Ultragene Warlord

Chapter 1418: Not Too Large, Not Too Small

As they returned to the hall from which they had come, the members of Team Zenith assembled once more. Zhang Lie praised them all. "You've done very well."

The members of Team Zenith couldn't help but smile. Sun Xiaowu turned to Yang Ze. "What are you smiling about, Yang Ze? You haven't even fought yet!"

Yang Ze scowled. "What, can't I even laugh? It's all but guaranteed that we'll all make it. Do you think I'll fail at the last stage as the last member? That can't be!"

Sun Xiaowu smirked. "You should watch out to ensure that that doesn't happen."

Yang Ze retorted, "You're the one who should watch out! I heard that that black bone lance once destroyed this so-called Heaven. You'd better not be affected by it!"

Sun Xiaowu was unfazed.

"It's just a projection, nothing more."

Yang Ze jeered, "Just a projection? So you won't suffer mental damage just because you're hurt in that virtual space?"

Bu Wentian suggested, "Shall we perform an inspection?"

"Please, Elder!" Sun Mengmeng immediately said.

"Sis, you're far too worried about nothing. Aren't I doing fine?"

"It's better to have an inspection, just in case."

Bu Wentian added, "That bone lance does seem to be a rather cursed artifact. After the fight, the figurine seemed to have gone crazy."

"The competitor I faced?" Sun Xiaowu asked.

Bu Wentian nodded. "It's likely that their mental state was corroded by the bone lance over the course of the match. After leaving the virtual realm, it tried to slaughter everything around it indiscriminately, claiming that it was to feed his lance. In the end, it was killed by a group of cultivators working together, but the bone lance went missing. As a safety precaution, I think it's best if I examine you."

Sun Mengmeng nodded. "Did you hear that? You were in close contact with the bone lance, after all. What if it infected you?"

Sun Xiaowu's lips twitched. "You make it sound like a virus, Sis!"

Zhang Lie nodded. "It's best to get an examination. After all, that black bone lance is a very cursed object. We saw that with our own eyes. The black aura it gave off was sufficient to affect the spectators in the stands.

Sun Mengmeng and Zhang Lie's advice finally caused Sun Xiaowu to give in.

There were a few pieces of special equipment that Bu Wentian had stored in the training rooms, which he quickly pulled out as he began examining Sun Xiaowu. The results came out quickly. "As expected, there's a problem."

Sun Mengmeng cried out, "What problem? Is it serious?"

Bu Wentian looked at the data from the medical devices. "A big problem indeed. It's going to be a headache to deal with... Prepare for the worst."

"What? What's the problem, Elder?!" Sun Mengmeng asked.

"Can he be saved, Doctor?" Yang Ze asked.

"How long does he have to live?!" Li Feng cried out.

"Right, how long will he remain with us?" Fang Yi added.

"We're mentally prepared now, Doc—Elder. Tell us everything."

Sun Xiaowu thundered, "Are you all hoping that I'll die?!"

Zhou Ying implored, "Elder, no matter what, please save Xiaowu! He's still so young and has just recently ascended to the fourth realm. There's so much potential in him. He'll surely become a talented cultivator, and we can't give up on him just like this!"

Yang Ze began to sob, burying his face in his hands. "The Sun family only has a single male heir, and he doesn't yet have a wife! He's vital to the Suns!"

Fang Yi begged, "Please, Elder, save him! We'll be willing to pay any price."

Sun Xiaowu gaped at everyone's antics. "Scram! My family's right here in front of me. Don't steal my sister's lines!"

Yang Ze patted Sun Xiaowu on the shoulder.

"Although we haven't known each other for long, I'll remember you."

Sun Xiaowu scowled. "What do you mean, not for long? We've known each other for years!"

Li Feng clutched his face. "To think you'd perish at such a young age, Xiaowu..."

"Don't just kill me off like that!"

Fang Yi's eyes were lined with sorrow. "We promised to go to the beach together, but to think... It's all happening too quickly..."

"I never made such a promise with you!"

Zhang Lie took his hand. "Xiaowu, be at ease. I will take care of your sister and your family."

Sun Xiaowu sighed. "You too, Captain?"

Sun Mengmeng gave her brother a thumbs up. "Xiaowu, it looks like you can really die with no regrets, after all."

Sun Xiaowu cried out, "Sis, I think I can still be saved!"

Zhou Ying pretended to be a thug. "Xiaowu still owes me ten thousand dollars. Don't think you can avoid paying me off just because you're about to die."

Sun Xiaowu folded his arms. "I've never borrowed money from you! On the other hand, you still owe me $36.50 from when we went out to eat back on Earth!"

Zhou Ying scoffed. "Details, details!"

The members of Team Zenith joked with each other, lightening the mood and the remnant tension from the qualifiers they had just passed through.

Bu Wentian sighed. "All of you really are optimistic, aren't you?"

Zhang LLie turned to him and frowned. "Elder, is the situation serious?"

Bu Wentian replied, "It's hard to say. Well, it's a problem."

"Is it something bad, then?" Sun Mengmeng asked anxiously.

Sun Xiaowu cried out, "What? Just from a single match?"

Bu Wentian waved a hand. "There's no need to worry too much. It's not too serious. It's likely what Sun Mengmeng said. Because you came in contact with the bone lance, there's a black dot in your spiritual avatar, likely a demonic seed that the bone lance left in it. Fortunately, the competition takes place virtually. If this were in reality, you'd already have become the bone lance's puppet."

"What exactly is this demonic seed?" Sun Xiaowu asked anxiously.

Bu Wentian replied, "At any rate, remain optimistic. Eat if you can, and sleep if you can."

"Don't be like this, Elder! I get scared easily, and I can't take this sort of fright!"

"Fortunately, you encountered me..."

Sun Xiaowu sighed in relief.

"Otherwise, we wouldn't have discovered it."

"Elder, can you help me?"

"Fortunately, we noticed it early..."

Sun Xiaowu sighed in relief again. "So you can help, Elder?"

"...any later, and you'd be dead."

Zhang Lie pursed his lips. "Elder, please don't emulate our jokes."

Sun Xiaowu placed both hands over his heart. "Elder, I thought you were a serious man, but now—it's clear I had the wrong impression of you!"

Bu Wentian scratched his head awkwardly.

Zhang Lie and the others seemed to be having a lot of fun. He tried to join in, but it looked as though that was ill-advised.

Sun Mengmeng asked, "Elder, can you explain yourself, please?"

"As I said, it's a problem. Not a large one, not a small one, just a problem."