Douluo Dalu: 1st Cycle: Dancing Panda

"Sister Wu, is this him?"

Karni got annoyed. Who was interrupting his kissing time when he just reunited with his girlfriend after a year!

Siduo looked from the youth that came, to Karni. She smiled. "Yes! This is my boyfriend I've been telling you all about. Val Karni."

She held Karni's hand and showcased him off proudly.

Karni could see the man's vein pop. Eyes full of jealous fury. The young man seemed a good three years older than them, maybe even in his twenties. He was surrounded by a few older companions who looked to be in their mid-twenties.

Though Karni did not care so much about the guy's looks. He looked to Siduo. "Is he… my love rival?"

Siduo whispered back. "Obviously not. But he does have the hots for me. Also, he's twenty-five."

Karni frowned. Multiple issues here. He and Siduo were 16. So that age difference was a no-no. Second. What's with that baby face? Karni would have never guessed the guy to be twenty-five. Well, that second one wasn't a problem. It was just Karni's instinct to mock anything that came to mind after he found out about this guy.

But also, Karni felt sudden, weird excitement he hadn't felt for a while. An encounter a rival in love! Another cliché!

"He tried following me when I left. I invited him with me instead." She winked at Karni.

"Sisi. You know me so well. What a wonderful gift!" Karni both loved and hated clichés. Hated in the sense that they were often too overdone in stories or dragged out too long, and loved in the sense that when he saw them in real life, it was just such a wonderful treat. And she knew that.

He could not wait the beat the shit out of this guy.

"A fight for Sister Wu's love! Do you accept!"

Karni smiled. "Of course. Let's do it right here!"

"H-Here?" The man was caught off guard.

"What? Please don't say you're changing your mind." Karni was itching for a good fight right now. He couldn't exactly go all out on the ship when training with the rest of the Shrek Seven Devils.

Wait, could it even be a proper fight? A normal Soul King was not really Karni's match right now. If this person was at least somewhat talented, he should be a Soul King by now.

Karni sighed. It is quite crowded. "Let's move places. Then you won't have to worry." He summoned his Bo Staff, now renamed into the Cosmic Instrument and Shifted his love rival, his group of friends and Siduo.

They appeared in a park nearby. Siduo quickly sat on a bench waiting for the show. Completely expecting the order of events enfolding in front of her eyes.

The man was surprised when he saw the new scenery. He did not get a glimpse of Karni's Soul Rings. There was barely any shine among the crowd. Of course, there was barely any shine. Black Soul Rings did not really release light, they sucked it in more often than shined it.

"Let's get started." Karni said and summoned his Royal Bamboo Panda. Fur appeared on him and flowed freely in the air, as if it was in water. The characteristics of Royal Blood of Pandas.

Three Soul Rings rose up. Black, Black, Black.

The man looked at Karni like a monster. A Soul Elder with three Soul Rings? No. That's impossible. He had to be a Twin Martial Soul Master.

"Sisi. My Panda evolved. Now with three times the fluffiness!"

Siduo seemed excited. "We are definitely cuddling later." She looked like she wanted to jump into Karni already.

Karni would have usually felt embarrassed by such comments, but right now, he could only be excited. The power of love was also making one oblivious to cringe! Of fucking course he wanted to cuddle with his girlfriend after not seeing her for so long!

The rival pulled out his own Martial Soul. Knuckles. Soul Rings rose up from him. He was a Soul Emperor. Four Purple and Two Black Soul Rings.

Alright. Two things. Karni found it amusing that a baby-faced man such as this guy had a brutal weapon such as knuckles.

Karni also looked to Siduo with almost overexaggerated happiness. "You're the best."

She just gave him a thumbs up. She actually brought him a challenge. This guy was likely in the inner court. Just the kind of opponent Karni needed right now!

Neither of them was actually worried about this guy though. They met each other after so long, and their love felt just as strong, maybe even stronger right now. Karni wasn't even feeling jealous when his girlfriend was so thoughtful.

Three of the man's Soul Rings glowed together and he dashed at Karni.

Alright. Karni breathed in. Time to speedrun this shit. The faster it is, the more it would crush the guy's spirits. The more satisfaction Karni would get.

Karni's first Soul Ring shone. The Fluffy Panda Cushion. He could hear Siduo gushing on the side as his fluff increased.

His Second Soul Ring also shone just as the man arrived in front of Karni. Karni could see different effects on those knuckles.

