"Mm..."
"Even if Tang Wulin has some talent, it's not realistic for him to be one of them."
Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi exchanged a glance and both agreed. It wasn't that they looked down on Tang Wulin; his cultivation was simply far too low.
Gu Yue was level twenty-eight, while Tang Wulin was level fourteen. The difference was plain to see, and the candidates for the class team could only be chosen from Gu Yue and the three of them.
"Xiao Feng, now that you mention it..."
"Other than Gu Yue, there are only two spots. Guess which one of us three won't make the cut?"
Zhang Yangzi seemed to have suddenly thought of something. He looked at Wei Xiaofeng with a grin and asked cheerfully.
"Well, obviously..."
"Damn it, Yangzi, what are you doing? Ow!"
Wei Xiaofeng had just started to answer when his face suddenly flushed red. Who else could it be? His cultivation was weaker than theirs, and he didn't have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
Being eliminated was only fair!
At the thought, his face shifted from green to purple. He pursed his lips in annoyance. Just wait—one day, he, Wei Xiaofeng, would surpass them both.
He swore it!
"..."
"Next match, Tang Hao versus Yu Xiaogang!"
"Yu Xiaogang wins!"
The first-year class one battles continued. One after another, the young students released their Martial Souls and fought, some acting melodramatic, others trying to look composed.
But aside from Zhang Yangzi's trio and Gu Yue, there weren't many more talents who caught the eye.
Naturally, the students admitted to class one were among Eastsea Academy's most gifted, but there were clearly differences in their abilities. A nine-year-old Soul Grandmaster was far above the rest.
"Class one really is full of hidden talents. Not a single person is below level sixteen. I've got plenty of targets to challenge now..."
Tang Wulin watched everyone in the class fight, and a spark ignited in his eyes.
Admittedly, his talent didn't amount to much in class one. He was unquestionably at the bottom of the class, but that didn't mean he would let it discourage him.
Quite the opposite. Being at the bottom meant he'd have plenty of time and opportunities to challenge everyone.
Big Brother Lu Li had said that the only way to keep getting stronger was to spar with people stronger than yourself. Wasn't class one the perfect example?
Tang Wulin rubbed his hands together excitedly, eager to give it a try.
"Tang Wulin, you really are something."
"You're not scared at all, are you?"
Watching Tang Wulin remain so calm, Xie Xie couldn't help sighing in admiration. What a great attitude.
If he were in Tang Wulin's position, he'd probably be panicking.
But thankfully, he wasn't.
After all, he was a genius with Innate Full Soul Power. He'd just slacked off for a little while, that was all.
"Looks like..."
"I might not be able to measure up today."
In the crowd, Wang Jinxi watched as nearly everyone in the class finished their matches. His gaunt face showed little emotion.
His cultivation was the highest among the three.
Other than Gu Yue, no one could beat him. He'd originally wondered whether he might get the chance to fight her, but now it seemed unlikely.
"Gu Yue, can you keep fighting?"
Just then, Lu Li looked toward Gu Yue, who stood not far away, and asked calmly.
"Yes."
Gu Yue gave a slight nod.
During her battle with Zhang Yangzi, she hadn't even used a tenth of her Soul Power. At this rate, she could take on ten of them.
"Good."
"Next match, Gu Yue versus Wang Jinxi."
Lu Li nodded with a smile, then glanced toward the slender boy in the crowd and spoke.
There were only a few talented students in class one, so he hadn't forgotten Wang Jinxi, whose Martial Soul had the most unusual bloodline among the trio.
In fact, given Wang Jinxi's cultivation, he wasn't suited to fighting the other students, Tang Wulin included.
As a second-ring Soul Master with a dragon-type bloodline Martial Soul, he would be hard-pressed to find an opponent his age and at his cultivation level in Eastsea City—or even across the entire Skysea Alliance.
Though the Bone Dragon King was the only Dragon King among dragon-type Martial Souls without royal blood, that didn't change how intimidating it was to ordinary Martial Souls.
"Hm?"
Hearing his name called unexpectedly, Wang Jinxi—who had assumed he wouldn't be fighting—stared in surprise, then quickly stepped forward.
"Wang Jinxi, level twenty-two. Martial Soul: Bone Dragon King."
"Please, teach me!"
As soon as Wang Jinxi finished speaking, two yellow Soul Rings appeared. Wisps of black aura abruptly rose around him, carrying a faint sense of decay and oppression.
His bones crackled as if an ancient beast were awakening. Dark purple bone armor instantly covered his right arm, and his five fingernails elongated into fearsome, curved Bone Dragon Claws. Their tips gleamed coldly, wreathed in a faint, eerie glow where darkness and poison intertwined.
At the same time, the shadow of a dark true dragon appeared behind him.
A top-tier dark-attribute Martial Soul—the Bone Dragon King!
"What a cool Martial Soul."
All the students in class one turned to look, their faces filled with unconcealed shock. Tang Wulin was among them.
The Bone Dragon King—that name sounded so impressive...
It had to be the strongest dragon-type Martial Soul!
"Begin."
Gu Yue stood opposite him and quietly glanced at the Bone Dragon's shadow behind Wang Jinxi. Though she was a little surprised, she showed little reaction.
The so-called Bone Dragon King Martial Soul was nothing more than a true dragon cloaked in the name of a Dragon King.
"Elemental Tide."
Gu Yue spoke softly. With a lift of her hand, a wind blade took shape. Thin as a cicada's wing, the pearly-white blade hovered before her, wrapped in wisps of air. Not a trace of Soul Power escaped it, yet it was condensed to the extreme.
Wang Jinxi's eyes narrowed. The dark aura around him surged, and his first Soul Ring lit up as he activated his Soul Skill:
"First Soul Skill, Bone Dragon Claw!"
The black aura poured into his claws. He lunged forward, the Bone Dragon Claw tearing through the air with a piercing shriek as he charged at his opponent, determined to break through her wind blade in one strike.
Bone Dragon Claw, his first Soul Skill.
It increased his attack power by fifty percent and granted an equal armor-piercing effect. Despite its name, it wasn't a skill that required charging up.
Ordinarily, Soul Masters at the same major cultivation rank rarely got to see his second Soul Skill. As an exemplar of both offense and defense, with a particular strength in attack...
His first Soul Skill alone was already far beyond the ordinary.
Gu Yue's gaze remained calm. Before her opponent could get close, she simply raised a hand and gave a light wave. The wind blade before her abruptly split into several thin strands, which precisely wrapped around the incoming Bone Dragon Claw.
In an instant, the pressure from the swirling strands stopped Wang Jinxi's all-out assault in its tracks. He froze, feeling the force in his claws sink away as if into the sea.
He was just about to pull back and change his approach when he heard her speak softly:
"Wind Binding."
In an instant, the air around Wang Jinxi stiffened. Invisible bonds of wind appeared out of nowhere, tightly restraining his limbs and pinning him in place. Even the black aura was suppressed, unable to spread.
Only then did he understand just how agonizing it must have been for Zhang Yangzi to be caught in her control.
She seemed born to be a Control System mage!
Her affinity for the elements was truly unmatched!
Before you continue