Provocation

"Next, we'll conduct practical combat training."

Wu Zhangkong closed his lesson plan. "Gather on the field in five minutes. Form pairs, and I'll guide you one by one. Find your own partner."

The moment he finished speaking, the classroom immediately erupted with activity.

The students rose one after another, pairing up with people they knew.

Tang Wulin and Gu Yue naturally formed a pair.

Zhong Shenxiu remained seated.

He swept his gaze across the classroom and found that most people had already paired up. Only a few were left alone—including himself.

Xie Xie suddenly walked up to Zhong Shenxiu. With an arrogant expression, he asked in a cocky tone, "Zhong Shenxiu, how about the two of us have a match later? You're level seventeen, and I'm level eighteen. There aren't many people in this class who can compete with me. Want to give it a try?"

The brown-haired, dark green-eyed boy stood before the desk, tall and straight, his gaze carrying undisguised provocation.

As one of the students with the highest Soul Power in the class, Xie Xie had absolute confidence in his own strength.

His Twin Martial Souls, the Light Dragon Dagger and Dark Dragon Dagger, granted him offensive power and agility far beyond others of the same level. Among his peers, he rarely met an equal.

Zhong Shenxiu set down his pen and slowly raised his head.

Those Light Gold Vertical Pupils met Xie Xie's dark green eyes. A predator-like focus and detachment instantly enveloped Xie Xie. That gaze did not seem to regard him as a classmate, but as prey whose threat level was being assessed—cold, indifferent, and carrying an aloof scrutiny.

Xie Xie's heart inexplicably tightened, but anger at being looked down upon soon surged within him.

Zhong Shenxiu looked Xie Xie over from head to toe, from his handsome but coldly proud face, to his well-proportioned build, to his seemingly casual yet guarded stance. The entire process lasted no more than two seconds, yet Xie Xie felt as though he had been completely seen through.

"Sure." Zhong Shenxiu answered concisely, his voice calm without the slightest ripple.

Xie Xie frowned, somewhat dissatisfied with Zhong Shenxiu's tone and the way he casually appraised others. He narrowed his eyes, and a dangerous glint flashed through his dark green pupils.

"Then it's settled."

A faintly provocative smile curled Xie Xie's lips. "I hope your strength lives up to those pretty eyes of yours."

Zhong Shenxiu did not respond. He merely lowered his head again and continued organizing his notes.

That feeling of being completely ignored made Xie Xie even more irritated, but he did not lash out. He only snorted coldly and returned to his seat.

The other students took in the entire scene, and murmurs immediately broke out around the room.

"Xie Xie is challenging Zhong Shenxiu?"

"This is going to be good! Neither of them is easy to deal with, and their levels are close."

"Xie Xie has Twin Martial Souls and is so fast. Zhong Shenxiu will probably be at a disadvantage."

"Not necessarily. Haven't you heard? Zhong Shenxiu beat Lin Xuan badly enough to put him in the hospital. Lin Xuan is a level-seventeen control-type Soul Master."

Amid the discussion, Tang Wulin and Gu Yue exchanged a glance.

"Who do you think will win?" Tang Wulin asked softly.

Thought flickered through Gu Yue's black eyes. "Xie Xie's Twin Martial Souls are troublesome. The Light Dragon Dagger focuses on offense, while the Dark Dragon Dagger focuses on speed. Together, they're incredibly powerful. As for Zhong Shenxiu... I can't see through him."

Tang Wulin nodded. He could not see through Zhong Shenxiu either. Whatever lay hidden beneath those Light Gold Vertical Pupils instinctively made him feel danger.

Five minutes quickly passed. Wu Zhangkong was the first to leave the classroom, and the students filed out behind him toward the field.

Eastsea Academy's field was enormous, with a standard four-hundred-meter track and a football-field-sized lawn in the center. It had currently been divided into several combat zones.

Under Wu Zhangkong's direction, the Class 1-5 students dispersed to their designated areas.

"Pair up freely. Begin your matches."

Wu Zhangkong stood at the edge of the field with his arms crossed, his gaze sweeping over everyone like a blade. "I'll observe each person's performance and point out your problems. Remember, actual combat is no game. Give it your all, but do not try to kill anyone."

The instant he finished speaking, every group sprang into action.

Xie Xie impatiently walked up to Zhong Shenxiu, a confident smile on his lips. "Come on, let me see how capable the guy who got put in detention on the first day of school really is."

