After the Battle, a Triangular Loop

Night had once again settled into silence over the Teacher Dormitory Area.

That sweeping wave of Soul Power had not gone unnoticed.

Several teachers living nearby had peered out from behind their curtains. But after sensing Xing Tie's undisguised seven-ring Soul Saint pressure as he departed, along with the lingering void-like presence in the air that made their hearts tremble, they all tacitly chose silence.

In this world where the strong reigned supreme, excessive curiosity was often the cause of an early death.

Since no alarm had sounded, they would simply pretend nothing had happened.

Inside the room, the warm yellow light dispelled the chill.

Tang Wulin held a glass of water and carefully offered it to Tang Linyuan. Warm droplets still clung to the side of the glass.

"Brother, have some water."

Tang Linyuan accepted the glass and took a sip. The warm liquid slid down his throat, slightly easing the stabbing pain in his meridians caused by forcibly using the fifth form.

He set down the glass, took the bank card Guang Biao had given him, thought for a moment, then pushed it back toward Tang Wulin.

"Take it."

"Huh?" Tang Wulin froze, staring at the thin card as if it were a burning potato. "Brother, this is ten million... Why should I take it?"

"You'll need it later."

Tang Linyuan's voice was somewhat low as his gaze fell upon his younger brother's clear, wide eyes.

As time passed, the seal on the Golden Dragon King Bloodline would grow increasingly unstable.

In the original story, Tang Wulin had suffered greatly to buy the spiritual items needed to break the seals. He had even nearly died several times.

In this life, since Tang Linyuan was here, he would never allow that kind of hardship to happen again.

"Your bloodline is very special. The resources you'll need in the future will cost an astronomical amount. This money is only the beginning."

Tang Linyuan did not explain in too much detail. He merely said in a tone that brooked no argument,

"Put it in the Star Sea Ring. Other than essential cultivation resources and food, don't spend it carelessly."

At the mention of "food," Tang Wulin's gaze immediately became far more resolute. He nodded solemnly, flicked his wrist, and the bank card vanished in a flash of blue light into the ring's storage space.

"Brother, you don't look well. Get some rest early."

Seeing his brother's slightly pale face, Tang Wulin sensibly withdrew from the room and gently closed the door behind him.

Only Tang Linyuan remained in the room.

He leaned against the headboard, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the blanket.

"Seal..."

He silently repeated the word in his heart.

The Golden Dragon King's first seal was not difficult. The difficult ones came later.

The breaking of every seal was a gamble between life and death.

What he feared even more was that strand of divine consciousness lurking deep within Tang Wulin's Sea of Consciousness—Old Tang, or rather, Sea God Tang San.

The man who had plotted against the entire Douluo Continent.

"I'm still too weak."

Tang Linyuan closed his eyes and forcibly cut off those chaotic thoughts.

There was no use thinking too much. Only strength was the key to breaking the deadlock.

He adjusted his breathing and entered meditation once more.

This time, he did not rush to touch the two runes. Instead, he let his consciousness float within his sea of consciousness and carefully relived the sensation of thrusting that spear just now.

The feeling of space collapsing at the spear tip, the feedback of energy being forcibly stripped away and Devoured, and... that fleeting illusion that he held authority over the birth and death of the universe.

The Devour Rune spun like a Black Hole, while the Space Rune twisted like folded paper.

The two intertwined, broke apart, and reassembled within his mind.

Gradually, Tang Linyuan entered a mysterious state of enlightenment.

He seemed to become an observer, quietly watching a tiny star collapse under the force of gravity before finally becoming a singularity that devoured light.

He sat there for the entire night.

The next morning.

When Tang Linyuan opened his eyes, the deep glimmer in them had become even more restrained than before.

A night of enlightenment had not caused his Soul Power to soar, but it had allowed him to take a huge step forward in understanding the essence of power.

After washing up, the two brothers headed toward the teaching building beneath the morning light.

