After the Typhoon

The typhoon that struck Eastsea City came very suddenly and had a tremendous impact on the entire city. Shops could not open for business, and schools could not hold classes.

In a short time, it had even paralyzed transportation, leaving every department of the Administrative Office frantically busy.

The typhoon lasted an entire week. At its strongest, it could uproot large trees, and quite a few buildings were damaged as well.

Fortunately, it was all over now.

After the typhoon, the air in Eastsea City seemed exceptionally fresh, carrying a faint dampness. Sunlight spilled across the land, and the glow of rainbows could occasionally be seen on the horizon beneath a cloudless blue sky.

"What's going on with those two? They still haven't replied to their messages. Wulin's communicator seems to be out of power—I can't get through to him anymore."

"Hey, did you call Wuyang? Did he answer?" Xie Xie had no mood to appreciate the scenery outside. Sitting in the classroom, he was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

The reason was simple: Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin had lost contact.

During the days when the typhoon had struck, Xie Xie had finally made a breakthrough under Wu Changkong's personal guidance.

After making progress, the first people Xie Xie wanted to share the good news with were the Tang Wulin brothers.

But who would have thought that neither of their Soul Tools could be reached?

More importantly, classes had resumed today, yet the two of them were still nowhere to be found.

And the resumption of classes meant that the Promotion Tournament would continue after school today.

The opponents they were about to face were Freshman Class One, hailed as the strongest freshman class in history!

"No. Do you know where their workshop is? Should we go look for them at noon?" Gu Yue's brows were drawn together as well, worry evident in her eyes.

Xie Xie gave a bitter laugh. "I'm not interested in Forging at all. How would I know where their workshop is?"

"The other day, Wulin specifically called me and said that he and Wuyang would stay in the workshop the whole time."

"If they were there, nothing should have happened to them! Why haven't we heard anything from them even now?"

Gu Yue's face darkened. "Do you know anything? At noon, we'll go to the Forging Master Association. They might have records of where Wuyang's workshop is."

For once, Xie Xie did not argue with Gu Yue. He nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea. We'll go later."

Even when school let out at noon, Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin still had not appeared. Xie Xie and Gu Yue went to ask Wu Changkong for leave, then headed straight for the Forging Master Association.

However, half an hour later, when they emerged from the Forging Master Association, both wore deeply frustrated expressions.

The Forging Master Association's answer was simple: the information of every Forging Master registered with the association was confidential and could not be disclosed unless they had special official authorization.

"What should we do now? Should we ask Teacher Wu to apply for official authorization, then come back and ask for the exact location of Wuyang's workshop?" Gu Yue asked Xie Xie.

Xie Xie gave a bitter smile. "Even that would be too late! Official authorization isn't something that can be processed so easily. It always takes time, and there's no way it'll be done today."

"If they aren't here, what are we supposed to do about this afternoon's match? We need at least three people to compete!"

"If we replace them with someone else, we haven't practiced together at all. How could we possibly win?"

Gu Yue lifted her pretty face, her brows tightly furrowed. "Let's go back first. No matter what, we should ask Teacher Wu to apply for official authorization."

"Besides, how could the match be more important than Wuyang and Wulin's safety?"

Xie Xie nodded. "Yeah."

"Official authorization?" Wu Changkong looked at the two disciples before him, and his already icy face immediately darkened further.

Xie Xie said anxiously, "Teacher Wu, Wulin and Wuyang still haven't come back. We wanted to look for them at their workshop, but the Forging Master Association won't give us the address."

"Enough. Go back to class first. I understand." Wu Changkong spoke coldly.

"Teacher, then today's match..." Xie Xie asked cautiously. He could clearly feel the low pressure radiating from Wu Changkong.

Wu Changkong glanced at him. "Have Yun Xiao fill in when the time comes."

"Yes." Xie Xie answered, then returned to class with Gu Yue, both of them troubled.

The afternoon classes passed quickly. Perhaps because the typhoon had lasted for an entire week, the Intermediate Department students had been stifled for too long.

As soon as school let out today, a huge number of students gathered on the field. Even teachers had come to watch the final First Grade Promotion Tournament match.

"Did you hear? This year's Promotion Tournament is so bizarre! A bottom-ranking class like Grade One Class Five actually charged ahead all the way and won three matches in a row."

"Maybe this dark horse can keep going all the way."

"Stop dreaming. Do you know how terrifying Freshman Class One is this year? They weren't called the strongest freshman class in history for nothing."

