Gu Yue

After hearing Tang Wulin say, "We're friends now," Xie Xie's expression turned rather odd.

"Why does that sound so awkward coming from you?" He curled his lip. "I helped you not because I actually consider you a friend, but because I couldn't stand them ganging up on you and using their age to block your way."

Tang Wulin smiled.

"It amounts to the same thing."

"How is it the same?" Xie Xie snapped.

Tang Wulin said, "Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, we're already friends."

Xie Xie looked at him, momentarily at a loss for words. In the end, he could only snort and turn his face away.

But early the next morning, he had no attention to spare for such things.

Because Wu Changkong kept his word.

The first class of the morning was basic physical training.

Running.

One lap around the Intermediate Division's Playground at Eastsea Academy was a full eight hundred meters. Wu Changkong stood in the middle of the Playground and announced the number flatly, without a single unnecessary word:

"Ten laps. Warm-up."

The students of Class Five immediately fell silent.

Ten laps.

Eight thousand meters.

Even though they were all students in a Soul Master class, that number sounded anything but easy. Yet no one dared complain. Yesterday, Wu Changkong's declaration outside the Academic Affairs Office—"If you can beat me, I'll mind my conduct"—had been enough to make all of Class Five understand that their homeroom teacher was not someone they could bargain with.

A moment later, however, they all began to feel fortunate.

Because Wu Changkong carried two dark, heavy Iron Garments straight over to Tang Wulin and Xie Xie.

"You two, put these on."

The Iron Garments were made from thick iron chains linked together with iron plates. Each weighed exactly twenty jin.