Kid, Weren't You Acting Pretty Tough Just Now?

But Lin Yao soon stopped smiling.

The three from Class Five utterly crushing Class Four onstage nearly made his eyes pop out.

This was Class One-Five?

This was the dumping ground for Eastsea Academy's least talented students?

Watching Tang Wulin's brute strength, Xie Xie's martial soul power, and Gu Yue manipulate the elements, Lin Yao sank into deep thought.

Then, looking at Situ Xuan ahead, who seemed completely unconcerned by what was happening in the arena, Lin Yao somehow felt an overwhelming sense of security rise within him.

"Ha ha ha, Old Kong, Old Kong!"

Long Xiuyuan rushed up to Class Four's livid homeroom teacher in three quick strides and clapped him hard on the shoulder. "Your class's students this year aren't much, are they? You can't even beat the bottom-ranked Class Five!"

This was not even a match that could be called a crushing defeat, because there had been no process of crushing at all.

Everything had been effortless. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue of Class One-Five had barely even used their martial souls' powers before they had already defeated their opponents.

Class Four's homeroom teacher, Kong Hanwen, was red with rage. His belly heaved violently beneath his brown suit. "Long... Dragon Maniac! Don't get so smug! Tomorrow, it'll be your class's turn!"

"Oh my, I'm so scared~"

Long Xiuyuan theatrically covered his chest, then turned and slung an arm around Situ Xuan, who had just walked over. "Our class's little tyrant, did you hear that? A bottom-feeder class actually thinks it can show us what for!"

"Old Kong, do you even have that chance?"

Situ Xuan's mouth twitched as he rolled his eyes helplessly. He looked toward Class Five's team as they were leaving the arena and happened to meet Xie Xie's gaze.

Tang Wulin happily greeted him, and Situ Xuan nodded back. Then, ignoring Xie Xie's stare, he fixed a solemn gaze on the inconspicuous Gu Yue beside them.

Gu Yue...

She was probably his greatest opponent this time, wasn't she?

Still on the stage, Gu Yue sensed Situ Xuan's gaze and looked back at him.

Situ Xuan, rarely taking the initiative, nodded to her in greeting. Then he pulled Long Xiuyuan over and headed toward the Training Room.

Extra training!

This was the next day's match, yet just like yesterday, there were still hardly any spectators.

As yesterday, aside from the two competing classes, only the next class scheduled to compete, Class Two, had come to watch.

Unlike Ye Yingrong, Class Three's homeroom teacher in the original story, Ye Yingrong, who had now been replaced by Long Xiuyuan, had instead been promoted to become Class Two's homeroom teacher.

Wu Zhangkong led his team in and gave them a specific warning. "You must be careful around Situ Xuan. Defeat his teammates as quickly as possible, then the three of you must join forces. That is the only way you may have a chance at victory."

"Teacher Wu, you think too highly of that guy."

Xie Xie flicked the Guanglong Dagger in his hand, its golden blade tracing a dazzling arc through the air. "The three of us against him alone? People will think we're bullying him."

Wu Zhangkong's icy blue eyes suddenly turned cold, and the temperature in the training ground seemed to drop several degrees.

Xie Xie immediately shrank back, but he still stubbornly muttered, "That's just how it is..."

"Teacher, Situ Xuan really is strong."

Tang Wulin stepped forward, his right arm unconsciously tightening as faint golden patterns flickered beneath his skin. "Back at Red Mountain Academy, he was the benchmark for our entire year. But now—"

He clenched his fist, a determined glint flashing in his eyes. "I have my own reason why I have to win."

Wu Zhangkong's gaze paused briefly on Tang Wulin's arm, his expression thoughtful.

Gu Yue had remained quietly standing to one side, her black hair falling like water. Only then did she speak in her cool voice. "Thirty percent."

"What?" Xie Xie did not understand.

"Against Situ Xuan, I probably only have a thirty percent chance of winning."

