Chapter 116: Simp Mode—Engaged but Impossible to Cure!
"No—don't come near me again! I'm afraid he'll misunderstand!"
Tang Wulin stood frozen where she left him. He didn't even notice the moment Ouyang Zixin walked away.
All he knew was—
At his young age, his world had just collapsed.
The usually sleepy Xie Xie woke up to the sound of muffled sobs.
Blinking blearily, he glanced at the clock. Six in the morning.
"Five more minutes…"
Wait.
He sat bolt upright and realized Tang Wulin had somehow crawled onto his bed, face buried in the blanket, shoulders trembling.
What in the—?
Why was he crying!?
"Wulin? What happened? Who bullied you? Tell your big brother—I'll teach them a lesson!"
Among the Zero Class members, everyone got along well, but Xie Xie and Tang Wulin had the closest bond.
Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi were inseparable—they didn't count.
Jiang Chen was always surrounded by girls, with his icy companion silently at his side, making him impossible to approach.
That left Tang Wulin—his one comrade in solidarity.
"Waaah—Xie Xie, I think… I think I just got dumped!"
Xie Xie: "???"
After some coaxing, he pieced it all together.
Heartbreak—it was heartbreak. And for a boy experiencing his first crush, that might as well have been the end of the world.
"Well, that's…" Xie Xie sighed, at a loss for words.
"All this fuss over… that?"
"Come on, Wulin, we're still kids! Early romance? Aren't you afraid your parents will kill you?"
"And besides, no offense, but if I were her, I'd reject you too! We're barely teenagers—you want her to wait for you how many years?"
"At our age, it's not love, it's just—'Wow, she's pretty.' That's it."
Tang Wulin sniffed. "Then… what about Brother Jiang Chen?"
Xie Xie paused. "…"
Finally, he muttered, "He doesn't count. He's not human."
Thankfully, after Xie Xie's "pep talk," Tang Wulin pulled himself together.
"You're right, Xie Xie!" he said determinedly. "I'm still young. But when I grow up, I'll definitely make her fall for me!"
Xie Xie nearly fell off the bed. "What!? No—you're missing the point! By then, she'll already look exactly like Xu Xiaoyu's wife!"
"No! I'll win her heart!"
"…All the effort I just—gone."
Xie Xie gave up, utterly speechless.
Meanwhile, Mu Xi was abruptly awakened by her friend's incoming message.
At this hour? Weren't her friend and Tang Wulin supposed to be running together right now?
Her eyes widened. "What do you mean they fought?"
My junior and my best friend had a falling out?
Panic flickered across her face—quickly replaced by a tiny, guilty sigh of relief.
Then came the follow-up message explaining it all.
Ouyang Zixin had confessed the truth directly.
Mu Xi nodded approvingly. "Good for her!"
"Kids that age should be focusing on cultivation! Love? What nonsense!"
She leapt out of bed, quickly picked out her prettiest dress, and spent a full hour getting ready before sprinting to East Sea Academy.
"My poor, heartbroken junior must need comfort right now!"
"And who better than his beautiful senior sister to console him?"
"Heh heh… Little junior, I'm coming to the rescue!"
When she arrived, though, she walked straight into the cafeteria—where Tang Wulin and Xie Xie were happily having breakfast.
Tang Wulin blinked in surprise. "Senior sister? What are you doing here?"
Mu Xi stood frozen in disbelief.
He wasn't crying. He wasn't sulking. He looked perfectly fine.
Her imagination crashed and burned.
"…You… you're okay?"
Tang Wulin tilted his head. "Should I not be?"
Later that day, the students gathered for an announcement.
"This surge in spiritual energy across the Spirit Ascension Platform marks a full-scale riot," said Director Long Hengxu, who had temporarily taken over Zero Class after Wu Zhangkong's departure.
"As always, safety limits apply—no one above rank 39 may enter. Each of the eighteen towers has three hundred available slots."
He looked at them seriously. "Listen well. During a riot, the soul beasts are far more aggressive. Their energy lingering after death amplifies your soul absorption rate by nearly one hundredfold. Use that wisely."
"Gu Yue, Jiang Chen, and Di Xuer will not join this time," he added.
"The rest of you will face the spirit battle on your own. The opponents you encounter will be at the peak of the Soul Elder realm. Stay alert."
It made sense. The trio's power levels were already far beyond the rest.
As for Jiang Chen, he was busy stabilizing his bloodline. Levels hardly mattered—he could easily fight a Titled Douluo at zero rank if he wanted.
Warning: twelve god-class mechas detected.
That left six students entering the regular platform.
They'd already experienced one riot before—it seemed straightforward enough.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen, Gu Yue, and Di Xuer were sent into the advanced Spirit Ascension Platform—something closer to a nature outing than a challenge.
The simulated forest spanned hundreds of kilometers, designed after the legendary Star Dou Great Forest—with much less danger, of course.
When a rampaging Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear appeared before them, Jiang Chen calmly stepped back behind Gu Yue.
She gave him a look of pure disgust—but still lifted her hand.
Unleashing the authority of the Silver Dragon King, she radiated divine might.
Instantly, the massive bear froze mid-charge, then dropped to its knees before her.
From then on, their "adventure" was almost peaceful.
Even the wildest spirit beasts melted into obedience under that supreme aura.
In contrast, the other six… weren't nearly as lucky.
"Xie Xie! Are you insane!? Why did you provoke a whole pride of Flame Lions!?"
The team sprinted for their lives, dust flying behind them. Fifteen fiery predators were hot on their heels.
"Every man for himself!" Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi yelled, activating their fusion technique and taking to the sky.
Xie Xie duplicated himself with Light Dragon and Shadow Dragon clones, darting in three directions at once.
Huo Yun'er, on the other hand, released a small white tiger above her head—its vertical pupil gleamed menacingly. In an instant, she sat cross-legged on the ground, unafraid.
The lions didn't even glance at her, leaping clean over her position and continuing the chase.
That left Xu Xiaoyan and Tang Wulin running for their lives.
"Xie Xie! You're dead when I catch you!" Xu Xiaoyan shouted.
Sure, she was a control-type soul master—but controlling one target was entirely different from stopping an entire pack!
(END CHAPTER)
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