Class Advancement Tournament Without Suspense

The bleachers by the field had been bleached white by the sun.

Class Four's homeroom teacher leaned against the railing, an unlit cigarette between his fingers as he said something to the teacher beside him.

The sunlight was harsh. He switched the cigarette to his other hand and squinted across the field. There was a casual disdain in his voice, as though he were discussing something that had nothing to do with him. "What rank do you think Class Five can get?"

The teacher beside him paused and turned his head. "No idea. That Wu Changkong is a Titled Douluo."

"So what if he's a Titled Douluo?" Class Four's homeroom teacher switched the unlit cigarette from his left hand to his right, his tone still light and unchanged. "Does being a Titled Douluo mean he can turn a bunch of trash and useless idiots into good students in such a short time?" He did not lower his voice. Those words drifted with the wind and reached several students waiting nearby.

No one answered. He had not intended to wait for an answer anyway. He slipped the cigarette back into his pocket and turned to leave.

Under the shade of the trees on the other side of the bleachers, the three students from Class Five had already been standing there for a while.

Wu Changkong stood before them in a white teacher's uniform, his cuffs buttoned all the way up. The hem of his clothes lifted and fell in the wind. His hair was still that same blue, hanging from the side of his face to his shoulder blades.

The wind blew over from the field, making those strands sway before they settled back into place. With his arms folded, his gaze swept over the classes entering one after another along the edge of the field.

There was no expression on his face. He neither frowned nor deliberately relaxed. He simply watched.

"If the three of you lose later, you know the consequences." He never had the habit of looking back. After saying that, he left directly, his retreating figure looking rather carefree.

Tang Wulin stood behind him. Sunlight slipped past Wu Changkong's shoulder and cast a small patch of light over the tips of Tang Wulin's shoes. Xie Xie stood beside him, loosening his wrists and rolling his shoulders unevenly, occasionally rising onto his toes before dropping back down. Gu Yue stood on Tang Wulin's other side, quiet and still, without any unnecessary movements.

Long Bing walked over from the bleachers. Today, she wore a light gray coat, her hair still pinned up with that wooden hairpin. Her gait carried an unhurried composure. When she reached Wu Changkong's side, she turned and smiled at the three of them. "Good luck. Do your best."

Xie Xie tilted his head. "Hey, why can't Teacher's wife talk to Teacher Wu and get him to torment us a little less?"

"No." Wu Changkong's cold voice came from ahead.

Xie Xie shut his mouth. He knew it.

Gu Yue remained where she was, her gaze lowered to the ground. She seemed to be listening, yet also seemed to be thinking about something else. Tang Wulin stood at the front, watching the teams entering in the distance.

His hand hanging at his side twitched, then settled again. He remembered what the Golden Dragon King had said in the bamboo grove yesterday: "Use less." He still could not fully understand what those words meant, but as he stood on the field under the sunlight warming the back of his neck, the match had not even begun, yet he could already feel his power swelling. It was a wild urge to fight.

"You were right. This power isn't easy to control." He looked at his palm.

The referee raised a hand in the center of the field.

A voice carried over from there, cut short by the wind. Only a few words could barely be heard.

When Tang Wulin took his first step, Gu Yue followed. Xie Xie followed as well. The three of them said nothing, yet their pace was almost perfectly matched.

Class Five's opponent was Class Four. They could only climb upward step by step. Right now, they were merely challengers.

The opposing team was already in position. Tang Wulin stood at the front of his group, sunlight falling in from the side and dragging a short shadow across the ground. The referee's flag came down.

Tang Wulin did not hesitate. Blue Silver Grass emerged from his palm and spread across the ground, several vines sweeping toward the other side along the surface.

He did not use Bloodline Power to drive it. He relied only on its own speed and quantity. No matter how useless Blue Silver Grass might be, a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skill was not something just anyone could challenge.

The retreat route of the three people in the opposing front row was sealed off.

