"Hey, Gu Yue, what are you standing around for? Come on, let's go take a look."
Na'er tugged lightly at Gu Yue's sleeve. Ever since earlier, Gu Yue had kept sneaking glances at Tang Wulin.
To Gu Yue, Tang Wulin, who bore the Golden Dragon King God Core, was like a plump, tempting chicken leg, constantly dangling right in front of her.
Gu Yue came back to her senses and quietly swallowed. She forcibly suppressed the "appetite" stirring inside her.
She had already foreseen the outcome of this match, but still followed Na'er on instinct, joining the rest of their class.
How could the sharp-eyed Na'er fail to notice Gu Yue's odd behavior? To be honest, having a mountain of treasure right before you and being unable to make use of it was a pretty miserable feeling.
Eastsea Academy's advanced arena.
Su Jiu took a look around and estimated that the arena could withstand a Soul Ancestor at most. A Soul Saint would be too dangerous.
"Teacher Wu, let's hold back a little. No Soul Skills. How about it?"
At that, Wu Zhangkong looked down at the Class Five students crowding around the arena and gave a slight nod, agreeing to Su Jiu's suggestion. Then he saluted.
"Wu Zhangkong, level 75 Battle Soul Master, Martial Soul: Heavenly Frost Sword. Please instruct me!"
"Su Jiu, level 72 Battle Soul Master, Martial Soul: Azure Dragon Battle Armor. Please instruct me!"
Wu Zhangkong had already assumed his opening stance, the sharp edge of his Heavenly Frost Sword intent fully exposed, its chill spreading in every direction. Yet he frowned, faintly puzzled. Why couldn't he sense his opponent's cultivation?
"Teacher Wu, since you're not going to attack first, I'll get us started."
Su Jiu, clad in Azure Dragon Battle Armor, unleashed a tremendous force from his feet. The ground split apart with a roar.
His figure became a streak of blue-green light, like a dragon swimming through rivers and seas. His speed was astonishing. Even with Purple Demon Eye, Wu Zhangkong couldn't catch his movements.
Wu Zhangkong's heart jolted. He immediately used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, slipping aside to dodge and trying to put some distance between them. But against Su Jiu's overwhelming speed, every evasion was pale and futile. In an instant, the two were almost upon each other.
At the critical moment, Wu Zhangkong unleashed the Heavenly Frost Sword intent he had cultivated for more than twenty years. At the same time, two streaks of purple light silently followed behind it.
Where the sword energy passed, the arena floor churned like an earth dragon, cracking apart inch by inch.
Beneath his helmet, Su Jiu took it all in and couldn't help chuckling to himself. Tang Sect Secret Arts—he's pretty good with them.
Dragon Claw Hand. His Azure Dragon claw gauntlet, its edges jagged and fierce, swept through the air, directly tearing apart the Heavenly Frost Sword intent rushing at him without being moved in the slightest. The two streaks of Purple Divine Light that followed were also blasted apart by a casual punch from Su Jiu, vanishing without a trace.
What?!
Su Jiu closed in on him in an instant. Wu Zhangkong had no time to dwell on his shock and immediately activated Mysterious Jade Hand.
His hands turned into lustrous white jade. He held the Heavenly Frost Sword across his chest, its fierce, icy sword intent surging, while two more streaks of Purple Divine Light shot from his eyes straight at Su Jiu.
Su Jiu's blue-green punch blasted through the air like a cannonball, slamming down hard on the Heavenly Frost Sword.
Wu Zhangkong felt a terrifying force sweep over him, numbing and shaking his arms. His hands, strengthened by Mysterious Jade Hand, let out a brittle cry like porcelain pushed past its limits, as if they might shatter at any moment.
At this critical juncture, Wu Zhangkong decisively retreated, hoping to use the backward momentum to dissipate the force.
But just then, a sudden wave of dizziness surged into his mind. His heart lurched. The purple light that had just passed him was—astonishingly—the Purple Divine Light he himself had fired!
How could this be?!
Wu Zhangkong stumbled back several meters. His vision went black, and he passed out.
The entire fight had lasted less than ten seconds.
Su Jiu withdrew his Azure Dragon Battle Armor and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Luckily, he had held back and hadn't damaged Wu Zhangkong's Martial Soul.
