The Competition

Twenty minutes later.

The sun had dipped a little toward the west, but the heat had barely faded.

The plastic track had been softened by the sun, and it felt slightly sticky underfoot.

The iron vests they had stripped off lay scattered haphazardly beside the track.

Most of the students were sprawled on the grass, panting, without much strength left to even lift a hand.

"Teacher, we're done running!"

Fang Yuan and Gu Yuena finished their ten laps.

They casually tossed the iron vests at Wu Zhangkong's feet.

The heavy armor hit the grass with two dull thuds.

Sweat clung to both their temples.

They raised their hands together and wiped the cold sweat from their brows.

Not caring about appearances at all, they sat back-to-back on the ground.

"Rest once you're done. Adjust your condition and prepare for the match."

Wu Zhangkong stood in the shade with his hands behind his back. With a flick of his fingers, two bottles of mineral water flew out of his spatial soul device, arcing down toward the two of them.

"Use as much strength as you can in this match. Let me see the martial soul foundation and actual combat ability of you two new students."

"Mm."

Fang Yuan raised a hand and caught the bottle, twisted off the cap, and tipped his head back to gulp it down.

Cool water slid down his throat and trickled from the corner of his mouth, wetting the loose strands of hair at the hollow of his neck.

"Little Fang Yuan, in the match later, use your artifact soul first."

Gu Yuena took a sip of water, turned her head, and reminded him in a low voice.

"Why? Can't the Dragon God martial soul be exposed?"

Fang Yuan lowered the bottle, a hint of confusion on his face.

"Not really." Gu Yuena rubbed the bottle lightly with her fingertips, her tone calm. "Unless they're a pure-blooded dragon or a god, no one can sense the Dragon God's aura."

"Then why..."

"The Dragon God martial soul is too strong, and the soul spirit you absorbed is a thousand-year one. Activating it consumes too much soul power. Just keep it as a trump card."

Gu Yuena explained it lightly.

"If someone asks the name of your martial soul, just make one up to brush them off."

"Oh." Fang Yuan nodded.

The Dark Dragon God martial soul was indeed powerful, but compared with the Little Broken Watch on his wrist, it was still a notch weaker.

Once his mother obtained the Golden Dragon King bloodline one day and truly became the Dragon God, maybe he would be able to directly absorb Dragon God DNA.

When the time came, with two Dragon Gods joining hands, even that guy Tang San might not be able to hold them off.

For now, the urgent matter was still to raise his cultivation first. It would be best if he could reach the threshold of a Title Douluo as soon as possible.

By then, maybe he could even transform into the first-generation Dragon God!

He was lost in thought when several figures suddenly gathered around him.

"Little Brother Fang Yuan, you're way too amazing. You ran ten laps in a twenty-jin iron vest, and your face barely even went pale!"

"Little Brother Fang Yuan, what exactly is your martial soul? Your body's sturdier than ours even though we're several years older."

A few girls crowded over, their eyes full of curiosity.

Someone even handed him a clean tissue, chattering as they gathered around him.

"Move away."

Gu Yuena instantly stood and stepped half a pace forward, blocking Fang Yuan behind her.

Her brows furrowed slightly, and her tone turned a little cold. "My little brother just finished running. He doesn't have the strength to chat with you."

"Sister Gu Yue, it's fine."

Fang Yuan tugged at the hem of her school uniform and gently waved his hand.

Gu Yuena looked back at him and gave a slight nod.

She said nothing more and sat back down to the side, though her expression remained indifferent, and she gave the people around them no friendly looks.

Seeing this, the girls restrained themselves a little. They sat around him and started asking questions one after another, from his hometown to his martial soul, then on to his hobbies.

Come to think of it, this was Fang Yuan's first time talking to so many girls his own age.

He answered them now and then, not exactly warm, but not rude either.

His personality had never been especially outgoing. He was not the popular, socially active type.

Rather than sitting here chatting, he would have preferred someone treating him to dessert.

In both his past life and this one, Fang Yuan's greatest love had been sweets and desserts.

Fortunately, these girls only treated him like an adorable little brother.

They had no other intentions, so chatting with them was not too tiring.

Not far away, Xie Xie braced his hands on his knees, bent over, and gasped for air.

After twenty weighted laps, his legs had gone weak, and the loose strands of hair over his forehead were soaked with sweat, plastered against his skin.

Tang Wulin stood beside him in much better shape, though his breathing was still very heavy.

Xie Xie lifted his eyes and glanced toward Fang Yuan.

He just happened to see several girls gathered around him, laughing and chatting.

His eyes instantly went red.

"Wulin, look at him! It's only his first day here and he's already stealing my spotlight! I was clearly the most popular one in class before!"

