Yun Ying's Invitation

"Second match: Number 91, Tang Wulin, versus Number 178, (name unknown)."

Whoosh—

The crowd did not stir much over this match. Compared to the gunpowder-charged clash between Xie Xie and Yun Ying earlier, this opponent's name clearly drew far less attention.

"Whew..." Xie Xie let out a careless sigh, his shoulders relaxing. With a hint of schadenfreude, he lightly bumped Tang Wulin beside him with his elbow. "Boss, lucky you—it's not that violent woman. Your luck is insane!"

As he spoke, he did not forget to glance at the figure standing against the wall some distance away. Yun Ying was still dressed in that eye-catching red-and-black training outfit, her Flame-Reaver Spear resting casually at an angle by her feet. At the moment, she was holding a bright red apple, taking small bites with an unfocused gaze, as though the tense atmosphere around her had nothing to do with her. Sunlight fell across her, outlining her in a soft golden glow. She looked utterly harmless—if one ignored the fierce aura radiating from the spear at her feet.

As if sensing Xie Xie's gaze, Yun Ying paused slightly as she chewed. Then, in an incredibly casual motion, she lightly spat out the half-chewed apple peel in her mouth.

That thin strip of peel traced an unbelievable arc through the air and landed with perfect precision on the back of Xie Xie's head, even making a soft slap.

Xie Xie's entire body stiffened. He spun around, his face flushing red as he pointed furiously at Yun Ying. "What are you doing?!"

Yun Ying unhurriedly swallowed the apple flesh in her mouth before lifting her eyes. In a flat tone that seemed to say, Do you really need to ask?, she replied, "I don't like the peel."

Xie Xie nearly choked on his breath. His chest rose and fell sharply, and his fists clenched with cracking sounds. He glared at Yun Ying, his eyes filled with anger, humiliation, and a trace of deep-rooted wariness. Fight her? He had just suffered badly under that spear; going at her now would be asking for a beating. Endure it? He could not swallow this insult.

In the end, reason—mainly his clear understanding of their difference in strength—barely suppressed his rage. Xie Xie forced out a sentence through gritted teeth, thick with unwillingness. "Just you wait! You'll regret this someday!"

Yun Ying acted as though she had not heard his threat. She lowered her head and continued eating her apple, even casually brushing at nonexistent dust on her shoulder, as if Xie Xie were no more than an annoying fly.

Watching this, Tang Wulin shook his head helplessly. He patted Xie Xie on the shoulder to signal him to calm down, then walked toward the arena.

His opponent's martial soul was a short sword, and one soul ring flickered around him. Among the reserve trainees, he could still be considered fairly good. His tactics were simple and direct: relying on the weight and power of a heavy hammer, he tried to suppress Tang Wulin.

However, he was facing Tang Wulin, who possessed the Golden Dragon King bloodline and whose body had been tempered by the Thousand-Forged Deep Silver Hammer.

On the arena, Tang Wulin did not even summon his Blue Silver Grass martial soul. With only one palm, he met his opponent head-on. Dull impacts rang out without end. With every collision, Tang Wulin stood as steady as a mountain; no matter how fiercely his opponent attacked, he could not budge him in the slightest.

Just three minutes later, Tang Wulin seized an opening. His left hand shot out, precisely gripping his opponent's wrist. With a pull and a push, he threw the opponent—who weighed more than twice as much as him—off the edge of the arena.

Clean and decisive, he won without the slightest drag.

"Second match, victor: Number 91, Tang Wulin." Wu Changkong's icy voice announced the result.

Tang Wulin clasped his hands in salute, then calmly stepped down from the arena and returned to the waiting area.

"Boss! That was so cool!" Xie Xie immediately put on a smiling face and hurried over. The displeasure from earlier seemed to have vanished, though his eyes still could not help drifting toward Yun Ying. "That guy had decent strength, but in front of you, Boss, he was nothing! Only that violent woman... uh, she's a little troublesome."

As he spoke, he secretly observed Yun Ying's reaction. Seeing that her expression remained unchanged, he watched her casually toss the apple core behind her. It traced a perfect arc and landed accurately in a trash bin ten meters away.

"Hey, Tang Wulin." Yun Ying suddenly spoke. Her voice was not loud, but it reached all of them clearly. She straightened up and looked at Tang Wulin with a trace of inquiry in her eyes. "There'll be team matches afterward, groups of three. You..."

She did not finish, seemingly still choosing her words.

Tang Wulin met her gaze and nodded, his tone calm yet firm. "All right."

He understood what Yun Ying meant. After the individual matches came the team matches, and forming a team was inevitable. Yun Ying's strength was beyond question. Although Xie Xie could be impulsive at times, the role of an agility-type attacker was also crucial. It was a reasonable combination.

"Boss! How could you just agree?!" The moment Xie Xie heard that, he panicked as if he had heard something unbelievable. His eyes widened, and his voice rose several pitches. "Did you see how she treated me just now? And you still want to team up with her? Shouldn't we have some backbone? At least leave her hanging for a few days!"

In his view, how could Tang Wulin, as the boss, bow so easily to "evil forces"?

Yun Ying gave Xie Xie a faint glance. She did not look at him like a teammate, but rather like an amusing prop. The corner of her lips seemed to lift in the slightest curve as she said in her distinctive, even tone:

"You're good at livening things up. Stay and be a fireworks barrel."

A fireworks barrel? Xie Xie froze for a moment, then understood. That was definitely not a compliment! She meant she would use him as a disposable tool to draw fire and blow up the battlefield!

"Hmph! Pretentious brat!" Xie Xie stomped his feet in fury, his cheeks puffed out like he had stuffed two buns into his mouth. He snorted hard in Yun Ying's direction, but he did not dare go up and argue with her for real. He could only vent all his resentment on the metal floor beneath his feet. "Just wait! When we lose the team match, let's see what you two do!"

He had already begun imagining how he would shine in the team match and then thoroughly slap Yun Ying in the face.

Tang Wulin watched their familiar interaction and smiled helplessly without joining their bickering. His gaze returned to Yun Ying as he said seriously, "The team match will be groups of three. We need clear tactical coordination. Yun Ying, what's your primary role?"

Yun Ying seemed fairly satisfied with Tang Wulin's direct approach. She nodded slightly. "I'll be the main attacker, controlling at mid-to-close range and looking for an opening to finish with one strike. Your defense and strength will be the core. Xie Xie will handle speed and harassment."

Tang Wulin nodded in agreement. "That works. My Blue Silver Grass can bind and control, while the Golden Dragon Claw can break defenses. Xie Xie, use your Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger flexibly. Don't focus only on brute-force attacks."

"Got it, Boss!" Although Xie Xie was still sulking, he obeyed Tang Wulin's arrangements without question.

Names began scrolling across the electronic display once more, signaling the start of the third individual match. Yet the atmosphere in the waiting area quietly changed with the formation of this temporary trio of Tang Wulin, Yun Ying, and Xie Xie.

Quite a few trainees who had been watching from the sidelines began casting occasional glances in their direction. This combination had undoubtedly become one of the most watched teams in the upcoming group matches.

Yun Ying seemed oblivious to the discussions. She leaned back against the wall again and closed her eyes, apparently conserving her energy. But on closer inspection, the faint curve at the corner of her lips seemed to have deepened by just a little.

Xie Xie was still consoling himself. "Hmph, violent woman, don't get cocky! Just watch how I carry you to victory in the team match!"