At dusk, the setting sun dyed the Eastsea Academy training grounds a faint gold-red.
As Lin Chen and the others arrived, Xie Xie couldn't contain his curiosity and was the first to ask, "Teacher Wu, what's our special training today?"
Wu Changkong swept his gaze over them, his expression perfectly calm. Without the slightest ripple in his voice, he said two words: "Live combat."
Xie Xie rubbed his hands together, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes. He'd thought they would be sparring against Wu Changkong today, but in the next moment, Wu Changkong's gaze shifted slightly. He raised a hand and pointed to the tall young man beside Gu Yuena.
"Your opponent isn't me."
Lin Chen was a little bewildered. "Not you guys? Three against me?"
He stood there, stunned. He'd thought things would follow the original timeline, with four of them fighting Wu Changkong, but he hadn't expected Gu Yuena, Xie Xie, and Tang Wulin to gang up on him instead.
Xie Xie swallowed, his face scrunched up with worry. "Teacher Wu, you want the three of us to team up against Lin Chen?"
"Yes." Wu Changkong spoke coolly, his expression unchanged. "The three of you will work together and give him everything you've got. Just gang up on him."
Gu Yuena's beautiful eyes narrowed as she turned to look at the young man beside her. She really wasn't prepared to gang up on Lin Chen.
Tang Wulin scratched his head, looking troubled. "Teacher Wu, did you forget? We don't know what Lin Chen's last two Soul Skills are. His first Soul Skill is already so ridiculously powerful, so the other two..."
Wu Changkong's voice remained utterly calm. "That's why your task today is to defeat Lin Chen before the evening is over and force him to use his last two Soul Skills."
Lin Chen could only give an amused, helpless smile and turn to Gu Yuena. "Na'er, it's fine. Don't hold back."
Since Lin Chen had said so, Na'er could only nod in agreement.
At his words, Xie Xie froze. "Wait, Lin Chen, you've made progress pretty fast. It's only been an afternoon, and you're already calling her Na'er." He turned to Tang Wulin, confusion written all over his face.
Tang Wulin took a deep breath. That afternoon, Lin Chen had already explained his relationship with Gu Yuena: she was the Na'er from back then.
He leaned close to Xie Xie's ear and quietly filled him in.
Xie Xie's eyes flew wide open. He nearly cried out in surprise, looking back and forth between Lin Chen and Gu Yuena. He had to admit, they made a good match. His face was full of disbelief.
"So that's what's going on. I knew Lin Chen couldn't possibly be that smooth."
Now that he knew the truth, Xie Xie looked even more troubled. He muttered under his breath, "How are we supposed to fight like this? Asking Na'er to attack Lin Chen—that's just putting her on the spot."
Tang Wulin looked just as conflicted, but under Wu Changkong's unyielding gaze, he could only grit his teeth.
"Don't worry. Give it everything you've got," Lin Chen said warmly, his gaze sweeping over the three of them.
Wu Changkong's cool voice rang out. "Begin."
Three purple Soul Rings rose from beneath Lin Chen's feet. Azure, ultimate lightning coiled around him, while the phantom of an Azure Dragon flickered behind his back.
At the signal, Xie Xie launched the first attack, his Light Dragon Dagger darting in from Lin Chen's flank.
Tang Wulin knew that Blue Silver Grass alone wouldn't be enough to restrain Lin Chen. A deep, heavy whoosh cut through the air as the Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel Hammer came crashing toward Lin Chen's face.
Lin Chen's mouth twitched. "You're really going to hit someone with a hammer? You've got some nerve, Tang Wulin."
Lightning gathered in his palm and shot straight toward the incoming Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel Hammer, sending it flying. His gaze flicked toward Xie Xie on the side.
He lightly tapped the ground with his right foot. A thin strand of lightning crawled across the ground toward Xie Xie as he tried to launch a sneak attack.
The lightning struck Xie Xie. His right thigh went numb, throwing him off balance. With a yelp, he pitched forward onto the ground.
Gu Yuena's brows furrowed. She pointed a fingertip, and a scorching fireball surged through the air, wrapped in searing heat, straight toward Lin Chen.
Facing Gu Yuena and Tang Wulin's attacks, Yun Linchen flashed aside, dodging the fireball. Lightning burst from his palm again, easily neutralizing the attacks that followed one after another.
As the battle wore on, Gu Yuena and the others grew more and more coordinated.
Xie Xie used his speed as an agility-type Soul Master to dart around and keep Lin Chen occupied. Tang Wulin pressed the attack head-on, relying on his formidable physical strength, while Gu Yuena occasionally tossed a couple of fireballs at Lin Chen to harass him.
One kept him occupied, one attacked, and one disrupted him. Their assault grew fiercer and fiercer.
