Soul Land:The Dragon King's God of Nature

"Teacher Wu, I have a question!" Xie Xie suddenly raised his hand, asking, "How are we getting back? Are we really walking all the way home?"

Wu Zhangkong shot him a glance, saying, "As soul masters, mobility is one of the most fundamental abilities. What? Have you gotten so used to riding the Soul Guide Train that you don't want to use your own legs anymore?"

Xie Xie shuddered slightly under Wu Zhangkong's gaze, shaking his head immediately. "Of course not! I'd love a walking trip!"

"Good," Wu Zhangkong said calmly. "Xie Xie, you'll have an extra training assignment from now on. Out of everyone, your performance in the tournament was the weakest. Some added intensity will be good for you."

"No! Please, no!" Xie Xie wailed in despair.

But his cries didn't stir any compassion from Wu Zhangkong. Instead, Wu looked at the others and said, "Prepare to move. Tang Wulin, you look after Jing Shaoyu. Gu Yue, you keep an eye on Xu Xiaoyan. Xie Xie, you'll be in the rear. As for Director Long, I'll handle his care."

The group reacted in various ways. Tang Wulin naturally committed to Wu Zhangkong's orders, but Jing Shaoyu, Gu Yue, and Xu Xiaoyan had their own objections.

Jing Shaoyu spoke up first. "Teacher Wu, I'm fine. I don't need extra attention."

Gu Yue said, "I'll take care of Shaoyu."

Xu Xiaoyan added, "Teacher Wu, I'm not some weak little girl. I don't need to be looked after."

Wu Zhangkong's expression darkened slightly, though he didn't get angry. He simply looked at them with a calm gaze, then nodded slowly. "Alright, have it your way."

There was an undeniable hint of resignation in his tone.

"Move out!" Wu Zhangkong lifted Long Hengxu onto his back. Despite Long Hengxu's reluctance, he had no choice but to accept the arrangement as Wu Zhangkong took the lead in the direction of East Sea City.

The five students quickly fell into line behind him, their expressions revealing a mix of emotions.

Under the envious gazes of the other survivors, the East Sea Academy group gradually left the scene. As they moved nearly 500 meters away, disappearing from view, the Soul Elder who had earlier pleaded for protection quietly began following their path.

Seeing him as the lead, other survivors also started to trail behind at a careful distance of about 500 meters, not too close but close enough to feel safer. It was a strategic choice.

The East Sea Academy group quickly noticed the long line of followers behind them. In fact, as soon as the Soul Elder began following them, Xie Xie had pointed out, "Teacher Wu, someone's tailing us!"

"Oh," Wu Zhangkong replied flatly, offering no further reaction.

The students understood that Wu Zhangkong was tacitly allowing their followers, so they let it go, focusing instead on keeping up with his pace.

Wu Zhangkong maintained a speed that pushed the students to exert themselves fully just to keep up. Initially, they had energy for casual conversation, but as time passed, they all fell silent, needing to concentrate solely on the grueling pace.

Jing Shaoyu couldn't help but complain silently. Wu Zhangkong, being a Shrek Academy alumnus, was using the notorious "Shrek endurance training" method. Was this a mandatory course for Shrek Academy's inner disciples?

The train derailment had taken place right between Tianhai City and East Sea City—a location that couldn't have been more deliberately chosen. Clearly, the evil soul masters had planned the attack meticulously. If they hadn't run into the East Sea group, their mission would likely have succeeded.

Near midnight, the group finally reached a small city under Tianhai's jurisdiction called Shanshui City.

In the end, Wu Zhangkong's resolve softened, and he didn't truly intend to make the Zero Class walk all the way back to East Sea City. They found a small inn in Shanshui City, planning to rest for the night and catch a ride back in the morning.

"Everyone, go and rest," Wu Zhangkong instructed the five.

Wu had booked three rooms: two double rooms and one triple. His arrangement was clear—he would share one room with Director Long, the girls, Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan, would take another, and the boys, Jing Shaoyu, Tang Wulin, and Xie Xie, would share the triple.

But things rarely went as planned. As soon as Wu Zhangkong left, Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan immediately rushed forward, squeezing Tang Wulin and Xie Xie away from Jing Shaoyu, each clinging to one of his arms with intentions that were abundantly clear.

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie were left dumbfounded, unsure of how to react.

"Wulin, Xie Xie, you two take the double room," Jing Shaoyu said with a resigned smile.

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie exchanged glances, then gave Jing Shaoyu a thumbs-up. Xie Xie said, "Captain, I hope we see you tomorrow."

With that, they turned and headed to their room.

"Gu Yue, Xiaoyan, let's get to our room," Jing Shaoyu said, glancing at Gu Yue's impassive face and Xu Xiaoyan's bright smile. "I'm worn out."

"Alright, let's go rest!" Xu Xiaoyan replied cheerfully.

In the room, Jing Shaoyu was surprised to see it only had two beds—a single and a double. This setup seemed like it was designed to cause trouble! Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan glanced at Jing Shaoyu, who acted swiftly, darting toward the single bed, kicking off his shoes, and lying down.

"I'll take this bed; you two can have the other," he declared.

Before Gu Yue or Xu Xiaoyan could protest, he pulled the blanket over himself and closed his eyes.

The two girls exchanged a look, then silently turned away, settling into the double bed without further fuss. The room quieted, with only the sound of their breathing filling the silence.

Though Jing Shaoyu appeared to sleep, he was actually listening to their movements. He heard their steady breathing, which suggested they were calm. After a few soft footsteps, the lights went out, and he heard the faint rustling of the two girls settling into bed. It seemed they had reached a peaceful agreement, allowing Jing Shaoyu to relax.

As he let his guard down, the exhaustion of the day caught up with him. The intense experiences, from claiming their victory in the morning to facing a life-or-death moment on the train, followed by a long walk, had stretched his nerves thin. Now that he could finally rest, his mental tension faded, and he drifted into a deep sleep.

In his sleep, Jing Shaoyu felt uncomfortably cramped as if confined in a small space, unable to stretch his limbs. His arms, in particular, seemed to be weighed down, causing him to frown in his sleep.

Drowsily opening his eyes, he looked left and right, quickly realizing why he felt so restricted. Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan had somehow ended up on his bed, each clinging to one of his arms like two little koalas.

He blinked, fully awake, but rather than protest, he simply smiled with a mix of exasperation and affection. What else could he do but accept it?

Quietly, he shifted them both over to the double bed, wrapping his arms around them both before slipping back into sleep, this time filled with warmth and contentment.

While Jing Shaoyu enjoyed his peaceful slumber, far away from the site of the train incident, in a hidden structure over 500 miles away, the remaining evil soul masters gathered with an unfamiliar figure.

This newcomer, an elderly man with a sinister appearance and a heavy, bloody aura, listened intently as the returning Soul Sage reported the events. A look of fear crossed the elder's wrinkled face as he muttered, "This isn't good. We need to evacuate immediately!"

But just as he finished speaking, a golden-red flame fell from the sky, illuminating the dark night as it struck the hidden building, engulfing it in intense flames within moments.

The golden-red flames burned with such heat that the air visibly distorted and twisted, hinting at their immense power.

Within seconds, the flames vanished as suddenly as they had appeared, leaving only a pile of blackened ashes in place of the buil

ding, as if no one had ever been there.

All returned to silence under the night's dark veil.

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