The moment they entered the Grade One Class Five classroom, a strong smell of gunpowder hit them in the face.

"Oh, isn't this Miss Gu Yue? You came pretty early today."

Xie Xie sat boldly in the seat to Tang Linyuan's left, twirling a pen in his hand with an irritatingly smug expression.

"Too bad this seat goes by first come, first served. Even if you're a transfer student, you should know the rules, right?"

By the aisle, Gu Yue wore a dark expression. A storm seemed to brew within her clear black-and-white eyes.

She had deliberately arrived twenty minutes early today, thinking she could seize the advantage. Who would have thought that rascal Xie Xie would arrive even earlier? He had even stuck a note reading "Xie Xie's Exclusive Seat" onto the desk.

"Childish."

Gu Yue snorted coldly, her disdain completely undisguised.

"Only weaklings rely on such methods to seek attention. If you put this much thought into cultivation, you wouldn't have lost to Wulin before."

"You!" Xie Xie had been struck right where it hurt and was about to explode when he caught sight of someone entering through the door.

His expression changed instantly. He went from an angry cat to a tail-wagging dog, completely ignored Gu Yue, and waved toward the entrance.

"Boss! Wulin! Over here!"

Tang Linyuan watched the scene and shook his head helplessly.

Those two really were natural enemies.

He walked over with Wulin and sat down.

"Boss, did you eat breakfast? I still have some meat buns I bought earlier in my bag." Xie Xie unzipped his backpack as if presenting a treasure.

"I ate." Tang Linyuan stuffed his backpack beneath the desk. "Keep it down. Teacher Wu is here."

The moment he finished speaking, the light at the classroom entrance dimmed.

Wu Zhangkong, dressed in white, walked in.

He seemed even colder than usual today. As his gaze swept over the class, quite a few students instinctively shrank their necks.

"Everyone, stand."

Wu Zhangkong did not walk to the podium. Instead, he stood directly at the door. "Gather at the field. Practical combat training."

Practical combat again?

Although the Class Five students groaned inwardly, none of them dared move slowly. One after another, they rushed out of the classroom like startled rabbits.

The sun shone brightly over the field.

Wu Zhangkong stood with his hands behind his back, watching the neatly assembled group before him.

"Yesterday's physical training was only a warm-up. Today is technique training."

His gaze passed over the others and settled on the four people at the front: Tang Linyuan, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue.

"The others will continue sparring in pairs according to my previous arrangements. Tang Linyuan, the four of you, step forward."

The four stepped out.

"Tang Linyuan, go wait beneath that tree." Wu Zhangkong pointed toward a patch of shade in the distance.

Tang Linyuan shrugged and walked casually toward the shade. He sat down cross-legged, looking as though he were ready to watch a show.

Wu Zhangkong withdrew his gaze and looked at the remaining three.

"As for you three..."

For once, a teasing curve appeared at the corner of Wu Zhangkong's mouth. "Today's rules are simple: round-robin matches."

"Gu Yue against Xie Xie, Xie Xie against Tang Wulin, and Tang Wulin against Gu Yue. Each match is limited to ten minutes. Winners rest. Losers... train extra."

"First match: Gu Yue versus Xie Xie."

Hearing the arrangement, Xie Xie's face instantly fell, while Gu Yue raised an eyebrow as a thread of cyan wind element quietly curled around her fingertips.

"Begin."

At Wu Zhangkong's command, the battle erupted instantly.

Xie Xie knew that his Soul Power was inferior to Gu Yue's and that her elemental control countered him, so he immediately activated the Light Dragon Dagger. His body became a streak of golden light as he tried to use his speed to close in and engage her.

"Too slow."

Gu Yue did not move from where she stood. She merely raised a hand lightly.

"Wind Bind."

Several cyan wind cords appeared out of thin air, accurately predicting Xie Xie's landing points.

