Promotion Tournament Begins

The brothers had just arrived at the academy gates when they saw Gu Yue standing there.

Judging by the way she looked, she seemed to be waiting for someone.

Tang Wuyang walked over. "Gu Yue, why are you here?"

Gu Yue looked at Tang Wuyang. "Wuyang, I need to talk to you about something. Would it be convenient to take a walk?"

Tang Wuyang said, "Sure."

He then turned to Tang Wulin. "Then, Ge and Gu Yue will head off first."

After saying that, he followed Gu Yue away.

Tang Wuyang followed behind Gu Yue until they reached the academy's small lake.

There was a little bridge in the middle of the lake. The two walked onto it and leaned against the railing.

Tang Wuyang looked at the lake surface. "Gu Yue, what did you want to see me about?"

Gu Yue stared at Tang Wuyang with her bright, lively eyes. "Wuyang, I'm curious. What exactly is your Martial Soul?"

"Why is your Soul Skill Water Element Control? And there's something about you..." Gu Yue pursed her lips. "You give me a very familiar feeling."

Tang Wuyang was also puzzled when he heard that. "My Martial Soul is a Qilin!"

As he spoke, he released his Martial Soul. A majestic, dignified Qilin appeared behind him.

"As for the Soul Skill, I'm not really sure either. After I fused with my Soul Spirit, I gained Water Element Control."

A small white beast appeared on Tang Wuyang's shoulder. Tang Wuyang stroked its head. "This is my Soul Spirit, Xing Yu."

Gu Yue looked at Xing Yu, then at the Qilin behind Tang Wuyang, surprise filling her eyes.

The moment Tang Wuyang released his Martial Soul, she had sensed a strange fluctuation.

"Y-you have a rather special Martial Soul."

As she looked at the Seven-Colored Halo surrounding the Qilin, a meaningful gleam flashed through Gu Yue's eyes.

"Huh? Really?" Faced with Tang Wuyang's confusion, Gu Yue nodded firmly.

The days that followed were very fulfilling for Tang Wuyang. Every day, he attended class, trained, and underwent special training. During holidays, he went with Tang Wulin to Mang Tian's workshop.

Days passed one after another. It was not until Wu Changkong summoned the four of them to his office and informed them that the first match of the Promotion Tournament would begin next week that he realized more than two months had already passed.

Over those two months, all four of them had changed considerably.

Under Wu Changkong's inhuman special training, they had developed excellent coordination, and their relationship had grown much more harmonious.

Xie Xie's Soul Power had already reached Nineteenth Rank. Once he improved by one more rank, he could absorb the Second Soul Ring provided by his Soul Spirit and advance to become a Soul Grandmaster.

Gu Yue's Soul Power had also reached Seventeenth Rank. Two months of cultivation had raised her Soul Power by two ranks.

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin had also increased their Soul Power by two ranks while balancing cultivation and forging, reaching Thirteenth Rank and Fourteenth Rank respectively.

Although the brothers' Soul Power still lagged far behind Gu Yue and Xie Xie's, neither of them was jealous. They were quite satisfied with their own progress.

"Teacher, who will Class Four send to compete against us? Do we know anything about them?" Xie Xie asked Wu Changkong eagerly.

Wu Changkong said coldly, "If you need information just to defeat a mere Class Four, are you still worthy of being my disciples?"

"For next week's match, you have only one task: crush them! Do you understand?"

"Yes!" The four answered in unison.

Wu Changkong said, "The Promotion Tournament is about to begin. There will be one match every day until all matches are finished."

"I'll give you a goal: defeat Fourth Grade."

Defeat Fourth Grade?

Tang Wulin's eyes were filled with shock upon hearing those words. Although Xie Xie had great confidence in himself, he could not help swallowing at the mention of Fourth Grade.

Some talented students had already reached the Two Ring level by Fourth Grade. There were even Two Ring Soul Grandmaster-level students in Third Grade.

They were only in First Grade. Defeating Fourth Grade would be no easy matter.

Wu Changkong said calmly, "I mean Grade Four Class One. Defeat Grade Four Class One, and you can receive all the rewards. Otherwise, everything will be confiscated and used as the Class Fund."

Xie Xie protested, "Teacher, isn't that too harsh?"

Wu Changkong said, "If you think it's harsh, you can withdraw. Tang Wuyang, Tang Wulin, and Gu Yue can compete as three."

"Fine! I was just thinking I didn't want this deadweight around anyway." Gu Yue played with her fingers as she spoke indifferently.

"You!" Xie Xie turned around and glared at her furiously.

Because Gu Yue had always suppressed him in terms of strength, Xie Xie had remained hostile toward her.

Gu Yue tilted her head at him. "Not convinced?"

Xie Xie looked toward Tang Wulin again. Tang Wulin said, "When has the teacher ever changed a decision? Work hard, Youth!"

Tang Wuyang nodded in agreement from the side. "Exactly!"

A trace of amusement flashed through Wu Changkong's eyes. He was still very satisfied with these four disciples.

Though Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin's Soul Power was relatively low, given enough time, their talent would surely allow them to become powerful Soul Masters.

