Running Laps, the Late Girl

Xie Xie quickly began to regret what he had said to Wu Changkong before.

Wu Changkong was absolutely a teacher who kept his word. He had said yesterday that there would be physical training, and today, he put it into practice.

The basic physical training was running.

The track at the Eastsea Academy Intermediate Department was a full eight hundred meters per lap, and Wu Changkong had assigned them ten laps. Supposedly, this was only a warm-up.

When they heard the number ten laps, the students said nothing aloud, but inwardly they were filled with resentment.

Ten laps added up to eight kilometers!

But when they saw Wu Changkong take out three sets of Iron Armor made of thick chains, each weighing twenty pounds, and put them on Tang Wuyang, Tang Wulin, and Xie Xie, they could not say a single word. They even felt somewhat fortunate.

If it had been yesterday, with Xie Xie's temperament, he definitely would have rebelled. But today, he had no choice.

He might have been proud, but he would always do his best to keep his word.

Besides, after what had happened that morning, he greatly admired Wu Changkong.

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin were even less likely to object. Both brothers were hard workers, and they had no complaints whatsoever about this kind of grueling training.

As an Agile Attack System Battle Soul Master, Xie Xie was still ahead of the other students in the class at the start, despite carrying twenty pounds of Iron Armor.

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin were not running particularly fast, but they were steady, following alongside the main group.

Although Xie Xie was fast, after two laps, his speed began to drop, while the other students gradually started falling behind.

By the fourth lap, Xie Xie's breathing had become ragged. It felt as though there were a fire burning in his lungs, while the Iron Armor on his body seemed several times heavier.

At that point, he did not even have the strength to tell Wu Changkong that he regretted it.

"How are you holding up?" Tang Wulin's voice came from behind him.

Xie Xie turned his head and saw Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin running side by side behind him.

They were sweating as well, but no matter how he looked at it, the two of them were in much better shape than he was.

Xie Xie gritted his teeth. "I'm fine!" After saying that, he picked up his pace a little.

Those two had actually caught up to him?

Seeing Xie Xie speed up, Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin kept their breathing even and caught up again.

"Teacher Wu has his reasons for making us run with weights. After all, we still have to represent the class in the Promotion Tournament later," Tang Wuyang said to Xie Xie as he adjusted his breathing.

Xie Xie did not answer. For him right now, speaking was a burden too.

Five laps!

Xie Xie was already losing control of his body. His legs felt as heavy as though they had been filled with lead.

The Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin brothers, who had been following behind Xie Xie all along, could have passed him long ago, but they did not.

Tang Wuyang's feelings at that moment were completely different from Xie Xie's. The twenty pounds on his body felt like nothing at all.

After five laps, it really only felt like he had warmed up.

Tang Wulin was not as relaxed as Tang Wuyang, but he was still doing far better than Xie Xie.

The brothers exchanged a glance, then silently reached one hand each beneath Xie Xie's arms, each supporting one of his arms.

Xie Xie, who had been struggling to hold on, suddenly felt his entire body lighten. His steps instantly became brisker, and he looked at Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang in surprise.

The two merely smiled, quickened their steps, and continued running with Xie Xie.

Wu Changkong stood in the center of the field, watching the Class Five students who had already fallen into complete disarray. His expression remained calm, though he occasionally frowned.

"Tang Wulin, Tang Wuyang, you both have plenty of strength, don't you? Then carry him as you run. Add another ten laps."

Xie Xie glanced at Tang Wulin on his left, then turned his gaze to Tang Wuyang on the other side, only to see that both of them looked as calm as if they had not heard Wu Changkong at all.

Just as Xie Xie was about to say something, Tang Wuyang murmured beside him, "Another ten laps? Brother, then let's run a little faster. We can't delay lunch later. I skipped breakfast, and I'm starving now."

Tang Wulin nodded in agreement. "That's true. Let's speed up a bit."

The words stuck in Xie Xie's throat turned directly into a complaint. "Are you two even human? Aren't you tired?"

Tang Wuyang smiled slightly. "I'm doing okay."

At that moment, a girl slowly walked over from the direction of the Intermediate Department field toward the school gate.

She wore white pants and a white top.

She looked about the same age as the students in Grade One Class Five. She was not especially beautiful, merely delicate-looking, with long black hair and black eyes.

Her figure was above average among people her age, very well-proportioned, and her large eyes were bright and spirited.

There seemed to be a peculiar rhythm to her steps, accompanied by an unusual aura.

Wu Changkong's gaze paused on her. The girl was not wearing a school uniform, and it was already class time.

Wu Changkong walked over. "Which class are you from?"

However, the girl's attention seemed to be drawn by something else. Her gaze fell on Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin, who were supporting Xie Xie as they ran, as though she found the three wearing Iron Armor quite interesting.

She raised her head and looked at Wu Changkong. "I'm here to attend school, but they said the registration period has already passed."

