Wu Changkong

The end-of-class bell rang like a signal of thaw, shattering the icy silence Wu Changkong had left behind in the classroom.

Like startled little beasts, the students began rustling as they packed their things and chatted in low voices. The air was filled with the relief of surviving an ordeal, along with faint anxiety over tomorrow's unknown lessons.

Xie Xie, Yun Xiao, and Zhou Changxi almost simultaneously turned their gazes toward Bai Lin, who sat by the window.

Their expressions were incredibly complicated—

There was lingering fear, deep wariness, but more than that, an indescribable confusion and tentative probing.

The peaceful, restrained aura Bai Lin gave off now made him seem like a completely different person from yesterday's "Hei Lin," who had radiated the cold, savage air of an abyssal demon.

Such a tremendous contrast sometimes made them wonder whether their memories of yesterday had somehow gone wrong.

Yet the lingering aches in their bodies and the bone-deep chill constantly reminded them that the terrifying experience had been real.

Yun Xiao took a deep breath, summoned his courage, and forced the friendliest smile he could manage as he asked Bai Lin,

"Um..."

"Wu Lin, class is over. Want to go to the cafeteria together?"

"Our dorm is going together anyway."

There was still a trace of barely detectable tension in his voice.

Zhou Changxi hurriedly nodded and chimed in in his muffled voice.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go together! It'll be livelier with more people!"

He subconsciously rolled his shoulders. The places where he had been thrown around yesterday still seemed to ache faintly.

Although Xie Xie said nothing, his sharp eyes were fixed tightly on Bai Lin. His lips were pressed together, and he was clearly waiting for an answer as well.

As Soul Masters, reverence for strength was instinctive, rooted in their bones.

Hei Lin's overwhelming strength yesterday, along with the terrifying Level 23 soul power revealed today, had made them understand that the boy before them was the true "monster" of Class Five.

Combined with Bai Lin's peaceful, even somewhat gentle temperament at the moment, which stood in stark contrast to yesterday's brutality, they could not help but feel a flicker of hope—

Maybe they could try to mend their relationship?

They truly did not want to experience that antlike terror of being dominated by absolute strength again.

Bai Lin was slightly stunned by the sudden invitation.

He had never expected the three who had been harshly taught a lesson by Hei Lin yesterday to take the initiative to show goodwill toward him today.

A trace of warmth and emotion rose in his heart.

These classmates seemed...

Not very vindictive?

Or perhaps, in the world of Soul Masters, strength itself was a pass?

He was not naturally withdrawn, and he also longed for normal companionship.

Since they had taken the initiative to break the ice, he was naturally happy to accept.

"Sure."

A gentle smile appeared on Bai Lin's face. Like sunlight, it instantly dispelled the last trace of gloom around him that might have been misunderstood.

"Let's go together."

The four of them left the classroom together. When they reached the corner of the corridor, they happened to run into Senior Liu Yuxin, who stood nearby looking somewhat absentmindedly in the direction Wu Changkong had left, her face full of wistful loss.

Hearing their footsteps, Liu Yuxin came back to herself. When she saw Bai Lin, a look of surprise immediately appeared on her face.

"Huh?"

"Tang Wulin?"

"Hello, Senior," Bai Lin replied politely.

Liu Yuxin hurried over, looking Bai Lin up and down in confusion before asking in surprise,

"Wu Lin, why are you in Class Five?"

"With your talent, shouldn't you be in Class One?"

She clearly still remembered how much Long Hengxu had valued this "special" new student.

Bai Lin remained calm and repeated what he had said to Wu Changkong earlier.

"I think Class Five is pretty good."

Liu Yuxin froze for a moment, then seemed to remember something. Realization and understanding appeared on her face as she nodded vigorously.

"That's true!"

She paused. Seeing that Bai Lin seemed unfamiliar with Wu Changkong, she lowered her voice and explained with the air of sharing a secret.

"Your homeroom teacher, Teacher Wu Changkong, used to teach in our advanced division!"

"I heard it was because..."

"Well, he made a small mistake, so he was 'demoted' to the intermediate division to teach Class Five."

"However."

Her tone shifted, carrying heartfelt admiration.

"With him around, you'll definitely learn real skills and improve greatly!"

"He's incredibly powerful!"

Liu Yuxin's words made Bai Lin quietly delighted.

Although he was not particularly demanding when it came to teaching staff and placed greater importance on his own effort, having a powerful teacher to guide him was always a good thing. It would save him many detours.

At that moment, Liu Yuxin seemed to remember something. She hurriedly stuffed the small soul camera in her hand into Bai Lin's hands, wearing a pleading yet sly smile.

"Junior Wu Lin, can you do your senior a favor?"

"When you're in class or training later on, help me take a few more pictures of Teacher Wu. Front views and side views, all of them—the clearer, the better!"

"Please, please!"

In order to "bribe" Bai Lin, she quickly added,

"In exchange, I'll tell you another secret about Teacher Wu!"

"He's Eastsea Academy's publicly recognized number one expert, a Six-Ring Soul Emperor-level powerhouse!"

"A Six-Ring Soul Emperor?!" Even the usually proud Xie Xie could not help crying out in shock, his face filled with disbelief.

A Six-Ring Soul Emperor!

Even in all of Eastsea City, a powerhouse of that level was exceedingly rare, someone qualified to become an honored guest of any major faction!

They had never expected their Class Five homeroom teacher to be such a terrifying figure!

Liu Yuxin looked at their shocked expressions with satisfaction and waved with a smile.

"Remember to take pictures!"

"Your senior is leaving now!"

With that, she left in a slightly buoyant mood.

This little incident eased some of the earlier tension.

The four headed toward the cafeteria together. Along the way, they continued discussing in low voices the news that Wu Changkong was a Six-Ring Soul Emperor, and their reverence for their cold homeroom teacher deepened another layer.

Once they reached the cafeteria, Xie Xie unusually took the initiative to offer to treat them, carrying the proud air of a young man who had regained some lost face.

Because Bai Lin had the academy's free meal benefit, he only needed to show his student card.

Seeing this, Xie Xie naturally only paid for Yun Xiao's and Zhou Changxi's meals. Though he said nothing, his slightly raised chin seemed to declare:

I'll pay for what I should, but I won't waste what can be saved.

A hearty lunch, the steaming fragrance of food, and the nature of youths who did not hold grudges overnight.

Together with the goodwill Bai Lin had taken the initiative to show and Xie Xie's gesture of treating them, the invisible barrier between the four of them that Hei Lin had created finally dissolved by more than half.

At the table, they talked about the novel academy life, complained about Wu Changkong's coldness, and speculated about tomorrow's lessons...

Amid laughter and chatter, the unpleasantness caused by yesterday's brief but intense conflict in the dorm seemed to have truly been temporarily forgotten.

At least on the surface, the four dormmates finally looked a little like "classmates."

Bai Lin felt the rare relaxed atmosphere and a trace of warmth rose in his heart. This was part of the peaceful academy life he wanted.

Yet within his spiritual sea, Hei Lin seemed to disdain it, though he said nothing and remained silent.