The Ultimate Showdown of the Class Promotion Tournament

The homeroom teacher of First-Year Class One was none other than Ye Yingrong's elder sister, Ye Yingluo, who had once confessed her love to Wu Changkong only to be brutally rejected.

Seeing Wu Changkong approach with his students, Ye Yingluo fixed her gaze on him, her heart brimming with resentment. Wu Changkong, today I'll make you lose face in front of everyone!

Wu Changkong keenly sensed the hostility rushing toward him. He raised his eyes and gave her an indifferent glance, his expression cold and flat, as though he were looking at a lifeless husk.

Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!

Ye Yingluo roared silently in her heart.

Beside her, Ye Yingrong saw her sister's almost savage expression and immediately understood why. She knew Ye Yingluo all too well. Failing to enter Shrek Academy had dealt her such a crushing blow that her temperament had grown extreme. For that very reason, after Wu Changkong rejected her confession, the knot in her heart had never come undone.

Ye Yingluo drew a deep breath and forcibly calmed herself. Turning toward the composed boy behind her, she sternly instructed, "Yangzi, teach Class Five a proper lesson once you're onstage. Don't hold back."

"Yes, Teacher."

A sharp gleam flashed through the eyes of the boy named Yangzi before his composed expression quickly returned.

The director of academic affairs, Long Hengxu, slowly ascended the arena. He first nodded to the two homeroom teachers, then announced loudly, "Next is the final match of the Class Promotion Tournament: First-Year Class Five against First-Year Class One. Teacher Wu, Class Five's participants are still Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue, correct?"

Wu Changkong's expression was cold and still. He uttered only one word. "Yes."

In truth, Long Hongxu desperately wanted Class Five to lose.

He had been solely responsible for assigning the new students to their classes. If bottom-ranked Class Five fought its way up and ultimately defeated Class One, which was packed with geniuses, it would prove that his assignments had been flawed. That would constitute a serious teaching error, and he would bear full responsibility.

But he only dared calculate this privately. He did not dare reveal the slightest hint of it in front of Wu Changkong.

He had personally witnessed Wu Changkong fight. Back when Wu Changkong faced Guang Biao, a single move had decided the outcome. The gulf between their strengths was immense, and he feared Wu Changkong from the bottom of his heart.

Long Hengxu turned toward Class One. "First-Year Class One, please send your three participants onto the stage."

Once both sides confirmed their lineups, the participating students stepped forward in turn and entered the arena.

The members of both teams took the stage one after another.

Tang Wulin strode into position at the center of his team, his bearing steady and unhurried. Xie Xie and Gu Yue followed closely on either side. The three walked shoulder to shoulder to one side of the arena, their expressions calm, without a trace of stage fright.

Across from them, the three members of First-Year Class One also stepped into the arena.

Standing in the middle, directly opposite Tang Wulin, was the composed Zhang Yangzi. His tone was flat, but arrogance shone between his brows. Looking down on his opponents from the bottom of his heart, he slowly said, "My name is Zhang Yangzi."

The boy beside him was brash by nature: Wei Xiaofeng. He surveyed Class Five mockingly and immediately made a provocative gesture, raising his thumb before slowly turning his wrist until it pointed down.

"Wei Xiaofeng."

The final boy, gaunt and exuding a cold aura, said hoarsely, "My name is Wang Jinxi."

The three announced their names with an aggressive air.

Tang Wulin and his companions calmly introduced themselves.

"First-Year Class Five, Tang Wulin."

"First-Year Class Five, Gu Yue."

"First-Year Class Five, Xie Xie."

From the raised platform, Director Long Hengxu watched the two teams, already reeking of gunpowder before the fight had even begun. He frowned and warned gravely, "This is an internal school competition, not a fight to the death! You're only here to determine a winner. Deliberately injuring your opponents is strictly forbidden."

"Understood!"

"Both sides, take your positions! Three, two, one, begin!"

The moment the command rang out, Wei Xiaofeng and Xie Xie charged forward simultaneously. They had already taken a dislike to each other, and as soon as they clashed, they began trading insults while fighting, neither bothering to watch his tongue.

Two yellow hundred-year soul rings rose beneath Wei Xiaofeng's feet, golden light flowing through them. A small jade-green snake appeared on his shoulder, a pair of translucent azure wings growing from its back.

