Su Yu's voice suddenly rang out, carrying a sharp coldness as he lightly slapped the table and looked sharply at Tang San:
"Under those circumstances, when both Teacher Zhao and I were injured, you still insisted on recklessly competing with Dragon Duke Meng Shu for that Human-faced Demon Spider?"
"Do you know what level Dragon Duke's cultivation is? Soul Douluo!" Su Yu emphasized.
"Never mind that we were injured at the time—even if Teacher Zhao and I were at our peak condition, do you think all of us combined would be a match for a Soul Douluo?"
He stood up and walked step by step toward Tang San, his eyes filled with disappointment:
"You only thought about that Human-faced Demon Spider—did you ever consider the consequences?"
"If we had clashed with Dragon Duke, all of us could have died there!"
"Did you want all of us to be buried along with your foolish actions?"
Tang San was left speechless by his questioning, his face turning pale.
He opened his mouth to defend himself but realized every word Su Yu said was right.
At that time, he had indeed been blinded by the Human-faced Demon Spider and hadn't considered everyone's safety at all.
Tang San lowered his head, his hands clenched tightly into fists, knuckles turning white.
"The Human-faced Demon Spider may be valuable, but you need to be alive to claim it. On the path of cultivation, the greatest taboo is rushing for quick success. In the future, think more about the consequences before you act."
After saying this, Su Yu no longer looked at Tang San and went to sit down with Ning Rongrong and the others.
Tang San sat alone in his seat, his hands still clenched into fists, lost in thought.
For a while, the atmosphere within Shrek Academy felt strangely tense. After an unknown length of time, Tang San took a deep breath, raised his head, and bowed deeply to Zhao Wuji and Su Yu:
"I'm sorry, Teacher Zhao, Teacher Su. I was too impulsive earlier and nearly dragged everyone down with me."
Zhao Wuji waved his hand, offering no further reproach: "Enough, as long as you recognize your mistake. Remember from now on—we are a team; you can't just think about yourself."
Just then, an unexpected figure walked in through the inn's entrance.
"Xiao Wu!"
Zhu Zhuqing was the first to catch sight of that familiar silhouette, covering her mouth in surprise as she hurried forward to meet her.
Xiao Wu looked somewhat disheveled, her pink dress torn in several places.
The scorpion braid that had been neatly tied was now mostly undone, strands of hair sticking messily to her cheeks.
Yet her complexion was rosy, her eyes bright and spirited, showing no signs of dejection.
Hearing Zhu Zhuqing's voice, the others in the hall looked up, their faces lighting up with astonishment and joy at the sight of Xiao Wu.
Ning Rongrong and Xue Na quickly rose and hurried over, taking Xiao Wu's hands from either side to help her sit down:
"Xiao Wu, are you hurt?"
As soon as Xiao Wu sat down, she was surrounded by everyone's concerned gazes. She grinned, revealing her little canine teeth, and waved her hand:
"I'm fine! I just got scratched by some branches while running back—just minor injuries."
As she spoke, she patted her leg to prove she was unharmed.
However, the fleeting exhaustion in her eyes didn't escape everyone's notice.
Tang San looked at her, the regret he felt over the Human-faced Demon Spider instantly replaced by worry, and he couldn't help asking:
"Xiao Wu, are you really okay? I heard from Teacher Zhao that you were captured by the Titan Giant Ape!"
Xiao Wu's eyes flickered slightly as she avoided his gaze, deflecting with a laugh:
"Ah, it's a long story! More importantly, are you all alright? Is anyone injured?"
Zhao Wuji looked at Xiao Wu, who appeared almost completely unharmed, and pressed urgently:
"Xiao Wu, how exactly did you escape from the Titan Giant Ape?"
"Tell us quickly, what actually happened back then?"
He simply couldn't comprehend how Xiao Wu could have emerged unscathed against the Titan Giant Ape's power.
Of course, Xiao Wu couldn't possibly tell them that Er Ming, the Titan Giant Ape, had sensed her aura and specifically come to take her away.
She had already prepared her story on the way back. Wearing a perfectly measured expression of lingering fear, she explained to the curious group:
"I'm not sure what happened... That Titan Giant Ape grabbed me and kept running deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest. I was so terrified my soul nearly left my body—I didn't dare struggle at all."
She paused, as if recalling the details: "We ran for who knows how far, until the surrounding trees became blurry shadows."
"Suddenly, an extremely loud bull howl came from nearby—'Moo!'—so loud my ears were ringing."
"When the Titan Giant Ape heard the bull howl, it seemed enraged and suddenly stopped."
"Then it beat its chest toward the sky before tossing me aside. Luckily, there was a patch of soft grass there, or I would've been badly hurt!"
Xiao Wu patted her chest, wearing a relieved expression:
"After that, it roared and charged toward the direction of the bull howl. I didn't dare stay any longer—I scrambled up and ran for my life. It took me forever to find my way back."
This account was half-truth and half-fabrication, both explaining her escape and pinning the reason on the mysterious bull howl, making it sound perfectly plausible.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Wuji's face showed understanding.
"So that's what happened! You were quite lucky, Xiao Wu. We also heard that bull howl while leaving the Star Dou Great Forest!"
"Most likely, the bull howl came from another Beast King in the Star Dou Great Forest. With two Beast Kings confronting each other, the Titan Giant Ape naturally had no time to bother with Xiao Wu!"
"Regardless, what matters is that Xiao Wu returned safely." Zhao Wuji sighed in relief, his tone softening.
Seeing that everyone believed her story, Xiao Wu secretly relaxed and broke into a smile again. Tipping her chin up with a hint of pride, she announced:
"Teacher Zhao! I have more good news to share—I've broken through to Soul Elder!"
"Mhm, good that you broke through. Keep working hard."
Zhao Wuji was rubbing his shoulder to ease his injuries, still pondering the Titan Giant Ape and the bull howl, so he responded absently with a somewhat dismissive tone.
Xiao Wu pouted, knowing he hadn't really listened, and was about to repeat herself.
But then she saw Zhao Wuji freeze mid-motion, suddenly lift his head, his eyes wide as if he'd heard something unbelievable.
"What did you say?" He leaned forward, his voice trembling slightly.
"Soul... Soul Elder? Xiao Wu, you're not joking, are you? You've already broken through to Soul Elder?"
It wasn't just Zhao Wuji—Dai Mubai and the others in the hall were also stunned, all turning to look at Xiao Wu with astonishment in their eyes.
Dai Mubai couldn't help but exclaim, "Xiao Wu, you're not lying to us? You've broken through to Soul Elder?"
Seeing everyone's reaction, Xiao Wu became even more energized. She puffed out her chest and said with a beaming smile:
"Of course it's true! If you don't believe me, just watch!"
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