Douluo: A Century-old Legend I Am the Second Uncle Chenxin

Chapter 1590 The end of the road
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Five more today.

……

Chen Xiaojun's hand, which was resting on the brocade quilt, tightened slightly, his knuckles pressing deep into the delicate satin: "Since things have come to this, let's stop our sobbing for now. You still need to hold on in front of your great-grandfather."

Zhu Wuneng nodded vigorously, his rough breathing pulling at the unhealed wounds beneath the bandages: "I know... Great-grandfather hasn't woken up yet, and when he opens his eyes... I definitely won't show any worry."

He raised his hand and wiped his eyes hard, the wetness being wiped away by the rough back of his hand, leaving a faint red mark.

“Teacher Pu Shuirou and Uncle Shi Yuan are undoubtedly skilled in medicine,” Chen Xiaojun said, his gaze shifting to the swaying shadows of the trees outside the window, his voice softening slightly, “but there are many renowned doctors in the world; surely they can find a way. Besides—”

He paused, then asked, "Did you send a letter to my mother?"

A glint of light suddenly flashed in Zhu Wuneng's eyes, like a drowning person grabbing onto driftwood: "We're rushing to send it to Fasno."

In his heart, the Mistress's miraculous healing abilities were unparalleled in the world; she was the only visible, delicate rope hanging over the abyss.

……

Chen Xiaojun turned back to Zhu Wuneng, his gaze returning to Zhu Wuneng's face: "Xiaoyi...where are you now?"

"Sister Xiaoyi..." Zhu Wuneng's voice lowered a few decibels, "...is over at the arena."

"The arena?" The calm that had just returned to Chen Xiaojun's eyes froze instantly. "She was unconscious for three days before waking up! In this condition, she went to compete with others? Is she... really going to squeeze this body to dust before she'll stop?!"

Every word seemed to be ground out from between teeth.

“We tried to stop her… but no one could…” Zhu Wuneng hurriedly said, recalling what he saw that morning, “Her face was still dazzlingly pale, and her steps were light… but her eyes were clear and sharp, and although her voice was weak, she was still able to keep her mind calm…”

He tried hard to describe that feeling of "not bad".

Chen Xiaojun remained silent for a few breaths, then closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

"Let her go."

The words faded into the air.

He opened his eyes, his gaze regaining focus: "How is the battle situation in Chang'an these past few days?"

Zhu Wuneng's expression fell, and his voice tightened: "After that night, where in the team... could we find a single person in good health? They were all wounded!"

"Nowadays, when arranging troops, we don't look at the severity of injuries... we only look at who can still fight."

He read out a string of names with difficulty: "Fifth Young Master, Seventh Young Master, Eighth Young Master, Sister Youchu, Sister Ruyan, Afu, Ningxia, Taihong, Senior Shi, Wencai."

Needless to say, the Golden Generation, even Lian Shouzhong, was seriously injured that night while enduring the Soul Saint's attacks.

As he read the last two words, his voice choked, "The rest of the seriously injured... can't even get out of bed."

"Senior He Qiang decided that he and Senior Youwei would use the injured person's quota."

"The replacements are the Seventh Young Master and the Eighth Young Master, whose injuries are slightly less severe."

Chen Xiaojun nodded, and He Qiang, as the vice captain, set an example by withdrawing from the official list.

As for Gao Cuilan, judging from Wu Neng's condition, it's clear she's seriously injured; whether she's on the list or not makes no difference.

...Zhu Wuneng continued in a hoarse voice: "I heard from Afu that on the first day, we fought against Qinglin Academy...our own people, and it was a lukewarm battle...we lost, but the meat is still in the pot, so at least we got a little respite."

"On the second day, we fought against Shuiyue Academy. We won..." His voice grew lower and lower, "but Shuiyue's captain is Xie Ji, and his eighth-grade moon blade is incredibly fast! Sister Youchu tried her best to overpower him with her speed... and both of them ended up with their battle robes stained with blood... adding injuries on injuries. What's worse, Wencai used too much force in that fight... his internal organs and tendons were injured, and he can no longer fight."

