Little Hammer 40, Big Hammer 80

Inside Mang Tian's workshop, the atmosphere was quiet, yet tinged with a subtle awkwardness.

Chen An sat obediently in a chair to the side and waited patiently. Hearing a faint sound from behind the door, he immediately looked up and stood, having already prepared his words.

The next second, the door was pushed open, and Tang Wuling emerged in a fresh set of clothes.

She folded her arms across her chest, putting on a stern, accusatory expression. Yet her tone was far from harsh, carrying a hint of awkwardness instead.

"Why are you here?!"

"Sister Wuling, didn't you say I could come find you anytime? I guessed you were here."

Tang Wuling had indeed said those words herself.

Tang Wuling was instantly at a loss for words. Her gaze drifted about, and she seemed somewhat flustered as she stubbornly pressed the matter.

"Even so, you can't just barge in like that!"

"You had already fainted and lost consciousness. Even if I called out to you, you wouldn't have heard me."

Chen An spread his hands helplessly. His logic was impeccable.

Tang Wuling's cheeks reddened slightly. After struggling with herself for a long while, she finally asked the question that had been bothering her most. "Then... what exactly happened to my clothes?"

"When I came in, your clothes had already been shattered by the shockwave. It really wasn't me."

Chen An patiently explained again.

Tang Wuling puffed out her cheeks and pursed her lips in frustration, feeling utterly aggrieved.

"Damn it... I can't even find a reason to beat you up."

After hesitating for a long time, she sternly warned him, "Anyway! You are absolutely not allowed to bring this up again. Not a single word!"

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, I'll remember." Chen An nodded obediently.

"Take this seriously, will you?!" Tang Wuling grew even angrier at his perfunctory attitude.

She raised her eyes and stared directly at Chen An, studying him seriously for a moment. Then she suddenly noticed something was off and frowned slightly.

"You... got taller again? You were clearly a little shorter than me before."

Chen An casually brushed it off. "Puberty, probably."

"You're only nine! What puberty? By that logic, I'd be going through menopause!"

Tang Wuling rolled her eyes at him irritably, feeling that this little brother was getting better and better at fobbing people off.

Afraid that continuing would create even more awkwardness, Chen An hurriedly raised his hand to check his communication soul device and changed the subject.

"Stop fooling around. The Class Advancement Tournament is about to start. Are we really going to waste time chatting here?"

Tang Wuling was instantly startled upon hearing that and abruptly came to her senses. "What?! It's already been seven days? The competition is starting?"

She immediately cast aside all distracting thoughts and hurried after Chen An toward the arena.

On the arena platform of the training field, a gentle breeze stirred the hair and clothes of the three contestants.

Tang Wuling quietly watched Chen An standing before her, looking at that striking, dazzling purple Millennium Soul Ring.

Seeing how the youth had transformed completely and grown so rapidly in just a few months, a gentle smile unconsciously appeared in her eyes.

She had watched Chen An grow stronger step by step, from his initial innocence and reserve to the astonishing talent he now displayed.

Even if she gave it everything she had to catch up, she might not be able to match the speed of his growth.

Even though they were opponents on the arena now, she still felt sincerely happy for him.

But Gu Yue, standing nearby, felt entirely differently.

Seeing Chen An showing off so ostentatiously, Gu Yue's eyes were filled with contempt.

Dense soul power quietly gathered in her palm as she prepared to strike.

Yet Chen An's thoughts were not on victory or defeat at all.

To him, the result of this Class Advancement Tournament no longer mattered.

He silently considered whether to deliberately create a minor conflict and steer the original plot back onto its intended course.

Or should he simply fight freely, enjoy a satisfying battle, and then go elbow the second-years?

Or perhaps he could just go along with Tang Wuling's wishes, symbolically take a couple of hits from her, and let her vent her frustration?

The entire audience held its breath. Everyone stared unblinkingly at the arena, awaiting this final showdown between the first-years.

As the breeze rose again, Gu Yue was the first to strike.

Pale green, invisible strands of wind instantly wrapped around Chen An's limbs, firmly restraining his movements.

Wind Bind!

At the same time, Tang Wuling abruptly kicked off the ground and charged forward. Her right hand gripped the Sunken Silver Hammer as she smashed it straight toward Chen An's head with a howling gale.

Judging from this powerful blow, she had truly decided to give Chen An a thorough beating and dispel all the awkwardness and pent-up frustration in her heart.

A trace of amusement flashed through Chen An's eyes. So this was personal revenge, was it?

The first Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up at once. Fine ripples of soul power flowed around his body, and he easily broke free from the wind-based restraint.

He nimbly shifted aside, dodging the Sunken Silver Hammer's heavy blow.

No sooner had he neutralized the close-range attack than a scorching fireball shot straight at his face, incredibly fast and coming from a tricky angle.

There was no need to think about it. He and Gu Yue did not get along, and there was also the old score of him hanging around with Na'er. In a sense, both of them were here to beat him up.

Several waterballs spread across the ground as Gu Yue deliberately sealed off his escape routes, forcing him to face Tang Wuling.

Chen An raised his hand and gathered soul power, summoning the Thousandfold Forging Hammers. With precise control over his strength and soul power, he met Tang Wuling's attack head-on.

The two hammers collided!

A piercing sonic boom exploded, and a powerful burst of air instantly spread out from the point where they clashed, sweeping across the entire arena.

Chen An had never fought Tang Wuling before, so there was still a slight deviation in his control over his strength.

After the collision, Chen An was knocked back several steps. His body swayed slightly, but he planted himself firmly on the ground and did not lose his balance or fall.

Tang Wuling was a little stronger than he had estimated, and he had not used his full strength either.

The instant he steadied himself, he bent low and dodged repeatedly.

Fireballs came one after another, but he nimbly evaded every one of them.

Tang Wuling and Gu Yue coordinated seamlessly. One fought up close while the other attacked from afar; one relied on strength, the other on techniques. Working from both sides, they closed in again with fierce attacks that left no opening.

"You two are clearly using the match for personal revenge!"

Chen An sighed with a smile.

Faced with the two of them attacking together, he did not retreat. Instead, he planted his feet firmly and clenched his fist before slamming it viciously into the arena floor.

First Soul Skill, Ripple!

Faint golden ripples of soul power spread outward in layers from the point where he struck, sweeping across the entire arena.

This was exactly the same move he had used to crush Xie Xie before.

Tang Wuling was the first to be struck by the Ripple. Her body had long been tempered and strengthened by the Golden Dragon King Origin, and her physique was far tougher than that of an ordinary person.

Even without using soul power for defense, her physical destructive power and resistance were terrifying. The Ripple's vibrations had almost no effect on her, and she stood firmly in place.

But Gu Yue was entirely different.

She had been intently gathering soul power and preparing a large-scale elemental attack when the soul power circuits inside her body were suddenly disrupted by the Ripple, instantly thrown into chaos.

The elements that had nearly taken shape all dissipated. For several seconds, she could not even condense the simplest fireball, and her attack was abruptly interrupted.

Gu Yue was restrained, but Tang Wuling had already closed in. The Sunken Silver Hammer came crashing down again with tremendous force.

With a thought from Chen An, crimson scales across his body flowed and converged onto his left arm, layering over one another to protect it as he chose to take the heavy blow head-on.