The Turmoil and Pain in His Heart

At last, his gaze fell on Tang Wulin.

Level twelve.

He had only advanced one level.

Compared to the other three, this result could only be described as dismal.

But Wu Zhangkong knew the truth.

Tang Wulin's level twelve strength was fully comparable to that of an ordinary two-ring Soul Grandmaster.

That seemingly ordinary Blue Silver Grass martial soul wielded unimaginable power in Tang Wulin's hands.

Then there was his terrifying physical strength and recovery ability—Wu Zhangkong even suspected that, in a purely physical contest, an ordinary three-ring Soul Elder might not necessarily be Tang Wulin's match.

Four children.

Four monsters.

A thought suddenly rose in Wu Zhangkong's heart—

If nothing unexpected happened, ten or twenty years from now, these four would surely have a place on the Douluo Continent.

"I called you here," Wu Zhangkong said, his voice as cold as ever, "to tell you something."

All four turned their eyes toward him at once.

"The first match of the Class Promotion Tournament will begin next week."

"Teacher, who will Class Four send to compete against us? Do we know anything about them?" Xie Xie asked Wu Zhangkong eagerly.

Wu Zhangkong said coldly, "If you need information just to defeat a mere Class Four, are you worthy of being my students? You have only one task in next week's match: crush them! Do you understand?"

"Yes!" the four answered in unison.

Wu Zhangkong said, "The Class Promotion Tournament is about to begin. There will be one match every day until all matches are complete. I'm giving you a goal: fight your way to fourth grade."

Fight their way to fourth grade?

Hearing those words, Tang Wulin's eyes filled with shock. Although Xie Xie was very confident in himself, he could not help swallowing at the mention of fourth grade.

After all, some talented students had already reached the two-ring level by fourth grade. There were even third graders who were two-ring Soul Grandmasters. They were only first graders—how could it be easy to fight their way up to fourth grade?

Zhong Shenxiu and Gu Yue, however, looked indifferent, as though the strength of their opponents did not matter to them at all.

Wu Zhangkong said blandly, "I mean Class One of fourth grade. Defeat Class One of fourth grade, and you can receive all the rewards. Otherwise, they will all be confiscated as class funds."

Xie Xie protested, "Teacher, isn't that too harsh?"

Wu Zhangkong said, "If you think it's harsh, you may withdraw. Perfect timing, too. If Shenxiu, Gu Yue, and Wulin compete as a team of three, I won't even need to report it to Director Long."

Strictly speaking, there was no limit on the number of participants in the Class Promotion Tournament. Usually, Class Five, the lowest-ranked class, determined how many students each class would send. In other words, when they faced Class Four next week, however many people Wu Zhangkong registered, Class Four would have to send the same number to face them.

But traditionally, the matches were almost always three against three.

That was precisely why Wu Zhangkong needed to report the change in participant numbers to Long Hengxu in advance.

The office fell into brief silence.

Xie Xie opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but under Wu Zhangkong's icy gaze, he ultimately swallowed the words back down.

After they were dismissed and left the office, Tang Wulin quickened his pace and caught up with Zhong Shenxiu ahead of him.

"Zhong Shenxiu."

Zhong Shenxiu stopped and turned to look at him. His pale golden vertical pupils were calm and still as he waited for Tang Wulin to speak.

Tang Wulin suddenly felt a little nervous. He and Zhong Shenxiu had been classmates for two months, yet they had exchanged fewer than ten sentences. This person was too cold, so cold that no one knew how to approach him.

But there were still some things Tang Wulin wanted to say.

"Um..." Tang Wulin scratched his head. "Do you have time this weekend?"

Zhong Shenxiu looked at him without speaking.

Tang Wulin forced himself to continue. "The four of us were brought together by Teacher Wu, so we count as partners, right? But it seems we've never actually had a meal together. If you have time this weekend, it's on me. How about we go out and eat something nice?"

After saying that, he smiled expectantly.

Then he saw Zhong Shenxiu shake his head.

"No time."