"After a grueling battle against Binhai Academy on the third day, we barely managed to win." Zhu Wuneng's face showed no joy. "This battle was a controlled kill using mental suppression. The final blow was delivered by Senior Shi Feiang using his Remnant Dream Martial Soul to fight for his life, but he reached his limit, and his soul power completely backfired... He coughed up blood on the spot... Several of his bones were cracked... Let alone going back on the field, it would be difficult for him to even stand up."

He raised his head and looked at Chen Xiaojun's pale but calm face: "Today is the fourth day, and the opponent is... Tianling Academy."

Just think about it and you'll know that right now there are only Chen Mu, Chen Bin, Chen Shurui, Liu Ruyan, Dugu Fu, Su Ningxia, Zhu Taihong, and the frail Xiaoyi.

There were eight people, all of whom were injured, and even Liu Ruyan was barely able to participate.

Tianling Academy, a top-tier academy that stole the name Tianling from Yuesi Academy.

They were at their wits' end.

……

The noise from the stadium gradually rose in the afternoon, with scorching heat and lingering dust in the air.

A few withered leaves were swept up by the wind and swirled on the stone surface of the arena, which was covered with cracks, both old and new.

"The next match will be Chang'an versus Tianling."

"Chang'an, ever since that night, has been sinking deeper and deeper," a rough, hoarse voice sighed, carrying the dampness of the mountain rain.

"Innocent bystanders! The Crimson Church's raging fire burned down the entire Dust Mansion, let alone a small academy team." Someone chimed in, their voice low, as if afraid of disturbing something.

"It's a miracle we're still standing. My cousin, who's on duty in the inner city, said that night... the oppressive aura of the celestial emperor could crush mortals into mincemeat." A whisper came from a more distant corner, the last syllable trembling slightly.

"Account ban... Ha, usually so rare, but that day they were all gathered together like a bustling market." Someone sneered, but it carried a chilling sense of relief at having survived a catastrophe.

"Shh!" someone immediately interrupted, glancing warily around. "It's best not to mention what happened that night! We've been told to keep it under wraps."

The air suddenly tensed, leaving only the faint crackling sound of the sun shining on the stone slabs overhead.

"In this round of the tournament, Chang'an has been a mixed bag, winning and losing, stumbling along the way. Apart from losing the first match against Qinglin, a lukewarm 'sparring', the next two matches..."

The man clicked his tongue. "We defeated Shuiyue in the second match and fought hard to win against Binhai in the third. Both were extremely close victories... Pyrrhic wins."

"The camp is full of wounded soldiers." Someone sighed. "Of the 'Seven Heroes of the Twin Peaks' who were once famous throughout the world, how many of their talents are left? In the first two matches, they broke Shen Youchu's fast sword and crippled Shi Feiang's Remnant Dream control. Right now, apart from Chen Mu's Seven Kill Sword, there isn't a single Soul King in the team who can hold on."

After a moment of silence, he sighed deeply.

"Who could have imagined that the brightest star team at the start of the competition, the seeded team with the most Soul Kings, would end up in such a miserable state?"

The wind swept across the sky, scattering a trace of regret.

The topic then shifted to the opponent.

"Tianling Academy, the second most prestigious academy in Oswell Province, is on par with Wujian Academy. Putting everything else aside, that move 'Baxia'... when the two are perfectly matched, it's the eighth-ranked academy on the Millennium Martial Soul Fusion Ranking! Chang'an is probably in grave danger today."

"That's right. The odds are all betting on Tianling. Chang'an's odds of winning are already at 4.3 and still going up. As for Tianling, if you bet one and a half gold soul coins, you'll only get a little over two coins back."

The sunlight was blinding, casting a blinding, intense white light onto the empty arena, leaving no shadows to obscure it.

(End of this chapter)