Gu Yue raised a hand behind him. Ice spikes burst from the ground, two sealing off the left and two sealing off the right. Before the opponents could react, they were already trapped in place, unable to advance or retreat.

Xie Xie cut in from the flank. The Light Dragon Dagger flashed with a thin streak of light as it left its sheath. It did not touch anyone, merely stopping beside the waist of the person in the opposing front row. That person looked down and took half a step back.

The field fell silent for a moment. Someone in the bleachers sucked in a sharp breath. Class Four's homeroom teacher stood by the railing, watching for a while without moving or speaking. He merely took the unlit cigarette from his pocket, then put it away again. Long Hengxu sat in the middle of the front row of the bleachers. He removed his glasses, wiped the lenses with the corner of his clothes, then put them back on without saying much.

When Class Five came off the field, Xie Xie walked at the front. He spun the Light Dragon Dagger once in his palm before putting it away, his movement light. "I haven't even warmed up yet."

"Alright, save it for later." Tang Wulin threw an arm around Xie Xie.

Gu Yue followed behind them. When she passed the referee's platform, her steps did not pause, as though she were merely passing by.

They fought three matches in a row and crushed every opponent.

Long Hengxu was completely dumbfounded. "What kind of monsters... are they?"

"You performed well today. Your time this afternoon and evening is yours to arrange freely." Wu Changkong praised them, a rare occurrence.

"Teacher Wu, why are you the only one here? Where's Teacher's wife?" Xie Xie scratched his head.

"She went to buy you little cakes." The corners of Wu Changkong's lips lifted.

The three of them immediately lit up. Before long, they saw Long Bing returning with little cakes and a whole lot of candy.

"The little cakes are for you. The rest is for the other children." She was so gentle and kind.

"Alright, Teacher's wife has other things to do now."

"Goodbye, Teacher's wife."

"Where are we going tonight?" In the nearly empty combat arena, Xie Xie ate his little cake and turned to ask. His tone was much more relaxed than it had been just after the match.

"Canned Beef."

"Going again?" Xie Xie glanced at him.

"Hehe, because it's good."

The streets were quieter in the evening than during the day. The streetlights had not all come on yet, and a band of dark red light still lingered along the horizon.

The sign for Canned Beef Restaurant hung above the entrance. A small patch of paint had peeled away at the edge, revealing the wood grain beneath. When they reached the door, the light spilling from inside was much the same as last time: warm yellow, spreading over the ground beyond the threshold like a small patch of laid-out light.

Xie Xie pushed the door open first. "Uncle, we're back!" He had always been enthusiastic about this place.

"Alright, welcome! Same as last time, then. Watch Uncle show off his skills again."

The restaurant was small, with only four or five tables. Two tables along the wall were already occupied.

Before long, the aroma arrived before the beef did.

"Here you go. Eat slowly."

"It's still so good." Tang Wulin was completely absorbed in eating. He had another reason for coming here, of course. He still needed to teach that Light Dragon a lesson.

Speak of the devil. Tang Wulin ate very slowly this time, determined to catch him red-handed.

"Yo, Uncle Li, business is still booming at your little shop." Light Dragon kicked the door open with several lackeys behind him, startling even Xie Xie.

Most of the customers inside fled in panic. The wooden door let out a piercing creak, and the wind chime rang again and again before falling silent.

"Uncle Li." Light Dragon's voice was neither loud nor soft, as if he were talking about something he had said countless times before. "I forgot to tell you earlier. Pay this month's protection fee today."

The owner stood beside a table, still holding a plate of side dishes he had not finished serving. He did not move. "Light Dragon, I told you, next month—"

"I can't wait until next month." Light Dragon took two steps forward and stopped beside an empty table. His gaze swept over Tang Wulin's table, lingering on Gu Yue for a moment before moving away. "Uncle Li, your wife's hospital expenses are a serious matter. I understand. But my brothers need to eat too. If you really can't come up with the money, then your restaurant—won't be opening anymore."

