The Allure of That Cry

Zhang Yu loosened his tie. For some reason, Chen Yan thought he saw a blazing fire burning in his eyes.

The first to take the field was Sun Siyuan, who possessed the Earth Splitting Bear martial soul.

"It's starting. Are you ready?"

"Ready!"

"Then attack!"

Sun Siyuan stood in the center of the field, his gaze firm and solemn. At Zhang Yu's command, a powerful aura burst from his body. The Earth Splitting Bear martial soul instantly possessed him, and two yellow soul rings revolved around him in a steady rhythm.

His body began to change. His muscles swelled, and brown bear markings emerged across his skin.

Sun Siyuan roared and charged at Zhang Yu. At the same time, his first and second Soul Skills flashed. His hands transformed into bear paws, their claws gleaming with a metallic sheen...

"Roar—!!!"

As the distance closed, he leaped into the air and swung his claws, using gravity to amplify his force as he unleashed a crushing strike.

"Boom—"

The collision sent out a blast of air that whipped at their clothes. Zhang Yu's hand firmly blocked Sun Siyuan's bear paw. Aside from his hair being a little messy, he was completely unharmed.

"Do you have any other moves?" There was no emotion to be seen in his indifferent eyes.

In that gaze, Sun Siyuan seemed to see his mother staring at him expressionlessly. He instantly lost his nerve.

"N-No."

Zhang Yu nodded and said nothing else before directly commenting, "Mm. Your strength is decent, but your speed leaves something to be desired. Although your martial soul is powerful, your use of Soul Skills is clearly not proficient enough."

"Both your strength and speed have great potential. In the future, you need to increase your training in those areas. Besides..."

That turn of phrase immediately scared Little Sun's heart, which had only just settled down, right out of place. He could even sense that slight flicker of emotion in Teacher Zhang Yu's eyes.

It was cold, not fiery.

"When facing someone far stronger than yourself, revealing all your trump cards too early is not a mature decision. You should learn to hide your strength in case of emergencies. And when you have neither a guaranteed chance of victory nor the ability to fly, staying airborne is extremely dangerous."

"Your combat thinking still needs improvement."

Sun Siyuan lowered his head. He knew Zhang Yu was right. His martial soul was indeed powerful, but he truly still had many shortcomings.

"Thank you, Teacher. I'll work hard," Sun Siyuan said.

Zhang Yu nodded. "Next."

"Seriously, why is your man showing off again?"

Watching Zhang Yu on the stage, Qin Man was practically about to cover her face. They had known each other for so many years—how could she not know what he was like?

"Sigh, boys are just like that! You'll understand once you get a boyfriend," Bai Ling said from the side with a smiling squint.

"Eugh~" Qin Man scoffed disdainfully.

"Boyfriends aren't that easy to find. If I could find one, my family wouldn't still be pressuring me to get married."

These days, even finding a quality boyfriend was difficult! She sighed.

Meanwhile, onstage, Zhang Yu had already finished evaluating the next student.

"Next."

This time, Wang Zihan stepped onto the stage. His gaze was resolute as he strode onto the Training Field.

It was time to show off my real skills! In terms of Soul Power, I'm no match for him, but when it comes to combat technique, I'll definitely surpass him!

His blood and vitality surged throughout his body. Though he possessed a weapon martial soul, his vitality was unexpectedly vigorous.

A trace of approval flashed through Zhang Yu's eyes. Aside from those two, this kid could be said to have the best talent.

"So, what do you think? Is this student as strong as you were back then?"

Below the stage, Bai Ling nudged Qin Man's arm and asked teasingly.

"How would I know? I've never fought him!" That was clearly just stubborn posturing. After all, her level had been one rank lower than his back then, and she had obviously been inferior to him in vitality as well. Even if the quality of their martial souls had been similar, it would have been difficult for her to win.

At the command, the Crimson Dragon Sword flashed into existence.

I don't just have to prove myself—I also have to show myself off!

With that, he gripped the sword and spun it in a flourish. His wrist moved flexibly, and as his arm swung, the blade traced elegant arcs through the air. Every flourish was precise and flawless, as though countless repetitions had carved the movements into his bones.

His gaze was firm and focused, completely immersed in the world of swordsmanship. It was as though his body had fused with the sword itself, every movement revealing his confidence and mastery.

The sword flipped and danced in his hand like a blooming flower, brimming with vitality and beauty, utterly mesmerizing.

"Uh... what's he doing?"

"No idea. Maybe it's some kind of ultimate move?"

The students below went from muttering to themselves to whispering among one another, while the two teachers beneath the stage exchanged baffled looks.

Meanwhile, under the concealment effect of the Aurora Shield, Chen Yan quietly took out a bucket of popcorn.

"Want some?"

Gu Yuena gently nodded and opened her mouth.

"Ah—"

Even though others couldn't see him, he could see them.

"How about I get you another bucket?"

But Gu Yuena opened her little mouth and stared at him expressionlessly, her eyes deep and unreadable. Clearly, she wasn't looking to negotiate.

"Alright, alright! Hey, hey, hey, I'll feed you, okay?"

Look at me, running my mouth for no reason!

Chen Yan shook his head helplessly. He knew he had said something unnecessary again. Picking up a piece of popcorn, he gently placed it into Gu Yuena's mouth.

Gu Yuena narrowed her eyes slightly, savoring the popcorn. Although her expression remained cold, the corners of her lips unconsciously curled upward.

It wasn't the food that tasted good, but the feeling in her heart.

Naturally, the people outside knew nothing of what the two were doing. Most of their attention remained fixed on the person onstage dancing with a sword.

Zhang Yu watched Wang Zihan dance around for quite a while, yet sensed almost no Soul Power fluctuations from him. Once he confirmed that the guy had come up there just to perform sword forms, his face darkened considerably as he barked out, "Wang Zihan, this is a combat assessment, not a swordsmanship exhibition! Attack immediately!"

That shout carried Soul Power, startling Wang Zihan so badly that he nearly dropped his sword.

"Yes, Teacher Zhang!"

Naturally, Zhang Yu wasn't in a good mood. This had been the perfect opportunity for him to show off his might and demonstrate the imposing aura of a teacher who could take on ten opponents alone, so that he would have enough authority during future lessons.

Yet one student had spent all that time dancing with a sword right in front of him, and he hadn't even noticed? Wasn't that a complete slap in the face?

Fine, Wang Zihan, was it? I'll remember you!

Just as Wang Zihan reset his stance and prepared to attack—

"Grrr—"

A long, rumbling growl of hunger echoed through everyone's ears.

First came dead silence, then...

"Hahaha! I can't take it anymore!"

"So that's why he spent all that time dancing with his sword? He was hungry!"

"Holy crap!" Chen Yan nearly choked on his popcorn. Was that really such a powerful stomach?

Even Gu Yuena had a smile in her eyes.

At that moment, Wang Zihan became the first comedian since the start of school.

Wang Zihan was so embarrassed that he genuinely wanted to die on the spot.

He hadn't expected his stomach to make a sound at such a critical moment, letting everyone know.