Battle

He ran to the center of the field and stood beside Wu Changkong. "Teacher Wu."

"Your stamina is decent. Take off the Iron Vest and fight her. If you win, you won't have to keep running." Wu Changkong's tone was calm.

"Can I not fight?" An Ping had no interest in this kind of meaningless battle. Although he knew Wu Changkong would most likely refuse, he still wanted to try.

"No! If you met an enemy on the battlefield and asked them whether you could avoid fighting, would your enemy spare you?"

Wu Changkong snorted and gave the order directly. "Thirty meters apart. Prepare."

The two of them then moved thirty meters apart and stood ready, waiting for Wu Changkong's command.

"Begin."

"Hello, my name is Gu Yuena." Gu Yuena stared at An Ping across from her and greeted him with a smile.

An Ping froze. What was going on? Hadn't she been called Gu Yue at first? Had something happened?

Gu Yuena interrupted his wild thoughts. "Hey, what are you spacing out for?"

An Ping replied, "Oh, hello. My name is An Ping."

At that moment, the cadets of Class Five also looked curiously at the two people about to fight, not understanding what was happening.

Seeing that neither of them had made a move, Wu Changkong frowned slightly and said coldly, "Start already!"

Hearing Wu Changkong urge them on, An Ping quickly released his Martial Soul and first cast a Magic Barrier on himself.

As An Ping released his Martial Soul, two Yellow Soul Rings bloomed beneath Gu Yuena's feet. Like An Ping, she was also a Soul Grandmaster.

With a casual Ice Arrow Technique, three icy-blue arrows flew at Gu Yuena in a triangular formation.

As she watched the arrows fly toward her, Gu Yuena's Soul Rings flashed, and a red light flickered across her body. Three fireballs collided with the incoming arrows. With a puff, the fireballs were smashed apart and dispersed.

Just as the arrows were about to reach her, Silver Light flashed around Gu Yuena again, and she vanished from where she stood.

Sensing a faint spatial fluctuation appear behind him, An Ping rapidly cast a Blink Spell. Silver Light flashed, and An Ping appeared in the distance.

The Blink Spell was the only Space System spell a Shaman Apprentice could come into contact with. As a first-level Trick, its structure was simple, though it consumed far more Magic Power than other Tricks.

Looking at An Ping in the distance, Gu Yuena was startled, but her hands did not slow. Green light flashed around her, and she flung a green Wind Blade toward An Ping.

With a bang, the Wind Blade struck the Ice Wall An Ping had created, scattering white powder.

For a time, elemental fluctuations filled the field. Wind Blades, fireballs, and ice arrows flew everywhere one moment; intense light flashed the next; and Silver Light occasionally flickered as they shifted positions. The students on the track were dazzled, feeling as though the two were on an entirely different level from them.

"Stop! That's enough!" With Wu Changkong's cold shout, the two stopped at the same time and walked toward him.

Wu Changkong stared at An Ping and said coldly, "Are you two here to put on a fireworks show? If your Soul Power were sufficient, would you fight until the end of time? I don't know about Gu Yuena, but An Ping, you have more methods than just these, don't you? Why didn't you use them? I told you before: treat every battle as though you are on the battlefield. Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. You cannot give your opponent even the slightest opportunity!"

"But not every fight is against an enemy. What if someone gets hurt or killed?" An Ping considered his wording before speaking.

"With me here, how could I let you cause casualties? Are you looking down on me?"

Seeing Wu Changkong's exasperated expression, An Ping felt helpless as well. Looks like I can only show him something.

He silently constructed a spell model and aimed his palm at the grass. Waves of energy rippled out from An Ping's palm. Sensing the deathly aura, Wu Changkong and Gu Yuena could not help taking a step back.

In the blink of an eye, the energy ripples reached the lawn. Wherever they touched, a large patch of grass instantly turned yellow and withered, while the soil became sand. When a light breeze passed through, the withered grass immediately crumbled into dust.

Naraku's Withering Technique, a conceptual second-level Trick. Though it was only a second-level Trick, its effect was stranger than many formal spells.

"How about this?" An Ping raised his head and looked at Wu Changkong.

Looking at the effect of the spell before him, Wu Changkong could only be glad that An Ping was someone who knew restraint. He said helplessly, "Use this kind of ability as little as possible."

When Gu Yuena saw Wu Changkong look at her, she asked, "Teacher, does this mean I've passed?"

"You pass, but first you need to tell me where you came from and what exactly your Martial Soul is." Wu Changkong nodded.

Hearing Wu Changkong's words, Gu Yuena took out a letter and handed it to him. "This is a Recommendation Letter from my Primary Academy. As for my Martial Soul, it is Elementalist."

"Elementalist?"

Seeing Wu Changkong's puzzled gaze, she explained, "I can control six elements, but my Soul Rings cannot be attached to any one of them. Therefore, I can control elemental transformations, but it is difficult for me to make them stronger. My First Soul Skill is called Elemental Tide. It allows my Soul Power to last longer while also strengthening my control over the elements. My Second Spirit Skill is Elemental Control. As the name implies, it enhances my control over the elements."

After hearing Gu Yuena's introduction, Wu Changkong fell into thought. Its effect was rather similar to An Ping's Martial Soul.

"All right, I understand. From now on, you are a member of our class, First Year Class Five." Wu Changkong nodded.

"Thank you, Teacher." Gu Yuena smiled sweetly.

Wu Changkong said coldly, "In that case, go run with them. This is a required course. An Ping, you too. Go continue running!"

Too lazy to argue, An Ping took the Iron Vest Wu Changkong handed him, put it on, and ran toward the crowd.

"Why are you wearing iron chains?" Seeing An Ping run off, Gu Yuena immediately followed him.

An Ping said, "Well, how should I put it? Training my body, I guess? Though it isn't really useful."

"Your Martial Soul is clearly a Book. How do you have so many elemental abilities? Aren't Book-type Martial Souls generally Support System ones?"

"I don't know either." An Ping shook his head, unwilling to say more.

At that moment, Tang Wulin dragged Xie Xie over. "You two were amazing just now."

Gu Yuena replied faintly, "It was all right."

"You're much stronger than I am. Oh, right, my name is Tang Wulin. What's your name?" Tang Wulin felt that Gu Yuena was truly beautiful.

"Gu Yuena."

At that moment, Xie Xie said sourly, "My name is Xie Xie, the Xie from Xièhòu de Xiè. Seriously, who has as many abilities as you two with only two rings? Ice, fire, and even spatial abilities that let you blink around."

"There are so many people in this world. What kind of Martial Soul doesn't exist? How many have you even seen?"

"Huh? Where did Teacher Wu go?" Tang Wulin asked as he casually glanced toward the center of the field.

An Ping answered, "Gu Yuena's enrollment procedures."

"By the way, Gu Yuena, what level are you?" Tang Wulin asked curiously.

"I just reached level twenty-one. I missed the registration period because I broke through during cultivation."