Douluo: I have too many clones

Chapter 822 Medical Room, Ye Xinglan

"Group 4 of the Round-Robin Tournament: Round 9, Match 1: Duanmu Yan vs. Sima Jinchi!"

Without a moment's mourning for the fallen Xu Lizhi, the audience turned their attention back to the new round of the competition.

Unlike the weakling Xu Lizhi, Duanmu Yan from the fourth group is a War God from the Temple of War, and ranks sixth, possessing formidable strength.

Duanmu Yan's opponent was also a powerful figure from the Federation, Sima Jinchi from the Southern Legion, who was also a powerful Title Douluo.

Both of them had a perfect record of eight wins in the fourth group, and both were also skilled knife users.

The discussions in the stands surged like a tide. Some people missed the visual impact of Cai Xukun's crushing victories, but what shone in the eyes of many more was a desire for a more evenly matched battle.

After all, only a contest between evenly matched opponents can fully demonstrate a Soul Master's foundation, skills, and will.

"Five, four, three, two, one, the game begins!"

Almost the instant the referee spoke, dazzling spirit rings rose simultaneously from beneath the feet of the two, like two-colored fireworks blooming on the arena.

Duanmu Yan's soul ring sequence is clearly visible: Black, Black, Black, Black, Black, Black, Seven-color, Seven-color, Seven-color!
This extraordinary configuration of spirit rings instantly ignited gasps of astonishment from the entire audience—even in a round-robin tournament teeming with top players, such a unique combination of spirit rings is truly rare.

Almost at the same time, Sima Jinchi's spirit rings also suddenly appeared.

Eight jet-black spirit rings lit up one after another, while the ninth spirit ring displayed an extremely pure gold color, as if it had been forged from all the light in the world, forming a stark contrast with Duanmu Yan's seven-colored spirit rings.

Eight black and one gold spirit rings, with the gold one being the ninth in the list. This gold spirit ring was a special spirit ring that Sima Jinchi condensed on his own after breaking through to the Title Douluo level.

"Oh--"

A deafening roar erupted from every corner of the stands as the audience rose to their feet, their eyes fixed intently on the two fighters in the ring.

A clash of titans—that's the kind of showdown they want to see.

"Ronglin Knife!"

Duanmu Yan's gaze fell on Sima Jinchi. He made no extra movements, but simply made a fist with his right hand, and a long sword with a molten red light flowing through its body appeared in his palm. Flame patterns slowly flowed on the blade, emitting a high temperature that was enough to melt metal and stone.

He did not summon his battle armor, but conveyed the purest fighting spirit with his eyes: Today, only the blade will determine the victor.

"This is the kind of opponent I want to face!"

A glint of fighting spirit also flashed in Sima Jinchi's eyes. When he saw Duanmu Yan's undisguised sword intent, he felt not wariness, but the excitement of meeting a worthy opponent.

"hold head high--"

He reached out and grasped at the air. The next moment, a roar like a dragon's cry resounded throughout the arena. The Dragon Slayer Blade was drawn out in response. The blade was engraved with dense dragon scale patterns and faintly exuded dragon might. It formed a confrontation like ice and fire with Duanmu Yan's Melting Scale Blade.

The next second, the two figures moved at the same time.

Without any fancy footwork or dazzling soul skill light, the two crossed a distance of tens of meters at almost the same time and collided with a loud crash in the center of the arena.

"boom--"

The moment the blades of the two peerless swords clashed, they unleashed a roar that seemed to tear space apart.

The scorching heat of the Molten Scale Blade and the icy coldness of the Dragon Slayer Blade violently intertwined at the point of impact, forming a twisted energy ripple. The shockwave, visible to the naked eye, spread outwards, shaking the hard arena floor and creating fine cracks.

Even more terrifying was the sword intent of the two men—Duanmu Yan's sword intent was like surging lava, scorching and domineering, carrying the determination to burn everything in its path;
Sima Jinchi's sword intent was like the cold wind of the northern border, sharp and ruthless, containing the power to cut through everything.

