"Brother Mu Chen!"

"Captain Mu Chen!"

"Class President!!"

Countless voices roared from the Outer Circle Students. Di Cang’s figure flashed, and he caught Mu Chen in his arms. He channeled his Primordial Power to thoroughly examine Mu Chen’s body. After discovering that he had only suffered internal injuries from the impact, he let out a breath of relief and smiled faintly at the crowd. "He’s fine. It’s just some internal injuries. He’ll be alright after a short period of recovery."

Hearing Di Cang’s words, the other students finally relaxed. Little Tiger grinned. "Brother Mu Chen is the strongest!"

Qing Lei was also smiling, but a blazing fighting spirit ignited in his eyes. ’I refuse to be left behind by Mu Chen,’ he thought. ’For the rest of my life, I’ll be his shadow...’

Ye Shuangshuang pouted and said, "Brother Mu Chen only knows how to do things that make everyone worry. But that Secret Technique was so beautiful. I really wish Brother Mu Chen would use it one more time."

Mo Qing’s knuckles had turned white from clenching her fists. She said with a laugh, "Shuangshuang, don’t joke around. I was scared to death."

Ye Shuangshuang teased, "I know, I know. You just can’t bear to see Brother Mu Chen get even a little bit hurt." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Her words made Mo Qing’s face instantly turn red. Qing Lei and Little Tiger pursed their lips and smiled. Even they could see Mo Qing’s feelings for Mu Chen. But it seemed Mu Chen was incredibly dense, acting as if he hadn’t noticed a thing. Shaking their heads, the group looked back up toward the sky.

Supporting Mu Chen, Di Cang looked at Qin Garden with a cold expression and said calmly, "Qin Garden, Mu Chen won this battle. I expect you to honor your word according to the academy’s rules. As of now, Mu Bingling is a student of my Outer Circle."

Qin Garden was speechless. Even the Crown Prince of a Middle and Upper Class Empire had lost; what grounds did she have to object? "Mu Bingling, from this moment on, you have no further connection to my Holy Hall."

Mu Bingling nodded, her worried expression instantly showing. In a flash, her beautiful figure appeared at Di Cang’s side. She could no longer hold back her fear. Right now, Mu Chen was just like when they were children—he needed her, and she had to be by his side. As for the Holy Hall, she felt not a single shred of attachment.

As an elder, Di Cang understood Mu Bingling’s feelings perfectly. He said softly, "Mu Bingling, don’t you worry. Mu Chen has only suffered some minor internal injuries. Of course, they might be severe for others, but for him, recovery will be easy. He should wake up by tomorrow morning."

With that, Di Cang handed Mu Chen over to Mu Bingling. Although she was a young woman, a Two-Ring Martial Spirit could easily bear the weight of one person. Looking at the pale face of the man in her arms, Mu Bingling’s heart ached. Ever since they were children, her greatest fear was seeing Mu Chen get hurt. Perhaps it had already become a habit for her.

Di Cang let Mu Bingling compose herself for a moment before speaking. "Mu Bingling, from now on, you are a member of our Outer Circle. Furthermore, a spot has always been reserved for you in the Demon Castle. You will be joining Mu Chen’s squad. In the Demon Castle, theirs is designated as a five-person team, and your arrival will finally complete it. As for your living quarters... Ye Shuangshuang, I recall there’s still an empty room on your dormitory floor, isn’t there?"

Hearing Di Cang’s sudden question, Ye Shuangshuang replied, "Yes, Room 200, next to mine, is empty. It’s perfect for Senior Bingling to live in."

Di Cang nodded. "Good. I’ll leave the arrangements to you. Today’s battle was spectacular, but since both combatants are unconscious, we will postpone the distribution of the competition rewards until tomorrow. I’m sure that after watching the fight between Mu Chen and He Long, all of you have gained some insights. Go back and absorb what you’ve learned. It will be of great help to your future cultivation."

After speaking, Di Cang ordered the various instructors to dismiss the Outer Circle Students. He and Lingyun, however, personally escorted Mu Chen to the base of the high-level dormitory. After watching the children’s figures disappear into the stairwell, Di Cang said grimly, "Xiaoyun, I have a feeling He Long won’t let this go. The shock Mu Chen gave us was too great; the power he displayed was simply too astonishing. If their roles were reversed today, I believe I would not hesitate to find an opportunity to kill Mu Chen. Once a talent like him is allowed to mature, he will become an endless source of trouble."

Lingyun nodded. "You’re right, Teacher. Now that He Long has discovered someone like Mu Chen, as the next heir to the Celestial Eagle Empire, he will certainly not allow Mu Chen to grow up in peace. On top of that, Mu Chen defeated him in front of so many people today and destroyed his prized Thunder Dragon Spear. Given all this, He Long will definitely resort to some form of covert retaliation."

Di Cang said, "Yes, you’re right. We must guard against this possibility. How about this: your teaching schedule is demanding, so I will secretly protect Mu Chen and the others for a while."

Lingyun nodded. The two exchanged a few more words of caution before leaving the student dormitories.

