Time always slipped quietly by before anyone knew it. Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
That day, Wu Changkong summoned Lin Chen, Gu Yuena, and the others to his office.
Only then did Xie Xie and Tang Wulin realize that two months had already passed. The first round of the Class Promotion Tournament was only two weeks away.
Because of the drawback of his Ultimate Martial Soul, Lin Chen's Soul Power Level had only just reached the peak of Rank 32 over the past two months.
Gu Yuena came right after him. She had steadily advanced by two ranks during those two months, and now her Soul Power had reached Rank 22, second only to Lin Chen.
After this stretch of grueling cultivation, Xie Xie had raised his Soul Power to Rank 19. He only needed to take one more step before he could obtain his Second Soul Ring from his Soul Spirit.
Tang Wulin had made progress too. Though he only had the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, he had still reached Rank 12.
Among the students at Eastsea Academy, Lin Chen was undoubtedly at the very top in terms of combat strength.
Xie Xie scratched his head without thinking. At that moment, he had completely forgotten about Lin Chen and Gu Yuena; all he could think about was the Class Promotion Tournament. He couldn't help asking, "Teacher Wu, who's Class Four planning to send out? Do we have any information or anything?"
At this, Wu Changkong's eyes suddenly turned cold. "Do you need information?"
He leaned forward slightly and swept his gaze over Xie Xie, his voice icy. "If you need information before you're confident you can defeat your opponents, then you don't need to be my disciples."
He paused, then turned his sharp, blade-like gaze toward Lin Chen and Gu Yuena, laying down their goal with forceful certainty. "You have only one goal: crush them."
Only then did Xie Xie suddenly come to his senses. The strongest student in the entire academy was standing right beside him, along with the formidable Gu Yuena. As long as those two fought, the outcome of this Class Promotion Tournament would be beyond doubt.
Tang Wulin silently clenched his fists and vowed to himself that he would give it everything he had to catch up with the others.
Wu Changkong saw right through Xie Xie's little scheme and immediately tossed him a piece of news that left him stunned.
"But there's one thing I need to make clear in advance."
A flicker of anticipation appeared in Xie Xie's eyes. He was ready to coast to victory, but Wu Changkong's next words struck like a bolt from the blue.
"Yun Linchen won't take the field until you face a truly formidable opponent."
The anticipation on Xie Xie's face froze, and he stared blankly at Wu Changkong. "Teacher Wu, you mean Lin Chen is our trump card?"
"That's right." Wu Changkong nodded impassively. "You three will handle the earlier matches yourselves. I'll only play our trump card when you encounter a truly formidable opponent."
Lin Chen thought the arrangement sounded pretty good. After all, beating up weak opponents was no fun.
Wu Changkong swept his gaze over the other three and added, "I want you to fight on your own. Only when you face real pressure will you make a breakthrough."
The conversation in the office came to an end. Their ultimate goal was to fight all the way to Class One of the fourth grade. The tournament officially kicked off that afternoon.
On the training ground, the four maintained their usual sparring arrangement: Yun Linchen alone against Gu Yuena, with Xie Xie and Tang Wulin as the other two.
Lin Chen remarked, "So you're treating me like a training dummy." But that wasn't really the case; Lin Chen also sparred with Wu Changkong, who suppressed his strength to the Four-Ring level.
The intense special training finally came to an end. Everyone was drenched in sweat, and their Soul Power was nearly spent.
Lin Chen softly said goodbye to Gu Yuena. After watching her turn and head toward the girls' dormitory, he walked back to the boys' dormitory alongside Tang Wulin and Xie Xie.
Back in their room, after they had washed up, Xie Xie and Tang Wulin only wanted to collapse onto their beds.
A faint sense of longing stirred in Lin Chen's heart. It had been a month since he last contacted his parents. He quietly left the dormitory and went to the far end of the empty, silent corridor.
He released his Soul Power and set up a soundproof barrier around himself, then took out his communicator and dialed the number he knew by heart.
The moment the call connected, a gentle, soothing voice came from the other end. "Lin Chen, what's wrong?"
Hearing that familiar voice, Lin Chen relaxed. "Mom, it's me."
Yali's voice was filled with longing she could barely hold back. "It's been a whole month, and you're only calling now. Your father and I miss you terribly. Is everything going well at Eastsea Academy?"
A month earlier, Lin Chen had already told them that he'd enrolled at Eastsea Academy. He still wanted to rely on himself and formally earn admission to Shrek Academy. Even if he traded on Yun Ming and Yali's identities, some people would inevitably be unhappy.
By the time the school year at Eastsea Academy was nearly over, Shrek would begin accepting new students.
After chatting with Yali and Yun Ming for a while, he ended the call. An idea had surfaced in his mind.
He dialed Gu Yuena's number, and the call connected quickly. Her soft voice came from the other end, tinged with confusion. "Lin Chen, what's up?"
Lin Chen leaned against the cold corridor wall. "Nothing much." His tone carried a hint of invitation. "Want to go out and get something tasty together? We can pick up some desserts too."
The girl clearly froze for a moment, apparently not expecting him to ask. Students were forbidden from leaving campus while attending Eastsea Academy.
Gu Yuena set down the book she had been reading, A Hundred Ways to Win Over the Boy You Like, and replied with a hint of excitement she could hardly conceal. "Sure. I'll wait for you downstairs at the girls' dormitory."
After ending the call, Yun Linchen dismissed the barrier, put away his Soul Communicator, and headed toward the girls' dormitory with light steps.
He had no idea that two pairs of eyes had been watching his every move from the shadows.
Tang Wulin poked half his head out and watched Lin Chen's retreating figure, confusion written all over his face. Lowering his voice, he asked Xie Xie beside him, "Xie Xie, where's Lin Chen going this late? He had a smile on his face the whole time he was on the phone."
Xie Xie rolled his eyes and leaned against the doorframe with a knowing look, as if he'd already seen right through it. "Where else? Other than going to see Gu Yue, who else could it be? They're obviously sneaking off on a date."
Tang Wulin suddenly understood, and couldn't help feeling surprised. "So that's why Lin Chen's smile was practically stretching from ear to ear." But one thing puzzled him: wasn't Eastsea Academy off-limits to students after hours?
"Of course. Lin Chen's so set on taking Gu Yue out that he's forgotten all about the school rules." Xie Xie clicked his tongue twice.
Just as Lin Chen reached the girls' dormitory, a slender figure slowly emerged from the building.
Under the night sky, Gu Yuena had changed into a pure white dress. Its hem barely reached her knees, leaving her slender, shapely calves bare. Moonlight lent them a delicate sheen.
Her long hair fell over her shoulders, and she radiated a gentle, graceful beauty utterly unlike her usual self.
The evening breeze brushed past, lifting the hem of her white dress slightly and making her figure seem even more slender and enchanting.
Lin Chen's gaze lingered for an instant, a faint glimmer of amazement passing through his eyes.
From the dormitory building above, Xie Xie clicked his tongue enviously. "Well, that settles it. Lin Chen, honestly—you ditch us and go have fun with Gu Yue all by yourself. Choosing the girl over your friends!"
Before you continue