Tang Wulin vs. Ye Xinglan

The morning air in Skysea City carried a hint of the sea breeze's salty dampness. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue were walking toward the competition grounds. Neither spoke, but the quiet understanding between them made them both feel perfectly at ease.

"No need to guess." A cool voice brimming with fighting spirit suddenly came from beside them.

They stopped. Ye Xinglan stood there in a neat training outfit, her long golden hair dazzling in the morning light and her azure eyes sparkling with excitement. With her arms folded, she fixed her gaze squarely on Tang Wulin, a confident smile curving her lips.

"Tang Wulin, your opponent in the next match is me."

Tang Wulin froze, a flicker of confusion crossing his eyes. "Wasn't Shrek Academy supposed to be sitting out the individual matches in this Skysea Alliance Grand Competition? How did you..."

"Obviously, I'm fighting you under another academy's name." Ye Xinglan waved the Competition Token in her hand, her tone tinged with smug mischief. "The rules don't prohibit exchange students from competing. The organizers were more than happy to welcome someone 'capable' like me to spar. Good luck, Tang Wulin!"

Without waiting for his response, she turned and walked away, leaving them with a jaunty view of her retreating figure.

Watching her leave, Tang Wulin shrugged helplessly. Of course he knew how strong Ye Xinglan was. On the surface, she was only a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster, but as a genius from Shrek Academy, she possessed the exceptionally powerful Stargod Sword martial soul. Her swordsmanship was fiercely unrivaled, easily allowing her to challenge opponents above her level.

"What a headache..." Tang Wulin rubbed his temples.

Although he possessed an overwhelming innate ability like the Golden Dragon Claw, he had only developed it to the one-ring level so far. Its sharpness