Encirclement

As soon as Cai Yue'er finished speaking, a cold voice came from the back of the classroom.

"Teacher! I don't accept this." Wu Siduo stood up, placed her hands on the table, and leaned forward slightly.

Her chin was slightly raised, her lips were tightly pursed, and she looked like a cat ready to pounce at any moment.

"Why is he the class monitor? Just because he's a higher-ranking official? Or because his father is the Pavilion Master?" Her voice wasn't loud, but she enunciated each word clearly.

The classroom was so quiet you could hear the wind outside the window, and everyone's eyes were darting back and forth between Wu Siduo and Yun Jingheng.

Yang Nianxia frowned, Luo Guixing adjusted his glasses and smiled slightly.

Zheng Yiran tilted her head and drew circles on the table with her finger.

Cai Yue'er glanced at Wu Siduo, her tone indifferent.

"Then you should fight him."

Yun Jingheng:???

Cai Yue'er didn't bother to explain to Yun Jingheng. "Now, everyone, stand up and proceed to the Martial Arts Arena."

Questioning me? I know his strength. Even Soul Emperor might not be able to defeat him in a one-on-one fight.

Since you don't believe me, you'd better not cry later.

Otherwise, I'll break all your teeth.

The Martial Arts Arena is located on the basement floor of the teaching building. The door is a heavy metal door with complex soul guidance circuits engraved on it.

Cai Yue'er walked at the front, her pace slow but steady.

Wu Siduo followed behind her, her back ramrod straight, her chin slightly raised, but her hands were clenched at her sides, her knuckles white.

Cai Yue'er pushed open the door, revealing a large, dimly lit room with only the soul-guided screen on the wall emitting a Youyou blue light.

In the center of the room were many egg-shaped Simulation pods, their bodies silver-white with fine, flowing patterns on their surfaces that rose and fell like breathing.

The hatch was open, revealing a concave seat with a headrest, lumbar support, and armrests, each curve conforming to the human body's contours.

Cai Yue'er walked to the front of the Simulation pod, turned around and looked at everyone.

"This is Simulation pod. Your consciousness is transmitted to a virtual space through Soul Guidance Technology. You will fight inside; you won't actually get injured, but the pain will be real. The virtual space is located on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, within a radius of ten kilometers. Your mission is—to find your opponent and defeat them."

She paused, then said, "Everyone has one life. If you die, you're out of the game and come back here."

She looked at Yun Jingheng, "The last person standing there is the class monitor."

Yun Jingheng's lips twitched. "Teacher Cai, I really don't want to be the class monitor."

Cai Yue'er looked at him and said, "You're not the class monitor anymore. You'll be the last one to come out after the fight is over."

She turned and opened the hatch. "Everyone, get in."

Yun Jingheng sat in the closest cabin, the curve of the bulkhead perfectly enveloping his shoulders, and the headrest supporting the back of his head.

He leaned back, and the seat adjusted automatically, the lumbar support slightly bulging to fit his waistline.

The hatch slowly closed, the light dimmed, and only a few tiny Soul Guidance Lamp on the bulkhead flickered.

He felt a very light force seeping into his body from the seat. It wasn't Soul Power, but something else entirely, very gentle, like warm water washing over his head.

His consciousness began to blur, and the darkness before him seemed to be torn open by something, allowing white light to pour in.

When he opened his eyes, he was standing in a forest.

The trees were tall and blocked out the sun, with sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves in patches.

The air was humid, carrying the smell of earth and decaying leaves, and the distant roars of Soul Beast could be faintly heard.

Virtual Forest, covering an area of ten kilometers.

He looked down at his hands, where the Moonlight Sword was gathering strength.

He tested his Soul Power, and it functioned normally.

He tested his Soul Skill, Crescent Slash. A silver-white Moon Blade flew out, slicing through a tree and leaving a deep cut in the trunk.

He nodded, sheathed his sword, and began to walk deeper into the forest.

He had walked less than a hundred meters when a person emerged from the woods.

Gu Yue was dressed neatly in her school uniform, her long hair tied up in a ponytail.

She looked at Yun Jingheng, and Yun Jingheng looked at her.

The two stared at each other for a second.

"How did you find me?" Yun Jingheng asked.

