Gu Yue, Who Cannot Be Let Go, and the Impending Duel (4k+))

The wind on the rooftop suddenly stopped.

It came to an abrupt halt.

Gu Yue stood at the edge of the rooftop, gazing out over the entirety of Donghai Academy. Three steps behind her, a black shadow had silently appeared.

It had the outline of a human figure, yet it was completely blurred. Its appearance and clothing could not be seen clearly, and it was impossible to tell whether it was real or illusory. Sunlight passed straight through it, and it cast not even the faintest shadow on the ground.

"Your Majesty."

The black shadow's voice was dull and hollow.

"With your current state of recovery, you could forcibly fuse with Na'er completely. Why have you delayed taking action?"

Gu Yue did not turn around. Her gaze remained calmly fixed on the distance, and her tone was even.

"Forcible fusion would cost at least twenty percent of my origin power."

"Only twenty percent." The black shadow drifted slightly. "At the height of your strength, that would hardly matter. Besides..."

"What I want is the complete power of the Silver Dragon King."

Gu Yue cut him off directly.

"I do not want eighty percent. I do not want ninety percent. I want all of it."

"Na'er is my split body, but she now has a consciousness of her own. If I forcibly devour her, she will certainly resist. As long as there is resistance, there will inevitably be a loss of power."

The black shadow fell silent at once.

"I want her to willingly return to her rightful place."

Gu Yue withdrew her distant gaze and lowered her eyes to look at her fingertips. A faint strand of seven-colored light flickered there.

"Only if she truly returns to my body of her own accord can the power be whole and flawless."

"There is no hurry."

"I endured ten thousand years. A mere few years is nothing I cannot afford."

The surroundings fell into dead silence. The black shadow clearly understood why his mistress had mentioned those ten thousand years. After a long silence, he spoke again.

"Your Majesty, you should let it go."

Gu Yue's gaze paused slightly, and her eyes grew complicated.

"Humans have short lifespans. No one can endure ten thousand years. He could only help you restore your body; that kind of dual cultivation was by no means a sign that he had feelings for you. It was merely a lowly desire."

The black shadow lowered his voice, sounding somewhat cautious. "That person died long ago. You know it better than anyone. The current Lin Xun is merely an unrelated descendant. The him from ten thousand years ago already..."

"Shut up!" Gu Yue snapped coldly, and her aura instantly turned majestic.

"Di Tian, I warned you before. I do not want to hear those words a second time!"

She did not believe that man was dead, nor did she believe he had merely lusted after her body. Besides, she herself had had no feelings for him at first. It was only through those repeated intimacies that her feelings had gradually developed.

She refused to believe that he had none!

So she would find him again, then question him face-to-face.

"Xie Xie, why do you look so drained?"

Xie Xie walked in with enormous dark circles beneath his eyes, his steps unsteady. The circles were so heavy that they looked as though someone had drawn them on with an ink brush, hanging conspicuously beneath his eyes. He looked even more haggard than someone who had stayed awake for three days and nights.

After taking only two steps, he let out a yawn. His mouth opened wide, and tears nearly squeezed out of his eyes.

"Haah." Xie Xie covered his mouth as another yawn followed. He could barely speak clearly. "Who... who's drained? I just didn't sleep well..."

"Didn't sleep well?" Tang Wulin tilted his head at him, his face full of disbelief. "Your eyes are practically as bad as a panda's. What exactly did you do last night?"

Xie Xie's eyes darted away. He stammered without managing to explain himself, then simply said, "I was cultivating a secret manual!"

"Quite a secret manual indeed," Lin Xun said blandly. "For the past few nights, you've been hiding your head under the blanket every night, fiddling with who knows what."

Xie Xie was mortified.

Fortunately, Wu Changkong finally arrived at the field at that moment, barely rescuing Xie Xie from his embarrassment.

Wu Changkong stood at the front of the field. His white clothes did not stir in the morning breeze as his cold gaze swept across the students of Class Five, Year One below.

"Starting today, the academy is implementing new rules."

