Wu Feng

On the Training Ground.

The other students murmured below the stage:

"No way. The strongest teams are facing off this early?"

"Ning Tian's a three-ring Soul Elder, and her martial soul is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda! Once Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er get her buffs, they'll be as good as two Soul Elders!"

Hearing the discussion around him, Zhou Sichen's smile froze. "What rotten luck. We've barely formed a team, and already we have to fight..."

Cao Jinxuan ignored him and turned to Gu Mingyuan.

Gu Mingyuan looked unruffled. He lowered his voice. "It's just a class spar. Winning doesn't matter. Don't show too much."

Cao Jinxuan pushed up his glasses and smiled. "Fine, but don't get carried away."

Zhou Sichen hurried over. "What about me, Gu? What should I do?"

"Don't chase anyone."

"No matter how they move, just use your Soul Beasts to fill gaps in our formation and hold your position."

On the other side, Ning Tian had already finished laying out her tactics.

"Wu Feng, keep Gu Mingyuan occupied head-on. Don't pursue him too far," Ning Tian said calmly.

"Yun'er, you're fast. Take out Cao Jinxuan first and disrupt their rhythm."

Wu Feng rolled her wrists and stared at Gu Mingyuan in the distance. She clearly hadn't decided whether to heed the warning about pursuit.

"Ready—begin!" Mu Jin ordered.

Ning Tian struck first. Seven-colored light swirled as her first Soul Skill, Speed, activated. Two buffs settled over Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er.

With her speed boosted, Nanmen Yun'er spread a pair of Jade Greenbird wings behind her. She became a streak of green light, cutting straight for the rear of Gu Mingyuan's formation. Wu Feng charged Gu Mingyuan from the front.

"Slowness."

The Passage of Time Clock appeared in Cao Jinxuan's hand. An invisible ripple struck Nanmen Yun'er in midair, slowing her rapid dive for half a second.

"Leave it to me!" Zhou Sichen shouted. His Grimoire opened, and an Earth Bear landed on the ground.

But the bear landed half a meter off target. Not only did it fail to block Nanmen Yun'er as she accelerated again, its massive body obstructed Gu Mingyuan's path as he moved back to help.

Nanmen Yun'er's Jade Blade was about to strike Cao Jinxuan. Gu Mingyuan used Ghostly Shadow Trace, twisting around the Earth Bear's flank at an awkward angle. He reached out with his left hand and used Heaven and Earth Attraction to deflect her blade.

But diverting his attention to help Cao Jinxuan exposed his back to Wu Feng's frontal assault.

Bang!

A dragon claw wreathed in searing fire slammed into Gu Mingyuan's back.

First Soul Skill, Golden Jade Barrier, activate!

Jade-like light shot from Gu Mingyuan's body, traced with golden lines. Using the momentum of his forward lunge, he turned and met Wu Feng's relentless assault with his forearms, shoulders, and deft footwork, absorbing and dispersing each blow.

His second Soul Skill, Jade-Shaking Force, quietly began to work.

With every collision, Gu Mingyuan absorbed the impact of Wu Feng's dragon claws.

He could absorb the physical force, but he couldn't store the red dragon's flames. As the fight wore on, the cuffs of his school uniform gradually burned black. Fortunately, the heat did no real harm to his jade-like skin.

The students watching from outside couldn't see what was happening. All they saw was Wu Feng, empowered by Ning Tian, driving Gu Mingyuan back with one fierce attack after another.

"And I thought he was supposed to be strong. Gu Mingyuan's nothing special," someone muttered in the crowd.

But Ning Tian, directing the battle from the rear, was the first to notice something wrong.

Since the fight began, Gu Mingyuan had blocked, retreated, and covered gaps for his teammates. Yet he hadn't thrown his gold-lined right fist even once!

Something's wrong! Ning Tian immediately changed tactics.

"Wu Feng, fall back! Keep moving and wear him down! Yun'er, use the homing Jade Slash to take Cao Jinxuan out!"

Nanmen Yun'er steadied herself in midair and folded her wings. A green blade of light locked onto Cao Jinxuan and came whistling down.

Gu Mingyuan frowned slightly. Cao Jinxuan couldn't reveal too many of his cards now. Gu Mingyuan stepped across again and took the Jade Slash for him with his Golden Jade Barrier-covered body.

The blade of light left a white mark on his jade-like skin.

A short distance away, Wu Feng saw this, and her eyes hardened.

He had taken hit after hit while rushing to help his teammates. To her, Gu Mingyuan looked close to his limit. This was her chance to crush him.

Gu Mingyuan watched Wu Feng stop in her tracks and smiled. "Listen to Ning Tian. Back off. If you keep fighting, you'll get hurt."

Ning Tian's heart lurched. "Wu Feng, get back here!" she shouted.

But Wu Feng hadn't simply lost her head. She trusted her own judgment. She was sure Gu Mingyuan's warning was nothing but a bluff from someone at the end of his strength. One more attack beyond what he could withstand, and the fight would be over!

Second Soul Skill, Dragon's Rage!

Dark red dragonfire surged, engulfing Wu Feng. Her power climbed to its peak. Ignoring Ning Tian's order, she charged Gu Mingyuan head-on.

Seeing that Wu Feng had already committed, Ning Tian gritted her teeth and sent the light of her second Soul Skill, Strength, onto her, forcing her explosive power even higher.

Facing the raging torrent of fire, Gu Mingyuan did not dodge again.

His right fist clenched.

Serious Punch and Jade-Shaking Force erupted together!

But he didn't aim his punch at Wu Feng. He struck first, driving his fist into the ground between them!

Boom!

The blast rang out.

The hard surface of the Training Ground cracked instantly, spiderweb fractures racing in every direction. A shockwave erupted from the ground and jolted Wu Feng mid-charge. Her blood surged, and her attack stopped dead.

Gu Mingyuan used the recoil from his punch to charge Jade-Shaking Force once more.

The next instant, Ghostly Shadow Trace activated.

Gu Mingyuan appeared almost instantly before Wu Feng, who had yet to regain her footing. His newly charged right fist sent her flying clean out of the Training Ground.

Mu Jin had been ready to intervene at any moment. He caught Wu Feng as she flew past.

The battle had turned in an instant.

Seeing an opening just after Gu Mingyuan's punch, Nanmen Yun'er immediately turned and lunged at him from behind and to the side.

But the clock in Cao Jinxuan's hand lit up again, slowing Nanmen Yun'er's left wing by half a beat.

At the same time, the Earth Bear Zhou Sichen controlled—the one that had seemed to be in everyone's way—shuffled sideways. Its massive body blocked Nanmen Yun'er's room to accelerate and change course.

Gu Mingyuan didn't even look back. His steps shifted, and he slipped past Nanmen Yun'er like a phantom.

Just as Ning Tian's fingertips lit up with the glow of a buff and she prepared to adjust her tactics again, a figure appeared before her.