Tang Wulin and Xie Xie's Third Battle

Fast—too fast.

In just a few breaths, Tang Wulin had won an overwhelming victory.

"Xie Xie, Xu Xiaohui, Tao Liufan, Li Chushui, come up."

Wu Zhangkong immediately called up the second group.

Xie Xie bounded onto the platform in a single leap, while the other three climbed the stairs at a leisurely pace.

"Tch! Just watch me win overwhelmingly, too!"

The arrogance in Xie Xie's bones was in full force. He didn't want Tang Wulin to steal his thunder.

"Begin!"

As soon as the words left Wu Zhangkong's mouth, Xie Xie released his Martial Soul. A Century Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet.

"This... another Century Soul Ring! Am I really in Class Five?"

Hearing the scattered gasps of surprise from below, Xie Xie felt a rush of secret delight.

But Tao Liufan and Li Chushui on the opposite side didn't waste time gaping. They released their Martial Souls as well.

Tao Liufan's Martial Soul was a Willow Tree. Its nature was somewhat similar to Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass, but he only had one Ten-Year Soul Ring.

Li Chushui's Martial Soul was a Spirit Cat. Like Xie Xie, she was an agility-attack Soul Master, and her Soul Ring was also only a Ten-Year Soul Ring.

Xu Xiaohui was a support-type Soul Master. Her Martial Soul was a Musk Deer, and more precisely, she leaned toward healing. She had almost no offensive power.

Once the other side had released their Martial Souls, Xie Xie darted forward in a flash. The Yellow Soul Ring beneath his feet shone with dazzling light. He moved at incredible speed, and the Light Dragon Dagger in his hand traced a golden streak through the air.

The Light Dragon Dagger pointed straight at Li Chushui. As fellow agility-attack Soul Masters, Xie Xie was stronger than Li Chushui in both ability and combat experience. By the time she reacted, his dagger was already in front of her.

At the critical moment, the white Soul Ring beneath Li Chushui's feet flashed. Xie Xie's attack missed.

"Teleport!" Wu Zhangkong's eyes flickered slightly. It was an excellent Soul Skill.

That was right. Li Chushui's first Soul Skill was Teleport, with a range of about five meters.

Compared to Xie Xie's rapid charge, her Teleport was clearly faster. Of course, it came with more limitations. As a Soul Skill, it naturally consumed more Soul Power than Xie Xie's burst of speed, and she couldn't use it repeatedly in quick succession.

Xie Xie was slightly stunned when his attack missed, but he quickly regained his composure and turned to attack Tao Liufan.

But Xie Xie had already made one attack. How could the other side not be prepared?

Tao Liufan's Soul Ring lit up at once. Countless willow branches whipped around him, like his personal guards.

Xie Xie gave a low snort. His agile figure weaved among the branches, dodging every last one and making it all the way to Tao Liufan.

He swung the Light Dragon Dagger, but at that moment, Tao Liufan's lips curled into an almost imperceptible smile.

Willow branches were growing from his hands, too. At such close range, Xie Xie had no time to dodge. Tao Liufan's branches caught him by the ankle. They weren't as tough as Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass, but Xie Xie couldn't break free right away.

Uh... why did this situation feel so familiar to Xie Xie?

Li Chushui hadn't been idle, either. The moment Tao Liufan caught Xie Xie, she charged at him.

And just as danger loomed, a faint fragrance wafted from somewhere.

As soon as Xie Xie breathed it in, he felt his mental strength and power rise a little. His mind grew clearer, and he felt more energetic.

But Tao Liufan and Li Chushui both hesitated for an instant when they inhaled the fragrance.

That was all the time Xie Xie needed to break free of Tao Liufan's hold.

Xie Xie glanced back at Xu Xiaohui. Sure enough, her Soul Ring was glowing. The fragrance was the effect of her Soul Skill.

Xu Xiaohui's Soul Skill had a decent strengthening effect, and it boosted several aspects at once. Its weakness was that it took the form of a fragrance. Scents took time to spread, and they could be blown away, which greatly limited how useful her Soul Skill could be.

Xie Xie nodded slightly at Xu Xiaohui to thank her.

Xu Xiaohui's cheeks immediately flushed again. After using that Soul Skill, there wasn't anything else she could do. She could only rely on Xie Xie.

Now that Xie Xie had received a boost, Tao Liufan and Li Chushui had both been weakened a little by the fragrance.

The gap between their abilities had never been small. Xie Xie had nearly lost earlier only because he'd let his guard down, and now he understood all of their moves.

There was no surprise. A minute later, Wu Zhangkong declared Xie Xie's team the winners.

Xie Xie jumped off the platform and walked over to Tang Wulin.

"Tang Wulin, you'd better make it to the end! I still need to have a showdown with you."

Tang Wulin smiled and pointed at Xu Xiaohui behind Xie Xie. "Xie Xie, if Xu Xiaohui hadn't helped you just now, you'd have lost already."

Xie Xie's face reddened a little. "I just let my guard down. I won't make that mistake again."

Tang Wulin smiled but said nothing.

"Next match..."

The class was divided into ten groups in total. After the first round, five groups advanced.

For the second round, Wu Zhangkong let Tang Wulin's group sit out and had the remaining four groups compete.

As expected, Xie Xie's group advanced.

After that, Xie Xie's group sat out, while Tang Wulin's group faced the group that had advanced in the second round.

The result was still no surprise: Tang Wulin won the match all by himself.

After all, at their age, physical fitness was what determined the outcome of a match to the greatest extent.

One-Ring Soul Masters didn't have much Soul Power, and their Soul Skills weren't all that powerful.

If someone had innate strength like Tang Wulin, they were basically invincible among their peers.

"Next match: Tang Wulin, Yun Xiao, Xie Xie, Xu Xiaohui."

This seemed to be the third battle between Tang Wulin and Xie Xie.

Wu Zhangkong was looking forward to this match. Of all the students in the class, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie were the ones he had the highest hopes for.

Wu Zhangkong wasn't the only one. The others below were looking forward to it, too. In their eyes, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie were the two strongest students in the class: one had more Soul Power, while the other had a higher-year Soul Ring. A few students had even started betting on who would win.

Tang Wulin, I'm going to beat you this time! Xie Xie silently cheered himself on. This time, he would use all of his strength.

"Begin!"

Wu Zhangkong stood to one side, watching more intently than he had during any of the previous matches.

As soon as the match began, Xu Xiaohui released her Martial Soul first.

Her Soul Skill needed time to take effect, so the sooner she released it, the better.

But Tang Wulin already knew what Xu Xiaohui could do. How could he give her the chance?

"Yun Xiao, it's your turn!"