"The academy will officially adopt a credit system. The specific rules are as follows: every class in the intermediate division must fight a class from a higher grade once per week. The intermediate division class may decide for itself how many people will participate each week."

As soon as he said this, a buzz of discussion immediately rose from below.

"They can decide the number of people themselves?"

"But they still won't be able to win. The age gap is right there..."

Wu Changkong ignored their discussion and continued, "For every battle, the refereeing panel will assign a comprehensive score based on individual and team performance. This score will directly affect the right to choose the number of participants in the promotion match. Classes with higher credits will have priority in the promotion match and may decide the number of opponents."

His gaze swept over them. "In other words, every drop of sweat you shed now and every battle you fight will become a tangible advantage in the promotion match. Classes with high credits call the shots. Classes with low credits can only passively accept."

"Likewise, the academy has lifted its restrictions. Intermediate division students may challenge advanced division students individually or in teams, as long as a subject teacher is present to supervise. They will receive credits as well. The prerequisite is that you cannot maliciously farm credits by targeting support-type soul masters."

"In addition, credits themselves can be used to exchange for academy resources. Grade-A meals in the cafeteria, cultivation resources, and even certain special soul guide devices are all available for exchange. A detailed exchange list will be distributed to everyone after class."

"The rules are as follows."

Wu Changkong had nothing more to say.

"Today's training begins now."

As soon as he finished speaking, he did not immediately begin the usual group drills. Instead, his gaze shifted toward several people in the crowd.

"The rest of you, form pairs and practice two-on-two." He gave the order calmly, then raised a hand and pointed four times. "Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Lin Xun, Gu Yue. You four, come with me."

The four followed Wu Changkong to the independent training area on the other side of the field. The ground there was paved with special bluestone slabs, and several soul energy pillars stood around it, forming a semi-enclosed space.

Wu Changkong turned around, his back to the morning light, his white robes like snow.

"You have already heard the academy's new rules. Under the credit system, you will battle upperclassmen every week. But I did not mention one detail earlier. Each class in the intermediate division may decide its own representatives, though the academy has recommended slots."

His gaze swept across the four of them. "I recommended the four of you."

Xie Xie's dark-circled eyes nearly popped out. "T-Teacher Wu, you mean... the four of us will be fighting upperclassmen every week?"

"Not fighting." Wu Changkong corrected him. "Training. Practical combat training before the promotion tournament."

He paused, his tone becoming heavier. "Your opponents in the promotion tournament will be outstanding students your own age. But on a real battlefield, the enemy's age, cultivation, and experience will not be equal to yours. Upperclassmen have higher soul power and more combat experience than you, but that is precisely why they are the best whetstones.

"Actual combat will always be the most important thing. No theoretical training can replace it."

Tang Wulin nodded heavily. There was not the slightest trace of fear in his eyes; instead, they burned with excitement.

Xie Xie's expression was far more colorful. He yawned again, then immediately realized that it was not appropriate for the occasion and hurriedly covered his mouth, muttering under his breath.

"So from now on, we get beaten up by upperclassmen every week, and we have to hope our performance scores are high enough so we'll get beaten up less in the promotion tournament?"

Wu Changkong ignored his muttering and continued, "Of course, the age gap and soul power gap are objective facts. The judging panel will take them into account when scoring and will not demand that you win. But that does not mean you can slack off."

"Give every match everything you have and display the highest level you can achieve. The scoring is based on performance, not merely victory or defeat. And..."

He suddenly paused. Something that was impossible to identify as either expectation or severity appeared in his cold gaze. "Talent can make up for many things. You four are the ones I selected from Class Five, Year One. You may be younger than others, and your soul power may be lower, but your talent may not be. Show them your talent. Let those upperclassman judges and opponents see that Class Five, Year One is no pushover."

Wu Changkong rarely said anything inspiring, so it was quite unusual for him to say so much this time.

"Now."

Wu Changkong took two steps back, widening the distance. With a flip of his right hand, an ice-blue longsword condensed in his palm. Wisps of cold air drifted from the blade, and a thin layer of frost instantly spread over the ground beneath his feet, centered on him.

