First Battle Won

Tang Wulin released his Blue Silver Grass at once. Countless vines wove together in front of him, forming a dense, impenetrable net.

Having witnessed Xie Xie's strange movements when he fought Teacher Wu earlier, Tang Wulin had deliberately laid another layer of Blue Silver Grass behind himself, just in case Xie Xie suddenly teleported behind him for a sneak attack.

It wasn't that he didn't want to block the Shadow Dragon Dagger head-on. The dagger was simply too strange, impossible to catch with the naked eye.

What was more, he didn't possess the same formidable mental perception as Wu Zhangkong.

As Blue Silver Grass closed in from all sides, Xie Xie's figure suddenly turned illusory. He darted nimbly through the gaps, weaving in and out.

Tang Wulin furrowed his brow and channeled his Soul Power.

The Blue Silver Grass contracted wildly once more, trying to block off every route Xie Xie could take to attack.

The Light Dragon Dagger flashed in Xie Xie's hand, sending one dazzling blade arc after another slicing through the air.

The blade arcs struck the Blue Silver Grass and instantly dissolved into halos of light, but they still succeeded in sweeping the vines aside.

Tang Wulin was startled. He felt the Soul Power inside him drop by a third in an instant!

At that very moment of distraction, Xie Xie vanished from sight.

The next instant, a bone-chilling cold swept at him from behind.

Xie Xie braced his left hand against the ground, the Shadow Dragon Dagger already in his grasp. His left leg was bent, ready to spring, and his blood-red right eye even trailed a fierce red streak.

Though he had been prepared, Xie Xie's speed and reflexes had still outpaced him.

Just as Xie Xie was about to end the match with a single strike, a familiar feeling of dread suddenly welled up inside him.

Almost instinctively, Xie Xie forced his forward lunge into a sliding kneel, his body abruptly tipping backward.

A sharp whistle tore through the air.

A hammer, wrapped in a violent gale, swept viciously past the tip of his nose.

Taking advantage of that brief recovery window, Xie Xie sprang to his feet and quickly opened up some distance.

He stared at Tang Wulin, who stood not far away with his eyes shut and a hammer in each hand. Xie Xie pressed his right fist to his lips, and it was as if smoke were about to pour from the top of his head.

Xie Xie's CPU had overheated.

No, no, no, no! How had this guy suddenly entered a state of emptiness?

Xie Xie had prepared for two possibilities, all to end the match before Tang Wulin entered that state. After all, the original story had made it perfectly clear just how difficult Tang Wulin was to fight in that state!

Did this guy break through whenever he felt pressured??

Then what the hell was I even fighting for? Damn it!!

Grinding his teeth, Xie Xie sent two tentative blade arcs flying.

Unfortunately, Tang Wulin's Thousand-Refined Heavy Silver Hammers blocked them both.

Before Xie Xie could think it over, Tang Wulin launched an attack of his own. He swung both hammers, raining blows down on him like a violent storm.

Dust filled the air as Xie Xie was driven back step by step.

That did it. Xie Xie was really getting fired up now.

He drew a sharp breath. His Soul Power roared to life, exploding beneath his feet, and his speed surged several times over in an instant. He became a golden afterimage, almost impossible to follow.

The Light Dragon Dagger in his hand shuddered violently, buzzing without pause.

A deep dragon's roar suddenly rang in everyone's ears.

Wu Zhangkong raised an eyebrow slightly.

The Light Dragon Dagger extended on its own once again, transforming into two Light Dragon Short Blades, each about sixty centimeters long.

Dragon-shaped patterns of light faintly flowed across the blades.

Each pattern flickered with a razor-sharp gleam, while the air shrieked as the blade energy carved through it.

Xie Xie's aura erupted completely. He looked like a dragon of light poised to strike.

"Not like an Agility Type... more like an Assault Type?"

A glint flashed in Wu Zhangkong's eyes as she murmured softly.

