Seat Defense Battle, Four Together!

The afternoon sunlight was somewhat lazy, but in the Grade One Class Five classroom, no one dared to doze off.

The temperature in the air remained at a low point that kept everyone alert.

Wu Zhangkong stood at the podium, holding a copy of the Soul Beast Illustrated Handbook. His gaze was not on the book, but on the doorway.

The second hand had just ticked past its final mark.

A foot stepped into the classroom.

Gu Yue had not run. Her breathing was steady, and there was not even a bead of sweat on her forehead. She entered just as the class bell finished ringing.

Wu Zhangkong raised his eyes, his gaze lingering on her for half a second.

"Next time, arrive early."

There was no scolding, nor any extra emotion.

Wu Zhangkong withdrew his gaze and pointed toward the back rows. "Find an empty seat."

Gu Yue nodded and swept her gaze across the classroom.

There were not many students in Class Five, and plenty of empty seats.

Her eyes quickly settled on a corner in the last row.

There, Tang Linyuan was leaning against his chair with his eyes closed. On his right sat the well-behaved Tang Wulin, previewing his textbook, while on his left...

That guy named Xie Xie was sprawled arrogantly across the seat, twirling a fountain pen in his hand.

Gu Yue walked straight over, stopped beside Xie Xie's desk, and tapped the tabletop twice with her fingers.

"Change seats."

The pen in Xie Xie's hand fell onto the desk with a slap.

He looked up at this "transfer student" with disbelief written all over his face.

"Why?" Xie Xie lowered his voice and leaned back in his chair, putting on an air of utter refusal.

Gu Yue frowned slightly without speaking. Her gaze merely passed over him and landed on the closed-eyed Tang Linyuan.

That single glance instantly made Xie Xie imagine an entire drama.

He swiftly sized Gu Yue up from head to toe.

She wore the newly issued Eastsea Academy uniform. Her features were neat and delicate, but she was the kind of girl who would vanish completely in a crowd.

With looks like that, she definitely was not here to romance the boss. Besides, with the boss's standards, there was no way he would be interested in her.

With puppy love ruled out, only one possibility remained—

This girl had taken a fancy to the boss's strength and wanted to steal the position of "number-one lackey"!

He had only pledged allegiance yesterday, and someone was already here to kick up trouble today?

Xie Xie narrowed his eyes and stared at Gu Yue with the look of someone who had seen through everything. A cold smile curled across his lips as he silently mouthed, "Dream on."

Gu Yue: "..."

Was there something wrong with this guy's brain? She merely wanted to sit closer to Tang Linyuan so she could ask him about that spatial jumping technique after class.

Seeing that Xie Xie was stubborn as a mule, Gu Yue did not argue further. She turned and sat in the empty aisle seat to Xie Xie's left.

At the podium, Wu Zhangkong had already begun the lesson.

"The classification of Soul Beasts is not limited to attributes; their habits are also considered. For example, a ten-year Wind Baboon..."

Wu Zhangkong's teaching style was just like the man himself: crisp and efficient, with nothing but substance.

Tang Wulin listened attentively, his pen flying across his notebook as he took notes.

Tang Linyuan, seated in the middle, appeared to be sleeping, but his consciousness had long since sunk into his sea of consciousness.

Since that morning's battle of One-Handed Dragon Capture, his understanding of Space Runes had advanced another step.

The trail of fluctuations left behind by Gu Yue's Spatial Shift was like the steps of a solution drawn on a blackboard.

He was trying to recreate that feeling.

Not by looking with his eyes, but by using his senses to touch the texture of space.

As soon as Tang Linyuan entered meditation, things became lively on both sides of him.

Xie Xie had no intention of listening to class at all.

He kept a vigilant watch on Gu Yue to his left. Whenever she tilted her head even slightly to the right or tried to pass Tang Linyuan a note, Xie Xie would immediately stretch lazily or prop up a book, blocking the two of them like a wall.

Gu Yue tried to speak several times, only to be stopped by his childish antics each time.

Watching Xie Xie's excessively defensive behavior, she had several urges to blast him out with an Elemental Tide. But after glancing at Wu Zhangkong on the podium, she restrained herself.

This lesson was filled with the smell of gunpowder.

As class neared its end, Tang Wulin's writing slowed.

He began glancing frequently at the wall clock, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed saliva.

The little food in his stomach had long since been digested. All he could think about now was the "feast" Xie Xie had promised.

Ring, ring, ring—

The dismissal bell finally rang.

"Class dismissed."

Wu Zhangkong closed his book. Without even saying goodbye, he turned and left, taking the room's chill with him.

Xie Xie in the back row reacted the fastest.

"Quick, quick, quick! Let's go!"

He grabbed his backpack, pulled Tang Linyuan with his left hand, and dragged Tang Wulin with his right, as though floods and beasts were chasing them from behind.

"Let's grab a table while there aren't many people!"

"Wait."

A crisp voice cut in.

Gu Yue had risen at some point and was standing right in the middle of the aisle.

Xie Xie stopped short and eyed her warily. "What? We're going to... uh, the men's restroom! Are you coming too?"

Gu Yue ignored his clumsy lie completely and looked at Tang Wulin. "Where are you going?"

Tang Wulin was so hungry that stars danced before his eyes, and his mind was moving slowly. The words slipped out before he could think. "We're going to eat Braised Beef in Pot. Xie Xie's treating!"

"Tang Wulin!" Xie Xie let out a miserable cry, wishing he could cover the fool's mouth.

"Oh, you're going to eat."

The corners of Gu Yue's lips rose slightly. She crossed her arms and turned her gaze toward Xie Xie. A faint silver glow gradually appeared in her clear black-and-white eyes. "I'm coming too."

"That's our brothers' dinner..." Xie Xie made one last desperate struggle.

Gu Yue said nothing. The air around her suddenly became somewhat thick, and several tiny sparks danced at her fingertips. The threat could not have been clearer.

He could not beat her, and he could not run away.

Xie Xie looked pitifully toward Tang Linyuan, who had remained silent all this time. His eyes plainly said—

"Boss, save me. This she-devil is forcing her way into our meal."

Tang Linyuan watched the scene, and the originally cold lines of his face softened somewhat.

He lightly patted Xie Xie on the shoulder, signaling him to put away that look of facing certain death.

"Since we're in the same class, we'll be companions from now on."

Tang Linyuan looked at Gu Yue, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Come if you want."

Just as Xie Xie was about to wail, Tang Linyuan added, "But companions or not, accounts should be settled clearly. You'll pay for your own share."

Gu Yue froze for a moment. Then the silver glow in her eyes faded, and she revealed a victor's smile. "No problem."

As long as she could fit into this circle, what was the cost of one meal?

"No, no, no!"

The moment Tang Linyuan relented, Xie Xie immediately straightened his back.

The boss had already spoken. If he kept being stingy now, how humiliating would that be?

"How can I let a girl pay? What's one more pair of chopsticks? Do I, Young Master Xie, lack that little bit of money?"

Xie Xie swept his hand grandly, full of heroic spirit. "Let's go! This young master is booking the place today! Eat as much as you want!"

"You said it." Tang Wulin's eyes instantly lit up like two headlights.

Seeing Tang Wulin's wolfish gaze, Xie Xie's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and an ominous feeling rose within him.

As the sun set, it stretched the shadows of the four of them long.

On the streets of Eastsea City, the laughter and chatter of the youths gradually faded into the bustling warmth of this city of steel.