By the time Ye Ming returned to the venue, the first competition of the day had already ended.

The battle between Falcon Squad and Rhino Team had come to a complete end, and the result was naturally as Ye Ming expected, a resounding victory.

Every member of Falcon Squad was extremely happy and excited.

After all, this was the first match of the International Combat Team Exchange Meet, and not only had Falcon Squad not lost face, but they had also performed outstandingly, earning a newfound respect from the onlookers.

Upon seeing Ye Ming return, Lik Jian was the first to rush up, excitedly saying, "Instructor Ye, I’m truly grateful to you. Your guidance has been of enormous help to us!"

"Using your Unbreakable Defense Array, we defeated the Rhino Team, leaving them in total disarray; they had no way to respond, and none of our team members got hurt!"

"Oh no, that’s not right. Xu Xincheng was seriously injured, but after taking the Elixir you provided, he’s no longer in any danger!"

Lik Jian, with palpable excitement, recounted today’s battle to Ye Ming.

In the individual fights, Ye Ming’s sudden decision to let Falcon Squad’s weak link, Xu Xin Cheng, participate, greatly boosted the team’s morale.

Carrying a mindset of certain victory, they performed excellently in the subsequent personal fights, achieving an all-out victory for the team.

In the later team fights, with the Formation passed down by Ye Ming, Rhino Team was even less of a match. They were so disorganized that it was embarrassing, getting trounced before everyone’s eyes.

Falcon Squad had turned the tables from initially being underestimated by everyone to now being feared, and this victory was extremely satisfying.

Not only was Lik Jian excited, but the other members of Falcon Squad were also very thrilled, some even feeling like they hadn’t had enough.

In the crowd, Xu Xincheng sat to one side, his injuries not yet fully healed, but under the treatment of the Elixir Ye Ming had given, he was otherwise fine.

At this moment, his gaze toward Ye Ming was filled with gratitude. It was Ye Ming who had given him the opportunity to prove himself and to stand tall as a man for once, an experience he had never had before.

But on the surface, he did not show any particular attitude.

Lik Jian then said, "Instructor Ye, rest assured that we have great confidence in the upcoming battles. No matter how fierce the enemies that come our way, we will take them down!"

Ye Ming nodded, casually glancing over at Wang Yating on the edge of the crowd.

Wang Yating appeared to be looking straight ahead, pretending not to notice him, yet she was secretly observing him with her peripheral vision.

"You did well, great job!" Ye Ming said to her.

Wang Yating responded with a cool hum, maintaining a composed exterior, but internally she was quite delighted.

However, her good mood was short-lived; she soon smelled a faint fragrance on Ye Ming’s person.

It was a scent unique to women.

Just as Wang Yating’s mood was lifting, it plummeted down again, making her so angry she could almost pass out.

Falcon Squad was fighting hard in the competition, yet Instructor Ye had seemingly gone behind their backs to seek out a woman? It was incomprehensible, especially in such a foreign land.

"Can’t you live without a woman?" Wang Yating really wanted to throw this question at Ye Ming, but after deliberating, she suppressed the thought.

She had no relationship with Ye Ming, and after all, he was her instructor. What right did she have to question him? And in what capacity should she do it?

Moreover, if anyone were to question him, it wasn’t her place, but rather that of Xu Lele, who was lying in the room.

On these thoughts, Wang Yating’s expression immediately darkened, and she left the team silently, just wanting to find a place to be alone and quiet.

Ye Ming was completely unaware of all this and assumed that Wang Yating had simply felt unwell and gone to rest.

Next, he led everyone in reviewing the recent battle and pointed out a few shortcomings.

They had won the first battle of the day, but there really wasn’t much to be proud of. The Rhino Team was not the strongest team from Eagle Country, and moreover, their victory had come so easily partly because Ye Ming had taken the initiative and, having fought with them before, knew the Rhino Team’s members quite well.

The stronger teams waiting to challenge them were the true opponents for the Falcon Squad.

By the time he was done, it was already very late.

Ye Ming hurried back to his room and saw Xu Lele, pale-faced.

She had been in bed all day but still felt incredibly fatigued and couldn’t muster any energy.

"Ye Ming, I feel so tired. I won’t keep you company today," Xu Lele said weakly.

Suppressing the pain in his heart, Ye Ming managed a smile, tucked Xu Lele in, and said, "That’s alright. If you’re tired, get some sleep. I’ll stay right here with you!"

Xu Lele obediently nodded and closed her eyes.

While she was sleeping, Ye Ming took her pulse again and found it was much weaker than yesterday, significantly worse.

If he couldn’t find a suitable soul to transfer into her body soon, Xu Lele might not be able to hold on for much longer.

Fortunately, Ye Ming already had a new plan. He needed to find some souls quickly to perform the Soul Transfer Spell on Xu Lele.

"Le Le, just hold on a little longer. You will get better soon!" said Ye Ming with utmost seriousness.

...

Overnight, a huge shockwave had hit Neon City.

The destruction of the Fox Immortal Temple had spread to every corner of Neon City.

The Onmyoji Qing Yu of the Fox Immortal Temple was directly slain, with no body left intact, only flesh and blood scattered on the ground.

The maids of the Fox Immortal Temple had also turned into mangled corpses, dying a ghastly death.

Inoue Harusame disappeared without a trace, leaving the temple and whereabouts unknown. Attempts to contact her were futile.

Most crucially, the Fox Immortal Soul nurtured by the Fox Immortal Temple had been driven away.

People were well aware of the significance of the Fox Immortal to the temple.

Diverse opinions emerged from all sectors, and other temples within Neon City began to worry about their own security.

"It’s unbelievable, who would be so bold as to drive away the Fox Immortal? Isn’t he afraid of the Fox Immortal’s vengeance?"

"Even a powerful Onmyoji like Qing Yu stood no chance; whoever did this is no ordinary person!"

"Besides, I heard that not even a complete corpse of Qing Yu was left behind; he was blown to bits. Now that the Fox Immortal has been driven away and the mighty Fox Immortal Temple has fallen to such a fate, what will we do if we encounter this person?"

"To leave an Onmyoji dead without a whole corpse is truly astounding. I’ve seen Qing Yu in action before; with a single Charm, he could level a mountain. He was truly a leader among the younger generation of Onmyojis!"

"Damn it, we must investigate thoroughly to find out who this person is and how he has such formidable power. If he targets us, where would we find the strength to respond?"