The First Match of the Promotion Tournament

Gu Yuena sat in her seat as usual, her expression indifferent. Thanks to her quick escape, she had managed to avoid being caught by Wu Changkong.

However, the three people beside her—Linyuan and the others—looked rather comical, each sporting a bruised and swollen face. It was clear that after being nabbed by Wu Changkong, they had received a taste of his "loving" touch.

Time slipped away quietly, and soon, the first match of the Class Promotion Tournament arrived.

After the brief interlude passed, Dean Long Hengxu walked slowly onto the elevated platform. His gaze swept over the crowd below as he announced the official start of the first match.

He turned his head toward the aloof Wu Changkong standing nearby and asked with a hint of confusion, "Teacher Wu, is your Class 5 only sending one person to compete in the first match?"

Wu Changkong's eyes remained calm and ripple-free. He gave a slight, cold, and concise nod: "Yes, one person."

Long Hengxu's mouth twitched upon hearing this. Clearly, he hadn't expected Class 5 to be so confident. He turned to the homeroom teacher of Class 4 and called out, "Class 5 is sending one participant. Teacher Kong, you have five minutes to finalize your lineup."

As his words fell, a wave of hushed commotion rippled through the arena. For the first match of the promotion tournament, they were actually only sending one person.

Xie Xie immediately lowered his voice and leaned toward Lin Chen, muttering, "What's gotten into Teacher Wu? He's actually sending only one person. Who is he planning to have fight?"

Tang Wulin also looked at Wu Changkong, full of curiosity, silently guessing the candidate, as Wu Changkong had said two weeks ago that he wouldn't let Lin Chen participate in the early matches.

Only Gu Yuena's eyes flickered. Her clear, violet eyes turned toward Lin Chen beside her; she already knew who would be sent out.

The five-minute time limit passed in a flash. After some deliberation, Class 4 finalized their three participants: Jialong, Lin Zunyuan, and Moss.

The three students walked slowly toward the competition stage, their expressions filled with high-spirited fighting intent. Teacher Kong, the homeroom teacher of Class 4, looked up at Wu Changkong with his nose in the air. Seeing that he was being ignored, he became flustered and exasperated.

The discussions below the stage grew increasingly noisy. Everyone was convinced that Class 5's decision to send only one person was far too arrogant, and that the outcome of this match was already a foregone conclusion.

Wu Changkong's indifferent gaze swept over the students of Class 5, resting on Lin Chen, and he beckoned for him to come up.

Xie Xie and Tang Wulin were both stunned, frozen in place. Two weeks ago, Wu Changkong had stated that Lin Chen would not be participating in the preliminary challenge matches.

Lin Chen was also slightly taken aback, but he quickly understood. Teacher Wu wanted him to take out all three opponents in an instant to establish the momentum of Class 5.

Gu Yuena sat quietly to the side and nodded at Lin Chen, a faint smile rippling in her violet eyes. It was exactly as she had thought.

Lin Chen walked toward the competition stage with a composed gait. Facing the surprised gazes of the other classes, he slowly stood in the center of the arena, confronting the three opponents from Class 4.

Around Lin Chen, three purple soul rings rose from beneath his feet, and the phantom of an Azure Dragon appeared behind him, accompanied by a heavy sense of oppression.

In an instant, the entire arena fell into a deathly silence.

The arrogant expressions on the faces of the three Class 4 students froze instantly. Their pupils contracted sharply, and their faces turned as ugly as if they had swallowed something foul.

The noisy chatter from below the stage also came to an abrupt halt. Many students subconsciously muttered to themselves, "How is this even supposed to be played? Isn't this guy a bit too ridiculous?"

Long Hengxu's eyelids twitched violently. He turned to look at the calm Wu Changkong beside him, momentarily unable to find the words.

As for Teacher Kong, the homeroom teacher of Class 4, his face turned ash-gray instantly. He looked as if he had been struck by lightning, his previous confidence completely vanished.

Long Hengxu took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, and raised his hand to announce loudly, "The match begins!"

As soon as the words left his lips, the first purple thousand-year soul ring at Lin Chen's feet flared brightly. A violent cyan soul power instantly swept across the entire stage.

"First Soul Skill: Thunderous Might." Blinding lightning erupted from Lin Chen's hands. Countless cyan, dragon-shaped bolts of lightning tore through the air, rushing toward the three opponents like divine retribution.

