The Calm Before the Storm

She looked at the four people before her and thought of their fates in the original story—Wei Xiaofeng's obscurity, Zhang Yangzi's family constraints, Wang Jinxi's bloodline suppression, and Wu Nianbing's... complete absence.

She had changed history, yet she had not changed everything. She had given them hope, but she did not know where that hope would lead them.

"Because..." she finally said, her voice so soft it seemed meant only for herself. "I want to see how far a group of people who are taken seriously can go."

She turned and headed toward the school building. Her inky black hair drifted lightly in the dusk, the Tang Sect Bracelet on her wrist glowing faintly, while Zhen Hua's Star Ring shimmered with deep radiance around her finger.

Behind her, the four rose to their feet and stood shoulder to shoulder, their gazes following her retreating figure.

"Class monitor!" Wei Xiaofeng suddenly called out. "In half a year, we'll definitely force you to get serious!"

Yun Zhiyu did not turn around. She merely waved a hand, a faint curve appearing at the corner of her lips.

The old banyan tree rustled in the evening breeze, filtering the last rays of sunlight into scattered flecks of gold that fell upon the five of them. In the distance, lights came on in the school building, like some star map yet to be born, already beginning to sprout.

And Yun Zhiyu knew that from this day onward, she was no longer alone.

She had a class, a team, and a light of her own that needed protecting—and people who needed to stand beside her.

Half a year later, the Class Advancement Tournament rules changed without warning.

The director of academic affairs stood on the podium, his bloated body trembling beneath the amplified hum of the Soul Guidance loudspeaker. "By resolution of the academy board, this year's Class Advancement Tournament will be moved up to this month. The rules have been adjusted as follows—"

He paused, sweeping his gaze over the densely packed crowd of students below. His eyes lingered in Yun Zhiyu's direction for half a second before moving on.

"The class-by-class challenge system has been canceled and replaced with a point-based round-robin system. Each class may form teams freely. Defeated classes may join victorious classes to challenge higher-ranked opponents. The final winner will be directly promoted to the strongest first-year class, and every member will receive one Millennium Soul Spirit."

The crowd erupted.

Wei Xiaofeng sprang up from his seat, the afterimages of his Azure Shadow Serpent darting wildly around him. "What? Join forces? Doesn't that mean we have to team up with people we already beat?"

"Sit down." Yun Zhiyu did not even raise her head, her fingertips lightly tapping the tabletop. "The rules have their pros and cons. The downside is that there are more variables. The upside is..."

She lifted her eyes. Beneath her dark brown contact lenses, the slit in her violet pupils opened slightly. "We can observe more opponents."

Zhang Yangzi folded his arms across his chest, a faint glimmer of darkness flashing in his eyes as the Dark Illusion Demon Eagle martial soul stirred. "Class One is the target right now. Every class will have their eyes on us."

"Let them watch." Wu Nianbing spoke, her pale fingers brushing the ice chain at her neck.

"A swordsman does not fear challenges."

Wang Jinxi said nothing. He merely clenched his fists, bone patterns faintly visible beneath his grayish-white skin. Ever since Yun Zhiyu had used her Torch Dragon Bloodline to soothe his Bone Dragon King, his reverence for their class monitor had sunk into his bones. Even his desire for battle had become a near-devout form of loyalty.

The Class Advancement Tournament began the next day.

Yun Zhiyu did not participate. She handed command over to Zhang Yangzi and sat in a corner of the stands, her inky black hair tied into a ponytail, violet eyes calm as deep water beneath her dark brown contact lenses.

"Why aren't you going on?" Wei Xiaofeng pressed before the match, the afterimages of his Azure Shadow Serpent moving restlessly.

"The four of you are enough," Yun Zhiyu said. "What I want to see is teamwork, not individual performances. Zhang Yangzi commands, Nianbing leads the offense, Jin Xi handles defense, and you harass them. Go."

The four exchanged glances and nodded together.

Class One's battles were swift and decisive. Zhang Yangzi's Darkness Control obscured their opponents' vision, Wei Xiaofeng's Azure Shadow Stack weaved through the shadows, Wu Nianbing's Frostmark Sword Shadow flashed across the sky like a startled swan, and Wang Jinxi's Bone Dragon Claw tore through enemy defenses at the final moment. Four battles, four overwhelming victories. Class One's name hung high on the rankings like a banner no one dared challenge.

Class Five's rise was just as unexpected.

Tang Wulin's Bluesilver Grass displayed bizarre resilience on the battlefield—not as an offensive weapon, but as a perfect fusion of control and support. His Bluesilver Grass could bind, conceal, and erect barriers for his teammates at crucial moments. Xie Xie's twin martial souls, the Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger, flashed in alternation, his speed so fast that even Wei Xiaofeng narrowed his eyes. Gu Yue...

