"Lin Yang, you…"
Shui Bing'er took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice steady.
"You knew from the beginning that Shi Nian had a spirit bone, didn't you?"
"Pretty much!"
Lin Yang stored the spirit bone into his storage bracelet and said casually,
"You should already know about the spirit bone that disappeared from the Heaven Dou Auction House a while ago."
Shui Bing'er said in surprise, "Could it be this item?"
"That's right," Lin Yang chuckled lightly.
"I had my eye on this old bastard a long time ago. At first, I thought he would take the bait himself, but he didn't. Instead, he targeted you."
Haha, so I should be grateful that I'm weak and got targeted by a pervert!
Shui Bing'er muttered to herself.
When she realized that Lin Yang liking her had just been her own delusion, she wanted to dig a hole and bury herself in it.
It was fortunate she hadn't said it out loud. Otherwise, Lin Yang would definitely have thought she was a narcissist.
Although Shui Bing'er felt relieved inwardly, she also felt a trace of disappointment.
After Lin Yang disposed of Shi Nian's corpse, he clapped his hands.
"Let's go. I'll send you home."
After sending Shui Bing'er back to the hotel where Sky Water Academy was staying, Lin Yang turned around and prepared to leave.
"Lin Yang!" Shui Bing'er called out to him.
"Hm?"
Lin Yang stopped and turned his head slightly.
"Thank you for today."
She stared at him with clear eyes.
"No matter what your reason was, you saved my life. I will definitely repay you."
The corners of Lin Yang's lips curved slightly.
"Of course. When we face your Sky Water Academy in the finals, you'll just have to let us win, right?"
Shui Bing'er couldn't help but widen her eyes.
Which side was supposed to give in to which?!
However, she also understood that Lin Yang had said this so she wouldn't feel mentally burdened.
"Keep dreaming. We will definitely go all out!"
She clenched her fists.
Lin Yang smiled, turned around, and waved his hand.
"Go back and rest well. See you on the stage."
Shui Bing'er stood there and watched until his figure completely disappeared from view. Then she let out a small sigh and turned toward the hotel.
The moment she entered the room, her friends all turned to look at her.
"Big sister?"
"Bing'er?"
Shui Yue'er rushed over and hugged her tightly. Her voice trembled with tears.
"Big sister, where did you go? We couldn't find you anywhere. Aunt was so worried she almost went crazy…"
Shui Bing'er lightly patted Shui Yue'er's back. Seeing her loved one's worried expression, tears instantly welled up in her eyes.
"Sister, I'm fine…"
After learning the full story, Shui Bing'er's voice carried a chilling killing intent.
"How dare Shi Nian… how dare he target Bing'er…"
Shui Bing'er herself was by no means a merciful person. She was the one who had led Sky Water Academy to its current status.
If Shi Nian were still alive, Shui Bing'er had no doubt about how much her aunt would have made him suffer.
Afterward, Shui Bing'er personally brought Shui Yue'er and the others to the Butterfly House to express their gratitude.
She also promised that if Lin Yang ever needed help, she would assist him with all her strength.
Whether it was true or false, it was still a statement of intent.
The more friends one had, the more options one had!
...
The preliminaries had ended, but the final qualification spots for the Heaven Dou division remained unchanged.
Immediately afterward, the elimination rounds began.
Unlike the preliminaries, the elimination rounds were not team battles but individual battles. Each team sent out seven members to fight on stage in sequence. The winner stayed, the loser was eliminated, and the process repeated until all seven members of one team were eliminated.
The four academies — Blazing Fire, God Wind, Thunder, and Sky Water — had demonstrated the solid foundation they had built over many years as powerful forces.
Both their tactical arrangements and individual abilities were praiseworthy.
However, Shrek also had some problems.
Aside from Tang San, Yu Tianheng, and Dai Mubai, the other members were somewhat lacking in strength.
There was no need to elaborate on the other four members of the Shrek Seven Devils.