This was his hundred-year soul spirit, the Azure Shadow Snake. It was identical to his own martial soul, giving them a compatibility of one hundred percent. After Martial Soul Possession, Wei Xiaofeng's body became incredibly supple, and a faint azure glow enveloped his skin.

Just as Wei Xiaofeng was secretly feeling pleased with himself, the scene before him suddenly changed.

Two yellow soul rings also lit up beneath Xie Xie's feet!

Both rings shone together. Surging soul power erupted with a boom, and his imposing aura suddenly soared.

Tang Wulin was startled and exclaimed inwardly, Well, damn! When did you break through to Soul Grandmaster? I didn't hear so much as a whisper. Has our friendship really grown that distant?

He noticed that the Light Dragon Dagger in Xie Xie's hand had shrunk by a size. Its surface radiance had receded, yet it had become even more solid, its restrained power enough to send a shiver through him.

The entire venue erupted in an uproar.

No one had ever imagined that bottom-ranked Class Five, supposedly made up entirely of One-Ring Soul Masters, had been hiding a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster.

As the protagonist, Tang Wulin naturally would not remain where he was and wait for the attack.

After the previous matches of the Class Promotion Tournament, everyone had more or less figured out his fighting style. They all knew that Tang Wulin's first soul skill, Blue Silver Grass, excelled in its extraordinary toughness and unexpected Entanglement control, making it nearly impossible to guard against. Yet it had a fatal limitation: range.

In every previous battle, his Blue Silver Grass had spread outward with him at its center, densely covering the surrounding area. But the distance over which he could maintain complete control was only a little over ten meters. His opponents believed that as long as they kept their distance and attacked from beyond his control range, they could greatly diminish Tang Wulin's threat and evade his primary means of restraint.

But was it really that simple?

Tang Wulin looked at Zhang Yangzi, who stood motionless across from him, and instantly saw through his plan. Without further hesitation, he drove his feet against the ground and burst into a sprint!

Ever since he had broken the first seal on the Golden Dragon King's bloodline, his physical strength and constitution had undergone a transformation as profound as shedding his bones and changing his flesh. Several days of consolidation had left his blood brimming with vitality and his condition excellent. He had been holding back a surge of energy and urgently needed an opponent to serve as a human punching bag, so he could properly test the true power of his golden right fist.

Beside him, Gu Yue moved lightly, drawing on the power of a gentle breeze. Her figure flashed as she silently swept behind Tang Wulin, ready to provide support at any moment.

Meanwhile, Tang Wulin's full-speed charge relied entirely on his body's explosive strength. He did not use even a trace of soul power to assist him.

At the center of the arena, Zhang Yangzi remained planted where he stood, directly facing him. His expression was composed and indifferent, his feet firmly rooted to the stage. He had not even released his martial soul, looking utterly confident and as immovable as Mount Tai.

But Wang Jinxi, beside Zhang Yangzi, had already moved first!

Two bright yellow soul rings slowly rose beneath his feet, a soft halo of soul power enveloping his body. His scrawny, skin-and-bones frame suddenly swelled, but what rose beneath his skin was not solid muscle. Instead, layers of increasingly hard, prominent bones bulged outward, giving him an eerie, chilling sense of menace.

He had already been gaunt. Now, with his bones jutting out, he looked even more withered and lifeless. There was no trace of vitality about him, as though he were a walking skeleton, sinister and terrifying.

As his martial soul fully awakened, a faint wisp of pitch-black, sinister energy burst freely from his body and coiled around him. Its icy aura instantly swept across the surrounding section of the arena.

His eyes dark, Wang Jinxi strode straight toward the charging Tang Wulin. He raised and straightened both arms, actually intending to meet Tang Wulin's charge head-on with his physical strength!

Faced with his opponent's fearless frontal collision, Tang Wulin's expression did not change. He quietly gathered strength in his right arm, then raised it with explosive force. His golden right fist, infused with the power of the Golden Dragon King bloodline, shot straight forward!

Tang Wulin vaguely remembered that Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, so he needed to instantly take one of them out first.

I'll play sweet first, then catch him off guard, Tang Wulin thought.

