Class Promotion Tournament Finals Begin! (Seeking Reads)

The resting area at the edge of the arena buzzed with noise as teachers and students from every class gathered together.

Wu Zhangkong stood with both hands tucked into his sleeves, his lean frame straight and tall. His plain white school uniform made his features appear all the colder, and there was not the slightest trace of weakness from having just left the hospital.

He raised his eyes and lightly lifted a hand toward Musigang, Class One's homeroom teacher.

"Teacher Musigang, it's been a long time."

Musigang walked over with a smile, looking him over from head to toe as he teased him familiarly.

"It has been a long time, Zhangkong. When did you get out of the hospital? I didn't receive any news at all, so I didn't even have time to visit you."

"No matter. I've already recovered. There's no need to trouble yourself." Wu Zhangkong's tone was indifferent.

"Then let me congratulate you in advance." Musigang waved a hand and looked toward the arena stage. "For this year's Class Promotion Tournament finals, judging by the lineup, your Class Five has a high chance of taking first place."

Wu Zhangkong slightly raised his chin, his tone carrying undisguised certainty.

"Indeed."

"Come on, you!" Musigang did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Can't you be a little more humble?"

He was probably the only person in all of Eastsea Academy who dared to bicker with Wu Zhangkong so casually.

Ever since he had replaced Ye Yingluo as Class One's teacher, he had run into Wu Zhangkong in the office almost every day. This man had a cold, unyielding personality and sharp edges, speaking bluntly and offending countless teachers. Only the two of them got along temper-wise, with a few shared interests besides, allowing them to become friends. With anyone else, given Wu Zhangkong's personality, he would have been destined to remain alone.

Wu Zhangkong cast him an indifferent glance, utterly confident.

"Fangyuan and Gu Yuena are my students. Even I can only barely contend with their strength. Crushing the students you lead would be effortless."

Musigang was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter, his eyes filled with pride.

"Hahaha! As expected of students I taught!"

Wu Zhangkong raised a brow, his tone carrying a hint of serious amusement.

"What do you mean, your students?"

"I was Fangyuan's private tutor for a while before. When it comes to enlightenment, the two of them count as half my students." Musigang was completely justified in his own mind.

"The past is the past. The present is the present." Wu Zhangkong lifted his chin slightly, a rare trace of faint pride appearing on his face. "Now, I am their homeroom teacher. From beginning to end, they have been students of my Class Five."

"Tch, you're just lucky." Musigang curled his lip and deliberately provoked him. "With the talent those two children have, they will definitely go to Shrek Academy for further study in the future. By then, you, their temporary homeroom teacher, will be nothing more than a teacher in name only."

Wu Zhangkong's expression remained unchanged, calm and composed.

"For now, this is enough. There is no need to worry about the future."

The two stood at the edge of the arena, casually trading barbs. The atmosphere was relaxed, with none of the tension one would expect before a final.

Just then, Long Hengxu, the referee teacher, suddenly shouted from the center of the arena, his booming voice drowning out all the surrounding noise.

"Competing students from both sides, enter the arena immediately!"

The passageways on both sides of the stage instantly fell silent.

The six competing students from Class One and Class Five stepped onto the broad bluestone stage in turn.

Sunlight spilled across the stage, and a breeze swept through the arena. The six youths faced one another, and the atmosphere immediately turned solemn.

By convention, the students from both sides announced their names and classes.

The tall boy at the front of Class One was the first to speak. "Class One, Zhang Ziyang."

At the front of Class Five's team, Guyue Fangyuan spoke calmly, neither humble nor arrogant. "Class Five, Guyue Fangyuan."

"Class One, Wang Jinxi!"

After the first two introductions, it was the last two Class One students' turn to introduce themselves.

A cool, arrogant female voice abruptly interrupted them, directly drowning out every other sound.

"There is no need for pointless talk."

Gu Yuena slowly stepped half a pace forward. Her silver hair and white dress made her stunningly beautiful, yet there was none of the gentleness expected of a youthful match in her eyes—only cold, aloof arrogance.

