The entire mud pit went dead silent.
Zechuan popped his head up from the muck, his dark hair plastered to his forehead, completely covered in purple slime. He wiped his eyes, looking around at the stunned, sludge-covered prodigies with a massive, innocent, goofy grin.
"The mud is very warm!" Zechuan declared happily, oblivious to the tension he had just caused. "Does anyone want to help me build a mud-castle? I think the viscosity is perfect for structural integrity!"
Gu Zhiwei wiped the sludge from his eyes, blinking slowly.
Lu Jianheng let out a long, heavy, exhausted sigh, resting his forehead against his muddy knees.
Xie Wangchen sat perfectly still. The Ice Demon slowly raised his hand, wiping the glob of purple muck off his cheek.
The terrifying, romantic thirst-trap aura he had so carefully cultivated completely evaporated, replaced by the urge to freeze the abyssal airhead into a solid block of nitrogen.
