Special Training

The next day.

After the students finished a full day of physical training, Wu Changkong's ice-cold voice rang out, unlike usual. "Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Gu Yue, come find me after dinner."

He then turned to look at Su Qiu nearby.

Having finished today's sparring session, Su Qiu was deep in thought over how to condense his own Sword Intent.

For pure combat technique, Wu Changkong was no match for Su Qiu, but Wu Changkong's Sword Intent repeatedly saved the battle at critical moments.

Sword Intent was far too profound.

Sword moves with identical strength, angles, and actions.

Yet the power they produced with or without Sword Intent was worlds apart.

After hesitating for a moment, Wu Changkong said, "Su Qiu, you come too."

"Alright."

After dinner, dusk was steadily deepening.

The group arrived at the field. Not far away, Wu Changkong stood in black athletic wear, still wearing that same frosty expression. He looked cool, aloof, and handsome.

Quite a few passing female upperclassmen stopped in twos and threes, their gazes glued tightly to him.

That was until Su Qiu and Gu Yue stood together. Su Qiu's sunny, handsome appearance made people feel relaxed and comfortable just by looking at him.

Gu Yue, meanwhile, exuded a unique, ethereal aura that firmly drew every eye. She naturally moved close to Su Qiu, and together, they formed a striking little scene.

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie silently shifted farther to the side. After spending several days together, anyone with eyes could tell that Gu Yue liked Su Qiu. They had no intention of being third wheels.

"You four, follow me." Seeing that everyone had arrived, Wu Changkong wasted no words and turned toward the deeper parts of the academy.

The four hurried after him and eventually arrived at an indoor Training Grounds.

Wu Changkong had specially gone to Long Hengxu, the Director of Academic Affairs, during the day to secure this venue.

He promised to support Long Hengxu's work from now on and not cause him trouble, earning a green light all the way.

Wu Changkong did not care much about supporting Long Hengxu. As long as he achieved his goal, that was enough.

Besides, if it were not for these students who had moved him, someone with his temperament would never lower his head like this.

Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue were all talented students. They made Wu Changkong feel somewhat invested.

As long as they were properly nurtured, they would definitely be able to enter Shrek Academy.

As for Su Qiu, Wu Changkong would not interfere with him too much.

Over these past days, through the constant clashes of sword against sword, Wu Changkong had sensed the purity within him.

He understood that Su Qiu had his own path and was steadily, unwaveringly walking it.

"I called you here because of the Class Promotion Tournament..." After explaining the matter, Wu Changkong continued, "If all four of you meet the standard, one of you will serve as a substitute."

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie exchanged looks. Gu Yue and Su Qiu were far stronger than them, so the substitute would only be one of the two of them.

"No, Teacher." Su Qiu had no interest in the Class Promotion Tournament. The others were too weak to stir any desire to fight in him.

"I won't participate."

"Alright. Then Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue, the three of you will compete." Wu Changkong nodded. That had been his thought as well; Su Qiu was far beyond others his age.

Moreover, if Su Qiu entered the match, the others would receive no training, and the competition would lose its meaning.

In Wu Changkong's eyes, advancing a class was merely incidental. This competition was more of a test for the other three.

Wu Changkong had called Su Qiu here today to ask for his opinion as well. After all, Su Qiu was strong enough that excluding him without asking would be hard to justify.

When Gu Yue heard that Su Qiu did not plan to participate, she immediately wanted to withdraw as well. Her lips parted slightly, but just as she was about to speak, she stopped herself.

Gu Yue suddenly realized that participating in the competition seemed necessary. Displaying her prowess on the stage, suppressing everyone else, and showing Su Qiu how outstanding she was—wouldn't that attract him even more?

The Training Grounds was circular, with a Soul tool shield around its perimeter. It had been designed specifically for students with higher cultivation, preventing them from losing control during training and damaging the field.

Wu Changkong led the three to the center of the venue and stopped.

Su Qiu watched from the side.

Wu Changkong was as efficient as ever. "Starting today, you will undergo special training every evening. The goal is the Class Promotion Tournament three months from now!"

He paused before adding, "Although the three of you have been selected to compete, if any of you fail to meet my requirements after training, don't blame me for not letting you take the field."

"Teacher, is the special training physical conditioning?" Xie Xie's concern differed from everyone else's. His tone was full of resistance; clearly, the physical training had left a deep shadow on him.

"No." Wu Changkong's voice remained ice-cold. "Your special training consists solely of actual combat. Actual combat will draw out your potential and improve your combat experience."

Wu Changkong's gaze was like a sharp blade as it swept over the three in turn, and he began his assessment. "Xie Xie, your speed is fast for your level, but your physical strength is a weakness. You cannot last long. Twin Martial Souls are rare. You can refrain from using your second Martial Soul for now; at a critical moment in battle, it can catch your opponent off guard and easily achieve good results."

When he turned to Tang Wulin, his tone softened slightly. "Your Blue Silver Grass is very resilient, but even if it has mutated, it is still Blue Silver Grass. Its resilience is both a good thing and a bad thing. For now, you should focus on cultivating Soul Power and develop in the direction of a Control System Soul Master."

"Achieve complete mastery over your Blue Silver Grass. In battle, the timing of when you use it is very important."

"And your strength—you have talent in that area, so make use of it. You can try combining your hammer with Blue Silver Grass in combat."

Tang Wulin responded softly as well, "Yes."

Finally, when he looked at Gu Yue, Wu Changkong did not offer much advice. He knew too little about Elementalists; he had not even heard of this Martial Soul before.

"Gu Yue, your Martial Soul is very powerful and versatile."

"You have many options for development. In my view, you have great talent for controlling elements. You can try learning elemental fusion and developing in that direction. A single element has limited power, but combining multiple elements can unleash tremendous strength."

"Thank you, Teacher Wu." Gu Yue nodded in response.

"The special training begins." The instant Wu Changkong finished speaking, Xie Xie impatiently asked. In his eyes, anything was fine as long as it was not physical conditioning. "Teacher, who fights whom?"

Wu Changkong stepped back three paces and flicked his right hand. A wooden sword appeared in his grasp. "Your opponent is me. The three of you, come at me together. I will not use my Martial Soul or Soul Skills. Attack without holding back."

The moment he finished speaking, the wooden sword stabbed straight at Xie Xie.

Xie Xie retreated hastily, but the wooden sword followed him like a shadow, staying tightly on him. Seeing this, Tang Wulin immediately summoned Blue Silver Grass, connected it to the Thousand Refined Tungsten Steel Hammer, and hurled it at Wu Changkong.

Yet Wu Changkong did not even spare it a glance. He merely shifted his body slightly, and the tungsten steel hammer flew straight past his back.

At that moment, Gu Yue quietly made her move.

A fierce wind blew in from the side, slowing Wu Changkong down.

At the same time, the ground beneath his feet suddenly softened and sank in an instant. Several ice spikes followed close behind, shooting toward him in an attempt to seal off his room to move.