Wu Changkong's voice was as cold as ice, clear throughout the classroom. "For today's first class, I'll personally teach most of your courses."
As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze swept over everyone in Class Five, cold as a blade. "Everyone, stand up. Follow me."
The group followed Wu Changkong to the training ground. He stopped and spoke without a hint of emotion. "Stand in pairs."
At his words, they instinctively paired off. Lin Chen stood with Tang Wulin, while Xie Xie paired up with Yun Xiao.
Wu Changkong spoke coolly. "Today's first lesson is actual combat. I'll be the referee."
Xie Xie's face fell. "Teacher, we only just started school. Are we already doing combat training?"
Wu Changkong's gaze turned colder. "What, are you scared?"
Xie Xie immediately shut his mouth and drew his head into his shoulders, not daring to speak again. Zhou Changxi looked toward Lin Chen and Tang Wulin.
Wu Changkong raised a hand and pointed to the center of the training ground. "Lin Chen, against Zhou Changxi."
Zhou Changxi charged forward almost immediately, as if he'd forgotten yesterday's lesson. "Yun Linchen, I was careless yesterday. I won't go easy on you this time!"
Lin Chen merely lifted his eyes and walked onto the field at an unhurried pace. His presence was calm and still, yet carried an invisible pressure.
At the edge of the field, Xie Xie seized the chance to lean close to Tang Wulin and muttered so quietly only the two of them could hear, "Wulin, let's sit back and enjoy the show. Zhou Changxi probably has no idea what Lin Chen can really do. He's going to piss himself when Lin Chen shows his Soul Rings."
Wu Changkong stood at the edge of the field. His cool voice rang out: "Begin."
Zhou Changxi immediately activated Martial Soul Possession. His arms swelled, and his already sturdy frame grew even bulkier. At the same time, a little brown monkey appeared on his shoulder.
Pale blue lightning emerged around Lin Chen. The phantom of a coiling Azure Dragon slowly unfurled behind him, its dragon eyes fixed on Zhou Changxi. Three Millennium Soul Rings slowly appeared beneath Lin Chen's feet.
"Th-three Millennium Soul Rings?"
"How is that possible? Isn't he the same age as us?" Exclamations erupted all around. Even Wu Changkong's cold eyes flashed with surprise.
At the center of the field, Zhou Changxi's smug expression froze. The blood drained from his face at a visible pace, and he looked as if someone had doused him in ice water. His hands trembled uncontrollably.
He had never imagined that Yun Linchen, who'd caught him off guard yesterday, had been hiding three Millennium Soul Rings.
But he was already standing here, with Wu Changkong watching him. There was no way out.
He could only grit his teeth and force out, "Don't get cocky. So what if your Soul Rings are strong? You won't beat me in a real fight!"
Lin Chen looked at him barking like a mad dog without a flicker in his eyes. He simply asked, "Can we begin?"
Wu Changkong's voice fell. "Begin."
The moment he spoke, Zhou Changxi charged forward like a madman. He knew he couldn't match Lin Chen's Soul Power or Soul Ring Configuration, so he could only strike first.
Facing this desperate attack, Lin Chen's gaze didn't waver. The First Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up. "First Soul Skill: Thunderous Might."
His voice was calm, but in the next instant, violent arcs of lightning burst from his palm, forming thick blue-violet bolts. With a sharp crack that split the air, they slammed straight into Zhou Changxi.
Wu Changkong reacted swiftly. He appeared behind Zhou Changxi at once, grabbed him, and pulled him aside to dodge the dangerous attack.
His gaze swept over Yun Linchen standing in the field, and a complex flicker passed through his eyes. That power was beyond what an ordinary lightning attribute could produce.
The students at the edge of the field stared blankly. Xie Xie's mouth hung open; it took him a long moment to manage, "Damn, that's brutal." Relief crept into his voice. Luckily, Lin Chen hadn't gone all out yesterday, or he'd have been toast.