Wu Changkong frowned. "You're not an Eastsea student?"

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

An ordinary teacher might have simply driven the girl away, but was Wu Changkong an ordinary teacher? Clearly not.

Wu Changkong said coldly, "This is a Soul Master Academy. If you want to study here, you'll have to prove yourself."

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

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

The girl said, "My name is Gu Yue."

Wu Changkong nodded. "Fine. I'll give you this opportunity."

After saying that, he called to Tang Wuyang, Tang Wulin, and Xie Xie, who were running. "Xie Xie, give your Iron Armor to Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang. Come here."

With the help of the Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin brothers, Xie Xie had recovered somewhat over the last two laps.

He stopped and handed the Iron Armor to Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang. "Can you handle carrying another set of Iron Armor?"

Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang each took one side of the Iron Armor. Tang Wuyang said casually, "It should be easier than carrying you along, right?"

Then Xie Xie watched the two speed up again and run forward side by side.

Those two guys... were complete stamina freaks!

Xie Xie panted heavily as he came to Wu Changkong's side. "Teacher Wu."

Wu Changkong said, "Your stamina is far too poor."

Xie Xie protested, "Those of us in the Agile Attack System only need explosive power and agility in an instant. We don't need such strong stamina."

Wu Changkong said disdainfully, "Shallow-minded! Fine, I'll give you an opportunity today. Defeat her, and you won't have to run this morning."

Xie Xie sized up the girl beside Wu Changkong, took a deep breath, and adjusted his Soul Power. "No problem."

Wu Changkong said, "You have twenty minutes to recover. Start in twenty minutes."

Xie Xie did not waste words. He immediately sat cross-legged on the ground and began Meditating to rest.

The run had consumed plenty of both his Soul Power and physical strength. Agile Attack System Battle Soul Masters truly did not have much of an advantage in endurance.

Gu Yue did not even glance at Xie Xie. Instead, her gaze swept across the surroundings, as though she were curious about everything here.

Wu Changkong glanced at her. "Looking down on your opponent is the most foolish behavior."

Gu Yue said, "I'm not looking down on him."

Though she said that, she continued doing as she pleased, as if she were saying that this guy was not even worth looking down on.

Seeing this, Wu Changkong said nothing more and continued observing the students running around the track.

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin each held one side of Xie Xie's Iron Armor as they ran side by side at the front.

Neither was moving quickly, but their pace was fairly even. Tang Wulin was breathing harder than Tang Wuyang, yet he was nowhere near as bad as Xie Xie.

Tang Wuyang kept watching the center of the field as he ran. He was also curious about what was going on with this girl who had suddenly appeared.

When he looked at Gu Yue, she seemed to have just casually shifted her wandering gaze in his direction. Their eyes met, and Gu Yue's expression flickered.

The moment Tang Wuyang saw Gu Yue, Na'er's image suddenly surfaced in his mind. He could not help spacing out, and his speed slowed as a result.

Tang Wulin noticed his younger brother slowing down and asked in confusion, "Wuyang, what's wrong?"

Tang Wuyang shook his head, dispersing the image in his mind. "Nothing. I was just distracted."

He silently denied the thought in his heart. How could she be Na'er? Their hair and eye colors aren't even the same.

He immediately refocused, quickened his pace for a few steps, and returned to Tang Wulin's speed.

Twenty minutes quickly passed.

Xie Xie sprang to his feet, all fatigue swept away as his vigor returned.

Wu Changkong nodded. "Thirty meters apart. Get ready!"

Gu Yue and Xie Xie each retreated. The difference was that Xie Xie walked backward, his gaze never leaving Gu Yue.

The moment he had seen this girl, he had sensed a threat from her.

At that moment, Xie Xie was fully focused, facing this opponent in his best condition.

His previous clashes with the Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin brothers had taught him a principle: no matter who the opponent was, even a lion used its full strength to hunt a rabbit.

The two stood thirty meters apart. Only then did the girl named Gu Yue draw her attention back and look at Xie Xie in the distance.

"Begin!"

At Wu Changkong's command, Xie Xie instantly released his Martial Soul, going all out in speed as he charged toward Gu Yue.

His explosive power was indeed astonishing. His body shot forward like an agile cheetah, rapidly closing the thirty-meter distance.

Gu Yue seemed as though she had not reacted in time. By the time she raised her hand, Xie Xie was already less than ten meters away from her.

Light gleamed and flickered from the Light Dragon Dagger. Xie Xie did not immediately use his Soul Skill. As a One-Ring Soul Master, he only had one Soul Skill in total. A good blade had to be used at the right moment, and he intended to unleash it at the best opportunity.

Besides, judging from his opponent's appearance, she had clearly reacted too slowly. Perhaps he would not even need to use his Soul Skill.

The Class Five students running laps all slowed down even more at that moment. Everyone was watching the two in the center of the field, preparing to fight.

Among people their age, Xie Xie was already one of the strongest they had seen. This newly arrived girl surely could not defeat him, right?