Xie Xie swept both Light Dragon Blades across, and two golden arcs tore through the air with a dragon's roar, cleaving straight for the gap between Tang Wulin's hammers.

"Clang—!"

The metallic crash rang out so loudly that the students nearby felt their eardrums ache.

Tang Wulin felt a force far greater than before surge through both hammers. His arms sank slightly, and the impact even shoved his feet half an inch backward across the ground.

Take that! Keep blocking me!

I'll chop you to pieces!!

Who knew how Tang Wulin felt? Either way, Xie Xie's assault was vicious.

Xie Xie became a bolt of golden lightning, darting around Tang Wulin.

Every swing of the Light Dragon Blades came with a shrill whistle as they tore through the air.

Blade light poured down like a torrential rain, forcing Tang Wulin to protect his chest with both hammers and block again and again.

Faced with such a fierce assault, even Tang Wulin in his state of emptiness could only shield his chest with both hammers and defend with all his might. For a moment, he could barely keep up.

Just as that peerlessly sharp blade arc was about to strike Tang Wulin—

A cool, delicate hand suddenly settled lightly on Xie Xie's knife-wielding wrist, guiding it just slightly to the side.

"Whoosh—!"

The wayward blade arc slammed into the ground. Broken stone and dirt burst into the air, and a deep, jagged furrow was instantly carved across the ground.

"Stop!"

At some point, Wu Zhangkong had appeared between them and called an end to the match.

"There's no need to continue. Xie Xie wins."

"...Huh?" Xie Xie stood there stunned, unable to react for a long moment.

The next second, he jumped for joy right where he stood.

"Hahahaha! I won! I beat Tang Wulin!"

"Woohoo!"

"Yahaha—!"

Watching Xie Xie get so excited he seemed to have reverted to his animal ancestors, flailing around and hooting like a monkey, Wu Zhangkong and the entire class slowly formed a string of question marks.

After all, from their perspective, what was there to get excited about? Xie Xie was an eighteen-level Soul Grandmaster, and he'd beaten someone with a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

Only Yun Xiao and Zhou Changxi were moved to tears:

It's okay, Xie Xie. We understand what you've been through!

Wu Zhangkong looked at Xie Xie and said coolly, "You're responsible for replacing one of Tang Wulin's uniforms."

At those words, Xie Xie stumbled, his excitement abruptly cut short.

Heavens above, why are you so unfair to me!

Clutching his wallet, Xie Xie wore a heartbroken expression.

Wu Zhangkong put her hands in her pockets and swept her gaze across the class, her voice cold as ice. "After today's match, you should have learned something."

"In actual combat, you can't rely only on your Martial Soul. A strong physique is the foundation of becoming a mechanic. A true powerhouse can defeat you without even using Soul Power."

"Your physical fitness is simply too poor!"

"You self-satisfied fools, take a good look. Tang Wulin's Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass, yet he fought to the very end."

Xie Xie pouted in protest.

His fight had been excellent too. Why was she only praising Tang Wulin?

"This match also led me to a conclusion..."

"You really are a bunch of useless trash!"

Now every student in Class Five had the word "trash" stamped across their faces.

"Of course, only Xie Xie barely passed."

Huh?

Hearing Wu Zhangkong say that, Xie Xie's bowed head shot up, and his tail nearly wagged right up to the sky.

"Of course, the two of you are only the tallest weeds in a field of short ones."

Xie Xie automatically tuned out that last sentence.

He didn't care. Teacher Wu had praised him, hehehe!

Wu Zhangkong glanced at Xie Xie with an indifferent expression, only to see him grinning foolishly, his imaginary dog tail wagging furiously behind him.

She silently looked away, a hint of helplessness in her expression.

"All right, dismissed."

"Starting tomorrow, you'll have physical training in the morning and theory classes in the afternoon."

"Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, come to my office. I have something to discuss with you." With that, Wu Zhangkong strode away on her long legs.

Xie Xie hurried after her. "Coming, coming!"