He didn't want Zhuo Shi finding out. With his fiercely protective temper, he'd probably come to Eastsea Academy and make a scene again.
"All right, all right. Let's head to the field now. Time to run laps."
Su Jiu cut off the Class Five students, who still wanted more, and waved them toward the field like a man herding chicks.
But they weren't having it. Every one of them looked at Su Jiu with a long face, whispering and grumbling under their breath.
"Fine! We'll just go through the motions. Everyone except the support-type Soul Masters runs twenty laps, and the support-type students run ten. How's that?"
One lap was 400 meters. That meant four kilometers for support types and eight kilometers for assault, agility, and control types. It shouldn't be too hard.
"The sun's not too strong yet, so hurry up and finish. Then we can head back to the classroom and enjoy the air conditioning."
"Let's go."
"As long as it's not fifty laps, twenty is still bearable..."
"Brother Hu, how many laps are you running?"
"Xiao Liang, didn't Teacher Su say support-type Soul Masters only had to do ten?"
"Oh, right, right. Brother Hu's right..."
Su Jiu couldn't be bothered with their attempts to cut corners. He had always believed in letting them police themselves.
He took it all in stride. He was just a teacher who taught and answered questions, not a parent or master who had to fret over every little thing and cover every angle.
Besides, could anyone force a Titled Douluo into being?
Of course, that excluded Xuan Zi, the Holy Spirit Cult's Supreme Elder in the S2 season.
"Na'er, come here a moment."
"Ah Jiu... Teacher Su, what's wrong?"
Na'er corrected herself in time and jogged over, then stood there with a silly grin.
"Na'er, given your condition, you don't have to..."
"No! I know my own condition. I don't want to be a vase who can only hide behind you!"
Meeting Na'er's stubborn, resolute gaze, Su Jiu chuckled. He had been overthinking it. If he kept going, he'd only sound like a nag. He pinched Na'er's cheek and reminded her,
"If you start feeling unwell, don't push yourself. Understand?"
"Mm!"
Gu Yue watched it all from the crowd. An inexplicable sourness made her fingernails dig into her palms. She didn't like this feeling. After a glance, she forced herself to turn away.
Hmph! Lady Gu Yue doesn't care!
Glancing at Wu Zhangkong, still lying there and sleeping soundly, Su Jiu decided that this wouldn't do. He'd be a good person for once.
"Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Zhou Changxi, Yun Xiao, come over here."
"Coming!"
"Teacher Su, what is it?"
The four youngsters stood respectfully in front of Su Jiu, no longer grinning and joking around.
"It's nothing much,"
Su Jiu said casually, pointing at Wu Zhangkong.
"It's a bit far from here to the field. Just carry Wu Zhangkong to a shady spot by the field. I'll treat you to lunch today."
The four had clearly been reluctant to carry Wu Zhangkong, but once they heard about lunch, that was another matter.
Wu Zhangkong was heavy, but that couldn't dampen Tang Wulin and the others' enthusiasm for a Grade A Meal. They hadn't expected to get one yesterday, let alone again today.
A breeze swept past, and Wu Zhangkong slowly woke. Hadn't he been on the arena just now?
"Teacher Wu, you're awake."
Wu Zhangkong looked up. It was Su Jiu, wearing a fake smile. He knew that smile well, and hated it. Unpleasant memories drifted through his mind.
"Wu Zhangkong, disciple of Sea God Pavilion Elder Zhuo Shi, once a member of the Shrek Inner Court, an undisputed heaven's chosen."
"Then your girlfriend Long Bing went undercover at Shrek to steal..."
"Enough! Stop talking!"
Wu Zhangkong suddenly interrupted Su Jiu, killing intent bursting from him. Long Bing was the one subject he least wanted to discuss. No one had the right to casually speak about her!
"Tell me, who exactly are you?"
"Heh. Teacher Wu, rein in your killing intent. Your students are right here."
"As for who I am, you can think of me as someone bringing you good news."
Su Jiu ignored Wu Zhangkong's hostile glare and continued,
"I have a way, with a good chance of bringing your girlfriend Long Bing back to life."
He met Wu Zhangkong's gaze, where shock, doubt, killing intent, and grief mingled. His expression was solemn, though deep down he was being anything but well-intentioned.
"Teacher Wu, you have everything you need. I'm sure you'll succeed."
Before you continue