Would He Win? He Would!

Xie Xie immediately frowned and was about to step forward when Tang Wulin grabbed him.

"Don't rush. The match hasn't started yet," Tang Wulin whispered.

Xie Xie snorted. "A bunch of frogs at the bottom of a well. We'll show them what we can do soon enough."

Wu Changkong stood in front of the four, his back to them as he watched the platform, his face expressionless. Suddenly, he spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but all four heard him clearly.

"For the first match, Hu Fangyuan alone will fight. The other three of you will stay put!"

Those words left all four stunned.

Xie Xie whipped his head around, disbelief written across his face. "What? You're letting him fight alone?" He pointed at the platform, then at himself. "Why, Teacher Wu? We've worked hard for over two months too! Why does he get all the chances to show off?"

He already didn't get along with Hu Fangyuan, and hearing that Hu Fangyuan would fight the first match alone made him explode on the spot. So after more than two months of special training, they wouldn't even get a chance to fight? Hu Fangyuan would get all the limelight?

Wu Changkong slowly turned around, his cool eyes settling on Xie Xie. In an instant, his gaze seemed steeped in icy lake water, making Xie Xie shudder.

"What?"

Wu Changkong spoke coldly, his voice quiet but oppressive. "In your mind, this match, which concerns your class's future honor and allocation of resources, is merely a chance for you to show off?!"

Xie Xie felt his chest tighten and instinctively retreated half a step. His mouth opened, but for a long while, he couldn't say a word.

Tang Wulin quickly tugged Xie Xie's arm and stepped forward to smooth things over. "Teacher Wu, Xie Xie was only thinking that even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit. He wants to do his part for the class too."

Wu Changkong glanced at Xie Xie without pressing him further, then addressed the four. "Next, we'll be competing against the other four first-year classes. I have absolute confidence in you. There won't be any opponents in the first year capable of standing against you. But what about the second year, the third year, or even the fourth year? If you sweep through your matches like a blade splitting bamboo, others will set their sights on you, study you, and devise ways to counter you!"

"When that happens, your fighting styles will be constrained, your coordination will falter, and you will no longer be unbeatable."

His gaze swept over Xie Xie and Tang Wulin before finally settling on Gu Yue. "Having Hu Fangyuan face the enemy alone will indeed draw most people's attention immediately, but it will also preserve everyone else's strength, trump cards, and tactical reserves to the greatest extent."

"Xie Xie, your twin martial souls and close-range bursts of movement. Tang Wulin, your monstrous strength combined with Blue Silver Grass control. Gu Yue, your elemental combination techniques. Revealing these things now is easy. Once we reach the second and third years, and they've prepared and specifically practiced ways to counter them, making them work again will be difficult."

"I'll repeat myself. The Class Promotion Tournament is no dinner party. Every one of you will take it seriously. Is that clear?"

All four felt their hearts tighten.

Xie Xie lowered his head and muttered. Though he still felt somewhat unconvinced, he didn't dare argue with Wu Changkong. He also knew Wu Changkong had a point, but it still rankled. Why did Hu Fangyuan get to be the one in the spotlight while they had to stay hidden as trump cards?

Gu Yue stood to one side, her expression blank, but she understood.

Wu Changkong had calculated this shrewdly. Over the past two months and more, Hu Fangyuan had already become known for his two-ring soul power and had long since drawn people's attention.

He might as well make him the target, putting him in front to draw all the fire. The other three would remain hidden, waiting until a crucial moment to strike and catch their opponents off guard.

Besides, with Hu Fangyuan's strength, he really was enough to deal with these first-year opponents alone.

Hu Fangyuan stood nearby without saying a word from beginning to end.

Wu Changkong's arrangement suited him perfectly.

All four of them against a bunch of first-year small fry? It would be embarrassing if word got out.

He could go up alone, finish the fight quickly, and get back to cultivating earlier afterward.

"No problem," Hu Fangyuan answered mildly.

Wu Changkong nodded, then added, "Remember, stop once you've made your point. Don't hit too hard and injure anyone. But don't drag it out either. Finish it quickly."

"Understood."

As they spoke, Director Long, Long Hengxu, raised his hand on the platform.

"Today's Class Promotion Tournament now begins. First-Year Class Five will challenge First-Year Class Four. Teacher Wu Changkong, have you decided how many students your class will field?"

The lower-year Class Promotion Tournament matches generally drew little interest. As the presiding referee, Long Hengxu was only interested in what sort of students Wu Changkong had trained in three months, especially since he had even specifically admitted his mistake to Long Hengxu last time to secure two students.

Wu Changkong nodded. "Our class will field four."

Long Hengxu turned toward Class Four's homeroom teacher, Kong Hanwen. "Class Five is fielding four students. Teacher Kong, you have five minutes to select your participants."

Dropping the smiling manner he had shown Wu Changkong earlier, Kong Hanwen said disdainfully, "Against Class Five, it makes no difference who we send. Jialong, Lin Zunyuan, Mosi, Wang Haoxuan, you four will go. Remember, you represent Class Four's honor. Show them Class Four's spirit."

Wu Changkong merely waved a hand, and Hu Fangyuan, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue walked onto the Competition Platform.

Long Hengxu gave Wu Changkong's side a puzzled glance. Generally, because of Class Five's poor overall strength, they would send as few people as possible when challenging higher-ranked classes, selecting their best one or two students to compete and maximize their chances of victory.

Yet Wu Changkong had sent four people out. Had he already trained Class Five's overall strength to such a high level?

Jialong led the three students from First-Year Class Four. He was short and squat, but looked very sturdy.

Lin Zunyuan was a thin, frail boy, while Mosi had an average build and looked eager to get started.

Wang Haoxuan blew at his bangs with a somewhat cocky air, his narrowed eyes resting on Gu Yue, his thoughts unknown.

"Ready!" The two sides stood fifty meters apart as Long Hengxu raised his right hand high.

"The first match of the new school year's Class Promotion Tournament, First-Year Class Four versus First-Year Class Five. Begin!"

At Long Hengxu's shout, the four students from First-Year Class Four released their soul rings almost simultaneously.

Four white soul rings rose beneath their respective feet. Standing at the front, Jialong abruptly stepped forward, his body swelling slightly as a low growl escaped his mouth. His formerly brown eyes turned yellow, and his arms grew noticeably thicker. He charged forward with great strides.

Lin Zunyuan murmured something, and a slender staff appeared in his hand. The ring beneath his feet flashed, and a beam of red light shot from the staff's tip, landing on Jialong.

A bloody tinge appeared in Jialong's yellow eyes, and his body swelled further. With an imposing air, he charged ahead.

The savagery of his wolf-type beast martial soul erupted in full. His feet slammed heavily against the ground, each step making the loose stones tremble and bounce. His two-meter-tall body drove up a fierce wind as he lunged straight at Hu Fangyuan's face.

At that very same instant.

Within Class Five's formation, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue actually turned around and retreated together. In just a few steps, they reached the edge of the arena and leaped down.

The team of four was reduced in an instant to Hu Fangyuan alone, standing all by himself.

Even Long Hengxu's raised right hand paused for half a beat, a flicker of puzzlement and speculation crossing his eyes.

What was this about?

If they only wanted Hu Fangyuan to fight alone, there was no need to announce four participants.

Could it be... that Wu Changkong was already certain First-Year Class Four, or even Class Three and Class Two, would be no match for them, and wanted to keep the other three's abilities completely hidden for dealing with Class One?

But wasn't this a little too presumptuous?

One against four. Could he win?

He would!

Wu Changkong folded his arms across his chest and watched Hu Fangyuan on the platform.