Blue Silver Grass Shows Its Might

The next morning, in the classroom.

Xie Xie clung to Tang Wulin's side throughout the entire lesson, staring fixedly at him with eyes full of defiance and repeating the same words over and over: "One more time! Let's fight again! I refuse to believe it!"

Yesterday's defeat had been far too humiliating. From beginning to end, he had never even glimpsed Tang Wulin's true strength before plain Blue Silver Grass wrapped him up like a rice dumpling. His proud nature simply could not accept it.

Tang Wulin, by contrast, remained perfectly composed and could not be bothered to respond.

He had only agreed to yesterday's spar out of regard for their friendship as classmates, and because Xie Xie had previously covered thirty thousand Federation Credits for him.

With Xie Xie's current rank-eighteen soul power and only his first soul ring, he could not possibly be a match for Tang Wulin. No matter how many times they fought, the outcome would not change in the slightest.

When Tang Wulin continued ignoring him, Xie Xie gritted his teeth and glared, his stubborn temper flaring in full force. "I was just in bad shape yesterday! I couldn't show what I could do! Let's go again today! I refuse to believe I can't beat you!"

Tang Wulin nodded dismissively. "Right, right, right. You didn't perform well. You're the best."

Hearing those three successive "rights," Xie Xie felt something was off, but he could not put his finger on it. He only felt even more aggrieved.

After a moment's thought, Xie Xie's eyes darted, and he offered a tempting bargain. "Do you dare fight me again? The academy's ordinary Grade C Meals are free, but the higher-grade Grade A and Grade B Meals cost money. Fight me, and I'll cover all your higher-grade extra meals for the next week!"

Tang Wulin's eyes lit up instantly. He turned to confirm in earnest, "Are you sure? I eat a lot."

"I'm sure!" Xie Xie thumped his chest, brimming with confidence. "As if you could eat me into poverty!"

His confidence was no empty boast. The Xie family was wealthy, and his monthly allowance amounted to several hundred thousand Federation Credits. To him, a mere week's extra meals was hardly worth mentioning. However much Tang Wulin could eat, he could never drain his little treasury.

"Come on! Let's go to the cafeteria right now!"

The two headed straight for the academy cafeteria.

But in less than twenty minutes, Xie Xie regretted everything.

Tang Wulin went into all-out eating mode, sweeping through the food like a gale scattering clouds, wolfing everything down. Soft meat buns, succulent chicken legs, pork knuckles fragrant with sauce—each vanished the moment it entered his mouth, at an astonishing pace.

East Sea Academy strictly divided its food into grades, and only the lowest, Grade C Meals, were free. Grade B Meals cost three hundred Federation Credits per serving and contained pure energy. The most expensive Grade A Meals cost a full thousand Federation Credits each, containing trace amounts of soul beast flesh and blood essence. Their prices were exorbitant.

Yet everything Tang Wulin was eating now belonged to those expensive grade A and B meals.

Before they knew it, he had polished off ten Grade A Meals and five Grade B Meals.

The costly food flowed into his stomach like running water. Beside him, Xie Xie watched the ever-climbing bill, his face gradually paling. He wanted to cry but had no tears, and his heart throbbed with pain.

Tang Wulin had eaten enough and vaguely felt that continuing might be a little too much like fleecing someone, so he planned to stop and leave.

Who knew Xie Xie would get completely carried away? He grabbed him firmly, his eyes red and his voice strained. "Keep eating! I refuse to believe it! How much more can you possibly eat?"

Facing that utterly "sincere and stubborn" gaze, Tang Wulin quietly swallowed and checked once more. "Are you really sure?"

"Yes! Keep going!"

By the end of that single meal, Tang Wulin had eaten through Xie Xie's entire monthly allowance.

Staring at the final total, Xie Xie stood rooted to the cafeteria floor, his pupils trembling in shock. He was utterly stupefied, his face declaring that life was no longer worth living.

With his stomach full and his appetite satisfied, Tang Wulin granted Xie Xie's wish and agreed to a second duel.

Rather than heading to distant East Sea Park again, the two found a secluded, deserted corner of campus nearby and began their spar.

The battle was almost a replay of yesterday's.

Once again, Xie Xie charged at high speed with his agility-attack soul power, and once again, Tang Wulin calmly activated his first soul skill, Forest of Life. Blue Silver Grass burst from the earth and spread everywhere, its supple, powerful vines locking down the entire field in an instant.

The same moves, the same method of restraint—even the pattern and positioning of the wrapping vines were identical.

In only a few breaths, the defiant Xie Xie was tightly wrapped up once more, firmly bound into an immobile "Blue Silver Grass rice dumpling."

