Gu Yuena sat in her seat as usual, her expression calm. She had slipped away quickly and hadn't been caught by Wu Changkong.
But the three people beside her, Linyuan and the others, looked rather amusing. Every one of them had a bruised and swollen face. They had clearly been caught by Wu Changkong and treated to a loving touch from him.
Time slipped by, and soon the first match of the Class Promotion Tournament arrived.
After the brief commotion passed, Director Long Hengxu slowly stepped onto the raised platform. His gaze swept over the people below as he announced that the first match of the Class Promotion Tournament was officially beginning.
He turned to look at Wu Changkong, who stood beside him with an indifferent expression, and asked in a puzzled tone, "Teacher Wu, is Class Five really sending just one person out for the first match?"
Wu Changkong's eyes were calm and still. He merely gave a slight nod and replied in his cold, concise manner, "Yes. One competitor."
Long Hengxu's mouth twitched at this. Clearly, he hadn't expected Class Five to be so confident. He then turned toward the head teacher of Class Four and called out, "Class Five is sending one competitor. Teacher Kong, you have five minutes to decide on your participants."
As soon as he finished speaking, a low murmur of commotion swept through the crowd. For the first match of the tournament, they were actually sending only one person.
Xie Xie immediately lowered his voice and leaned toward Lin Chen to mutter, "What's up with Teacher Wu? He's sending out one person? Who's he planning to send?"
Tang Wulin also looked at Wu Changkong with curiosity, secretly guessing who the chosen competitor might be. After all, Wu Changkong had said two weeks ago that Lin Chen wouldn't take part in the earlier matches.
Only Gu Yuena's gaze shifted slightly. Her clear purple eyes turned toward Lin Chen beside her, and she already knew who would be sent out.
The five-minute time limit passed in a flash. After some discussion, Class Four finally settled on its three competitors: Jialong, Lin Zunyuan, and Moss.
The three students walked toward the competition platform, their faces full of fiery determination. Teacher Kong, Class Four's head teacher, lifted his chin and looked down his nose at Wu Changkong. When Wu Changkong ignored him, he grew visibly furious.
The discussion below grew louder and louder. Everyone was convinced that Class Five was being far too arrogant by sending only one person out, and that the outcome of this match was already a foregone conclusion.
Wu Changkong's indifferent gaze swept over the students of Class Five before settling on Lin Chen. He beckoned for Lin Chen to come up.
Xie Xie and Tang Wulin both looked stunned. They froze, remembering that two weeks ago, Wu Changkong had said Lin Chen wouldn't be taking part in the earlier challenge matches.
Lin Chen was also taken aback for a moment, but then he understood. Teacher Wu wanted him to take down all three opponents by himself and show everyone the spirit of Class Five.
Gu Yuena sat quietly to one side and nodded at Lin Chen. A faint smile rippled in her purple eyes. Sure enough, it was just as she had thought.
Lin Chen walked calmly toward the competition platform. Under the astonished gazes of the other classes, he came to a stop in the center of the arena, facing all three opponents from Class Four.
Three purple Soul Rings rose from beneath Lin Chen's feet. A phantom Azure Dragon appeared behind him, bringing with it an oppressive aura.
In an instant, the entire arena fell deathly silent.
The three students from Class Four froze, their arrogant expressions vanishing at once. Their pupils contracted, and their faces turned as ugly as if they'd just eaten a pile of crap.
The noisy discussions below abruptly stopped as well. Quite a few students muttered under their breath, "How are they supposed to fight that? Man, this is ridiculous!"
Long Hengxu's eyelid twitched. He turned to look at Wu Changkong, whose expression remained calm, and was momentarily at a loss for words.
Teacher Kong's face turned ashen. He sat there as if struck by lightning, all of his earlier confidence gone.
Long Hengxu took a deep breath, suppressing his shock, then raised a hand and announced loudly, "The match begins!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the first purple Millennium Soul Ring beneath Lin Chen's feet lit up. A surge of violent azure Soul Power swept across the entire platform.
