Lan Kai: Crap, Gu Yue's going to covet my body?

"Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition? And we have to participate in the seven-person team competition?"

The next day, when Wu Zhangkong announced this news in the classroom, everyone in Zero Class except Lan Kai wore an expression of shock.

For a large-scale competition held once every five years with strict age limits, many people inevitably suffer due to the timing of their birthdays relative to the event, and the members of Zero Class are the classic representatives of this bad luck.

They are all around eleven years old now, including Gu Yue, so they are naturally at a significant disadvantage when participating in the Youth Group competition, which is restricted to ages eleven to fifteen.

Of course, it isn't just the age disadvantage; for various reasons, Zero Class had never conducted any team training involving more than three people. Even in the Spirit Ascension Platform, Lan Kai always sat out due to the disparity in strength, never having coordinated with the others.

Caught between these two dilemmas, most of Zero Class naturally felt confused by Wu Zhangkong's proposal.

However, Wu Zhangkong offered no explanation. After informing everyone that they would be heading to Tianhai City in a month to participate in the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition, he simply continued his lecture.

His lessons, however, were now mostly practical combat, and he would even use his own Soul Skills.

Except for Lan Kai, the rest of Zero Class found the training unbearable, but the newcomer, Xu Xiaoyan, not only felt no discomfort but was actually quite excited.

Before the practical combat lesson began, she even leaned over to Lan Kai and whispered:

"Class monitor, are the lessons in Zero Class always this interesting?"

Hearing Xu Xiaoyan ask this, Lan Kai's expression nearly cracked for a moment. What kind of "Three Pure Ones" education speech was that?

However, Lan Kai could use the power of Wu Zhangkong to overcome his fear of low temperatures, and he could further control and master the power of the fire attribute; compared to Juggler's training, this was clearly a brand-new experience.

Therefore, he was quite interested in Wu Zhangkong's practical combat lessons, standing in stark contrast to the God King of Defeat, who was the loudest in complaining about the misery of Zero Class.

Additionally, Lan Kai suddenly grew curious, recalling that Xu Xiaoyan's Martial Soul, before it fully mutated, had special abilities that could only be displayed at night.

"Yes, it is indeed very interesting."

Lan Kai nodded and replied softly.

In just one class, Xu Xiaoyan's "Gu Yue Phobia" was completely cured by Wu Zhangkong, and she successfully integrated into Zero Class.

Unexpectedly, Lan Kai, who rarely fought alongside the others in Zero Class, formed a tacit understanding with them with surprising ease. Not only was his individual combat power not diminished, but he could also coordinate better with the entire team, producing effects that exceeded Wu Zhangkong's imagination.

On the contrary, even after being "educated" by both Wu Zhangkong and Lan Kai, Gu Yue's relationship with the rest of Zero Class seemed to grow more distant, as if she were not a member of the team at all.

Although her performance in the team was passable, if one looked at her level of effort, she was a complete failure, not even measuring up to the newly joined Xu Xiaoyan.

For this reason, Wu Zhangkong grew troubled. He even specifically sought out Lan Kai, hoping that Lan Kai would use his connection with Juggler to contact Leng Yaozhu, hoping that by "snitching" indirectly, he could get Leng Yaozhu to help Gu Yue see reason.

"Teacher, are you asking me to go tattle on her?" Lan Kai looked at Wu Zhangkong, speechless, not at all optimistic about this "calling the parents" approach.

If anything, Wu Zhangkong's initial educational method of trying to force Gu Yue into the team was completely incompatible with her.

Moreover, he wasn't Ultraman Mebius; he couldn't conjure an incredibly powerful idealistic form through friendship and bonds to slap some sense into Gu Yue.

As for Leng Yaozhu... Lan Kai didn't think that woman could do anything to help with Gu Yue's upbringing.

"Please, if even you, as someone from the Spirit Pagoda, can't make Gu Yue understand the importance of team coordination..."

Faced with Wu Zhangkong's request, which sounded rather inappropriate, Lan Kai eventually agreed, treating it as a return favor for the time Gu Yue went to Leng Yaozhu to complain about him.

However, to Lan Kai's surprise, three days later, Gu Yue's coordination with the rest of Zero Class had actually become much more harmonious.

Yet, both Wu Zhangkong and Lan Kai noticed something strange: the inclination Gu Yue once held toward Tang Wulin had now shifted to Lan Kai.

Wu Zhangkong felt there was something off, but nothing major; after all, Lan Kai's abilities were the most outstanding in Zero Class, and since both he and Gu Yue were from the Spirit Pagoda, such an inclination wasn't entirely strange.

But Lan Kai was starting to panic. Wu Zhangkong might not see it, but he knew very well that Gu Yue was eyeing him—he just didn't know if she was after the Light of Orb or Lan Kai himself.

Perhaps it was the former for now, but in this Romance Continent, where even brotherhood could turn into true love in an instant, Lan Kai was quite certain that Gu Yue's feelings would eventually warp.

However, when Juggler heard Lan Kai's speculation, he immediately let out his signature boisterous laugh, a smile almost identical to the one he wore when he first snatched the card case from Kurenai Gai.

"Isn't that a good thing? If that Silver Dragon King really falls in love with you, perhaps it might even be a good thing for this world, right?"

"Good my foot! Why did you, Teacher Juggler, flee from the Storage Facility in such a hurry back then? Should I go steal some special anesthetic from the Tang Sect and contact Ohta Yuka?"

Lan Kai wanted to flip the table in anger, but he held back, instead launching a tit-for-tat protest.

Juggler's expression immediately went blank. Thinking of that subordinate who looked exactly like someone he had a history with—and who wanted to dissect him—he instantly understood how Lan Kai felt.

But Juggler didn't say much more, simply patting him on the shoulder and telling him to handle it himself.

After all, if worse came to worst, he could always pull an "Ultra Marriage Escape"; it wasn't like no other Ultra had done that before.

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and the day finally arrived for Zero Class to participate in the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition.

Except for Tang Wulin, who was also participating in the Forging Project, everyone else was only competing in the one-on-one and team battles.

However, Tang Wulin, now under the tutelage of Mu Chen, was slightly confused as to why Lan Kai would give up on the Forging Project after learning that Lan Kai definitely wouldn't be participating—though he was secretly happy to have one less rival for the championship prize money.

"Senior brother, you can already perform Spirit Refinement, why aren't you participating in the Alliance Grand Competition?"

"It's too boring, I don't want to go." Lan Kai waved his hand, then followed Wu Zhangkong onto the soul-guided bus.