Facing Off Against Gu Yue! God King Tang Panicked-His Plan Was About to Go Bust Before It Even Began? [Two-in-One]

Yao Chuan looked at Gu Yue, who was staring stubbornly at him, and the corner of his mouth curled into an amused smile.

"Sure. I'll play along."

His voice was languid, yet carried an unquestionable confidence.

He casually rolled his wrist, then glanced at Xie Xie, who was still sprawled on the ground nearby, questioning his life choices.

"Xie, you watch from the sidelines. I'll get even for you."

He said it so offhandedly, as though he were merely stating an established fact.

Xie Xie struggled to lift his head. His whole body ached, but when he heard the words "get even," his eyes still brightened.

He had practically blind faith in Yao Chuan.

"Boss... beat the crap out of her!"

He managed to squeeze out the words. His voice was weak, but the indignation in it was unmistakable.

Gu Yue had taken him out with a single blow. The injury hadn't been much, but the humiliation had been immense. It was practically a disastrous setback in the life of an agility-type Soul Master.

Yao Chuan didn't respond to Xie Xie's "cheering." His attention had already returned to Gu Yue.

He didn't even summon his Martial Soul Avatar. He simply picked up a wooden spear used for practice from the edge of the training ground.

He looked so relaxed that he might have been strolling through his own backyard.

Gu Yue narrowed her clear eyes, their gaze sharp with an edge.

To her, Yao Chuan's attitude was nothing short of blatant contempt.

She drew a deep breath, and the aura around her instantly turned harsh and dangerous.

"Are you looking down on your opponent?"

Her voice was cool, and her displeasure was plain.

Wu Changkong, who had been watching with his arms folded, wore no expression on his stern face. At her words, however, he glanced at Gu Yue and answered for Yao Chuan.

"Looking down on his opponent? Not at all."

"He simply made the correct assessment of their strength."

He paused, his gaze lingering for a moment on Yao Chuan, who was holding the wooden spear so casually.

"You're not worthy of making him go all out. Not yet."

"Not worthy?"

Gu Yue's pupils contracted sharply. Those two words were like sparks tossed into a pot of oil.

An indescribable fury and pride swept away her reason in an instant.

Who was she? She was a queen who commanded the elements! And this human dared to judge her like that?

"Then I'll show you whether I'm worthy!"

She held nothing back. The mysterious elemental power within Gu Yue erupted with a roar!

Frost, flames, rock, whirlwind, dazzling light, and even the strangely warped power of space—six completely different elemental energies intertwined under her terrifyingly precise control, forming a devastating web!

Compared to her attack on Xie Xie, this was far more violent, more concentrated, and more lethal!

The air hummed and crackled as the elements clashed. The training ground froze over, then melted beneath the flames; clods of earth thrust upward, only to be shredded by the whirlwind. Light twisted and flickered, and even space seemed to tremble.

This was the true terror of an Elementalist: an all-encompassing barrage with no blind spots!

"Hiss..."

The students around the edge of the training ground collectively sucked in a breath, and quite a few instinctively stepped back.

Was this girl some kind of walking artillery platform? Had she actually held back when she fought Xie Xie just now?

Xie Xie's face turned pale as he watched, and he shuddered with lingering fear. If Gu Yue had used this move against him just now... He shivered and didn't dare finish the thought.

Wu Changkong's gaze sharpened too, fixing on the astonishing power erupting from Gu Yue's small frame.

Faced with an elemental tide sweeping down from every direction, powerful enough to engulf several Soul Elders in an instant, Yao Chuan smiled.

There was no tension in that smile. Instead, it carried the excitement of meeting a worthy opponent—a pure, unbridled fervor for battle.

"Now this is interesting!"

He moved!

No earth-shaking Martial Soul eruption. No dazzling Soul Rings flashing into view.

There was only Yao Chuan himself, and the utterly ordinary wooden spear in his hand!

His figure blurred in an instant!

Amid the raging elemental storm, he was like a leaf swimming against the current, or a bolt of lightning darting through towering waves!

His movements were incredibly fast, yet flowed with an indescribable rhythm.

Icicles shot toward him like rain!

Yao Chuan shifted, and the wooden spear tapped, parried, lifted, and swept!

Every strike looked casual, yet landed precisely on the weakest point of each icicle, where it was most vulnerable to force!

The hard icicles were either knocked off course by the spear, sending them flying harmlessly aside, or shattered into a shower of ice crystals the instant the spearhead touched them.

It was as if the weapon in his hand weren't a wooden spear, but a fine needle that could guide the flow of cold wherever he pleased!

A fireball roared toward him, carrying a violent surge of energy!

Yao Chuan neither dodged nor retreated. His wooden spear traced an extremely tight arc, its tip seeming to cling to the fireball's edge.

A clever twist of force flowed through it!

The raging fireball was drawn aside by his motion, veering off course before crashing into the empty ground beside him and bursting into a brilliant but harmless flare!

With mortal wood, he redirected raging fire—making the difficult look effortless!

