Emerging Talents, Special Training Complete!

Eastsea Academy, Martial Arts Arena No. 2.

This had originally been an enclosed venue for upperclassmen to test mechas, with exceptional soundproofing.

But over the past three months, whenever dusk fell, students passing by could vaguely hear screams, the thud of heavy objects hitting the ground, and bone-on-bone impacts that made their teeth ache.

Bang!

A dull thud rang out.

A figure flew backward close to the ground, sliding more than ten meters across the specially made rubber flooring before slamming heavily into the protective wall and slowly sliding down like a painting.

"Cough, cough..."

Xie Xie clutched his neck and struggled to get up from the floor.

His gaze was somewhat unfocused, and his body instinctively recoiled. Whenever someone nearby raised a hand, his neck would shrink back reflexively, just like a startled turtle.

That was the "muscle memory" he had developed over the past three months.

Over those ninety days and nights, the back of his neck had suffered inhuman treatment.

Tang Linyuan's hand chop seemed to have auto-navigation. No matter how Xie Xie blocked with the Light Dragon Dagger, no matter how he dodged with his footwork, that hand always cut in from the most unbelievable angle and struck his carotid artery with perfect precision.

He never wanted to experience that instant blackout for the thousand and first time.

"Still alive?"

On the other side of the arena, Tang Wulin braced his hands on his knees and panted heavily.

Sweat dripped down his sharply defined cheeks. Two purplish-red bumps stood out prominently on his forehead, like a pair of dragon horns that had yet to grow in. They looked especially ridiculous on his handsome face.

"Not dead..." Xie Xie rubbed his neck and grimaced as he moved closer, staring at Tang Wulin's forehead.

"I'm telling you, Wulin, you've got it way too rough. Is Boss jealous of your face? It's been three months, and those bumps have never gone down. The old ones aren't healed before new ones appear. They're practically piling up into a pagoda."

Tang Wulin pulled a long face and touched the two burning lumps. The pain made him suck in a sharp breath.

"I protested to Brother several times. He said it was called 'emerging talents,' the facial features of someone destined for greatness. He also said it was to improve my circulation, disperse bruising, and stimulate some kind of potential..."

"Emerging talents my ass..." Xie Xie rolled his eyes. "Isn't this just plain sadism?"

Nearby, Gu Yue sat cross-legged in silence, using every moment to recover her Soul Power.

Unlike the two battered brothers-in-arms, Gu Yue did not even have a speck of dust on her.

Her uniform was neat, her hair was undisturbed, and she looked as though she had come on a picnic.

But upon closer inspection, one would notice that her face was pale as paper, her lips utterly bloodless, and the hands resting on her knees were trembling slightly.

Those were signs of mental exhaustion.

"Hey, Gu Yue."

Xie Xie moved closer, lowered his voice, and wore a gossipy expression.

"I've been wondering about this. After every fight, Wulin and I are either swollen or unconscious. You don't have a scratch on you, so why do you look even weaker than us? Did Boss torture you somewhere we couldn't see?"

Gu Yue opened her eyes. The pride normally present in her clear black-and-white gaze was gone, leaving only deep exhaustion.

She glanced at the boy drinking water in the distance, and an incomparably complicated light flashed through her eyes.

Torture?

That was a form of devastation even more terrifying than physical torment.

Whenever she tried to counterattack with a combination of elements, Tang Linyuan would release an extremely faint yet incomparably lofty aura.

That aura was not Soul Power, but a kind of "Void" that seemed to originate from the depths of the cosmos.

Before that aura, her proud elemental affinity would be instantly stripped away, and her perception of space would be forcibly severed.

It felt like a sovereign high above all others being kicked off her throne by a mortal and pinned in the mud.

Every exchange was a slow execution of her dignity as the Silver Dragon King.

"Want to know?"

Gu Yue said nothing. Instead, Tang Linyuan's voice suddenly sounded beside Xie Xie's ear.

Every hair on Xie Xie's body stood on end. Before he could cry out, he felt a chill at his neck.

Smack.

