Eastsea Academy, disciplinary office.
"Wu Changkong, have you lost your mind?!"
Disciplinary Director Long Hengxu slammed his hand on the desk and roared at Wu Changkong.
"You only just shoved Gu Yue into Class Five yesterday. Her Martial Soul is an Elementalist, so I won't take issue with that."
"But this Yan Qing has two ten-year soul rings, and his Martial Soul is a toilet brush. Isn't this going a little too far?!"
"Do you really think Class Five is a trash can?"
Wu Changkong remained as indifferent as ever.
"I know what I'm doing with my students."
He stepped forward, walking up to Long Hengxu. "I'm not here to ask your opinion."
Feeling the chill gradually rising in the air, Long Hengxu swallowed, but still signed the consent form while grumbling curses.
"Go ahead and take him! If you don't fight your way up to first-year Class Three-no, first-year Class Two-in this promotion tournament, I'll dock your entire bonus!"
After getting the approval form, Wu Changkong paid no further attention to the furious Director Long and left him with a few indifferent words.
"My students' sights aren't limited to this year group."
Eastsea Academy's athletic field.
Wu Changkong brought Yan Qing before the others.
"Wulin, Xie Xie, Gu Yue, this is our new student, Yan Qing. He'll be your classmate in Class Five from now on."
"It's you!"
Tang Wulin exclaimed in surprise. The boy he had seen at the Blacksmith Association last time had actually become his new classmate.
"We meet again."
"My name is Yan Qing. My Martial Soul is a long brush. I look forward to learning from you."
"That's not his only Martial Soul. Like Xie Xie, he has twin Martial Souls."
Wu Changkong added this from beside him.
"That's right. I have another Martial Soul, a body Martial Soul-my eyes."
Yan Qing picked up the explanation.
This was the cover story Wu Changkong had devised for Yan Qing.
Upon seeing Yan Qing's Passionate Sword and Ruthless Sword, his first reaction had been the same as Hu Jie's: he advised Yan Qing not to reveal his twin Martial Souls.
But Yan Qing's first Martial Soul was far too weak in combat, while using his second Martial Soul made his identity a sensitive matter.
If he wanted to take Shrek's entrance assessment in the future, he couldn't possibly avoid using his second Martial Soul.
Fortunately, the Martial Souls Yan Qing had borrowed from the system allowed him to unleash soul skills without manifesting the Martial Souls.
He only had to activate the Martial Souls on the system panel.
Besides, his skills all leaned toward mental control. There was no better explanation than an "eyes" body Martial Soul.
Unless someone was a disciple of the Body Sect, they wouldn't be able to tell whether Yan Qing's body Martial Soul was real.
And now, excluding Hu Jie far away in the Star Luo Empire, the Body Sect had only two lone seedlings left: Sect Master Mu Ye and his eldest disciple, A Ruheng.
With this identity as cover, Yan Qing was like a fish in water.
"This is a good chance to test your practical combat abilities. It'll also determine who gets to compete in the promotion tournament."
Wu Changkong swept his gaze over the students and began making arrangements.
"Yan Qing, you'll team up with Gu Yue. Tang Wulin will team up with Xie Xie."
"Teacher Wu, having me team up with Gu Yue would be too unfair to Wulin's team."
Yan Qing spoke up.
"I'll be enough on my own."
Wu Changkong considered it for a moment, then nodded.
"All right. Gu Yue will sit out this round."
Yan Qing's advantages as a transmigrator were still quite obvious. His actual age was considerably greater than Tang Wulin's.
He had also spent three years receiving professional practical combat training under Hu Jie.
His foundation was far more solid than what Tang Wulin had gained at Red Mountain Elementary School.
He had even been about to ask all three of them to come at him together.
But Yan Qing also realized that, from beginning to end of the original story, he had never seen Gu Yue fight with all her strength.
If they really went by seniority, the Silver Dragon King before him was a super-ancient ancestor.
