The Decisive Battle Begins, and Wang Bili

Eastsea Academy.

This typhoon that struck Eastsea City had come very suddenly, causing an enormous impact on the entire city. Shops could not open, schools could not hold classes, and traffic had been paralyzed for a time. Every department of the Administrative Office had been rushed off its feet.

The typhoon lasted an entire week. At its strongest, it could even uproot large trees, and many buildings suffered damage as well.

Fortunately, it was all over now.

After the typhoon, the air in Eastsea City seemed exceptionally fresh, carrying a faint moisture. Sunlight spilled across the land, and occasionally, the glow of rainbows could even be seen on the horizon. The blue sky stretched endlessly without a cloud in sight.

When Nan Fusheng entered the classroom, he saw Xie Xie unable to sit still. The moment Xie Xie saw him, his eyes lit up. "Fusheng, have you seen Wulin?"

"Wulin? No. What happened?" Although Nan Fusheng had a rough idea of Tang Wulin's situation, he still decided to play dumb. Tang Wulin would probably make it in time anyway.

Even without Tang Wulin, whether it was three against three or four against four did not make much difference to him.

"I don't know what's going on with that guy. He still hasn't replied to any messages. His Communicator seems to have run out of power, so I can't reach him." Xie Xie spoke anxiously.

"Do you know where his workshop is? Should we go find him at noon?" Gu Yue, standing nearby, also had her brows tightly furrowed, worry visible in her eyes.

Xie Xie gave a bitter smile. "I have no interest in forging. How would I know where his workshop is? He even specifically contacted me that day to say he'd be staying at the workshop the whole time. If he's there, nothing should have happened to him! Why is there still no news from him? Could he have lost track of time?"

Gu Yue's face darkened. "Do you know anything? At noon, we'll go to the Blacksmith Association. They might have registered where his workshop is."

For once, Xie Xie did not argue with Gu Yue. He nodded. "That's a good idea. We'll go in a bit."

Tang Wulin still had not appeared by the time school ended at noon. Xie Xie, Nan Fusheng, and Gu Yue went to ask Wu Changkong for leave, then dashed out of the academy and headed straight for the Blacksmith Association.

However, half an hour later, when they walked out of the Blacksmith Association, all three wore frustrated expressions.

The Blacksmith Association's response was simple: the information for any forging workshop registered with the association was confidential and could not be disclosed. Unless they had special official authorization. Furthermore, Tang Wulin's records carried a higher level of confidentiality than those of ordinary blacksmiths.

"What do we do now? Should we ask Teacher Wu to apply for official permission, then come back and ask where he lives?" Gu Yue asked Xie Xie.

Xie Xie smiled bitterly. "It'll be too late even then! Official authorization isn't something that can be processed that easily. It always takes time. It definitely won't be done today. For tonight's match, it looks like only the three of us can compete. Wulin isn't an unreliable person. He must have run into something, or he wouldn't have missed school."

Nan Fusheng's brows were also tightly knitted. "Let's go back first. No matter what, we should ask Teacher Wu to apply for official permission. How could the match be more important than Wulin's safety?"

"Mm."

"Official authorization?" Wu Changkong looked at the three students before him, and his already icy face immediately darkened even further.

Tang Wulin had still not come to class, and they had failed to find him when they went out looking.

"Enough. Go back to class first. I understand." Wu Changkong spoke coldly.

"Teacher, then only the three of us will compete tonight?" Xie Xie asked.

Wu Changkong glanced at him. "Only the three of you."

"Yes."

The afternoon classes passed quickly. Perhaps because the typhoon had kept the Primary Division students cooped up for a week, the moment school ended, a huge crowd of students gathered on the field. Even teachers were among them, all waiting to watch the final Class Promotion Tournament match for the first grade.

"Did you hear? This year's Class Promotion Tournament is so bizarre! A bottom-ranking class like First Grade Class Five actually charged all the way through and won three matches in a row. Maybe this dark horse will go all the way."