It gained some genuinely terrifying spikes and a translucent shine. Whatever the third effect was, Karni could not see it. It was likely some kind of strengthening.

Royal Panda Paw directly collided with the Knuckles and Karni executed his new favourite combo.

The Royal Paw Panda bounced away the Knuckles with a now practiced ease. Karni moved his hands in the last second, making it so he didn't need to directly face the spikes.

The man was immediately caught off guard. He lost control of his arms in a split second due to the force of the bounce. But he cultivated his arms the most due to his Martial Soul. He was quick to regain control.

Unfortunately, there was already a left leg flying toward his stomach.

The man could not help but scoff. Just a normal kick?

Soul Bones were not always visible. Karni's bone especially worked by simply strengthening his leg to an absurd degree.

Flight into the River sent the Knuckles guy flying into the dirt, and in the next second, Karni's third Soul Ring shone as he stomped onto the ground with power with the left leg that just kicked. It was done in one smooth motion. A kick into a powerful step.

Roots spread across the whole field, and before the opponent could stand back up, Lotuses bloomed all around. An invisible Spiritual Pressure descended on the field. But the lotuses were also big and wide enough that two adults could easily hide behind one. They were bigger than humans, standing at around three metres.

The opponent lost sight of Karni. But the Lotuses, while large, were not close enough that they could constantly hide someone. He waited patiently, ready to pound. Karni would have to come out at some point.

Five seconds later, he finally heard something. But it was from behind. He turned to look and Karni was already swinging at him with the Cosmic Instrument.

The man's eyes widened, but his reactions were quick. His sixth Soul Ring shone and his Knuckles collided together, forming a spiky shield.

But Karni had spikes of his own right now.

Five rings circulated him. Five pitch Black Soul Rings, his third and fifth were shining, and his fourth just stopped.

Quivering Silver Feathers, filled with the immense Sound of what was now Draconic Thunder. Not only that, but Hop was also infused into them right now. Not only were the feathers as hard as steel right now, but the feathers turned outwards. Karni changed his Cosmic Instrument into a brutal, spiky silvery bat.

He did not need the otherwise delicate and intricate way of Quivering Silver Feathers' control of space right now. He just needed its brutality.

The best way to crush the spirit of a guy that was proud of his strength was to beat him with pure strength.

It crashed into the mighty sixth ring ability, and absolutely shattered the shield. How could it not, it tore apart Space itself. Powerful metal? It stood no chance.

The man looked with shock at Karni's eyes that were smiling cruelly. If Karni's Panda Bloodline was prideful and kind, then the Sound he controlled had always been prideful and overbearing in its control.

Karni's eyes shined golden, before the gold disappeared, and the Knuckles guy saw fear in those eyes. Fear for his very life. Karni started running away.

In the next moment, the sky darkened, and Lightning crashed into him, Thunder exploding. In the next moment, everything went dark. The man lost consciousness.

Karni stood on tip of the fallen opponent in a relaxed manner. His second Soul Ring, Mirage Bestowal was shining. It really was a great skill. It was lowkey as well. Karni changed the surroundings, which meant he could disguise the illusion as reality. It felt like a suitable evolution to Vision Bestowal.

Karni caused confusion in the mind of this guy, before he used his control over sound to knock him out in the illusion. Mirage Bestowal was especially effective when used together with Draconic Thunder. It could bring illusions almost to life in the eyes of those affected.

But the companions of the Knuckles guy were very confused. Knuckles guy suddenly stopped responding and then Karni did a simple hit on his head, without the guy even trying to defend himself.

His illusions invaded the mind. It was why he could always keep the true ability of this Soul Ring a secret.

Karni knocked on the guy's head and cleared the illusion. When he saw Karni standing on top of him and looking down, he became furious trying to fight again.

That was when Karni attached a humongous Greatsword on the Cosmic Instrument and just slammed it into the ground next to the guy, just barely missing the arm.

That was when the guy finally realised, he lost. Karni could have easily just cut off his arm there. He was unprepared for that giant sword. And if Karni could still afford to pull something like that out now… He could not help but wonder. How deep were Siduo's boyfriend's abilities?

"Kiki!" Siduo came running and hugged him. "That was wonderful! Now bring out the Fluffy Bamboo Panda again. I wanna jump into that."

"It's Royal Bamboo Panda, now actually." Karni smiled. "It awakened."

