"See, I told you you didn't need to worry," Xiang Nan said with a faint smile. However, his perpetually poker face meant no one could tell he was smiling. He tapped the communicator earring and listened in on the entire process with Bai Cha and the others.
"It really turned out better than I expected," Bai Cha's voice came through Xiang Nan's earpiece. She had activated a private channel for Xiang Nan and Meng Qinghuan, and Bai Cha's tone clearly conveyed her satisfaction.
"Aiya, Xiao Bai, you should have a little more confidence in everyone. Why worry about everything?" Meng Qinghuan's cheerful voice came through the earpiece. "But our principal must have been used as a pawn for the first time, right? Xiao Bai, didn't you warn Xiao Gu not to criticize Xiao Xiao Gu indiscriminately?"
"Gu Zitan is a decent person, just a bit stubborn in his thinking. That's a family matter," Bai Cha said faintly. "However, compared to this, Gu Mingze winning ten games against Yan Ziyu is more interesting to me."
"And he brought a useless teammate," Xiang Nan added.
In the Shadow faction, martial prowess and intelligence were separate. It was rare for someone to be as versatile as Bai Cha and Meng Qinghuan. In terms of intelligence rankings, after Bai Cha, Meng Qinghuan, and Xiang Nan, came Li Rong and Yan Ziyu.
Although Yan Ziyu and Li Rong were not on the same level, the fact that Gu Mingze, without any training, could defeat Yan Ziyu so many times, even if Yan Ziyu was just playing casually, was enough to demonstrate Gu Mingze's talent.
In fact, Xiang Nan had told Bai Cha an hour ago that they could leave. But Bai Cha still asked Xiang Nan to wait, the reason being that she wanted to observe everyone's unity when Gu Zitan criticized Gu Mingze later.
After all, Gu Mingze was a newcomer, and his feelings wouldn't be as deep as theirs, who had lived for a long time. It was necessary to let them bond.
As expected, Gu Zitan criticized Gu Mingze not long after, and the other members of Shadow lived up to the trio's expectations by rallying together.
Gu Mingze's eyes were a little red. He lowered his head, trying his best to hide his abnormality from everyone. He never expected that one day someone would stand by his side, and a whole group at that.
Recalling the past, he was either scolded or mocked. It felt like the world had no place for him, and he was like a tumbleweed, squatting alone by the wall.
Gu Mingze patted his aching back, his internal organs almost being knocked out. But he didn't feel pain. A mixture of happiness and excitement surged through his brain, making his nose sting.
"Don't lower your head! Lift it up!" Qing Lin roughly ruffled Gu Mingze's hair, flexing his biceps. He said proudly, "Although I don't have muscles as exaggerated as Lang Mo's, it's enough to back you up."
Gu Mingze sheepishly touched his neck. When he looked up, he saw that Cang Liu had also nodded seriously.
Gu Mingze suddenly remembered that before meeting Bai Cha, Cang Liu had also been a recluse. Because once Cang Liu was caught with leverage, he would be deported back to the Sea Kingdom. Later, Cang Liu became spirited only after Bai Cha and Shadow provided him with support, freeing him from any worries.
Now, did someone also have his back?
Gu Mingze wiped his eyes and looked up, baring his teeth in a bright smile. "Alright, alright, I didn't take it to heart. Let's continue. I'm going to get ten consecutive wins this time!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he realized that Xiang Nan was also standing in front of him.
"She said to be more confident," Xiang Nan said faintly, tapping his communicator.
"Y-Yes, I understand," Gu Mingze felt even more embarrassed. He hadn't expected the big boss himself to be watching the whole time.
It was a little embarrassing, but also a little bit happy.
Like a can of iced cola on a hot summer day, it sent a chill through him, but it was sweet to his heart with the first sip.
"However, let's save the ten consecutive wins for later. It's time for serious business," Xiang Nan clapped his hands, interrupting everyone's playfulness. "Compared to Meng's side, our situation is a bit more complicated."
