Months of sparring and honing his skills with Wu Changkong had raised Tang Wulin's combat prowess far beyond that of Soul Masters his age, to an exceptionally advanced level. Every movement was steady and seasoned, every advance and retreat measured.
The instant he swiftly dispatched Wang Jinxi, he continued without the slightest pause. Radiance flowed around him as a softly glowing yellow hundred-year soul ring slowly rose, encircling his body. A slender, supple strand of blue silver grass hovered beside him-his contracted hundred-year blue silver grass soul spirit.
The blue silver grass looked utterly unremarkable at that moment. It had yet to develop independent intelligence and seemed no different from ordinary weeds. Yet a closer look would reveal countless golden threads, nearly invisible to the naked eye, entwined through the intricate veins of its roots and stems. Those threads were quietly solidifying and thickening, transforming the blue silver grass's foundations day after day as it slowly evolved toward the supreme form of the blue silver emperor bloodline.
Without hesitation, Tang Wulin willed his power into motion and called in a low voice, "First soul skill, Blue Silver Forest!"
Buzz!
Countless slender strands of blue silver grass burst from the arena floor within a ten-meter radius of Tang Wulin. They carpeted the ground in dense, overlapping layers, spreading with wild growth. The newborn grass was plain and unadorned, seemingly without any special attributes, but under Tang Wulin's exquisite control of soul power, it rapidly thickened and strengthened, its toughness soaring.
Several strands nearest Zhang Yangzi shot forward at his command, bearing a powerful binding force as they targeted his limbs and torso. At the same time, Tang Wulin stepped forward, steadily closing in and squeezing away his opponent's room to maneuver with every step.
Beside him, Gu Yue matched him with flawless understanding, simultaneously unleashing elemental power to support his offensive.
The invisible wind element in the surroundings swiftly gathered. A brilliant, clear azure wind field silently enveloped Zhang Yangzi, precise restraints of wind layering over one another to lock down his body and evasive paths, drastically limiting his speed.
One controlled the field while the other restricted movement. Their coordination was seamless, and the blue silver grass was about to repeat the earlier finishing blow-binding Zhang Yangzi tight and flinging him out of the arena!
At that instant of crisis, Zhang Yangzi finally abandoned his composed defense. Two bright yellow soul rings beneath his feet suddenly lit up, their radiance flooding his entire body!
A piercing, clear eagle cry abruptly rang out across the entire venue!
The azure wind restraints surrounding him shattered inch by inch at the sound, vanishing without a trace. Zhang Yangzi executed an exquisite sliding step, shifting eerily sideways and narrowly escaping the blue silver grass closing in from every direction, completely leaving the controlled area.
The next second, a pitch-black afterimage suddenly soared from behind him into the air above the arena!
Everyone looked closely and saw an eagle hovering overhead, its body jet-black and its wings razor-sharp. Its deep eyes held a pair of uncanny purple pupils, and its chilling presence carried an innate aura of ruthless killing intent.
A flying martial soul!
Tang Wulin's gaze sharpened as he instantly recognized the nature of his opponent's martial soul.
Having a flying martial soul meant claiming the advantage of altitude and completely evading the blue silver grass's ground-based control. The battle had changed in an instant.
Yet Zhang Yangzi's attack did not head toward Tang Wulin in front of him.
His gaze was sharp as he rapidly assessed the entire battle, his thoughts racing. Wang Jinxi has already lost and been eliminated. Only two of us remain, while Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie are all unscathed. Worse, Xie Xie is a hidden Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster. Unless we eliminate their two-ring fighter first, their three-to-two advantage will leave us completely on the defensive. Defeat will be inevitable!
With his decision made, Zhang Yangzi commanded his martial soul. High overhead, the black eagle beat its wings, whipping up a fierce gale as it changed direction and abruptly plunged toward Xie Xie, who was locked in combat with Wei Xiaofeng!
Avoid the strong, strike the weak, and break the deadlock first!
That was the safest way out Zhang Yangzi had devised in that instant.
"Oh no! Xie Xie's in danger!"
Tang Wulin and Gu Yue felt their hearts tighten almost simultaneously. The moment they saw Zhang Yangzi redirect his offensive straight toward Xie Xie, both shot forward, racing to reinforce the battlefield shrouded in the black eagle martial soul's dark mist.
As he rushed forward, Tang Wulin did not dismiss his soul skill. The Blue Silver Forest continued to surge across the arena. The blue silver grass covering the field served as his countless eyes and ears.
Even with the black mist obscuring his vision, even beneath the heavy darkness of night, no movement wherever his blue silver grass reached could escape his perception. Through feedback from the dense blades, he clearly sensed the perilous battle.
Wei Xiaofeng kept Xie Xie occupied from the front while Zhang Yangzi, having broken into the air, dived down to join the attack. Above and below, front and rear, they formed a perfect two-sided encirclement.
