Be My Peanut!!

After hearing him out, Wu Zhangkong turned to Yun Xiao. "Your timing when using your Soul Skill was good, but you shouldn't have let your guard down. Once you use your Soul Skill, you should quickly put some distance between yourself and your opponent."

"As an auxiliary Soul Master, you're naturally countered by Agility Type Soul Masters. You need to find ways to improve your chances of survival."

"Yes, thank you, Teacher." Yun Xiao nodded.

Wu Zhangkong had expected the practical combat exercises to go very poorly, but even so, they were worse than he'd imagined.

Nearly half of the class's twenty students couldn't fight at all.

In Wu Zhangkong's eyes, the only one who stood out was Xie Xie.

"Second round. You, you, and you two—fight."

Xie Xie was picked again, and this time his opponent was a girl named Li Chushui. Her Martial Soul was a cat, and she was an Agility Type Soul Master, just like him.

"Begin!"

The Light Dragon Dagger twirled in Xie Xie's left hand as he nodded at Li Chushui.

Faced with such a formidable opponent, Li Chushui looked visibly nervous. Only after seeing Xie Xie nod did she release her Martial Soul.

Some of Li Chushui's short, pale-blue hair turned white. Her two blue eyes turned green, and a white Soul Ring rose beneath her feet. A petite, adorable white cat appeared on her shoulder.

White fur sprouted across her hands, and sharp claws extended from her fingertips.

She lowered her upper body slightly and sprang nimbly toward Xie Xie.

Maybe he really was a genius.

In Xie Xie's eyes, Li Chushui's movements seemed to slow down. He could see them perfectly clearly.

As Li Chushui's claws swept toward him, a curry-scented BGM kicked in. Xie Xie rested his right hand behind his head and performed a flawless Indian dodge on the spot.

Akenkuri huya huo fen~

The rest of the fight was basically like teasing a cat.

Li Chushui was about to lose her mind. Every time, she came within a hair's breadth of Xie Xie, but she just couldn't catch him.

At last, exhausted, Li Chushui slumped to the ground and waved to surrender.

"Xie Xie wins," Wu Zhangkong said calmly.

Xie Xie looked as smug as a cat. "Piece of cake~"

Seeing Li Chushui slumped on the ground, Tang Wulin hurried over and helped her up. "Are you all right?"

Li Chushui's little face turned faintly red.

Looking into Tang Wulin's big eyes so close to hers, she said timidly, "Thank you."

Tang Wulin smiled back, and Li Chushui froze.

Xie Xie: ...Heh—ptooey! Show-off!

In the subsequent matches, Xie Xie fought his way through every obstacle and reached the finals without a hitch.

Tang Wulin also made it to the finals, but compared with Xie Xie's matches, his were nothing to watch. He dealt with each opponent in a simple, brutal fashion.

If one punch didn't do the trick, Tang Wulin still had two hammers.

The most memorable moment came when Tang Wulin smashed Han Lan's stone prison to pieces, then strolled out carrying his gleaming hammers.

Even Wu Zhangkong's eyes flashed with surprise at the sight.

With only Tang Wulin and Xie Xie left, Wu Zhangkong nodded and said without changing expression, "Fourth round, second match..."

In the blink of an eye, Xie Xie found Wu Zhangkong right in front of him.

"Fourth round, second match: Xie Xie versus Wu Zhangkong."

The bone-chilling cold and pressure bearing down on Xie Xie made him shudder. His Soul Power felt as if it had frozen solid, its circulation turning sluggish.

Wu Zhangkong's gaze was cold and impassive. "Will you accept the challenge, or face me?"

What kind of difference was that supposed to be?!!

Although Xie Xie had mentally prepared himself, clearly he hadn't prepared enough. He forced out a smile uglier than a grimace and said, "Teacher Wu, can I... choose option C?"

"You can."

Wu Zhangkong nodded.

Xie Xie's eyes lit up. He really could choose C!

Wu Zhangkong flicked his wrist, and a wooden sword appeared in his right hand.

"Choose C, and we start fighting right away."

Wu Zhangkong stepped forward and thrust the wooden sword straight at Xie Xie.

"Holy crap!!"

The wooden sword was already in front of him in the space of a breath. Xie Xie hurriedly poured all his Soul Power into his legs and sprang backward, instantly opening up some distance. His two Light Dragon Daggers crossed in front of his chest to guard him.

But dodging was useless against a wooden sword with automatic target-lock.

In desperation, Xie Xie summoned the Shadow Dragon Dagger.

He flipped his wrist, and the nearly transparent blade blended into its surroundings as it soundlessly thrust toward Wu Zhangkong.

Wu Zhangkong's brows lifted slightly as she gave the wooden sword a light shake.

"Clang—"

With a crisp ring of metal striking metal, the Shadow Dragon Dagger was knocked flying. It spun past Wu Zhangkong's side, but the wooden sword kept coming, still aimed straight at Xie Xie.

This time, though, Xie Xie didn't dodge. He let the wooden sword keep closing in.

A hint of surprise flashed through Wu Zhangkong's eyes.

But in the very next instant, she spun around, and the wooden sword shifted from a thrust to a block.

The students watching from the sidelines were astonished to realize that Xie Xie, standing perfectly still, was only an afterimage!

The real Xie Xie appeared behind Wu Zhangkong in a surge of black mist, both Shadow Dragon Daggers swinging down at once. They struck the wooden sword that Wu Zhangkong had swiftly brought around to defend herself.

Clang—!

Once again, metal rang out with a clear, crisp note.

Although Xie Xie's strike had forced Wu Zhangkong to turn from offense to defense, making it look as if he had gained the upper hand, only Xie Xie knew the truth.

The stronger his strike against the formidable Wu Zhangkong, the more terrifying the force rebounding against him.

That force crashed into his arms like a frigid tidal wave.

Both his arms went numb. His palms felt as though they were splitting, and his blood and breath churned.

The stalemate lasted barely a second before Wu Zhangkong moved again.

She turned her wrist, bringing the wooden sword down in a sweeping slap.

Xie Xie was sent flying sideways, straight toward a large tree.

"Thud—!"

With a muffled crash, Xie Xie slammed headfirst into the trunk. His limbs sprawled out against it, and it took him a good while to slide down in a miserable heap, leaving a conspicuous mark on the tree.

After sliding down, Xie Xie buried his face in the dirt, stuck his rear in the air, and tremblingly pulled out a little white flag.

K.O.!

Wu Zhangkong didn't attack again.

"Ten minutes' rest, then the finals." As she spoke, she eyed the two small notches in the wooden sword in her hand, deep in thought.

By then, Tang Wulin had already managed to secretly take a photo.

Not only that, he'd also captured Xie Xie's rear-up, white-flag-waving pose.

Looking at the camera, Tang Wulin couldn't help quietly laughing at how ridiculous Xie Xie looked.

It took Xie Xie a long time to get back up. He hurriedly sat cross-legged on the ground and meditated to recover his Soul Power and stamina.

He was so busy every single day. After fighting one overpowered monster, there was always another one waiting.

Xie Xie felt wronged, but he didn't dare say a thing...

Ten minutes passed quickly.

"Final match of the class Confrontation Tournament: Xie Xie versus Tang Wulin."

"Begin!"

Xie Xie darted forward, sending the Shadow Dragon Dagger—blended into its surroundings—shooting out with him.

After the first two rounds of fighting, Xie Xie had gradually figured out his own fighting style, and his initial awkwardness was long gone.

He refused to believe that just because he couldn't beat Wu Zhangkong, he couldn't beat Tang Wulin without the Golden Dragon King protecting him.

Xie Xie: Be my peanut!!