Douluo: Unlocking the Great Secrets of the Human Body, Becoming a Heavenly Demon

But Bai Xu was different.

"Bai Xu, come here!" After dismissing class, Wu Changkong called out to Bai Xu, who was about to leave, and had him follow him to the office.

Shen Yi was also waiting there, apparently intending to counsel Bai Xu.

"Teacher Wu, what is it?" Bai Xu asked doubtfully.

"Yes, there is something. I want to talk to you about your personality. How have you felt during this semester of getting along with everyone?"

Bai Xu was somewhat surprised. "Pretty good. I don't think I have any problems."

Shen Yi said, "Don't you feel like you're growing more distant from your classmates? Can't you truly feel the loneliness? Your classmates mostly respect you from afar. They aren't even willing to spar with you. Other than Gu Yue and Na'er, you barely have any friends."

Bai Xu fell silent, unable to refute her.

Wu Changkong frowned. He knew that Bai Xu saw things clearly and thought far more maturely than these children, so he spoke frankly. "Bai Xu, you're very talented, and Elder Cai thinks highly of you. But Shrek is a team, a big family. Choosing to remain isolated here will not get you far.

"If you're willing, we can help you integrate into the class. With your ability, leading a seven-man team could even make you part of the new generation of Shrek Seven Devils."

"Teacher Wu, different people pursue different things. I have my own choice." Bai Xu did not wish to say more and turned to leave.

"No matter what, future class assignments will include companions for you. This is Elder Cai's decision. If you truly refuse, then after this semester ends... perhaps you'll be expelled," Wu Changkong said in a low voice.

Bai Xu paused for a moment but still did not stop walking.

Shen Yi and Wu Changkong watched Bai Xu leave without the slightest reaction, their hearts heavy as they failed to understand his values.

Had he truly been influenced by Leng Jiuming's ideas?

Or was he simply too attached to the Spirit Pagoda?

But none of that mattered. What mattered was Bai Xu's talent and combat strength. If he had been someone like Xie Xie, Yang Nianxia, or Xu Xiaoyan, it would have been one thing.

If your heart was not here, if you did not take pride in Shrek, and if you treated it with indifference, then they could at most tolerate you until graduation from the outer court before letting you leave.

But Bai Xu was too talented. Although he was practically invisible in class, every student knew who stood at the peak of the first grade. Whether it was the Individual Competition or team battles, only that man stood atop the summit!

By himself, he had robbed all the geniuses of his generation of their brilliance. They could only gaze at his back from afar.

"Perhaps only someone defeating Bai Xu head-on can change him," Wu Changkong said.

Shen Yi sighed. "There's practically no one his age who can defeat Bai Xu. With those freakish physical stats, only your disciple Tang Wulin can contend with him."

Wu Changkong nodded. "That's right. Tang Wulin is the only one in the class with any hope of defeating Bai Xu. He has built himself up steadily. Although his early progress was somewhat slow, it will be of enormous benefit once he reaches adulthood. At this stage, though, he still cannot defeat Bai Xu."

The two of them found this quite troubling.

Elder Cai had issued the order, so they had no choice but to carry it out!

Why had such a thorny student appeared this year? Things never went as one wished!

"Looks like it's time to leave. I'll wait for the Star Luo trip... If I can go, then I won't come back. If I can't, then I can only submit a withdrawal application!" Bai Xu sighed. This was his choice.

Why was he unwilling to form more ties here?

Perhaps Bai Xu still wanted to return, to his hometown. Compared to Douluo, one's homeland was always harder to forget.

Bringing back a wife would be enough. Was he supposed to stay here and work?

That was impossible.

Bai Xu was already working for the Spirit of the Plane!

Still, the pay for this job was quite generous.

Shrek Academy's competition platform.

With the new semester beginning, everyone was most interested in how much each other's strength had improved. News that the genius five-man group would once again face class monitor Tang Wulin's Team spread like wildfire, drawing most of the first-year students.

Even Yuanen Yehui and Yue Zhengyu from the second year had come, though most people in the stands were searching for one particular figure.

Unfortunately, he had not come.

Gu Yue had also been called over by Tang Wulin, and the battle at the foot of the heavenly mountain began once again.

The reason protagonists were called protagonists was because their rate of growth was unbelievable. Perhaps you could currently fight them to a standstill and even hold a slight advantage, but after just three days apart, you would find yourself left far behind.

Golden Dragon Body, Golden Dragon Earthshaker, Golden Dragon Tyrant Body.

Two golden soul rings swept aside everything. Tang Wulin alone could break apart Wu Sido's Martial Soul Fusion Skill and easily wrestle with Yang Nianxia's Dark Gold Bear Martial Soul without any effort.

Gu Yue and the others did not even need to go all out. Once they cleared the field, the match was already over.

Seeing this, Wu Changkong became even more convinced that Tang Wulin might be able to defeat Bai Xu after some more time. Tang Wulin's bloodline was far more tyrannical than Bai Xu's physical body.

"Teacher Wu, this is our second academic year. After some time, I want to challenge Bai Xu!" Tang Wulin's gaze was resolute and his fighting spirit high. The companions behind him also gave him immense confidence.