Yun Zhiyu's gaze settled on the black-haired, black-eyed girl.

Gu Yue stood beside Tang Wulin. Her black hair and eyes, along with her features, resembled Na'er's, yet her aura was entirely different. Na'er was distant and quiet, like a small statue carved from ice and snow. Gu Yue was detached and unfathomable, like a lake with no visible bottom.

Her martial soul had not fully revealed itself, but every time she acted, it carried an almost primal pressure that sent chills down Yun Zhiyu's spine. Fire, water, earth, and wind—the four elements flowed around her fingertips like compressed laws of heaven and earth, effortless and perfectly natural.

Silver Dragon King... Yun Zhiyu murmured inwardly.

She knew Gu Yue's true identity—Na'er's primary personality, the true ruler of soul beasts, an existence born as one with Na'er. Gu Yue had yet to awaken all her memories, yet even unconsciously, she already displayed elemental control beyond human limits.

Class Five won match after match until they reached Class Two.

Class Two's class monitor was a burly youth with the Ironclad Bear martial soul, a level twenty-three assault-type Battle Soul Master. He joined forces with his vice class monitor and teammates, yet under Tang Wulin's Bluesilver Grass bindings, Xie Xie's twin-dagger assault, and Gu Yue's elemental bombardment, they collapsed in less than ten minutes.

"Class Five wins!" The referee's voice carried a note of surprise.

Tang Wulin stood atop the arena, exhaustion in his blue-gold eyes but also a bright light. Instinctively, he looked toward a certain corner of the stands—Yun Zhiyu sat in the shadows, her inky black hair glowing softly beneath the Soul Guidance lights, a faint curve on her lips.

She was happy for him.

Tang Wulin's heart skipped a beat, only for Xie Xie's cheers to interrupt him. "Wulin! We made it to Class One! The strongest Class One!"

"We don't have enough people." Gu Yue spoke, her silver eyes carrying detached scrutiny. "Class One has five people. We have three."

"Add us."

The voice came from the other side of the arena. Class Two's monitor—the burly youth with the Ironclad Bear martial soul—walked over with his vice class monitor. His expression was unwilling yet frank. "The rules allow alliances. We lost, but we want to see with our own eyes just how strong Class One really is."

Xie Xie raised a brow. "You? The people we knocked flat?"

"Yes!" The Ironclad Bear class monitor did not deny it. "But our defense can block one hit for you. One hit is enough, right?"

Tang Wulin looked at Gu Yue. She nodded slightly. Then he looked at Xie Xie, who spun the Shadow Dragon Dagger around his palm. "No objection from me. Two more meat shields sounds good."

"Then it's settled." Tang Wulin extended his hand. "Class Five and Class Two will join forces to challenge Class One."

Five hands stacked together beneath the Soul Guidance lights, forming an unusual alliance.

Yun Zhiyu watched from the stands, the curve of her lips deepening.

In the original story, the Class Advancement Tournament had been a one-man show for Tang Wulin's group of three, Gu Yue's stunning elemental debut, and the first sharp display of Xie Xie's Twin Martial Souls. But now, because of her presence, the rules had changed, an alliance had formed, and the gears of fate meshed into an entirely new course.

"Interesting," she said softly.

"What is?" Wu Nianbing sat beside her, pale fingers brushing over her ice chain.

"Nothing." Yun Zhiyu rose, her inky black hair drifting softly beneath the Soul Guidance lights.

"Come on. Let's go back and prepare. They've formed an alliance, while we..."

She paused. Beneath her dark brown contact lenses, the slit in her violet eyes opened slightly. "Will respond to all changes by remaining unchanged."

Then the typhoon came.

The weather alert was issued that night. The once-in-a-century super typhoon, Sea Dragon, was about to make landfall in Eastsea City. All outdoor activities were suspended. The Class Advancement Tournament was postponed for a week, students were recalled to their dormitories, and the Soul Guidance shields were activated at full power. The entire academy was shrouded in the oppressive tension of an approaching storm.

Yun Zhiyu stood before her dormitory window, watching the rolling dark clouds outside as a strange premonition rose within her.

Golden Dragon King... she murmured inwardly.

In the original story, it was on just such a stormy night that the first seal of Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon King Bloodline broke. Golden Dragon King essence poured into him, bringing pain but also transformation. Now that the typhoon had come early, would the seal break early as well?

She did not go to confirm it. Some paths had to be walked alone; some pain had to be endured alone.

But she sent Tang Wulin a message through her Tang Sect Bracelet: "On a stormy night, if you feel unwell, guide your Soul Power in circulation. Guard your mind at all costs. Do not resist the power inside you. Let it... become your friend."

