Chapter 186 - Welcome to Class Zero
The two elements worked in tandem, the ice freezing Xie Xie while the flame scorched him—a terrifying combination. Had he not quickly reacted by using his Light Dragon Storm to mitigate the majority of the blast, he would have ended up in a far worse condition.
Just as he celebrated his survival, an ice wheel slammed into his back out of nowhere. Disbelief spread across his face as his body went rigid and toppled over.
Tang Wulin’s Bluesilver Grass trap untangled itself as he released one hand from Gu Yue’s neck while supporting her with the other on her waist, thus restoring her mobility.
Their bodies were so close that Gu Yue could enjoy Tang Wulin’s clean and crisp scent. She could have easily escaped his trap by teleporting, continuing the battle and eventually winning through guerilla tactics. She chose instead to let him grab her, as only in close combat could she have a chance of defeating him in one strike.
The result, however, went against her expectations. She had lost. She and Xie Xie had both lost.
The battle might have looked like Tang Wulin was fighting alone against the two of them from start to finish, but, as observers, Wu Zhangkong and Long Hengxu had clearly seen Xu Xiaoyan’s two decisive moves. Her actions had been made at the exact moments needed to turn the tide of battle.
This girl’s perception and control are pretty good. She supported Tang Wulin excellently. Even compared to her peers, she is excellent!
Upon arriving at this conclusion, Wu Zhangkong met eyes with Long Hengxu and the two exchanged nods of tacit understanding.
Long Hengxu approved of Tang Wulin, while Wu Zhangkong was beginning to approve of Xu Xiaoyan.
“You took many risks,” Tang Wulin said as he released Gu Yue.
She snorted. “I was just afraid I would hurt you. otherwise, I would have used even more elements that you can’t defend against.”
Tang Wulin came to a startling realization. That’s right! Gu Yue can control many more elements; water, fire, earth, wind, light and even space. Each and every one of them is powerful. Ice is an extension of water, but it’s not necessarily her strongest ability. With her control, she could have attacked me with three elements at once!
I went easy with my Golden Dragon Claw, but wasn’t she going easy on me too?
An awkward smile tugged at his lips. “You’re still the most amazing.”
Gu Yue laughed. “You’re amazing too! You would’ve injured me if I didn’t restrain you in time.”
“Ow, ow! I know you guys are busy admiring each other, but can you spare some time to help your good friend off the floor?” Xie Xie’s painful groans interrupted their exchange. He painstakingly crawled back to his feet with an irritated expression.
Only Xu Xiaoyan was nice enough to walk over and help him up.
Xie Xie looked at her and rolled his eyes. “Is slicing me up that fun?”
Xu Xiaoyan giggled and revealed a harmless, toothy smile.
The other two students walked over. Tang Wulin extended a hand to Xu Xiaoyan. “Welcome to class zero.”
Xu Xiaoyan accepted the handshake. “Thank you, class captain. You guys are too awesome though! The only thing I could do was look for opportunities to aid you.”
Her words were not exaggerated. As soon as the battle begun, she found that the most she could do was just stand there foolishly!
These guys, are they really monsters? How is this Tang Wulin’s soul ring at the thousand-year level? Isn’t the limit for the first soul ring about four hundred years? Even if he used some heavenly treasures, there’s no way he could upgrade it to the thousand-year level! Only at three rings do people begin to have thousand-year soul rings!
Xie Xie’s swiftness and Gu Yue’s control over six elements also instilled an equally deep shock. She felt utterly insignificant in front of these three monsters.
But she had keen observation skills and hadn’t acted blindly, waiting instead for the right opportunity to act. She knew she couldn’t even hope to compare with this trio during the day, so she had to do her best to at least leave a good impression by grabbing any chance she got to display her strength.
Opportunities would always come to those who were well prepared. Her success served to prove this statement.
Two one-ringed Soul Masters had prevailed over two two-ringed Soul Grandmasters. The very notion of this coming to pass was inconceivable, yet they had accomplished it.
Long Hengxu walked over to Wu Zhangkong. “Now I have more confidence in your class. I’m sure I can persuade the president to increase your resources. Teacher Wu, is there anything you need?”
