Legend of the Dragon King: I really didn't mean to provoke them!

Just then, a slender hand silently appeared on Tang Wulin's right arm.

With a gentle flick of the hand, the golden dragon claw that was about to fall was quietly deflected.

Even though it was subtly deflected, the Golden Dragon Claw, imbued with the Golden Dragon King's ferocious power, remained unstoppable, slamming into the Dark Bone Dragon King's chest with a howling wind.

"Snap—!"

The crisp, piercing sound of bones cracking instantly shattered the silence of the entire venue.

The Dark Bone Dragon King's hard chest bones shattered in a large area, and black bone fragments scattered and flew everywhere along with thick black mist.

The Dark Bone Dragon King's enormous body suddenly disintegrated, turning into countless black bone fragments and black light.

At the center of the disintegrating black light, two figures fell awkwardly from mid-air with a shrill groan.

The moment Wang Jinxi landed, he curled up in pain, his face turning deathly pale, his chest heaving violently, and his hands going limp and collapsing to the ground.

Zhang Yangzi's condition was equally bad; her legs felt like they didn't belong to her anymore, and she also had unbearable chest pain, with each breath heavy and labored.

One person suffered broken hands, and the other suffered broken legs.

The ribs in the chest are definitely broken, but whether there is a comminuted fracture is unknown.

The fact that a promotion match could be so brutal was something no one had anticipated.

Wu Changkong stood quietly in the center of the competition stage.

In that split second, she subtly deflected Tang Wulin's arm, barely managing to deflect the devastating power of the Golden Dragon Claw and save the dying Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi.

Her movements were extremely light, yet as steady as a rock.

Under Gu Yue's gaze, filled with worry and anxiety, she bent down, reached out, and gently pulled the unconscious Xie Xie into her arms.

As Wu Changkong's fingertips touched Xie Xie's cold skin and blood-soaked robes, his usually cold eyes darkened instantly, and the pressure around him dropped sharply.

Just as she turned around with Xie Xie in her arms, a figure suddenly stood in her way.

"Teacher Wu, how could you allow your student to commit such a violent act?" Ye Yingluo had already pounced onto the stage, pointing her finger at Wu Changkong and roaring angrily.

Wu Changkong looked at Ye Yingluo, who was standing in front of him, without changing his expression.

Her fingertips trembled slightly from the warm bloodstains on Xie Xie's body. The suppressed unease in her heart instantly transformed into a chilling glint, surging wildly in her eyes, almost breaking through all restraint.

She lowered her eyelashes slightly, her thin lips parted slightly, her voice was cold and devoid of warmth, yet it concealed an uncontrollable, chilling killing intent:

"roll."

As soon as the word was uttered, a chilling and piercing pressure instantly enveloped Ye Yingluo.

Ye Yingluo felt a terrifying killing intent emanating from a top-tier expert lock onto her, and her limbs and bones were instantly chilled, her body stiff as iron.

The questions that had been swirling in his throat suddenly became stuck, making it difficult to even breathe, and he dared not move an inch.

Tang Wulin's golden dragon claw on his left hand dissipated, and the raging power of the Golden Dragon King also subsided. In its place, a wave of weakness after exhaustion swept through his body, and the angry crimson in his eyes gradually faded.

When he saw Xie Xie, who was unconscious and covered in blood, in Wu Changkong's arms, his heart clenched and his voice trembled.

"Thank you, Xie!"

Ignoring the discomfort of his surging soul power, he staggered forward a few steps, his tense body softening slightly as he got closer.

Looking at Xie Xie's pale, bloodless face and his robes soaked in blood, Tang Wulin clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white, his heart filled with self-blame and lingering fear.

Gu Yue, who was standing nearby, quickly followed, her gaze fixed on Xie Xie, her purple eyes filled with worry.

Wu Changkong held Xie Xie in his arms, his cold gaze sweeping over Tang Wulin and Gu Yue.

Without pausing, she exuded a chilling aura and walked straight past Ye Yingluo, who stood frozen in place, carrying Xie Xie.