To keep the fellow from pestering him endlessly and stirring up more trouble after escaping, Tang Wulin simply bent down, hoisted the tightly bound Xie Xie onto his shoulder, and raced toward the classroom with long strides.

Only moments remained before class, so he dared not delay.

He ran all the way back to the classroom. The instant he stepped through the doorway, every classmate's gaze snapped toward him.

Everyone stared in bewilderment at the green ball on Tang Wulin's shoulder, wrapped in so many layers that its outline was impossible to discern. They could not tell what it was at all, and curiosity and confusion filled their minds.

Under the class's astonished gazes, Tang Wulin gently turned his right hand, and the surrounding Blue Silver Grass vines slowly withdrew and dissipated.

Xie Xie emerged completely from within, his youthful face flushed burning red. His expression brimmed with frustration, embarrassment, and defiance, his crimson cheeks vivid and dazzling, surpassing all the world's romantic splendor.

The entire class erupted, everyone staring openmouthed!

A rank-twelve Blue Silver Grass soul master had actually tied up the rank-eighteen agility-attack prodigy, Xie Xie!

Such a vast difference in rank had instead resulted in a crushing defeat without the slightest chance to fight back. The sight completely overturned everything they thought they knew.

Before the noisy classroom could settle down, a cool, aloof figure slowly entered.

Wu Changkong had arrived.

Today, he had exchanged yesterday's plain white robe for a clean, simple white shirt and gray-black plaid trousers. His clothes were modest and uncomplicated, yet they accentuated the crisp, flawless lines of his tall, one-meter-ninety frame. His cold, proud bearing had not diminished in the slightest.

At that moment, Tang Wulin felt utterly refreshed in body and mind. That hearty meal had completely satisfied the hunger of his Golden Dragon King bloodline, leaving his whole body at ease.

Ever since his martial soul awakening and gaining the Golden Dragon King bloodline, he had constantly endured the hunger brought on by its immense consumption. This was the first time he had eaten to complete satisfaction, and he could not help letting out a small burp.

Such a state was truly rare.

Wu Changkong stood quietly on the platform, his cool voice slowly carrying throughout the classroom. "Starting today, I will personally teach every course. Everyone, stand up and assemble on the field."

His hands rested casually in his trouser pockets. Tall, indifferent, and distant, he possessed an unrivaled bearing, as though looking down upon all living beings.

Seeing Wu Changkong's pose, a popular internet meme sprang uncontrollably into Tang Wulin's mind. He even murmured it aloud without thinking: "That year, I stood with both hands in my pockets, not knowing what it meant to have a rival."

The moment the words left his mouth, an icy, piercing gaze locked onto him.

Wu Changkong's dark gaze swept over, its chill cutting to the bone.

Tang Wulin stiffened, instantly freezing in place as his mind cried out in alarm!

After a brief, deathly silence, Wu Changkong spoke mildly, revealing neither pleasure nor anger. "It seems this student has quite a few ideas."

Tang Wulin hurriedly gave an awkward smile and scrambled to salvage the situation. "Teacher Wu, I just thought your bearing was exceptional and beyond compare! The words came to me in the moment!"

Wu Changkong's lips shifted slightly, his tone cool and curt. "Enough flattery. Keep up with the others."

"Today's first lesson: live combat."

Standing at the front of the field, Wu Changkong's cool voice pierced the noise and reached every student in Class Five clearly. "Hold nothing back. Let me see your true strength."

As his words fell, a girl in the group timidly raised her hand, her face full of hesitation. "Teacher Wu, do we Tool Soul Masters... have to participate in combat too?"

Wu Changkong gave her a brief, icy glance, his tone sharp and realistic. "The battlefield makes no distinction between Tool Soul Masters and battle soul masters. Your enemies will not show mercy because of your martial soul's type."

That simple statement instantly crushed everyone's hopes of an easy escape, leaving the entire field silent.

"Tang Wulin, step forward."

The sudden call made Tang Wulin pause. He pointed at himself, looking puzzled. "Me?"

"Yes. You."

Tang Wulin had no choice but to leave the line and walk to Wu Changkong's side.

Wu Changkong stepped aside and off the field, clearing the space in an instant. He left behind an order that sent everyone into an uproar. "Everyone, attack freely. Your objective—defeat Tang Wulin."

Tang Wulin froze in disbelief, unsure whether to laugh or cry. "Teacher Wu, you can't do this! This is plainly a group beating!"

At those words, the eyes of every Class Five student lit up.

Xie Xie in particular wore a teasing gleam in his eyes, secretly delighted. At last, he had a chance to avenge those crushing defeats and let Tang Wulin taste what it felt like to be singled out.

