"Chao, you bastard! Today, we're settling this once and for all. Take my second Soul Skill!"
The repairs around the academy had been completed. Since the students wanted to compete at the Soul Fighting Arena—well, it should be called the Suotuo Arena now—
Chen An had simply held an internal tournament at the academy first, letting the brats blow off some steam and, while they were at it, deciding who would get to go to the arena.
The rules were simple: one-on-one matches, with the top six advancing.
So the grounds were chaotic, but most of the fighters started by trading moves using the techniques they had learned at the academy.
Then, as the fights went on and they got worked up, they began using their Soul Skills.
"Master, who do you think will win in the end?"
Zhu Zhuqing and Luo Xiaoshi were sitting with Chen An, munching on melon seeds as they watched. Ning Rongrong and Meng Yiran, meanwhile, were doing extra training.
After all, Rongrong and Meng Yiran had joined the academy most recently. They couldn't take part in something like this yet.
"They're all about even. It'll come down to their mindsets."
Chen An was being honest.
These disciples had only been at the academy for a short time. Even the talented ones had only just begun learning the Eight Trigrams Staff or the Golden Body.
And since their skill levels were similar, all hovering a little above level twenty, even these bouts between rookies were fiercely contested.
"What about this match?"
Zhu Zhuqing meant the bout currently underway: the Eight Trigrams Staff against the Arhat Golden Body. Both fighters had only just begun learning their techniques, and both were level 26.
Of course, they had reached level 26 at the academy. After changing their cultivation methods, the two of them had become some of the more talented students.
"The Eight Trigrams Staff should have the edge."
Luo Xiaoshi continued watching the two fighters. He seemed eager to weigh in, and his opinion differed somewhat from Chen An's.
Both fighters were under his tutelage, and each had come closer than the others to mastering their respective martial arts.
"Teacher, I think the Arhat Golden Body has the edge."
He based this on what he had observed in their daily practice. The two had often fought under the pretext of sparring.
Neither would admit defeat.
"Then how about we make a wager?"
"Sure."
"If I lose, I'll give you a special dinner tonight. If you lose, you'll run ten laps around the academy. Deal?"
"Deal. I know I'm right."
Luo Xiaoshi looked like he wouldn't give up until he hit a brick wall. It was quite amusing.
In the arena,
the Eight Trigrams Staff was already in motion, while the student using basic palm techniques swept his hands through the air with a whoosh.
"Ruan Feng, you've got no chance. Give up."
The student using the Eight Trigrams Staff had the Bronze Script Staff as his Martial Soul, which was considered pretty good. The one practicing the Golden Body was the Ruan Feng his opponent had just named.
His Martial Soul was rather unsightly: a bald turtle.
It had no particular advantages. It was just tough—built to take a beating. Combined with the Arhat Golden Body, it made him even harder to hurt.
Even the Eight Trigrams Staff, already in motion, could barely break through his defenses.
"Le Yan, quit running your mouth. If you've got what it takes, crack my shell today."
There was a hint of self-mockery in his words, but no one could really say anything. Ruan Feng's shell was indeed hard as hell.
They exchanged a dozen more moves, still unable to get the better of each other.
Ruan Feng was tough, but that was all he had. His offensive ability was seriously lacking.
"Ruan's one tough guy. You think Le Yan can break through his defense?"
The spectators below were already buzzing, the students discussing the match among themselves.
"Did you forget how Brother Le used to beat us?"
The person beside him shuddered, as if recalling some unpleasant memories. The student who had raised the question shuddered too. Clearly, he'd been through it himself.
Back in the arena, the two were still evenly matched. But as they began to tire, both started to lose ground.
The staff could break through Ruan Feng's defense, and the basic palm techniques could deal damage too.
"Here's my chance! Take this palm!"
Ruan Feng struck with his palm, leaving an opening without realizing it. But by now, he was already at the end of his rope.
If he took that palm head-on, he would lose. But he had a little of Luo Xiaoshi's spirit in him. He wasn't afraid to trade injury for injury; even with only a sliver of strength left, he wouldn't back down.
That unstoppable momentum flowed into the staff as he swung it at Ruan Feng. Seeing the danger, Ruan Feng hurriedly went on the defensive.
"You've lost."
Le Yan pulled his final strike at the last moment. Otherwise, Ruan Feng would have been laid up in bed for ten days or half a month. Who would leave such a huge opening?
"That's right. You win."
Ruan Feng took Le Yan's hand with a wry smile, and Le Yan pulled him to his feet.
"I hereby declare Le Yan the winner of this match and the last person to qualify."
Teacher Lin Ran made the announcement.
Chen An had dragged her over to host. Otherwise, she'd have been resting in her office by now. She'd just finished doing the accounts and was exhausted.
"Uh, Teacher, I lost."
On the makeshift stands, Luo Xiaoshi turned to Chen An.
He couldn't understand why Ruan Feng had lost. It didn't make sense!
Chen An smiled. He hadn't interfered with the match, and the result hadn't surprised him. He replied calmly,
"The one down there practicing the Golden Body is Ruan Feng, right? He's got plenty of grit, but not enough offense. You should understand what that means.
"If he'd traded injuries at the very end, they would have both gone down. It would have been a draw.
"If he'd dared to fight to the death from the start of the final fifteen seconds, he would have won."
Chen An had reached this conclusion after watching just a few exchanges.
That was what it meant to be an expert: watch a few moves and you could see roughly how things would end. And Chen An was a principal with Mastery of All Weapons, who also understood all kinds of skills.
"I've learned a lot."
After watching their match, Luo Xiaoshi had gained some insight. He felt that the two martial arts he'd been stuck on for a while were starting to loosen up.
"I'll head down first."
In the arena, the six winners had gathered together.
"Congratulations on winning."
Chen An congratulated them. With that, the first academy tournament came to an end.
Those who would go to the arena would form a team from among the six winners, along with one support member of their choice.
As for how they chose that person, that was up to them.
Other students weren't allowed to go to the arena. What, was that a restriction on their freedom?
Sorry, those were the new rules Chen An had announced before the tournament.
So the next day, during class, several teachers could be heard saying,
"You want to go to the arena? With your abilities, you'd just be walking to your death. Run three laps around the academy."
Why not ten laps? Because they couldn't manage ten. It wasn't as if everyone was Luo Xiaoshi.
After Chen An's training, they could run ten laps at a normal pace without slacking off and still not turn red in the face—though they would be panting.
On the training grounds, Chen An was addressing the two teams that had qualified.
"Congratulations on making it through. And congratulations—you get to enjoy my special training."
Chen An wore a devilish grin. Luo Xiaoshi and Zhu Zhuqing looked terrified. They remembered the special training from a while back. Again? And with even higher intensity?
The training would mainly focus on teamwork, with the two teams practicing against each other every day. Improving their strength was merely a bonus.
"Hello. We're here to join the training."
During the training period, Chen An had also set up the Rocket Class. Naturally, he brought them along for special training too.
They were training anyway, and soon all fourteen of them were staring at Chen An like wolves eyeing a lamb.
"Welcome, welcome."
Meanwhile, over at Shrek, the special training was almost over, and they were getting ready to make a final push for the arena.
Reforming the arena took quite a while, and they needed time to test the new setup. So Yu Xiaogang had brought everyone back to focus entirely on training.
Was this the world correcting itself, or had the worldline already gone wrong?
Before you continue