Seeing that, Lin Chen stopped deliberately holding back.
A faint, glassy glow shone in his eyes. The Azure Dragon behind him instantly solidified, and azure-blue, ultimate lightning swept forth like a roaring tsunami.
"I'm not holding back anymore. Watch out, everyone."
As his voice fell, the third Soul Ring, a Millennium Soul Ring, blazed with brilliant light. The moment Xie Xie and Tang Wulin drew close to each other, he unleashed his third Soul Skill, Myriad Thunder Azure Sea.
In an instant, the entire training ground was engulfed by an endless sea of azure lightning. Countless dragon-shaped bolts roared through it, and violent lightning surged across the battlefield without restraint.
Just as the raging sea of lightning was about to swallow the three of them, an ice-blue figure suddenly appeared in the center of the arena.
Wu Changkong condensed a Soul Power barrier around himself, firmly shielding Gu Yuena, Xie Xie, and Tang Wulin behind him.
The lightning faded from the sky. Wu Changkong was still standing where he'd been, and his Soul Power barrier had vanished. His clothes were completely undamaged, but his usually smooth, flowing ice-blue hair now stood on end, every strand sticking straight up.
His usually cool and composed appearance had, for once, taken on a rather bedraggled air.
Gu Yuena and the others peeked out from behind Wu Changkong. Seeing their teacher like that, they could barely keep themselves from bursting out laughing.
Lin Chen dispelled the Soul Power around him, and the Azure Dragon phantom faded away. He spoke with a hint of apology. "Sorry, Teacher Wu. I didn't control the power just now."
Wu Changkong expressionlessly raised a hand and smoothed his disheveled hair, trying to restore his usual cool appearance. The results weren't entirely nonexistent, but they weren't much better, either.
His gaze settled on Lin Chen, and his voice held a note of approval. "Not bad. A large-scale assault with both suppressive force and destructive power."
Gu Yuena walked slowly up to Lin Chen, her beautiful eyes clearly reproachful. "You really didn't hold back at all. That last attack almost left all of us badly injured."
Lin Chen gave a helpless smile, apology in his voice. "Sorry, Na'er. I didn't have a choice. The three of you were working together better and better. If I'd held back any more, you might've managed to pin me down."
Xie Xie was still shaken. He instinctively patted his chest, his face full of lingering fear. "No kidding. Good thing Teacher Wu is handsome and quick to react, or we'd probably all be lying on the ground."
After a pause, he added, "I seriously suspect you ran away from Shrek Academy just to come here and bully the rookies."
Lin Chen's mouth twitched. "Seems like you've got me figured out."
Tang Wulin nodded repeatedly.
Wu Changkong stood off to the side, still trying to tame his wild hair. At their words, he said coolly, "Yun Linchen's Soul Power is already far beyond the three of yours. This live-combat session has given you a real sense of the gap between you."
After spending ages failing to fix his hair, he simply gave up and waved them off. "All right, that's it for today's special training. Go back and rest. Think over what you learned from today's fight."
Gu Yuena gave a soft snort and turned away. Her delicate profile was set tight as she pretended to be angry and headed straight for the dormitories.
Lin Chen watched the slender figure of the girl gradually disappear into the distance and helplessly rubbed his forehead.
Great. He'd made quite the impression, but now he'd gone and angered his Na'er.
He shrugged helplessly at Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, then hurried after Gu Yuena. His voice softened as much as it could. "My fault, Na'er. I'm sorry."
Gu Yuena folded her arms across her chest and lifted her delicate chin. She didn't stop; if anything, she deliberately quickened her pace, making it clear she didn't want to talk to him.
Her voice was cool, with a hint of feigned anger. "You didn't hesitate for even a second when you unleashed Myriad Thunder Cangming just now. Isn't it a little late to apologize?"
Yun Linchen hurried alongside her. Seeing her puffed-up expression, he smiled helplessly, his voice growing softer still. "I couldn't help it. Teacher Wu was watching. If I'd deliberately gone easy on you, I'd have gotten an earful afterward. Besides, I knew what I was doing. I'd never hurt you."
"That still doesn't make it okay." Gu Yuena turned her head, deliberately avoiding his gaze. "In any case, you'll have to make it up to me properly for what happened today."
Tang Wulin and Xie Xie ambled after them. Watching the scene, Xie Xie leaned toward Tang Wulin and whispered with a knowing click of his tongue, "See that? He's completely wrapped around her finger now. Lin Chen's definitely going to be henpecked from now on."
Tang Wulin scratched his head, wondering what "henpecked" meant.
Xie Xie was a little more mature than the others. He rolled his eyes. "It's nothing, Wulin. Just pretend I was talking nonsense."
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