Mu Xi, a fifth-year student in the Intermediate Division, had also come here. She was looking for Cheng Duoyi, and when she spotted him, her gaze settled on him.
Beside Mu Xi, a girl whose looks were every bit as lovely as hers watched Mu Xi's gaze shift back and forth in confusion.
"Hey, you brought me here just to look at Teacher Wu?"
"I admit Teacher Wu is really handsome, but he's our teacher. There's no chance for us. I never realized you were such a lovesick fool, too!"
The girl was Mu Xi's best friend, Ouyang Zixin.
Mu Xi came to her senses and retorted, "Who told you I was looking at Teacher Wu?"
Ouyang Zixin looked puzzled. "If you're not looking at him, who else could it be? Some handsome junior, maybe?"
Ouyang Zixin immediately turned gossipy and nudged Mu Xi's arm with her elbow. "Xi'er, I never knew you were into cradle robbing! Come on, tell me who you've got your eye on. I'll help you check him out."
Mu Xi pinched Ouyang Zixin around the waist in annoyance.
"Tickles, tickles! Don't go poking me all over. And there are so many people watching us here. You should act more ladylike," Ouyang Zixin hurriedly said.
At the same time, she tried to dodge Mu Xi's Divine Claw.
Mu Xi withdrew her Divine Claw and snorted. "Let them watch if they want. What does what we do have to do with them?"
"Wait, don't change the subject. Tell me who you came here to see. I saw you staring in Teacher Wu's direction, so I thought you were looking at him. But now it seems you weren't. Then... Hmm, the truth can only be one thing: you were looking at his students!"
"Am I right?"
Mu Xi's eyes widened.
Ouyang Zixin gasped. "I actually guessed right?"
Ouyang Zixin looked at Cheng Duoyi and the others. "Hmm... let's see which one of them is the handsomest... Oh? How did I not notice this before? Look what I found! There's a little white-haired cutie here. He looks so adorable, just like a doll. I wonder who'll be lucky enough to get him when he grows up..."
Mu Xi said irritably, "What do you mean, a little white-haired cutie? He..."
"Oh!" Ouyang Zixin turned back. "So you've got your eye on this little white-haired cutie! Come on, tell me how you met!"
Mu Xi didn't want to say, but Ouyang Zixin kept pressing her. "Tell me, tell me! I want to hear the gossip... No, I mean, I want to hear your story together."
Seeing that there was no escaping it, Mu Xi finally told her. "He and I..."
At the same time.
"The fourth match of the Class Promotion Tournament: Grade 1 Class 5 versus Grade 1 Class 1. I ask both teachers to confirm the number of competitors and send your students onto the arena," Long Hengxu announced from the arena.
His gaze fell on Cheng Duoyi and the others. He was rather curious about Cheng Duoyi's abilities, since Cheng Duoyi had never once stepped in to fight. As for Yun Xiao, who had likewise never fought, Long Hengxu knew that his Martial Soul and Soul Skills made him unsuitable for combat.
And yet... Cheng Duoyi had still brought him along.
It seemed the two of them were on good terms.
Wu Changkong said evenly, "Grade 1 Class 5 will have five competitors."
He looked at Cheng Duoyi and the others. "Go."
Cheng Duoyi and the others nodded.
"Teacher Wu, wait for good news from us," Xie Xie said with a grin.
As Cheng Duoyi's group of five took the arena, the homeroom teacher of Grade 1 Class 1 also sent her students up.
She looked at Wu Changkong with some resentment, then turned to her students.
She hadn't let hatred blind her. "Do your best in this match."
She liked Wu Changkong, but he didn't like her and had rejected her without mercy.
That had made her furious...
But she was still a teacher, after all. She wasn't foolish enough to make her students fight to the death. After assessing the abilities of Tang Wuling and the other four, she felt that even third-year students might not be able to win.
But Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, Wei Xiaofeng, and the other two were confident. "Teacher, we won't let you down. Leave it to us."
As Long Hengxu watched both sides take their places on the arena, he wondered what kind of fierce battle awaited them. "Grade 1 Class 5 versus Grade 1 Class 1. Begin!"
"Everyone, summon your Martial Souls!" Cheng Duoyi called.
This time, Cheng Duoyi revealed his Spirit Ring as well.
A white Spirit Ring rose from beneath his feet.
"A... a Ten-Year Spirit Ring?" Long Hengxu was stunned. "That can't be right! Isn't Cheng Duoyi the godson of the Spirit Pagoda's Vice Pagoda Master? How could his first Soul Spirit be a ten-year one?"
No matter how hard he tried, Long Hengxu couldn't figure out why Cheng Duoyi's first Spirit Ring was a Ten-Year Spirit Ring.
When Wu Changkong saw Cheng Duoyi's Ten-Year Spirit Ring, he froze for a moment.
"Twin Martial Souls?" Wu Changkong said in surprise. "You hid them well... even I couldn't tell..."
"But why would his second Martial Soul's first Soul Spirit be a ten-year one? Could it be because of his spiritual power...?"
The other students and teachers had assumed Cheng Duoyi would be the strongest. Now, it seemed that wasn't the case!
So... why did they all follow Cheng Duoyi's lead?
When Cheng Duoyi's Ten-Year Spirit Ring appeared, Tang Wuling, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie felt a jolt in their hearts and turned to look at him.
Cheng Duoyi smiled. "I can amplify any dragon-type Martial Soul. The range is about twenty meters in every direction."
This wasn't actually a skill of the Spirit Ring. It was an innate ability granted by the Seven-Colored Bloodline, something like a domain, but not a true domain.
The Dragon God Heart's first Ten-Year Spirit Ring gave Cheng Duoyi two skills.
They were Elemental Control and Golden Dragon Body, abilities belonging to the Silver Dragon King and Golden Dragon King, respectively.
Yun Xiao only felt that Cheng Duoyi's aura was profound. He didn't feel anything else. He symbolically revealed his own Ten-Year Spirit Ring and could only watch with envy.
But Tang Wuling, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie were different.
Tang Wuling had absorbed the first essence of the Golden Dragon King, and the Golden Dragon King Bloodline flowed through her body. A faint golden marking appeared on her forehead, so subtle it was hard to see unless you looked closely.
Tang Wuling felt the power within her rise once more. She was confident she could take on all five opponents by herself!
Gu Yue was the Silver Dragon King's incarnation and had roughly seventy percent of the Silver Dragon King's power under her control. She represented the Dragon God's wisdom and command of the elements, and a dark silver marking appeared on her forehead.
Gu Yue was just as surprised to discover that her command of the elements had improved considerably. After all, her real strength was far beyond that of an ordinary two-ring Soul Grandmaster!
That was right. Thanks to Cheng Duoyi, Gu Yue's cultivation speed had increased, along with a few other factors. She had also begun to feel a sense of crisis. The day before, she had officially broken through to level twenty-one and become a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster.
My future husband becoming the Dragon God... It's not impossible... Gu Yue thought, just as happy as could be, without the slightest resentment or dissatisfaction.
Like Gu Yue, Xie Xie had been at level nineteen before breaking through to the second ring a couple of days ago. He was now a level-twenty-one Soul Grandmaster!
Recently, he had been sneaking out of bed to practice whenever Cheng Duoyi fell asleep, and his cultivation had improved quickly. If not for the fact that they were both boys, he would have wanted to hold hands and meditate with Cheng Duoyi. He was sure his progress would have been even faster!
The Seven-Colored Bloodline had brought about the greatest changes in Xie Xie. His dragon bloodline had been weak and somewhat impure, as could be seen from the Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger he had awakened.
To be honest, even though the two daggers were Twin Martial Souls, sometimes they still couldn't compare to a single powerful top-tier Martial Soul.