"Get along, today's training begins. Tang Wulin, you and Xie Xie will be one group against Gu Yue and Tang Wuyang."

Xie Xie chuckled and looked smugly at Gu Yue. "Yueyue, watch Ge teach you a lesson!"

Gu Yue looked at him coldly. "You'll pay for that form of address!"

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin exchanged looks and shook their heads helplessly. These two were at it again.

Another day of special training began.

For Eastsea Academy, the Promotion Tournament was an annual grand event.

Because it was the only competition that involved every grade and the entire academy.

The Advanced Department had its own Promotion Tournament, and the Intermediate Department had one as well.

Students who performed outstandingly in the Promotion Tournament would be recorded and entered into their files.

This played a very important role in recommendations for entering higher-level academies in the future. Of course, the material rewards were also quite generous.

Classes that achieved excellent results in the Promotion Tournament would not only see their rankings change, but their homeroom teachers would also receive commendations.

Thus, after so many years of development, the Promotion Tournament had become a symbol of honor at Eastsea Academy.

Being defeated by a lower-ranked class was shameful, while defeating a higher-ranked class was glorious.

The reason the Promotion Tournament was held three months after the start of the school year was to give each class time to select students and fully prepare their tactics.

The weather was fine today, with a clear blue sky stretching endlessly without a cloud in sight.

A Competition Stage had already been set up in the center of the Intermediate Department's field. Calling it a Competition Stage was somewhat misleading—it was actually a circular area one hundred meters in diameter, paved with Metal Plates ten centimeters thick and occupying a large portion of the field.

Special Soul Guidance Shield Generators had been installed around the Competition Stage to prevent accidents during matches.

Today was the first day of the tournament. To avoid affecting the students' studies, the matches were held after school.

The dismissal bell had already rung. Students poured out of the Teaching Building, but very few headed toward the Competition Stage.

First Grade freshmen, Class Five against Class Four—what was there to watch?

The senior-grade classes dismissed it with disdain. Only a few First Grade classes, especially Class Three, which would compete tomorrow, had all arrived to watch the match.

After the dismissal bell rang, the students of Grade One Class Five ran onto the field in neat formation and took their positions on one side.

Three months of special training had given Class Five a completely renewed feeling. Although their talent was not particularly outstanding, under Wu Changkong's guidance, their physical fitness had improved tremendously, and even their Soul Power was rising much faster than before.

The students of Grade One Class Four arrived more slowly, strolling over in twos and threes. They did not seem to care much about this match.

A short, stout teacher walked toward Wu Changkong with a broad smile. "Teacher Wu, the students you've taught are truly impressive! Just look at that formation."

"I'm not so fortunate. Those kids in our Class Four are used to being undisciplined. Please go easy on us in today's Promotion Tournament!"

"Even if we may not be able to advance to Class Three, please do help us keep our place in Class Four."

Wu Changkong glanced at him, then stared ahead and directly treated him as air.

Kong Hanwen, the homeroom teacher of Grade One Class Four, was nearly enraged enough to twist his nose crooked. This guy was truly arrogant beyond belief.

Fine, you're strong. But what can a trash class taught by you accomplish, no matter how strong you are? How strong could they possibly be?

"Looks like Teacher Wu is very confident! Then we'll meet on the Competition Stage." After tossing out that sarcastic remark, Kong Hanwen headed toward his own class.

Wu Changkong's lips moved slightly. Tang Wulin, who was standing beside him, vaguely made out that Teacher Wu seemed to have muttered a rather unpleasant word.

At that moment, Director of Teaching Long Hengxu stepped onto the Competition Stage.

"Today marks the start of the Promotion Tournament. Grade One Class Five will challenge Grade One Class Four."

"Teacher Wu Changkong, has your class confirmed how many participants you'll send?"

Promotion Tournaments among the lower grades generally drew little interest. As the host and referee, Long Hengxu was interested only in what kind of disciples Wu Changkong had trained over three months—especially the student Wu Changkong had insisted on accepting even after personally admitting his mistake to Long Hengxu.

Wu Changkong nodded. "Four students from our class will compete."

Long Hengxu turned toward Grade One Class Four's homeroom teacher, Kong Hanwen. "Class Five will send four competitors. Teacher Kong, you have five minutes to choose your participants."

Kong Hanwen no longer wore the smiling expression he had shown Wu Changkong earlier. He said disdainfully, "Against Class Five, it doesn't matter who Class Four sends."

"Jialong, Lin Zunyuan, Mosi, Jiang Nan, you four go."

"Remember, you represent the honor of our Class Four. Show them the aura of Class Four."

Wu Changkong merely waved a hand, and Tang Wulin, Tang Wuyang, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue stepped onto the Competition Stage.

Long Hengxu looked at Wu Changkong's side somewhat strangely. Generally speaking, because Class Five's overall strength was poor, when challenging upward, they would send as few people as possible. Selecting their three best students was enough.

Yet Wu Changkong had sent four people into the match. Could it be that he had trained Class Five's overall strength to such a high level?

The four students of Grade One Class Four were led by Jialong. Jialong was not tall, squat and stocky, but he looked extremely solid.

