"Teacher Wu, what are you doing with the Frost Sword?" Lin Chen felt his butt clench, and broke into a cold sweat.
Wu Changkong remained expressionless. Chilling air seeped from the blade in thin wisps as he fixed Lin Chen with a stare. "That was quite a performance. Want me to give you an award?"
Lin Chen hurriedly raised both hands in front of himself, smiling ingratiatingly. "Teacher Wu, could you go easy on me?"
Not far away, Xie Xie had recovered from his paralysis. His shoulders shook as he bit down hard on his lower lip, trying not to laugh aloud. Xu Xiaoyan covered her mouth with one hand and lowered her head, her body trembling as she struggled to hold in her laughter.
Lin Chen quickly sent Tang Wulin a telepathic message. "Wulin, help me out! Put in a good word for me with Teacher Wu."
Tang Wulin gazed leisurely up at the night sky and sighed softly, pretending the matter had nothing to do with him. "The night sky is beautiful tonight."
Beside him, Xie Xie could no longer hold it in. The laughter he'd been suppressing poured muffled from his throat. Xu Xiaoyan hurriedly covered her whole face with her sleeve, her shoulders shaking even harder.
Despair filled Lin Chen's face. He turned to Gu Yuena for help, but before she could say a word, the Frost Sword lifted, and an icy wind swept through.
"Ow! That hurts! Teacher Wu, go easy on me!"
"Teacher Wu, I was wrong!"
After Wu Changkong had given him a loving beating, Lin Chen shuffled over to Gu Yuena with his head hanging. Two conspicuous lumps had risen on his head, and he gazed down at her with a pitiful expression.
Gu Yuena looked at him with concern and wiped the grime from his face. "You've had a rough time, Lin Chen."
Lin Chen lowered his gaze to Gu Yuena beside him and waved lightly. "It's fine, Na'er. I'm pretty tough."
As he spoke, he circulated his Soul Power. Warm energy flowed along his meridians to the top of his head, and in moments he was back to normal. Lin Chen swept his bangs back with a flourish, then turned his gaze on the others, who were still snickering.
"Are you done laughing yet?" Lin Chen said crossly. He gathered two tiny strands of lightning at his fingertips and shot them accurately at Xie Xie and Tang Wulin, who was pretending to admire the night sky.
"Ow!" Two cries of pain rang out almost at the same time. Xie Xie and Tang Wulin instinctively clutched their butts and jumped half a foot into the air.
Xie Xie rubbed his backside and protested, "Captain! That's not fair! You get beaten up, then sneak-attack us."
Tang Wulin grimaced and waved both hands. "I was just looking at the night scenery. What did I do?"
Wu Changkong gave a light cough and clapped his hands. "Everyone, come here."
The bickering group obediently gathered in front of Wu Changkong like a bunch of chicks.
He swept his gaze over them and pointed out some of their shortcomings in the fight against Lin Chen. Then he looked at Lin Chen. "Your acting is terrible."
Lin Chen's mouth twitched. He instinctively scratched the back of his head. "Hehe."
Wu Changkong waved a hand. "Go back and rest. From now on, your training is doubled."
The five of them hung their heads and trudged back toward the dormitory, dejected.
Xu Xiaoyan settled into the group very quickly. Whenever they had free time, she was always at Gu Yuena's side, and the two seemed to have become best friends.
What left Tang Wulin feeling rather helpless was that Xu Xiaoyan had reached level eighteen after just one month. He'd been cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill, but with his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, he still hadn't managed to break through to level seventeen.
It was a theory class today. Wu Changkong stood at the lectern and said evenly, "We leave for Skysea City tomorrow."
As soon as he finished, Xie Xie's eyes lit up. He eagerly asked, "Teacher Wu, are we going to watch the Skysea Alliance Grand Competition?"
Wu Changkong glanced at him, his tone utterly unruffled. "Who told you we were going to watch the Skysea Alliance Grand Competition? We're competing."
Before anyone could ask anything, Wu Changkong waved a hand. "Lin Chen, Gu Yuena, Xu Xiaoyan, Xie Xie, you can leave. Wulin, stay."
The four walked out of the classroom. Xu Xiaoyan and Xie Xie turned back and gave Tang Wulin puzzled looks.
Early the next morning, Wu Changkong led Class Zero's team toward Eastsea Academy's plaza.
