First Hearing of the Promotion Tournament

Wu Changkong glanced at the self-pitying Xie Xie. "All right, let's get down to business."

"At Eastsea Academy, there is a major competition every new school year, held in both the Intermediate and Advanced Departments. All six grades of our Intermediate Department participate. This competition is called the Promotion Tournament."

"The Promotion Tournament?" Tang Wulin looked puzzled.

Wu Changkong glanced at Tang Wulin's confused expression before continuing. "As the name implies, the Promotion Tournament starts with the weakest class selecting cadets to challenge the classes ahead of them. Class Five challenges Class Four, and so on. If the challenge succeeds, the class prefix is promoted, which is why it is called the Promotion Tournament."

"In other words, if we successfully challenge Class Four, we'll become Class Four, while the original Class Four will automatically be demoted to Class Five. A victorious class can continue challenging the classes ahead of it. If it's strong enough, it can even keep challenging all the way to Grade Six Class One. And every victory comes with rewards."

Xie Xie said, "So we'll be the first ones to issue a challenge."

"Correct. For every class, this is a battle for honor. At the same time, if you can pull off a Level-Surpassing Challenge, the rewards will be extremely generous."

An Ping said thoughtfully, "Then if we successfully challenge Grade Six, will we become sixth graders? Wouldn't that mean we could graduate in our second year?"

Wu Changkong snorted. "Do you think the academy wouldn't have considered that? Never mind whether you can defeat upperclassmen; even if you do, your grade will not change. The rewards will only become more generous. The Promotion Tournament is mainly a platform for displaying strength. Also, don't get too full of yourselves! Do you think you're the only geniuses?"

An Ping muttered softly, "I was just asking. I didn't say we could definitely beat upperclassmen."

Wu Changkong answered with a cold look. "All right, enough of that. I want the three of you to participate in the Promotion Tournament. You must at least successfully challenge Grade Three Class One. Otherwise, all rewards will be canceled."

"The Promotion Tournament begins in three months. So starting tomorrow, besides your regular classes, I will give you special training every evening."

"Grade Three Class One? Can we beat them?" Tang Wulin muttered quietly.

"Hmph!" Wu Changkong snorted, and the room seemed to grow several degrees colder. "All right, there are classes this afternoon. Go back for now."

Before long, afternoon arrived. The cadets of Class Five had gathered in the classroom early, all eagerly anticipating the Intermediate Academy's Meditation Method.

Wu Changkong strode onto the platform on his long legs and got straight to the point. "Class begins. As promised, this lesson I will teach you a new Meditation Method. Sit properly. In a moment, I will use Soul Power to guide your Soul Power through your bodies. Your task is to memorize the route of circulation. From now on, this will be your primary Meditation Method."

"Sit still. Let your Soul Power circulate along with mine." Then he said nothing more and briskly walked behind Tang Wulin, placing his right hand on Tang Wulin's shoulder.

One by one, he guided the cadets below into meditation. Finally, it was An Ping's turn. Wu Changkong tried to control his Soul Power and send it into An Ping's body, but something unexpected happened—he failed. His Soul Power met tremendous resistance.

"What is going on with you? Don't resist!" Wu Changkong said coldly.

"I'm not resisting. It seems like my Martial Soul is rejecting it on its own. There's nothing I can do about it." An Ping scratched his head helplessly. "How about we forget it? I think my current cultivation speed is pretty good."

Wu Changkong snorted. "No. How good could those trash Meditation Methods from Primary Academy possibly be? The further a Soul Master advances, the slower their cultivation becomes. A Meditation Method is the foundation of a Soul Master's cultivation."

As he spoke, he took out a booklet and tossed it to An Ping. "Learn from this yourself."

After accepting the Meditation Method Wu Changkong had given him, An Ping read through it several times and tried to circulate it. Other than being a little more complicated than what he had learned at Primary Academy, its Soul Power cultivation speed was not even as fast as that provided by his Energy Circulation Flow Meditation Method.

Clap, clap! Wu Changkong clapped his hands to wake the cadets who were meditating. "All right, that's it for today's lesson. Remember to cultivate diligently after you return."

With that, he left without looking back. An Ping went to eat, then returned to the dormitory to cultivate. He had a feeling that he was not far from condensing his Magic Power Source.

The next day, at dawn.

Waking from meditation, he sensed the Magic Power within his Spiritual Power Model growing thicker and thicker, nearly liquefying. Thinking that he would soon be able to learn real spells, he could not help feeling delighted.

Seeing An Ping open the dormitory door, Tang Wulin said, "An Ping, going to eat? Let's go together."

"Sure." An Ping nodded.

"What do you think Teacher Wu's special training will be today?"

"Judging by Teacher Wu's way of doing things, it should be actual combat."

"Is that so? Then let's work hard together." Tang Wulin lightly clenched his fist.

Because they were chatting all the way, neither of them noticed the people around them when they reached the dormitory entrance. Before they could react, a group of people surrounded them.

Only when he saw that the cadets closing in on them were clearly upperclassmen did An Ping remember there was still this matter.

"What do you want?" Tang Wulin asked in confusion.

"We need to talk to you, kid. Come with us." A tall, rather handsome male cadet spoke to Tang Wulin, his voice unmistakably carrying a mocking tone. Then he glanced at An Ping. "And you, kid, if you don't want a beating, don't stick your nose into this."

As he spoke, he shoved An Ping. An Ping staggered back two steps and nearly bumped into a student behind him, only to take another punch to the back.

An Ping sighed. Of course, being the protagonist means trouble.

"Tang Wulin, control them." An Ping rapidly constructed a spell model. The Freeze Technique was among the very best of all Tricks.

Tang Wulin, who had originally intended to ask a few more questions, opened his mouth but did not speak. He quickly summoned his Martial Soul, and stalk after stalk of Blue Silver Grass wrapped around the upperclassmen surrounding them.

"You brats dare to fight back? Teach them a lesson!" the leading boy snarled viciously.

Just as several of them were about to break free from the Blue Silver Grass, the Water Element in the air began to fluctuate violently. A wave of bitter cold spread outward, and every upperclassman who had surrounded them was frozen into an ice statue.

To keep them from breaking out of the ice, An Ping quickly cast several Reinforcement Techniques, making the Freeze Technique even sturdier.

"Stop!" A stern rebuke rang out. It was Mu Xi, who had indeed come looking for Tang Wulin to compete in forging.

But she was clearly too late. Looking at the ice statues constantly radiating cold before her, Mu Xi opened her mouth but could not say a word. The crowd watching from afar was equally dumbfounded. Were new cadets all this powerful now?

"So strong!" Tang Wulin muttered softly. During the previous class matches, everyone had been Peers, so he could only tell that An Ping's various skills were flashy and dazzling, without any real sense of them. Only now did he understand just how vast the gap was.