The power contained in that beam was terrifying, tearing even the air with fine cracks.
Lu Chen's gaze sharpened. Nidhogg's phantom threw back its head and let out a deafening roar, its enormous body shielding him, its dragon scales gleaming with a dark sheen, gleaming with a dark sheen. At the same time, he chanted, "Word Spirit: Earth Dragon Spine!"
Rumble!
The earth shook violently, and an enormous earthen wall rose from the ground, blocking the beam's path like a mountain.
The seven-colored beam struck the earthen wall with a deafening crash. Cracks instantly covered the wall, but bolstered by Nidhogg's devouring power, it ultimately withstood the blow head-on.
Just then, Wu Zhangkong's voice rang out. "Time's up!"
Gu Yue's movements abruptly halted, and the seven-colored beam instantly dissipated.
Panting, she looked at the black dragon phantom behind Lu Chen, a smile of reluctance yet admiration appearing on her face. "I lost... but next time, I'll definitely beat you!"
Lu Chen withdrew his Martial Soul, and the black dragon phantom slowly faded. He grinned. "Anytime."
"Good. From now on, Gu Yue, you're a member of our class, Class Five of the first year." A flash of excitement flickered through Wu Zhangkong's eyes. He was clearly quite satisfied with this new student's strength.
"Thank you, Teacher!" Gu Yue answered brightly, a radiant smile spreading across her face.
"All right, go finish the remaining laps with them first." Wu Zhangkong waved a hand, then tipped his chin toward Lu Chen. "Lu Chen, come here for a moment."
Hearing this, Lu Chen quickly followed him. The two walked into the shade of a tree beside the field, out of everyone else's sight.
Wu Zhangkong stared at him and went straight to the point. "Can you tell me your Martial Soul's real name? It definitely isn't the Earth Dragon listed on your awakening registration."
Lu Chen smiled, not intending to keep hiding it. "It's called Nidhogg. It's a black dragon. When my Martial Soul first awakened, though, its attributes might not have stabilized yet, which was why it looked ocher."
Inwardly, however, he muttered to himself. Logically, Nidhogg should have been a mixture of red and yellow, so why did it reveal its true black dragon form outright when I fought Gu Yue today?
Could it be... because she's the Silver Dragon King? As soon as the thought surfaced, Lu Chen suppressed it.
After hearing him out, Wu Zhangkong nodded in understanding and reached out to pat his shoulder. "From today onward, you're Class Five's class monitor. Keep an eye on your classmates. I'm going to the dean's office to handle Gu Yue's enrollment."
"No problem." Lu Chen readily nodded in agreement.
Before long, Gu Yue quickly finished a lap and ran up to Lu Chen, panting, her eyes sparkling. "You were so amazing just now! That black dragon Martial Soul was way too cool!"
"Aw, it was nothing special. Not a big deal." A little embarrassed by the praise, Lu Chen scratched his head, his tone exceedingly modest.
Inwardly, however, he had other thoughts-he realized he seemed to like this girl Gu Yue quite a bit. She was lively and strong, and being with her felt quite comfortable.
Have him watch helplessly as Gu Yue and Tang Wulin got together, just like in the original story?
Not a chance!
He had managed to bring Na'er home before anyone else back then, and now he could win Gu Yue's heart just the same!
Then again, Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon King Bloodline was no joke. Judging by the vigor he had shown while cultivating today, his bloodline power had probably already begun to awaken. That was no small problem.
He also wondered whether Nidhogg's absorption ability could absorb Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon King Bloodline and take it for himself.
Or he could give the Golden Dragon King Bloodline to Na'er or Gu Yue. After all, the bloodline in his body was already wild enough. If he added another, he might be done for...
Meanwhile, in the dean's office.
Long Hengxu leaned back in his chair, looking at Wu Zhangkong before him, and spoke unhurriedly. "Have you decided? Who are you planning to field for your class in this class promotion tournament?"
"I have," Wu Zhangkong answered concisely. "I'll select four people and field three."
"All right. That's your class's business. Arrange it as you see fit." Long Hengxu waved a hand and asked no further questions.
Before long, Wu Zhangkong finished his business and returned to the field, calling out to everyone, "Everyone, dismissed. Rest on your own. Gu Yue, come with me to collect your uniform and textbooks."
Gu Yue answered and followed him with a spring in her step.
Xie Xie sidled up to Lu Chen, rubbing his chin as he analyzed the situation. "I'm guessing the lineup for this class promotion tournament will most likely be me, you, and Gu Yue."
Listening nearby, Tang Wulin scratched his head and said with a smile, "It'll definitely be you three. With my little bit of strength, I can't compare to you. I'd only drag you down if I went up."
"But there are rewards for the class promotion tournament!" Xie Xie looked at Tang Wulin in bewilderment, his tone full of frustration at his lack of ambition. "If we win, we get to eat Grade A meals in the cafeteria, the kind with meat and soup at every meal. Don't you want to try them?"
"Of course I do!" Tang Wulin sighed, his head drooping, his tone full of helplessness. "But I know my limits. With my strength, I don't stand a chance of being fielded. I feel like beating you is all I'll ever be capable of in this life. I can't even touch anyone else."
Hearing that, Xie Xie bristled on the spot. "Hey! Tang Wulin, what's that supposed to mean? So I'm just here for you to farm a sense of achievement?"
"Oh, enough, enough. Stop arguing." Lu Chen hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over, slinging an arm around each of their shoulders as he changed the subject. "Come on, let's go stuff our faces at the cafeteria! Any later, and we won't even get our hands on the minced meat in the Grade B meals."
It had to be said that the subject of stuffing their faces held a positively fatal attraction for Tang Wulin.
At those words, his eyes instantly lit up. His earlier dejection was swept away, and he immediately charged toward the cafeteria with Lu Chen, no longer even in the mood to trade barbs with Xie Xie.
Meanwhile, in the subway station.
An exceptionally handsome young man stood in front of a sign, his brows tightly knitted and his eyes full of confusion.
Clutching a crumpled slip of paper, he looked at the streams of people passing back and forth and the complicated route map, utterly at a loss as to which way to go.
This young man was none other than Long Tianwu.
After hesitating for ages, he truly had no other option. He could only steel himself and walk up to the subway station's service window, offering the staff member inside a slightly embarrassed smile. "Hello, sorry for the trouble, but which way is Eastsea Academy?"
The staff member glanced up at him and pointed east, speaking simply and clearly. "That way. Take the number three soul-guided bus. You'll be there in two stops."
At that moment, Long Tianwu was inwardly grumbling nonstop about how unreliable Zhang Huanyun was, along with Chen Xinjie and Guan Yue.