Chapter 154: Severe Injury and Recovery

The spectators didn't even catch what had just happened. It all ended far too quickly; they merely saw the attribute-less mage in the center of the arena suddenly vanish, and in the next second, Wu Zhen inexplicably flew out of the boundaries.

The host, clearly not expecting the match to conclude in a mere flash, immediately announced:
"A victor has emerged! The winner of the second round is—the Holy City Magic Academy! The Holy City Magic Academy advances entirely to the next round, let us offer them our applause!"

Only then did the audience snap back to reality, erupting into applause and cheers for the victors remaining on the stage.

In the second-floor lounge, Renault, who had been watching the match, suddenly shouted as if he had just discovered a new world:
"Sister, sister! I saw it clearly! That attribute-less mage's attack method is too bizarre! He doesn't rely on speed, but rather on a spell akin to teleportation, moving right beside his opponent in an instant!"

Lena sat on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other, and said offhandedly:
"You're really taking that kid to heart, aren't you? No matter if it's teleportation or anything else, he can't beat us. The championship belongs to our Royal Magic Academy."

After stepping down from the stage, Black Feather and the others were filled with excitement. Following a brief celebration, driven by their lingering concern for Bai Shengye, they headed straight for the infirmary.

Instructor Yun Lan stood guard by Bai Shengye’s hospital bed. Having taken the antidote provided by Wu Zhen, Bai Shengye was now out of danger and had just drifted into a slumber. Qian Xue walked in through the doorway.

Yun Lan made a move to wake Bai Shengye, but Qian Xue shook her head.

She sat by the edge of Bai Shengye’s bed, merely gazing quietly at his sleeping face. The usual coldness in her brows and eyes had vanished, replaced by a faint sorrow. Her locks of hair brushed gently against the side of the bed as she became lost in memories of the past.

Suddenly, her hand was caught by a strong grip, tightly clutched within a warm palm. Startled, Qian Xue turned her head and saw that Bai Shengye, who had just been sleeping peacefully, now wore a mischievous smile.

Qian Xue hurriedly tried to pull her hand back, but he held it fast.

No longer able to fake his slumber, he gently placed Qian Xue’s hand against his own chest, looking at her with tenderness as he spoke:
"I knew you were worried about me. When I fell to the bottom of the poison pool, it was hearing your call that woke me up..."

Qian Xue’s face flushed red, and she yanked her hand back.
"Who was worried about you? I wasn't worried about you at all!"

"Ahem." Yun Lan coughed lightly, feeling that she was acting far too much like a luminous third wheel, and quietly slipped out, pulling the door shut behind her.

Bai Shengye continued in a gentle, feeble voice:
"I dreamed of you too, I dreamed of when we were little. Perhaps only in times like that, when one is on the verge of death, do you realize what is most precious..."

Hearing his words, a wave of warmth surged through Qian Xue’s heart, and the thick ice she had built up over the years seemed to melt. Just as she was beginning to waver, she instead stood up, took a step back, and said coldly:
"Don't flatter yourself! I wasn't worried about you in the least, and whatever happens to you has nothing to do with me. Our bond was exhausted long ago. The only reason I stayed here instead of leaving is because the rest of our teammates have matches this afternoon. Otherwise, I would have returned to the Snow Realm long ago!"

Just then, Black Feather walked up to the exterior and found it baffling to see Yun Lan standing alone in the corridor.
Crying out, "Instructor Yun Lan, why aren't you going inside?" he clumsily pushed the door open. Catching sight of the tender scene between Qian Xue and Bai Shengye inside the room, he immediately pulled the door shut and backed out:
"Pardon the interruption."

Before Yun Lan could stop him, the door—no sooner had it been closed—was abruptly shoved open from behind by Ling Xiao Lei:
"Why did you close the door?!"

Upon entering and seeing the tableau within, she instantly understood, gently pulling the door closed again:
"Apologies, apologies for the intrusion..."

Shen Zai Guo and Ling Meng, who had just walked up to the door, stood there in utter bewilderment. Figuring out the reason, they stealthily pressed their ears against the door to eavesdrop.

Yixin didn't even need to look to guess what was happening. Leaning against the window to one side, she cast a reproachful gaze at Black Feather and Ling Xiao Lei:
"You two jesters, when will you ever learn to be a bit more mindful?"

Qian Xue had long since lost any desire to speak. Shen Zai Guo and Ling Meng had barely pressed their ears to the door and hadn't heard a thing yet when the door was pushed open from the inside, startling them both. Qian Xue swept past the group, an aura of frost radiating from her body, and walked away without once looking back.

Bai Shengye remained quite weak and could only lie in bed as his teammates came in to check on him.

Yixin said:
"Get some good rest. Tomorrow is the team match; we might face the Royal Magic Academy, or perhaps one of the two winning teams from this afternoon. The few of us are more than enough. Just recover your strength and prepare for tomorrow afternoon's individual matches."

Bai Shengye nodded.

Someone from the medical team knocked on the door from the outside. Wu Zhen, severely injured, lay on a stretcher wrapped in bandages, and was placed on the hospital bed right beside Bai Shengye's.

His teammates—including the red-haired dual-sword Dragon Clan warrior and the poison-insect practitioner—followed them inside. The medical staff gave instructions regarding the medication schedule before withdrawing.

"Hah, what a coincidence."
The red-haired warrior glanced over in their direction, his arms crossed over his long sword, his tone dripping with provocation.

Black Feather felt a twinge of regret at that moment, wondering if he had struck too hard; at best, the opponent was suffering from full-body fractures. He turned to Ling Meng and said:
"Can you use your healing arts to help him recover?"

Seeing them enter, Bai Shengye also forced himself to sit up and said:
"I have a miraculous medicine here for bone fractures... If he takes it, he should be healed by tonight."

"You don't need to get up. Where is the medicine? I'll find it for you."
Black Feather stepped forward to help, retrieving the bone-fracture medicine from the medical kit according to Bai Shengye's instructions and handing it over to Wu Zhen's teammates.

The Dragon Clan warrior hesitated for a moment before awkwardly accepting it. He brought it over to Wu Zhen, helping him slowly sit up.

Despite appearing rough and carefree, this Dragon Clan warrior was remarkably meticulous when caring for Wu Zhen. He held the pill to Wu Zhen's lips and then picked up a cup of water to help him swallow it.

"It's so bitter," Wu Zhen frowned. "Do you have any candy?"
"You still want candy?" The red-haired warrior set down the cup. "Your mouth is already full of cavities, and you still dare ask for candy? If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten—hurry up and hand over the candy you've been hoarding!"

With that, he began rummaging through Wu Zhen's pockets. Enduring the pain, Wu Zhen twisted his body and pleaded:
"Agh, it hurts so much, stop searching... Please, considering that I'm gravely wounded, just let me have one. Literally just one. During the match just now, I held back from eating candy for so long."

"Sigh, fine, there's no helping you!" The red-haired warrior pulled a lollipop out of his pocket and handed it to him.

Sucking on the lollipop, Wu Zhen settled back down, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

Seeing that the opponents held no grudge against him, Black Feather finally breathed a sigh of relief. Ling Meng walked over and stood by Wu Zhen's side to treat him, the warm light of healing dispelling the agony from his body.