Woah! Tang Wulin cried out. Lizhi, what are you doing? You scared me!

Nothing really. Xu Lizhi smirked. I was just waiting to see when you would wake up.

Tang Wulin sat up in his bed, fighting against his bodys lack of strength. Fortunately, dizziness did not strike him this time.

Are you hungry? Xu Lizhi asked.

Tang Wulin subconsciously rubbed his belly. It felt so empty that he could swear he felt his spine on the other side just by poking it. Im starving.

After devouring some pork buns, Tang Wulin let out a sigh of satisfaction. He felt much better.

Did we win? he asked.

Xu Lizhi nodded. We won. We won in the overall competition as well. Everyone who competed was rewarded with a lot of contribution points. You should go with Gu Yue to visit Wu Zhangkong later. You know, I really cant believe you two hid it so well. Seriously! A soul fusion skill! Thats amazing!

Tang Wulin forced a smile. Would you believe me if I told you that was our first time using it?

Xu Lizhi stared at him with a dumbfounded look. Your first time? No way!

Im not lying! It really was our first time!

What was your first time? Yuanen Yehui asked as she walked into the room with Xie Xie. Seeing Tang Wulin and Xu Lizhi together and hearing their mention of a first time, her expression contorted into a strange grimace.

Tang Wulin didnt notice her expression. We were talking about my soul fusion skill with Gu Yue! I honestly dont know what happened. Were you guys hurt, Yuanen?

Yuanen Yehui shook her head and stopped about five meters from Tang Wulin. The Holy Spirit Douluo saved us. Listen. That attack of yours felt really strange. It was almost as if I were cut off from the rest of the world. Like the world itself was rejecting me. Did you guys really come up with it in the heat of battle?

Tang Wulin smiled bitterly. Do I need to make some sort of pledge for you to believe me?

Yuanen Yehui snorted. No, its fine. Just remember, you guys may have won this time, but you might not be as lucky the next. Ill definitely pay you back.

Sounds great. Tang Wulin chuckled.

Ill leave you to rest then. And once youve recovered, you can get back to forging.

Youre so selfish, Tang Wulin said with a wry smile.

Yuanen Yehui waved goodbye then left.

Why was she acting so distant? Tang Wulin got an odd feeling from Yuanen Yehui. He didnt know when it started, but he felt as if she were actively avoiding him. Im not ugly and she wasnt like that when we first met.

Dont mind her, Wulin. Xie Xie spoke up. Cultivating is the only thing shes got on her mind.

Tang Wulin rolled his eyes. Whose side are you on?

The question caught Xie Xie unawares. Yours, of course!

Why are you speaking up for her then? Xu Lizhi asked.

Xie Xie glared at him. Im just stating the facts. What would you know? Now give me a bun and help me save some money.

I refuse. Buns cost soul power, you know! Xu Lizhi snickered.

Tang Wulin shrugged helplessly. Alright then. Im going to cultivate for a bit, so you two keep it down.

Xu Lizhis pork buns had given him some strength, enough for him to focus on recovering with his own effort. He sat down, crossed his legs, and began meditating. The second he began, he exhaled deeply. No wonder the Holy Spirit Douluo said Gu Yue and I would need a month to recover. My bodys condition is even worse than I imagined! Im lucky my meridians werent damaged.

He was shocked by the state of his body. Only a few drops of soul power remained in it, his blood essence had no vigor, and his complexion was pale. He urged the energies within him to circulate slowly, careful not to harm his organs. If not for the pork buns, he wouldnt have had even the energy to sit with his legs crossed. Just what was that soul fusion skill? My entire body is a mess! Well, all I can do now is take my time to recover. Im lucky I didnt suffer any lasting injuries.

All Tang Wulin could do was use the Mysterious Heaven Method to direct his feeble blood essence and soul power throughout his body. A trickle of soul power soon formed within him.

The Holy Spirit Douluos evaluation of him had been wrong. His body far exceeded the norm. With the addition of Xu Lizhis pork buns, it only took him three days to gather some soul power in his body. With this bit of soul power, his recovery hastened rapidly. He only needed ten days to recover to eighty percent of peak condition. The remaining twenty percent couldnt be forced, and he would have to slowly work at it. According to his own observations, it would take him another ten days to get back to tip-top condition.

Tang Wulin spent those ten days going through a monotonous routine.

Attend class. Forge. Cultivate. Study.

But there was one difference. The students of the first grade were far more united than they had been at the beginning of the school year. All of Tang Wulins classmates now greeted him with sincere smiles when they saw him. Everyone was in a frenzy to grow stronger.

Tang Wulin didnt try the soul fusion skill with Gu Yue again. The side effects were costly. He had asked Wu Zhangkong, Feng Wuyu, and Zhuo Shi about it, but none of them could make heads or tails of their situation. The only thing they were certain about was that their soul fusion skill was so extremely domineering that it could possibly even be on the level of a divine fusion. The two Titled Douluos told him to wait until he gained another soul ring before attempting to practice using it.

Tang Wulin didnt dispute this. Being decommissioned for an entire month was too high of a cost for him. He couldnt afford to lose a month of cultivation.

As for Gu Yue, she acted as if nothing had happened, although she did distance herself from everyone else a bit more than usual. However, since everyone was busy with cultivating, Tang Wulin didnt find it odd that he saw her less.

Ye Xinglan held off from making any more pieces of battle armor. At this point in time, she needed to increase her soul power rank. She had just barely succeeded in making Tang Wulins gauntlet by a hairs breadth. It was too dangerous for her to attempt making something of that level again, so everyone agreed that she had to wait until she had four soul rings.

All of them walked their own unique path of cultivation, all striving to advance. Xie Xie conspicuously disappeared the most often. As soon as lunch ended, he would scurry off somewhere only to return late in the evening and pass out on his bed. Xu Xiaoyan also went missing for large chunks of time. They were all busy working toward their own goals.

Tang Wulins schedule was the most rigid of them all. He focused on forging, cultivated on the side, and gorged himself to improve his blood essence. He made small gains every day.

The days passed just like this, and in the blink of an eye, the end of the semester was upon them.

Shen Yi stood behind the lectern in the classroom with a shining smile on her face.

The first semesters final exam youve all been looking forward to is almost here, she said.

Countless students sat up straight when she swept her gaze across them. The exam weve all been looking forward to? No way! No one looks forward to exams!

Apprehension gripped the hearts of many students. Ten students would be expelled this year, and they didnt know how many would be given the boot in this exam.

Sure enough, Shen Yis next words made the weakest students pale.

Five people will be expelled according to the results of the exam. Work hard if you dont want to be one of those five.

Five people Tang Wulin clenched his fists.

Shen Yi looked at him. Speak.

Tang Wulin steeled himself. Teacher Shen, is there any way to avoid having anyone expelled?

She quirked a brow at his question. There is.

Huh? There is? Everyone had expected Shen Yi to say no. This was Shrek Academy after all!

Yet she said there was a way!