Special Training

During the long run that followed, Gu Yue chatted with Tang Wulin as they ran, occasionally speaking to Nan Fusheng as well.

Honestly, Nan Fusheng was a little surprised, but he also understood that Gu Yue probably did not want to seem overly enthusiastic and scare Tang Wulin. After all, Gu Yue had come here because of her bet with Na'er.

As for Xie Xie, he tried now and then to join the conversation, but whenever he spoke to Gu Yue, she would give him a look that said, "Trash, don't talk to me." It left him angry yet too afraid to talk back—in short, weak but still loved to chat.

By the time Wu Changkong returned, the running task he had assigned was nearly complete.

"Gather!"

The Class Five students were like a defeated army, each one dragging their exhausted body as they barely managed to stand in the middle of the field.

"That's all for this morning. Dismissed. Gu Yue, stay behind."

It's finally over. This is bliss!

Almost every student immediately ran toward the dormitories. They could finally rest.

Gu Yue's little face looked much rosier than before from all the running.

"My name is Wu Changkong, and I'm your homeroom teacher. This is your dormitory key, school uniform, and textbooks. From now on, you are officially a student of Grade One Class Five."

"Thank you, Teacher Wu." Gu Yue accepted the items Wu Changkong handed her.

"Mm. Go rest. Classes begin this afternoon."

The afternoon class was still physical training, and it was even more painful than the morning session. What happened to the promised theory class? Wu Changkong's explanation was simple: with physical fitness like theirs, what theory were they supposed to learn? Since when had the Cold Arrogant Male God ever been reasonable?

They could at least keep running, but once running turned into frog jumps, the Class Five students were sprawled all over the field in less than half an hour.

After a full day of physical training, these nine-year-old children felt as though they had to crawl back to their dormitories.

"Tang Wulin, Nan Fusheng, Xie Xie, Gu Yue, come find me after dinner." Wu Changkong's icy voice rang out before class ended.

Xie Xie could only stand steadily with Tang Wulin supporting him, while his legs trembled nonstop. Gu Yue was doing a little better than him, but she still had both hands braced against her knees.

"We're doing more tonight?" After fighting alongside Nan Fusheng and the others yesterday, much of Xie Xie's coldness had faded. He seemed more genuine now, and the temper of a rich young master was gradually beginning to show. Fortunately, their homeroom teacher was Wu Changkong, who could keep him in check in every respect. Otherwise, there was no way he could have endured the physical training classes.

"The teacher is doing this for our own good." Tang Wulin supported him.

During the hour before dinner, most of the students fell into an exhausted sleep. Nan Fusheng was tired as well, but he still persisted in Meditation. His Meditation speed was now several times faster than before.

During the earlier class competition, Nan Fusheng had secretly parasitized Class Five's students in the midst of battle. Later, when Mu Xi led the upperclassmen in threatening Tang Wulin, he had also secretly parasitized them while using Steal.

Nan Fusheng now had five Shallow Parasitism parasites attached to upperclassmen. (He had not parasitized Mu Xi, because her father was a Saint Craftsman with connections to a God Craftsman, and he was afraid of being discovered.)

Three were parasitizing his roommates. As long as they did not leave Eastsea City, Nan Fusheng could continue drawing Soul Power through the parasite Soul Spirits.

Even if he only drew half of their cultivation speed, those upperclassmen were Soul Grand Masters. Their cultivation speed was not something ordinary Soul Masters could compare to.

At the same time, he needed to test which rank of Soul Master his parasitism could affect at its current stage. Using a Spirit Skill on teachers or fellow students within the academy would at least leave him room to maneuver if he was discovered.

Moreover, Eastsea Academy's teachers were generally not all that powerful, making them excellent test subjects for Nan Fusheng. For now, though, he would practice on the students first.

For the current Nan Fusheng, staying low came before everything else. In the early stages, he would follow Tang Wulin's lead, then make his move once he advanced to Sequence 4 and had some ability to protect himself.

After dinner, Nan Fusheng was the first to arrive at the field, with Gu Yue second. Tang Wulin practically dragged Xie Xie onto the field. Xie Xie had originally wanted to quit.

It was already evening. The lingering glow of the setting sun painted the sky a dazzling fiery red. Wu Changkong still wore a stern expression, though he had changed into a black tracksuit. Not far away, quite a few female upperclassmen had gathered in small groups, all their eyes fixed on him.

"You four, follow me." Once he saw the last two arrive, Wu Changkong turned and walked away.

The four followed behind him toward the depths of the academy.

Wu Changkong brought them to an Indoor Training Ground behind the academy. He had obtained it when he went to see Long Hengxu today.

After Wu Changkong expressed his willingness to support Long Hengxu's work and promised not to cause trouble for the Teaching Office director, Long Hengxu had granted his request without hesitation.

As fellow Teaching Office directors, Long Hengxu and the one from the Advanced Division were fierce rivals. Wu Changkong had been demoted to the Intermediate Division precisely because he had gotten into a violent conflict with that man and had even broken one of his legs. If Long Hengxu could build a good relationship with Teacher Wu, it would naturally earn him a great deal of credit before the Dean.

Wu Changkong did not care what selfish motives Long Hengxu might have. As long as he achieved his goal, that was enough.

If not for Gu Yue, he would not have compromised so easily, and apologizing was something that would never have happened to him. Yet after coming to the Intermediate Division, he had encountered two students who moved even him. If they were properly nurtured, they would definitely be qualified to enter that place.

As for the other two students, one had undergone a beneficial Martial Soul mutation and might not necessarily be inferior to the other two if properly trained. The other was rather unusual and interested him, but compared to those two, he was little more than a foil. At least, for now.

The training ground was circular and protected inside by a Soul Guidance Shield. It was a place for students with relatively high cultivation to train their Martial Souls. After all, a field like the one outside was too easily damaged once one's Soul Power reached a certain level.

Wu Changkong led the four to the center of the grounds and stopped.

"Starting today, the four of you will undergo special training with me every evening. Work hard for the Class Promotion Tournament three months from now."

As he spoke, his gaze first fell upon Tang Wulin. "Tang Wulin, your Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass. The only reason you were initially selected for the Class Promotion Tournament was because I intended to use you as a substitute. Now that Gu Yue is here, you have seen her talent and strength for yourself. I will not go back on my word, but I hope that through your efforts, you can show me that you truly deserve to represent Class Five in the tournament. If you fail to meet my requirements three months from now, then I will only send three people."

"Teacher Wu, I won't replace him in the tournament." At that moment, Gu Yue suddenly spoke.