Lin Zunyuan was a Thin Youngster, while Mosi was of average build and looked eager to fight.

As for Jiang Nan, who stood last, his face was calm and showed no emotional fluctuations as he silently followed behind the group.

Tang Wuyang Four stood in an inverted trapezoid formation. Tang Wulin and Xie Xie stood at the front, while Gu Yue and Tang Wuyang stood diagonally behind them.

"Both sides, prepare!" The teams from the two classes stood Fifty meters apart. Long Hengxu raised his right hand high. "First match of the New School Year Promotion Tournament: Grade One Class Four versus Grade One Class Five. Begin!"

At Long Hengxu's command, the four students of Grade One Class Four released their Martial Souls and Soul Rings almost instantly.

Four white Soul Rings rose beneath their feet. Jialong, standing at the front of the team, suddenly took a large step forward. His body swelled slightly as he let out a low growl. His originally brown eyes turned yellow, and his arms visibly thickened.

Lin Zunyuan muttered an incantation. A long staff appeared in his hand, and the Soul Ring beneath his feet flashed. A Red Light shot from the tip of the staff and landed on Jialong.

A streak of blood-red appeared in Jialong's yellow eyes. His body expanded again, and with an imposing aura, he charged toward Tang Wulin.

On the other side, Mosi flashed and hid behind Jialong.

Several Earth Yellow ropes appeared beneath Jiang Nan's feet as he remained where he was, shooting toward the other three.

The four moved swiftly and skillfully, with excellent coordination. They were nothing like the casually chosen group their homeroom teacher had claimed they were.

In contrast, Tang Wuyang and the others from Class Five did not release their Martial Souls immediately. Tang Wuyang, Tang Wulin, and Xie Xie charged toward their opponents together, while Gu Yue remained standing still without moving.

"Mosi!" Jialong shouted. Mosi, who had been hiding behind him, immediately chased after Xie Xie.

Once an Agile Attack System Battle Soul Master got close, Lin Zunyuan, as a Support System Soul Master, would be eliminated in an instant.

Having Mosi pursue Xie Xie would not only allow him to block Xie Xie from reaching Lin Zunyuan, but also let him support Jiang Nan of the Control System.

As for Tang Wuyang in front of him, Jialong was fully confident that he could stop him.

Unfortunately, that confidence did not last long.

Although Jialong's body had expanded considerably under the boost of his Martial Soul, he was still somewhat short compared to Tang Wuyang.

As the distance between them closed, Jialong secretly found it strange. This guy should also be an Offensive System Soul Master, so why had he not even released his Martial Soul?

Just then, Tang Wuyang's fist came straight at his face.

As an Offensive System Battle Soul Master, Jialong had great confidence in his own strength. Facing Tang Wuyang's plain, unadorned fist, he reached out with his right hand, attempting to grab it.

Gu Yue, who stood in place, flicked her hand. Jialong suddenly felt his footing slip, causing his grabbing hand to veer off course, while Tang Wuyang's fist smashed directly into his chest.

Bang! Jialong's body was sent flying seven or eight meters by Tang Wuyang's punch.

On the other side, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie had also finished their fight.

After circling around Jialong, Xie Xie's footwork instantly accelerated as he charged straight toward Lin Zunyuan.

Just as Jiang Nan wanted to stop Xie Xie, Tang Wulin stood in front of him with the Holy Dragon Spear in hand.

Relying on the Holy Dragon Spear's sharpness, he directly cut through the ropes trying to Entwine him.

When Xie Xie tapped Lin Zunyuan on the head with the Light Dragon Dagger in his hand, Long Hengxu declared Lin Zunyuan Eliminated.

Then Xie Xie turned and arrived in front of the approaching Mosi. Mosi's Martial Soul was a short sword, somewhat similar to Xie Xie's Light Dragon Dagger, but his Soul Power was only Thirteenth Rank.

It was a battle without any suspense. Their Martial Souls clashed only once before Xie Xie slipped behind Mosi and placed the Light Dragon Dagger directly against his throat.

At the same time, the Holy Dragon Spear in Tang Wulin's hand vanished. A soft Blue Light appeared in his right palm, and countless Vines surged forth, directly binding Jiang Nan into a dumpling.

Five or six Ice Swords instantly appeared around Jialong, who had been sent flying by Tang Wuyang's punch, surrounding him from every direction.

At the same time, a Fire Element ball that had accumulated power and was ready to launch hovered around Tang Wuyang.

Only at this point did all the competing students of Grade One Class Five release their Martial Souls.

White, white, yellow, yellow!

Two Ten-Year Soul Rings and two Century Soul Rings!

Kong Hanwen, Class Four's homeroom teacher, stared blankly at the scene before him. From start to finish, the entire match had lasted less than ten seconds.

He desperately wanted to ask Long Hengxu on the stage: was this really Grade One Class Five? Was it not actually Class One?

Xie Xie curled his lips and walked to Tang Wulin with an unsatisfied expression, bumping fists with him in celebration.

Tang Wuyang also walked over to Gu Yue and high-fived her in celebration.

Only then did the students of Grade One Class Five react, and cheers suddenly erupted.