The trio's pupils shrank. They felt a terrifying pressure locking them in place, and their legs were suddenly covered in a layer of numbness. The violent power of the lightning swallowed their figures whole.

When the dust settled, the three were already lying in the corner of the stage, having completely lost the ability to fight. They hadn't even had time to release a single soul skill.

The entire arena was silent for a moment before erupting into a deafening roar of shock.

Long Hengxu's expression on the stage shifted repeatedly; he couldn't say a word for a long time. He never expected that Lin Chen, who had been demoted to Class 5 for fighting at the start of the term, would possess such formidable strength.

Teacher Kong of Class 4 felt his face burning with shame, slumping into his chair, completely deflated.

Lin Chen slowly retracted his soul power, the Azure Dragon phantom behind him fading away. He stood in the center of the arena with an indifferent expression, as if he had just performed a trivial task.

Wu Changkong said to Lin Chen in a cold voice, "Very good. That is exactly what I wanted. Let them see the momentum of Class 5."

Lin Chen walked off the stage, his face showing no ripples. After high-fiving Xie Xie and Tang Wulin, he arrived at Gu Yuena's side.

He tilted his head toward her and said softly, "The ones after this will probably be for the three of you to handle."

Gu Yuena nodded. She silently took a bottle of water from her soul storage ring, her slender, jade-like fingers handing it to Lin Chen. Her voice was as gentle as water: "You must be thirsty. Here."

Lin Chen smiled and reached out to take it: "Thank you, Na'er."

Xie Xie, seeing this from the side, immediately winked at Tang Wulin. The two exchanged a knowing look, shared a tacit smile, and sensibly stepped back a bit, leaving the two of them some space.

They didn't want to be third wheels.

Following Wu Changkong's announcement that they were free to arrange their own time and could go out for a while, provided they didn't stay out too late, Xie Xie's eyes lit up. With a face full of excitement, he leaned toward Lin Chen and draped an arm over his shoulder: "Lin Chen, we're finally liberated! Let's go out and have some fun tonight. I know a place with really delicious food."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuena raised her eyes and asked softly, "Where are you planning to go?"

Xie Xie immediately flashed a cheeky grin, deliberately puffing out his chest and striking a triumphant pose: "Hehe, we aren't taking you. Today, Lin Chen belongs entirely to me and Tang Wulin. It's an exclusive boys' hangout!"

Tang Wulin stood to the side, scratching his head with a shy smile; it was clearly a pre-planned scheme.

Gu Yuena's gaze tightened upon hearing this. A trace of imperceptible grievance flashed through her violet eyes. She bit her lip slightly, her gaze fixed directly on Lin Chen, as if asking whether he would go with them or stay with her.

Lin Chen was a bit bewildered. When did he ever agree that his time today belonged to Xie Xie and Tang Wulin?

Lin Chen reached up and removed the arm Xie Xie had draped over his shoulder, saying irritably, "Why does that sound so strange when you say it?"

He looked at Gu Yuena, his glass-like eyes meeting her slightly aggrieved violet ones. The young girl was biting her lip, the disappointment in her eyes threatening to overflow.

Stepping over to Gu Yuena's side, Lin Chen turned his head to Xie Xie and said, "How about this: if you bring Na'er along, I'll go out with you. Otherwise, I'm taking Na'er out myself."

Upon hearing this, Xie Xie's face instantly crumpled. He clutched his chest with a look of heartbreaking agony and let out an exaggerated, long-drawn sigh: "Sigh, fine. Since ancient times, even heroes have struggled to overcome the hurdle of beauty! I'm destined to be a third wheel again."

The gloom that had filled Gu Yuena's eyes just moments ago vanished in an instant.

At Xie Xie's remark, a faint crimson flush immediately stained her fair cheeks. She furrowed her brows slightly, shot Xie Xie a reproachful glare, and retorted, "Xie Xie! What nonsense are you spouting?"

Lin Chen spoke softly, "Don't mind him. It's settled then, let's head out together." Gu Yuena noticed that the tips of his ears had also turned a shade of red.

Xie Xie waved his hand in resignation and walked forward, accepting his fate while muttering under his breath about his miserable life, complaining that every time he went out to have fun, he was forced to endure being fed dog food.