Seeing this, Tang Wulin and Gu Yue quickly followed.

Long Hengxu stood there, looking at the seriously injured Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi lying on the ground, and then at the direction the group had left, his face extremely gloomy.

Chapter 43 nm, Ox and Horse

Wu Changkong carried Xie Xie directly to the infirmary, where a teacher with a healing-type martial soul examined him.

A moment later, the teacher slowly withdrew his martial spirit.

Under the watchful eyes of three people, he adjusted his glasses and slowly said, "There is no danger to your lives, nor is there any fundamental damage. You don't need to be too nervous."

Upon hearing this, Tang Wulin and Gu Yue visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and Wu Changkong's gaze softened as well.

"Although the child used his soul power to protect himself at the critical moment, he was still shaken by the violent impact."

"The body's meridians were slightly trembling, the muscles were bruised over a large area, the bones were slightly numb, and the mental and spiritual power was slightly overdrawn, which is why he fainted on the spot."

He paused, looked at Xie Xie, whose brows were still slightly furrowed even in his unconscious state, and raised his voice slightly:

"There are basically no external injuries, but the internal injuries are very obvious."

"I have already used the treatment to stabilize his meridians. With two or three days of rest and the use of recovery medicine, he will be completely healed without any aftereffects or affecting his subsequent cultivation."

"But during this period of time, remember not to forcefully activate your soul skills again, otherwise your injuries will worsen and your foundation will be seriously damaged."

Wu Changkong nodded. "I understand."

Immediately afterwards, the door to the infirmary was opened again, and Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi were carried in.

The teacher could only give a few more brief instructions before rushing off to check on Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi.

Wu Changkong glanced at Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, who were still guarding the bedside with worried expressions, and spoke in a cool voice without any extra emotion:

"As you can see, Xie Xie is fine, so don't worry."

"The competition has been extremely taxing. Your soul power and spirit are exhausted. There's no use staying here. Go back to your dormitories and rest immediately."

"Then Xie Xie..." Tang Wulin couldn't help but ask with concern.

“I’m here.” Wu Changkong glanced at him.

Gu Yue gently tugged at Tang Wulin's sleeve, and the two exchanged a glance before finally nodding.

"Well... Ms. Wu, could you please let us know if Xie Xie has woken up?"

"Hmm." Wu Changkong responded lightly, his tone concise and to the point.

"Go."

Only after the two figures disappeared through the door did Wu Changkong slowly withdraw his gaze and return it to Xie Xie, who was still unconscious on the bed.

The excruciating pain engulfed Xie Xie like a tidal wave, his consciousness plummeted into boundless darkness, and his bodily sensations were stripped away layer by layer.

He didn't know how long he had been lost in the darkness when suddenly a glimmer of light broke through the gloom, and a cool and distant aura enveloped him, instantly calming his restless soul.

Xie Xie struggled to open his eyes.

Before me lies a void space where light and shadow flow, and the patterns of time and space slowly flow around me, weaving together into a dreamlike curtain of light.

A long and majestic dragon shadow hung in the void.

The scales shimmered with a jade-white light, and light and shadow danced around them.

"We meet again, Xie Xie."

A deep, ancient voice resounded directly in Xie Xie's mind; it was the voice of the Time-Space Dragon.

Xie Xie rubbed his head and slowly sat up. The intense pain in his body had subsided at some point, leaving only a slight soreness.

Looking at the Time-Space Dragon before him, and recalling the strange occurrences during the match, he rolled his eyes in annoyance: "Seriously, was it you who caused all that trouble during the match just now?"

"After all, besides you, who else could directly seal my martial soul? Do you know how painful it is for a Rasengan to self-destruct like that?!"

The Dragon of Time and Space's ethereal dragon eyes flickered slightly, and its tone carried a hint of helplessness: "You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."

"That was the world's corrective force taking emergency measures to stop you, the variable. It's not my fault. Don't try to pin everything on me."

"If you really can't find anywhere else to pin it, then just pin it on Danzo's head. He won't miss out on that little bit anyway."

