Wei Xiaofeng's Provocation

"Alright, it's getting late. Go back and get some rest."

Yao Lao gently patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder before transforming into a wisp of white light and diving into the Spirit Ring.

Tang Wulin's eyes regained their usual brightness. Walking along the starlit path, he felt certain that among the stars filling the sky, one must be shining just for him.

Upon returning to the dormitory, the other three were already fast asleep. Tang Wulin lay on his bed and soon drifted off into a dream.

Early the next morning.

"Fifteenth rank of soul power!"

Tang Wulin slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air. He had meditated all night, finally breaking through to the fifteenth rank. This was excellent news for today's Class Promotion Tournament.

After getting out of bed, Tang Wulin saw Xie Xie walking out of the bathroom with his toiletries. As for Zhou Changxi and Yun Xiao, they had likely already headed to the cafeteria.

"Awake? Shall we go grab breakfast?"

"Yeah!" Tang Wulin nodded and quickly grabbed his toiletries to head into the bathroom.

Xie Xie had clearly risen early. Usually, he was a heavy sleeper; if Tang Wulin didn't wake him, he rarely stirred on his own. That he had broken his routine to rise first showed that Xie Xie took their Class Promotion Tournament opponents very seriously.

When Tang Wulin and Xie Xie stepped out of the dormitory building, they found Gu Yue waiting for them.

"Morning, Gu Yue!" Tang Wulin greeted her with a smile.

"Morning, Wulin." Seeing Tang Wulin walk out, Gu Yue stood up immediately to greet him.

"Morning, Gu Yue!" Xie Xie also chimed in with a smile.

Gu Yue ignored him entirely, walking straight to Tang Wulin's side to take his hand. "Shall we go get breakfast together?"

"Sure!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Gu Yue, you're actually ignoring me!" Xie Xie stepped between them, his face darkening. "Tang Wulin, you too—is a girl more important than your brother?"

"Ah... this!" Tang Wulin scratched his head, unsure how to answer.

"And you, Gu Yue! Do you like Tang Wulin? You came to our dorm building at the crack of dawn just to wait for him to eat breakfast! You must..."

"Xie Xie, don't talk nonsense." Tang Wulin cut him off.

"So what if I like Tang Wulin? Unlike you, who doesn't even have anyone interested in you!" Gu Yue lifted her chin high, her face full of pride. "Tang Wulin, tell me, do you like me?"

"This... Gu Yue, we're still young!" Tang Wulin's cheeks flushed slightly; it was the first time a girl had asked him such a direct question.

"This is madness! I'm going to report you two to Teacher Wu, otherwise I'll have to suffer through your public displays of affection every single day!"

Tang Wulin quickly covered Xie Xie's mouth with his hand. "Xie Xie, stop talking nonsense!"

"Attempted murder of a roommate!"

"Xie Xie!"

The three of them bickered all the way to the cafeteria. In truth, they didn't even know when their bond had become so strong—was it because of that life-or-death struggle at the Snack Street?

Forget it, it didn't matter!

"Wulin, do you know which people Class One is sending out as opponents?" Xie Xie sat beside Tang Wulin, asking as he sipped his nutritious meat porridge.

Tang Wulin took a bite of meat and said, "No idea. I was busy yesterday and didn't look into it. They couldn't possibly be three two-ring soul masters, could they?"

Xie Xie and Gu Yue both looked at Tang Wulin in shock, speaking in unison: "How did you know?"

Tang Wulin stopped what he was doing. "Are you serious? Three two-ring soul masters! Is this still the first grade?"

If the three from Class One didn't possess innate full soul power like Xie Xie, then reaching the second ring at nine years old made them absolute geniuses.

The gap between the first and second ring was significant. Just like their encounter with Light Dragon at the Snack Street, it had taken them quite a while to win even in a three-on-one situation, let alone facing three two-ring soul masters.

Suddenly, Tang Wulin's appetite waned. Could they really win?

Just then, a hand slammed onto the table in front of Tang Wulin, the immense force causing his food to jump.

"No wonder you have such strength; turns out you're just a glutton!"

"Who's there!" Xie Xie stood up immediately upon seeing this.

Standing before the three of them was a green-haired boy of similar age.

"So you're the trash from Class Five who the academy rumors say will crush our Class One?" The green-haired boy spoke with a sharp, acidic tone.

"You're Wei Xiaofeng from Class One!" Xie Xie recognized him the moment he saw his face.

"Oh, looks like you did your homework! What, are you scared of facing three two-ring soul masters? Don't think that just because you beat Class Three that you can challenge Class One. On the arena floor later, I'll show you why Class One is Class One!" Wei Xiaofeng gave Xie Xie a thumbs-up, then slowly rotated his wrist so his thumb pointed directly downward in a provocative gesture.

"You!" Xie Xie couldn't take it anymore. Two Century Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet, his eyes filled with sharp intensity.

"Don't think someone like you, who just reached the second ring, can compare to us. You're still far off!" Wei Xiaofeng looked at the two rings at Xie Xie's feet, showing a hint of surprise, but his tone remained dismissive.

"Xie Xie, calm down!" Tang Wulin grabbed Xie Xie's arm. "He's doing this on purpose. This is the cafeteria, after all. If you can't hold back and strike first, the academy will definitely punish you, and you might even be disqualified from the tournament."

Seeing his little scheme exposed by Tang Wulin, the smug expression on Wei Xiaofeng's face vanished.

"What a coward."

After dropping those words, Wei Xiaofeng turned and walked out of the cafeteria.

"You..."

Xie Xie wanted to chase after him, but Tang Wulin held him back firmly.

However, just as Wei Xiaofeng reached the cafeteria entrance, a puddle of water there had somehow frozen into ice. The moment he stepped on it, he lost his balance and fell flat on the ground.

This comical scene immediately drew laughter from the surrounding students.

Wei Xiaofeng scrambled up from the floor, glared viciously at the students nearby, and then jogged away.

Seeing this, Tang Wulin immediately glanced at Gu Yue's feet. Sure enough, a faint, barely perceptible yellow glow vanished in an instant.

Gu Yue simply continued eating her breakfast as if none of it had anything to do with her.

"Hahaha!" Xie Xie laughed at the sight, his mood instantly improving. "Wulin, did you see that? That's what you call karma. Even the heavens can't stand his arrogance."

Tang Wulin just smiled slightly, choosing not to expose the truth.