The Future Set in Stone?

For some reason, ever since meeting the Space-Time Dragon, Xie Xie's appetite had inexplicably grown.

The snacks he had brought for Wu Zhangkong had mostly ended up in his own stomach.

"Burp~!"

After eating his fill, Xie Xie rubbed his belly and leaned back comfortably in his chair.

Wu Zhangkong looked at the mess on the table, then glanced at her student, who wore a satisfied expression and had slumped into a noodle. In the end, she still rolled up her sleeves and started cleaning up herself.

Knock, knock—

Someone gently knocked on the dormitory door again.

Wu Zhangkong stepped forward, lifted a slender hand, and opened the door.

"Teacher Wu, it's me."

Tang Wulin stood outside.

"What is it?" Wu Zhangkong leaned against the doorframe, her tone indifferent.

Tang Wulin gathered his thoughts before speaking. "Teacher Wu, I think there's something wrong with my Martial Soul."

Xie Xie had been slumped in his chair, but when he heard Tang Wulin's voice, his hand paused on his belly and he abruptly sat up straight.

His eyes darted over Tang Wulin, then discreetly flicked toward the few empty plates on the floor that hadn't yet been cleared away. Tang Wulin absolutely couldn't find out that he'd sneaked a bite!

While Tang Wulin and Wu Zhangkong talked, Xie Xie quickly got up and deftly stuffed all the empty plates into a drawer.

"...Come in and tell me about it."

Wu Zhangkong glanced at Tang Wulin and stepped aside from the doorway.

Tang Wulin nodded and walked into the dormitory. His gaze unconsciously swept over the room, while the faint aroma of food still lingered in his nostrils.

When he turned his head, he caught sight of Xie Xie hurriedly sitting back down in his chair, looking guilty.

Seeing the food crumbs still clinging to Xie Xie's mouth, Tang Wulin immediately understood. A trace of amusement rose in his eyes, but he didn't call him out.

"What's the problem?" Wu Zhangkong asked bluntly.

Tang Wulin turned his attention back to her and began describing the strange behavior of his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, the Golden Scale that had inexplicably appeared when he first arranged to fight Xie Xie, and his own guesses and conclusions.

"Golden Scale?" Wu Zhangkong furrowed her brows.

Xie Xie, listening nearby, found it rather strange.

They hadn't encountered the Light Dragon incident this time, and his Light Dragon Dagger hadn't further stimulated the Golden Dragon King Bloodline.

He'd thought this would delay Tang Wulin's awakening of the Golden Dragon King Bloodline or cause some other effect.

But the facts proved that deliberately avoiding certain things wouldn't necessarily knock them off their original course.

The Golden Dragon King Bloodline within Tang Wulin was still awakening restlessly, beyond his control. His Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul had also begun to show strange changes. Everything was moving toward its inevitable outcome.

Xie Xie seemed to understand what the Space-Time Dragon had meant—

Even something as powerful as it couldn't change the past and future that had already been set.

"Xie Xie, try pricking him. See if the same thing happens again," Wu Zhangkong said, turning to him.

"Sure!"

Xie Xie swiftly gave the extended thumb of Tang Wulin's left hand a light prick.

Tang Wulin felt as if an ant had bitten his fingertip. The burning sensation he'd felt before followed.

Just as before, it was as if he'd been set alight. Heat surged from his tailbone and spread throughout his body. Golden scales slowly appeared along his arm, one after another.

Wu Zhangkong raised a hand. A sharp gust of air swept past, and Tang Wulin's sleeve instantly shredded and fell away, exposing his entire arm.

Under Wu Zhangkong and Xie Xie's watchful eyes, Tang Wulin's left hand gradually transformed into a glittering golden dragon claw.

Wu Zhangkong furrowed her brows and pondered for a moment, then held out her hand.

"Try pulling my hand with all your strength."

Tang Wulin immediately gripped the hand Wu Zhangkong had extended. Veins bulged along his arm as he exerted himself, yanking hard.