Caught off guard by their joint assault, Xie Xie immediately fell onto the defensive. Flustered and scrambling without a clear escape route, he could only give his all to hastily fend them off, the Light Dragon Daggers in his hands blocking at lightning speed as his soul power shook violently.
Yet he gritted his teeth and held firm, never retreating half a step. He endured two fierce rounds of attacks head-on without giving his opponents the slightest opening to break through.
At that critical moment, a dazzling burst of blue light suddenly erupted beneath Xie Xie's feet!
His first soul skill, Shadow Clone Burst, activated instantly. Fierce soul power exploded outward, and a shadow's ambush from behind forcibly drove back Wei Xiaofeng, who had been engaging him from the front. Seizing that fleeting opening, Xie Xie finally won a moment to breathe.
Without pausing, his gaze hardened, all his soul power gushed forth, and his second soul skill lit up!
"Second soul skill-Light Dragon Storm!"
With Xie Xie at the center, two Light Dragon Daggers whirled at tremendous speed, stirring a fierce, blinding storm of light that swept wildly outward. Layer upon layer of sharp light blades shredded the encroaching black mist and soul power, finally securing his position.
At that same moment, Tang Wulin commanded the blue silver grass across the entire field to attack!
Countless thick, resilient strands of blue silver grass erupted upward, breaking free of the ground. Bearing tremendous binding and restraining force, they swiftly closed around Zhang Yangzi and Wei Xiaofeng, sealing every route of evasion and retreat.
High overhead, Gu Yue's elemental power had finished gathering!
The surrounding elements converged madly as a mighty Elemental Tide thundered into motion. Dense masses of blazing fireballs formed in the sky and, following the positions pinpointed by Tang Wulin's precise perception, rained down in a bombardment!
Boom, boom, boom-!!
Unceasing explosions resounded throughout the venue. Flames soared into the sky, shadows of grass crisscrossed the field, and light blades ran rampant!
The three-colored offensive interwove perfectly, completely sealing off every bit of maneuvering room for the two Class One fighters. Under the furious combined assault, their dense black martial soul mist crumbled inch by inch and vanished entirely.
Smoke filled the air as the dust slowly settled.
The scene at the center of the arena came fully into everyone's view.
Wei Xiaofeng's soul power had dispersed, and all his strength had drained away. His eyes were tightly shut. He had already collapsed unconscious, completely unable to fight.
Beside him, Zhang Yangzi knelt on one knee in the arena, swaying on the brink of collapse. Bright blood kept seeping from the corner of his mouth. His breathing was erratic, his soul power exhausted, and waves of severe pain coursed through his bones and meridians.
He stared fixedly at Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie, who stood unharmed before him. His pupils trembled, disbelief covered his face, and the pride and confidence in his heart utterly collapsed.
He could not accept this outcome, much less understand what he was seeing. His voice hoarse with overwhelming resentment and a sense of absurdity, he muttered a ragged howl:
"I don't believe it... impossible! You're clearly just a Soul Master with blue silver grass, a trash martial soul..."
Faced with Zhang Yangzi's bitter defiance and howling, Tang Wulin remained calm from beginning to end, standing composedly in place.
He looked at the disheveled, nearly exhausted Zhang Yangzi and spoke with utter nonchalance, yet every word pierced the heart. "That's right. My martial soul is indeed blue silver grass, a trash martial soul."
After a slight pause, the boy raised his eyes, his certainty almost casual. "But even so, you're still the one who lost."
It was a simple sentence, yet so infuriating it practically begged for a punch. It utterly shattered Zhang Yangzi's last psychological defense.
"Bastard!!"
Zhang Yangzi's eyes turned bloodshot, and he panted like an ox as the anger and humiliation in his chest erupted. The black eagle behind him spread its wings to their fullest once more. Dense, pitch-black martial soul mist surged wildly, swelling in an instant to shroud the entire arena and swallow Tang Wulin and his companions. He sought to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with his strongest dark soul power.
Yet within the darkness blanketed by black mist, there was not the slightest tension.
A faint smile curled at the corners of Gu Yue's lips.
Controlling the field with elements was her innate instinct.
Tang Wulin and Xie Xie's initially cautious gazes suddenly relaxed completely. They even ignored the oppressive dark soul power around them altogether. At ease, they began chatting quietly as though no one else were present, discussing which shop they should visit for food after the match and the end of school, looking utterly leisurely and content.
Completely ignored, Zhang Yangzi nearly exploded with rage, roaring inwardly, Bastards! What exactly do you take me for?!
Just as his mind fell into turmoil and his soul power wavered, Gu Yue gently raised her slender, fair, seemingly boneless hand and lightly snapped her fingers in the air.
Snap-!
In an instant!
Brilliant, magnificent, warming power of light erupted from Gu Yue's body. Boundless holy radiance swept across the entire field!
Wherever the overbearing, sacred power of light passed, the thick dark mist melted like ice and snow beneath a blazing sun, instantly dissolving into nothing.
