The Eve of Devil Training

"Ah???"

"Extra training after class?"

"Old Su, didn't you say that as long as we mastered everything you taught in class, you wouldn't interfere with our extracurricular life? You..."

Gu Yue bristled on the spot.

She didn't have much free time to begin with; every time she finally managed to finish school and let loose, she would inevitably be forcibly logged out by Gu Yuena.

Precisely because of this, Gu Yue regarded these few moments of freedom after school as exceptionally precious.

But now, he actually wanted to keep the four of them behind for extra training?

Chief Gu was immediately displeased, glaring at Su Jiu with such ferocity that it felt as if she might pounce and devour him the next second.

"Hiss--!"

"Little Gu Yue, let's be democratic. I'll leave the decision to you four. Hold an internal vote and go with the majority. That should be fair, right?"

Su Jiu offered a concession. He couldn't just leave Tang Wulin and Xie Xie to their own devices and let Na'er and Gu Yue carry the Class Promotion Tournament alone, could he?

One was a level 25 Soul Grand Master, the other a level 19 Soul Master. While Na'er alone was enough to achieve a crushing victory, a Class 5 that rose through the ranks that way would never win the respect of the other classes. Having Tang Wulin involved, however, changed things.

Tang Wulin, whose talent was suppressed by the Golden Dragon King God Core in the early stages, was truly a lost cause. He had successfully proven that Blue Silver Grass was nothing but a trash martial soul, slapping the face of Yu Dashu's claim that "there are no trash martial souls, only trash Soul Masters." His talent was essentially on par with the early-stage Dai Yuhao.

Moreover, Na'er was his trump card. Shouldn't a trump card remain mysterious? The more mysterious it was, the easier it was to cause others to overthink, so Su Jiu wouldn't let her take the stage easily.

"Becoming a powerful Soul Master does require guidance, but the most important thing is your own determination. Think it over carefully."

Su Na'er: "Agreed!"

Tang Wulin: "Agreed!"

Xie Xie: "Agreed!"

Gu Yue: "Objection!"

Almost as soon as Su Jiu finished speaking, the three little ones gave their replies without the slightest hesitation.

Their eyes burned with a fiery light, their determination and persistence toward becoming stronger exceptionally firm.

After all, constantly breaking through one's own limits to become the strongest Soul Master was the ambition and obsession deep in the heart of every passionate youth.

Su Jiu's lips curled into a satisfied smile, and he nodded gently.

His gaze swept over Gu Yue, who stood to the side with a gloomy expression and slightly puffed-out cheeks.

He knew this girl's temperament better than anyone; she always responded to soft persuasion rather than force. He would just have to have a private talk with her later to set her mindset straight.

"Alright, the special training starts tomorrow, half an hour after school. I hope to see all four of you here, bright and early."

"Dismissed!"

"Gu Yue, stay behind."

Su Jiu gave Na'er a look, signaling her to head back first and not to wait for him.

"Phew! Hehe, Wulin, I heard the cafeteria has Bluefin Tuna Belly today, half price! Let's go check it out!"

"Let's go! My stomach has been on strike for a while now."

"Right, Su Na'er, want to come with..."

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie had intended to invite Na'er to join them for a meal, but the air pressure around her was terrifyingly low. It gave them both such a jolt that they instinctively took a few steps back, swallowing the invitation that had been on the tip of their tongues.

Na'er seemed like a completely different person.

"Wulin, maybe we should just..."

"Yeah, yeah, let's go."

Na'er stood in place with a dark expression, completely devoid of her usual obedient and gentle demeanor. Her silver eyes dimmed, a dangerous crimson flickering in their depths from time to time as she stared fixedly at the backs of Su Jiu and Gu Yue as they walked away.

A wave of intense unease surged in her heart once more, and she muttered to herself in a low voice.

"Ah Jiu, you're looking for Gu Yue and Gu Yuena again. Is Na'er not cute enough? Is Na'er not obedient enough? She can satisfy you, Ah Jiu, but Na'er can satisfy you just the same."

"Ah Jiu, why do you always look for them? Or is it that you think Na'er isn't as charming as they are?"