Two completely different sword intents collided and tore at each other wildly in the air, forming invisible sword energies that made the protective barrier at the edge of the arena buzz and even distorted the light under the influence of this force.

With a slight twist of her wrist, Duanmu Yan's Melting Scale Blade came to life like a fire unicorn. The flames on the blade suddenly surged, and a dark red blade light shot out, slashing towards Sima Jinchi with the force of a wildfire.

Sima Jinchi's eyes narrowed, and he slashed out with the Dragon Slayer Blade. A golden dragon phantom suddenly appeared on the blade, colliding fiercely with the blade's light.

"Oh!"

Another loud bang! The fire qilin and the giant dragon collided, and the energy shockwave spread outwards, sending all the rubble on the arena flying.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, the two figures advanced instead of retreating, clashing once more. Blade flashes and shadows intertwined in an instant, creating hundreds of afterimages, each collision accompanied by a deafening roar.

An eerie silence fell over the stands. Everyone held their breath, staring intently at the two lightning-fast figures on the stage.

……

Meanwhile, in the treatment room specially set up for the contestants at the martial arts contest to find a husband.

A faint fluctuation of soul power permeated the air, mixed with the scent of healing herbs.

On the hospital bed, Xu Lizhi lay with his eyes closed, his face pale from the backlash of his soul power, his chest rising and falling slightly, his breathing relatively steady.

Beside the bed, a female Soul Saint dressed in the uniform of a Spirit Pagoda medical worker was slowly retracting the seven Soul Rings surrounding her. The healing scepter in her hand, with an emerald gem at the top, also lost its soft glow.

The female Soul Saint gazed at Xu Lizhi's state, speaking calmly with a professional certainty in her voice:
"Li Zhi is not in any life-threatening danger. The main problem is that after his Martial Soul True Body was forcibly broken, the disorder of his internal soul power caused his blood and qi to flow backward, which led to the backlash."

"As long as he rests peacefully for a period of time, and his internal soul energy is restored to normal and his qi and blood return to a stable state, he can gradually recover."

She paused slightly, her brows furrowing slightly, a hint of undisguised doubt flashing in her eyes, and added, "However, there is one thing that is quite unusual—it seems that Li Zhi has a peculiar power hidden within him."

"Just now, when I released the healing light to try to help him speed up his recovery, that power spontaneously formed a barrier, constantly hindering the penetration of the healing soul power, which prevented me from successfully carrying out the treatment. So for now, I can only rely on his own recovery ability and wait for him to wake up naturally."

She brought this up specifically not to shirk responsibility, but out of professional ethics as a medical professional—she needed to make Ye Xinglan understand the reason for "not being able to actively treat" and also to clarify that it was not because she had not done her best.

After all, as a medical worker employed by the Spirit Pagoda, her duty is to provide treatment for all injured players. If the expected results cannot be achieved due to special circumstances, it is a necessary procedure to explain the situation in a timely manner.

After hearing this, Ye Xinglan felt a little relieved and nodded slightly: "Okay, thank you."

"No need to be polite, this is my job." The female Soul Saint gently shook her head, her gaze sweeping towards the door of the treatment room.

"Besides Li Zhi, there are other injured competitors waiting for treatment outside. I'll go over there first. If there are any complications, you can contact the medical team through the call button by the bedside."

After saying that, she picked up her healing staff, turned around, and walked towards the door.

"Click——"

As the heavy wooden door slowly closed, the light in the treatment room seemed to soften, and the slightly noisy atmosphere completely dissipated, leaving only three people in the room.

"Ah~"

Ye Xinglan walked slowly to the bedside, gazing at Xu Lizhi's pale face, and a barely audible sigh escaped from her lips.

She simply couldn't understand what Xu Lizhi, a food-type Soul Master, was thinking, that he would dare to take the initiative to fight to the death with a level 98 Super Douluo.

Putting aside the difference in their martial souls, the gap in their soul power alone is an insurmountable chasm.