His tone was sour, jealousy written all over his face.

"Is that really necessary? You're comparing yourself to a six-year-old."

Tang Wulin raised a hand to cover his face, almost unable to watch.

"Oh... Right."

Xie Xie froze for a moment, then raised a hand to scratch the back of his head as he realized it too. "I, the grand young master of the Xie Family, am actually jealous of a six-year-old. I really was blinded by anger."

"Enough. Save some strength."

Tang Wulin took off the iron vest he was wearing, casually tossed it aside, and impatiently lay down on the grass. "We finally finished these twenty laps. There's still a match later."

"I just can't stand those two, especially that Gu Yue."

Xie Xie lay down as well, staring at the clear blue sky overhead, his voice full of indignation.

"Fine, fine. If you can't stand her, then you can't stand her. But save some energy for the match, all right? It'll really be embarrassing if you lose later," Tang Wulin advised helplessly.

"How could I possibly lose!" Xie Xie immediately propped up his upper body, lifted his chin, and looked full of confidence. "Gu Yue's soul power is two levels higher than mine, but she's a girl. Her practical combat experience might not even be as rich as mine."

"Oh, give it a rest. Acting all arrogant like this, didn't you still lose to me back then?"

Tang Wulin curled his lip and casually exposed him.

"That's not the same!"

Xie Xie immediately glared back in protest.

"How is it not the same? My martial soul is Blue Silver Grass, and you still couldn't beat me."

Tang Wulin spread his hands, looking innocent.

"Are you even my brother or not! I'm already like this, and you're still tearing me down? Can't you cut me some slack?" Xie Xie lightly jabbed him with his elbow and grunted. "Besides, her little brother might even be able to beat you!"

"How is that possible!" Tang Wulin shook his head, not believing it at all. "Student Fang Yuan is only six. No matter how strong he is, how strong can he be? He probably only just got his soul spirit not long ago. He might not even be skilled with his soul skills yet."

"You're being totally hypocritical!"

Xie Xie immediately perked up and sat upright.

"Why don't we make a bet! I bet Fang Yuan can beat you, and you bet he loses.

If you win, I'll cover your food expenses for this week. If you lose, then it's the other way around!"

"Sure, let's bet."

Tang Wulin agreed readily. His eyes shifted slightly, then he added, "Then I'll make another bet with you on Gu Yue. If you beat Gu Yue, I'll serve you tea and water for a month and obey all your orders. If you lose, go apologize to Gu Yue."

"Apologize? No way! Pick something else!" Xie Xie immediately turned his face away, puffed up with anger.

"We're all classmates, and we'll have to fight in the Class Promotion Tournament together later."

Tang Wulin sat up and said seriously, "We're still short one person right now. Maybe the two of them can join us."

"Hmph. Teaming up with someone I hate for the Class Promotion Tournament? I'd rather quit!"

Xie Xie looked in Gu Yue's direction, finding her more displeasing the longer he looked.

"If you quit, I'll quit too." Tang Wulin shrugged, looking completely indifferent.

"Wulin! You really are my good brother!"

Xie Xie was instantly moved. He suddenly pounced over and wrapped his arms around Tang Wulin's shoulders.

"What are you doing! Let go of me!" Tang Wulin shuddered in fright and shoved him hard. "I'm not into that kind of thing! My preferences are totally normal!"

"What are you two doing in broad daylight?"

Wu Zhangkong's voice suddenly drifted over from the side, devoid of warmth, yet it instantly quieted the surroundings.

The students who had been doing their own things all turned their heads in unison, their gazes landing on the two people hugging on the lawn. The air froze in an instant.

"Xie Xie, you screwed me over again!"

Tang Wulin's face instantly flushed as red as a ripe apple, and he shoved Xie Xie away.

His hands and feet were a little flustered, terrified that people would misunderstand and think he had some strange kink.

"If you've rested enough, get ready for the match."

Wu Zhangkong did not tease them further. His gaze swept across the whole class as he spoke flatly.

"We've rested enough!" the two said in unison, hurriedly scrambling up from the ground.

"Teacher, I want to challenge Gu Yue!" Xie Xie stepped forward, lifted his chin, and spoke in a stiff tone.

Tang Wulin hesitated for a moment, scratched his head, and said a little embarrassedly, "Teacher... I challenge the new student, Fang Yuan."

The moment the words left his mouth, even he felt a little like he was bullying him. After all, the other party was only six years old.

"Very good. You have the spirit to challenge."

Wu Zhangkong nodded, his gaze sweeping over the four of them before he made the final decision.

"First match, Gu Yue versus Xie Xie.

"Begin now!"