"C-could it have been a coincidence?"
Xie Xie stood below the platform, the corner of his mouth twitching violently.
He looked at Zhou Changxi, unconscious on the platform, then at Lin An, who seemed completely bewildered. Only one thought remained in his mind: How the hell did that even work?
Zhou Changxi was an eleven-level Soul Master from the Power Attack System.
He charged forward, slipped, and knocked himself unconscious.
He got back up and forcibly activated his Soul Power, only to strain himself and cough up blood.
From beginning to end, Lin An hadn't even lifted a finger.
A grown man had somehow managed to cripple himself all on his own.
The students around the platform exchanged bewildered looks.
"What... what was that?"
"Did Zhou Changxi sleep badly last night?"
"Could sleeping badly make you run until you cough up blood? Do you cough up blood when you don't sleep well?"
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
Lin An glanced down at Zhou Changxi, sprawled in the corner of the platform.
He walked over slowly.
Crouching, he reached out and rapped the other man's head with his knuckles.
No response.
He rapped it again.
Still no response.
He wasn't faking. He'd really passed out.
Lin An sighed inwardly.
I was just getting fired up.
And that's all you've got?
He stood up and turned toward Teacher Wu at the edge of the platform.
"Teacher Wu, does this mean I win?"
His tone was calm, with a hint of confusion.
The corner of Wu Zhangkong's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
He stared at Lin An for three seconds.
Then his gaze swept over Zhou Changxi on the ground.
He couldn't see anything unusual.
No fluctuations in Soul Power, no hidden Soul Skill.
He could only curse inwardly: Zhou Changxi, you're completely useless.
"You win."
Wu Zhangkong spat out the words coldly.
He picked up his pen and made a mark on the record board.
"Next match."
Lin An stepped down from the platform.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, he caught sight of the Elemental Storm raging across the platform on the other side.
They'd already started fighting over there.
It was a one-sided crushing victory for Gu Yue.
Flames surged up like a mad dragon.
Ice spikes poured down like a violent rainstorm.
Wind blades sliced through the air with shrill whistles.
Elemental attacks swept across a wide area, blasting toward Tang Wulin.
The platform was riddled with holes.
Tang Wulin dodged in a sorry scramble.
His school uniform had several holes burned through it. A thin layer of ice clung to his left arm, and a wind blade had slashed open his right pant leg, the fabric stained red with blood.
His face was scraped, and a small tuft of his hair had been singed.
He was a complete mess.
"Give up."
Gu Yue stood at the center of the Elemental Storm.
The gale lifted her silver hair, and her purple eyes were icy.
"You're no match for me."
After a pause, a faint, cold smile curled her lips.
"Lin An isn't someone the likes of you can set your sights on, either."
Tang Wulin braced his hands on his knees and gasped for breath.
He raised his head.
Sweat blurred his vision, but a spark flared in his eyes.
"I won't surrender."
He spoke one word at a time, his voice hoarse but stubborn as stone.
For some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to yield to her.
In the past, he would definitely have admitted defeat.
But now, he simply refused.
Why?
Why should he admit defeat?
He let out a sudden roar, faint golden lines appearing beneath his skin.
Like a crazed beast, he charged at Gu Yue.
Gu Yue didn't even lift an eyelid.
A blazing light of elemental energy erupted before her.
Boom—
Tang Wulin's body flew back like a kite with its strings cut, blasted away with brutal force.
He slammed into the edge of the platform, bounced once, then rolled halfway across it before stopping.
He groaned, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Gu Yue stepped forward.
A hand stopped her.
"That's enough."
Wu Zhangkong's voice was cold as ice.
"Your willpower is commendable."
He turned his head and looked at Tang Wulin, who was struggling to get up. His voice held no warmth.
"But knowingly fighting to the death against a stronger opponent is foolishness masquerading as passion. In real combat, all it does is throw your life away."
His gaze returned to Gu Yue, then swept over Lin An below the platform.
"If this damages your future path of cultivation, you'll only be cutting off your own prospects."
His voice turned even colder.
Wu Zhangkong had once placed the greatest hopes in Tang Wulin and Gu Yue.
One was honest and dependable; the other had astonishing talent.
But now, his two most outstanding students were both revolving around an outsider who had just arrived.
Head over heels, turning against each other.
Gu Yue snorted coldly.
She didn't look at Wu Zhangkong or pay Tang Wulin any more attention.
She turned and leaped off the platform, her silver hair sweeping through the air in a sharp arc.
Her steps were light, and the icy killing intent from moments ago had vanished without a trace.
In her eyes, Tang Wulin was a dead man sooner or later.
The only question was when she planned to take back the Golden Dragon King Bloodline.
For now, there was something more important.
"Darling! Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"
Gu Yue rushed up to Lin An and grabbed his arms with both hands, checking him over from head to toe.
Her hands moved from his shoulders to his wrists, then back again, fingertips gliding over the fabric of his shirt.
She claimed to be checking for injuries, but the suspicious blush on her face gave her away.
So fine.
So soft.
Just as nice to touch as he looked.
Lin An didn't answer right away.
His gaze passed over Gu Yue's shoulder and settled on Tang Wulin, being carried away on a stretcher.
Tang Wulin lay on the stretcher, his face smeared with blood and dust, his arm wrapped in bandages, his chest rising and falling faintly.
His school uniform had several holes burned through it, and the exposed skin was covered in burns and frost marks.
"You went too far."
Lin An drew back his gaze, his brows knitting slightly.
If the Golden Dragon King Bloodline hadn't sustained him, Tang Wulin would probably be a corpse by now.
Gu Yue remained silent.
She followed Lin An's gaze.
A shadow flickered through her purple eyes.
Jealousy, cold malice, and barely restrained killing intent.
It seemed she'd have to take back the Golden Dragon King's power early.
She couldn't let the Dragon Queen get any more deeply entangled.
She weighed it over in her mind.
Although the Dragon Queen didn't seem to mind her approaching, that was all it amounted to.
He seemed to care more about Tang Wulin.
Damn it!
Was it because of gender after all?
Was the Dragon Queen so indifferent to her because she wasn't a man and couldn't give him true happiness?
Gu Yue seethed with frustration, but there was nothing she could do.
She'd already chosen a female body when she transformed. Changing it now wouldn't be easy.
She could only go to the hospital in a few days and see whether human technology could do anything about it.
Lin An suddenly felt a chill run down his back.
He turned to look at Gu Yue.
A sweet smile spread across the girl's face. The moment she saw Lin An looking at her, she opened her arms, asking for a cuddle.
"Darling~"
Her voice was soft enough to drip with honey.
Was it his imagination?
Lin An wondered to himself.
Heaven's Favor made him keenly aware of the danger coming his way.
But he never would've guessed... Gu Yue wanted to drill into him.
The next few rounds went by quickly.
Xie Xie faced Gu Yue.
On the platform, Xie Xie gripped his dagger, his figure flickering as he pushed his speed to the limit. Afterimages filled the arena.
But Gu Yue simply stood there.
She didn't even release her Soul Rings.
With a casual wave, she sent a wall of fire sweeping across the platform.
With another, she unleashed a rain of ice spikes.
Xie Xie's afterimages were knocked apart one after another until his real body was forced to appear.
"I surrender."
Xie Xie raised both hands without hesitation.
He hopped down from the platform and brushed the dust off his clothes, his expression calm.
He couldn't win.
There was no point humiliating himself for nothing.
Before you continue