Wu Zhangkong didn't budge. She simply closed her eyes and quietly sensed what was happening.

After more than ten seconds, she murmured, "Mm... Your strength has increased by at least threefold."

"All right, you can stop pulling."

Tang Wulin, however, kept pulling with all his might. "No! Teacher Wu, I won't give up!"

Wu Zhangkong: "..."

Thump—!

Wu Zhangkong punched Tang Wulin right on the forehead.

Tang Wulin fell to the ground. A huge lump rose on his head at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"When I tell you to let go, you let go."

Wu Zhangkong withdrew her hand with an utterly indifferent expression.

After watching Tang Wulin gradually recover, Wu Zhangkong crossed her arms and said, "It doesn't seem like Twin Martial Souls or Martial Soul Evolution. Martial Soul Fusion is out too, since Xie Xie hasn't changed. So..."

"So?"

Tang Wulin hurriedly scrambled to his feet and asked, eyes full of anticipation.

Wu Zhangkong opened her eyes and said seriously, "I don't know."

Tang Wulin: "..."

Xie Xie: "Pfft..."

Although Wu Zhangkong didn't know what was happening either, she could assure Tang Wulin that this change wasn't a bad thing. On the contrary, it concealed tremendous power.

After dealing with Tang Wulin's situation, she glanced at the drawer still hiding the empty plates, then at the crumbs stuck to Xie Xie's mouth.

Wu Zhangkong said calmly, "Xie Xie, you're coming with me to the training field for extra practice later."

Xie Xie's face instantly fell. He let out a wail. "Huh? Teacher Wu, you can't do this to me!"

Wu Zhangkong was unmoved. She turned to Tang Wulin. "You're coming too. We can test your physical limits while we're at it."

Tang Wulin froze for a moment, then nodded firmly.

For the next fifteen minutes, Wu Zhangkong treated Xie Xie like a spinning top, whipping him around until he was utterly exhausted. Only then did Tang Wulin drag him back, half-dead.

As at the same time yesterday, the Intermediate Division's athletic field hosted the Class Promotion Tournament after school.

Although hardly anyone had come to watch Class Five face Class Three this time either, after yesterday's performance, quite a few teachers had begun paying attention to the First Grade's Class Five, taught by Wu Zhangkong.

Ye Yingrong, the homeroom teacher of the First Grade's Class Three, arrived early, and the students of Class Three stood in perfectly orderly rows.

At the very front of the class stood three boys who looked exactly alike.

The only difference was the little tuft of hair sticking straight up from the middle of each boy's head.

Whenever Xie Xie looked at the three of them, he couldn't help imagining Judge Dee.

Ye Yingrong approached with a smile.

"Hello, Teacher Wu," she said, giving Wu Zhangkong a gentle nod.

Ye Yingrong was a pretty, delicate-looking young woman. Her dress with its arm-baring sleeves accentuated her graceful figure, and her long, wavy hair swayed alluringly as she walked.

Even so, she was completely overshadowed by Wu Zhangkong.

Wu Zhangkong simply stood there quietly, yet she possessed the air of a pale moonlight that drew every gaze.

"I'm Ye Yingrong, the homeroom teacher of Class Three." Ye Yingrong forced down her excitement as she spoke.

She wasn't the only one. Nearly every female teacher and student in the academy was a devoted fan of Wu Zhangkong.

"Hello." Wu Zhangkong merely nodded, her tone calm and unruffled.

Ye Yingrong's gaze remained fixed on Wu Zhangkong. Her cheeks flushed faintly, and her voice softened without her realizing it. "Teacher Wu, you're truly young and accomplished. To lead Class Five so well is really impressive."

Wu Zhangkong merely glanced at Ye Yingrong and didn't respond further.

Her cool gaze went straight to the triplets behind Ye Yingrong, as though, in her eyes, even the triplets were more charming than Ye Yingrong.