragged back by him."
When he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.
Elder Zhuang slowly leaned back in his chair, his gaze somewhat vacant.
"...A dozen or so seconds to snatch people from the God of Death..."
He murmured to himself, his heart filled with incomparable shock. Even if he were to do it, he would probably have to go all out to do better than Lin Xuan.
Elder Zhuang suddenly looked up, his gaze burning as he looked at Yan Shaozhe at the end of the table.
"Shaozhe, you've had the most contact with Lin Xuan. What is his current attitude toward the academy? I am willing to take him as my personal disciple."
As soon as these words were spoken, both sides of the long table fell instantly silent.
Yan Shaozhe's lip twitched, forming a smile that looked worse than crying, his gaze drifting toward the window.
"Yan Shaozhe?" Elder Zhuang frowned and pressed.
Cai Meier, beside him, remained expressionless. She raised her hand to adjust her hair and used the opportunity to give Yan Shaozhe's lower back a fierce pinch.
"Hiss—"
Yan Shaozhe sucked in a breath of cold air, his smile becoming even more strained.
"Elder... Elder Zhuang, this... it's a long story..."
"A long story? Then make it short!"
Elder Zhuang's eyebrows rose even higher. He looked around; Xuan Zi was looking down, studying the pattern on the tips of his boots, while the other three Elders were either coughing lightly, drinking tea, or suddenly developing a profound interest in the ceiling.
Elder Zhuang's face darkened as he asked,
"What exactly happened?"
Still, no one answered, until an aged voice came from the head of the table.
"What? You're too embarrassed to speak of your own deeds now?"
Mu En opened his cloudy old eyes. He didn't sit up, remaining lying in his chair, but those light words made Xuan Zi's spine instantly stiffen and Yan Shaozhe's smile freeze completely on his face.
Mu En's gaze slowly swept over the two of them, without sharpness or anger, only a calm like a thousand-year-old well.
"Since you are too embarrassed to speak, I will. A few days ago, Yan Shaozhe and Xuan Zi used Ma Xiaotao's evil fire outbreak as a pretext to scheme against Lin Xuan."
He paused. "The goal was to have Lin Xuan and Ma Xiaotao 'make the raw rice into a meal'."
The room was deathly quiet. Elder Zhuang's eye twitched as he looked at Yan Shaozhe with an expression that seemed to say, 'Are you freaking kidding me?'
Yan Shaozhe's face was ashen, staring at a wood grain on the table, wishing he could shrink himself into that tiny crack. Xuan Zi buried his head even lower.
But Mu En did not stop.
"Unfortunately, that young man's character is such that he would not do something so opportunistic. Even knowing he was being schemed against, he still dealt with the matter as it was, taking action to stabilize Ma Xiaotao's evil fire..."
As the words fell, the atmosphere once again sank into a deathly silence. Mu En stopped looking at Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe and turned to Elder Zhuang.
"You said just now that you wanted to take Lin Xuan as your personal disciple?"
Elder Zhuang took a deep breath and slowly nodded. "Yes, this boy's talent and character are extremely startling. I am willing to pass on everything I have learned in my life to him."
"You also want to win him over," Mu En said.
Elder Zhuang paused for a moment and nodded. "...Yes."
"You also want him to feel grateful for Shrek's kindness and develop a sense of belonging to the academy."
Mu En's tone remained calm. "Just as Shaozhe thought before, to have Lin Xuan be indebted to us and remember our kindness."
Elder Zhuang fell silent. Mu En didn't look at him and continued,
"But who is indebted to whom now? The spirit tools were obtained with his blood. The lives of Xixi and the other two were saved by him. Ma Xiaotao's evil fire was suppressed by him."
"What has Shrek ever given him?"
"Didn't we give him a 100,000-year Soul Bone?" Xuan Zi suddenly said.
Damn it!
Yan Shaozhe was now on the verge of a total breakdown, wishing he could kneel down and grab Xuan Zi's leg to beg him to stop talking.
"A 100,000-year Soul Bone?" Mu En glanced at Xuan Zi. "If I remember correctly, if I hadn't intervened, weren't you and Yan Shaozhe originally discussing giving him a 70,000-year Soul Bone?"
Xuan Zi's head lowered again. Mu En stopped looking at them.
"Rather than Lin Xuan being indebted to Shrek, it's more like we are indebted to him now."
After speaking, Mu En didn't look at anyone else. His aged fingers lightly tapped the armrest of his lounge chair, once after another.
A moment later, he spoke again.
"Xuan Zi."
Xuan Zi snapped his head up, but Mu En didn't look at him.
His gaze rested on an old beam on the ceiling, and on the old pine tree outside the window that had accompanied him for nearly a hundred years.
"This is the last time," Mu En said softly. "I don't have many years left to live."
Around the long table, nine breaths hitched simultaneously. Xuan Zi's eyes instantly turned red. "Elder Mu..."
"You and Shaozhe have this final period of time."
Mu En interrupted him directly, his voice still calm. "If before I close my eyes, I still see no change in you..."
"Then do not blame me for being heartless."
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