Chapter 3402: Dongxu Ning’s Gratitude

One healer stepped closer and inspected her with trembling hands.

His eyes became huge.

"She has no remaining injuries. Even the lingering Dao traces has been removed..."

Another healer breathed out heavily. "This is impossible... Unless... unless the healing technique he used is on the level of transcendent arts."

Dongxu Ning rose to her feet quickly and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Senior."

Lin Mu waved a hand as if it were trivial.

"It was nothing."

Dongxu Ning looked down, cheeks slightly red. Nothing about what he had done seemed small.

Meng Bai stared at his master with sparkling eyes.

Lin Mu stopped the sutra entirely. The green light around the room faded gradually until the atmosphere returned to normal.

The healers exhaled in relief, still trying to process what they had witnessed.

Dongxu Ning could not take her eyes off Lin Mu.

And Lin Mu simply nodded once at her polite bow.

Meng Bai rotated his shoulders and stretched his arms, feeling everything loosen with a pleasant crack. His meridians felt light, almost airy, as if the pressure that had been squeezing them earlier had simply evaporated.

His spirit Qi, which only moments ago had been a shallow puddle, was now beginning to flow steadily again. The pills he had eaten earlier were finally doing their job, now that his meridians were no longer strained.

"I feel... good," Meng Bai said with a surprised grin.

Lin Mu nodded. "Your recovery is progressing well. You will be back to full strength by tomorrow."

Meng Bai inhaled deeply. Even his breathing felt smoother.

Just as they turned toward the doorway, Dongxu Ning stood up from her bed.

Her posture was steady now, and the jade-like luster had returned to her skin. She bowed toward Lin Mu and Meng Bai.

"Thank you again for the healing," she said, her tone sincere. "And Meng Bai... fighting you was fun. If fate permits, I would like to have another match."

Meng Bai blinked, then smiled brightly. "Of course. I want to see how far I can go next time. You were... really strong."

Dongxu Ning’s lips curved slightly. "So were you."

For a moment, she seemed like she wanted to say something more, but she held herself back. Perhaps pride kept her from sounding too eager. Or maybe she did not want to embarrass herself in front of Lin Mu.

Either way, she watched quietly as Meng Bai and Lin Mu walked out of the healing chamber.

Outside, the stadium grounds were almost empty now. The roar of the crowd that had shaken the earth earlier had vanished, replaced with the faint chatter of staff members cleaning up the venue and organizing formation arrays for the next event.

Lin Mu guided Meng Bai directly toward the administrative booth to collect his winnings.

A polite attendant handed over the prize ring containing one million high grade spirit stones.

Meng Bai accepted it, but Lin Mu could see the amusement in his eyes.

A million high grade spirit stones would be a fortune to almost any spirit realm cultivator. But to Meng Bai, who had access to Lin Mu’s resources, it was more of a symbolic trophy than anything else. Something to remember his victory by.

Lin Mu placed a hand on the youth’s shoulder. "Take pride in the win. Not the prize."

Meng Bai nodded vigorously.

After that, the two made their way through the city streets to the tavern they had agreed to regroup at.

The moment they stepped into the open-air seating area, their companions greeted them with cheers.

"Little Bai!" Cattaleya grabbed him by the arm and shook him like a ragdoll. "You won! I knew you would."

Meng Bai nearly coughed up his lungs. "Senior C-Catt... too strong... too strong!"

Daoist Chu laughed as he sipped from a cup of warm tea. "Well done. Your precision with that spear technique was impressive. Even without the help of formations, you handled yourself better than many people twice your age."

Elyon nodded, arms crossed, tail swishing lazily. "Not bad. I expected you to break earlier."

"That is not encouraging," Meng Bai muttered.

"It is encouragement compared to what I usually say," Elyon replied.

Little Shrubby jumped up onto the table. "Meng Bai gets food reward, right? Lots of food?"

Cattaleya slapped the table. "Correct! Tonight’s meal is on me, so you can order whatever you want!"

Meng Bai’s eyes sparkled. The others laughed at how easily he was swayed by food.

Even Lin Mu raised a brow. "Catt, you sure?"

Cattaleya waved dismissively. "He deserves it!"

Then she pointed at Lin Mu. "But you, you big rice bucket, you are paying for yourself. I am not feeding your bottomless stomach."

Lin Mu chuckled. "Fair enough."

He might have teased her more, but by then Meng Bai had already grabbed a menu slip and was scanning through the dishes with an expression that could only be described as heavenly bliss.

He had to be stopped and told that this was not the place they were going to eat and to be a bit patient.

The group left the tavern and went to the best restaurant in the city as planned.

The Shining Azure Dragon Pavilion

The establishment was enormous, with a roof carved like the sweeping claws of an Azure Dragon. Giant lanterns shaped like dragon pearls hung from the ceiling, emitting gentle blue light infused with azure flame.

The moment they stepped inside, a fragrance hit them. Roasted spiritual meats. Steam from medicinal broths. The soothing scent of rare herbs cooked to perfection.

Meng Bai nearly drooled.

Cattaleya nudged him. "Steady yourself, boy."

A polite attendant led them to a private balcony on the second floor that overlooked a quiet garden with spirit cranes walking around.

As soon as they sat, menus made of thin jade sheets appeared in front of each of them.

Lin Mu waited while everyone started ordering.

Meng Bai went first.

"I’ll have the Thunder Pike Grilled Fillet, the Nine Flame Tiger Bone Broth, three bowls of Spirit Rice, and... hmm... the Snow Silk Chicken Rolls."

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