Wu Zhangkong said, “The children could use more nutritious food. Nutrients are very important at their age. The martial soul is an extension of the body; it needs to be properly nourished.”
Long Hengxu forced a smile. “That wouldn’t be an issue if they all had normal appetites, but Tang Wulin is just a glutton He can clean out all the food the first window makes!”
Wu Zhangkong indifferently said, “You’ve seen his strength and his thousand-year soul ring; do you think they just appeared out of thin air? That he can grow so strong just from eating is amazing in and of itself.”
“I guess there’s some sense to that,” Long Hengxu muttered.
Wu Zhangkong added, “Eastsea City is rich in many kinds of seafood, of which some are highly nourishing sacred foods. Get some for the children. They need sturdy foundations to grow.”
Long Hengxu nodded reluctantly. “I’ll tell the president. Teacher Wu, keep in mind that the president is facing a lot of pressure because of class zero. Just counting the cost for admittance to the spirit ascension platform, the amount of resources invested into class zero is enormous. Thankfully, things have been successful so far; you even managed to train a monster like Tang Wulin. What the academy truly desires, however, is glory. You understand, right? The academy wants your students to participate in the Skysea Alliance Tournament. You should prepare for it. Even if they don’t place too high, they need to at least amaze people and win the academy some fame. The goal is to have them win the Outstanding Newcomer Award or the Outstanding Newcomer Group Award.”
“The Skysea Alliance Tournament?” Wu Zhangkong’s eyes flashed with comprehension and he nodded without the slightest hesitation. “I have no problems with fulfilling their request.”
Long Hengxu stared at Wu Zhangkong in surprise. He had assumed Wu Zhangkong would refuse since the children were only ten years old, yet he had readily accepted.
“You agree?”
Wu Zhangkong said, “The best method to temper someone is through real combat. So far, they’ve only focused their energy on cultivating and they lack combat experience. This is a good opportunity to fix that issue.”
“Excellent! I was worried you might not agree. I will immediately report this matter. I can guarantee you—until the Skysea Alliance Tournament starts, your meals won’t be lacking even when compared to those at the Shrek Academy! This time, the academy is going to spend all of its capital.”
“Good!”
“All of you, come here.” Wu Zhangkong stepped onto the arena and beckoned to the children.
The four students quickly ran over.
Wu Zhangkong nodded and turned to Tang Wulin. “You still need to practice more. There were too many holes in your defences.”
“Yes, Teacher Wu.” Tang Wulin couldn’t contain his excitement. Now that his soul ring was at the thousand-year level, his combat strength and control precision had skyrocketed! He believed that after breaking the second Golden Dragon King seal, his Bluesilver Grass would evolve once more and receive another huge power up.
Wu Zhangkong turned to Gu Yue. “You were a bit unfocused. You should be stronger than that.”
Gu Yue lowered her head and said quietly, “But we’re teammates, not enemies.”
Wu Zhangkong said, “You’ve progressed quickly. Continue striving hard to improve. As for you…”
He turned to Xie Xie. “You’ll have to put in more effort if you want to keep up with them.”
The corner of Xie Xie’s mouth began to twitch. I really can’t catch a break! Or is it just that Wulin and Gu Yue improve too quickly?
Wu Zhangkong finally turned to Xu Xiaoyan. “You have some ability. Just remember that you only have one month to prove yourself. Alright, you’re dismissed for the day. Tomorrow, we’ll start training. I will be your opponent for three fights every day.”
“Yes,” Tang Wulin, Gu Yue and Xie Xie said with bitter faces. Meanwhile, Xu Xiaoyan couldn’t contain her excitement and eagerness towards the following day. I heard this ruthless and handsome Teacher Wu is really strong. I wonder just how strong he is though?
“I will be using my soul skills.” Wu Zhangkong’s left after speaking these shocking words, his white robe fluttering in the breeze.
“Sou-soul skill?” Xie Xie stammered. “Did I hear that right? Just who is Teacher Wu? Why does he need to use soul skills against us? Did he make some mistake?”
Tang Wulin gaped in disbelief. He had personally witnessed the might of Wu Zhangkong’s soul skills and knew that even if he suppressed his cultivation to their rank while only using Frost Scars and Frost Mist, it was more than enough to slaughter them.