Husband and Wife Duel

Tang Wulin kicked off the ground.

Rubble sprayed from beneath his feet as the Golden Dragon Claw burst from between his fingers and shot straight for Gu Yue's shoulder.

Gu Yue did not dodge. Her lips moved, so fast it was like she had merely exhaled. The ground beneath her feet split open, and an earthen wall surged up through the cracks between broken bricks, barely blocking the claw. Crumbling dirt struck half of his body, and his hand plunged into the soil, shattering half the wall.

But he had not yet had time to withdraw his hand. The air to his left condensed into ice spikes, while a fireball exploded from the cracks in the stone to his right. Ice and fire bit into his sides at the same time.

Tang Wulin did not stop. Blue Silver Grass burrowed out from his palm along the ground, slender vines slipping through the gap beneath the earthen wall and coiling around Gu Yue's waist. His right fist smashed the ice spikes apart, while his left hand brought out the Heavy Silver Hammer, its head striking the center of the fireball. Ice shards and sparks exploded together, scattering glimmers over half his body and making his face flicker between light and shadow.

The Blue Silver Grass had already wrapped tightly around her. With a tug of his wrist, Gu Yue was pulled off the ground. Her black hair fanned out in midair, and a corner of her jacket hem was lifted by the wind. Her expression had not yet changed; her eyes widened slightly, her lips parted, and she flew toward him with the pull.

But her hand had already turned over. Her palm faced downward, coated in a thin layer of frost as it pressed toward his chest, swift and precise. Yet just as that palm was about to land solidly, Gu Yue's wrist drew back slightly.

She did not know why she had held back. Her combat instincts told her that strike should have landed, yet her wrist had loosened the force on its own. That slight withdrawal was incredibly light and fast, so fast that when the ice coating in her palm touched his body, it only had time to burst into a thin layer of cracks—it did not land solidly, and without the recoil of force, she lost her last bit of balance. Unable to stop herself, she fell straight into his arms.

She crashed into his embrace. Her forehead bumped beneath his collarbone, and the top of her hair brushed his chin. The faint strike she had thrown, still carrying the chill of shattered ice, rested against his chest. Tang Wulin's hands paused in midair for a moment before lowering to support her wrist. Her entire body stiffened in his arms, like a cat suddenly caught in someone's grasp. He lowered his head and saw only the top of her hair—her black hair had turned dark brown beneath the morning sun, with several strands tangled in the seam around the buttons of his collar. He did not move. He simply stood there, holding her wrist for a breath. He felt the chill at her fingertips slowly warming, like a thin sheet of ice melting in his palm.

She remembered nothing. She did not know that he had once carried her through the wind and snow of the Extreme North Icefield. She did not know that he had waited ten thousand years outside that shell of ice. She did not know that he had counted the frost crystals that formed and melted on her eyelashes. She was only a new student reporting in, who had fought someone, held back too much, and accidentally fallen into his arms. Yet he was still touching her, and the chill at her fingertips was slowly warming in his palm, like an ice shell gradually melting in spring. It was enough for him alone to know the things she did not.

Gu Yue stayed buried in his arms for half a beat, then turned her head aside, the ends of her hair brushing his shoulder hollow. She planted both hands against his chest and stepped back, stopping a step away from him.

Tang Wulin saw her face. It had turned completely red, from her cheekbones to her jaw, from the roots of her ears to her earlobes. She tilted her head and refused to look at him, her eyes fixed on the clump of dirt she had crushed beneath her own foot. Her lashes hung low, and her lips were pressed tightly together. She raised the back of her hand to touch her cheek, then lowered it again. She looked up at him once, then looked away.

Tang Wulin stood there, his throat moving slightly. He saw her face, the flush on the tips of her ears, her tightly pressed lips, and the back of her hand that had just risen and fallen. He knew everything about her, yet she did not know him. But she had still held back that strike—he remembered her saying that she had approached him for the Golden Dragon King bloodline.

But so what? He even had to thank the heavens for giving him an identity and the right to be loved by her.

Wu Changkong walked down the steps, his blue hair stirring in the wind. He stopped beside them, his gaze sweeping from Tang Wulin's face to Gu Yue's. "Gu Yue, you've been assigned to Class Five. I'm your homeroom teacher."

Gu Yue suppressed the blush and looked up at him. Her eyes had already returned to calm, as though nothing had happened. "Understood."

Wu Changkong nodded, then turned his head and glanced over the two of them. "Go clear away the remaining construction materials over there. The cafeteria is waiting to be cleaned up."

Tang Wulin turned to look at Gu Yue. She had already turned around and was walking toward the pile of building materials. Morning light fell across her shoulders, coating the edges of her jacket in warm gold. He stepped after her, keeping two or three paces between them. She still walked the same way—her weight resting on her left foot, heel touching down first before rolling to the ball of her foot. Her black hair hung at her shoulders, rising and falling in the wind. He followed half a step behind her, looking at her back as countless memories came flooding back.

Now she was walking ahead of him, without looking back.

This time, I won't let you suffer again.

With the help of various Soul Masters and Soul Engineers, Eastsea Academy quickly returned to normal.

Because of the reconstruction, there were still a few minor imperfections. As a result, the seats were basically arranged along the window side. Gu Yue sat on the outermost side, and she was quite satisfied, since she could see the beautiful scenery.

Tang Wulin sat in the middle, and he was happy as well, seated beside both his wife and his brother.

Then came Xie Xie. He sat there listlessly, truly exhausted.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Wu Changkong, and I will be your homeroom teacher in the future. I had not wanted to teach you, but due to certain unavoidable circumstances, I became your homeroom teacher. No matter how useless you are right now, I will train you properly. What you need to do is raise your Soul Power ranks as quickly as possible during this most crucial period." Wu Changkong stood at the podium.

"Combat class is this afternoon. Prepare yourselves." With that, he left the classroom.