At that moment, he had not even summoned his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul. He was confronting his opponent's martial soul power purely with his own body!

Watching from the stands, Wu Changkong abruptly furrowed his brows.

At the very instant before their fists collided!

Blazing crimson fireballs suddenly formed above Tang Wulin's head, carrying scorching currents of air as they bombarded Wang Jinxi in a dense barrage!

At that critical moment, Wang Jinxi thrust his right palm through the air. Pitch-black soul power suddenly erupted from his palm, a thick black radiance gushing out and striking the incoming fireballs with precision.

Explosions rang out one after another. Every scorching fireball was shattered by the black, sinister energy and vanished without a trace.

As black smoke and waves of heat churned together, the two figures finally collided with a thunderous crash!

At the final instant before their fists met, an utterly mocking sneer suddenly curled across Wang Jinxi's lips.

Looking at Tang Wulin, who had charged at him using only his body without releasing his martial soul or using a soul skill, his eyes all but overflowed with contempt.

You don't even dare release your martial soul, yet you think you can clash head-on with a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster like me?

You have no idea how high the heavens are or how deep the earth runs! Instead of surrendering, you actually dare attack first. What boundless arrogance!

Below the arena, almost everyone shared the same thought.

Whether it was the students watching, the teachers judging from around the stage, or Wei Xiaofeng and Xie Xie facing each other nearby, they all believed Tang Wulin was certain to suffer a crushing defeat.

Far too conceited, far too reckless!

Even Wu Changkong, who knew the secret of Tang Wulin's awakened bloodline, had his brows tightly knitted, anxiety stirring in his heart.

He knew Tang Wulin's body was powerful, but the boy had now completely abandoned his martial soul and bloodline enhancement. Trying to confront a two-ring Soul Master's martial soul power with nothing but physical strength was truly overconfident.

Wu Changkong's gaze darkened, and he made up his mind. Regardless of the result, Tang Wulin needs extra training-and a brutal amount of it.

But in the next instant, a reversal that turned heaven and earth upside down suddenly arrived!

Just as their bodies collided, Tang Wulin parted his lips and let out a low shout edged with youthful fierceness:

"I'll Take Your Life Three Thousand!"

Boom!

Just one punch!

The heavy fist, carrying the Golden Dragon King's vigorous blood energy and the deep reserves of his powerful body, erupted with a thunderous blast. Terrifying physical strength poured out without restraint!

The mocking smile on Wang Jinxi's face instantly froze. As though struck by a speeding train, his entire body suddenly lifted off the ground and hurtled backward!

Before he could land, catch his breath, or adjust his posture, Tang Wulin pressed his attack without pause. A close-range barrage suddenly erupted!

Left hook, right hook, uppercut, downward hook!

The relentless force of his punches sealed off every avenue of escape. Under the dense bombardment, Wang Jinxi could not steady himself in midair at all. He could only be driven backward helplessly, losing ground with every blow as the pitch-black, sinister energy surrounding him was completely shattered, punch by punch!

At the finish, several supple, resilient strands of Blue Silver Grass suddenly burst from the ground, winding around the airborne Wang Jinxi in layers and binding him tightly.

One loop, two loops, then several more tightened into place!

Tang Wulin snapped his wrist with force, using the momentum to deliver a vicious throw!

Bound tightly by the Blue Silver Grass, Wang Jinxi was hurled straight out of the arena like a cannonball leaving the muzzle!

Thud!

A dull impact rang out as he hit the ground.

The entire venue instantly fell deathly silent.

The silence, so complete that a falling pin could have been heard, lasted a full three seconds.

After those three seconds of dead silence!

The entire venue exploded!!

Roar-!!

A deafening wave of uproar nearly overturned the entire venue. No one could keep their composure anymore. Every teacher and student lost control!

"Am I seeing things?! Wang Jinxi lost?!"

"A Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster! A One-Ring Soul Master punched him out of the arena with nothing but physical strength?!"

"He didn't even release his martial soul! Didn't use a soul skill! He crushed him with his body alone!!"

"Absurd! This is beyond absurd! What kind of monstrous body is that?!"

The students went completely wild, their faces filled with shock, blank disbelief, and incredulity. Their cries rose one after another, resounding through the venue.