Before anyone could think further, a powerful roar suddenly rang out!

It was Zhou Changxi!

His eyes widened, soul power surged around him, and the ten-year soul ring beneath his feet shone with brilliant white light. As his soul power flowed, the muscles in both arms swelled, stretching his loose uniform sleeves taut. A lively brown monkey soul spirit appeared on his shoulder.

"First soul skill—Strength Amplification!"

His physical strength soared instantly. Zhou Changxi stamped heavily against the ground and charged straight toward Tang Wulin with tremendous momentum, carrying an unstoppable drive and determined to take his opponent down in one stroke.

Xie Xie, however, remained still. Proud by nature, he felt that attacking while everyone was ganging up on Tang Wulin would make victory dishonorable, and he disdained joining in.

In the blink of an eye, Zhou Changxi reached Tang Wulin. Gathering strength and clenching his right fist, he threw a powerful right hook straight at Tang Wulin's face, trailing a fierce gust!

An attack that looked swift and ruthless to ordinary eyes seemed so slow to Tang Wulin that it was hardly worth mentioning.

Facing the whistling fist, Tang Wulin remained composed, neither dodging nor retreating.

The next instant, dense, emerald-green Blue Silver Grass burst from the earth within a ten-meter radius around him. It grew and spread wildly, covering the entire ground in an instant and sealing off every bit of space.

The thick mass of Blue Silver Grass carpeted the ground in a flash, its vines extending nimbly to wind around Zhou Changxi's charging feet.

Before he could react, the vines yanked sharply backward!

Charging at full speed with his weight pitched forward, Zhou Changxi could not stop himself. He abruptly lost his balance and fell flat on his face with a thud.

As dust flew, Tang Wulin moved like lightning, taking advantage of the opening created by his Blue Silver Grass's control to dart forward and close in.

Without holding back in the slightest, he drove his right leg forward, landing a clean, heavy kick squarely on Zhou Changxi's lower abdomen!

A muffled boom rang out!

Terrifying strength erupted, sending the burly Zhou Changxi tumbling through the air and flying backward more than five meters!

The instant he landed, Zhou Changxi stiffened, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out on the spot, completely motionless.

The field instantly fell silent.

Tang Wulin paused, his eyes filled with astonishment.

He had only meant to drive his opponent back and halt the attack, never to hurt him. Yet he had never imagined that, freed from suppression, the quietly awakened physical strength of the Golden Dragon King would be this overwhelming.

Just one casual kick already held such terrifying power.

At the edge of the stands, Wu Changkong's gaze sharpened. He stepped forward instantly and swept to Zhou Changxi's side, bending down to examine him.

He sent a light probe of soul power through his fingertips, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes at the result.

The kick had broken a rib outright.

Fortunately, that was the extent of the injury. His internal organs were unharmed, his life was in no danger, and he had merely fainted from the brief, intense pain. It was nothing serious.

After confirming Zhou Changxi's injuries, Wu Changkong rose, his expression still indifferent, and uttered only one word. "Continue."

His gaze swept across the remaining students as he issued another order in his cool voice. "Everyone, attack together. Tang Wulin, fight using soul skills only. You are forbidden from using brute physical strength."

As his words fell, the dozen or so remaining Class Five students hesitated no longer and released their martial souls simultaneously.

Soul rings of different colors lit up. Soul skills of all sizes and forms filled the sky, furiously bombarding Tang Wulin.

Fierce winds howled and soul power swept in every direction, the dense barrage sealing off every escape route.

Tang Wulin's scalp prickled at the sight, and he sighed inwardly. Meeting them head-on would definitely leave me at a disadvantage. If I can't beat them, surely I can still hide?

In an instant, countless emerald-green vines erupted wildly from the ground.

The Blue Silver Grass in his palm was no longer anything like the ordinary trash martial soul it had been at first. Every vine brimmed with vigorous vitality, agile and swift far beyond the norm.

In the blink of an eye, a thick, densely woven wall of Blue Silver Grass took shape before Tang Wulin, shielding him.

Boom, boom, boom—!

Countless soul skills exploded with thunderous force. Blue light, white light, and soul power of every color burst into a skyful of luminous mist.

The Blue Silver Shield Wall shattered under the impact and burst apart completely, but it successfully blocked everyone's first wave of attacks. At the same time, the clouds of dust entirely obscured everyone's vision, perfectly concealing Tang Wulin and creating a vast blind spot.

The dozen or so remaining students stared fixedly at the center of the dust cloud, believing Tang Wulin had been driven back and trapped within.