Just as Xie Xie was about to change direction, the ground suddenly collapsed and turned into a quicksand Swamp.

Wind and earth control combined, restricting his movement.

Before Xie Xie could pull his feet free, several Ice Spikes were already hovering before his throat.

"I surrender!" Xie Xie raised both hands, his face full of frustration.

This was outright bullying. He had not even touched the hem of her clothes.

"Next match: Xie Xie versus Tang Wulin."

For this match, Xie Xie held back a fierce desire to regain his dignity.

Having learned his lesson, he made use of the agility attack system's advantage. Rather than confronting Tang Wulin head-on, he used hit-and-run tactics, trying to kite him.

But Tang Wulin was no fool either.

Every time, he could make Emerald Blue Silver Vines wrap around the spot Xie Xie was about to attack.

No matter how Xie Xie slashed at the vines with his Light Dragon Dagger, he could only leave a few shallow marks. Those marks quickly healed under the restorative power of the Emerald Blue Silver Grass.

"Got you!"

Tang Wulin took a backstab head-on, then spun around and grabbed Xie Xie by the ankle.

Boom!

A simple, brutal over-the-shoulder throw.

Xie Xie was slammed viciously into the ground, seeing stars.

"Xie Xie, defeated." Wu Zhangkong recorded coldly.

"Final match: Tang Wulin versus Gu Yue."

This battle held the most suspense.

Tang Wulin's strength and defense were exceptionally powerful. He could even withstand Fireballs and Ice Spikes head-on.

He charged toward Gu Yue like a heavy tank while Blue Silver Grass grew wildly, trying to seal off the space around her.

Gu Yue frowned slightly.

Her elemental attacks were greatly weakened against Tang Wulin. That boy's body was simply tough beyond belief.

But an Elemental Envoy was still an Elemental Envoy.

"Light."

A burst of intense light flashed, blinding him.

The instant Tang Wulin shut his eyes, Gu Yue slipped beneath his guard and used Space Teleportation.

She appeared directly behind Tang Wulin, gathering an extremely compressed Fireball in her hand without releasing it.

"Tang Wulin, defeated."

After the three matches, each of them had wins and losses, and each had exposed their own problems.

Xie Xie was fragile and impatient, Tang Wulin was cumbersome and had limited methods, while Gu Yue was well-rounded but lacked the explosive force needed to break through defenses.

"Did you all see it?"

Wu Zhangkong looked at the panting trio.

"These are your weaknesses. In one-on-one combat, you may be considered outstanding among those of your level. But before true experts, you are full of openings."

He turned around and looked toward the boy beneath the tree, who had been resting with his eyes closed.

"Tang Linyuan, come here."

Tang Linyuan opened his eyes, patted the dirt from his backside, and slowly walked over.

"Warm-up's over?" he asked with a smile.

Wu Zhangkong nodded, then looked at Gu Yue and the other two. A stern glint flashed through his eyes.

"There is only one task next."

"The three of you will join forces. No restrictions on methods, no restrictions on rules."

Wu Zhangkong pointed at Tang Linyuan, his voice ringing like iron striking stone.

"Defeat him without him using his Martial Soul, or hold out against him for fifteen minutes."

"Fight the boss when he isn't using his Martial Soul? Hold out for fifteen minutes?" Xie Xie's eyes widened.

"Teacher, aren't you looking down on us too much? The boss isn't even using his Martial Soul, and the three of us still have to hold out?"

Although Gu Yue and Tang Wulin said nothing, battle intent also ignited in their eyes.

They could not beat him at full strength, but even with no Martial Soul and three against one, they still could not do it?

Tang Linyuan looked at his three eager "teammates," and the corner of his mouth rose slightly.

"Don't listen to Teacher Wu."

The boy swept his gaze over the three of them, his dark eyes filled with arrogance. "Fifteen minutes is too long."

"Five minutes."

"If I don't put all of you down within five minutes, I lose."