Bathed in the warm holy light, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie felt comfortable from head to toe. Warmth flowed through them, all their fatigue vanished, and both body and mind relaxed completely.
Zhang Yangzi, by contrast, was crushed by the overwhelming light that countered his power. His dark martial soul's soul power shattered and surged backward in an instant, stabbing pain lancing through his meridians as his blood churned!
His pupils abruptly contracted, his chest tightened, and another mouthful of blood burst from his lips.
Even his last strength to struggle vanished. His body went limp, and he could hold on no longer, collapsing straight to the ground and losing consciousness entirely.
In the arena, the dust had settled.
The entire venue fell deathly silent for an instant, then erupted into an uproar again!
At the front of the stands, Class One's homeroom teacher, Ye Yingluo, stared fixedly at the girl in the arena with only a single soul ring. Her pupils shook, and her face was filled with utter disbelief!
Control over multiple elements!
In the earlier fighting, Gu Yue had already skillfully wielded wind and fire elemental power, an astonishing display in itself.
And now, she had even unleashed the extremely rare light element!
One person controlled three elements: wind, fire, and light!
Ye Yingluo's heart shuddered violently, and she could not help murmuring in awe, "A genius... she's absolutely a top genius seen only once in a hundred years!"
Who could have imagined that first-year Class Five, perpetually at the bottom and looked down upon by everyone, had hidden three such heaven-defying youngsters?
Tang Wulin, whose physical strength overwhelmed Soul Masters; Xie Xie, who had concealed his two rings; and Gu Yue, a monster who controlled three elements!
The battle's aftershocks had yet to fade, and the clamor gradually subsided.
A cool, level voice abruptly rang across the entire arena, cutting through all the noise-
"Director, can you announce the result now?"
It was Gu Yue.
Her voice was soft and even, without the slightest pride or ostentation, as calm as though she had merely finished an insignificant everyday sparring session.
Below the arena, Long Hengxu was instantly pulled out of his stunned daze by her voice. Deeply shaken, he fixed his gaze on the three in the arena, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Towering waves surged through his heart, and countless questions circled without rest:
Is this really strength a One-Ring Soul Master can possess?!
Long Hengxu's gaze swept repeatedly over Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie before finally settling heavily on Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, his heart filled with shock.
Tang Wulin's might had already overturned everything he knew.
Others might not know, but as director of academic affairs, how could he not? Wang Jinxi possessed the top-tier beast martial soul, the Bone Dragon King! Even though Wang Jinxi had not fully unleashed his martial soul's power or used a soul skill during the fight, his physique and strength had already been profoundly enhanced by the Bone Dragon King martial soul, far surpassing those of an ordinary two-ring Soul Master.
Yet this Soul Grandmaster, empowered by a top-tier beast martial soul, had been sent flying and eliminated outright by a single punch from Tang Wulin, who had only one ring and relied solely on physical strength!
Just how terrifying was this boy's physical strength?
Suddenly recalling that breezy "I'll Take Your Life Three Thousand" in the arena, Long Hengxu felt a violent chill, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
Three thousand jin in one punch!
Against such terrifying, pure physical force, even he, the director of academic affairs, might not be able to withstand more than a few punches head-on!
As his thoughts raced, Long Hengxu looked again at the poised, otherworldly Gu Yue, and his shock deepened. One person controlled wind, fire, and light-a monstrous talent rarely seen throughout the ages.
At the edge of the field, Class One's homeroom teacher, Ye Yingluo, watched the three standing calmly in the arena. Her gaze was so laden with conflicting emotions that it seemed ready to drip, while resentment, regret, and helplessness tangled in her heart.
She knew perfectly well that Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi had already developed their own martial soul fusion skill. It was Class One's ultimate trump card, a lethal ace kept in reserve.
Had all three faced their opponents intact in a normal opening, their martial soul fusion skill could have left the outcome uncertain.
But every upheaval had begun with Tang Wulin's sudden punch, which overturned everyone's expectations!
Instantly dispatching Wang Jinxi at the opening had completely disrupted every tactical arrangement Class One had made and torn apart the rhythm of their three-man coordination, leaving their strongest trump card stillborn.
Ye Yingluo clenched her hands tightly, unable to stop imagining, If we could do it again...
But the arena was merciless, the battle was decided, and the world offered no chance to start over.
Long Hengxu drew a deep breath, suppressing all the shock in his heart. He straightened, picked up the tournament microphone, and spoke in a resonant voice, every word ringing firmly across Eastsea Academy's entire competition venue!
"I hereby announce the final result of this Class Promotion Tournament!
First-year Class One versus first-year Class Five-
First-year Class Five wins!"
The instant his words fell!
After its brief silence, the venue exploded into deafening cheers and shouts that pierced the clouds!
The last-place dark horse had defied the heavens and claimed the summit!
They had defeated powerful opponents one after another, then crushed the strongest Class One in the final battle!
First-year Class Five had utterly rewritten its fate and ascended to legend in a single battle!
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