Inside the high-level dormitory, Mu Bingling had already helped Mu Chen onto his own bed. Although Di Cang had told her that Mu Chen was not in serious danger, she couldn’t resist infusing her Primordial Power into his body to check for herself. Only after confirming that his injuries were indeed just as Di Cang had described did Mu Bingling finally set her mind at ease.

Little Tiger and the others were all standing in the room, making the large space feel suddenly crowded. Seeing Mu Bingling’s relieved expression, Qing Lei was the first to speak. "It looks like Brother Mu Chen is fine. Let’s all head out. Leaving Miss Bingling and Mo Qing to look after him is more than enough. A big crowd will just be noisy, and that won’t do Brother Mu Chen any good."

For once, Ye Shuangshuang nodded in agreement with Qing Lei’s words and followed him out. Only Little Tiger remained standing in place. At this moment, his worry was no less than anyone else’s, even knowing that Mu Chen was okay.

"Little Tiger, let’s go. Brother Mu Chen will be alive and kicking in front of you again tomorrow. Don’t worry." Only when Qing Lei spoke again did Little Tiger reluctantly leave the room, closing the door behind him.

Once only Mu Bingling and Mo Qing were left in the room, Mo Qing’s emotions could no longer be contained. She quickly grasped Mu Chen’s hand and slowly channeled an extremely pure stream of Water Elemental Power into him. Even though she knew it wouldn’t have much of an effect, she still wanted to do something for him.

Mu Bingling glanced gently at Mo Qing, sighing to herself. ’Mo Qing is such a devoted girl,’ she thought. ’Even if her love for Mu Chen doesn’t come from the same depths as mine, it’s not that far off.’

Shifting her gaze back to Mu Chen, Mu Bingling’s heart felt warm. Finally, just like three years ago, they could see each other day and night.

Night fell, yet both Mu Bingling and Mo Qing stayed in Mu Chen’s room. As his fiancée, Mu Bingling naturally had to remain by Mu Chen’s side at a time like this. And Mo Qing, whose heart was completely devoted to him, was even less willing to be outdone by Mu Bingling.

’I already appeared in his life so much later than Mu Bingling,’ she thought. ’It’s almost impossible to do better than her, but at the very least, I have to make Mu Chen feel that he has a place in my heart.’

As for He Long, several hours had passed since the end of the arena challenge. In a small wooden cabin on the outskirts of the Xuanling Empire, four guards dressed in black stood watch. On a wooden bed surrounded by the four guards, a man in magnificent brocade robes lay gasping for breath. From his pale face, it was clear that the man was suffering from extremely severe injuries.

One of the black-clothed men said grimly, "The Crown Prince’s injuries are extremely grave. Even with the four of us continuously channeling Primordial Power into him and feeding him Healing Elixirs, we can barely keep his condition from worsening. Everything now depends on the Crown Prince himself."

"The sheer audacity of this Xuanling Empire, to allow our Crown Prince to suffer such a devastating blow! When we return to the Celestial Eagle Empire, I will report this to His Majesty! We will make them pay a heavy price!" another guard said, his eyes flashing with boundless fury. They were the guards dispatched to the Xuanling Empire to ensure He Long’s safety. Although they had only arrived today, they had traveled without a single stop along the way, showing just how seriously they took their duty to protect him.

But they never could have imagined that He Long, who had been in the Xuanling Empire for merely half a day, would go from being completely unharmed to his current state in such a short time. His face was deathly pale without a trace of color, his chest heaved violently, and a faint trail of blood still stained the corner of his mouth.

The four guards were burning with fury. They remembered that just before leaving their country, they had promised the Emperor that they would ensure the Crown Prince left and returned completely unscathed. But now, looking at He Long’s condition, they felt as if that promise had just slapped them hard across the face.

Vaguely, they recalled the scene they had witnessed upon arriving in the Xuanling Empire, and a chill ran through their hearts. The very first thing they saw after entering Xuanling’s territory was not some landmark, but their Crown Prince’s prized Thunder Dragon Spear. In the Celestial Eagle Empire, the sight of the Thunder Dragon Spear signified the presence of Prince He Long himself, and under normal circumstances, he would never draw it lightly.

Just drawing the Thunder Dragon Spear would have been one thing, but when they saw it, the spear had already transformed into a Thunder Dragon. That was clearly Prince He Long’s ultimate Secret Technique, Thunder Dragon’s Descent. In an instant, their expressions darkened. They immediately assumed that some high-ranking officials of the Xuanling Empire were unwelcoming of He Long’s arrival and were trying to put him in his place. The moment this thought occurred, they abandoned any idea of finding lodging and rushed toward the Xuanling Imperial Academy at their top speed. But when they burst in, they were met with an utterly shocking sight.

Across from Prince He Long was not some high-ranking official from the Xuanling Empire, nor was anyone trying to intimidate him. It was merely a battle between the Crown Prince and a boy of only fourteen or fifteen. This youth controlled a Flame Dragon that fused ice and fire, and in the blink of an eye, it charged toward Prince He Long. The Crown Prince had also activated his Thunder Dragon’s Descent to meet the attack. The two Secret Techniques seemed to be of equal power, yet in the end, their Crown Prince had been defeated. And the defeat was so bizarre that even they couldn’t discern the reason for his failure.