"You are not worthy of knowing Little Fangyuan's name or mine."

The moment her words fell, the entire venue went silent.

The expressions of Class One's three students instantly turned ashen, embarrassed and furious.

Behind her, Tang Wulin sighed helplessly to himself, grumbling inwardly.

Boss Gu Yue was far too flamboyant. It was supposed to be an ordinary pre-match introduction, yet she had to turn the entire venue into a powder keg and provoke everyone's hostility for no reason.

He subconsciously tried to persuade her in a low voice. "Gu Yue, there's no need to be so..."

"Shut up."

Gu Yuena turned her head and glared at him coldly, her gaze sharp and leaving no room for discussion.

Tang Wulin immediately fell silent, obediently closing his mouth and giving a quiet hum in reply.

His thoughts were a mess, and he felt deeply conflicted.

He had personally seen Gu Yuena and Di Tian slaughter ordinary people. He had seen the charred corpses strewn across the ground and knew perfectly well that this pair of siblings were no kind people, ruthless individuals who regarded life with indifference.

Yet when he was truly around them at close range, he could not bring himself to feel complete disgust or fear. He even could not help wanting to get closer, wanting to persuade them.

This conflicted state of mind left his chest feeling tight and stifled.

On the arena, Zhang Ziyang took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart. Staring at Gu Yuena, he said in a deep voice, "You do have the right to be arrogant. Your strength crushes those at the same level, and we have nothing to say about that. There's no point in arguing with words. On the field, victory and defeat will speak for themselves!"

Long Hengxu stood at the center of the arena. Looking at the tense opposing sides, he frowned slightly and issued a warning.

"Let me reiterate the rules! This internal Class Promotion Tournament is primarily for sparring, so stop when appropriate! We will only determine victory or defeat; maliciously seriously injuring or crippling opponents is strictly forbidden! Any violation will result in immediate disqualification, followed by severe punishment from the academy!"

"Understood!"

The six students answered in unison, their voices firm and ringing.

Long Hengxu swept his gaze across the arena and, after confirming that no one objected, spoke in a deep voice. "Take your positions! Prepare yourselves!"

The six quickly took their combat positions, all of them taut with tension.

"Match—begin!"

The instant the command fell, five soul rings rose from beneath their feet almost simultaneously, their gleaming halos illuminating the entire arena.

The three Class One students all possessed the optimal configuration of two yellow and one purple soul ring. Every one of them had reached the Soul Grandmaster realm, with solid foundations and seamless teamwork. They were Class One's carefully honed main team.

In contrast, Gu Yuena was the only Soul Grandmaster in Class Five.

Tang Wulin and Fangyuan were merely one-ring Soul Masters. The disparity in cultivation was obvious to the naked eye.

Yet the three from Class One did not underestimate them in the slightest. Their expressions were grave to the extreme.

Everyone knew that the variable in this match had never been their cultivation realms.

It was that six-year-old child—Guyue Fangyuan.

The inconspicuous old watch martial soul on his wrist was strange and unfathomable. Its combat power was absurdly powerful, capable of transforming into all kinds of soul beasts.

In every previous spar, he had utterly crushed opponents of the same level, suppressing students his own age until they had no ability to fight back.

Without any unnecessary probing, the moment the battle began—

Fangyuan made a zero-frame opening move, turned the watch dial, and slammed it down.

A soft click sounded.

A surge of green light enveloped his entire body.

The instant the light faded, a Titan Giant Ape (juvenile form), several times his original height, stood firmly in place.

A dense, primordial aura erupted with a thunderous burst.

The entire process took only a fraction of a second. The opponents' soul rings had only just lit up when his transformation was already complete.

"Earth Power!"

A low, muffled shout rolled from the giant ape's throat.

The arena's bluestone floor shook violently as countless sharp stone spikes burst from the ground.

Crisscrossing in every direction, they instantly sealed off every foothold available to the three Class One students, their attack swift and vicious.

