Bam!

 The moment Tang Ling was slammed into the ground of the colosseum, he regained his mobility, but it did not help him at all.

 He could feel that every bone within him was broken, and it was not much of a difference from being constrained. If he had not released the little seed’s energy, he could have died on impact.

 Who’s the strange man? What did I ever do to him? Why’s he doing this?

 Tang Ling’s head was swollen. The tremendous impact forced his thoughts to a stop, and all he had was questions. However, for some reason, he could not hate the copper-faced man. All he felt was anger.

 “Ugh.” Tang Long also grunted heavily, and following his grunt, blood started to trickle from his mouth ceaselessly. His condition was almost the same with Tang Ling. All his bones were shattered and his organs were damaged.

 His heart was also puzzled by questions.

 Who is this man? Why’s he so angry? Is he here to help Tang Ling? It doesn’t seem so. Tang Ling is also in bad shape.

 Similarly, despite his fight with Tang Ling being interrupted, all he felt was anger and not hatred. What would he hate the copper-faced man for?

 While the two of them were heavily injured and their puzzled minds failed to connect questions to answers, the copper-faced man dragged Tang Ling and Tang Long out from the 2-meter-deep hole together.

 The audience saw the copper-faced man toss the two young geniuses to the ground like two bags of garbage.

 Both Tang Ling and Tang Long were immobilized, but they were able to hear a soft but strange voice in their ears. “Higan isn’t dead and she won’t die. If the two of you want to start a fight because of such a reason, I’ll cripple both of you together.”

 Higan is alive?!

 Both Tang Ling and Tang Long heaved a breath of relief while lying on the ground.

 The voice was soft and only the two of them heard it, but they acknowledged the voice from the copper-faced man. Although they did not know who the copper-faced man was, they had a feeling that his words were trustworthy.

 Judging from the copper-faced man’s powers and strange actions, neither did he lie to them nor did he have a reason to.

 However, so what if the two of them wanted to fight because of such a reason? What right did the copper-faced man have to cripple them both?

 Grievance rose in Tang Ling and Tang Long’s hearts, but they could not move a finger. All they could do was watch the copper-faced man walk away.

 Every step he took felt illusory as if he crossed a tiny area of space with each step. He then suddenly disappeared from the public eyes.

 Tang Ling and Tang Long were lying on the ground in a bad shape. The audience did not expect the fight between them to end with a strange man crippling them.

 It was then that the Simpering Pierrot stepped in after he adjusted his emotions. “Things are constantly changing, aren’t they? It would be strange if there are no stories to tell when a group of young geniuses get together. Nevertheless, the most important thing is that the show goes on! The competition continues! You little geniuses who are watching the little drama, are you guys done with the challenges?

 “If you are, then you can leave the colosseum. One of the perks of challenging Hell Ledge is that you’re allowed to use the famous training rooms of Darkness Port to enjoy the feeling of exponential improvement.

 “If you aren’t, go back into Hell Ledge and continue! Look, the two most famous geniuses are lying down here injured. Isn’t this a chance for you guys to beat them? Don’t forget. Every second is precious, so be happy that these two are the unlucky ones!”

 The Simpering Pierrot’s words were harsh and despicable as he reminded the other young geniuses to take advantage of Tang Ling and Tang Long’s condition. Otherwise, it would be difficult for them to surpass the two of them.

 However, one had to give it to the Simpering Pierrot because his persuasion was effective. The group of young geniuses scattered away quickly and Han Xing also returned to Hell Ledge after he went up to Tang Long to nod meaningfully.

 As the group of viewers dispersed, the challenge continued and the audience’s attention was captivated elsewhere.

 After getting the situation under control, the Simpering Pierrot ordered the staff to bring Tang Ling and Tang Long down.

 …

 20 minutes felt like 20 years spent in tormented hell.

 When all the evil seeds finally stopped torturing Higan, the door to the Wood Punishment Room opened.

 Higan was heavily tortured and almost lost her consciousness, but she did not fall because of that tiny sliver of hope in her heart.

 “You can leave the Stardust Council now. From now on, no one can stop you anymore,” said the president as he arrived at the entrance of the Wood Punishment Room.

 The punishment was cruel. Higan, a beauty, was tortured into a worn-out doll after a mere 20 minutes. All her exposed body parts beneath her head, including her neck, her arms, and a small portion of her calves were all covered in hideous wounds.

 Her white holy dress was covered in many small cuts and reeked of blood. It looked like she had been soaking in blood for a long time. Even though her beautiful face was free of any cuts, it was so pale that it almost looked transparent.

 What a pity. I wonder what Tang Ling will feel when he sees Higan went through all this for him. I wonder how angry will the superior Young Master Long be when he sees his beloved woman get tortured like this?