Ning Rongrong and Oscar were pure support characters.
Ma Hongjun and Zhu Zhuqing's cultivation levels were relatively low, so they were at a disadvantage in individual battles. Therefore, these four did not participate in the elimination rounds.
Although Tai Long and the others possessed decent soul power, they were always somewhat inferior in actual combat.
As a result, Shrek struggled greatly in every round of matches.
Fortunately, there were no eliminations in the elimination rounds, so ranking didn't matter.
After the competition, Emperor Xue Ye once again delivered a passionate speech and awarded viscount medals to the top five teams.
The upcoming finals were the true highlight of this Spirit Master Tournament.
This year's tournament finals would be held at Spirit Hall, with the final venue being Spirit City.
After three days of rest, the fifteen teams, along with teachers from various academies and Royal Knight guards — totaling over a thousand people — departed in a grand procession.
The journey from Heaven Dou City to Spirit Hall would take about twenty days.
Dozens of luxurious and massive carriages formed a long line, slowly advancing along the official road.
On both sides were Royal Knights riding tall horses, wearing steel armor, and holding long spears.
Among this magnificent procession, there were several carriages that looked plain at first glance but were actually far more luxurious. Even the horses pulling the carriages were extremely sturdy.
One of the carriages was used by the Heaven Dou Crown Prince, and right behind it was Ning Fengzhi's carriage.
The importance of Xue Beng, the sole heir of the Heaven Dou imperial family, went without saying.
If possible, Emperor Xue Ye naturally didn't want any more accidents to happen to his only heir.
However, the fact that over a dozen teams were heading to Spirit City was a display of the Heaven Dou Empire's prestige. It would be unreasonable for the royal family not to send someone of considerable influence.
If one wasn't even willing to take this level of risk, how could one expect others to be loyal?
Therefore, Xue Ye had secretly asked Ning Fengzhi to keep an eye on Xue Beng along the way.
Although he hadn't accepted Xue Beng as a disciple, Ning Fengzhi naturally wouldn't refuse such a request.
The carriage inside the Heaven Dou Royal Academy was very spacious. Even with the eight team members and instructor Qin Ming sharing the same space, there was no sense of crowding at all.
A luxurious and soft carpet was laid on the floor, and various fresh fruits were arranged on the table.
If the Royal Knights weren't riding horses alongside them, onlookers would have thought they were going on a picnic rather than heading to the finals.
Inside the carriage, Xiao Wu and Dugu Yan were arguing, neither willing to give in to the other.
Aura was curled up comfortably in Ye Lingling's arms, lazily stretching her back and spreading her plum-blossom-shaped front paws.
The others were each doing their own thing. Some were cultivating, some had their eyes closed resting, and some were talking in low voices.
Everything seemed peaceful and calm.
Only Lin Yang had his face turned toward the window, his eyes slightly narrowed.
It had been about ten days since they left Heaven Dou City. They had already completed half of the journey.
The journey had been smoother than expected.
According to the original plan, Spirit Hall was supposed to send two Titled Douluo to intercept and kill Tang San along the way.
They had been determined to make Tang San die without even a burial place.
This had also been the greatest crisis Tang San faced in the early stages, and only through the joint efforts of Dugu Bo and Chen Xin had Spirit Hall been forced to retreat.
But now, because of his existence, the original trajectory had long since gone off course and been shattered to pieces.
Therefore, he wasn't sure whether Spirit Hall would appear again to intercept and kill Tang San.
While Lin Yang was lost in thought, a small hand pinched the soft flesh around his waist.
Dugu Yan's narrow eyes were slightly squinted, carrying a hint of danger.
"Which beauty are you so engrossed in?"
The moment he said that, two more hostile gazes were directed at Lin Yang.
The carriage instantly fell silent.
Even the occasional jokes and light banter from before had completely disappeared.
On the surface, Osler and the others looked indifferent, but in reality, they had already pricked up their ears, ready to watch the drama unfold.
…