Gu Yue raised her eyes, as though stars flowed within them. "If it is a one-on-one fight."

Xie Xie opened his mouth in exaggerated disbelief. "Hey, hey, Gu Yue, when did you start talking up other people? Yesterday, weren't we—"

"That was the gap between Class Five and Class Four."

Gu Yue cut him off and turned her gaze toward Class Three's team in the distance. "In yesterday's match, we did not even use one-tenth of our strength."

"Likewise, if we in Class Five could turn things around, why can't Class Three?"

Wu Zhangkong gave a slight nod. "Gu Yue sees things very clearly."

He turned to Tang Wulin. "You were classmates with him for three years. You should know best—what exactly makes Situ Xuan so strong?"

Wu Zhangkong encouraged him. Some things carried different meaning when spoken by a teacher like him.

Tang Wulin took a deep breath as memories surged over him like a tide.

Belligerent, strange, with more fights than could be counted...

"What makes him strong is..."

Tang Wulin's voice tightened slightly. "He has no weaknesses."

"No weaknesses?"

Xie Xie snorted. "Doesn't having no weaknesses just mean being mediocre at everything?"

"Fine. Then the strategy is this: Xie Xie, you hold Situ Xuan back. Gu Yue, you and Tang Wulin end the fight as quickly as possible."

Wu Zhangkong said no more. People could not be taught by people, but events could teach them in an instant.

Sometimes, taking a blow to their excessive confidence was not a bad thing. At the very least, it would make them understand that there was always someone stronger, and always a higher sky beyond the sky.

"Leave it to me."

Xie Xie readily accepted the task.

Tang Wulin, however, looked at Xie Xie with an exceedingly strange expression. In the end, he could only sigh, give Xie Xie a look that said you're on your own, pat him on the shoulder, and walk toward the stage.

Tang Wulin, who had once been Situ Xuan's classmate, knew that although Situ Xuan's Innate Soul Power had also been low, that monster-like physique of his...

Ah! Good luck, Xie Xie.

"Prepare for the match!"

The referee's voice echoed through the arena as the members of Class Three and Class Five stepped onto the platform from opposite sides.

Situ Xuan walked at the front with his hands in his pockets, followed by the somewhat nervous Lin Yao and Zhou Tianyang.

Across from them, Tang Wulin nodded at Situ Xuan, while Xie Xie wore a crooked, provocative grin.

"Class Three sent a battle maniac like you to be captain?"

Xie Xie spun the Guanglong Dagger in a flashy flourish, its blade gleaming brilliantly beneath the sunlight. "Don't go crying and begging for mercy later."

Situ Xuan bared two rows of stark white teeth in a grin. "The Xie Family's Twin Martial Souls genius? Just make sure you don't die too ugly."

"Arrogant!" Xie Xie narrowed his eyes as two yellow soul rings lit up around him at once. "First Soul Skill—"

Before he could finish, the metal floor beneath Situ Xuan's feet suddenly caved in.

Xie Xie's vision blurred, and a sharp pain in his abdomen made him double over like a shrimp.

The Guanglong Dagger flew from his hand, spinning through the air before embedding itself in the protective barrier ten meters away. His body flew backward out of control, only stopping after slamming into the soul-guided protective wall at the edge of the arena.

"Cough..." Xie Xie knelt on the ground, dry-heaving. The searing pain in his abdomen left him unable to say a word.

For Wu Zhangkong's sake, Situ Xuan had not hit him too hard, but Xie Xie's taunting had thoroughly annoyed him...

Situ Xuan ignored his two teammates. He reached out, gripped Xie Xie by the head, and effortlessly lifted him up.

Though Tang Wulin and Xie Xie were both slightly taller than most children their age despite being only ten, to Situ Xuan, who stood nearly six feet tall, the difference was that between children and an adult.

Situ Xuan grinned viciously and patted Xie Xie's pale face. "Kid, weren't you acting pretty tough just now?"