After sending the message, she turned off the bracelet and walked toward her bed.

On the night the typhoon made landfall, Eastsea City was engulfed in violent wind and rain.

The Soul Guidance shields emitted overloaded hums. Rain lashed the windows like waterfalls, while dozens of meters high waves rose from the distant sea, as though some ancient beast were turning over beneath the ocean depths. Yun Zhiyu sat cross-legged on her bed, the spiritual power from her meditation quietly spreading toward a certain direction—

Tang Wulin's dormitory.

She "saw" it.

Golden light burst from that lean body, as though something within him were tearing apart, reforming, and regenerating. Tang Wulin curled up on his bed, his teeth biting through his lips, blood staining the pillowcase red. Yet he desperately suppressed every sound. Fine golden scales flickered across the surface of his skin, like some ancient totem awakening.

The first seal of the Golden Dragon King Bloodline had broken.

Yun Zhiyu withdrew her spiritual power and did not disturb him. She knew Tang Wulin needed to be alone right now. He needed to reach some fragile balance with the power inside him. Her message had already reached him, and Old Tang would guide him at the critical moment—

And Xie Xie...

Her spiritual power turned toward another direction. Within Xie Xie's dormitory, the Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger of his Twin Martial Souls floated in the air together. The two lights intertwined and fused, eventually becoming an even more dazzling radiance woven from gold and silver. He had broken through. At the threshold of two rings, he had seized some opportunity from the typhoon night and entered the ranks of Soul Grandmasters.

Interesting, Yun Zhiyu murmured inwardly.

In the original story, Xie Xie's breakthrough had also happened during the typhoon, when the pressure from Class One's "little geniuses" had forced out his potential in battle alongside Tang Wulin. But now, the typhoon came early, the seal broke early, and his breakthrough came early as well—the gears of fate were accelerating in ways she could not predict.

On the day the typhoon subsided, Eastsea City's sky was as blue as a freshly washed sapphire.

Yun Zhiyu stood on the field with Class One's four members, facing the sea breeze and feeling the lingering dampness in the air.

"They've gotten stronger," Zhang Yangzi said, a grave glimmer flashing in his eyes as the Dark Illusion Demon Eagle martial soul stirred.

"I can feel it. That Tang Wulin... it's like he's become a different person."

"How do we fight them?"

"How do we fight them?" Yun Zhiyu turned to face the four. Beneath her dark brown contact lenses, the slit in her violet eyes slowly opened. "That's what we need to consider. But first—"

She paused, a faint curve forming on her lips. "I want you to remember that we are Class One not because of me, but because of all of you. Wei Xiaofeng's speed, Zhang Yangzi's control, Jin Xi's defense, Nianbing's sword—none can be missing."

She extended her hand, palm upward, as a thread of violet-gold Soul Power slowly flowed out. "The Class Advancement Tournament is not my battle alone. It is a battle for all five of us. Let them see what the strongest Class One truly is."

The four exchanged glances and placed their hands over hers at once.

The afterimages of Wei Xiaofeng's Azure Shadow Serpent coiled around him with a do-or-die ferocity. Zhang Yangzi's Dark Illusion Demon Eagle condensed in his palm, black Soul Power surging like a tide. Wang Jinxi's Bone Dragon Claw thrust out from beneath his skin, gray-white bone patterns spreading to his wrist. Wu Nianbing's Icebound Frost Sword formed a frost blossom in the air, her pale skirt brushing the ground like a lotus blooming in the cold wind.

"Strongest Class One!" Wei Xiaofeng shouted, his voice trembling but resolute.

"Strongest Class One!" Zhang Yangzi echoed, black Soul Power shooting into the sky.

"Strongest Class One!" Wang Jinxi growled, slamming his Bone Dragon Claw into the ground and leaving a deep mark.

"Strongest Class One," Wu Nianbing said softly. Frost blossoms drifted down, freezing the five hands together before slowly melting beneath the warmth of the Torch Dragon Bloodline.

Yun Zhiyu looked at the four of them, at these lives that had changed because of her and gathered around her, and a complicated warmth welled up in her heart.

She thought of Sea God's Pavilion at Shrek, Yun Ming's black robes, Ya Li's holy light, and Yun Zhishu's smiling face. She thought of Na'er's silver hair, Yuan En's grayish-white skin, and Ye Xinglan's Meteor Scabbard.

And now, she had another group of people, another bond, another light that needed her protection.

"Just wait," she said softly, her voice scattering into the sea breeze. "Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Xie Xie..."

She raised her head toward the distant sea. The sky after the typhoon was a clear, brilliant blue, and golden sunlight spilled across the shimmering waves like some ancient prophecy—or fate's gentlest gift.

"We're coming."