The girl that he was referring to was naturally none other than Ye Xinglan, who was essentially forcing herself to attain sword essence.

Leaving the 18th level was far easier than arriving, and Tang Wulin could sense that there were many secrets in the Battle God Hall that they hadn't seen. It appeared that the Battle God Hall had far more up its sleeve than they had imagined.

Upon returning to the first level, they discovered that Ye Xinglan was still enveloped within the cocoon of light, but the cocoon was currently trembling incessantly, as if there were something struggling to tear its way out of the cocoon.

Xu Lizhi was desperately trying to find ways to help, but there was nothing he could do.

Tang Wulin turned to Chen Xinjie, and asked,

"Is there any way to help her, Senior Chen?

"

Chen Xinjie shook his head in response.

"Even though she forced herself into this state, I can sense that her foundation is very solid. She can only rely on herself to attain sword essence. Otherwise, it would be far too cheap. Just place your trust in her. Through my observation, I can tell that she has exceptional willpower, and that's even more important than aptitude when it comes to attaining weapon essence. The greater one's willpower, the greater chance of success.

"

Tang Wulin nodded in response, and he could only repress his concern as he waited off to the side.

Time slowly passed by, and the trembling of the cocoon was becoming more and more violent. Everyone was looking on with serious expressions as they knew that the key moment had arrived. If Ye Xinglan failed to make a breakthrough here, then the harm inflicted upon her would most likely be permanently, meaning that she would never be able to take this step.

She had chosen this path for herself, and success was the only option.

This had always been Ye Xinglan's personality, and it couldn't be changed by anyone.

Finally, a burst of loud ringing sound, and a gash appeared on the top of the cocoon, immediately following which a burst of enormous sword intent erupted forth.

The entire Battle God Hall began to tremor slightly, and everyone felt as if the sword intent were about to pierce through their bodies, forcing them to draw upon their soul power to protect themselves.

The cocoon crumbled, and a figure rose up into the sky. All of the sword intent instantly subsided, and the figure returned to her original appearance.

Ye Xinglan's long hair had come undone and was trailing down her shoulders, adding a hint of feminine charm to her cold disposition.

She was hovering in mid-air, and even though she wasn't holding her sword, it was as if her entire being had become a sword, but the sharpness of the sword was being concealed.As such, her aura had become less sharp and more gentle. In fact, even her appearance had become more gentle compared with prior to her metamorphosis.

She descended from the heavens, and a warm look appeared in her eyes as her gaze fell upon Xu Lizhi.

Xu Lizhi was ecstatic to see that she was unharmed, and he quickly rushed over to her.

"Are you alright, Sister Xinglan? Are you in any pain or discomfort?

"

"I'm fine,

" Ye Xinglan replied in a gentle voice.

Xu Lizhi heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

"I'm glad that you're ok.

"

Ye Xinglan suddenly spread her arms open and wound them around Xu Lizhi's rotund waist as she laid her head down onto his shoulder.

"I'm sorry for being so willful and selfish, Lizhi. I was always obsessing over my sword and never considered your feelings; I'll never be like that again.

"

Xu Lizhi was rooted to the spot upon hearing this, and everyone else from Shrek Academy was also astonished.

Had Ye Xinglan been possessed? Was this still her? Since when was she capable of being so gentle and saying something like this?

The ones with the strongest reactions to this were Xie Xie and Yue Zhengyu, who were like a pair of twins with their mouths gaped open in disbelief.

Even Yuanen Yehui was completely dumbfounded, and Xu Xiaoyan had even thrown her hand over her own mouth.

Tang Wulin's eyelids twitched slightly as he rubbed his own eyes.

Was this really Ye Xinglan? Never did they think that she would say something so gentle and passionate in front of so many people!

"I was about to fail just now. In fact, I was on the verge of failing on multiple occasions. My heart was filled with disappointment and indignation, but I had given everything I had; I had expended all of my ability and willpower, and I couldn't persevere any longer. I was so close to attaining sword essence, but it remained just out of my reach, and I couldn't figure out why. I was so, so sad, and I thought that I was going to die. Perhaps people on the brink of death experience a heightened sense of awareness, but in that instant, I was able to sense your emotions.

"You've always been by my side for so many years, and I was always aware of your feelings, but even though I reciprocate your love, I was unable to express it. Just now, I regretted everything. I regretted never truly accepting your feelings and being with you; I regretted wasting so much of the precious time we had together. I'm sorry, Lizhi; I should've apologized to you long ago. It was exactly because I could sense your anxiety, unease, and your unwavering love for me that I finally understood why I have been able to attain sword essence.

"It's because my sword was too lonesome. It was sharp, but that was all; it was devoid of emotion and substance. In that instant, when I was on the brink of death, I realized that sacrificing everything I had wasn't the key to reaching the pinnacle. Instead, I should've been striving to gain more rather than to sacrifice everything. I was unwilling to express my emotions, so they were constantly repressed deep within my heart. You are so important to me, yet I refused to acknowledge that, and as a result, my sword soul remained stagnant.

"It was also in that instant that I truly came to understand just how important you are to me. You are an irreplaceable figure in my life. Lizhi, I love you.

"

As she completed her confession in front of everyone, her entire body seemed to be glowing. In that instant, Ye Xinglan truly opened up her heart to Xu Lizhi, and it was also in this moment that Xu Lizhi finally felt like she was truly his woman.

He slowly returned to his senses and locked Ye Xinglan in a tight embrace as tears flowed uncontrollably down his face. His lips were trembling, but he was unable to muster up so much as a single word.

In this moment, he was the only thing in Ye Xinglan's eyes, and the entire outside world had lost focus.

No one was going to disrupt this moment for them; everyone's hearts were filled with genuine well wishes.

Ling Zichen was standing in her mecha not far behind Tang Wulin, and her eyes were slightly glazed over.

Just a moment ago, her heart had been filled with fury toward Tang Wulin. It was clear that he had kept everything a secret from her and struck a deal with the Battle God without her knowledge.

She had genuinely thought that they were here to secure Eternal Heaven, and after finding out the truth, she wanted nothing better than to give him a mighty slap!

She had been played for a fool! Did he expect her to leak the secret to the world had she been told? What a bastard!