The owner's fingers tightened slightly, his knuckles turning white before relaxing again.

Tang Wulin set down his chopsticks. The motion was not heavy, but in the quiet restaurant, the crisp sound of the chopstick tips touching the table was perfectly clear. When he stood, the chair legs did not scrape against the floor, as though he had calculated the angle before rising. "Light Dragon," he said softly, "did you just say you were collecting protection money from Uncle Li?"

Light Dragon turned to look at him, as though only now noticing that he was still in the restaurant. "Kid, you didn't leave earlier?"

"I didn't."

"Then you still have time to leave now."

Tang Wulin did not move.

Light Dragon looked at him, his lips twitching as if he were smiling, or perhaps simply finding this amusing. "What, you want to stand up for him?"

Tang Wulin took a step forward and stood between the table and Light Dragon, cutting off the distance between him and the counter. His right hand hung at his side, his fingers opening slightly before closing again. He did not say anything threatening or strike a fighting pose. He simply stood there, as though waiting for an answer whose outcome he already knew.

Light Dragon looked at him and lost his smile. "Fine," he said. "You want to stand up for him? I'll grant your wish."

The Soul Power fluctuations around him suddenly surged. Two soul rings rose beneath his feet, one white and one yellow, glowing in the dim yellow light by the door.

A dark sheen covered his right hand, as though something beneath his skin were bulging outward. He stepped forward and hurled a Soul Power-wrapped fist toward Tang Wulin's chest—fast and powerful, a genuinely serious punch.

Tang Wulin did not dodge. He could not even be bothered to.

He raised a hand and caught the punch.

There was no block, no sidestep, no unnecessary movement. His palm opened, his five fingers closing with precision around Light Dragon's fist. When that dark sheen struck his palm, it was like hitting a wall—the sound was muted, as if something had been caught in place.

Light Dragon's expression changed.

He pushed his fist forward once. It did not move. He pushed again. Still nothing. That hand gripped his fist like cast iron, neither crushing his bones nor allowing him to pull away.

Tang Wulin stood before him without even taking half a step back.

"You—" Light Dragon tried to pull his hand free and found that he could not.

Tang Wulin released him. Light Dragon staggered back two steps, and when his hand fell to his side, his knuckles were still stiff. He looked up at Tang Wulin, wanting to say something, but feeling that nothing would be appropriate at this moment.

Tang Wulin stood there with nothing glowing beneath his feet. No soul rings, no golden light, not even Blue Silver Grass. He merely watched Light Dragon, as if confirming whether he intended to continue.

Light Dragon did not move again. He stood there staring at Tang Wulin for several seconds, as though reassessing exactly what kind of person stood before him. "Bastard!"

"If you dare come cause trouble again today, I'll make you regret it."

Light Dragon said nothing more. He lowered his head to look at the hand that was still stiff, then turned toward the door. When he reached it, he paused without looking back. "Just you wait."

The door closed behind him. The wind chime rang twice, then stopped.

The restaurant remained quiet for a while. Xie Xie sat in his chair, staring toward the door before turning to look at Tang Wulin. His mouth opened slightly. "...You just let him leave?"

"What else was I supposed to do?" Tang Wulin sat down again, picked up the tea that had gone cold, and took a sip. Then he set the cup down and picked up his chopsticks.

Tang Wulin felt that even if he told Xie Xie he needed to control his emotions, Xie Xie would not believe him.

Xie Xie looked at him, then at the door, then back at him. "Boss, why were you so fierce today?"

Tang Wulin picked up a piece of beef and put it into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed before answering, "He's only that strong. You could do it too."

Xie Xie stared at him for two seconds without asking further. He calculated it in his mind. No, Boss, are you fooling an idiot?

He lowered his head, picked up his chopsticks as well, and reached for the newly served plate of side dishes.

Gu Yue never turned her head. Holding her cup of water, she looked out the window as though the brief conflict had never disturbed her.

Not because she was indifferent, but because she trusted him.