Siduo's ears perked at that. She smiled, for a moment forgetting about the cuddles. "Congrats! Oh, also, what rank are you now?"

"52, about to reach 53. In like two weeks or so."

"Oh? You fell behind. I'm already at 55."

Karni chuckled. "I had a situation when I couldn't afford to cultivate for almost four months straight, so I was stuck at the 49th level for that long."

The man was still lying on the ground, looking dejected at the two lovebirds talking… Directly above him. Siduo noticed it.

"Oh, Brother Guo, I hope you understand now." She looked down at him. "But you're no match for him."

The man looked like he withered when she said that. "My family name is Gao." He said dejectedly. She didn't even remember his family name!

"Oops. Sorry." Siduo bonked her head, dismissing his complaints.

Karni nudged her. "We still have to go back to the port. The teachers will be looking for me."

"Right." She said and the two went off, the former love rival that was never a true rival to begin with staying behind. He did not have the will to chase after Siduo anymore. Not for now at least.

Karni finally let out a laughter he'd been holding in. "Just as ruthless as I remember. You really dealt him the final blow."

"Yeah, well. He deserved it. He's been bugging me for half a year already. I don't want to think about it. You got to have your fun, and I got to have mine."

"Mm." Karni nodded, then stayed silent.

"Everything okay?"

"It's just… did you notice how my battle style changed?"

"Yeah. It's a great deal more aggressive and overbearing than before."

"Yeah. Well, it bothers me. It's not exactly compatible with my previous style."

"You'll figure it out." Siduo just shrugged and continued on unworried.

Karni could not help but pause at that. That was some confidence she had in him. It didn't feel like a dismissal of his worries. She felt like she genuinely meant it. His heart honestly wavered when his girlfriend had so much confidence in him.

"By the way, I love your hair. Short, but wild. It really suits you." He decided to get back at her carefree praise.

She blushed a little bit. It had been too long. She wasn't used to his compliments anymore. She'd need a week to readjust to his presence. And Karni knew it. "How did my own boyfriend's compliments get so embarrassing." She held her face, before shaking it off.

She quickly changed the topic. "Did you reach the Spirit Abyss Realm?"

Karni smiled and decided he won't tease her too much... for now. Three changes of topics in a row were more than enough. "Yep. And had a good breakthrough as well. I should be at about 8000 points of Spiritual Power."

Siduo blinked. "Fuck. I'm close to the bottleneck of the Spirit Abyss Realm. I've been mostly cultivating my body and my techniques. None of which are exactly spiritual in nature."

"But you're also a Soul King now."

"Yeah, but my first Spirit Souls are going to stay at the 9999 level until I make a breakthrough in Spiritual Power. I'm actually suppressing them because, while I can handle two Black Spirit Souls due to the strength of my body and the quality of my Spiritual Power from my past lives, I cannot handle any more than that."

Karni nodded. "I also had a conundrum while I was there. Though it was due to my body. When Hope evolved."

"I did see that your first three Spirit Ring abilities felt different today. Well, and they were Black."

"Mm. Hope had a drastic transformation. I'll explain everything later."

… … …

Everyone gathered and boarded the train back to Shrek City. They returned just as the holidays began, so the train was surprisingly busy.

"Thank god Wulin isn't with us." Karni commented.

Everyone nodded, even Gu Yue. Xie Xie was the one who nodded most intensely. "Hear, hear. That guy is a curse on all train enjoyers."

Gu Yue snapped at Xie Xie, hitting his shoulder with quite a bit of a punch.

"What? So Karni can complain but I can't?"

Karni and Siduo ignored the rest of the complaints that came their way and boarded the train. They sat together, and Siduo leaned into Karni. Cuddling into him. It was a shame they were in public, otherwise she would demand him to bring out the Panda.

As soon as they got comfortable, they were disrupted. Gu Yue came to their seats and leaned closer.

"Does she also know?" Gu Yue went directly to the point without saying hi.

Siduo looked from Gu Yue to Karni.

Karni sighed. "I told her about me and that I know about her."

"Oh. Hm. I might have said something if you were only just thinking about telling her, but well, what's done is done. I'm guessing you didn't do it just for the funnies." Siduo was thinking about Karni's decision to tell Gu Yue about the truth with slight disagreement.

"Of course not."

"That's fine then. As long as there was a point behind it." Siduo decided to trust Karni's intuition and let it be, cuddling back into his arm.

