Class Promotion Tournament, Kong Hanwen Feels Invincible Again [4k]

Aggrieved! More aggrieved than ever before!

He was the mighty God King Tang, unmatched throughout the Divine Realm, who had bluffed... ahem, guided countless beings. When had he ever suffered such a silent loss?

"Yao Chuan! It's that Yao Chuan again!" Tang San's divine sense was practically boiling. "That kid definitely has something wrong with him! The bizarre loss of that sliver of the Golden Dragon King's origin... He must be behind it!"

He was ten thousand percent certain of his judgment.

But at the moment, Tang Wulin clearly trusted Yao Chuan far more than this "mysterious old grandpa" of his.

"Forget it, forget it..." Tang San forcibly tamped down his roiling divine sense and consoled himself. "A small failure can upset great plans. A trust level of negative one hundred is still a trust level. That's better than getting blocked outright. I'll have to think this through and take it slowly..."

He decided to lie low for now and observe.

In the real world, Tang Wulin had no time to worry about some God King in his consciousness, whose fragile heart had shattered into a QR code.

He snapped his eyes open. A brilliant golden light flashed in their depths, and his bones gave off soft but powerful crackles.

A sense of strength unlike anything he had ever known surged through every inch of him like rushing lava!

His Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul emerged almost instinctively.

The edges of the once-verdant blades were now rimmed with flowing metallic gold. A substantial-looking pale golden halo curled around their roots, and an aura of toughness and sharpness surged toward him.

"Success! The first seal really is broken!" Tang Wulin's heart pounded with excitement, nearly leaping into his throat.

Feeling the explosive power within him, he wanted nothing more than to throw his head back and roar.

Who could he share this joy with?

His parents weren't there, and Xie Xie was such a loudmouth...

One name instantly filled his mind.

"Big Brother Yao Chuan!" Tang Wulin sprang up like a cannonball and shot out of the dormitory, heading straight for Yao Chuan's room!

At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to tell the person who had reached out to him in his darkest hour this wonderful news right away!

"Bang!"

Tang Wulin shoved Yao Chuan's door open with enough force to nearly knock it off its hinges.

"Big Brother Yao Chuan! It worked! I did it!" Tang Wulin's voice trembled with excitement, his face alight with irrepressible joy and gratitude.

Yao Chuan was lounging by the window, idly turning over a piece of rare metal that glimmered with a faint light.

Seeing Tang Wulin rush in—and the golden Soul Power fluctuations around him, still carrying a faint dragon might—Yao Chuan's eyes flashed with understanding, followed by a heartfelt smile.

It worked!

His senses hadn't been wrong. The vast power of the Golden Dragon King sealed inside Tang Wulin had indeed become more "active" now that the first shackle had loosened.

And what did that mean?

It meant that Yao Chuan's "wool-shearing scheme" could finally enter version 2.0, bringing in an even richer harvest of "wool"!

Yao Chuan stood up, his smile sincere and warm, and clapped Tang Wulin firmly on the shoulder.

"Good lad! Nicely done! I knew you could do it! How do you feel?"

"Strong! Stronger than ever!"

Tang Wulin clenched his fist, and the air seemed to burst in his grasp with a faint sonic boom. "My Martial Soul evolved, too! Big Brother Yao Chuan, really... thank you so much! If you hadn't helped me buy those spirit items, I..."

Thinking of their terrifying price, Tang Wulin still felt a lingering pang of fear, and his voice caught.

Yao Chuan waved a hand grandly. "Aw, don't be so formal! What are brothers for? You just focus on getting stronger. Leave the rest to your big brother! Don't worry about the money. You can pay me back little by little later."

Meanwhile, his inner calculations rattled away:

What was this little initial investment? Compared to the top-grade Golden Dragon King origin energy he'd soon be shearing off in a steady stream, it was just a drop in the ocean!

And if he kept building his image as a "reliable big brother" while driving a wedge between Tang Wulin and his father's divine consciousness, this investment was guaranteed to pay off!

"You've only broken the first seal," Yao Chuan said, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Tang Wulin. "The power hidden inside you has only just begun to emerge.

"Keep working hard to absorb and assimilate it. Your progress will only grow by leaps and bounds!

"The Class Promotion Tournament is the perfect whetstone!"

At the mention of the Class Promotion Tournament, a blazing fighting spirit ignited in Tang Wulin's eyes. "Don't worry, Big Brother Yao Chuan! This time, I'll show them what Class Five is made of! They'll see we're not to be trifled with!"

With the seal broken and his power soaring, he'd been worrying about finding a suitable punching bag... Ahem, opponent to test his newfound strength against!

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

At Eastsea Academy, the Class Promotion Tournament arena was buzzing with excitement.

The stands were packed with first-year students from every class, along with plenty of upperclassmen who had come to watch the fun.

