I Have My Own Path to Walk

Before they could even begin, their ambitions were cut short; Class One-Five's dream of striving for the top, surging into Class One, or even advancing through the Class Promotion Tournament to challenge the upperclassmen, had completely vanished.

Situ Xuan was the obstacle in their path, standing like a towering mountain blocking the progress of Class One-Five.

Anyone could see that if not for Situ Xuan being such a freak of nature, Class One-Five would have been the most likely candidate to sweep through the Eastsea Academy Grade One Class Promotion Tournament.

Alas, such is the way of fate.

In the C7 Training Room, Situ Xuan leaned wearily against a pillar and slowly sat down.

"The heroes of this world are truly as numerous as crucian carp in a river. I never expected that a moment of carelessness would actually give someone the chance to catch me off guard."

Although the wound on his shoulder had already begun to scab over, Situ Xuan still couldn't help but lament that he had been far too careless at the time.

"Hmph! Underestimating your enemy and acting arrogant—do you really think you can brush this off with a simple excuse of 'a moment of carelessness'?"

Long Xiuyuan looked at Situ Xuan. Despite the pride he couldn't hide in his eyes, he still scolded him with a straight face: "Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. You know this principle well; you are simply too reckless and arrogant!"

Situ Xuan did not deny it, grinning as he replied, "If I don't give a beast on the brink of death a glimmer of hope, how could I ever feel the potential that erupts from between life and death?"

He had never looked at any of his peers as equals. What he craved was combat—combat that could ignite the very marrow of his bones and the blood in his veins!

The kind of combat where the pain of the enemy and his own pain intertwined, where both sides were desperate to shatter the other's skull!

"Your belligerence will be your undoing one day."

Long Xiuyuan shook his head. He could see it clearly: Situ Xuan's pride, that incomparably confident arrogance.

It wasn't the arrogance of looking down from on high, but an extreme fighting spirit that held no one in his eyes.

He had seen many such people in the military. They believed fervently in their own strength, believing that individual might could achieve anything and that personal will could change everything.

"Perhaps."

Situ Xuan understood what Long Xiuyuan meant, but he remained indifferent: "But perhaps I was a mad wolf in my past life, and I am the same in this one. A leopard cannot change its spots, right?"

"Snap!"

A mineral water bottle traced an arc through the air. As Situ Xuan caught it casually, a fine layer of frost had already formed on the bottle. The moment he twisted the cap off, a few drops of ice water splashed onto his wound, causing the muscles in his left shoulder to twitch instinctively.

"Teacher Long using ice water to douse a student's wound—does this count as corporal punishment?"

His Adam's apple bobbed as he tilted his head to drink, the ice water trickling down his chin to his collarbone, shimmering under the lights.

Long Xiuyuan stared blankly at this individual who was both student and friend. Suddenly moved by a thought, he asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

"Pfft!"

The water Situ Xuan had just taken into his mouth sprayed out instantly. He looked at Long Xiuyuan with an absurd expression and wiped his mouth casually.

"You've got to be kidding me, Lao Long?"

Situ Xuan looked at Long Xiuyuan in disbelief. "Is it really necessary to dump the pressure of buying a house, a car, and saving up for a dowry to get a wife on a ten-year-old kid like me so early?"

Hearing this, Long Xiuyuan chuckled, shook his head, and gave Situ Xuan's calf a blunt kick. "Go out onto the street and look around—who would ever think you're just a ten-year-old kid?"

It was strange to say, but when interacting with Situ Xuan, it was always difficult to truly view him as a junior or a student.

"Your temperament is hard to pin down, and your future is unpredictable."

Long Xiuyuan's eyes reflected Situ Xuan's figure. Although he was still young—only twenty-eight or twenty-nine—his rich experiences had honed his judgment. He seemed to see Situ Xuan's future clearly. "Why don't you join the military after you finish the intermediate division?"

"While my own meager connections haven't yet faded away with time."

Looking at Long Xiuyuan, who was genuinely considering his life, Situ Xuan felt an emotion he had never experienced before.

The air in the training room suddenly froze.

The mineral water bottle rolled onto the floor with a "clatter," the remaining ice water winding into a twisted stream across the floorboards.

Situ Xuan's fingers remained in the position of holding the bottle; this slight sound seemed to wake them both up.

"Forget it. I have my own path to walk."

Situ Xuan shook his head and said dismissively, "There are too many rigid, broken rules in the military. It doesn't suit me."

The fluorescent lights in the training room flickered, casting the silhouettes of the two men against the metal wall, stretching them into distorted shapes.

Long Xiuyuan's smile froze at the corners of his mouth. He slowly squatted down, his military boots making a dull sound as they scraped against the floor.

"You brat."

He suddenly reached out and pressed down on the top of Situ Xuan's head, forcefully ruffling his unruly black hair. "Do you think I'd really send you into the barracks?"

"You'd just be a disgrace to me if you went!"

Situ Xuan swatted Long Xiuyuan's hand away and muttered, "If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you messing with my hair?"

After disposing of Class One-Five, Class One-Three, led by Situ Xuan, marched forward triumphantly, soundly beating the triplets from Class One-Two.

They arrived at the final showdown against Class One-One.

This time was different from the past; all the students from all five classes of the first grade had gathered, just to witness the climax of this year's Class Promotion Tournament.

The Dean, Long Hengxu, had already stepped onto the competition platform. He first nodded to the homeroom teachers of both classes, then said in a deep voice: "Due to the typhoon, the Class Promotion Tournament was delayed. Today, we hold the fourth match of the tournament: Class One-Three versus Class One-One."

The homeroom teacher of Grade One Class One was none other than Ye Yingrong's own older sister, Ye Yingluo, who had once been heartlessly rejected by Wu Zhangkong.

Ye Yingluo nodded toward her, yet her gaze was involuntarily drawn to the person opposite her; seeing Wu Zhangkong, her expression was somewhat complex.

She had also witnessed the battle between Wu Zhangkong and Guang Biao a few days ago, and it had left a deep impression on her mind.

However, none of this could erase the scars Wu Zhangkong had left upon her heart.

Is there something about me that isn't good enough for you?

Wu Zhangkong, just you wait; today I will make you lose all face and see your cold arrogance vanish into thin air.

Since the class you lead was defeated by Grade One Class Three, and my class defeats Grade One Class Three, it will prove that I am far superior to you!

Carrying this thought, Ye Yingluo could already imagine her class becoming the final winner of the Class Promotion Tournament, allowing her to lift her chin and walk up to Wu Zhangkong with a sense of superiority to thoroughly humiliate the man who had once rejected her!

Wu Zhangkong seemed to sense the gaze of others and subconsciously glanced in this direction; even though Ye Yingluo's heart was filled with resentment toward him, when he looked over, she instinctively puffed out her chest, wanting to display her most beautiful side.

But...

What kind of look was that?

Ye Yingluo was extraordinarily furious.

When Wu Zhangkong's gaze landed on her, it didn't linger for even a fraction of a second, nor did it betray any emotion at all, as if he were looking at something as ordinary as could be, sweeping past her without a second thought.