Gu Yue looked at the couple and just sighed. She could not deal with their carefree energy when the topic was her identity and the survival of Soul Beasts. And they both knew it. "Ugh. Forget it. Just don't speak to anyone else about it." She had already made a deal with Karni. She will give them the leeway until the promised time of Wulin's return as long as they don't step out of line.

"Sure, sure." Siduo waved Gu Yue away. She was ruining their reunion.

But she quickly changed her tune when Gu Yue was away. "So why did you tell her?"

"Sisi, have you been keeping up with your studies? With English?"

Siduo looked at him weirdly. Was he changing that topic? "Yes. I can speak it somewhat fluently."

"Good. Then I'll speak in English. That way I can tell you everything, even about the mission." Karni said the second part in English.

"Okay. Why not just block it with your sound though?" Siduo said back in English.

Karni smiled. "It's more fun this way. Now then. There was this mission, I can't explain it in too much detail due to the sect rules, but the key parts are…"

… … …

"And then after I comforted Yun'er guess what I noticed."

Siduo groaned. "She fell for Wulin."

"Bingo." Karni sighed. "But I think it's gonna be fine. She isn't the same person she was supposed to be."

With this, Karni had finished telling her everything he went through. From how the mission began, to how he met someone from the competition. This was where he backtracked to describing the competition, and then how he went to the Bamboo Oasis. It was also here that he remembered to give her a few bottles of Oasis water so she could bring out her potential later on. Only then did he continue on with what happened in the Dragon Valley. How he met Gu Yue and how that conversation went, as well as how Hope evolved. Finally, he described the final talk with Yun'er.

"I wonder what the Dai Family originally did for her to become a brat that would do such heinous things. Was I the only reality check she ever experienced?"

"That… might actually be correct."

"That's sad. The original timeline was quite different, huh… I do wonder what original Siduo's experience was supposed to be. You said you saw everything right? How important was Wu Siduo originally, without the reincarnation aspect."

"She was a strong rival until Wulin went to Star Luo. Afterwards, she became kind of unimportant… and she stayed hidden due to… Ugh. I'll just hurt myself if I even try to say that one. I need to become stronger until then."

Siduo just cuddled into him to comfort him. There had always been this one thing Karni was unable to say to her. And from what she just saw, Karni was becoming more and more worried about it, even if he tried to hide it. By now, both of them knew that there were things Karni could not say to others, lest he revealed too big a truth about the world; and there were things he could not hear other people say, lest he found out about a truth that would affect him too much.

Siduo changed the topic. And also changed back to Douluo Chinese. "But hey. You became a Yellow Fighter in the Battle Soul Hall before me. I haven't finished my One-Word Battle Armour yet, so I couldn't progress."

Karni went along with the change of topic. "Well, it was a special situation on that continent. Not my fault you weren't there." Karni grinned.

"You… I tried to comfort you!"

"And I used your kindness against you." Karni laughed maniacally, only to be kissed and shut up.

"That's unfair." He complained.

"You were asking for it." Siduo licked her lips.

… … …

It was nice to be back in the academy. But Karni did not have a lot of time to enjoy it. All eight of them that went to Star Luo Academy plus Siduo were called into the Sea God Pavilion.

"You have performed well for the academy. And kept our glory intact, even in a foreign land. Elder Cai has recommended that we reward, you, but we are not exactly sure how. Do you have any ideas?"

Xie Xie was the first to step forward, the shameless guy. He also failed to sense that something was wrong. If they received this praise… why was Siduo here as well? Something was up with this. "I want a treasure that will increase my cultivation."

"Hm. No." Yun Ming, the Pavilion Master immediately answered.

Yuanen Yehui pulled Xie Xie back. "You idiot. They already have something in mind."

"Elder Cai. What is it you recommended again?"

"I think they should become the next generation of Shrek Seven Devils."

The room fell silent, but got filled with silent nods between the elders in the Pavilion. They have already agreed on this beforehand.

"But we seem to have a problem. There are nine candidates that can become part of the Shrek Seven Devils. But only seven devils which can be. No more. No less." Yun Ming looked at the room.

"You have all contributed greatly. Most of all Gu Yue and Tang Wulin who is not here at the moment. We already know Tang Wulin will be the Captain, as we have heard how you call him, but who will take his place in the meantime depends on you." Yun Ming turned to Elder Long and nodded.