Wu Changkong wasn't the only one leading the group. The director of education, Long Hengxu, was there as well, along with representatives from the academy's other senior classes who were competing.
They spotted a familiar figure: Xu Xiaoyan's older brother, Xu Xiaoyu. As he passed Class Zero's team, he put on a fierce expression and said, "Xiaoyan, if they bully you, tell me."
Xu Xiaoyan rolled her eyes. "Beat our captain first. Worry about yourself—and try not to get knocked out in the preliminaries this time."
Xu Xiaoyu's mouth twitched. He glanced at Lin Chen, standing beside Gu Yuena, and immediately lost his nerve. "Everyone on our team is at least a three-ring Soul Master this time. We'll definitely get a good result..." His voice trailed off.
The members of Class Zero were speechless.
After they boarded the bus, Xie Xie wanted to sit beside Lin Chen and chat, but Gu Yuena kicked him away. He had no choice but to sit beside Xu Xiaoyan, only for her brother Xu Xiaoyu to pick him up and toss him into the back row.
He happened to land beside Wu Changkong. Xie Xie scratched his head. "Teacher Wu, I... I'll go sit in the back."
"Hey!" After taking two loving smacks to the head from Wu Changkong, he obediently sat down beside him.
Why hadn't Xie Xie sat beside Tang Wulin? Because he'd gone to sit with his senior, Mu Xi.
The Soul Guidance bus rolled steadily toward Skysea City, with quite a bit of road still ahead.
Gu Yuena's long lashes drooped slightly as sleepiness crept over her face. She turned her head and spoke softly. "Lin Chen, lend me your shoulder for a while. I'll doze off."
"No problem." Lin Chen answered and lifted his shoulder slightly. Gu Yuena rested her head against it, relaxed, and soon her breathing grew even.
Lin Chen had been leaning against the bus window. With the girl's scent beside him, sleepiness gradually swept over him. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and before long, he too had fallen sound asleep.
Who knew how much time had passed? The bus jolted, and Lin Chen slowly stirred. He opened his eyes blearily and realized that his head, which had been resting against the window, was now lightly resting on top of Gu Yuena's.
His body stiffened at once, and a faint blush crept across his cheeks. His gaze settled on the girl's peaceful sleeping face.
From the back row, Xie Xie caught sight of them and was about to tease them, but then he met Wu Changkong's cool gaze from the corner of his eye. He quietly shrank back into his seat.
Xu Xiaoyu discreetly shifted to block his little sister's view. Fortunately, Xu Xiaoyan wasn't paying attention.
Gu Yuena stirred lightly against his shoulder. Still not fully awake, she let out a soft, drowsy hum and unconsciously leaned closer to Lin Chen.
Before long, Lin Chen had fallen asleep again.
When they arrived, Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan were the ones who woke them.
Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan grinned, their expressions saying they'd just witnessed something sweet. "Looks like you two had a pretty nice nap."
Gu Yuena slowly stretched and gave a languid yawn. "Mm. That was comfortable."
Beside her, Lin Chen's eyelids drooped. Still groggy, he nodded along without thinking and mumbled, "Not bad. I slept really well."
Xie Xie clapped his hands and teased them with a wicked grin. "Well, would you look at that? You both had a comfortable nap leaning on each other. Why don't we travel like this from now on?"
Xu Xiaoyan pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. She quietly tugged on Gu Yuena's sleeve and whispered something to her, a blush rising to her ears.
Wu Changkong took them to the hotel. Lin Chen, Xie Xie, and Tang Wulin shared one room, while Gu Yuena and Xu Xiaoyan stayed in another.
Gu Yuena had originally wanted to ask to room with Lin Chen, but Wu Changkong flatly refused.
Inside, Lin Chen, Xie Xie, and Tang Wulin sprawled on the sofa without a care in the world, watching television.
The clear chime of the doorbell rang. Lin Chen thought Gu Yuena had come to see him, so he got up to answer it.
He opened the door and found Tang Wulin's senior, Mu Xi, standing outside. He immediately turned toward the room and called, "Wulin, your senior is here to see you." Then he went back to the sofa and lay down again.
By the time Tang Wulin left, Lin Chen was nearly asleep. His phone rang with the ringtone, "The cake shop sells cakes, the bakery sells bread." He saw that Shen Yi was calling.
Before you continue