In the tropical rainforest, Meng Qinghuan was listlessly tapping on a light screen. Seeing Yun He returning from patrol, he immediately waved.
"Here, here, Xiao Xiao He! We can go now!" Meng Qinghuan jumped down from a rock, hopping around with extreme childishness.
Yun He held her forehead in a headache. If a normal person saw this scene, they would probably think Yun He was the master and Meng Qinghuan was the disciple.
And the most irresponsible kind of disciple.
However, before Yun He could finish her thoughts, she saw an even more shocking scene from Meng Qinghuan, which scared her into leaping back several meters like a startled rabbit.
"Mas- Master! What are you doing! Why are you undressing!" Yun He was quite frightened.
Meng Qinghuan had a good figure. His clean, delicate face had a touch of feminine charm, making him more refined than a woman. But when Meng Qinghuan took off his monk robe, his perfect lines and strong, robust muscles made Yun He's blood rush to her head, and her ears instantly turned red.
Fortunately, Meng Qinghuan was still wearing pants under his monk robe, otherwise Yun He would have really picked up a stone and thrown it at him.
Unlike Lang Mo, who was broad-shouldered and burly like a baboon, Meng Qinghuan's muscles were well-proportioned and full of strength. If not for the special circumstances, it would truly have been a beautiful sight. The people around were also surprised that beneath Meng Qinghuan's effeminate face lay muscles more masculine than anyone else's.
"Aiya~ Xiao Xiao He, don't be so flustered. Here, hold my clothes for your master." As soon as Meng Qinghuan spoke, he destroyed all the masculine aura he had just accumulated. His voice was too effeminate, and coupled with his tone, it was truly unbearable for ordinary people.
Yun He reluctantly, and with a pounding heart, walked over and took Meng Qinghuan's clothes, not understanding what Meng Qinghuan intended to do.
"Xiao Xiao He, it's time for class," Meng Qinghuan's voice came from above. Yun He was startled, and when she looked up, she saw that Meng Qinghuan had already opened his eyes.
They were brilliant golden eyes, just like the sky island that day, with golden lightning and Buddhist radiance that suppressed the surrounding people, making them feel suffocated.
"Did you think immunity to mental power could trap me?" Meng Qinghuan's tone was light and teasing, but his attitude became serious. He tapped his fist, and his brilliant golden eyes were filled with mockery and madness. "You really made a wrong decision."
Suddenly, the sky changed drastically. The scenery centered around Meng Qinghuan dimmed for two seconds, and a strong wind swept back, rustling the surrounding plants. Immediately after, everyone witnessed a shocking scene.
Meng Qinghuan's muscles suddenly bulged, expanding by three times as if being inflated like a balloon, filling him with explosive power. Even though Meng Qinghuan's muscles still didn't look as robust as Lang Mo's, anyone would immediately feel that this power was absolutely incomparable to Lang Mo's.
"I'll go a bit slower, Xiao Xiao He, so you can see clearly," Meng Qinghuan hummed, seemingly disdainful. "However, with this level of power, it shouldn't require the Thousand-Handed Tathagata."
"Watch this!" Meng Qinghuan took a half-step back, his momentum becoming wilder.
"Eagle Eye! Leopard Speed! Lion Heart! Rhino Strength! Snake Endurance! Ape Arm!" With each shout from Meng Qinghuan, an animal phantom appeared behind him, letting out a sky-wailing cry and transforming into a totem imprinted on Meng Qinghuan. He deliberately slowed down his movements, only stopping his charging when he had stacked a series of buffs on himself.
Each power was amplified to its maximum, something Yun He found difficult to achieve. Yun He thought her conversion of animal powers was already excellent, greatly improving her combat effectiveness each time. But only after seeing Meng Qinghuan's momentum and power multiply several hundred times did Yun He finally realize how insignificant she was.