Today was the first match in Class Five's tournament run: they were facing Class Four.

Dressed in spotless white, Wu Changkong stood at the front of Class Five's lineup, tall and straight as a pine, with the imposing presence of a deep pool and a towering mountain.

His handsome, icy face still radiated its usual subzero chill, warning everyone to keep their distance.

Behind him, Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie stood with their heads held high, brimming with energy.

Feeling the power surging within him, Tang Wulin was brimming with confidence.

Xie Xie looked eager to get started, as lively as ever and ready to slip away and stir up trouble at a moment's notice.

Gu Yue's expression was cool, but deep in her beautiful eyes lurked a hint of resentment she was struggling to suppress.

As for Yao Chuan, he stood farther back with his arms folded, lazily leaning against a pillar. He looked bored stiff, as though he just wanted the match to end so he could go back and catch up on sleep.

Wu Changkong's cool gaze swept over the four behind him. Without wasting words, he announced, "First match: Class Four. Starting lineup: Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Xie Xie."

His voice wasn't loud, but it cut clearly through the arena's din and reached everyone's ears.

"Huh?" Xie Xie was the first to speak up. He instinctively looked at Yao Chuan. "Teacher Wu, what about Yao Chuan...?"

Tang Wulin grew anxious, too, and hurriedly spoke up. "Teacher, Big Brother Yao Chuan is so strong. Isn't he going to compete?"

Gu Yue said nothing, but her gaze snapped to Wu Changkong, questioning.

Wu Changkong didn't even raise an eyelid. His tone was as flat as ever. "Yao Chuan is a substitute."

"A substitute?!" Tang Wulin and Xie Xie exclaimed in unison.

Gu Yue furrowed her delicate brows as well.

They had spent quite a while persuading Wu Changkong to give Yao Chuan a "spot on the team."

And now he was only a substitute?

Wu Changkong finally gave them a cold glance, his eyes like ice picks.

"His strength would make this a stomp. There'd be no value in training him. It'd be a waste of a spot."

Short and to the point, every word like a knife.

The unspoken meaning was obvious: their opponents were too weak. Sending Yao Chuan in would just be bullying children, doing nothing for Yao Chuan and making the match no fun to watch.

Making him a substitute was already the biggest concession Wu Changkong could make for the three of them.

Yao Chuan was leaning against the pillar, but instead of being upset, he looked as though he'd just heard wonderful news. He immediately raised both hands in agreement.

"Teacher Wu is wise! I completely agree! Being a substitute is great. I can slack off and run down the clock while still getting paid. Perfect!"

He had no interest in going out there to beat up children. He'd rather spend the time figuring out how to "shear wool" from Tang Wulin more consistently and efficiently.

Besides, what was wrong with taking it easy as a substitute and watching how everyone reacted?

However, he then turned to the three of them with a "kind" smile and added slowly:

"But you three had better do your best.

"Remember, don't give me a chance to go out there..."

He drew out the words deliberately, his eyes full of "you know what I mean" menace.

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie shuddered, as if they'd been plunged right back into the abyss of fear that came with being under Yao Chuan's demonic training.

The hellish hammer-forging drills, the mental power squeezed down to the millimeter, the training intensity that had made them want to die on the spot countless times...

Xie Xie's face turned white in an instant, and he hurriedly waved his hands.

"Don't worry, Big Brother Yao Chuan! We definitely, absolutely won't need you to lift a finger! The three of us have got this! Just take it easy! Yeah, take it easy!"

Tang Wulin nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

"Exactly! Big Brother Yao Chuan, just watch us perform from the sidelines! We guarantee a clean, decisive victory!"

The two of them screamed inwardly: Are you kidding? If that demon goes out there, what awaits us after the match will be a hellish training package, doubled! Just thinking about it makes our legs weak!

Seeing how pathetic the two boys looked, Gu Yue gave a soft snort and said nothing. But her haughty little gaze clearly said: What a pair of cowards!

Still, if Yao Chuan wasn't competing...

That suited her just fine.

She glanced at the girls in Class Four's stands, who were gazing at Yao Chuan with eager eyes and holding up handmade signs. The corner of her mouth curled into a chilly smile.

Class Four's homeroom teacher, Kong Hanwen, had naturally taken in everything happening on Class Five's side.

Kong Hanwen was a slightly chubby, middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses. At that moment, he was stretching his neck to nervously watch the most dazzling figure in Class Five's lineup—Yao Chuan.

Yao Chuan's feat of beating Zhou Changxi senseless during the entrance assessment and stunning the entire crowd had long since spread throughout the first year.

A thirty-first-rank Soul Elder!

A legendary Soul Spirit!

Twin Martial Souls!