"Keep dreaming. Do you know how terrifying this year's New Student Class One is? They weren't called the strongest new student class in history for nothing. Three students in their class are already Two Rings Soul Grand Masters, and more importantly, their Martial Souls are all extremely powerful. The four competitors from First Grade Class Five only have one ring each. That's a fundamental gap. They're one Spirit Skill behind, and their Soul Power is lower too. They don't stand a chance. I just want to see how far this New Student Class One can go in the later Class Promotion Tournaments. I heard every Grade Two class is feeling a huge amount of pressure. Heh heh."

The students chatted among themselves, while the teachers who had arrived at the edge of the competition grounds gathered together as well.

Surrounded by the students of First Grade Class Five, Wu Changkong walked at the front toward the Competition Platform. Behind him were none other than Nan Fusheng, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue.

Just as Wu Changkong led First Grade Class Five to the edge of the grounds, a commotion arose on the other side as well.

The students consciously made way, opening a passage.

Walking confidently at the front was a female teacher who appeared to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. She bore at least a sixty percent resemblance to Ye Yingrong, though she was even more beautiful. However, there was a haughty air between her brows that Ye Yingrong did not possess.

Following behind her were the students of First Grade Class One, the class hailed as the strongest new student class in years.

Both sides gathered on either side of the Competition Platform, waiting for the Class Promotion Tournament to begin.

Academic Director Long Hengxu had already stepped onto the Competition Platform. He first nodded to the homeroom teachers of both classes, then said in a deep voice, "The Class Promotion Tournament was delayed because of the typhoon. Today is the fourth match, with First Grade Class Five facing First Grade Class One. Teacher Wu, how many people will First Grade Class Five be sending out today?"

"Our class will be sending..." Wu Changkong had just been about to say three when a voice suddenly came from behind First Grade Class Five.

"Teacher Wu, wait."

Upon hearing that familiar voice, delight immediately appeared on the faces of Xie Xie and Gu Yue, who stood behind Wu Changkong.

Pushing through the crowd, Tang Wulin hurried to the front, looking travel-worn.

His appearance at that moment was truly hard to praise. His hair was a mess, his face looked somewhat pale, and even his aura seemed very unstable.

"Where did you run off to? Why are you only showing up now?" Xie Xie asked irritably.

Tang Wulin smiled bitterly. "It's a long story. Let's compete first. Teacher Wu, I can fight."

Wu Changkong looked at him expressionlessly and nodded once before saying to Long Hengxu, "Our class will send four competitors."

Long Hengxu said, "First Grade Class One will also send four competitors."

Ye Yingluo raised her chin. "Fine."

Long Hengxu said, "Competitors from both sides, enter the field."

To the surprise of Nan Fusheng and the other three, First Grade Class One had the same formation as them, arranged in a triangle.

"My name is Zhang Yangzi." The calm youth standing at the center front spoke evenly.

"Wei Xiaofeng. We've met before." The short youth standing on the left extended his right hand, as though he had clashed with Xie Xie's group before. He raised his thumb, then slowly turned his wrist until the thumb pointed down in a provocative gesture.

"You!" Xie Xie flew into a rage and impulsively moved to charge forward, but Tang Wulin grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

Xie Xie looked at him in surprise. This guy seemed to have gotten even stronger!

"Wang Jinxi." The gaunt student standing on the right spoke calmly.

"Wang Bili." The tall, dark-skinned youth protected behind the other three spoke cheerfully, flashing Nan Fusheng's group a mouthful of gleaming white teeth.

Tang Wulin said, "First Grade Class Five, Tang Wulin."

"Gu Yue."

"Xie Xie!" A cold gleam flashed in Xie Xie's eyes as he stared at Wei Xiaofeng.

"Nan Fusheng." Nan Fusheng curiously watched Wang Bili, who was being protected behind the others from Class One. With that appearance, people would believe he was an upperclassman! And despite being so large, he was not an Assault System Soul Master.

Seeing that the match had not even begun yet and the air between both sides was already thick with hostility, Long Hengxu could not help frowning. "Let me emphasize this: this is an academy match. During the match, stop when the point is made. Only victory and defeat will be decided. Deliberately injuring an opponent is forbidden, or the academy will impose additional punishment."

"Yes!" All eight answered in unison.

"Good. Prepare for the match. Both sides, fall back." Under Long Hengxu's supervision, both sides retreated, opening up a certain distance between them.