Contest

Wu Changkong's icy face remained expressionless, but for the first time, an indescribable glimmer clearly flashed through his deep blue eyes—

It was surprise, scrutiny, and the look of someone who had discovered something immensely interesting.

His gaze lingered for a moment on Bai Lin's withdrawn fist, as though trying to see through the flesh and uncover the secret beneath.

Then, Wu Changkong turned his gaze toward Zhou Changxi, who was groaning painfully on the grass. His cold voice pronounced the result, its logic clear and cruel:

"You're eliminated."

"A strength-type Soul Master who loses to his opponent in strength has no reason to continue."

"Next match."

Wu Changkong's cold voice shattered the silence over the field as his gaze shifted to the other two beside Bai Lin.

Yun Xiao and Xie Xie exchanged a glance before helplessly walking toward the center of the field.

Bai Lin calmly retreated into the circle of watching students.

Facing Xie Xie, whose presence was sharp and whose eyes were keen, Yun Xiao forced out a bitter smile uglier than crying. Pressing his palms together, he made a pleading gesture.

"Xie Xie, please go easy on me!"

"I'm just an ordinary support-type Soul Master. I really can't take a beating..."

His voice was clearly fawning and nervous.

Xie Xie merely gave him an indifferent glance and sparingly uttered two words:

"Good luck."

Yet that "good luck" sounded more like a warning to prepare for a beating.

"Begin."

Wu Changkong's voice was like a starting gun.

Xie Xie reacted as fast as lightning!

Almost the instant the word "begin" fell, a yellow soul ring lit up beneath his feet. Light flashed in his right hand, and the slender, razor-sharp Light Dragon Dagger was already in his grasp.

Without the slightest hesitation, he shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, carrying the razor-edged momentum unique to an agility-attack Soul Master as he charged straight at Yun Xiao!

His speed far surpassed Zhou Changxi's earlier charge, drawing a wave of low cries from the watching students.

Yun Xiao was so frightened his soul nearly fled his body. Almost on pure survival instinct, he abruptly raised his Star Compass martial soul.

Light flashed rapidly across the Star Compass, and a strange silver halo instantly spread outward, enveloping both him and Xie Xie!

Something strange happened!

Just before Xie Xie's Light Dragon Dagger could pierce Yun Xiao, the space around them seemed to twist and switch in an instant!

With a flash of light, Yun Xiao, who had been in Xie Xie's attack path, vanished. In his place stood...

Xie Xie himself!

And Yun Xiao appeared where Xie Xie had originally begun his charge!

"A spatial soul skill?"

A nearly imperceptible flicker of surprise passed through Wu Changkong's cold eyes.

Such an ability was exceedingly rare among junior Soul Masters.

Xie Xie's pupils abruptly contracted!

His forward momentum had been too fierce, and the Light Dragon Dagger nearly grazed his own clothes as it stabbed past!

The intense sense of displacement made his heart tighten.

But he was indeed a genius of the agility-attack type, with astonishingly fast combat instincts!

The instant he realized his target had vanished from in front of him, he did not even turn around to confirm it. His body had already reacted through extraordinary flexibility and battle instinct!

His arm swung backward at a bizarre, almost reverse-jointed angle that ordinary people could never achieve!

The Light Dragon Dagger swept through the air in several sharp streaks of light, instantly weaving into an impenetrable shield of dagger shadows that firmly protected his back and flanks!

This was the defensive move he used against sudden attacks.

However, the anticipated attack never came. Yun Xiao merely stood there awkwardly clutching the Star Compass, his face pale as he gasped for breath.

Though his first soul skill, Star Shift, was miraculous, it consumed enormous energy. He could not use it again anytime soon, and he possessed no offensive ability at all.

Seeing that Yun Xiao posed no threat whatsoever, Xie Xie instantly understood the situation.

With a flick of his wrist, the Light Dragon Dagger disappeared, and the sharpness of his aura receded as well.

"You advance."

Wu Changkong's voice sounded at just the right moment, announcing the result.

There was no need for him to let such a one-sided battle continue.

Then Wu Changkong's cold gaze turned to Yun Xiao, who had yet to recover from the shock. His tone remained devoid of warmth, but the content of his words was practical combat guidance:

"Your soul skill has a special effect. Used properly, it can catch an opponent off guard."

"But when facing an agility-attack Soul Master far faster than you, if your first strike fails to gain an advantage or create distance, you will almost certainly lose."

"Next time, after using Star Shift, immediately open the greatest possible distance and try to disrupt your opponent's senses instead of standing there dumbfounded."

Yun Xiao nodded repeatedly. Though he had been scolded, receiving guidance from Teacher Wu instead felt like an unexpected gain.

The following practical battles thoroughly confirmed Wu Changkong's earlier judgment, and made his eternally frozen face grow so grim it seemed water might drip from it.

The truth proved that the teachers at Eastsea Academy responsible for assigning classes truly had "vicious" eyes.

The overall caliber of Class Five's remaining students was simply appalling.

Of the twenty students, eight had tool-type martial souls, most of which leaned toward daily-life uses or had extremely limited support abilities. They possessed no respectable combat ability at all.

The remaining support-type Soul Masters had equally pathetic support effects.

As for the battle Soul Masters, apart from the two anomalies, Xie Xie and Bai Lin, the martial souls of the other three were nearly on the same level as Blue Silver Grass, a "useless martial soul."

After battle after battle, Wu Changkong showed no mercy, scolding every student who performed poorly, made tactical mistakes, or even shrank back out of fear until they were utterly humiliated.

His icy rebukes echoed over the field, leaving every student silent as a cicada, wishing they could bury their heads in the dirt.

Wu Changkong's mood at this moment could only be described as utterly terrible.

Originally, seeing Bai Lin and Xie Xie, two promising students clearly far above the average—especially Bai Lin's unfathomable performance—had briefly given him an unrealistic expectation for this so-called "class of bad students."

But reality slapped him hard in the face—

Class Five's overall level of uselessness far exceeded his imagination!

"Second round, begin!"

Wu Changkong's voice was even colder than before, carrying suppressed anger.

He casually pointed at Bai Lin, who had just advanced with ease, and another female student—Li Chushui.

Li Chushui was a petite girl who appeared quite lively and nimble.

The moment she heard her name—especially upon learning that her opponent was Tang Wulin, the unfathomable student who had sent Zhou Changxi flying with one punch—her face instantly turned deathly pale.

Yet compared to Zhou Changxi's despair, there was an extra trace of stubbornness in her eyes.

The two walked to the center of the field.

"Begin."

Wu Changkong's voice fell.

Li Chushui did not hesitate in the slightest. With a sharp cry, she instantly released her martial soul!

A white soul ring rose beneath her feet. At the same time, the phantom of a little white cat appeared on her shoulder, pure white all over, with adorable eyes as crystalline as sapphires—her ten-year soul spirit.

After her martial soul possessed her, her body seemed to become even lighter and more flexible, while her fingertips grew slightly sharper.