Lin Chen lowered his hand, and the lightning slowly faded. His breathing remained steady, as if that near-lethal strike had been nothing more than a casual flick of the hand.
Wu Changkong's voice was cool, but anyone listening closely could hear a slight tremble in it. "Yun Linchen wins."
Next up was Tang Wulin against Xie Xie.
Xie Xie immediately perked up. Rubbing his hands together, he headed for the center of the field, then turned back to make faces at Tang Wulin. "Wulin, we haven't fought before. I won't go easy on you!"
Tang Wulin smiled too and clenched his fists. "Bring it."
The two took their places in the middle of the field. Wu Changkong's voice rang out again. "Get ready. Begin."
Their match ended with Tang Wulin narrowly beating Xie Xie. In the matches that followed, almost everyone got chewed out by Wu Changkong.
Judging from how things stood, aside from Lin Chen, only Tang Wulin and Xie Xie were any good.
Wu Changkong spoke. "Final match: Yun Linchen versus Wu Changkong."
Lin Chen wore a thoroughly baffled expression. "Seriously, man? I'm fighting you?"
Xie Xie trembled with suppressed laughter at the side, while Tang Wulin looked just as shocked.
Wu Changkong raised a hand and pulled a belt from his waist. Lin Chen stiffened and instinctively covered his backside, thinking, Changkong, don't!
Wu Changkong's eyes were cold. He lightly tapped the belt against his palm, and it cracked sharply. "I'll suppress my Soul Power to three rings. Attack me with everything you have. If you can force me to take one step back, you win."
He looked at Lin Chen and said coolly, "Begin."
The three Soul Rings beneath Lin Chen's feet lit up. The Azure Dragon phantom unfurled behind him, lightning coiling around his body as a vast, ancient pressure filled the air.
His First Soul Skill activated, and thick arcs of lightning shot toward Wu Changkong. Tang Wulin and Xie Xie held their breath at the edge of the field. Xie Xie even clenched his fists without thinking, as if afraid Wu Changkong might get hit by the lightning.
Wu Changkong's eyes narrowed. The instant the lightning erupted, he judged that the attack's power was no laughing matter.
His figure shifted like an icicle stirred by the wind, and he barely dodged to the side, avoiding the lightning's direct impact.
But the aftershock still swept across his lower back. Pale blue current clung to him in an instant, and a sharp, prickling numbness spread across the skin beneath his clothes. His movements froze for a heartbeat.
"Good reaction," he said evenly, his voice giving nothing away. But Lin Chen saw his fingertips curl slightly. "Still not enough."
As soon as the words fell, Wu Changkong vanished from where he stood. The belt whipped through the air toward Lin Chen's wrist, moving so fast it left an afterimage.
Lin Chen's pupils contracted. He dodged instinctively, but Wu Changkong was unbelievably fast. The belt still grazed his forearm, leaving a burning welt.
But Wu Changkong soon noticed that the red mark appeared only for a brief moment. The next second, it faded at a visible pace. Lin Chen's recovery was astonishing.
The numbness in his lower back from the lightning's aftershock still lingered, but Wu Changkong's movements weren't slowed at all. The belt, like a silver-blue venomous snake, whipped toward Lin Chen's openings again and again with a sharp hiss through the air.
In the end, the exhilarating match concluded when Lin Chen ran out of Soul Power. Wu Changkong said coolly, "A draw."
Everyone at the edge of the field was utterly stunned. They'd watched the whole battle unfold. Xie Xie's mouth fell open, and it took him a long moment to say, "Damn! Lin Chen actually drew with Teacher Wu?!"
Wu Changkong's gaze swept over the group, then settled on Lin Chen. "Your attributes are powerful, and your recovery is far beyond ordinary. But you lack real combat experience. I'll give you extra training on your own from now on."
Lin Chen's face fell. He wailed inwardly, No! Don't do this, Changkong!
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