Long Yeyue took over in Yun Ming's place. "My disciple, Wu Siduo is here due to her contribution while she has been in the academy. While she was here, she had become known as the greatest genius in the academy, hence why she also has the right to become one of the future Shrek Seven Devils."

The rest could not really complain. Despite experiencing a lot. They have heard while they were travelling back that Siduo was a Soul King, just like Karni. If anything, the two of them were likely the strongest people among them.

"You can discuss amongst yourself. You have five minutes." Yun Ming smiled.

Everyone turned to look at Karni and Siduo first.

"Karni should become the stand-in captain." Gu Yue was the first to say. Everyone else seemed to nod.

Xu Lizhi shrunk back. "I think I'm okay with not ending up as one of the monsters."

"Don't kid yourself, Xu Lizhi." Surprisingly, it was Wu Siduo who spoke. "Every good team needs a balance. Without our support system, and only attackers and defenders, we would have some gaping holes. No. An Assault system needs to go."

The rest of the team seemed to stare daggers at Wu Siduo. She was challenging them.

"I think I should go." She then added. And the stares which were hostile were now filled with utter confusion and surprise.

Long Yeyue was also surprised. "Siduo? That's not what we discussed."

Siduo bowed to her teacher. "I'm sorry, master, but… after I graduate the outer court officially with creating my Battle Armour, I have to go back and visit my old academy. I will not be able to perform my duties as a member of the Shrek Seven Devils."

Long Yeyue scoffed. "Pah, that's no problem. As long as you are one of the Shrek Seven Devils, they would have no power over you anymore."

Wu Siduo chuckled. "Teacher, I think you know what I mean. I want to go back. I can be a teacher for three years, while continuing my studies here on the side. My brother and a few friends are currently there, and I want to be with them."

Long Yeyue felt bewildered. Because Siduo really hadn't mentioned anything like that to her before. However, before she could voice any complaints, Yun Ming stopped her, sensing a situation.

"What about Val Karni." He asked.

Karni stepped forward as well. They have talked about what their plans were after they graduated Outer Court on the way back to the academy. Particularly about Karni's wish to slow down a bit and stabilise. That was the main reason why he wanted to return to Star Luo Academy. And Siduo, obviously not wanting to part from him again, decided to come with him. Besides, while they would teach there for three years, they also had some unfinished business over there to take care of and they felt strong enough now where they could handle it.

However, the main reason was still the need for stabilisation. Karni knew that, while Shrek Academy was great for his own progress in strength, the environment it cultivated demanded constant improvement. A sense of calm and relaxation that Karni needed right now was not what the academy could offer. He needed that to develop himself properly after the drastic changes he experienced.

"I am also planning to return. And I am the real reason we want to go there." He turned to his companions. "So I am sorry, but I will be unable to take on the role as the temporary captain. And, uh… I want some alone time with Sisi."

"You two. This is reckless. We are Shrek! We have much greater facilities than some Star Luo Academy." Elder Long stood up.

"Now, now, Elder Long." Yun Ming sighed. He also did not expect this. "I must admit, out of all of you. You two were the one we were going to make sure would get onto the team. Both of you are too precious. So, we are not letting you there for free."

Karni and Siduo tensed up. Whatever Yun Ming, the leader of the greatest academy on the world, would demand, could not be easy.

"If you get there, develop a team of talents that will join our academy. All of them must join the academy. And they have to be good enough that they would enter the inner court directly if the old rules still applied. That means ninety points on the test."

Karni and Siduo looked at each other. This… wasn't this a bit too outrageous? The talents they knew, none of them could enter Shrek anymore. And Jianyu was too young. While he could technically take the test, there was no way he would get the appropriate amount of points at his age.

"Let's say… You need to bring at least three. You cannot focus on only one person. Bring us talents on par with your own."

"And if we fail?" Karni asked.

"You must stay in closed door cultivation for three years after you return. Without seeing each other."

Damn that Yun Ming. He knew what was most important to them. This would certainly be able to sway them. But this was also a challenge. Karni and Siduo were not ones to back out of a challenge. With that failure looming over their heads, they would certainly take this seriously.

"We accept."

Then Karni paused. "Wait a minute. You said if we get there."

Yun Ming couldn't help but laugh. "Complete your Battle Armours before the next semester starts. They cannot be ordinary ones."

Karni and Siduo looked at each other determined. They bowed. "Of course."

Yun Ming sighed. So they decided to go despite the two hurdles he sat for them. "Since you two will not be one of the Shrek Seven Devils, leave for now. There are some private things we need to talk with the ones who will get the position."