Suddenly, a sickly smile curled onto Na'er's gloomy face, and an unhealthy flush rose to her cheeks. At the same time, a flash of World-Shocking Wisdom crossed her mind.

"It seems I'll have to lock Ah Jiu away later. Lock him in a secret room where no one can find him. That way, Ah Jiu will never leave Na'er again..."

The fiery clouds of the midsummer evening were slowly swallowed by the night sky. The sudden cry of a night bird pulled Na'er back to reality from her chaotic thoughts.

She raised a hand to gently touch her burning cheek. Faced with the outrageous thought in her heart, she felt not a shred of shock, but rather a calm acceptance.

Ah Jiu belonged to Na'er. Aside from Sister Leng, no one could take him away!

East Sea Snack Street.

"Little 'Gu Yue', still angry?"

Su Jiu could conclude that the one holding his hand so proactively was Gu Yuena piloting Gu Yue's body; the current Gu Yue would never make such a move.

"Not at all~ How could I be angry at Old Su? I know Old Su does everything for my own good. I'm just happy about it."

'Gu Yue' smiled sweetly, her eyes brimming with radiance.

"Yo~ little girl, you've even learned how to play the little green tea card!"

"Anyway, when it comes time for training, you'll just hide in the sea of consciousness and sleep soundly, leaving poor Little Gu Yue to come out and do all the hard work, right?"

Su Jiu curled his lips; once Gu Yue separates from you, you'll have a hard time ahead!

"By the way, Old Su, you brought me here, so you must be treating me, right! In that case, I won't be polite, hee hee~"

"I want to eat that!"

'Gu Yue' pointed at the deep-fried giant squid stall, her eyes full of craving, but Su Jiu remained unmoved.

"Old Su, I want to eat it, buy it for me~"

"Hehe~ Little 'Gu Yue', I never promised to treat you. We're just here to relax; watching others eat is enough. Look at your little belly, it's already..."

'Gu Yue' blushed. She had indeed been indulging too much lately and hadn't controlled her appetite, causing her figure to lose its shape, but that was no excuse for him to be stingy!

"We've walked around enough, let's go back to school to eat; the food at school is healthier."

"Besides, if you get too fat, no one will want you when you grow up... Let's go!"

"Hey! Old Su, that was a heart-stabbing remark, hmph!"

'Gu Yue' complained, but she still followed him like a little tail, taking Su Jiu's hand once again.

At night, in Su Jiu's dormitory.

"Xie Xie, martial soul Twin Dragon Daggers, it's actually similar to my own Twin Claw Blade: Sharp Bee Hunting; both belong to the category of extremely short-range, close-quarters burst combat."

"It falls under the agility-attack category, but in this era, apart from Underworld Emperor Halosa and myself, the status of agility-attack types is incredibly awkward. It's even more of a pity that Xie Xie currently only masters light and dark elements, only awakening the space and time elements of the Space-Time Dragon in the later stages."

"I could teach him footwork and blade techniques, though..."

"Gu Yue, martial soul Elementalist (Silver Dragon King), masters the seven (ultimate) elements and the immortal physique of a dragon."

"This one is simple; just let her learn more Physics knowledge and movement techniques."

"Hiss--!"

"Tang Wulin? He's a bit tricky."

"One could say Blue Silver Grass is even more useless than Dai Yuhao's Spirit Eye. His advantages are his great strength and ability to endure hardship; he has perfectly inherited the forging talent of the Old Tang family line."

"Forging, is it forging..."

"Right, a hammer."

Su Jiu suddenly thought of Thresh; Blue Silver Grass and a forging hammer are actually a good, unexpected tactic for Tang Wulin among his peers at this stage.

"Brother A-Jiu, what about Na'er's?"

Na'er, sitting in Su Jiu's lap, shifted restlessly, her little bottom rubbing against his forbidden zone rhythmically.

He suspected Na'er was doing it on purpose, but that innocent and guileless face made Su Jiu immediately dismiss the thought, though the sensation made him sit in restless discomfort.

Grow up quickly, Na'er...