The familiar hand chop, the familiar recipe.

"Urgh..." Xie Xie rolled his eyes and collapsed limply, with only one thought in his mind: Is Boss a ghost? How does he walk without making a sound?

Tang Linyuan withdrew his hand, looked at Xie Xie playing dead on the floor, then at Tang Wulin nervously covering his forehead. Finally, his gaze settled on Gu Yue.

"Rest for ten minutes."

He unscrewed his thermos, his tone calm.

"After ten minutes, the final battle. If you perform like this again, tonight's extra training will be doubled."

"Yes."

Tang Wulin and Gu Yue answered at the same time. Even Xie Xie, who had been playing dead, sprang upright like a carp and hurriedly sat cross-legged to meditate.

These three months had been hell, but also a furnace.

Under such pressure, their transformations had been nothing short of rebirth.

Xie Xie and Gu Yue had successively broken through the level-twenty bottleneck.

Xie Xie had gained his second soul ring, and his speed and explosive power had undergone a qualitative leap.

Although Gu Yue had not publicly displayed her second soul skill, her control over the elements had become more restrained and deadly.

As for Tang Wulin, although his Soul Power remained stuck at the peak of level nineteen, with the Dragon Swallowing Breathing Technique Tang Linyuan had improved for him, his Bloodline Power was as vigorous as that of a humanoid tyrannosaur.

Although the Golden Dragon King Seal had yet to be unlocked, his physical strength alone was already enough to withstand the attacks of a two-ringed Soul Grandmaster head-on.

Ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

"Time's up."

At that moment, the doors opened, and Wu Zhangkong entered in white robes, bringing a chill with him.

He looked at the four in the arena. For once, there was no disdain in his icy blue eyes.

"Today is the last day of special training."

Wu Zhangkong stood at the edge of the arena with his hands behind his back.

"Tomorrow is the Class Promotion Tournament. Whether you can walk away from that position depends on this final battle."

"Tang Linyuan." Wu Zhangkong looked at the boy.

Tang Linyuan set down his cup and rolled his wrists, producing a series of crackling sounds.

"Understood."

He walked to the center of the arena. Facing the three who stood ready for battle, he did not put his hands in his pockets as usual, but slowly assumed a stance.

It was the opening form of ancient martial arts.

"Come." Tang Linyuan's gaze sharpened. "Let me see how much you've improved over these three months."

"Go!"

Xie Xie let out a low roar and attacked first.

This time, he did not charge in a straight line. Two yellow soul rings beneath his feet lit up simultaneously.

First Soul Skill: Light Dragon Blade!

Second Soul Skill: Light Dragon Storm!

Light and shadow intertwined as the storm rose.

Xie Xie's figure left three afterimages in the air, impossible to distinguish as real or false.

This was not merely an increase in speed, but control over rhythm. He had learned how to hide.

Hide in the wind, hide in the light, all for that single killing blow.

At the same time, the ground rumbled.

Tang Wulin did not release Blue Silver Grass. Instead, he stomped down hard, launching himself like a cannonball.

He did not seek to injure his opponent, only to seal him off!

At the very back, Gu Yue formed hand seals.

Red, blue, green, yellow.

Four-colored elements spun madly around her. Rather than firing directly, they fused together in an extremely unstable manner, forming a four-colored wheel of light that radiated an aura of destruction.

"Interesting."

The corner of Tang Linyuan's mouth lifted slightly.

Faced with Xie Xie's afterimages, he did not look with his eyes. Instead, he closed them.

Listen to the wind, discern the position.

The instant that cold gleam neared the back of his neck, Tang Linyuan tilted his head slightly, and the unavoidable strike grazed past his ear.

Then, his shoulder sank as he slammed backward.

Bang!

This was an ancient martial arts technique, the Mountain Leaning Strike.

It looked casual, but its force surpassed a thousand jun.

Xie Xie grunted. He felt as though he had crashed into a mountain and was sent flying backward.