The ground turned into a muddy swamp. Countless sharp stone spikes burst from the earth, while fierce blades of wind sliced through the air!

Yao Chuan's toes touched the tips of the protruding stone spikes. As if stepping on invisible stairs, he rose strangely into the air and shifted sideways!

The wind blades came at him. His wooden spear either blocked them or guided them aside, redirecting the invisible currents toward the ground or the swamp and kicking up waves of muddy water.

Every step landed somewhere unexpected yet perfectly stable. Neither the swamp's sucking pull nor the stone spikes could hinder him in the slightest!

A blinding burst of light erupted, meant to blind him!

Yao Chuan didn't even blink. It was as though the light, bright enough to burn his retinas, had no effect on him.

His battle instincts had long surpassed the limits of ordinary sight!

His wooden spear, carrying the force of wind and thunder, pierced the core energy source of the light curtain with pinpoint accuracy. The light vanished abruptly, like a balloon popped by a needle!

Last came the strange power that warped space!

Gu Yue pressed both hands forward, trying to directly imprison the space around Yao Chuan!

An invisible pressure descended in an instant!

Yao Chuan's eyes flashed!

He let out a low growl but didn't use a Soul Skill. Instead, he concentrated every ounce of his essence, energy, and spirit.

A pure and domineering force of will, mixed with dragon might, exploded outward!

His substantial mental assault crashed into the invisible spatial barrier!

"Crack!"

A faint sound, like breaking glass, seemed to ring through the air!

The spatial restraint, powerful enough to trap an ordinary three-ring Soul Elder, was shattered by his sheer mental strength and imposing presence!

Ripples surged through space, then it instantly returned to stillness!

Six elements, six deadly attacks!

In the space of a few breaths, Yao Chuan dismantled them one by one with nothing but a wooden spear, his skill, and his chilling battle instincts!

The whole exchange flowed seamlessly, without the slightest hesitation!

His movements were even more refined, pushed to the limit. In his current suppressed state, he had brought his strength, speed, reactions, and judgment to their utmost potential!

It was less a fight than a breathtaking performance, a display of violent beauty!

He had fully absorbed Wu Changkong's earlier guidance, demonstrating a level of skill far beyond what he had shown when fighting Wu Changkong before!

For the first time, Gu Yue's exquisite face showed astonishment and disbelief.

Her six-element attack, unleashed with all her strength, had been brushed aside so effortlessly?

And by a broken stick?!

It completely overturned everything she knew!

Just as her mind reeled and her spent strength had yet to recover—

Yao Chuan appeared in front of her like a ghost!

There was no brilliant Soul Skill, only the plain, unadorned wooden spear!

The spearhead settled lightly against her smooth, pale throat.

A chill seeped through her skin!

Time seemed to freeze in that instant.

"Do you still want to fight?"

Yao Chuan's voice was calm and even. There was no joy of victory in it, only a matter-of-fact serenity.

It was as if defeating a genius who commanded six elements were no more than brushing dust from his shoulder.

Yet the faint pressure from the spearhead carried a warning powerful enough to crush anything.

The victor was clear!

Gu Yue stood frozen, feeling the cold touch of wood against the vital point of her throat.

Her proud mastery of the elements, her pride as the Silver Dragon King—all of it was mercilessly crushed in that moment.

She hadn't lost because her power was insufficient. She had lost because of the gulf between them in the finesse with which they wielded power, and in their combat awareness and instincts!

An overwhelming sense of defeat and a strange feeling she had never experienced before surged through her at the same time.

She even forgot to dodge or counterattack.

Wu Changkong appeared at the edge of the training ground at just the right moment.

"The match is over."

His voice broke the silence, carrying the weight of an unquestionable verdict.

He looked at Yao Chuan with undisguised admiration.

This kid was a monster born for battle!

That seamless display had brought his use of technique to the peak of the Soul Elder level, and even touched the threshold of a higher realm!

He turned to Gu Yue, and a flash of amazement crossed his eyes as well.

"An Element Controller?"

Although Gu Yue had already demonstrated several elements during the fight, Wu Changkong still asked to confirm.

To be able to wield six elements at once—this Martial Soul's potential was nothing short of terrifying!

Gu Yue finally came back to herself and nodded, somewhat dazed.

She dropped her combative stance, and that harsh aura vanished without a trace.

"Elementalist, Gu Yue."

She gave her name and Martial Soul, her voice slightly hoarse.

"I want to join Eastsea Academy's Grade One Class Five. Is that all right?"

She didn't look at Wu Changkong. Instead, her gaze drifted unconsciously toward Yao Chuan, who had put away the wooden spear and was casually setting it back where he had found it.

Wu Changkong nodded briskly.

"Yes."

He had witnessed Gu Yue's strength with his own eyes. Class Five had definitely struck gold.

"Your combat skills are up to standard, and your Martial Soul has tremendous potential. Welcome to Class Five, Gu Yue."

He pointed toward the track around the training ground.

"Now, join the others for twenty laps of basic physical training. Start immediately!"

