Qiao Yu slowly opened his eyes.

Blinding light filled his vision, and a strong smell of disinfectant assaulted his nostrils.

Qiao Yu smiled wryly. He knew where he was; after all, it wasn't the first time he'd woken up in a hospital bed.

He felt waves of pain in his chest. Logically, attacks from the Otherworld shouldn't land him in the hospital in real life.

But Thanatos's attack felt like it targeted his soul directly, almost killing him on the spot.

Qiao Yu struggled to lift his head and saw a delicate face.

Zuo Yu's eyelids were half-closed, and she was propping up her flawless cheek with a small hand, clearly having been watching over him.

A smile crept onto Qiao Yu's lips, and he reached out to ruffle Zuo Yu's hair.

"Hmm?! Qiao Yu, you're awake!" Zuo Yu said, her voice filled with surprise.

"Yeah, I'm awake. How long was I out?" Qiao Yu asked.

"Two days."

Zuo Yu tilted her head, studying Qiao Yu for a moment before speaking again.

"Qiao Yu, you've changed so much. Your aura used to be different."

"Really? You haven't changed much at all."

Qiao Yu grinned, then glanced at Zuo Yu's chest. Cute and adorable, but no oppai.

*Thump!*

A small fist landed squarely on Qiao Yu's head, instantly raising a lump.

"Say one more word and see what happens!"

Zuo Yu's pretty face was filled with menace. She realized that while Qiao Yu's aura had changed, his cheeky personality was still the same.

"Okay, okay, I was wrong, I really was." Qiao Yu said, wincing as he rubbed his head.

Then, he took a deep breath and couldn't help but pull Zuo Yu into his arms, afraid she might disappear again.

Zuo Yu struggled symbolically for a moment, then let Qiao Yu hold her. After all, there was no one else in the room.

"Where did you go all this time?" Qiao Yu asked softly.

"A... very far place." Zuo Yu closed her eyes, savoring the warmth of Qiao Yu's embrace.

Temperature was a truly amazing thing. In 37-degree weather, everyone complained about the heat, but they could never get enough of a 37-degree person's embrace.

Seeing that Zuo Yu didn't want to talk about it, Qiao Yu didn't press her.

The two of them simply held each other in silence, savoring the peace of the moment.

At least, for that instant, at that moment, they belonged only to each other.

*Bang!*

The hospital room door was pushed open, and Zuo Yu jumped out of Qiao Yu's arms like a startled rabbit.

Yesterday, the longing of their reunion had been too intense, allowing her to overcome her shyness and hug Qiao Yu in front of everyone.

Seeing who was at the door and remembering yesterday's scene, Zuo Yu's face flushed crimson, almost as if white steam was rising from her head.

"Brother Yu! We came to see you!"

Yang Xiangdi, Ma Fei, and Zhao Ziyue walked in cheerfully, carrying a large fruit basket, completely oblivious to Qiao Yu's face, which was as dark as the bottom of a pot.

"Huh? Brother Yu, why does your face look so bad? Are you still feeling unwell?"

Yang Xiangdi asked, puzzled.

"It's nothing, I just remembered that we haven't sparred since you finished your special training. We should practice sometime!" Qiao Yu said, his face dark.

"Ah? Spar with you? No way!" Yang Xiangdi looked bewildered.

What had he done wrong to have to spar with a monster like Qiao Yu?

"We've already signed you up. Just rest and recover."

Ma Fei placed the fruit basket on the hospital bedside table, unwrapped an apple, took out his Toulong Sword, and asked,

"Let Dad peel an apple for you?"

Qiao Yu: "..."

For some reason, he suddenly felt like his chest didn't hurt anymore, his mind was clear, and his legs were full of energy.

With friends like these, he probably wouldn't be able to stay in the hospital for long, because he'd probably be angered to death.

Qiao Yu threw back the hospital blanket and sat up.

"Alright, alright, you don't have to worry about me, I'm fine. Go find the headmaster. He said there were two problems left to solve, and we've only solved one so far."

"No need to trouble you, the patient. I'm already here."

Just as Qiao Yu finished speaking, Ji Pingyang walked in.

"Let's all sit down and talk."

Qiao Yu and the others sat up straight, waiting quietly for Ji Pingyang to speak.

"The Global University Otherworld Combat Competition is jointly organized by the Eastern and Western Alliances, and is the most prestigious competition in the Otherworld!"

"It's the best stage for the talented students of various universities to showcase their talents, and it's also a contest of strength between the younger generations of the Eastern and Western Alliances!"

"According to the rules, each university can only send two teams, and our Jing University's two teams have already been decided."

At this point, Ji Pingyang suddenly stopped talking, looking at Qiao Yu with a smile.

"Headmaster, are you saying that the second problem we need to solve is to defeat one of the teams?" Qiao Yu asked.

Ji Pingyang nodded.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Qiao Yu immediately took off his hospital gown, revealing a muscular physique with perfect lines that looked as if they had been sculpted by the gods.

"Qiao Yu, put your clothes on! Ziyue is still here!"

Although Zuo Yu said that, she couldn't help but steal glances at Qiao Yu's body.

"It's okay, I'm not afraid of getting a stye!" Zhao Ziyue said, her eyes wide.

"You're not allowed to look!"

Zuo Yu jumped up fiercely and covered Zhao Ziyue's eyes.

"Alright, stop messing around!" Ji Pingyang said with a laugh, "Let me introduce your team leader."

"Cough cough!"

A familiar cough sounded, and Qiao Yu couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Sure enough, the next second he saw the old Professor Shen walking in, holding his thermos cup.

"Hi! Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Shen Jianshu, your team leader for this combat competition."

Shen Jianshu stepped into the hospital room, then scanned everyone present.

"Ma Fei, level 25 Intermediate Warrior Swordsman, has mastered the fourth level of swordsmanship, Sword Qi."

"Yang Xiangdi, level 24 Intermediate Elemental Mage, has mastered five different elemental powers."

"Zhao Ziyue, level 21 Intermediate Healing Mage, her healing output is amazing, her single-target recovery can even reach a thousand health per second."

"Qiao Yu, level 23 Intermediate Necromancer... freak."

Shen Jianshu's words were unanimously approved by Ma Fei and the others. They could only say that his evaluation of Qiao Yu with those two words was very pertinent.

"I've seen all of your information, and as for you... why don't you introduce yourself?"

Shen Jianshu turned his attention to Zuo Yu.

Zuo Yu nodded.

"Zuo Yu, level 29 Intermediate Melee Tank. My skill is damage reflection. I can absorb the opponent's damage, store it, and then reflect it back. Oh, right, I'm immune to all toxins!"

Zuo Yu's words made everyone present gasp.

Level 29!

Zuo Yu's level was a whole level higher than Qiao Yu and the others!

And Zuo Yu's skill description made Shen Jianshu's eyes light up. Wasn't this the legendary Sunfire Cape, Thornmail, and Liandry's Torment? Hitting me is the same as hitting yourself?

"Very good! With you here, I can better adjust my tactics!"