Wang Jinxi reacted with incredible speed. The yellow and purple soul rings beneath his feet flared as his body shot into the air, evading the piercing stone spikes.

"First Soul Skill, Ancient Dragon Claw!"

Soul Power condensed into a pitch-black dragon claw, which came crashing down with fierce, tyrannical force.

A deafening boom erupted as a single strike shattered every dense stone spike, sending fragments flying across the arena.

Now!

"First Soul Skill, Blue Silver Grass Entanglement."

Tang Wulin's gaze sharpened as he seized the fatal opening while the opponents hung in midair, unable to gain leverage.

Pale-blue light spread outward, and countless slender yet resilient Blue Silver Grass blades erupted in wild growth.

They coiled upward like a tidal wave, precisely wrapping around the limbs and waists of Wang Jinxi and Zhang Ziyang, locking their bodies tightly in place.

The battlefield control was in place!

Fangyuan's massive, fan-like hand clenched as the Titan Giant Ape's brute force exploded in full.

He bent forward and reached out, intending to seize the two restrained opponents directly and end the battle.

At that critical instant, a blurred shadow suddenly tore through the air!

Wei Xiaofeng, Class One's agility-type student, moved with incomparably bizarre footwork!

His first soul ring lit up, and his body instantly split into three overlapping phantoms.

First Soul Skill—Azure Shadow Stack!

Using the scattered rubble and jagged stone remnants as barely sufficient footholds, he forcibly twisted his body in midair.

Dodging the Blue Silver Grass entanglement, he used his suspended momentum to launch a flying kick straight at Fangyuan's head!

He was so fast that his trajectory was almost impossible to see!

At the same time, Zhang Ziyang suddenly exerted force in midair. The twin-winged martial soul behind his back spread open.

Wind-element Soul Power supported his body as he broke free from part of the Blue Silver Grass restraints.

He grabbed Wang Jinxi, who was hanging unsteadily in midair, and yanked him backward.

The two opposing forces pulled and tugged, instantly loosening the previously secure Blue Silver Grass restraint.

The pull threw Tang Wulin off balance, making him stagger half a step forward.

Fortunately, his body had been tempered by the Golden Dragon bloodline, and his physique far surpassed that of ordinary Spirit Masters.

His stance was exceptionally stable, and he forcibly steadied himself without falling over.

"Little Fang Yuan, leave it to me."

A cool female voice suddenly rang out.

Gu Yuena stepped forward slowly, Silver Dragon Spear in hand. Silver radiance flowed along the spear as chilling dragon might swept across the arena, pressing toward the three of them step by step.

She gave her opponents no chance to catch their breath or adjust. Her Soul Ring flashed beneath her feet as her second soul skill activated instantly!

"Second Soul Skill—Imprisoning Spear Radiance!"

Dazzling silver-white spear radiance bloomed, and a semicircular field of light instantly enveloped the entire arena.

A large-scale domain restraint that slowed and stiffened everyone on the field for 0.5 seconds!

If concentrated into a precise single-target strike, both the restraint duration and attack power would double!

Wei Xiaofeng had only just landed when he happened to enter the spear radiance's range.

The Soul Power around his body instantly stagnated, leaving him stiff and unable to move.

To ordinary people, 0.5 seconds passed in the blink of an eye. In a battle between top-tier Spirit Masters, it was enough to decide life and death!

Gu Yuena flicked her wrist, sending spear shadows flying. She did not seek to severely wound or kill him, targeting only his torso and limbs while avoiding vital areas.

Bang bang bang bang—

In just two or three seconds, she delivered twenty-four consecutive thrusts. The spear moved so quickly that only silver afterimages filled the air, while the howl of its wind never ceased.

Wei Xiaofeng remained restrained the entire time and could not dodge or resist at all.

He could only endure every attack head-on, his entire body going numb as his blood and energy churned.

He staggered and dropped to his knees on the spot, losing all ability to continue fighting.

"Wei Xiaofeng!"

Wang Jinxi's pupils contracted sharply, his mind shaken.