At his words, Gu Yue's gaze once again drifted involuntarily toward Yao Chuan.

He was rolling his wrist, looking completely relaxed. He clearly had no intention of going for a run.

"What about him?"

Gu Yue couldn't help asking. There was a trace of curiosity and a sense of unfairness in her voice, though she didn't even notice it herself.

Why didn't this guy have to run?

Wu Changkong glanced at Yao Chuan.

"His training plan is one I set for him individually. It has nothing to do with you."

His tone was calm, but carried the authority of a teacher.

Gu Yue pressed her lips together and didn't ask again. An almost imperceptible trace of disappointment crossed her eyes.

Just then, Tang Wulin, who had been watching the fight from the sidelines, jogged over with a bottle of water in his hand and an honest, good-natured smile on his face.

"Gu Yue, are you all right? Your face was so red just now. Is your blood surging too much? Here, have some water."

He thought Gu Yue's cheeks were flushed because the battle had left her blood surging.

Tang Wulin meant well, but his words made Gu Yue's cheeks heat up again despite herself. This time, they turned even redder than before.

She glared at Tang Wulin, flustered and annoyed, her tone a little prickly.

"My face isn't red because my blood is surging!"

She shoved away the water he was offering.

"Go away!"

Without another word, she turned and ran toward the track to join the others, paying no attention to Tang Wulin's stunned and bewildered expression. Somehow, her retreating figure looked as if she were fleeing in a panic.

Holding the rejected bottle of water, Tang Wulin stood there watching Gu Yue run off, utterly confused.

"Uh... it's not because her blood was surging? Then why was her face red?"

He scratched his head, unable to make sense of it.

Could she have blushed because Boss looked so cool? No way, right? Boss was handsome, sure, but that fight had been so dangerous...

Tang Wulin's little brain fell into logical disarray.

Deep within his sea of consciousness, however, the golden divine sense imprint belonging to God Emperor Tang, Tang San, began to pulse violently.

The divine sense abruptly fixed its "gaze" on the black-haired girl running around the track!

During the battle, Yao Chuan's overbearing dragon aura had masked it. Now that Gu Yue's emotions were fluctuating and she was so close, Tang San's divine sense finally detected it clearly!

A dragon aura that came from the very source of its bloodline—impossibly pure and powerful, yet carrying a faint trace of weakness!

Though it had been cleverly concealed and suppressed, that pressure born of its rank was unmistakable!

"Silver Dragon King!!!"

Tang San's divine sense let out a silent roar in Tang Wulin's sea of consciousness, filled with shock and overwhelming wariness!

"How could she be here?! And... in such a weakened state? She even joined Wulin's class?!"

A tremendous sense of crisis seized Tang San's divine sense in an instant!

The ten-thousand-year plan he had been plotting for a millennium hinged in part on the Silver Dragon King, sovereign of the Soul Beasts!

Yet one of the plan's core targets had appeared ahead of schedule by his son's side—and seemed to have crossed paths with Yao Chuan, that equally mysterious young man who was suspected of being a pure-blooded dragon!

The situation had completely slipped out of his control!

"Damn it! Wasn't the plan supposed to be that the Silver Dragon King was interested in Tang Wulin? How did that brat Yao Chuan get involved instead?"

Tang San was honestly at a loss.

Meanwhile, the upperclassmen's school day had ended.

A group of female students in upperclass uniforms streamed out of the school building.

At the front was Mu Xi, daughter of Mu Chen, vice president of the Blacksmith Association branch. A few of her close friends walked with her, including Ouyang Zixin and Liu Yuxin, who had previously bought photos of Yao Chuan from Tang Wulin.

Their attention was drawn, as one, to the commotion on the training field.

"Wow! Look over there! It's Senior Yao Chuan!"

"Oh my gosh, was he just fighting someone? Those moves were so cool!"

"Who's that new girl with the black hair? She looks incredible too, with all those elements!"

"Doesn't matter how incredible she is—Senior Yao Chuan took her down in one move! Senior Yao Chuan is invincible!"

"Senior Yao Chuan's looking this way! Ah! He's looking at me!"

Adoring praise and shrieks rang out one after another.

Mu Xi first gazed at Yao Chuan in a lovestruck daze, then spotted the cool, aloof figure on the track—Gu Yue.

She keenly noticed the complicated look in Gu Yue's eyes as she glanced at Yao Chuan.

A woman's intuition made Mu Xi's heart clench, and a fierce sense of danger welled up within her.

This new junior... was beautiful, and absurdly strong...

Mu Xi's pretty brows drew together slightly, and her small, rosy fist clenched without her realizing it.

"Hmph... Another one?"

She muttered under her breath, her gaze turning wary.

Was this about to turn into a love-triangle showdown?

Without thinking, she moved her friend Liu Yuxin behind her, as though that would keep any potential "rivals" at bay.

Liu Yuxin looked utterly bewildered, but sensing the possessive, "guarding her food" vibe coming off Mu Xi, she wisely decided not to ask.