"Four students in their class are already Two-Ring Soul Grandmasters. More importantly, their Martial Souls are all incredibly powerful."

"The four competitors from Grade One Class Five are only One Rings. That's a qualitative gap. They're down a whole Soul Skill, and their Soul Power is weaker too. They don't stand a chance."

"I just want to see how far this Freshman Class One can go in the later Promotion Tournaments."

"I heard every Second Grade class is under tremendous pressure. Heh heh."

The students discussed the match enthusiastically, while the teachers who had arrived outside the Competition Stage also gathered together.

Kong Hanwen, the homeroom teacher of Grade One Class Four, kept scanning the crowd, a cold smile repeatedly appearing on his face.

"Teacher Kong, what are you looking at?" Ye Yingrong, the homeroom teacher of Grade One Class Three, asked curiously.

Kong Hanwen said, "I'm looking for Wu Changkong. Isn't that guy so arrogant?"

"I want to see how his students think they can defeat Class One today."

Kong Hanwen had been holding in his anger all this time. After all, once the class under his leadership had been defeated by Tang Wuyang's group of four, it meant they would become the bottom-ranked class of First Grade!

This was undoubtedly a huge humiliation and would leave a serious stain on his evaluation at the academy.

Ye Yingrong sighed softly. "Yes. Class One is truly too strong this year."

"I think even Second Grade would struggle to stand against them."

"Second Grade Class One currently only has two students who have just broken through to Two Rings."

"I'd say they'll definitely be able to fight their way up to Third Grade in future Promotion Tournaments."

Kong Hanwen merely sneered without speaking. He had come today to see what expression that so-called Cold and Arrogant God would wear once his students lost.

"They're here," Ye Yingrong cried softly.

Kong Hanwen looked in the direction of her gaze. Sure enough, surrounded by the Grade One Class Five students, Wu Changkong walked at the front as he headed toward the Competition Stage.

Behind him were none other than his two prized disciples, Xie Xie and Gu Yue.

However, what surprised Kong Hanwen somewhat was that he did not see the two especially handsome brothers in Class Five's group—Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang, if he remembered correctly.

Just as Wu Changkong led the Grade One Class Five students to the edge of the field,

a commotion rose from the other side as well, and the students consciously made way for a passage.

Walking at the front was a female teacher who appeared to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

This woman looked at least sixty percent similar to Ye Yingrong, though she was even more beautiful. However, there was a haughty air between her brows that Ye Yingrong did not possess.

Following behind her were the students of Grade One Class One, the freshman class hailed as the strongest in years. At the front were four students—the very central figures the students and teachers had been discussing.

The two sides gathered on opposite sides of the Competition Stage, waiting for the Promotion Tournament to begin.

Ye Yingrong quickly walked to the female teacher's side and said softly, "Sis."

Grade One Class One's homeroom teacher was Ye Yingrong's older sister, Ye Yingluo—the woman whom Wu Changkong had once mercilessly rejected.

Ye Yingluo nodded to her, but her gaze was unconsciously drawn to the person across from her. Upon seeing Wu Changkong, her expression became somewhat complicated.

Wu Changkong seemed to sense the gaze from across the field and subconsciously looked in her direction.

Though Ye Yingluo's heart was filled with resentment toward him, when Wu Changkong looked over, she unconsciously lifted her chest, wanting to display her most beautiful side.

But...

What kind of look was that?

Ye Yingluo was extraordinarily furious. When Wu Changkong's gaze fell on her, it did not pause in the slightest, nor did it reveal any emotion. It was as though he had seen nothing more than an ordinary object and simply swept his eyes past her.

Bastard! This guy was still such a bastard.

Seeing the expression on her sister's face, Ye Yingrong knew things were about to go badly.

She understood her sister, who had always considered herself above everyone else, far too well. Since childhood, she had been called a genius, but after failing to gain admission to Shrek Academy, she had suffered a tremendous blow and become somewhat extreme.

It was precisely because of this that, after her confession to Wu Changkong had been rejected, she became the way she was now.

"Yang Zi, teach them a brutal lesson." Ye Yingluo turned around and fiercely instructed the steady youth behind her.

"Yes, Teacher." A flash of light passed through the youth called Yang Zi's eyes, but he quickly returned to his previous composed state.

Long Hengxu, the dean of studies, had already stepped onto the Competition Stage.

He first nodded to the homeroom teachers of both classes, then said in a deep voice, "Because of the typhoon, the Promotion Tournament was delayed."

