Assistant Instructor?

Xiling sensed someone approaching and opened his eyes, only to see Gu Yue hurrying toward him. He understood perfectly well what was going on.

Although he knew why Gu Yue had come over, he still smiled and greeted her. "Gu Yue, did you need something from me?"

Meeting his gaze, Gu Yue's heart inexplicably tightened. It was that feeling again, as though he had seen right through her. It seemed that she had no secrets at all before this boy.

It made Gu Yue deeply uncomfortable. The words at the tip of her tongue were swallowed back down. "Nothing."

This left Xiling somewhat surprised. Wasn't she supposed to be approaching him because of her bet with Na'er?

Could he have been flattering himself? Was this one of the three great illusions of life?

Xiling helplessly shook his head and packed up his things. "Since you're fine, Gu Yue, I'll be going first. See you this afternoon."

Without waiting for Gu Yue to react, he took a single step and vanished from the spot.

Staring at the empty space before her, Gu Yue slapped her forehead, her face full of regret.

What was she doing?!

After a long while, Gu Yue silently warned herself, Next time... I absolutely can't lose my composure in front of him again.

After returning home, Xiling first checked on Leng Yulai. Seeing that she had truly cleaned the room, he nodded in satisfaction.

Leng Yulai sat slumped in a corner of the room, still wearing her bloodstained clothes. Her face was pale as paper, while boundless hatred and utter humiliation that could not be dispelled filled her brow.

Benares remained coiled nearby, watching her at every moment.

Xiling casually took a wooden table out of his storage space and placed a few simple dishes on it, his gaze falling upon the rigid Leng Yulai.

"Wouldn't it have been better if you'd acted like this from the start? I'm only seriously injuring you once in a while. It's not like I'm taking your life."

"Behave yourself, and you'll suffer less."

Leng Yulai slowly raised her bloodshot eyes. Her crimson gaze locked onto the boy before her, and she nearly crushed her teeth from clenching them so hard.

Her heart was filled with hatred that had nowhere to go, yet she could do nothing about it.

Xiling did not care in the slightest about the venomous resentment surging in her eyes. To him, what Leng Yulai thought did not matter at all.

As for whether he would feel guilty about treating her this way, he would first like to make one thing clear: evil Soul Masters were not human.

Xiling could not be bothered to pay Leng Yulai any more attention. After placing the food beside the table, he turned and left.

The barrier isolating the space closed once more, completely cutting off that resentful gaze within.

The afternoon class was still physical training. The promised theory lesson was canceled with a single sentence from Wu Zhangkong: "With your current physical fitness, what theory could you possibly study?"

Xiling also gleefully fanned the flames from the side, making the training intensity far greater than in the original work.

After a full day of physical training, nearly all of those nine-year-old children were sprawled on the ground, completely unwilling to move. Their hatred for Xiling was immense.

"Xiling, Gu Yue, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, come find me after dinner." Wu Zhangkong's voice rang out before class ended.

Upon hearing his name, Xie Xie, who had been lying limp on the ground, instantly pulled a miserable face. His entire body was sore and weak, and he could only barely stand with Tang Wulin supporting him.

Gu Yue was doing much better than the others, but she was still breathing heavily from exhaustion.

Xiling walked over and glanced at them, his gaze eventually landing on Xie Xie. He smiled. "Xie Xie, you really can't handle much, can you?"

"It's one thing to lose to little Wulin, but even Gu Yue, a girl, is stronger than you."

"Brother Ling, you don't have to train, so of course it doesn't hurt when you talk!" Xie Xie wailed irritably, his legs trembling uncontrollably. "Teacher Wu is practically training us to death, and you were fanning the flames from the side!"

"I don't understand it. We agility-type battle Soul Masters only need explosive bursts and flexibility. Why do we have to do this physical training?"

Xie Xie's wail drew a helpless smile from Tang Wulin. Though his entire body ached from exhaustion as well, he was nowhere near as badly off as Xie Xie.

Gu Yue stood beside them, breathing softly as she looked at Xiling. Her fingers curled slightly.

The warning she had given herself that morning echoed repeatedly in her mind. She absolutely could not lose her composure in front of Xiling again.

Seeing Xie Xie's miserable expression, the smile on Xiling's lips deepened. He teased, "Who said stamina isn't important? What if you're doing that with your girlfriend someday and you pass out before she does?"

The moment those words came out, Xie Xie's face flushed bright red. He stammered for a long time without managing to say anything, and his exhausted appearance was now tinged with embarrassment.

Tang Wulin, standing nearby, did not quite understand what he meant and merely looked at the two of them in confusion.

At Xiling's words, the tips of Gu Yue's ears instantly turned crimson. She subconsciously turned her face away, avoiding everyone's gazes, both embarrassed and annoyed.

How could this man say something so frivolous in public?!

Only then did Xiling belatedly remember that Gu Yue was standing beside him. He coughed awkwardly and restrained his teasing expression.

"Alright, go eat first. Tonight's training won't be any easier than this afternoon's."

The group responded and headed toward the cafeteria together.

Along the way, Gu Yue deliberately kept a measured distance from Xiling, yet her gaze kept drifting uncontrollably toward his back.

She wanted to approach him and say something, but she did not know what to say.

That evening, Wu Zhangkong brought the four of them to an indoor training ground behind the academy.

The training ground was circular, with a Soul Guidance barrier protecting its interior. It was a place for students with relatively high cultivation to train their martial souls.

"Starting today, you will follow me in special training every night. Work hard for the promotion match three months from now."

"And Xiling will serve as my assistant instructor."

The instant he heard that, Xie Xie's eyes widened, his face filled with despair as he wailed:

"No way, Teacher Wu! Brother Ling is going to be the assistant instructor? You were already ruthless enough this afternoon. With him added in, won't we be trained to death?"

Just thinking about Xiling fanning the flames that afternoon made his whole body shudder. Wu Zhangkong was already strict enough, and with Xiling, who loved stirring things up, joining in, the days ahead of special training would be utterly bleak!

Upon hearing Wu Zhangkong's arrangement for him, a smile immediately appeared on Xiling's lips. This was far more interesting than merely watching from the side.

Wu Zhangkong ignored Xie Xie's wailing. His gaze first fell on Tang Wulin. "Tang Wulin, your martial soul is Blue Silver Grass. The reason I chose you for the promotion match in the first place was because I had no other choice."

"Now that Gu Yue is here, you have seen her strength and talent for yourself. I will not go back on my word."

"However, you must show me that you are truly qualified to represent Class Five. If you cannot meet my requirements before the promotion match, then I will only send two people."

"Yes." Although he had prepared himself mentally, Tang Wulin still felt somewhat dejected. Talent was ultimately his greatest weakness.

"Teacher, what are we training for in tonight's special session? It can't still be physical training, right?" Xie Xie's focus was clearly elsewhere.

Wu Zhangkong said, "Of course not. No matter what kind of training you undergo, there is only one goal: to improve your strength."

"Strength can be divided into hard power and soft power. In my view, all strength originates from actual combat."

"Therefore, your special training will consist solely of actual combat. Use real combat to awaken your own potential, and use real combat to improve your battle experience. Do you understand?"