But he reacted quickly. He forcibly twisted his waist in midair, borrowed the rebound force, and flung the Light Dragon Dagger from his hand, turning it into a golden streak that shot straight for Tang Linyuan's knee.

Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao!

Because Tang Wulin's heavy fist had already arrived.

"Brother! Take this!"

Tang Wulin roared as his somewhat delicate-looking but immensely powerful fist tore through the air toward Tang Linyuan's chest.

Tang Linyuan had no choice but to abandon his pursuit of Xie Xie. He drew a circle with one hand and used Taiji: Grasping the Sparrow's Tail to catch Tang Wulin's wrist.

Borrow force, redirect force, dissipate force.

Tang Wulin felt as though all his strength had struck cotton, and his body involuntarily pitched forward.

But at that moment, a sly smile suddenly appeared on Tang Wulin's lips.

"Entwine!"

Dozens of Blue Silver Grass vines erupted beneath Tang Linyuan's feet without warning, instantly wrapping around his legs.

This was Tang Wulin's true killing move—powerful control after closing in!

"Gu Yue!" Tang Wulin shouted.

"Go!"

Gu Yue, who had been waiting with power gathered, had a sharp gleam burst from her eyes.

The unstable four-colored wheel of light whistled forward, scorching the air and leaving charred marks in its wake.

This strike was enough to seriously injure an unprepared Soul Elder!

His legs were bound, and he was locked on from the front.

It seemed like an unwinnable situation.

Wu Zhangkong's gaze shifted slightly. Soul Power had already gathered in his hand, ready for him to intervene at any time.

But the next second, he dispersed the chill in his hand.

Because he saw Tang Linyuan's expression.

It was not panic, but... approval.

"Not bad. You've learned to use your heads."

Tang Linyuan chuckled softly.

Facing that terrifying wheel of light, he did not struggle against the restraints on his legs.

He inhaled, sank his shoulders, and dropped his elbows.

The Bloodline Power within him surged like roaring rivers, producing a rumble like thunder.

Break!

He gave a low shout.

Tang Linyuan did not use a soul skill. He threw a punch.

It looked like an ordinary punch, yet it contained an incomparably tyrannical force of intent.

After observing and comprehending the imagery of a Black Hole's Devour, he had integrated a trace of it into ancient martial arts boxing—a Spear Intent.

Using a fist in place of a spear, breaking ten thousand techniques with a single force!

Boom!!!

His fist collided with the wheel of light.

There was no violent explosion as expected. The seemingly berserk elemental wheel shattered into countless specks of light the instant it touched his fist, like glass hitting a hammer.

The terrifying fist wind did not abate, whipping Gu Yue's long hair wildly as she had no choice but to raise an arm to shield herself.

Then Tang Linyuan's leg muscles tensed, and he forcefully pushed outward.

Snap, snap, snap!

The Blue Silver Grass wrapped around his legs broke apart inch by inch.

His figure flickered, and he appeared behind Tang Wulin like a ghost. He kicked Tang Wulin squarely in the sturdy backside, sending him pitching forward onto Xie Xie, who had just climbed up to launch a sneak attack.

"Ow!"

The two rolled into a heap.

Tang Linyuan did not stop. His figure flashed again, instantly crossing ten meters to appear before Gu Yue.

Gu Yue was greatly alarmed and was just about to use Space Teleportation.

A hand had already lightly pressed against her forehead.

"Too slow."

The warmth of his touch spread through her. Gu Yue's body stiffened, and all elemental fluctuations instantly dispersed.

The entire arena fell silent.

The timer froze at "05:01".

Five minutes.

A full five minutes.

Although they had still lost in the end, although they had once again been wiped out in one sweep.

This time, they had forced Tang Linyuan to use both hands, forced out his boxing intent, and even made him take them seriously.

Tang Linyuan withdrew his hand. He looked at Xie Xie and Tang Wulin, battered and disheveled on the ground but with bright eyes, then at Gu Yue, who was breathing lightly before him.

For the first time since the special training began, he revealed a genuine smile.

"Congratulations."

The boy stood beneath the sunlight, straight as a spear. "You have graduated."