Meanwhile, in Gao Wu's medical bay.
Wang Er Zhuang and the other six "beasts"... o(´^｀)o, actually, six major casualties, had completed all their examinations.
The most seriously injured was the current top disciple of the Celestial Master's sect, Zhang Da Shen Gun himself.
Not only were his arms, legs, and ribs fractured, but his pre-existing mild concussion had also been aggravated into a moderate concussion by a surprise tackle from Young Master Lin during an emergency evasion.
At the request of the injured, the hospital had forgo its original VIP suites and dedicated a specially comfortable room for the six of them to recuperate in.
Wang Er Zhuang, wearing a black eye patch, leaned against the bed. Yang Ting Ting sat by his side, feeding him various spiritual fruits and food.
"Here, Er Zhuang, have a peach, it's nice and cool."
"Here, Er Zhuang, have a slice of watermelon, it's so sweet."
"Here, Er Zhuang, drink some chicken soup..."
Meng Gang and the others watched the affectionate couple, who were brazenly showing their affection in the hospital, with great indignation. Especially Wang Er Zhuang, who was enjoying himself. He said irritably:
"Hey, after eating watermelon and drinking chicken soup, what do you think?"
"It'll give you the runs, a real classic."
Wang Er Zhuang, who was slurping the chicken soup fed to him by Yang Ting Ting, nearly spat it out upon hearing Meng Gang's words. He then retorted impatiently:
"Old Meng, I wouldn't blame you if you spoke nonsense, but why have you become as unreasonable as Old University Student Lin?"
Meng Gang, also wearing a black eye patch and unable to see Wang Er Zhuang's expression, replied equally irritably:
"Damn it, Master Er, you know we're being unreasonable? Didn't we agree to walk hand in hand into the future, to be happy single dogs together? How could you betray us first? And the most important thing is, you snatched up Miss Yang without a word, and didn't even help us inquire about the other girls. Do you think you did the right thing?"
Wang Er Zhuang was silent for a moment before saying, "Uh, it does seem a bit wrong, doesn't it? But Old Meng, if you keep being sarcastic with me, do you believe I'll report you to our girls? Anyway, with Ting Ting here, I'm considered family, so my words carry more weight."
Upon hearing this, Meng Gang put on a pained expression and said, "Master Er, I was wrong. Please be magnanimous and spare this little Gangzi this time."
As soon as Meng Gang finished speaking, the head nurse entered with five young and beautiful nurses:
"Zhang Hao Qing, Zhang Hao Xuan, Zhang Hao Zhe, Meng Gang, these five nurses will be your dedicated caregivers during your stay, responsible for your daily needs."
Then, the head nurse presented a menu:
"For today's lunch, the main dish is Spiritual Fragrance Rice. The side dishes include Pan-fried Golden Lamb Chops, Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions, Red Wine Stewed Golden Beef, Steamed Platinum Grade Hairy Crab, and Creamy Mushroom Soup."
"For dessert, we have Rock Sugar Bird's Nest and White Fungus Soup, along with three types of spiritual fruits. Young Master Zhang Hao Ming has arranged the highest level of medical treatment for all of you."
She then turned to Wang Er Zhuang and Yang Ting Ting and said, "Mr. Wang Er Zhuang, as your girlfriend is taking care of you, Young Master Hao Ming will not be assigning a caregiver to you."
The beautiful nurses approached their respective charges and began attending to them with solicitous care.
Zhang Hao Qing, Zhang Hao Xuan, and Zhang Hao Zhe looked at Zhang Hao Ran in unison and said, "Senior Brother, Little Junior Brother specifically instructed that you should forget certain things as soon as possible, otherwise he will revoke all our benefits, and you will have to bear all the medical expenses yourself. For our next ten days of recovery, Little Junior Brother has paid 200 diamond-grade crystal cores, asking you to think carefully."
Meanwhile, the young Daoist Zhang Hao Ming, who was eating and drinking heartily with everyone else, was gnawing on a golden-brown roasted lamb shank. Suddenly, he sneezed several times in a row, 'Achoo, achoo.'
The young Daoist pinched his fingers and calculated, then frowned and said to Lin Zhan:
"Brother, my senior brother is badmouthing me behind my back. It seems this kid plans to go back on his word and is still quite resentful."
Lin Zhan was taken aback, then said sternly, "Don't mind him for now. Wait until he's recovered before dealing with him. If he still doesn't behave, we can make him lead the charge against the main force of the Ten Thousand Races Allied Army."
The young Daoist nodded and said, "Hmm, I think that plan is good, so he won't always feel so mighty."
In the following period, under the training of Lin Qi, Lin Ba, and Lin Jiu, everyone's individual combat strength and overall combat capabilities improved significantly.
Time flew by, and a week had passed.
With excellent medical care and nutritious meals, among Wang Er Zhuang, Meng Gang, Zhang Hao Ran, Zhang Hao Qing, Zhang Hao Xuan, and Zhang Hao Zhe, only Zhang Hao Ran remained bedridden. The others could now walk with the assistance of their caregivers.
One morning, as Lin Zhan opened his eyes, he heard the long-lost voice: "Host, are you still alive? Your most respected System Grandpa is back."
Hearing the system's cheeky voice, Lin Zhan's spirits immediately lifted:
"How about it, System? Did the upgrade succeed? Tell me about any new features, and I'll support you and spend some money."
The system said haughtily, "Who are you looking down on? As the mighty Commander, how could I fail to upgrade? I'm telling you, Host, my most amazing new feature this time is an evolution skill – Soul Reinforcement."
Lin Zhan was surprised and asked, "What do you mean? Explain it properly."
"It means exactly what it says, just like physical reinforcement, but for the soul. You know, soul attack secret arts can only be cultivated after reaching the Emperor realm. Since you can cultivate it now, the benefits are self-evident," the system explained carefully to Lin Zhan.
Lin Zhan exclaimed, "Holy crap, that's awesome! Hurry up and research it, and once you've figured it out, strengthen me."
The system nodded and said, "No problem, Host. We'll need one King-tier Soul Pearl and three quasi-King-tier crystal cores. I'm telling you upfront, I haven't added any markup. The King-tier Soul Pearl is for enhancing and reinforcing the soul, while the energy from the quasi-King crystal cores will be used to protect your physical body and stabilize your soul."
Lin Zhan thought for a moment and asked hesitantly, "System, tell me the truth, is there any danger in this? It won't kill me, will it?"
The system shook its head and said, "You can rest assured about this, Host. There is absolutely no risk to your life. Besides, you've cultivated the 'Yun Shen Jue' before, so your mental power is already much stronger than others at the same level. This soul reinforcement might even allow you to prematurely evolve and develop the power of the soul, which is usually only available to Lords. So, it's all benefit and no harm for you."