He didn't want to take a beating. It was better not to provoke her.
"Begin."
Wu Changkong served as the referee.
Yan Qing didn't intend to use his long brush Martial Soul for this match.
Outside of special circumstances, this Martial Soul's side effects still far outweighed its combat strength.
Tang Wulin and Xie Xie didn't grow complacent just because Yan Qing wasn't using his Martial Soul.
According to the information they had received, Yan Qing's second Martial Soul was his eyes, a body Martial Soul that remained manifested at all times.
Tang Wulin's pale golden Blue Silver Grass spread out.
Xie Xie revealed both his Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger. Both of them intended to go all out from the start.
Xie Xie in particular had done nothing but lose ever since joining Eastsea Academy.
He had been gathering all his determination deep inside, and he also felt that when he fought alongside Tang Wulin, the strength of his Light and Shadow Twin Dragon Daggers increased somewhat.
Their tactics were simple, too.
Tang Wulin would hold the front while Xie Xie harassed from the flank.
The two attacked Yan Qing, one ahead of the other, almost completely sealing off every avenue of evasion in front of him.
Just before Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass could coil around Yan Qing.
Yan Qing moved.
The Passionate Sword's first soul skill, "Once."
The Ruthless Sword's first soul skill, "Future."
The two divine skills activated simultaneously, but they didn't target the same person.
"Once" was cast on Tang Wulin, and his body, which had been holding the front, suddenly retreated half a step.
"Future," meanwhile, affected Xie Xie. Wielding both daggers, he had originally been hiding behind Tang Wulin, looking for an opportunity to attack.
With Future's acceleration, Xie Xie's whole body surged an inch forward.
The dagger in his hand stabbed squarely into the retreating Tang Wulin's arm.
Of course, Yan Qing had calculated the angle. This was only a spar, after all.
Xie Xie was the first to realize something was wrong.
A chill erupted from the depths of his heart.
The enhancement he had enjoyed while fighting alongside Tang Wulin vanished without a trace.
His twin dragon Martial Souls dissolved instantly, exactly as they had when he and Tang Wulin tested this a few days earlier.
Golden light and shadow erupted between them.
Xie Xie was sent flying. With his previous experience, he covered his head this time.
Fortunately, his worries proved unnecessary, as Wu Changkong caught him securely from the side.
Golden scales covered Tang Wulin's hand, vast, surging bloodline power fluctuating violently across them.
But the golden scales didn't last long. Just as Yan Qing remembered, Tang Wulin had yet to break through the first seal and couldn't control the Golden Dragon Claw.
This interruption also left Tang Wulin unable to continue fighting. His bloodline had drained all his soul power in an instant.
Looking at the two on the ground, Wu Changkong helplessly announced the result.
"Yan Qing wins."
Yan Qing hadn't expected to win so easily, either. It seemed there really were plenty of combos to develop with the Ruthless Sword and Passionate Sword.
He didn't forget to sneak a glance at Gu Yue. The Silver Dragon King was famously protective of her own early on.
Fortunately, her attention was entirely on Tang Wulin's golden scales.
Yan Qing couldn't help silently praying for Tang Wulin. Poor Wulin. The Silver Dragon King is going to latch on to you.
After this match, Wu Changkong also finalized the roster for the promotion tournament.
Yan Qing, Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie.
The four would compete in the promotion tournament together.
After a month of training to build teamwork, everyone's soul power and coordination had improved considerably.
The day of the promotion tournament soon arrived.
The athletic field buzzed with voices.
It was a familiar scene from the plot. Yan Qing reckoned a teacher should come over to mock them shortly.
Sure enough, a teacher who looked remarkably like a winter melon came over.
"Teacher Wu, please do go easy on us this time."
Wu Changkong snorted coldly, not even interested in responding.
Yan Qing rubbed his head. This was Kong Hanwen, the homeroom teacher of first-year Class Four.
To be precise, after today, he would be the homeroom teacher of first-year Class Five.