The teachers around the arena stood openmouthed, their pupils trembling with shock. Each froze in place, nearly dropping the notebooks in their hands.

Class Four's homeroom teacher, Kong Hanwen, was utterly speechless. His mouth hung wide open, but he could not force out a single word.

Class Three's homeroom teacher, Ye Yingrong, stared blankly at the arena, her beautiful eyes filled with utter disbelief.

But the most devastated and bewildered of all were the members of First-Year Class One!

Wei Xiaofeng, who had just been brimming with arrogance and confidence in victory, saw his smug smile shatter in an instant. He froze on the spot, his body trembling slightly and his eyes going completely vacant.

Only moments earlier, he had mocked Class Five for overestimating themselves and felt certain of victory. That single punch had now crushed his confidence completely!

Standing at the center of the arena, Zhang Yangzi, who had remained composed throughout, now lost every trace of that composure.

He stared fixedly at Tang Wulin, who stood tall and utterly unruffled on the stage. For the first time, towering waves surged through his normally tranquil heart, leaving him completely dazed.

He had never imagined that a nine-year-old boy, a rank-seventeen One-Ring Soul Master, could overwhelm Wang Jinxi, a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster, in a direct clash using only his body!

This defied all common sense! It completely overturned everything he understood about Soul Master ranks!

In the stands, Class One's homeroom teacher, Ye Yingluo, turned deathly pale, her entire body stiffening.

Just moments earlier, she had been full of schemes, waiting to watch Wu Changkong lose all face and Class Five suffer a humiliating defeat. Yet in the blink of an eye, her own powerful two-ring student had been beaten one-sidedly with a punch and thrown straight out of the arena!

Instead, the ones left utterly disgraced were her and the strongest Class One she had taken such pride in!

Her whole body went cold, and even her fingertips trembled. Her pride, confidence, and sense of superiority were completely shattered at that moment!

The venue seethed with noise, everyone stunned by Tang Wulin's heaven-defying domination. Only Gu Yue, standing a short distance away, harbored a trace of doubt and astonishment that no one else could perceive.

When Tang Wulin and Wang Jinxi collided head-on, everyone else had only seen the shocking sight of the boy defeating his opponent barehanded and overwhelming a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster with physical strength. No one had caught the fleeting, hidden phenomenon. But Gu Yue's spiritual perception far exceeded that of ordinary people, and her senses were extraordinarily sharp. She had clearly detected the unusual power that suddenly erupted from Tang Wulin's body at that instant.

A vast, powerful surge of scorching blood energy had poured from every part of Tang Wulin's body, rapidly gathering and condensing entirely into his right fist. At the instant their fists collided, an extremely faint yet incomparably brilliant golden fist-light suddenly burst forth, silently striking Wang Jinxi's fist, which was shrouded in black radiance.

It was precisely that hidden golden light, carrying terrifying power that swept through resistance like rotten wood and dry branches, that had forcibly shattered Wang Jinxi's martial soul power and blasted him straight out of the arena. This had not merely been a victory of physical strength. An unknown power of a higher order, far more domineering, had quietly dictated the entire exchange.

Gu Yue's delicate brows drew together slightly. Her clear eyes were filled with confusion as she repeatedly weighed the possibilities in her heart.

Was it the power of a special bloodline?

Or Twin Martial Souls that Tang Wulin had kept hidden?

Or perhaps some unusual innate constitution she had never encountered before?

She sensed it again and again, carefully recalling what had happened. That golden power felt incredibly familiar, branded into the depths of her soul, like a bond spanning countless ages that refused to fade. Yet no matter how hard she searched her memories, she could never grasp the source of that familiarity. She could neither explain nor name it, leaving her heart clouded with bewilderment.

That sense of incongruity and strangeness lingered in her heart, making her feel increasingly certain that Tang Wulin concealed layer upon layer of unresolved secrets. This seemingly gentle, pure boy with his clear, clean features was far more mysterious than he appeared.

But all eyes were on the arena, and the fierce battle had not ended. She had no time to investigate further.

After a long while, Gu Yue gently suppressed her doubts, temporarily attributing the anomaly to a chance burst of power. Her gaze regained its calm as she stood quietly in the arena, silently watching the boy standing tall before her.