"Actually, teacher, I have one more thing to report. The Spirit Soul which is most connected with my future sight has become a Black Spirit Soul."

"The All-Seeing Rattlesnake?" Yun Ming momentarily forgot about the business he had with the Shrek Seven Devils.

"An All-Seeing Rattlesnake reached a Ten Thousand Year rank?" Another elder Karni could not recognise suddenly jumped. Or, wait. Wasn't that the Lightning Tyrant Dragon Elder that taught Jianyu for a short while?

"What's the matter, Elder Yu?"

"Pavilion Master, you don't know, in the history, there has never been a record of a Ten-Thousand-Year-Old All-Seeing Rattlesnake. It's theorised that the heavens themselves restrict the species."

Yun Ming looked back at Karni, he connected the dots. "You saw bits of future?"

"And with great clarity. Also, Elder Yu, if you want to enter it into the archive, my Spirit Soul has named her evolution the Flow-Seeing Rattlesnake."

Elder Yu almost beamed with excitement. "I will do so. Thank you, young lad. It really is a shame you're going to Star Luo Academy now. I would love to talk to you about the progress.

Karni made an awkward chuckle, before he refocused on the real problem at hand. "One of the visions I saw also concerned the vision we meditated on."

Yun Ming rose up. "Quickly tell."

"It's…" Karni took a big breath. He was already feeling the pushback coming. Ya Li arrived next to him and placed her palms on him, by now also already familiar with the consequence of telling the future. She stabilised his energy as best she could.

"Heaved Dou City." Karni vomited blood. The whole tree shone gold through Ya Li to help heal him up.

"In three to four years."

He vomited again and fell on his knees. He could hardly keep it together. Thankfully, while his injurious would have been egregious, Ya Li was using multiple Soul Rings to prevent that from happening, and the golden tree they were in seemed to be imbuing him with life energy.

"Karni, you may go. You've done enough." Yun Ming smiled at him, though he could feel the gravity in his voice. "Stabilise and start working on your Battle Armour. If it's as you say, then I will add another condition. Become a Soul Emperor by the time you return. That goes for both of you. And when you return, we'll meditate again to try and find out more details."

Karni nodded. "Also, the Mayor of the City, is my Designing Teacher's causin. I can get in touch if you wish."

Yun Ming was a bit surprised. "That would be appreciated."

The two went away, but Karni could hear the final words. "Shrek Seven Devils, you need not worry about this yet. Let the adults handle it. Elders, focus on now. We will have another meeting regarding Karni's intel after we're done here."

It was the correct decision to tell. Karni was also glad. Finally, he could prevent a disaster. Now he had to become strong enough to prevent the disaster of Shrek in the future as well.

There was another reason to leave. The Shrek Seven Devils all had to grow as they should. He did not want to interrupt that by taking up one of their spots. He would need them in the future.

It felt like Xie Xie also wanted to say something to Karni before they left. But he held back. What Karni revealed at the end seemed to have changed his mind. Did he originally think Karni was going to relax in Star Luo City? Karni's reveal proved otherwise. In fact, his revelations seemed to have also lit a fire under the Shrek Seven Devils' legs. Even if Karni did not say it, they could tell. Heaven Duo City would experience a disaster. They needed to train hard.

A pressure descended the Shrek Seven Devils. A pressure to hone themselves. These were the future Shrek Seven Monsters. They should act like it. It's not just Karni that would need them in the future. The world would.

 The two finally exited, with tensions high, but outside was waiting a beautiful girl with silver hair. She seemed to be waiting for them. For Karni, to be exact.

"Val Karni."

"Senior Disciple Sister." Karni greeted her with some difficulty. It was Na'er.

"How is Tang Wulin? Why isn't my brother back yet?" She seemed to be so worried she didn't notice Karni's injuries.

"He'll come back in about three years. Just wait. Now, while I'd like to catch up, I have a lot of work ahead of me." And recuperation, he wanted to say, but didn't. He wanted to go rest. He would need a day to get back to full power.

"Oh." The girl felt a bit dejected. Karni usually enjoyed talking. Fine. She'd just have to interrogate Gu Yue when she came out.

They really did have a lot of work to do. They had to prepare to return home for three years, and they had to finish their Battle Armours most of all.

And they still had a few people to meet. The first of which was their teacher Mo Qing. They would have a busy day tomorrow.