"Today is the Fourth Promotion Tournament, with Grade One Class Five facing Grade One Class One."

"Grade One Class Five, Teacher Wu, how many competitors will your class send out today?"

Long Hengxu's feelings were complicated as well. From the bottom of his heart, he naturally hoped that Grade One Class Five would lose quickly.

Otherwise, if this dark horse continued climbing upward, how could he, the dean of studies responsible for assigning classes, ever show his face again?

The academy would definitely question how he had assigned the classes. If Grade One Class Five could continue advancing in this manner, it was certainly related to Wu Changkong's teaching, but his mistaken class assignments would also bear unavoidable responsibility.

However, the powerful strength Wu Changkong had displayed that day had somewhat eased his predicament. At least he could say that Wu Changkong was an exceptional teacher, and most of the school board now accepted that explanation.

Teacher Wu's standing in the academy's upper ranks had risen sharply!

After all, having such a powerhouse stationed at the academy was a wonderful thing for Eastsea Academy as a whole.

The academies of the major cities competed fiercely, especially the Intermediate Academies with their vast student populations.

The Advanced Department's most important task was to win good rankings for the academy in major competitions. The more famous an academy became, the better students it could attract, forming a virtuous cycle.

Therefore, after what happened that day, Long Hengxu truly did not dare offend Wu Changkong anymore.

"Our class will send..." Just as Wu Changkong was about to say three people, two voices suddenly came from behind Grade One Class Five.

"Teacher Wu, wait a moment."

"Teacher Wu, please wait."

Hearing those familiar voices, delight unconsciously appeared on the faces of Xie Xie and Gu Yue, who stood behind Wu Changkong.

Pushing through the crowd, the brothers ran to the front of the group, looking travel-worn.

The two looked truly dreadful. Their hair was a mess, their faces were paler than ever, and their entire auras appeared extremely unstable.

Xie Xie asked irritably, "Where did you run off to? Why are you only getting here now?"

Tang Wulin gave a bitter smile. "It's a long story. Let's focus on the match in front of us first."

Noticing Gu Yue's worried gaze, Tang Wuyang gave a slight shake of his head to indicate that he was fine. "Teacher Wu, we can compete."

Wu Changkong looked at them expressionlessly, nodded, then said to Long Hengxu, "Our class will send four competitors."

Long Hengxu said, "Grade One Class One, please send four competitors as well."

Ye Yingluo lifted her head. "Fine."

Long Hengxu said, "Competitors from both sides, enter the field."

Gu Yue asked quietly, "Wuyang, can you really do this? Is your body all right?"

She could tell that Tang Wuyang's aura seemed to have changed somewhat, making her feel that something was strange.

Tang Wuyang replied with a confident smile, "I'm fine."

Gu Yue nodded. "Let's do our best together."

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie remained at the front, while Tang Wuyang and Gu Yue followed behind them. The four walked onto the Competition Stage together.

On the other side, the four students from Grade One Class One also stepped forward.

The steady youth at the front said calmly, "My name is Zhang Yangzi."

"Wei Xiaofeng." Wei Xiaofeng extended his right hand, raised his thumb, then rotated his wrist downward and pointed the thumb at the ground, making a provocative gesture toward Xie Xie.

"You!" Xie Xie flew into a rage and was about to rush forward, but Tang Wuyang swiftly grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

Xie Xie turned to look at Tang Wuyang behind him in surprise. This guy seemed to have gotten even stronger!

"Wang Jinxi," the gaunt student among the other two from Class One said indifferently.

"My name is Nangong Shuang," the only girl in Class One's group said confidently.

Tang Wuyang said, "Grade One Class Five, Tang Wuyang."

"Gu Yue."

"Tang Wulin."

"Xie Xie!" A cold light flickered in Xie Xie's eyes as he stared at Wei Xiaofeng.

Long Hengxu looked at both sides. Before the match had even begun, the atmosphere was already thick with the smell of gunpowder, causing him to frown.

"I will emphasize one point: this is an academy match."

"During the match, stop when the point is made. Only determine victory or defeat. Deliberately injuring an opponent is forbidden, or the academy will impose additional punishment."

"Yes!" The eight answered in unison.

"Good. Prepare for the match. Both sides, fall back."

Under Long Hengxu's supervision, both sides retreated and opened a certain distance between themselves.

"Begin!"

With the dean of studies' loud shout, the ultimate showdown between the First Grade freshman classes finally began.