Three words. There was no explanation, no attempt to soften it—just a clean, straightforward refusal.

Tang Wulin's smile froze on his face.

But he quickly recovered and waved with a smile. "It's fine, it's fine. I was just asking. Go do what you need to do."

Zhong Shenxiu nodded and turned away.

His steps were not fast, yet they carried an unquestionable certainty, as though every step fell upon some predetermined path.

Tang Wulin watched that tall, straight back gradually recede, but he did not feel too disappointed.

Because he had not expected much to begin with.

Zhong Shenxiu simply did not look like the kind of person who would take part in group activities.

Those eyes, that presence—it was as if an invisible barrier had been placed between him and everyone else.

That casual invitation had merely been an excuse.

The real focus—

Tang Wulin took a deep breath, turned around, and looked at Gu Yue approaching from behind.

The fading sunlight fell over her jet-black long hair, gilding it with a faint golden edge. Her steps were light, and her expression cold and aloof, but the instant she saw Tang Wulin, a hint of softness flashed through her eyes.

Tang Wulin's heartbeat skipped half a beat.

"Gu Yue."

He walked toward her, doing his best to make his voice sound natural.

Gu Yue stopped and looked at him with her black eyes.

"Tomorrow is the weekend."

Tang Wulin smiled. "Let's go eat out together, okay? I heard the newly opened snack street has lots of great new things—Grilled Soul Beast Meat Skewers, Ice and Fire Dual Heaven Juice, and there's even a shop famous for its soup dumplings..."

He spoke quickly, as though afraid of being interrupted.

Gu Yue listened, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.

The smile was faint, but it settled Tang Wulin's heart.

There's a chance.

"...The four of us can go together. We'll treat it as an early celebration for a victorious start to the Class Promotion Tournament!" After he finished, he looked at Gu Yue with eager anticipation.

Gu Yue smiled.

Then she shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, a trace of apology in her voice. "I'm busy this weekend."

Tang Wulin froze.

"Busy?"

"Mm." Gu Yue nodded. "I have something to take care of."

As she spoke, her gaze passed over Tang Wulin's shoulder and turned toward the distance.

Tang Wulin followed her gaze—

Zhong Shenxiu's back was gradually receding beneath the setting sun.

"I'll be going now." Gu Yue waved to him, then jogged off in that direction.

Her steps were light, her jet-black long hair drifting in the evening breeze.

Tang Wulin stood where he was, his mouth open, unable to say a single word.

He watched Gu Yue run away, watched her catch up with Zhong Shenxiu, watched her tilt her head and say something to him, watched that faint smile at the corner of her lips—

That smile seemed somewhat different from the one he had just seen.

The smile she had given him had been polite, distant, and apologetic.

But the one she wore for Zhong Shenxiu, though equally faint, carried an indescribable ease and naturalness.

As though...

As though it was simply how things should be.

Tang Wulin suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.

It felt as if something deep inside him was stirring.

It was a feeling he had never experienced before.

It was like something was crashing wildly around inside his chest, making his heart ache, tightening his breathing, making him want to rush over—rush over and do what? Push Zhong Shenxiu away? Pull Gu Yue back?

He did not know.

He only knew that as he watched the two figures walk away side by side, watched Gu Yue's natural smile as she spoke to Zhong Shenxiu, watched the sunset stretch their shadows longer and longer until they finally overlapped—

He felt awful.

So awful it was unbearable.

This feeling was too unfamiliar.

So unfamiliar that Tang Wulin did not know how to describe it. It was not anger; Zhong Shenxiu had done nothing wrong. It was not jealousy; what right did he have to be jealous? Gu Yue had never been anything to him.

But he still felt awful.

It was like when he was little in Aolai City, when he once saw a neighbor's child eating candy while he could only stand outside the window and watch. He had felt awful then too, but it had been a different kind of pain. Back then, it was longing, envy, the feeling of if only I could have some too.

What was this pain now?

It was watching something drift farther and farther away from him, only to realize that he did not even have the right to reach out.