Gu Yuena

Xie Xie, who had arrived at some point, patted An Ping on the shoulder. "Good thing you didn't use that move yesterday. Just thinking about it makes me shiver."

As he spoke, he hugged his shoulders and gave a shudder.

"What happened?" A vigorous voice came from afar. It was Long Hengxu, the Academic Affairs Director, striding over.

When he got closer and saw the upperclass Cadets frozen into ice sculptures, he said coldly, "Who did this? Undo it, now."

An Ping did as instructed and dispelled the ice around them. As it melted, the upperclass Cadets could not help but shiver, faint fear showing in their eyes. They had clearly been frozen badly.

"All of you, come with me." Once they had been released, Director Long led them away.

Academic Affairs Office.

"Why is it you lot again? It's only been two days, hasn't it? What did I tell you last time? Speak. What happened this time?" Long Hengxu glared darkly at the students before him.

Several of the upperclass Cadets were soaked through. Clearly, An Ping had not bothered to dry their clothes while dispelling the ice.

Xie Xie muttered softly, "I was just passing by."

Long Hengxu ignored Xie Xie and looked at Mu Xi. "You explain!"

The young woman lowered her head and said quietly, "I only came to challenge Tang Wulin to a Forging match. I never expected things to develop this far."

Mu Xi's voice trembled slightly. She had clearly been badly frightened by what had just happened and had never imagined that a first-year student could do something like that.

Xie Xie snapped, "So you brought a whole group to block people outside our first-year dormitory? You upperclassmen sure have a unique way of finding someone."

Long Hengxu shot him a glare and said coldly, "Shut up. This has nothing to do with you. You explain."

As he spoke, he pointed at An Ping, looking as though An Ping would not be leaving the room today without a reasonable explanation.

"Mm, that's what happened. They attacked first." An Ping's tone was calm.

"So what? If I hadn't come, were you planning to freeze them to death there?"

Long Hengxu's tone was unfriendly. After all, if someone died at the academy, it would be a major incident, and he would not escape responsibility.

"Not at all. I'm not some devil. How could I hurt my fellow students like that? But I'm not a wooden post either. I can't just stand there and let them bully me."

"Hmph!" Long Hengxu snorted, then looked at Tang Wulin. "And you? As the source of this incident, what do you have to say?"

Tang Wulin said firmly, "When I was young, Father taught me a principle. When I first entered the Primary Academy, Father told me that if he found out I had bullied younger students at school, he would teach me a harsh lesson. But if an older student bullied me, then I was to strike back without hesitation. He would never blame me for it."

"You... you're really going to infuriate me..." After being contradicted again and again, Long Hengxu was briefly speechless.

"Director Long, I think my students did nothing wrong." With a creak, the office door opened, and Wu Changkong's icy voice came through.

"Teacher Wu, have you even forgotten such basic etiquette as knocking?"

Wu Changkong replied blandly, "Sorry."

After that utterly insincere apology, he looked at the upperclass Cadets again. "Bullying the weak with numbers and still losing serves you right. I won't bully the weak with numbers, but if you come looking for trouble with my class's Cadets again, I'll go beat up your homeroom teacher."

Long Hengxu frowned at the arrogant Wu Changkong. "Teacher Wu, please conduct yourself properly."

"If you can beat me, I'll conduct myself properly." Wu Changkong then looked at An Ping and the other two. "Go to class!"

As they followed Wu Changkong out of the office, Xie Xie was visibly excited. "Teacher Wu, you were so cool just now! I'm completely convinced! Even if you train me to death, I won't complain once."

"Remember what you said." Then he looked at An Ping. "You could freeze several upperclass Cadets. So you held back yesterday, didn't you?"

"Does that count as holding back? It was just choosing different responses for different situations."

"Call it whatever you like."

Before long, the three followed Wu Changkong to the training field, where the other Cadets were already waiting.

"Fall in."

Once the three had taken their places, Wu Changkong said, "The first item of today's physical training: run ten laps around the field without using Soul Power. Anyone who can't keep going can get lost."

Upon hearing ten laps, they dared to be angry but not speak under Wu Changkong's icy presence. An Ping muttered inwardly, As expected of someone from Shrek. The traditional culture lives on forever.

Wu Changkong could not care less about their thoughts. After speaking, he took out three Iron Vests made from chains and casually tossed them over, each landing neatly on An Ping, Xie Xie, and Tang Wulin.

"Start now. Run."

After three years of cultivation, An Ping's body had been nourished by the Primordial Energy of Heaven and Earth and was in decent shape. The twenty-pound Iron Vest was not weightless, but it put no pressure on him at all.

He followed the group lap after lap, his face unflushed and his breathing steady.

By the fifth lap, Xie Xie was already swaying. Tang Wulin ran over to An Ping, patted him on the shoulder, and whispered, "Teacher Wu only said we can't use Soul Power. He didn't say we can't help our classmates. I think we should help Xie Xie."

"Fine." An Ping nodded.

Looking at An Ping and Tang Wulin on either side of him, Xie Xie said, "I didn't expect either of you to have such good stamina."

Wu Changkong stood in the middle of the field, watching the Cadets fall apart, his expression calm.

But when he saw An Ping and Tang Wulin supporting Xie Xie from either side to ease his burden, he frowned slightly.

Tang Wulin had previously managed to knock back the strength-type Zhou Changxi, so it was obvious that his stamina was not bad. What surprised Wu Changkong was that An Ping was clearly not a strength-type Soul Master, yet his stamina was also so impressive.

"An Ping, Tang Wulin, you have plenty of strength, do you? Add another ten laps."

Just then, a girl walked in from the direction of the academy gate. She looked about the same age as the Cadets of First Year Class Five and wore white trousers and a white top. She was almost excessively beautiful, her smooth silver hair tied in a ponytail that swayed with her light steps. Her purple eyes, framed by long lashes, looked bright and lively.

"Which class are you from? It's already class time, isn't it?" Wu Changkong walked over.

"I came to enroll, but they said the registration period has already passed." She looked up at Wu Changkong as she spoke.

Wu Changkong frowned. "You're not a student of Eastsea Academy?"

"Not yet, but I hope to study here. Is that possible, Teacher?"

"This is a Soul Master Academy. If you want to study here, you'll have to prove yourself." Wu Changkong's voice was cold.

"I can take a test." The girl smiled.

"What's your name?" Wu Changkong asked.

"My name is Gu Yuena."

"An Ping, come here for a moment." Hearing Wu Changkong call his name, An Ping looked over. In the middle of the field, one tall figure and one small figure stood facing each other. Seeing the scene before him, he knew he was about to become a tool again.