Gu Yue

"Tang Wulin, how about we have another spar after class? I feel like I've improved a lot lately."

On the track, Xie Xie squeezed up beside Tang Wulin, eager to schedule another fight.

Both of them were currently wearing iron vests. These were forged by Tang Wulin at Wu Zhangkong's specific request over the past few days. Despite their modest thickness, they had been refined through hundred-fold forging, weighing in at a hefty fifty kilograms.

"Forget it! I'm hungry, and I'm going to eat as soon as class is over!" Tang Wulin shook his head.

"If you fight me, I'll treat you to a Grade A Meal!" Xie Xie gritted his teeth. He knew exactly how much Tang Wulin could eat; he was truly bleeding himself dry for this.

"Really?"

At the mention of a Grade A Meal, Tang Wulin's eyes lit up.

"Really!"

"Fine! We eat first, then we fight!"

"...No problem!"

"Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, do you two have too much free time? Run another ten laps after class!" Wu Zhangkong stood in the middle of the track and barked at them.

"Ah...!"

Just then, a young girl strolled over from a spot not far from the track.

She wore white clothes and had her hair tied in a ponytail. She looked delicate and pretty, appearing to be about the same age as Tang Wulin and the others.

Wu Zhangkong spotted her immediately and cast his gaze in her direction.

He had never seen this girl at the academy before. Most notably, she wasn't wearing a school uniform, so she likely wasn't a student.

At that exact moment, the girl seemed to sense Wu Zhangkong's gaze. She turned her head slightly and locked eyes with him.

"Which class are you from? Why haven't I seen you before?" Wu Zhangkong walked straight up to her and asked.

The young girl smiled slightly and said very politely, "Hello, Teacher. I'm here to enroll, but I heard the registration period has already passed."

As she spoke, the girl produced a letter of recommendation and handed it to Wu Zhangkong.

Wu Zhangkong frowned and took the letter.

The recommendation was in order; it was indeed signed by a primary soul master academy in Donghai City.

"Gu Yue, Martial Soul: Elementalist, Soul Power: Level 15."

Wu Zhangkong looked at the martial soul written on the letter. Even he had never heard of it, and a sense of doubt stirred in his heart.

"Elementalist? What kind of martial soul is that?"

"Teacher, may I ask if I still have a chance to enroll?" Gu Yue tilted her head and asked with a smile.

If it were any other teacher, they would never allow a student who was a month late to enroll.

But was Wu Zhangkong an ordinary teacher?

Clearly not.

"Xie Xie, come here!" Wu Zhangkong called out to Xie Xie, who was still huddled with Tang Wulin on the track.

"Me?" Xie Xie stopped in his tracks and asked, surprised.

Wu Zhangkong nodded and gestured for him to come over.

"Oh, oh! Coming!"

"Spar with her. If you win, I'll let you enroll," Wu Zhangkong said to Gu Yue in a deep voice.

"Of course!" Gu Yue replied with a smile.

A moment later, Xie Xie ran up to Wu Zhangkong, panting heavily: "Teacher Wu... I'm here!"

Wu Zhangkong stepped aside, revealing Gu Yue: "Spar with her. If you win, I'll let Tang Wulin fight you too!"

Xie Xie looked at the girl before him, studied her carefully for a few seconds, and smiled: "No problem."

"Good! Rest for ten minutes. We start in ten minutes," Wu Zhangkong said.

Xie Xie didn't waste any time; he sat down right where he was to adjust his state. After all, if he could actually defeat this girl and earn a fight with Tang Wulin, he wouldn't have to pay for that Grade A Meal.

Tang Wulin, still on the track, glanced over a few times. He didn't know who this girl was, nor did he know why Teacher Wu had called Xie Xie over.

Ten minutes later.

Xie Xie opened his eyes: "Teacher Wu, I'm ready!"

Wu Zhangkong nodded and said: "Both of you step back twenty meters, then you may begin."

Xie Xie backed away slowly, his eyes never leaving Gu Yue. He felt a sense of threat coming from her.

Gu Yue, on the other hand, seemed completely unconcerned, skipping back thirty meters.

"Begin!"

Before Wu Zhangkong's words had even faded, Xie Xie had already released his martial soul, gripped his Light Dragon Dagger, and charged at Gu Yue.

The special training over this period had certainly not been in vain; Xie Xie's speed was at least twenty percent faster than when he had first enrolled.

All the students on the track couldn't help but stop in their tracks when they saw this scene. Wu Zhangkong didn't stop them either, as he had intended for them to watch this duel.

A single yellow soul ring rose unhurriedly from beneath Gu Yue's feet; her first soul ring was actually at the century level as well.

But at this moment, Xie Xie was already right in front of her. What method could she possibly use to neutralize a close-range attack from an agility-type soul master? Surely she couldn't be a defense-type soul master!

Wu Zhangkong was also very interested in this point, though he was more interested in her martial soul, which was known as the Elementalist.

Just as the Light Dragon Dagger was about to strike Gu Yue, the soul ring beneath her feet flickered. A gust of wind, which seemed to be felt only by Xie Xie, blew against his arm, causing his attack to miss directly. Immediately after, a fireball slammed toward Xie Xie's face.

Xie Xie's eyes narrowed. The advantage of an agility-type soul master manifested as he dodged the fireball with a sharp turn that seemed nearly impossible to onlookers, though a few strands of his hair were still singed off by the flames.

Xie Xie was someone who cared deeply about his image, and suffering this setback made him a little angry.

It was precisely because of this momentary hesitation that a patch of mud appeared beneath Xie Xie's feet, submerging his ankles.

Xie Xie cursed inwardly, wanting to break free from the mire's restraint.

However, what Xie Xie hadn't expected was that this patch of mud began to freeze at an extremely rapid speed, locking his feet in place.

Damn it, what is her martial soul? Why is it so underhanded? Xie Xie couldn't help but complain in his heart.

In fact, it wasn't just Xie Xie; Wu Zhangkong's eyes also lit up. In his view, Gu Yue had already displayed control over four elements: wind, fire, earth, and ice.

Any one of these abilities, if taken alone, would be a decent martial soul. Wu Zhangkong remembered that a student in Class One had a martial soul that was simply the ice element.

Seeing that he had been controlled, a green light flashed on Gu Yue's body. She directly manipulated the wind element to accelerate herself toward Xie Xie, a fireball already condensed in her hand.

But Xie Xie was, after all, a configuration of nineteen levels of soul power and twin martial souls. As his aura shifted slightly, a dark-colored dagger appeared in his left hand.

That was Xie Xie's other martial soul—the Shadow Dragon Dagger.

Once the Shadow Dragon Dagger appeared, Xie Xie's speed and strength increased significantly. He broke free from the control instantly and dodged Gu Yue's attack with a flash.

When both sides were at the one-ring level, the advantage of having twin martial souls like Xie Xie's was simply too great.

Consequently, the advantage shifted entirely to Xie Xie. He kept circling around Gu Yue, and the previous situation of being controlled could no longer occur.

Gu Yue could only use fireball after fireball to strike at Xie Xie, but attacks of this level were easily neutralized by him.

Finally, after this situation had persisted for several minutes, Xie Xie believed he had found an opening. The Light Dragon Dagger in his right hand bloomed with a dazzling radiance as he directly unleashed his soul skill.

The Light Dragon Dagger thrust toward Gu Yue with an unstoppable momentum.