The surrounding students gathered around, clearly eager to watch this duel.

Tang Wulin and Gu Yue also stood nearby, watching intently.

Zhong Shenxiu said nothing. He merely nodded and walked toward a relatively open area.

The two faced each other from twenty meters apart.

"Begin!" Wu Zhangkong's voice rang out.

Almost simultaneously, Xie Xie moved.

He was incredibly fast, like a dark green shadow. He crossed the twenty-meter distance in an instant, and with a flick of his right hand, a pure white dagger radiating a gentle glow appeared in his grasp—the Light Dragon Dagger!

His first soul ring lit up. The Light Dragon Dagger blazed brightly and transformed into a fierce blade radiance that slashed straight at Zhong Shenxiu's face.

The strike was lightning-fast, precise, and vicious, with no intention of holding back.

But Zhong Shenxiu reacted even faster.

The moment Xie Xie made his move, he had already reached a judgment. He neither retreated nor dodged, instead stepping forward directly into the blade radiance.

A low dragon's roar faintly sounded from within his body.

Dense pale golden dragon scales surged forth from his neck and the ends of his limbs like a tide, instantly covering every vital part of his body.

His ten fingers extended, transforming into pale golden dragon claws as sharp as blades.

Brilliant gold dragon horns emerged from both sides of his forehead.

A blazing light burned within his molten-gold vertical pupils.

Zhong Shenxiu raised his left hand, and his dragon claw accurately seized the incoming Light Dragon Dagger.

Clang!

The sound of metal striking metal rang out. The blade radiance from the Light Dragon Dagger exploded against the dragon claw, yet it failed to leave even a mark.

Xie Xie's pupils contracted. He had not expected Zhong Shenxiu to dare catch his soul skill directly with his bare hand. What shocked him even more was the terrifying force of that claw. His wrist went numb from the impact, and he nearly lost his grip on the dagger.

But Xie Xie was still Xie Xie, a genius with Twin Martial Souls.

When his first strike failed, he immediately changed tactics. His body bent backward as though boneless, evading Zhong Shenxiu's possible follow-up while his left hand flipped over. Another dagger appeared, entirely black and exuding a chilling aura—the Dark Dragon Dagger!

The Dark Dragon Dagger struck without a sound, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, stabbing toward Zhong Shenxiu's lower abdomen.

The angle of the strike was tricky, its speed even faster, and it came with absolutely no warning.

Yet Zhong Shenxiu seemed to have anticipated it.

His body twisted at an unbelievable angle. The Dark Dragon Dagger scraped across his dragon scales with a piercing screech. Almost at the same time, Zhong Shenxiu's right leg lashed out like a whip, kicking directly at Xie Xie's side.

Xie Xie reacted swiftly, drawing back the Dark Dragon Dagger to defend himself and blocking it at his waist.

Bang!

Leg and dagger collided. Xie Xie felt an immense force slam into him, sending him sliding five or six meters to the side before he barely managed to steady himself.

In just two seconds and two exchanges, Xie Xie had been suppressed twice.

The crowd erupted in uproar.

"Such incredible strength!"

"Xie Xie is that fast, and yet he still got read so easily?"

"That dragon-scale defense is absurd. Even the Light Dragon Dagger can't break through it..."

Xie Xie's expression darkened.

He knew he had underestimated his opponent. Zhong Shenxiu's combat awareness and reaction speed far exceeded his expectations.

The defense and power of those dragon claws were also outrageously strong.

"Interesting."

Xie Xie licked his lips, and the fighting spirit in his dark green eyes intensified. "Now we're talking."

He took a deep breath, and his figure vanished once more.

This time, he no longer held back.

The Light Dragon Dagger and Dark Dragon Dagger lit up simultaneously. Two blade radiances crossed as they slashed out, one bright and one dark, one forceful and one supple, sealing off every avenue of Zhong Shenxiu's escape.

Xie Xie's figure flickered behind the two blade radiances. He was even faster than before, shifting unpredictably like a ghost.

This was a tactic he had developed himself—crossed twin daggers, light and darkness working together, using his speed advantage to create layered attacks and wear his opponent down.

Yet Zhong Shenxiu remained calm.

The crossing blade radiances reflected in those molten-gold vertical pupils. His pupils contracted slightly, as though he were analyzing the trajectory and weakness of every attack.

Then, he moved.