"I will give you special training. In the coming battle, I will suppress my soul power to Rank 30. I will not use soul skills, only basic swordsmanship and combat techniques."

He raised his sword, its tip pointing toward the four of them from afar.

"The four of you, attack together. Do not hold back, because neither will I."

The instant his words fell, an icy chill surged at them like a tide. Even with his soul power suppressed to Rank 30, the pressure that seemed to seep from his very bones still made Xie Xie's calves tremble.

"So we have to get beaten by Teacher before getting beaten by upperclassmen." Xie Xie turned to look at Lin Xun beside him and forced out a smile. "Brother Xun, we can win, right?"

"You'll find out if you go first." Lin Xun retreated behind the others and directly shoved Xie Xie forward.

Tang Wulin had already assumed a combat stance. Blue Silver Grass coiled and spread around his arms as he said without turning his head, "Xie Xie, finish yawning first. Don't fall asleep halfway through the fight."

"Who's going to fall asleep?!" Xie Xie snapped in embarrassment and anger. With a flick of both hands, two daggers appeared in his grasp. His body swayed slightly, and he became as indistinct as a candle flame in the wind.

Gu Yue remained as cool and aloof as ever. Only a flash of light flickered around her body. A faint, almost imperceptible ripple spread outward from her.

As an agility-type battle soul master, Xie Xie charged out first, intending to find an opportunity to ambush Wu Changkong from the flank.

In truth, everything came far too easily. Wu Changkong stood motionless where he was, as if he had not even noticed Xie Xie circling behind him.

"Good chance!"

Xie Xie was instantly overjoyed. The Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger stabbed simultaneously toward Wu Changkong's back.

Wu Changkong did not even turn his head.

With a light flick of his wrist, the Heavenfrost Sword struck after yet arrived first, its tip precisely tapping the edge of the Light Dragon Dagger.

Bang!

A collision rang out.

Xie Xie instantly felt a bone-piercing chill rush up his arm along the dagger. His entire right arm froze stiff in an instant, nearly losing all sensation.

Immediately afterward, a perfectly measured, gentle force traveled through him.

The force was not great, but it was extraordinarily tricky, directly sending his entire body flying.

Xie Xie staggered and rolled through the air. After landing, he rolled three times across the ground before finally stopping in a miserable heap.

Wu Changkong spoke calmly. "The ambush angle was decent, but your footsteps were too heavy. The instant you approached, your position was already exposed."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Xie flopped onto the ground and sneezed from the cold.

Gu Yue's attack followed immediately after. Without any hesitation, she swept her right hand, sending three fireballs in a triangular formation straight at Wu Changkong's face, while her left hand pressed against the ground.

An ice spike silently shot up beneath Wu Changkong's feet.

Both the upper and lower routes were sealed off, the coordination between ice and fire exceptionally precise.

Yet Wu Changkong merely pivoted lightly on his feet and turned slightly to the side, causing the ice spike beneath him to miss completely. Facing the incoming fireballs, he casually drew an arc with the Heavenfrost Sword. The sword's chill condensed into a thin curtain of ice. The three fireballs struck it and instantly went out, unable to leave behind even a single spark.

"Your elemental combination is well conceived, but cracks appear before an underground ice spike breaks through the surface. It is far too easy to predict."

Taking advantage of the pause while Wu Changkong gave his critique, Tang Wulin charged forward without a word like a raging bull. Blue Silver Grass wrapped around his arms to cushion the force.

Without any flashy moves, he threw a solid, heavy punch straight at Wu Changkong's chest. The force of the punch howled through the air, making it rumble dully.

Wu Changkong raised a hand and steadily caught the punch with a single palm.

A muffled boom erupted, and a wave of air scattered in every direction!

Yet Wu Changkong stood as firm as a boulder, utterly unmoved.

With a slight turn of his wrist, he redirected the force with a deft motion, effortlessly neutralizing Tang Wulin's power.

Tang Wulin lost his balance and flew sideways, crashing heavily into the ground and leaving a shallow crater.