A Soul Ring bloomed beneath Gu Yue's feet. Like Xie Xie's, hers was also yellow, representing the Century Soul Ring level.

But Xie Xie was already right in front of her. At this point, it seemed too late for Gu Yue to do anything, unless she too was an Agile Attack System Battle Soul Master.

But was she?

Clearly, the answer was no.

A circle of cyan light spread outward from her body. In the next instant, Xie Xie had arrived before her, slashing with the Light Dragon Dagger in his hand toward the girl's shoulder.

Cyan light swirled around him. As Xie Xie's Light Dragon Dagger pierced into it, he suddenly felt a force strike from the side, like a fierce gust of wind that knocked his body off course. The Light Dragon Dagger he had thrust out immediately missed.

Then, to his horror, the cyan light around Gu Yue suddenly turned red, and a fist-sized fireball was already in front of him.

Xie Xie truly deserved to be called an Agile Attack System Battle Soul Master. In that critical instant, while airborne, he sharply twisted his waist and sent his entire body spinning sideways.

The small fireball nearly brushed his face as it flew past. Even several strands of his hair were singed.

The instant his toes touched the ground, Xie Xie's body sprang away in another direction, swiftly widening the distance between himself and Gu Yue.

Was this the ability of her Martial Soul? What exactly was her Martial Soul?

After several leaps, Xie Xie had pulled back more than twenty meters. When he looked at Gu Yue again, his expression had become somewhat grave.

A trace of surprise also flashed through Gu Yue's eyes. The reason she had acted so late was obviously not because her reaction was slow, but because she had done it deliberately.

Her purpose had been to end the fight in a single strike, but she had not expected Xie Xie's reaction speed to be somewhat faster than she had imagined. He had actually dodged the fireball.

Xie Xie was not the only one whose expression had turned grave. Wu Changkong was the same.

Because even with his experience, he had failed to discern what Gu Yue's Martial Soul actually was.

The cyan light appeared to be a Wind Attribute ability, but that fireball was clearly Fire Attribute.

Could her Martial Soul possess both wind and fire attributes at once, or did she have Twin Martial Souls, one with the Wind Attribute and one with the Fire Attribute?

But whichever it was, she was a true treasure.

Xie Xie adjusted his breathing slightly, then charged at Gu Yue again. The thought that winning meant he would not have to run filled him with fighting spirit.

This time, his speed was visibly faster than before.

Xie Xie did not attack directly. Instead, he began moving rapidly around Gu Yue.

His footwork became extremely elusive, making his movements impossible to track.

The distance between them was steadily shrinking.

The instant Xie Xie made his move, only the yellow Soul Ring on Gu Yue's body flickered. No one even saw what her Soul Spirit was.

She simply stood there with a calm expression, as though she did not care about Xie Xie's actions at all.

As the distance between them grew closer and closer, Xie Xie suddenly erupted forward with a lateral sliding step.

When he was five meters from Gu Yue, the Century Soul Ring on his body shone brilliantly. With a small swing of the Light Dragon Dagger, a Light Blade shot forth.

This was his First Soul Skill, Light Dragon Blade!

The yellow Light Blade flew through the air with a faint Dragon Roar, its glow becoming increasingly intense. Even stranger, when it reached less than a meter from Gu Yue, it suddenly twisted in midair and changed direction.

Just as the Light Dragon Blade was about to strike Gu Yue's shoulder, cyan light flashed around her again.

A streak of cyan light struck the Light Dragon Blade with astonishing precision. It looked like a Light Blade as well, except it was cyan.

The cyan Light Blade was not as powerful as the Light Dragon Blade and was instantly cleaved apart. Yet with that brief delay, Gu Yue took a step forward and avoided the Light Dragon Blade's attack.

Xie Xie had never expected to succeed with a single strike. Therefore, as the Light Dragon Blade flew toward his opponent, he himself also pounced toward Gu Yue.

When Gu Yue stepped aside to dodge the Light Dragon Blade, he had already reached her other side. He raised the Light Dragon Dagger, and Gu Yue seemed as though she were running straight into his dagger.

Even the strict Wu Changkong could not help nodding inwardly at the technique behind that attack.

Although Xie Xie's cultivation had not yet reached Two Ring, he had indeed begun to grasp some of the essence of an Agile Attack System Battle Soul Master.

As a bystander, Tang Wuyang was naturally watching the fight as well. When he saw the girl about to be injured by the Light Dragon Dagger, he suddenly felt his heart tighten.

The feeling was just like before, when he had seen Na'er being bullied and about to get hurt.

Suppressing the discomfort in his heart, Tang Wuyang silently denied it. She's not Na'er. This is the first time I've met her. It must be because I skipped breakfast. I'm so hungry that even my heart feels uneasy.

That's right, it has to be that.

Though he thought that, Tang Wuyang still could not help worrying about the girl.