"First Soul Skill, Thunderous Might!" Blinding lightning burst from Lin Chen's hands. Countless azure, dragon-shaped bolts ripped through the air, hurtling toward the three opponents like divine punishment.
The three pupils contracted. A terrifying pressure locked them in place, and before they knew it, their legs had gone numb. The violent force of the lightning swallowed them whole.
When the dust cleared, all three were lying in a corner of the platform. They had lost their ability to fight without even having a chance to unleash their Soul Skills.
The entire arena fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a roar of astonishment.
Long Hengxu's expression shifted again and again as he stood on the platform, unable to speak for a long time. He had never imagined that Lin Chen, who had been demoted to Class Five after getting into a fight at the start of the school year, could be so powerful.
Teacher Kong of Class Four felt his face burning. He slumped into his chair, utterly deflated.
Lin Chen slowly drew in his Soul Power. The Azure Dragon phantom behind him faded away, and he stood calmly in the center of the arena, as if he had just done something completely trivial.
Wu Changkong said to Lin Chen in his cool voice, "Very good. That's exactly how it should be. Show them the spirit of Class Five."
Lin Chen walked off the platform, his expression unruffled. After exchanging high fives with Xie Xie and Tang Wulin, he went over to Gu Yuena.
Turning to look at her, he said softly, "Looks like the three of you will be competing in the later matches."
Gu Yuena nodded. She silently took a bottle of water from her Soul Guidance storage ring and held it out to Lin Chen with her slender hand. Her voice was as gentle as flowing water. "You must be thirsty. Here."
Lin Chen smiled and took it. "Thanks, Na'er."
Seeing this, Xie Xie immediately waggled his eyebrows at Tang Wulin. The two exchanged a knowing glance and smiled in tacit understanding, then tactfully stepped back a little to give them some space alone.
They didn't want to be a pair of light bulbs.
After Wu Changkong told them that they could spend their free time however they liked and go out for a while, as long as they didn't stay out too late, Xie Xie's eyes lit up. He wore an excited grin and came over to Lin Chen, slinging an arm over his shoulder. "Lin Chen, we're finally free for once. Let's go out again tonight. I know a place that serves really good food."
Gu Yuena looked up at them and asked softly, "Where are you planning to go?"
Xie Xie immediately flashed a cheeky grin, deliberately standing up straight and putting on a smug expression. "Heh-heh, you're not invited. Tonight, Lin Chen belongs entirely to Tang Wulin and me. It's an exclusive boys' night out!"
Tang Wulin stood beside him and scratched his head, smiling shyly. Clearly, they'd planned this in advance.
Gu Yuena's gaze tightened slightly. A trace of barely perceptible hurt flickered in her purple eyes. She pressed her lips together and looked straight at Lin Chen, as if asking, Are you going with them, or with me?
Lin Chen was a little confused. When had he agreed to spend the whole evening with Xie Xie and Tang Wulin?
Lin Chen reached up and removed Xie Xie's arm from his shoulder, then said irritably, "Why does that sound so weird?"
He looked at Gu Yuena. His clear, glassy eyes met her slightly wounded purple ones. The girl pressed her lips together, disappointment almost spilling from her eyes.
He stepped over to Gu Yuena and turned to Xie Xie. "How about this? Bring Na'er along, and I'll go with you. Otherwise, I'll take Na'er out myself."
Xie Xie's face fell at once. Clutching his chest as if heartbroken, he let out an exaggerated sigh. "Alas, that's how it goes. Since ancient times, heroes have always fallen before beauties! Now I have to be a light bulb again."
The hurt and disappointment that had filled Gu Yuena's eyes a moment earlier vanished in an instant.
At Xie Xie's words, a faint blush spread across her fair cheeks. She furrowed her brows slightly and shot him an annoyed look. "Xie Xie! Don't talk nonsense."
Lin Chen said softly, "Don't mind him. It's settled, then. Let's go together." Gu Yuena noticed that the tips of his ears had turned red too.
Xie Xie waved a hand helplessly and resigned himself to walking ahead. He couldn't help muttering under his breath about how miserable his life was and how every time they went out, he was forced to eat dog food.
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