"Iron Arm, Bronze Palm! Mountain Pushing Palm, Mountain Splitting!" With Meng Qinghuan's roar, his palms pressed against the semi-transparent barrier. Instantly, the barrier, which was already unstable due to Meng Qinghuan's momentum, began to crack rapidly the moment his palms made contact.
To everyone's stunned gaze, the barrier, which had been indestructible after being hit countless times by everyone, shattered with a "crack" sound like a thin sheet of ice under Meng Qinghuan's palm.
So strong!
Yun He's heart was in turmoil. She thought she had been conservative in her self-evaluation. She thought she was a fish in the sea, but she never expected she was merely duckweed.
As the barrier shattered, the world, already unstable due to the loss of the World Crystal, began to fragment. The ground beneath everyone's feet caved in, and the entire world bubble disintegrated in spacetime.
Meng Qinghuan leaped lightly and pulled Yun He into his arms with one hand.
"Thousand-Hand Style, Moon Grab from the Sea!"
With Yun He in one arm, Meng Qinghuan had already put on his monk robe again. Countless golden hands appeared out of thin air behind him, scooping up everyone who was about to fall into the turbulence and be torn to shreds.
Before them was a chaotic space of black and silver. Yun He, protected in Meng Qinghuan's arms, felt her small face sting from the hurricane-force winds generated by the turbulence.
Faintly, Yun He seemed to see a mass of pure black mist enveloping them. For a moment, she felt suffocated. After extreme darkness, it turned extremely bright. The sudden sunlight momentarily blinded Yun He's eyes.
Yun He quickly closed her eyes. When she opened them again, Bai Cha was standing before her, leaning against a tall tree with a faint smile.
Turning her head, she found a large group of people gathered on the island. There was Cang Liu, and Gu Mingze, who was returning her greeting.
"Aiya, we're actually slower than Xiao Xiao Nan," Meng Qinghuan waved his sleeve, looking delighted, and ran to Bai Cha's side, whispering in her ear.
"Xiao Bai, won't this discourage Xiao Xiao He?" Meng Qinghuan clung to Bai Cha, rubbing against her shoulder like a sack. "I used seventy percent of my strength for you, you know."
Meng Qinghuan could have easily shattered that barrier. But Bai Cha had asked him to display his strength to Yun He. Otherwise, the barrier wouldn't have been as fragile as paper, shattering at his touch.
"You're too indulgent of her. I asked you to give her a little lesson, and you're already feeling protective?" Bai Cha glanced at Meng Qinghuan, her gaze somewhat strange. "Following the established path isn't suitable for a genius. A little bit of premature growth will benefit her."
"Alright, alright, I can't argue with you. When are we going back?" Meng Qinghuan mumbled. "The growth of those little guys should have met your expectations, right..."
Meng Qinghuan wanted to continue talking, but suddenly he was grabbed by the collar and pulled aside. When he looked up, he bumped into a pair of peach blossom eyes filled with a hint of anger.
"Hey, hey, I said, why are you so angry?" Meng Qinghuan, like a golden retriever forcibly separated from its owner's embrace, was so angry he almost bit him. "Can you all just be clear? None of you have a chance with her."
"You don't need to worry about it," Lucifer's eyes darkened slightly, but he didn't refute. He only loosened his grip on Meng Qinghuan's collar a little.
Bai Cha looked up from the data and found that Meng Qinghuan, who had been clinging to her, was gone. Turning her head, she saw Lucifer and Meng Qinghuan's faces so close.
Bai Cha: "What are you two doing?"
"Ah~ Xiao Bai, your dragon is bullying me, it's unjust!" Meng Qinghuan's expression was displeased just a moment ago, but upon hearing Bai Cha's voice, his face changed instantly. With a demeanor of a damsel in distress, he pounced towards Yun He again. "Ah~ my Xiao Xiao He, they're all bullying me. I'm so delicate, how pitiful..."
Bai Cha looked confused: "Ah?"
Lucifer and Yun He: "..."