But precisely because both Martial Souls were connected to dragons, Xie Xie felt something strange. He felt as if his Martial Souls had come alive!
A faint yellow glow shone from the dragon's eye on the Light Dragon Dagger, carrying a sacred aura. A faint black glow shone from the dragon's eye on the Shadow Dragon Dagger, carrying an aura of darkness. His blood was boiling.
Now, he was confident he could hold his own against a three-ring Soul Elder!
A faint silver marking appeared on Xie Xie's forehead, but it was hard to make out and flickered on and off.
When Zhang Yangzi and the others saw that Grade 1 Class 5 had three Two-Ring Soul Grandmasters and two One-Ring Soul Masters, their Spirit Ring lineup was the same as theirs.
"Don't lose heart. Their Spirit Ring lineup is the same as ours."
"Stick to our usual plan!"
"We'll win for sure!"
Zhang Yangzi encouraged his teammates, but his heart was tense.
For some reason, Cheng Duoyi made him feel terribly oppressed, as if he wanted to bow down and worship him. He had never felt anything like it before.
But they had no time to think about it. Tang Wuling and the others were already charging at them.
Wang Jinxi didn't hesitate. His body swelled in an instant, and his first Spirit Ring flashed. His right arm transformed into a gigantic Bone Dragon Claw, while wisps of black aura drifted from it.
This was Wang Jinxi's first Soul Skill, Bone Dragon Claw.
And the one he had to face was Tang Wuling, whose Golden Dragon King Bloodline had been amplified by Cheng Duoyi!
From Wang Jinxi's perspective, Tang Wuling's right hand transformed into a massive golden claw. The next instant, it slammed into his.
Wang Jinxi had great confidence in his strength. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to meet Tang Wuling head-on. But what happened next was beyond everyone's expectations!
Wang Jinxi, who had seemed so powerful, was sent flying by Tang Wuling's attack in an instant. He flew straight off the arena.
In other words, Tang Wuling had crushed Wang Jinxi in strength and knocked him out of the fight. Grade 1 Class 1 had lost one of its strongest fighters right away!
Tang Wuling wasn't the only one who dispatched her opponent with ease. Xie Xie also easily defeated Wei Xiaofeng.
Wei Xiaofeng had just used his first Soul Skill, Green Shadow Stack, filling the area with numerous afterimages. He had thought that even if he couldn't beat Xie Xie, he could at least hold him off. Instead, Xie Xie's blade stopped just short of his throat.
If Long Hengxu hadn't reacted quickly, Wei Xiaofeng might well have been cut and made to bleed.
At the same time, Gu Yue unleashed a barrage of elemental attacks. With an Ice Spike in her left hand and a Fireball in her right, she blasted Zhang Yangzi out of the sky. If Long Hengxu hadn't blocked most of the elemental attacks, Zhang Yangzi would have spent quite a while recovering.
In the blink of an eye, only two members of Grade 1 Class 1 remained, and they were both just filling out the numbers.
No one had expected such a turn of events.
They had thought Grade 1 Class 1 would put up a decent fight against Grade 1 Class 5. At the very least, the match wouldn't be over in the blink of an eye.
But what happened?
Even with the same Spirit Ring lineup, Grade 1 Class 1 had been wiped out in an instant. The crowd couldn't help wondering: were the others just too weak, or was Grade 1 Class 5 simply too strong?
Ouyang Zixin, who had been watching from the stands, gaped. "The little white-haired cutie's teammates are way too strong! Even I couldn't beat them in the blink of an eye. Are they really new students?"
Mu Xi pondered the question too. "Maybe... perhaps... probably."
On the arena.
Cheng Duoyi looked at the two remaining opponents, who were frozen in confusion, and smiled. "You two can jump down now, or you'll get knocked flying."
The two immediately nodded and jumped down.
They didn't want to get knocked flying.
