Wei Xiaofeng's Provocation

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

Yao Lao gently patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder, then transformed into a streak of white light and slipped into the Spirit Ring.

Tang Wulin's eyes returned to their usual brightness. As he walked along the starlit road, he felt that one of the countless stars shining above must be shining for him.

When he returned to the dormitory, the other three had already fallen fast asleep. Tang Wulin lay down and soon drifted off as well.

Early the next morning.

"My Soul Power's at level fifteen!"

Tang Wulin slowly opened his eyes and let out a breath of stale air. He had meditated all night again, and finally broken through to level fifteen. That was good news for today's Class Promotion Tournament.

After getting out of bed, Tang Wulin saw Xie Xie coming out of the bathroom with his toiletries. Zhou Changxi and Yun Xiao had probably already gone to the cafeteria.

"You're up? Want to go get breakfast?"

"Mm!" Tang Wulin nodded and quickly took his toiletries into the bathroom.

Xie Xie had clearly gotten up early. Usually, he liked to sleep in, and if Tang Wulin didn't wake him, he could hardly get up on his own. This time, though, he had gotten up first for a change. It seemed Xie Xie took their opponents in the Class Promotion Tournament seriously, too.

When Tang Wulin and Xie Xie walked out of the dormitory building, they discovered that Gu Yue was already waiting for them downstairs.

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

"Morning, Wulin." As soon as Gu Yue saw Tang Wulin come downstairs, she stood up and greeted him.

"Morning, Gu Yue!" Xie Xie greeted her with a smile as well.

But Gu Yue ignored him completely. She walked straight over to Tang Wulin, took his hand, and asked, "Want to go get breakfast together?"

"Sure!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Gu Yue, you're actually ignoring me!" Xie Xie stepped between them, his face dark. "Tang Wulin, you too! What's more important, a girl or your buddy?"

"Uh... This..." Tang Wulin scratched his head, unsure how to answer.

"And you, Gu Yue. Do you like Tang Wulin or something? You came all the way to our dormitory first thing in the morning just to wait for him so you could eat breakfast together! You must—"

"Xie Xie, don't say stupid things." Tang Wulin cut him off before he could continue.

"So what if I like Tang Wulin? At least someone likes me, unlike you!" Gu Yue lifted her chin, her face full of pride. "Tang Wulin, tell me. Do you like me?"

"Th-this... Gu Yue, we're still young!" Tang Wulin's cheeks flushed slightly. It was the first time a girl had ever asked him that so directly.

"This is so unfair! I'm reporting you to Teacher Wu. Otherwise, am I going to have to watch you two feed me dog food every day?"

Tang Wulin clapped a hand over Xie Xie's mouth. "Xie Xie, stop saying stupid things!"

"Murder! He's murdering his roommate!"

"Xie Xie!"

The three of them bickered all the way to the cafeteria. They didn't even know when they had grown so close. Was it because of that life-and-death experience on Snack Street?

Never mind. It didn't matter!

"Wulin, do you know which people Class One sent to fight this time?" Xie Xie asked as he sat beside Tang Wulin, sipping nutritious meat porridge.

Tang Wulin bit off a piece of meat and said, "No idea. I had something to do yesterday, so I didn't look into it. They can't possibly be sending three Soul Masters with two rings, can they?"

But Xie Xie and Gu Yue both stared at Tang Wulin in shock and said in unison, "How did you know?"

Tang Wulin stopped eating. "Seriously? Three Soul Masters with two rings? Is this still first grade?"

If the three students from Class One hadn't been born with Innate Full Soul Power like Xie Xie, then reaching the two-ring level at nine years old made them absolute geniuses.

The gap between one ring and two rings was no small thing. Just like when they had faced Light Dragon on Snack Street, it had taken them quite a while to win even though it had been three against one. Facing three Soul Masters with two rings would be even harder.

Tang Wulin's appetite suddenly waned. Could they really still win?

Just then, a hand slammed down in front of Tang Wulin. The tremendous force sent the food in front of him bouncing into the air.

"No wonder you're so strong. Turns out you're a glutton!"

"Who's that?" Xie Xie immediately stood up at the sight.

A green-haired boy about their age stood in front of them.

"You're those useless losers from Class Five who've been bragging around the academy about taking down Class One?" The green-haired boy spoke in a cutting tone.

"You're Wei Xiaofeng from Class One!" Xie Xie recognized him at once.

"Oh, looks like you did a little homework. What, scared of the three of us with two rings? Don't think that beating Class Three means you can challenge us. In the ring later, I'll show you why Class One is Class One!" Wei Xiaofeng gave Xie Xie a thumbs-up, then slowly turned his wrist until his thumb pointed straight down in a taunting gesture.

"You!" Xie Xie couldn't hold back any longer. Two Century Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet, and his eyes flashed with fierce determination.

"Don't think you can compare to us just because you've only just reached the two-ring level. You're still way behind!" Wei Xiaofeng glanced at the two Soul Rings beneath Xie Xie's feet, showing a trace of surprise, but his tone remained contemptuous.

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

Wei Xiaofeng's smug expression faded when he realized Tang Wulin had seen through his little scheme.

"Coward!"

After throwing out those words, Wei Xiaofeng turned and headed for the cafeteria exit.

"You..." Xie Xie tried to chase after him, but Tang Wulin held him back firmly.

But when Wei Xiaofeng reached the cafeteria entrance, a puddle of water there had somehow frozen into a patch of ice. The moment he stepped on it, he lost his balance and fell flat on the floor.

The ridiculous sight immediately drew laughter from the students nearby.

Wei Xiaofeng scrambled to his feet and glared viciously at a few of the students around him before hurrying away.

Tang Wulin saw what had happened and immediately glanced down at Gu Yue's feet. Sure enough, a faint glimmer of yellow light vanished in an instant.

Gu Yue kept eating her breakfast as if nothing had happened and it had nothing to do with her.

"Hahaha!" Xie Xie laughed when he saw it, feeling much better. "Wulin, did you see that? That's what they call getting what you deserve. Even heaven couldn't stand his arrogance."

Tang Wulin only smiled faintly and didn't reveal the truth.