"Your strength is impressive, but it's all brute force. Against an opponent who understands technique, you'd be nothing more than a living target."

Tang Wulin climbed out of the crater, rubbing his numbed arm as though stars were spinning above his head.

Wu Changkong withdrew his hand and raised the Heavenfrost Sword again, its tip pointing directly at the last person.

Lin Xun.

The two stood less than ten paces apart.

From this angle, every route of direct advance was sealed off. No matter which direction he charged from, the sword tip could intercept and strike him down at once.

With a flick of his wrist, Lin Xun summoned the gaudy pink Ex-Girlfriend Sword into his hand.

Its soft pink, flamboyant blade stood in glaring contrast to Wu Changkong's icy, razor-sharp Heavenfrost Sword. He did not use any soul ring skills, merely gripping his sword as he advanced steadily, gradually closing the distance between them.

Wu Changkong narrowed his eyes slightly. Perhaps it was an illusion, but he actually felt pressure from Lin Xun. That should have been nearly impossible.

The next second, Lin Xun abruptly dismissed his martial soul.

"Teacher Wu, I surrender."

Wu Changkong: "..."

He had thought something big was coming, only for it to turn out to be a huge pile of crap.

"Just kidding." Lin Xun chuckled before turning serious. "Teacher Wu, come on."

The longsword was summoned once more. At the same time, his second purple thousand-year soul ring shattered, transforming into a capsule that fell into his hand.

On the back of the capsule was a fire phoenix, while on its front was the figure of a woman with long red hair.

"Zixin!"

Liu Yuxin burst into the dormitory from outside, waving a notice in her hand. She kicked the door shut and skipped over to the dressing table with a grin. "Our homeroom teacher wants us to compete in the credits match against the intermediate division tomorrow. He picked the two of us!"

Ouyang Zixin sat before the dressing table, holding a wooden comb as she absentmindedly combed the ends of her hair.

"Oh, okay."

Seeing her like this, Liu Yuxin's smile faded somewhat. She turned and exchanged a look with Mu Xi, who was sitting by the bed.

Mu Xi shook her head.

Still the same.

Ever since that incident, Ouyang Zixin had been like this. She neither cried nor made a fuss, nor did she seek anyone out to pour out her grievances. She attended classes and trained as usual, and her results in the mecha simulation pod had even improved by a few points. But anyone could tell that it was as if something had drained her soul away, leaving behind only an obedient shell.

Mu Xi put down the mecha repair manual in her hands, rose to her feet, and walked behind Ouyang Zixin, placing both hands on her shoulders.

"Zixin. I've heard that the best way to get over one relationship is to start another."

Ouyang Zixin's combing paused for a moment.

"I'm not saying you need to find someone right away. But think about it—Senior Xu Xiaoyu is handsome, talented, and he's even the vice president of the student council. And there's that third-year student, Zhou Yang from the mecha department. Last time, he waited outside the training grounds for an entire hour just to bring you water.

"Which one of them isn't outstanding? Can't you give them a chance—and give yourself one too?"

Ouyang Zixin gently shook her head.

"I'm not interested. Mu Xi, I know you mean well. But feelings aren't something you can replace just by casually switching to someone else. He isn't an old piece of clothing that I can just throw away and replace."

"But..."

"And," Ouyang Zixin interrupted her, "he isn't a scumbag. You don't need to keep trying to persuade me."

Mu Xi opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing more. She knew that continuing would only be a waste of breath. Ouyang Zixin might usually seem gentle and easygoing, but she was more stubborn than anyone deep down.

If she believed Lin Xun was not a scumbag, then he was not one. Nothing anyone said could change her mind.

Did she really have to resort to that final plan?

Mu Xi gritted her teeth.

Standing to the side, Liu Yuxin's eyes darted about before she suddenly smiled mysteriously.

"Zixin, do you know which class from the intermediate division we'll be facing tomorrow?"

Ouyang Zixin looked up at her through the mirror, waiting for her to continue.

Liu Yuxin slapped the notice onto the dressing table, pointed at the class column, and read it out one word at a time.

"First. Year. Class. Five!"