Ye Xinglan couldn't help but compare in her mind: the reason why she dared to challenge the strong again and again was because, as a power-attack type soul master, the sword path she cultivated was based on the concept of "living towards death". The stronger the opponent she faced, the more she could stimulate the potential within her body.

Xu Lizhi is different; his martial spirit and fighting style are fundamentally unsuitable for a head-on confrontation with a Super Douluo.

"What...what's wrong with him?"

Ye Xinglan murmured softly, her tone tinged with helplessness. Knowing full well the vast difference in their abilities, she still recklessly charged at Cai Xukun; this stubbornness, in her view, seemed more like an irrational impulse.

Just as Ye Xinglan was racking her brains, a warm and strong hand gently landed on her waist. Immediately afterwards, a gentle yet steady force came and gently embraced her slightly tense body.

Ye Xinglan offered no resistance, instead leaning her delicate body closer—she was all too familiar with this aura; it was Nan Fusheng's unique scent, carrying a faint warmth of sunlight and soul power.

When my cheek touched his strong shoulder and I felt the steady heartbeat from his chest, the restlessness caused by worry and confusion instantly dissipated, replaced by a sense of reassuring peace.

"Xinglan, don't worry too much."

Nan Fusheng's voice rang in her ear, gentle and magnetic, "The doctor just said that Li Zhi just needs to rest and is not seriously injured. He has always been very resilient. We can ask him about the reason slowly after he wakes up."

"Mmm." Ye Xinglan gently rested her head on Nan Fusheng's shoulder, the familiar scent lingering around her nose, and her tense nerves completely relaxed.

Looking at Ye Xinglan's stunning profile, Nan Fusheng couldn't help but slide his arm down.

"Hmm~ Stop fooling around~"

Ye Xinglan felt Nan Fusheng's actions, immediately rolled her eyes at him, and then gave a coquettish sigh.

"I'll make a scene."

However, Nan Fusheng not only did not stop, but became even more audacious.

Ye Xinglan's face turned incredibly red, and she immediately grabbed Nan Fusheng's restless hand, "Don't do this, this is the infirmary, and Li Zhi is still here."

"It's alright, Lizhi won't wake up for a while, we'll just keep quiet." Nan Fusheng hugged Ye Xinglan and whispered in her ear.

"No, this really won't do." Ye Xinglan was slightly out of breath, but she still chose to stand her ground. She was a traditional girl and found it hard to accept being here...

"Ok."

Nan Fusheng still respected Ye Xinglan's opinion. "But Xinglan, is it okay for me to touch your lips?"

As he spoke, he placed his palm below Ye Xinglan's lower abdomen, and gently stroked Ye Xinglan's lips through a thin piece of fabric.

"Yeah~"

Ye Xinglan felt that special sensation; her delicate body stiffened as if struck by an electric current, and her legs even came together slightly.

"Xinglan, relax. It's okay, I was just touching your lips."

Nan Fusheng first used his soul power to lock the door of the medical room from the outside, then steadily wrapped his arm around Ye Xinglan's waist and gently let her sit on his lap.

With her other hand, she slowly raised it, her fingertips carefully touching Ye Xinglan's soft lips.

A famous person once said that when you want to open a window and everyone around you disagrees, you can suggest tearing down the roof, and then they will come to your rescue and agree to open the window.

This is the famous "demolition effect".

"Bad thing~"

Ye Xinglan gave a coquettish laugh, her eyes filled with a hint of spring water, but she still didn't stop Nan Fusheng's actions. After all, she had already refused him once, and although this time was still too much, she could barely accept it.

Nan Fusheng's fingertips finally touched Ye Xinglan's lips. The soft touch instantly came from his fingertips, as warm and smooth as fine mutton fat jade, carrying the unique sweet scent of a young girl.

His movements were very gentle; he merely caressed her with his fingertips, as if touching a fragile treasure, afraid that the slightest force would disturb her.