Every one of those titles was enough to make Kong Hanwen and his students tremble with fear.

He'd already prepared himself for Yao Chuan to sweep the entire field alone, and had been wondering how to lose with at least a little dignity.

Just then, a Class Four student who'd been gathering information came running back, panting. His face was alight with disbelieving joy.

"Teacher Kong! I found out! It's confirmed! That Yao Chuan... he's a substitute! Teacher Wu put him in as a substitute! The starting lineup is those two first-ring students and that Elementalist!"

"What?! A substitute?!"

Kong Hanwen thought he'd misheard. He grabbed the student by the arm. "Are you sure? Yao Chuan? A substitute? He's not starting?"

"Absolutely! I heard Teacher Wu announce it myself! And Class Five was arguing about it, too. Yao Chuan admitted it himself! He's a substitute!" The student was so excited his face had turned red.

"Hahaha! Heaven is on my side! It really is!"

Kong Hanwen abruptly let go of the student's arm and jumped in place, nearly sending his gold-rimmed glasses flying.

The gloom and anxiety vanished from his face in an instant, replaced by elation and the swelling conviction that "the advantage is mine."

He adjusted his glasses and tried to suppress his grin, but couldn't. His whole face beamed like a blooming chrysanthemum.

"Wu Changkong, Wu Changkong! So this is your day! You're always putting on airs, acting like your eyes are on top of your head! And now you've gone and messed up!"

"Without that monster Yao Chuan holding down the fort, what can Tang Wulin and his useless Blue Silver Grass do? What can Xie Xie, the class dead last, do? And what about that wild girl Gu Yue who came from who knows where? How are they supposed to compete with the elite students I've carefully trained? Arrogance! This is the price of arrogance! They deserve it!"

In an instant, he felt invincible again. He stood up straight, his eyes brimming with contempt and provocation as he stared toward Wu Changkong and Class Five.

He even straightened his collar and cleared his throat, getting ready to deliver a grand speech after claiming victory.

How could a man like Wu Changkong, or Yao Chuan, fail to notice Kong Hanwen's supposedly well-concealed change in expression and sudden burst of superiority?

Wu Changkong merely glanced at him. His look was like that of someone watching a monkey jumping up and down, filled with icy disregard.

Then Teacher Wu looked away, as though even one more glance would soil his eyes.

Yao Chuan nearly burst out laughing.

He forced himself to hold it in, covering his mouth with one hand as his shoulders twitched suspiciously. He laughed so hard inside that his stomach hurt.

"Pfft... Teacher Kong... does he have something seriously wrong with him?"

Yao Chuan mocked him inwardly. "One substitute spot is all it takes to get him this excited? With an imagination like that, it's a waste he isn't writing novels."

He shook his head and lit a candle for Teacher Kong's intelligence.

But Kong Hanwen's smug, petty look and undisguised contempt felt like red-hot needles, stabbing straight into the hearts of Class Five's three starting contestants!

Tang Wulin had just broken his seal. His power was surging, and he was eager to prove himself with a satisfying victory.

The moment Kong Hanwen's trash-inspecting gaze swept over him, it ignited a fire in Tang Wulin's heart.

His fists clenched, his knuckles cracking. Golden light glimmered in his eyes.

"Looking down on me? Think I'm dead weight? Fine! Just fine! I'll show you what this 'useless' Blue Silver Grass can do!"

He gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath, a fierce aura faintly radiating from him.

Using Class Four to test out his newly acquired Golden Dragon King power seemed like a good idea, didn't it? Tang Wulin's gaze turned dangerous.

Xie Xie was even angrier. He jumped up and pointed toward Kong Hanwen, letting loose a tirade.

"Damn it! What's with that fatso's face? He's grinning like a weasel that just stole a chicken! He really thinks we're pushovers without Big Brother Yao Chuan? I'm going to beat those precious little students of his until even their own mothers can't recognize them!"

The Light Dragon Dagger flickered in his hand, its cold gleam sharp and fierce.

As for Gu Yue... her resentment had broken through the heavens, nearly solidifying into black smoke!

The reason was simple: Class Four's stands—especially the girls' section—had become a full-scale fan-frenzy fiasco after Yao Chuan failed to appear!

"What??? Yao Chuan isn't competing? He's just a substitute?"

"Nooo!!! I spent two whole hours doing my makeup so I could watch my male idol sweep the competition!"

"How could Teacher Wu do this? Why won't he let Yao Chuan compete? We protest! Strongly protest!"

"Exactly! What's the point of a match without Yao Chuan? I want a refund!"

"Look, look! Junior Yao Chuan is standing right there, so lazy and charming. Even as a substitute, he's so cool... Ah! Did he just glance this way? He must have been looking at me! I'm dying..."

"Hey, wake up, girl. He was clearly looking over here!"