 The president of the council had such thoughts in mind as he anticipated the expressions on Tang Ling and Tang Long’s faces when they knew about Higan. It was one of his sick interests.

 While all that was going on in his mind, Higan finally regained her senses. Her fading consciousness was slowly returning to her.

 Even though the terrifying punishment was over, the pain of being covered in countless tiny cuts continued to torture her and when her skin touched her own dress, the pain was so intense that it could suffocate her.

 However, she felt relieved.

 Higan suddenly showed a smile. At that moment, her icy-cold and flat eyes looked like they were infused with the warmest and softer ripples of the world. Even the president was surprised.

 He stepped away from the exit and instinctively kept his distance from Higan. He knew that her beauty was deadly.

 Higan walked out of the room step by step. Despite every step hurting her tremendously, her heart felt relieved and joyful.

 As she walked out, her wounds started to magically recover and anyone who saw the miraculous feat knew that she had to pay a huge toll with every cut that recovered.

 She was halfway through recovery, but her pale face was already covered in sweat.

 “Actually, even if you aren’t related to the council anymore, you still can ask for a cell regeneration serum,” said the president as a reminder. He did not find his conscience all of a sudden, but he was afraid that the punishment had been so harsh that Higan might die.

 The cost for her powers is high, and if Higan continues using it, there’s a high chance that she might…What if she hurt her core? It will anger the lord! The lord wants to use her terrifying talent in his plan!

 With that in mind, the president of the council somehow felt scared. He started to wonder if it had been a little too harsh to send Higan into the Stardust Punishment Room.

 However, Higan shook her head softly at the president’s reminder. She endured the tremendous pain and exhaustion and said, “I don’t need any. From this moment onward, we are done. The debts are cleared. I will leave the way I arrive.”

 Higan did not look back.

 Her unrecovered wounds were still bleeding as she dragged her body away, leaving footprints of blood in her trail, but she felt absolutely relieved in her heart.

 …

 In Darkness Port.

 After the first day of the competition, every day in Hell Ledge was exciting.

 Although it was not as exhilarating as the first, in which all the young geniuses participated, there were still a dozen of them challenging Hell Ledge every day. They treated Hell Ledge as a training ground, a place to force themselves to improve and the effects were quite pronounced.

 Therefore, the daily topics revolved around the Hell Ledge Challenge such as who performed outstandingly or who broke records.

 As for the two most outstanding ones, or at least, they were outstanding from the very beginning, the people seemed to have forgotten about Tang Ling and Tang Long for the time being.

 The young geniuses went through the challenges everyday and the exciting performances captured a lot of attention, so the people no longer remembered the two who were so heavily injured that neither one of them could continue the challenge.

 It had been five days since the first.

 Tang Long’s ranking dropped to the second last and below him was Tang Ling. Even Ro Xin and Ro Li had surpassed them.

 The reason was none other than that they had been working in the Ancient Path Drugstore and the owner was Gu Dao, who was not a simple John Doe. His little ideas and plans were no less than Boss Huang’s.

 Since Boss Huang brazenly wanted to use Tang Ling to earn a scrumptious amount from the Hell Ledge Challenge, how could Boss Gu let this opportunity slip?

 With Boss Huang inspiring him, even though Tang Ling was in a coma, Boss Gu snuck into Dvesha Moha and extracted a little bit of Tang Ling’s bone marrow.

 He was considered a saint in medical practices, so of course, he had ways to stimulate Ro Li’s talent in advance. He wanted Ro Li to surprise the public and bring him a considerable amount of profit.

Darkness Port welcomed its coldest month, December.

 It might not snow, but the drizzle from time to time reminded the people that this month would not be as warm as the previous ones.

 Tang Ling was lying down on his bed in his own room. He was still unconscious and had not woken up once since he was knocked out. The heavy impact had crushed his bones and damaged his organs. It also had given his brain a concussion. Back then, he had relied solely on his willpower to keep his consciousness.

 After he heard that Higan would not die, he had relaxed slightly. Then, he and Tang Long had passed out at the same time.

 Boss Huang sighed with heavy emotions as he changed the medicine for Tang Ling. His heart was bleeding like a waterfall. He used the best cell regeneration serum plus a special and precious body healing prescription in the medicine.

 Tang Ling would not lose anything because of his serious injuries. He might even get something good out of it.

 On the contrary, Boss Huang was bleeding with losses, but he had to do it! He was in no position to offend that person! Moreover, he still had hope that Tang Ling would wake up and win his money back.

 Boss Huang then left Tang Ling alone in the room.

 Then, a tiny rustling came from the window. The half-closed window in Tang Ling’s room was opened and a figure appeared.