Wu Changkong understood as well. As the leader of a team, if Tang Wulin wanted to stand out in the outer court, he had to become a guide for the new students. He could not stand behind someone else and merely gaze at him.

"Alright. If you wish to challenge Bai Xu, inform me beforehand. Cultivate well during this time, and do not be careless. Bai Xu is different from them. He can even rival third-year students," Wu Changkong said, not telling him about how Bai Xu had instantly defeated three Soul Kings with Spirit Shock.

Even if Tang Wulin brought his team, with the spiritual power of Xu Xiaoyan and the others, they would likely collapse before they could even use their soul skills. That previous hard-fought battle had entirely been the result of Bai Xu holding back.

"Yes!"

"Have you heard? Tang Wulin and his team are going to challenge Bai Xu."

"Really? They're challenging him again? Still not convinced?"

"Of course they aren't convinced! They defeated the genius five-man group and only lost to Bai Xu last semester. Now that everyone has improved at the start of this semester, who would be willing to let someone else stand over their head?"

"They're definitely beyond our reach. Come to think of it, I always thought Luo Guixing, Wu Sido, and the others would surely win, but who knew Bai Xu would be that strong? Fighting outnumbered was nothing to him. He even won the second-years' round-robin tournament without resting or recovering. That guy is terrifying!"

"Let's wait and see. By the way, have you seen Bai Xu?"

"No. He probably didn't come."

News of Tang Wulin's intention to challenge Bai Xu spread like wildfire and instantly became the focus of the first grade. Tang Wulin was like the second strongest man in the world seeking the throne, once again standing before Bai Xu.

Dormitory.

Gu Yue and Na'er pushed open the door and entered. They said excitedly, "Tang Wulin plans to challenge you. Will you accept?"

Bai Xu froze briefly, then smiled. "Of course. I don't mind."

"By the way, it won't be the six of you against me alone again, will it?"

"Of course! First, we'll defeat you as a team, then he'll duel you one-on-one. That should be the plan." Gu Yue was not entirely certain.

"If you're on the team, it'll be a little troublesome."

"Only a little troublesome?"

"What else? I can't exactly say I can't beat you." The two joked around to lighten the mood, while Na'er sat to the side, smiling as she watched everything.

"We want to challenge you, Bai Xu!"

A cold voice rang out in the classroom, stopping Bai Xu just as he was about to leave. Even Wu Changkong, who had just dismissed class from the podium, was taken aback.

Wu Sido stepped forward, followed by Xu Yucheng, Luo Guixing, and the others. The genius five-man group had only lost to Tang Wulin's Team a few days ago, yet now they wanted to challenge Bai Xu. Back then, Bai Xu had fought five against one!

"Why?" Bai Xu turned and asked.

"We want to witness the true peak."

Tang Wulin was also somewhat surprised. After defeating Wu Sido's group, they had planned to challenge the second-years and select several people from the first and second years to face the third-years. Only if they could defeat the third-years would they qualify to challenge Bai Xu.

Wu Changkong had told them this. From beginning to end, he had been unwilling to reveal Bai Xu's true strength, saying only that even third-year students could not be certain of defeating Bai Xu.

Thus, Tang Wulin had been striving toward this goal. Even though Gu Yue shared a dormitory with Bai Xu, he had never asked her about Bai Xu's strength or Soul Power Level. He wanted to first defeat Bai Xu in a team match, erase the humiliation of his previous loss, and then face him alone in the Individual Competition to prove himself.

Now that Wu Sido had suddenly challenged Bai Xu, this match drew considerable attention as well.

For a time, the atmosphere fell silent as everyone waited for Bai Xu's response.

"Forget it. Until you cross the mountain before you, you won't be able to see the peak beyond the mountains." Bai Xu did not agree and left the classroom. His meaning was clear: Wu Sido and the others had not even overcome Tang Wulin's Team, so what right did they have to speak of challenging Bai Xu?

Gu Yue glanced at Wu Sido. She stood silently in place, lost in thought.

The five members of the Youth Genius List all remained silent, their expressions livid. Being rejected in public made their faces burn. Since when had they become so insignificant that they could only look up at the stars?

They no longer even had the right to challenge him.

"You just rejected them like that? I think those five are pretty strong. It's just that their hearts aren't united," Gu Yue said as she strolled through the academy with Bai Xu.

"Yeah. I'm not familiar with them, so there's no reason for me to accept their challenge. Besides, they don't even intend to defeat me. They just want to see how far I've come.

"Compared to that, I'd rather meditate and cultivate in the dorm, studying some strange and unusual things."

"What strange and unusual things?" Gu Yue asked curiously.

"Something like Battle Armor. If I use the power of the five elements as reinforcement and combine it with certain abilities of the Spirit of the Plane, I should be able to create a suit of armor. Though its power would be limited to my own strength," Bai Xu explained, casually taking out a Transformation Device.

"This is an early version. It still needs improvement. Ideally, it could be integrated into your Battle Armor."

Gu Yue looked curiously at the luxurious Transformation Device in Bai Xu's hand. "So using this would let someone temporarily possess your five-element abilities?"

"Yeah, that's roughly what it means."

Bai Xu smiled. "Do you want to transform and see how it looks? If it doesn't suit you, we can improve it."