Chapter 13

Xie Xie's face instantly fell. He curled his lips, utterly unconvinced. "Hmph, who are you trying to fool, Brother Ling? Anyone can work hard, but no matter how hard I work, I can't compare to you."

"A Soul Elder at rank thirty-one holding his own against a six-ring Soul Emperor—this isn't something effort alone can achieve."

Tang Wulin nodded vigorously as well, his little face full of agreement.

Ever since his Martial Soul awakening, he had trained desperately and shed several times more sweat than his peers. Yet compared with Xiling, the difference was still like heaven and earth.

Seeing the two of them looking so serious, Xiling could not help but chuckle. He followed Wu Zhangkong's back at an unhurried pace.

"Don't always think about comparing yourselves to me. I'm not someone who can be measured by the geniuses you imagine."

"Let me give you a piece of advice: rather than obsessing over comparing yourself with others, work hard to defeat the person you were one second ago."

Xie Xie scratched his head, looking as though he only half understood. "That sounds really profound, but Brother Ling, I still want to get stronger quickly and catch up to you!"

He no longer hoped to surpass Xiling. The gap was simply too vast, enough to make anyone despair.

Tang Wulin said nothing, silently committing those words to heart.

Wu Zhangkong listened to the conversation behind him. His footsteps remained steady, and he neither turned around nor said a word, but his heart was not as calm as his appearance suggested.

He acknowledged Xiling's pride. It came from genuine strength. But Xiling's mentality, so far beyond that of his peers, raised Wu Zhangkong's assessment of him another level.

Before long, Wu Zhangkong brought the three of them to his office. It was small, containing only a desk, a chair, and a cabinet.

"When I called someone trash just now, that included both Tang Wulin and Xie Xie."

Wu Zhangkong's very first sentence wiped out Xie Xie's good mood. "Wait, where's the reward we agreed on?"

He looked at Xiling resentfully, as if saying, "Brother Ling, is this the reward you mentioned? A trash title?"

Xiling seemed not to notice Xie Xie's resentful gaze. A faint smile rested on his lips as he stood there on his own, with no intention of helping.

Wu Zhangkong ignored Xie Xie's little expression and looked at Tang Wulin instead. "Your performance today was acceptable, but you did not fully make use of your strengths."

"Your Blue Silver Grass should have mutated. Its toughness is far beyond normal, but your Soul Power is too weak. Against opponents with higher Soul Power, you won't have much of a chance."

"And what's with that hammer?"

Tang Wulin said helplessly, "I've studied forging."

Wu Zhangkong frowned. "Forging? Why would a Soul Master like you study forging? A clumsy bird flies first. You're already a clumsy bird, yet you're wasting time on something so pointless."

Tang Wulin lowered his head, not daring to look at Wu Zhangkong. "But everyone says my Martial Soul is a useless Martial Soul, and my Soul Spirit isn't good either..."

"So you intend to become a blacksmith?" Wu Zhangkong interrupted him. "Nonsense! You are my student. Before I decide that you are trash, you must work hard toward becoming a Soul Master."

"Teacher Wu, allow me to say something. I think Wulin probably has other reasons for studying forging. Not everyone can afford a Soul Spirit," Xiling said, unusually choosing not to watch from the sidelines.

The moment he spoke, Xie Xie's gaze became even more resentful. He wanted to protest—this was blatant favoritism!

Wu Zhangkong paused slightly and looked at Xiling. A trace of contemplation flashed through his cold eyes. Then he looked at Tang Wulin, who still had his head lowered, and spoke calmly.

"I do not know what your family circumstances are, nor do I intend to pry into your private affairs. But remember this: you may study forging, but you cannot put the cart before the horse and neglect the path of Soul Master cultivation because of it."

Tang Wulin's heart warmed at those words. He secretly glanced at Xiling beside him, his eyes filled with gratitude.

Sensing Tang Wulin's gaze, Xiling merely smiled faintly and nodded imperceptibly, signaling that he need not take it to heart.

Watching their silent exchange, Xie Xie felt even more sour. He muttered to himself, Favoritism. This is way too biased!

"Xie Xie, and you! Do you think you're any better than Tang Wulin? Is it fun hiding your Twin Martial Souls? Your rank eighteen Soul Power mostly comes from the innate advantage of Innate Full Soul Power, doesn't it? Are you proud of that?"

Wu Zhangkong's sudden words made Xie Xie lift his head at once and stare at him in shock.

Wu Zhangkong snorted coldly. "You still have a long way to go. There are plenty of useless people with Twin Martial Souls. As an agility attack-type Soul Master, you were forced by a Blue Silver Grass to reveal your Twin Martial Souls in battle. Is that something to be proud of?"

"I..." Xie Xie's face flushed red from the rebuke.

"Teacher, what are Twin Martial Souls?" Tang Wulin asked curiously.

Wu Zhangkong frowned. "Was your primary academy teacher paid to do nothing? You don't even know about Twin Martial Souls?"

"Twin Martial Souls means possessing two Martial Souls. The benefits are obvious. Those with Twin Martial Souls generally possess Innate Full Soul Power, making cultivation much easier. Furthermore, both Martial Souls can be fitted with Soul Rings."

"However, after entering the era of Soul Spirits, the advantage of Twin Martial Souls was no longer so great due to the limitations of spiritual power. No one's spiritual power could withstand Soul Spirits bearing eighteen Soul Rings."

"Unless one was like the first master of the Spirit Pagoda back then, possessing a spiritual-attribute Martial Soul and Soul Spirits so powerful that each could grant multiple Soul Rings."

Tang Wulin looked at Xie Xie and could only sigh at how unfair the world was. Comparing people really could make one furious.

"Alright, now for the important matter." Wu Zhangkong's words drew everyone's attention.

"Every new school year, the academy holds a competition. Both the intermediate and advanced divisions take part. It is called the Class Promotion Tournament."

"The Class Promotion Tournament begins with the weakest class, which sends out students to challenge the classes above it. If they win, they take the challenged class's place, continuing until they lose. The class with the highest final ranking earns the title of Grade One Class One."

"Every victory in a challenge against a higher-ranked class earns rewards from the academy."

"Our first grade has five classes, and Class Five ranks last. That means we will be the ones issuing the challenge."

"Teacher, do you mean the three of us will take part in the Class Promotion Tournament?" Xie Xie looked at Wu Zhangkong excitedly.

"With Brother Ling here, won't the championship be ours for the taking? Just let Brother Ling show them what he can do, and they'll surrender."

Wu Zhangkong shot the smug Xie Xie a cold glance, instantly extinguishing his arrogance. "Xiling will not participate in this Class Promotion Tournament."

The moment those words came out, Xie Xie wilted. But he quickly recovered, lifted his chin, and said, "That's fine. With me here, I can challenge my way up alone without any problem!"

"You? Do you really think Twin Martial Souls make you invincible? Do you know what kind of people get selected for Class One?"

"This world never lacks geniuses. Among the entire intermediate division, your talent would only rank average at best," Wu Zhangkong said disdainfully, showing no mercy at all.

Xie Xie wanted badly to argue, but he could not come up with anything to say.

"The competition will be held in a month. Starting tomorrow, aside from classes, I will give you special training every evening."

"Your task is to turn our class into Grade One Class One."

"If you fail..." Wu Zhangkong gave a soft chuckle. That single laugh sent chills through Tang Wulin and Xie Xie.