Gu Yue looked at him. "We just happened to run into each other."

Yun Jingheng was taken aback for a moment, "Just right?"

Yun Jingheng: Are you sure you didn't leave anything on me?

Gu Yue: Why don't you guess why I gave you that Soul Bone?

Gu Yue didn't explain, but walked over to him and said, "Let's team up."

Yun Jingheng looked at her, "Team up?"

Gu Yue nodded, "Yes. The rules don't say you can't team up. You might not win if you fight so many by yourself."

Actually, I didn't want to win.

"Then... come on, defeat me."

Are you sure?

"... Just kidding."

The two walked side by side into the depths of the forest.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling in patches on the ground.

Gu Yue's ponytail swayed gently behind her. Yun Jingheng walked beside her, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding trees, his ears twitching slightly as he caught sounds from afar.

There's a fight going on not far away...

After walking for a short while, a rustling sound came from the bushes ahead.

The bushes were parted, and three people emerged from within: Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Xu Xiaoyan.

Tang Wulin walked at the front, his school uniform covered in leaves, and a small twig stuck in his hair.

Xie Xie followed behind him, muttering something under his breath.

Xu Xiaoyan walked at the very back, looking around curiously.

Tang Wulin's eyes lit up when he saw Yun Jingheng.

"We've finally found you two!"

Xie Xie squatted down and rubbed his ankle. "This damn forest is full of tree roots, it tripped me up!"

Xu Xiaoyan tilted her head, revealing an innocent smile.

Yun Jingheng looked at them and asked, "The three of you have been together the whole time?"

Tang Wulin nodded, "Yes. It wasn't far when we came in."

Xie Xie stood up, brushed the dirt off his pants, and said, "We've been looking for you guys for a while. This forest is huge; we've searched for ages and haven't found a single person."

"It looks like there's a fight going on nearby, should we go over there?"

Xie Xie's expression changed. "No, Xiao Yan, we don't need it."

"Why?"

Gu Yue continued Xie Xie's words, "Because they've already come looking for us."

As soon as Gu Yue finished speaking, rustling sounds came from the surrounding woods.

It's footsteps, not just one person's footsteps.

Five people emerged from the shadows of the woods, coming from five directions.

Yang Nianxia stepped out from the front, dark golden patterns already appearing on his arms. The power of the Dark Gold Bear surged within him, and each step he took caused the ground to tremble slightly.

Luo Guixing walked out from the left, a smile playing on his lips, his fingers drawing circles in the air, the air distorting slightly at his fingertips.

Wu Siduo stepped out from the right, her hands hanging at her sides, her fingers slightly bent, a faint blue light flowing from her fingertips. Her chin was slightly raised, and her gaze was like a knife piercing straight at Yun Jingheng.

Zheng Yiran walked out from the left rear, tilting her head, her lips curved into a smile, a pale green light swirling around her fingertips, and a faint sweet and fishy smell permeated the air.

Xu Yucheng walked out from the right rear, his hands in his pockets, his expression indifferent, but his gaze lingered on Yun Jingheng for a moment, then swept over the four people beside him.

Xie Xie twisted his neck. "Are they going to gang up on us?"

Tang Wulin didn't speak, but the golden markings on his arms had already spread to his shoulders.

The starlight in Xu Xiaoyan's palm grew brighter and brighter.

Gu Yue quietly pulled Yun Jingheng to her side.

Yun Jingheng looked at the five people opposite him.

He silently took a step forward and stood at the very front of the group of five.

The five people opposite stopped in their tracks.

Ten people stood facing each other in the woods.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling in patches on the ground.

The wind blew, and the leaves rustled.

Luo Guixing laughed, a sinister laugh. "Yun Jingheng, there's only one class monitor. There are five of us, and five of you. Perfect."

Wu Siduo remained silent, her gaze never leaving Yun Jingheng.

Zheng Yiran tilted her head, her voice sweet, "Sorry to offend you~"

Yang Nianxia said in a low voice, "If we beat you, the squad leader will be ours."

Yun Jingheng looked around at them. "There's only one class monitor, and there are five of you...?"

"We'll eliminate you first, then make a decision."

"Madness."

Shen Yi twirled the end of his hair with his index finger. "Arrogant and haughty, a good beating will teach him a lesson."