"Wang, someone's already sitting there. Please don't do anything that would make Xiao Qian uncomfortable."
Tang Wulin slapped the desk, making it clear he wasn't happy about Wang Jinxi wanting to sit beside Qian Jue.
Truthfully, he wanted that seat, too...
Unfortunately, the girl named Gu Yue would never give it up.
She was clearly Qian Jue's senior, so why was she so plain-looking? Aside from her bearing, she had no redeeming qualities.
Did someone like that really deserve to stay by Qian Jue's side?
She was only a tiny bit better than him. If he could become stronger, could he take her place?
Tang Wulin sighed, a conflicted feeling rising in his heart.
I'm sorry, Mom. This is the first time I've ever felt ill will toward a girl. Please forgive me.
Wang Jinxi scratched his head awkwardly, then noticed Zhang Yangzi standing beside him with displeasure written all over his face.
"Old Zhang, what's wrong? That expression of yours is scary."
"Nothing. I've just suddenly started to feel that our nine years of friendship weren't worth it."
Zhang Yangzi sighed and sat down in an empty seat to wait for Wu Zhangkong to begin the lesson.
When would his blockheaded brother finally catch on?
Sitting on the other side, Qian Jue watched the two of them interact with curiosity.
For some reason, he felt a hint of Bashu in the pair.
Maybe the Martial Soul Fusion Skill had brought them closer, on top of the fact that they'd grown up together.
In the original story, Wang Jinxi had been able to resist the temptation of Martial Soul Evolution. To fuse their Martial Souls with Zhang Yangzi, he'd voluntarily left Class Zero.
To outsiders, that was practically an act of self-destruction. After all, Xie Xie, Xu Xiaoyan, and the others who later followed Tang Wulin were all Sea God Pavilion Elders at the very least—bona fide god-level powerhouses.
But this was Douluo Continent, where love came first.
Brotherly love counted as love too, right? Otherwise, what were Cao Dezhi and Zang Xin?
Gu Yue arrived late. She'd cultivated with Qian Jue the night before, and it had felt so good that she'd fallen asleep afterward.
Qian Jue hadn't wanted to disturb her, so he let her sleep a little longer.
The moment she entered, she spotted the two extra students in class.
Zhang Yangzi was beneath her notice. Gu Yue's gaze settled on Wang Jinxi.
"Bone Dragon King? Hmph. He's just the king of one branch of the bloodline. Nothing to worry about." Gu Yue quickly sized him up.
Wang Jinxi posed about as much of a threat as Xie Xie—not worth her attention.
Tang Wulin, on the other hand, truly lived up to his Golden Dragon King origin. Last night, he'd actually cultivated with Qian Jue to that extent.
Still, given that he could provide Qian Jue with vital energy and strengthen his body, Gu Yue wouldn't make a move against Tang Wulin for now.
Gu Yue walked over to Qian Jue, glanced at Tang Wulin on the other side, and lifted the corners of her mouth. She stuck out her nonexistent chest.
So what if Tang Wulin was the Golden Dragon King incarnate?
She was a female dragon.
And Qian Jue was a little male dragon.
Compared with the dragon-type Soul Masters in this class, she'd won right from the starting line.
When the bell rang, Wu Zhangkong entered the classroom. Seeing that Xie Xie wasn't there, he asked:
"Tang Wulin, where's Xie Xie?"
"Teacher, Xie Xie went home last night. He asked me to request a leave of absence for him."
Wu Zhangkong nodded. Xie Xie's innate Soul Power wasn't low, so missing a day or two of class wouldn't matter.
"Class begins!"
The morning's theory lessons flew by. Wu Zhangkong's explanations were clear and easy to follow, and Qian Jue understood everything after listening for only a little while.
Wu Zhangkong didn't have them attend the afternoon physical training class.
Teaching according to each student's needs was important, and every teacher should keep that principle in mind.
Wu Zhangkong had the other students do their usual running drills, then led the group to a sleek, silver room inside the academy.
"Because of the special nature of Qian Jue's Martial Soul, cultivating together may lead to unexpected changes. I'm going to record your baseline data now. We'll test you again after some time."
Wu Zhangkong's eyes shone.
He was eager to see what kind of surprises these little monsters could bring.
Especially Qian Jue. He'd experienced firsthand the boost the Dragon Rising Pillar gave to dragon-type Soul Masters.
Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi went first.
"Twenty-five, thirty points."
"Five hundred, four hundred and fifty kilograms."
Their Spirit Power and strength readings were perfectly normal, with no obvious increase.
After all, the two had only transferred into the class today and hadn't yet cultivated with Qian Jue.
"Next, Tang Wulin."
At Wu Zhangkong's call, Tang Wulin reluctantly left Qian Jue's side and walked over to the testing equipment.
"Seventy-one points!"
Wu Zhangkong rubbed his eyes, staring at the reading on the instrument in disbelief.
During the entrance test, Tang Wulin's Spirit Power had barely exceeded forty. After just one night of cultivation, how had it risen so much?
Tang Wulin noticed his Spirit Power reading, too, and quickly sent Qian Jue a grateful look.
Lord Xiao Qian, I adore you!
During their cultivation the night before, Tang Wulin had clearly felt his mind relax. The ferocity of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline had been tempered, and the energy had in turn nourished his Spirit Power.
"Now, the strength test."
Tang Wulin went to the next machine, took a deep breath, and suddenly threw a punch.
"Bang!"
A loud boom rang through the testing room, and the reading on the instrument shot up to 1,700 kilograms.
Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi were stunned.
They'd thought the only students in Class Five worth paying attention to were Qian Jue, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue.
As for the class monitor, Tang Wulin—he was just a nobody with a ten-year Soul Ring and a Soul Power cultivation level of 11. They'd heard his Martial Soul had mutated, but how strong could a mutated Blue Silver Grass really be?
Now that they thought about it, was this guy's Martial Soul really Blue Silver Grass?
Wu Zhangkong was stunned, too, but soon regained his composure and silently recorded the strength reading.
What a little monster.
On the other side, Tang Wulin exhaled and turned around, only to see Qian Jue looking at him with approval.
"Brother Wulin, you're doing great."
Thump.
Tang Wulin understood the words on his lips, and his heart seemed to skip a beat.
Was Xiao Qian happy for him?
A rush of motivation welled up inside him. He would do even better and make Qian Jue see him in a new light.
Golden Dragon King*Tang Wulin
Our minds become one!
Wu Zhangkong suddenly sensed something was off. Why had the aura around Tang Wulin abruptly surged?
At that moment, Tang Wulin felt as though something deep inside him had shattered.
Then power came flooding in.
"Teacher, the strength test isn't over. That wasn't my limit."
"Are you sure you're all right?"
Tang Wulin nodded. His skin was turning red all over, and he needed some way to release the excess power.
Wu Zhangkong agreed to let him continue the test.
He wanted to see where Tang Wulin's limit lay, too.
The next second, under everyone's gaze, golden light flashed. A layer of dragon scales covered Tang Wulin's right hand, which then transformed into a massive dragon claw.
Boom!
"Six thousand eight hundred kilograms!"
The reading on the instrument stunned everyone except Qian Jue and Gu Yue.
Unlike Wu Zhangkong and the others, Qian Jue was more confused than surprised.
Tang Wulin hadn't even undone the first seal yet. How had he already brought out the Golden Dragon Claw?
Could this have happened because of him?