There Will Be Opportunities

Throughout the entire process, he did not say a single word.

The competition stage was deathly silent.

Lu Feng lay there, staring at the receding figure, his mind completely blank.

He recalled what he had been thinking before the match.

Taking to the air, securing an invincible position, slowly wearing his opponent down.

How laughable.

How naive.

That monster had never given them any chance at all.

Not from the very beginning.

The triplets lay beside him, equally bewildered.

Their three identical faces bore the same frustration, the same disbelief, the same—

Fear.

Yes, fear.

They finally understood what those four people had faced yesterday.

It had not been a match.

It had been a crushing defeat.

A one-sided, absolute crushing defeat.

That gap could not be bridged with tactics, teamwork, or advantages.

It was a difference in levels.

The difference between people who had truly faced life and death and those who never had.

At the referee's stand, Long Hengxu opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He realized he no longer knew what to say.

Ten seconds yesterday. Today... how many seconds?

Five?

Three?

He had not even had time to keep track.

Because the instant the match began, the pillar of light had descended.

Then, the battle was over.

He looked toward the golden figure at the edge of the field, his expression incomparably complicated.

This child...

What kind of monster was he?

The field was deathly silent.

Everyone had their mouths wide open and their eyes bulging, their minds utterly blank.

They had finally witnessed the legendary scene with their own eyes.

No, it was even more terrifying than the legend.

Because those four people yesterday had at least lasted ten seconds.

Today's four had not even managed to take flight.

The pillar of light descended, the light needles shot out, and the four fell.

Then, it was over.

Just like that, it was over.

An upper-grade student muttered, "I... what did I just see?"

The person beside him muttered back, "I don't know... I only saw a flash of light, and then those four fell."

"What Soul Skill was that?"

"I don't know... I've never seen it before..."

"What... what Soul Rings does he have?"

"Two yellow... both hundred-year..."

"Two rings? He only has two rings?"

"Yes... two rings..."

The conversation abruptly stopped there.

Because everyone realized something.

A two-ring Soul Grandmaster had used a single Soul Skill to instantly defeat four flying Soul Masters.

Those four had not even had time to make a move.

What kind of strength was that?

Among the crowd, Ye Yingrong stood motionless.

Her face had gone deathly pale.

She looked at the four students still struggling on the competition stage, at the fine red dots covering their bodies, at the confusion and fear on their faces.

Then she looked toward the golden figure at the edge of the field.

Those pale golden vertical pupils were watching the sky, as though the surrounding uproar, discussion, and stares had nothing to do with him.

Ye Yingrong took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.

She recalled what she had been thinking before the match.

The advantage of flight.

An invincible position.

Slowly wearing the opponent down.

How laughable.

How naive.

That child had never intended to give them any chance from the start.

Because he understood too well.

He understood the weakness of flying Soul Masters.

It was not that they feared being hit, but that they feared being interrupted.

As long as their flight was interrupted, they were nothing.

Because their first Soul Skill was not an offensive Soul Skill at all.

So he had used that move.

Wide-area coverage, indiscriminate attacks.

Not to inflict damage, only to interrupt them.

And then, they lost.

They lost completely.

Ye Yingrong looked at that golden figure, her gaze incredibly complicated.

She had taught for five years and seen countless geniuses.

But she had never seen anyone like this.

This child's combat intelligence had already surpassed those of his peers, even most adult Soul Masters.

That was not something training could achieve...

Ye Yingrong suddenly remembered something someone had once said.

"True powerhouses are not those with the greatest talent, nor are they those who work the hardest. They are those who have gone through countless life-and-death struggles and still survived. What they possess is not skill, but instinct. Instinct carved into their bones and fused into their blood."

She had not understood it then.

Now, she did.

Looking at that golden figure, she finally understood.

On the competition stage, Long Hengxu finally came back to his senses.

He cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound normal.

"Class Promotion Tournament, Class Five of First Grade wins."

"Class Five is promoted to Class Three. The original Class Three is demoted to Class Four."

His voice echoed across the field.

Long Hengxu's voice echoed across the field, announcing the formal end of this one-sided match.

Yet the watching crowd did not disperse. Everyone's eyes still followed the figure that had already reached the edge of the field.

Discussions rose one after another, even more fervent than before—after all, witnessing such an overwhelming victory firsthand was enough for them to brag about for days.

Xie Xie stood where he was with his arms crossed, watching that retreating figure as he let out a long sigh.

"It's over again."

His tone carried obvious frustration. His dark green eyes stared in the direction Zhong Shenxiu had gone, and the corners of his mouth turned down slightly.

"I didn't even get the chance to release my Martial Soul."

As he spoke, he lowered his head and looked at his hands. The hands that held the Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger now hung empty at his sides, without the slightest fluctuation of Soul Power.

"It was like this yesterday, and it's still like this today. I'm level nineteen, with Twin Martial Souls—the Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger. Even in First Grade, I count as one of the stronger ones, right? And yet? I've spent two days standing on the stage as a spectator."

The more he spoke, the more frustrated he became. There was a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice, but even more helplessness that he could not put into words.

"Teacher Wu trained us specially for three months. I practiced every day until I couldn't even crawl, all because I wanted to show off my skills in the Class Promotion Tournament. And what happened? That guy handled everything himself. I didn't even get a chance to warm up."

He looked toward Tang Wulin beside him, his dark green eyes filled with the expectation that said, You understand me, right?

Tang Wulin stood beside Xie Xie, his tall figure casting a long shadow in the setting sun.

As he listened to Xie Xie's complaints, a complicated emotion flickered through his large eyes.

There was helplessness, understanding, and an indescribable... bitterness.

He understood how Xie Xie felt.

Because he felt the same way.

Three months of brutal training. Every day, he not only had to attend class, but also undergo additional special training at night, returning to the dormitory only late at night.

Even though his physical strength far surpassed that of his peers, and his Soul Power had risen from level eleven to level twelve, he had thought he was improving. He had thought that in today's match, he could at least contribute something.

And what happened?

He had not even had time to release his Blue Silver Grass.

The match was already over.

"Take it easy."

Tang Wulin spoke, his voice gentle and carrying the clear brightness unique to a young boy.

He looked at Xie Xie, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he tried to force out a comforting smile.

"There will be opportunities."

He said it.

"Tomorrow, we still have to challenge Class Two. The day after that, there's Class One, and then Second Grade... The Class Promotion Tournament has only just begun. There will always be a time for us to make a move."

He paused, then added:

"And besides..."

His gaze passed over Xie Xie and fell on the golden figure in the distance.