He turned to Yuanen Yehui, then said in a meaningful voice, "It's still not too late to dump Xie Xie and pursue Wulin, lass!"

Yuanen Yehui blushed, and said, "Please don't say that; Wulin already has Gu Yuena."

Er Ming shook his head, and sighed, "There's no way they can be together, so there's no point in considering that. Perhaps you should..."

"What would you like to eat later, Senior?" Xie Xie hurriedly asked.

Er Ming slapped him on the shoulder with a mixture of amusement and exasperation in his eyes. "How about you stop being such a smartass and focus more on your cultivation!"

Yuanen Yehui was aware that Er Ming was only joking, and she asked, "I didn't really understand what just happened; why is it that Qiangu Dongfeng managed to force Captain back, but he was injured in the process as well?"

Er Ming replied, "Wulin really is an extraordinary kid; as expected of... Ahem, that final attack seemed to have combined all of his abilities, including even his domain and power of laws. It didn't appear to be all that special, but it drained virtually everything that he had. In addition to that, the golden trident he's wielding is an extremely powerful divine weapon, but Qiangu Dongfeng wasn't fully prepared, which is why he was injured. The most fearsome aspect of that attack is the fact that it can disregard all defenses.

"It can bypass three-word battle armor, but suits of four-word battle armor are enhanced by the power of laws to a certain extent, so perhaps they can nullify a portion of the attack's power. However, at Wulin's current cultivation rank, it appears he can't use that attack more than once in a short time. However, the fact that he was able to create such a technique shows that he's already found his own path. That attack wasn't inferior to Tang San's signature attacks."

He had murmured that last sentence to himself, and he was currently in a very good mood. Tang Wulin had given him hope, and he was very eager to see Tang Wulin become more powerful as that would increase his chances of finding the Divine Realm. If the Divine Realm hadn't disappeared, the Douluo Continent wouldn't be in its current perilous situation.

Yu Longyue had won, and he had even injured Qiangu Dongfeng!

Due to the fact that the match was being broadcasted live to the entire continent, there was no opportunity for the Spirit Pagoda to hide what had happened. As such, this match was already being discussed by everyone and evoking widespread excitement all over the continent.

With the conclusion of this match, the representative for the third group had also been decided; Yu Longyue was going to be one of the final 10 competitors to progress, while Qiangu Zhangting had been eliminated.

Qiangu Zhangting fainted almost as soon as he left the competition platform, perhaps due to his injuries or perhaps due to his indignation.

Qiangu Dongfeng also wore an extremely dark expression. It was already bad enough that Qiangu Zhangting had lost in such embarrassing fashion, but what was even more unacceptable was the destruction of the Qiangu Family's most powerful treasure, the Soul Sucking Badge! How was he supposed to answer to the patriarch?

On top of that, Yu Longyue's power and that fearsome divine weapon in his possession had also set off massive alarm bells in Qiangu Dongfeng's mind.

Never did he think that the legendary Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would be this powerful.

However, as the Spirit Pagoda Chairman, he couldn't afford to be blinded by his own rage. To the media outlets, he had announced that he had only intervened during the match to protect Qiangu Zhangting. The attack that Yu Longyue had unleashed at the time was something that he was still unable to control, so if Qiangu Dongfeng hadn't stepped in, his grandson would've been killed for sure. This joust for a spouse event wasn't a war, so death should be avoided at all costs; even if it had been someone else in Qiangu Zhangting's position, he would've stepped in anyway.

As for the injury he had sustained, his response to it had been quite gracious. Firstly, he had praised Yu Longyue's weapon as the most powerful divine weapon he had ever seen, and also expressed his congratulations toward Yu Longyue. At the same time, he also hinted at the fact that he had been ill-prepared and didn't want to hurt Yu Longyue, which was why he had been injured.

Through these statements, he was attempting to save face for the Spirit Pagoda as much as possible.

However, there was no bending the truth, and it was very apparent that the badge that Yu Longyue had shattered at the end of the battle was no ordinary treasure. Of course, Qiangu Dongfeng's statement had also drawn much attention toward Yu Longyue, and everyone was speculating about exactly what divine weapon that golden trident of his was.

Just as the Spirit Pagoda had planned, interest in the joust for a spouse event had been reignited, but the focus of that interest was a little different from what they had anticipated.

Tang Wulin was feeling so feeble that he was almost unable to walk out of the sports stadium.

Once outside, he immediately contacted his friends, and was quickly picked up by an unmarked Tang Sect vehicle.

The car's one-way glass kept out all prying eyes, and Zang Xin and Yali were waiting for him in the car.

They had clearly both arrived as they were concerned that someone would try to plot against Tang Wulin.

"You spiritual power is extremely depleted," Yali said as she pressed a hand onto Tang Wulin's forehead, nourishing his mind with her gentle holy light.

Only after seeing the two Limit Douluos did Tang Wulin completely relaxed, and he was unable to even muster up a response.

A long while later, he was finally somewhat recovered, and he gently laid a hand onto the back of Yali's hand. "I'm fine now, Mother."

His feebleness had stemmed from severe overexertion of his spiritual power, which was, in turn, a result of the Dragon Emperor Slash he had unleashed. He was certain that if it weren't for the improved control over his own spiritual power that he had developed during that year of solitude in the second trial of the Sea God, there was no way he would've been able to unleash that Dragon Emperor Slash.

The Dragon Emperor Slash was extremely powerful, but it had almost completely wiped out his mental manifestation level spiritual power!

Zang Xin's brows were slightly furrowed as he said, "You've put on too much of a show today, Wulin. There's still some time left until the conclusion of this joust for a spouse event, and it's most likely not going to be a peaceful period of time."

Tang Wulin replied with a wry smile, "I didn't want this to happen; I was struck by sudden enlightenment and reflexively used that technique. Even I didn't think it would be powerful enough to harm Qiangu Dongfeng."

Of course, what he intentionally neglected to mention was that he really was trying to kill Qiangu Zhangting at the time. Qiangu Zhangting was his love rival and had attempted to kill him with that Soul Sucking Badge, so he naturally had no mercy for him.

A faint smile appeared on Zang Xin's face. "That attack gave even Yali and myself the chills; we didn't think you'd be able to create such a powerful technique so soon. Once it's fully developed, it's definitely going to be one of the most powerful offensive techniques of the Soul Master world."

The fact that this praise was coming from a Limit Douluo was sufficient testament to just how powerful that attack had been.

Yali nodded, and chimed in, "It's alright, if we had wanted to keep a low profile, we wouldn't even have come here in the first place. Zang Xin and I will stay at the blacksmith association for the next few days; let's see who'll dare to make a move against you. Besides, your uncle-teacher is a Divine Blacksmith; no one would want to offend him."

Tang Wulin nodded in response. He was far too feeble at the moment, and he closed his eyes to rest.

He was almost instantly able to calm himself down, and his spiritual power began to quickly recover.

His year of loneliness hadn't gone to waste; it had taught him how to control his own mind.