Ye Xinglan seemed to have completely acquiesced to this interaction, and her slightly pursed "little mouth" opened gently, taking Nan Fusheng's fingertip into it.

The soft lips enveloped his fingertips, bringing a clearer, warm touch that made Nan Fusheng's heartbeat slow down involuntarily.

"Zi~Zi~"

Whenever this happens, Nan Fusheng would exert a little force, trying to pull his fingers out of that soft confinement.

But his concession seemed to have "angered" Ye Xinglan.

"Hmm~"

With each repeated pulling, Ye Xinglan gradually began to feel the strain. A blush crept onto her cheeks, spreading from her ears to her neck, and even her breathing became rapid.

The subtle sensation from the back-and-forth pulling traveled from their fingertips to their hearts, making her feel both a little uncomfortable and shy, and an indescribable flutter in her heart.

But when her gaze inadvertently swept over Xu Lizhi, who was still unconscious on the hospital bed, a strong sense of shame suddenly rose in her heart.

This is the treatment room, and Xu Lizhi is still lying on the hospital bed next to her. Yet they are making such intimate gestures at this moment. Even though she knows that Xu Lizhi is not yet awake and will not see this scene, Ye Xinglan still feels her cheeks burning and wishes she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

The warmth of her fingertips lingered, the touch of her lips remained clear, and Xu Lizhi's presence beside her was like an invisible reminder, adding a touch of secret excitement and unease to this intimacy.

Nan Fusheng seemed to notice her stiffness, paused slightly, and looked down at the girl in his arms.

Seeing her flushed cheeks and eyes full of shyness and helplessness, he followed her gaze to Xu Lizhi on the hospital bed and instantly understood her concerns.

He then quickened his pace, his fingertips gently stirring between her soft lips, pushing the ambiguity to a deeper level.

"Yeah~"

A soft gasp escaped her lips, her voice light and gentle, tinged with an indescribable tremor. She instinctively tilted her head back slightly, her small mouth opening gently as she slowly released Nan Fusheng's finger.

"No~"

Ye Xinglan's gaze was fixed on the rapidly spreading wet patch on her skirt, her pretty face instantly turning crimson. A tremendous sense of shame surged from the depths of her heart like a tidal wave, instantly overwhelming all her thoughts.

She instinctively tried to reach out to cover herself, but her arms were too weak to lift. She could only let the shame surge in her chest, and even her eyes reddened slightly. She couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or panic.

"咚咚-"

Just then, two soft yet clear knocks rang out, breaking the ambiguous atmosphere in the treatment room.

Immediately afterwards, a familiar and steady voice came through the door: "Xinglan, I have brought His Holiness the Holy Spirit to diagnose Lizhi. Would you mind opening the door?"

It's Tang Wulin's voice!
The shout struck Ye Xinglan like a thunderbolt. She jerked her head up, her shyness instantly replaced by panic, and her already burning cheeks felt like they were on fire.

She instinctively tried to stand up from Nan Fusheng's lap, but her body was still weak from the previous movement, making her movements appear particularly flustered. Even the water stains on her skirt swayed, becoming even more noticeable.

Although Nan Fusheng was somewhat surprised, he did not panic too much.

He first gently supported Ye Xinglan to steady her, then gestured with his eyes for her to calm down before calling out to the door, "Wait a moment, we'll open the door right away."

As he spoke, he quietly reached out and used his soul power to condense a faint stream of air, gently brushing away the water stains on Ye Xinglan's skirt—though it couldn't completely erase the marks, it did lighten the dark stains a bit, making them less conspicuous.

After doing all this, he released his hands from around Ye Xinglan's waist and said softly, "Don't panic, straighten your clothes first."

Ye Xinglan nodded, her fingers frantically smoothing out the wrinkles in her skirt, then she raised her hand to tidy the stray hairs by her ear, trying to hide the blush on her face.

Her heart was still pounding, the intimacy from before mixed with her current panic, making even her breathing unsteady.

(End of this chapter)