Most of a person's life was actually spent in a state of boredom. That was how things were now: Long Yuan did little besides nurture his relationship with Gu Yuena and take care of some everyday matters.
Of course, the Class Promotion Tournament was still proceeding steadily. With Tang Wulin's astonishing stats, Class Five had already defeated Class Three and Class Two. Only the final match remained.
Such an upset was extremely rare at Eastsea Academy. In fact, ever since Class Five beat Class Three, it had attracted a huge crowd of students coming to watch.
The academy seemed happy to have the attention and simply scheduled every match for after classes in the afternoon.
However, the spectators still didn't get to see the final match, as it was interrupted by the weather.
"Attention, teachers and students. We have an urgent announcement. According to a warning from the meteorological department, a severe tropical storm will hit tonight and is expected to last for more than a week. Therefore, during the coming week, students are advised not to leave the academy without good reason. All classes are suspended. Please stay in your dormitories and wait for further notice. The Class Promotion Tournament is suspended and will be rescheduled after the typhoon passes."
That morning, the broadcast sounded throughout Eastsea Academy, and warning sirens even rang out across the whole of Eastsea City.
Within minutes, crowds of students poured out of the teaching buildings and split into several groups.
Some headed back to their dormitories, while others planned to use the last afternoon before the storm to buy supplies.
Gu Yuena remained seated in the classroom, in no hurry to leave.
"Big Sis, aren't you leaving yet?" a scrawny boy asked quietly from inside the classroom.
His name was Wang Jinxi, the Bone Dragon King Soul Grandmaster whom Long Yuan had once taken note of.
A short distance away, two boys stood cautiously without daring to speak.
They were Wang Jinxi's good friends, Zhang Yangzi and Wei Xiaofeng.
They had been friends since childhood and were all Soul Grandmasters. At first, they had been quite unconvinced that Gu Yuena, a One-Ring Soul Master, could outrank them and become Class One's top genius. But not long after school started, she had given them a thorough thrashing—taking on all three of them at once—and they had been completely won over.
They had started calling her Big Sis.
Of course, Gu Yuena didn't care what they called her. Or rather, apart from Long Yuan, only a handful of people could earn her attention.
Zhang Yangzi suddenly spoke up. "Are you really going to compete against Class Five, Big Sis?"
His name suggested he was an outgoing sort, but he was actually the most level-headed of the three. Wang Jinxi and Wei Xiaofeng both looked to him as their leader.
Before Gu Yuena could reply, Wei Xiaofeng eagerly blurted out, "Big Sis, even though Class Five managed to beat Class Two, they're absolutely no match for us. With only three One-Ring Soul Masters, winning three matches is the best they can hope for!"
Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi said nothing, but their expressions made it clear they felt the same way.
Gu Yuena didn't even look up. Wei Xiaofeng's strong reaction had been entirely expected. Class Five had only entered three students, so according to the rules, Class One could only enter three as well.
But Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi had a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. That meant Wei Xiaofeng was the only one who could be benched. How could someone as competitive as Wei Xiaofeng accept that?
But what did that have to do with her? He could only blame himself for being too weak.
"Are you really that confident you can beat those three from Class Five?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Wei Xiaofeng answered without hesitation.
Gu Yuena shook her head. "It seems you haven't learned anything about your opponents."
After putting away the last book, Gu Yuena turned and left the classroom.
"W-What do we do?" Wei Xiaofeng asked.
Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi exchanged a glance, then walked over and gave him a firm pat on each shoulder.
"Guess you'll have to take one for the team, brother!"
Wei Xiaofeng's face fell...
"You're back?"
"Mm, I'm back."
Gu Yuena walked into Long Yuan's dormitory, answering as she changed her shoes.
Suddenly, her face flushed. Why did that exchange sound so strange?
"You heard the announcement, right? The typhoon means we're on break for the next few days." Long Yuan was studying the blueprints in front of him.
"Mm, I know." Gu Yuena came over and leaned down to take a look. "Why have you started studying Mecha design?"
Long Yuan sighed. "Na'er, you know that people like us, who live for a very long time, have to find things to keep ourselves occupied. Otherwise, it takes a serious toll on our state of mind. Besides, Mecha design—or Soul Guidance Technology—is a vast field of study. If I can learn even a little, it'll surely be of great benefit."
"Alright." Gu Yuena sat down beside Long Yuan and simply watched him.
"Brother Yuan, are you going to stay at Eastsea Academy these next few days?"
After a long while, Gu Yuena suddenly asked.
"Maybe. If nothing comes up, I'll stay here a while longer." Long Yuan took out another blueprint and studied it as he spoke. "But I have a feeling Eastsea City won't be very peaceful lately."
"Hm? Why do you say that?" Gu Yuena asked, puzzled.
"Heh. What kind of typhoon stays over a city for an entire week?"
Long Yuan rolled his eyes. Ordinarily, even a slow-moving typhoon would only linger for two days. Even if it lasted longer, it still wouldn't stick around for seven days.
Someone had to be behind this. He just didn't know who.
In theory, only the Plane Master could cause such a dramatic change in the weather, but Long Yuan had already asked him and ruled out that possibility.
As for Tang Hao, the usurper, he was still locked in a struggle of wills with the Plane Master. He naturally didn't have the power to do this.
Then there were the Sea Soul Beasts. The more powerful ones seemed to have the ability to affect the weather. Deep Sea Demons in particular—both the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King from twenty thousand years ago and the Demon Empress—could whip up tsunamis or shroud vast stretches of ocean in gloom.
After hearing Long Yuan's explanation, Gu Yuena immediately understood.
"You mean this typhoon isn't just a simple change in the weather?"
"Who can say whether it's a natural disaster or a man-made one?"
Gu Yuena nodded. "Should I have Yao Ling keep an eye on what's happening in Eastsea City?"
As one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, Yao Ling wasn't especially strong in battle, but he was still comparable to a Level 98 Super Douluo. He was also skilled at concealment, making him the perfect person to gather information.
Long Yuan thought it over, then agreed. "Tell him to be careful and not expose himself."
Very few people knew Yao Ling existed. An undisclosed trump card was certainly more valuable than one that had already been revealed.
"Alright. I'll arrange it now."
Gu Yuena picked up the Soul Guidance Communicator and called Yao Ling.
The Ferocious Beasts' power levels are only for this novel. Please don't nitpick them.
Yao Ling, Zi JI, and the Scarlet King are all Level 98 Super Douluos, but they can't guarantee a win against a Level 98 Three-Word Battle Armor Master.
King of Ten Thousand Monsters and Xiong Jun are roughly equal in strength. They're demigods, but not a match for a demigod Three-Word Battle Armor Master.
Bi Ji is a quasi-god, but she isn't good at fighting. She can only rely on her sheer size to overpower a near-demigod.