Wu Zhangkong Felt He Should Do Something

The promising students he had his eye on were all somewhat unusual.

Zhong Shenxiu possessed exceptional talent—he could even be called the most terrifying existence Wu Zhangkong had ever seen among his peers.

Yet that child was always alone. Even "withdrawn" was not enough to describe him—withdrawn people often had emotional knots, trauma, vulnerabilities they were unwilling to show others.

But Zhong Shenxiu had none of that.

He did not stay away from people because he had been hurt. From the very beginning, he simply had never regarded other people as worthy of his attention.

It was not anger, not resentment, not inferiority, and certainly not feigned aloofness.

It was genuine indifference.

It was as though an invisible film separated him from this world. He could see the world, and the world could see him, yet he had never truly belonged here.

Sometimes, Wu Zhangkong wondered whether this child had long since planned out his path, his destination, and the price he would have to pay. And on that path, there was no room for anyone else.

Alone and isolated.

Walking a solitary road.

Those two phrases lingered in Wu Zhangkong's mind for a long time.

Gu Yue was slightly better.

At least Tang Wulin was by her side.

Yet despite being a genius nearly on the same level, Gu Yue seemed to have little interest in cultivation.

Wu Zhangkong had observed her for a long time and found that she almost never did extra training after class, nor did she often take the initiative to ask about the use of soul skills. She performed excellently in class, but only "excellently"—she was not giving it her all. It was more like she was merely going through the motions.

She could clearly be stronger.

She clearly should have been stronger.

Yet Gu Yue seemed unable to muster any interest in becoming stronger.

Wu Zhangkong could not understand it no matter how much he thought about it.

Only Tang Wulin, the student whom Wu Zhangkong could somewhat fully take notice of, possessed an entirely opposite personality.

He was conscientious in everything he did.

He treated others gently.

His character was resilient.

Like a little sun, he was always striving forward and staying optimistic.

Wu Zhangkong remembered the first time he met Tang Wulin. This level-twelve Blue Silver Grass Soul Master had stood among classmates whose talents far surpassed his own, with neither inferiority nor timidity in his eyes—only a resolve no one could ignore.

While others rested, he practiced the precision of Entangle. While others complained that Blue Silver Grass was too weak, he refined his control over Soul Power again and again. When Gu Yue was silent, he quietly stayed by her side. When Xie Xie was being stubborn, he gave him a way out. When Zhong Shenxiu left alone, he watched his retreating figure.

He was gentle with everyone else, yet incomparably harsh on himself.

Wu Zhangkong had seen countless geniuses, but he had rarely encountered someone like Tang Wulin.

He did not have the greatest talent, but he was the hardest-working, the most resilient, and the one who made people believe, "He will definitely succeed."

His only flaw was his low Innate Soul Power.

Level twelve.

Among first-years clustered at levels fifteen and sixteen, his rank was near the bottom.

No matter how hard he worked, his cultivation speed could not catch up to those classmates with high Innate Soul Power. This was not a gap willpower could make up for. It was the shackles of his bloodline, a joke played by fate.

Wu Zhangkong watched Tang Wulin leave early and return late every day, watched him sweat profusely on the training grounds, watched him never complain and never lose heart. He could not describe how he felt.

Heartache?

Admiration?

Or some deeper resonance he was unwilling to acknowledge?

He did not know.

He only knew that of these three children, one was alone and isolated, one was absent-minded, and one was carrying a heavy burden as he moved forward.

And he was their teacher.

He should do something.

That day, Wu Zhangkong could no longer endure it.

The practical combat training was halfway through. The students were fighting in pairs, and flashes of Soul Power rose and fell across the field. Tang Wulin and Xie Xie were paired together, their Light Dragon Dagger and Blue Silver Grass coordination awkward and stumbling. Gu Yue stood alone at the edge of the field, idly playing with a wisp of flame at her fingertips.

Zhong Shenxiu had just finished a match. He had knocked his opponent down with three punches and was now standing at the side with his eyes closed, regulating his breathing.

"Zhong Shenxiu."

Wu Zhangkong walked over to him. "Come with me."

Zhong Shenxiu opened his eyes. His golden vertical pupils looked calmly at Wu Zhangkong. He did not ask why, nor did he ask where they were going.

He merely rose to his feet, put away his water bottle, and followed behind Wu Zhangkong.

The two walked one behind the other toward the old locust tree in the corner of the field.

Its shade blotted out the sky, shielding them from the late summer heat. Dappled light filtered through the leaves, dancing across Wu Zhangkong's white windbreaker.

Wu Zhangkong stopped and turned around.

Zhong Shenxiu stood before him, his posture straight and his gaze calm.

Silence descended once more.

But it was different from their silence in the corridor last time—that silence had meant, "I don't know how to answer you."

This silence meant, "I don't know how to begin."

For once, Wu Zhangkong felt a trace of helplessness.

What should he say?

"Why are you always alone?"

Too direct.

Given Zhong Shenxiu's personality, he would probably only answer, "I'm used to it," and the subject would end there.

"What plans do you have for the future?"

Too official.

Zhong Shenxiu would definitely list every one of his goals and express absolute confidence in accomplishing them.

And then? What could Wu Zhangkong say after that?

"Have you ever considered that you need companions?"

The words circled in his throat three times before he finally swallowed them.

Because Wu Zhangkong was not sure whether that was true.

Did Zhong Shenxiu need companions?

His strength surpassed the entire grade, his cultivation speed was astonishing, and his combat talent crushed those of his peers. He had never asked anyone for help, nor had he shown any dependence on anyone.

On his own, he seemed capable of walking his path just fine.

But—

"Teacher Wu." Zhong Shenxiu spoke.

Wu Zhangkong came back to his senses.

"You called for me. What is it?"

Zhong Shenxiu asked. His tone remained calm, but a faint, almost imperceptible confusion flickered in his golden vertical pupils.

He had clearly sensed that something was off with Wu Zhangkong as well.

Wu Zhangkong fell silent for several seconds.

In the end, he softly sighed and asked, "Zhong Shenxiu, I want to ask you something. Why don't you have any friends at the academy?"

Zhong Shenxiu raised an eyebrow.

That expression rarely appeared on his face—those pale golden vertical pupils were always as still as an ancient well, and his sharply defined features were always as cold as frost and snow. Yet that raised brow now revealed a touch of youthful spirit befitting his age.

He seemed not to have expected that Wu Zhangkong had solemnly called him over here just to ask such a thing.

"No time," Zhong Shenxiu answered.

Three words.

Wu Zhangkong waited for a moment, only to find that there was nothing more.

"That's it?" he asked.

Zhong Shenxiu looked at him. A faint, nearly uncatchable emotion flashed through those golden vertical pupils—not impatience, not resistance, but a strange confusion.

He did not understand why Wu Zhangkong would ask such a question.

Nor did he understand why Wu Zhangkong was dissatisfied with that answer.

But, unusually, he explained a little more.

"I need to cultivate."

"I need to study."

"I also need to make Soul Tools."

He raised his chin slightly, his molten-gold vertical pupils calmly meeting Wu Zhangkong's gaze.

"I use one person like three," he said. "Where would I find the time?"