When they entered the simulated martial arena and regained awareness, it was yet, yet, yet another forest opening.
Since teammates could choose adjacent simulation pods, Yan Qing soon spotted the rest of his team, including Yang Nianxia.
Before entering the selection round, Yan Qing had come up with a new idea.
He had agreed with the four from Class Zero beforehand that he would try not to act during this selection round unless it reached a critical moment.
He would give everyone more room to train.
Following the formation they had used before, Xie Xie scouted ahead.
As he passed beneath a tree, a pair of hands appeared silently at his neck.
Xie Xie reacted quickly, rolling to evade the fatal attack and summoning his Martial Soul to block in the same motion.
He had not expected another enemy to be hiding behind the first Soul Master who ambushed him.
In a single exchange, Xie Xie suffered considerable injuries.
Hearing the commotion, everyone quickly converged on Xie Xie.
Yang Nianxia was the closest to Xie Xie, but he was actually the last to arrive.
Aside from Class Zero's seamless teamwork, Yang Nianxia had his own selfish considerations.
He wanted to test these "teammates." After all, if they really made it to the end, the three positions would not be easy to divide.
Yan Qing and the others shielded Xie Xie behind them. Facing them were five students in matching uniforms, clustered around a cold, haughty girl in their midst.
Clearly, she led this team.
A completely emerald-green snake coiled around the girl's fair body, its eyes giving off a faint green glow.
Yan Qing thought back. She should be one of the few students strong enough to compete for a class officer position. Her name was Zheng Yiran.
"I didn't expect you to gather so many people in just a few minutes."
A cold edge crept into Zheng Yiran's smile, and the snake beside her raised its head slightly.
"Then I'll just have to ask you to get the hell out!"
The five beside her suddenly attacked, lunging at Yan Qing and his group.
Including Zheng Yiran herself, her team still had one fewer member than Yan Qing's side.
They were all agility-type Battle Soul Masters, too. Fighting on open, level ground put agility-type Soul Masters at a serious disadvantage, which showed just how confident she was.
Dark gold light erupted. Yang Nianxia's Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear easily withstood one Soul Master's attack, and he could even spare some attention to watch the fighting on the other side.
Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan each engaged an opponent, steadily suppressing them.
What surprised him was that the one facing Zheng Yiran was actually Tang Wulin-and a two-ring Tang Wulin at that.
Yan Qing actually stood with his arms folded, like a spectator, without acting the entire time.
Realizing this team was no easy target, Zheng Yiran was forced to order a retreat fifteen minutes later.
The price was that the two fighting Gu Yue and Yang Nianxia were both left behind.
After the battle, Yang Nianxia walked at the very rear of the group, his small eyes constantly shifting as he silently studied the people ahead.
During that fight, aside from Yan Qing, who had never acted, the strength of the others had secretly startled him.
Even the two-ring Tang Wulin could hold his own against Zheng Yiran.
If this team ultimately made it to the end, there were three class officer positions.
Yan Qing would take one. Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and he made three people, so the remaining two vice class monitor positions would not be easy to divide.
He soon pressed those thoughts to the bottom of his heart and resumed his honest, good-natured look.
They gradually approached the depths of the forest. Their six-person team made quite a few other teams shrink back in fear.
Even those blind enough to attempt an ambush were easily dealt with.
As they advanced, they unexpectedly encountered a boy with four yellow Soul Rings.
The boy's Martial Soul was a long scythe, and he easily reduced a three-person team to streaks of light all by himself.
This was Xu Yucheng, from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy in Mingdu.
The knowledgeable Yang Nianxia introduced him to everyone.
"His Martial Soul is the Dark Demon Scythe. If his physical constitution didn't prevent him from adding Soul Rings of higher ages, his strength would be even more terrifying."
"He's also the strongest person under fifteen in Mingdu, ranked eighteenth on the Young Genius Rankings. He's also called Undying Xu Yucheng."
"Mm, really impressive."
Seeing how earnestly he was introducing him, Yan Qing still offered a reply.
Yan Qing did not show so much as a ripple, as though he had heard Yu Xiaogang declare that he would destroy the Spirit Hall at any cost.
Yang Nianxia grew even more curious.
Just what was Yan Qing's Martial Soul?
To Yan Qing, perhaps the only one who could pose a threat was that Hell White Tiger with a self-Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
With Xu Yucheng's physical constitution...
If Yan Qing hit him with a full-power Purple Demon Eye, he might have to drop to his knees the next second and beg him not to die.
"Forty participants remain. Terrain reduced by fifty percent."
Shen Yi's voice came from the sky, and their surroundings changed in an instant.
In the middle of the grassland, three teams were rearranged out of thin air.
Leading the team to Yan Qing's left was none other than Xu Yucheng, whom they had just been discussing.
To the right was a refined-looking boy wearing glasses.
Yang Nianxia introduced him quietly:
"This is Luo Guixing. He's on the Young Genius Rankings too."
One thing about the situation worked against Yan Qing and his group.
Xu Yucheng and Luo Guixing knew each other, and their friendship was no shallow one.
"Brother Xu, we've competed for so long. It's rare to get a chance to fight each other at full strength."
"Why don't we clear out the outsiders first?"
Xu Yucheng leveled his scythe, a cold smile curling his lips.
"Fine."
The two teams had close to fifteen people combined, meaning each person on Yan Qing's side would have to face two opponents on average.
Yang Nianxia secretly frowned, pinning his hopes on their captain showing his strength.
But he would not simply sit and wait for death either, quietly moving to the edge of their formation.
The battle was on the verge of erupting. Tang Wulin faced Luo Guixing.
Xu Yucheng went straight for their commander, Yan Qing.
The pitch-black scythe slashed through the air, heading straight for Yan Qing.
Yang Nianxia craned his neck. He would finally see him act.
Pale white light shone from Yan Qing's hand, and a toilet brush was summoned, just barely blocking the scythe.
At the sight of the three white rings on it,
Yang Nianxia's entire sky came crashing down.
What kind of joke was this?!
They might have been young, but they could still identify the ages of Soul Rings. Those were genuine Ten-Year Soul Rings.
"Wait!"
Yang Nianxia roared.
"Captains, I joined their team midway. Let me off, and I'll withdraw from this fight immediately."
"My Martial Soul is the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. Taking me down would cost you quite a bit of strength too."
Xu Yucheng and Luo Guixing exchanged a look and nodded.
"Fine."
Both had long since heard that Class One had someone else whose position on the Young Genius Rankings was higher than theirs.
They had also heard about the might of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw. Preserving their strength before the true showdown was the right choice.
Delighted, Yang Nianxia turned to leave.
"Wait!"
The one who spoke was Yan Qing.
"Yang Nianxia, you're leaving just like that?"
Yang Nianxia spread his hands.
"Yan, you're all doomed to be eliminated. Better to preserve myself than fight to the bitter end with you."
"You're not my ancestor. I'm under no obligation to back you up!"
"Is that so?"
"What if I told you I really was your ancestor?"
"I think you've really had too much to dri-"
Before Yang Nianxia could finish, he saw Yan Qing's figure growing taller and taller as dazzling red light shot into the sky.
Immediately afterward, Yang Nianxia saw the dark gold he knew so well.
A ten-meter-tall Dark Gold Bear with enormous, elongated claws appeared on the battlefield, its overbearing voice thundering across the entire field.
"None of you are leaving today!"