The Time-Space Dragon appears divine, but when it opens its mouth, it becomes incredibly human, completely lacking the airs of an ancient dragon.

The Time-Space Dragon appears divine, but the moment it opens its mouth, it exudes a lifelike quality.

Xie Xie was taken aback, his brows furrowing: "Variable? What do you mean?"

The Dragon of Time and Space rolled his eyes at him in the same way, his tone casual and straightforward: "You were brought into this world by me against all odds, and your existence itself is the biggest variable in the predetermined future."

It slowly swayed its dragon tail, causing the surrounding spacetime patterns to vibrate.

"The world's corrective power won't interfere with minor variables. After all, it's a job, and who doesn't want to slack off?"

“If we had allowed you to continue using your full strength, Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi would have been defeated without a doubt, and we would not have been able to force Tang Wulin to use the power of the first seal of the Golden Dragon King.”

"And this is already a major variable for the world's corrective power."

"The gears of fate were thus out of sync, and the world had to intervene to correct this deviation."

It explained a whole bunch of things in one breath, but when it turned around after explaining, it met Xie Xie's bewildered and stupid eyes.

Dragon of Time and Space: ...

The Dragon of Time and Space was silent for a few seconds, then finally offered the most straightforward and easy-to-understand explanation:

"The world's corrective force is like a long-time employee in a company who slacks off all day long. They are too lazy to care about trivial matters and prefer to do less than more."

"Tang Wulin's unsealing of the Golden Dragon King is a crucial KPI target set by the boss. It must be completed today, or everyone will be in trouble."

"You, on the other hand, just rushed in and took down the opponent in one fell swoop. You cut off the mission node directly, and the KPI will not be completed. If it doesn't come out to stop it, it will pack its bags and leave."

Xie Xie's lips twitched. "He's become the world's corrective force, and he still has to go to work?"

"What else do you think?" the Dragon of Time and Space said irritably. "Where do you think the balance of the planes comes from? It's because we, the beasts of burden, work overtime every day."

Upon hearing this, Xie Xie precisely caught two words, "You...you?"

The Dragon of Time and Space flapped its enormous wings slightly, as if pent-up frustration of millions of years had finally found an outlet, and it opened its mouth and spoke:

“Jormungandr sends me messages every day saying that his old man, Dawn, is acting like he’s crazy. He sends his men around causing destruction every day while he sits on his throne dreaming of Ragnarok and overthrowing Odin.”

“Ananke is constantly working against the ironclad laws of the universe, not only to catch transgressors everywhere, but also to sort out the fate of all kinds of life.”

"And then there's Chronos, that guy's even worse—if he doesn't move, time doesn't move. 365 days a year, no rest, he's driven almost crazy."

"..."

After listening to the Time-Space Dragon's long-winded rant, Xie Xie suddenly blurted out:

"Then why are you still working here?"

The next second, the Time-Space Dragon looked at Xie Xie with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot.

"Do you work at the company because you love it?"

"Only Zhujiuyin has it easy. After the Heavenly Court and Underworld institutions in the Chinese world were established, he just spent his days traveling around and doing nothing, and he would even send photos over from time to time to annoy people!"

"That's great, hahaha!"

"If you work hard and I work hard, the boss will get a Bentley next year."

As long as you endure hardship, the boss can drive a Land Rover.

As long as the overtime work is intense enough, the boss will go on a buying spree of Maybachs.

"His hard work and positive attitude earned him a Ferrari from his boss."

Looking at the Time-Space Dragon in front of him, who became somewhat crazy when talking about work, Xie Xie opened his mouth.

He sensed that the Time-Space Dragon's mind was also somewhat abnormal.

However, after thinking about it, he decided to keep quiet.

After all, it's a job, and everyone gets a little crazy sometimes.

(P.S.: The world's cultivation power isn't purely villainous; it will be useful later. Some might overlook this in the author's notes, so I've placed it directly at the end.)

Chapter 44 First Year, Class Zero!