Even Wang Jinxi had been sent flying. What chance did they have?
Long Hengxu was still in a daze.
Cheng Duoyi looked at him. "Director Long, you can declare the match over now, right?"
Long Hengxu came back to himself and hurriedly nodded. "Ahem. Grade 1 Class 5 wins."
Grade 1 Class 5 had accomplished an unprecedented feat: five of them had taken on four opponents.
Cheng Duoyi and the others had also become famous throughout the academy, especially Tang Wuling, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie. Of the three, Tang Wuling and Gu Yue were the most extraordinary. The second- and third-year students had grown wary.
They were all worried that Grade 1 Class 5 might win against an older grade. If they did, it would be a crushing humiliation!
That afternoon, after seeing Cheng Duoyi and the others compete, the academy's leaders held an emergency meeting. They discussed what to do about Grade 1 Class 5, chiefly how to manage and teach Cheng Duoyi and the other four. The meeting lasted all night.
Leng Xue'er attended for a while.
The meeting ended not long after. No one knew what she had said.
Early the next morning, the students and teachers from all five first-year classes gathered on the field. Long Hengxu and the dean were there as well.
Xie Xie muttered under his breath, "Brother Cheng, do you think the academy's about to give us a reward?"
Cheng Duoyi replied, "Most likely."
"What do you think it'll be?" Xie Xie asked.
No one answered. Long Hengxu had stepped onto the stage and began speaking. "Last night, the academy's board of directors decided that, starting today, Grade 1 Class 5 would be promoted to Grade 1 Class 1, and the former Grade 1 Class 1 would move down one place. In addition, there will be a reward: each student in the current Grade 1 Class 1 will receive one Grade A Meal every day."
Everyone knew how valuable a Grade A Meal was, and the students in the other first-year classes were envious.
Xie Xie, however, curled his lip. "That's it?"
Tang Wuling and the others didn't think it was much, either.
Still, free food was nice.
"Also, during the Class Promotion Tournament, the students of the current Grade 1 Class 1—Cheng Duoyi, Tang Wuling, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and Yun Xiao—performed exceptionally well. After discussion, the academy's board of directors has decided to establish Experimental Class Zero. These five students may join Class Zero. I'll serve as its homeroom teacher for now, with Teacher Wu Changkong and Teacher Leng Xue'er as assistant homeroom teachers."
"As for Wang Jinxi, Zhang Yangzi, and Wei Xiaofeng from the current Grade 1 Class 2, although they didn't perform at their best, their potential meets the standards for joining Class Zero. They may also choose whether or not to join."
Many people were unconvinced, believing that Cheng Duoyi and Yun Xiao didn't deserve to be admitted. They were just deadweight, riding on the others' coattails, but they didn't dare complain aloud.
"Next, let's welcome the dean to speak," Long Hengxu continued.
With that, he stepped down.
The crowd applauded to welcome the dean.
The dean came up to the stage. When he saw Cheng Duoyi and the others, he was delighted and smiled kindly. "First of all, congratulations to Grade 1 Class 5 on becoming Grade 1 Class 1. This is an unprecedented feat—one that even I and the leadership of Eastsea Academy never expected. Normally, you would be allowed to continue competing in the Class Promotion Tournament. But your strength has shown the academy's board of directors the future of Eastsea Academy. So, as far as Class Zero is concerned, the Class Promotion Tournament will no longer be open to you. You can set your sights on bigger stages in the future, such as the Eastsea Grand Competition, the Tianhai Grand Competition, and other grander events."
"Also, the academy will provide abundant resources for the establishment of Class Zero. Director Long will tell you the details later. Those who haven't joined Class Zero, don't be discouraged. If you meet the requirements in the future, the academy will approve your admission as well..."
The dean spoke at length, then added, "Teacher Wu Changkong, Teacher Leng Xue'er, and the eight students of Class Zero, please stay."
Before you continue