Seeing Gu Yuena turn her spear toward him to strike—

He gritted his teeth and activated his soul skill without hesitation.

Second Soul Skill, Bone Soul Conversion!

Grayish-white spiritual light lit up across the bones of his body, and half his torso instantly changed from solid flesh into a translucent spirit form.

Gu Yuena's following horizontal sweep passed straight through his spectral waist without causing the slightest harm.

Using that brief moment of invincibility, Wang Jinxi advanced instead of retreating. He forcibly broke through the spear's blockade and charged straight toward Class Five's rear line.

At the same time, Zhang Ziyang gritted his teeth and mobilized his Soul Power, coordinating with him perfectly.

"First Soul Skill, Darkness Light Screen!"

Pitch-black mist instantly spread across the arena, obscuring vision and blanketing the entire field.

The dense darkness completely blocked everyone's sight. It could both cover Wang Jinxi's advance and disrupt Fang Yuan and Gu Yuena's rhythm.

The black mist was thick and oppressive; ordinary Spirit Masters could not see anything within it.

Fang Yuan stood at the edge of the black mist, and his giant ape form had difficulty maneuvering in the cramped space.

Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his left hand again and pressed a fingertip heavily against the dial.

Another click sounded.

Emerald light erupted once more as the giant ape body rapidly shrank and dissolved within it.

His skeletal structure rearranged itself with cracking sounds, while hard black exoskeleton rapidly seeped out across his skin.

Eight slender, razor-sharp spider legs burst from his back and spread out to either side.

The green light flashed and vanished.

The juvenile Man Faced Demon Spider crouched steadily on the ground, its eight compound eyes gleaming with faint, icy light in the black mist.

The Man Faced Demon Spider possessed naturally superior night vision. This artificial black mist—

Was effectively nonexistent to him, and everyone's movements on the field were crystal clear.

Pshht!

Several streams of black, viscous spider silk shot from its mouthparts, piercing through the mist and accurately coiling toward Wang Jinxi and Zhang Ziyang.

But just as the spider silk was about to hit, all eight of Fang Yuan's compound eyes contracted at once.

Their target had never been himself and Gu Yuena, whose combat strength was terrifying!

It was Tang Wulin behind them, who had only just steadied himself and had yet to calm his breathing!

The black mist's cover, the skills pinning him down, the headlong charge into the spear formation—they had all been feints!

Class One's two students had gambled everything on exposing a weakness, launching their most decisive encirclement tactic—instantly eliminating the weakest point of breakthrough!

Tang Wulin's scalp prickled, and his heart sank.

He reacted at once, with no time to panic. Golden patterns burst across his palm.

The Golden Dragon Claw condensed forcefully, blazing with dazzling golden light as his blood and qi surged.

Though he knew he was trapped in a desperate two-on-one situation, he still gritted his teeth and charged straight at them.

He had bloodline suppression and the advantage of a powerful physique.

But the absolute gap in cultivation was not something willpower could bridge.

Two opponents at the Soul Master realm abandoned all defense and attacked with everything they had, their offensive fierce, sharp, and utterly unrestrained.

Soul skills crashed down upon him in relentless, overlapping waves like a violent storm.

Tang Wulin relied on his Golden Dragon body to withstand several blows. His arms went numb, his blood and qi churned violently, and his Blue Silver Grass completely collapsed.

He desperately blocked, counterattacked, and maneuvered, but one person's strength was ultimately no match for the lethal joint assault of two Soul Masters.

In just a few seconds, his opening was torn wide open.

A Soul Master's heavy fist, condensed with all his strength, struck precisely at the vulnerable spot in Tang Wulin's chest!

Bang!

A dull boom exploded!

The golden light around Tang Wulin instantly dimmed. Agonizing pain tore through his chest, and sweetness rose in his throat as he let out a muffled groan.

Like a kite with its string cut, he flew sideways beyond the edge of the arena!

His body rose into the air, then fell outside the ring!

Class Five's first contestant—

Eliminated.