Beside him, Xie Xie watched with interest, secretly nudging Lu Chen with his elbow and lowering his voice, his tone full of admiration:
"Did you see that? Did you? That aloof look of Teacher Wu's just comes naturally! So handsome and cool-with that presence, who wouldn't be dazzled?"
Lu Chen nodded in wholehearted agreement.
He really was handsome, and he really was cool!
With his white robes and blue sword, simply standing there gave him an air of peerless, solitary pride, even more striking than the descriptions in novels.
He could not help muttering inwardly that it was a pity he had not gotten to see for himself what Teacher Wu's legendary older brother, Chu Zihang, would look like in the future.
Judging by Wu Zhangkong's looks and presence alone, he imagined that his older brother would probably only be more handsome, with even more of that solitary, icy sharpness!
Still, his older brother seemed a little more gossipy than Wu Zhangkong.
"Gu Tianri, Gu Tianyue, Gu Tianming, Chen Yi! You four, get up there!" Ye Yingrong stood beside the arena, her voice gentle but carrying a measure of authority. She deliberately emphasized her reminder. "Remember, friendship first, competition second! Do you all understand?"
"Understood!"
Three perfectly synchronized voices rang out together, belonging to the Gu triplets.
Only Chen Yi beside them was half a beat late, his voice sounding rather jarring in stark contrast to the triplets' coordination.
The eight of them walked onto the competition platform from opposite sides and took their positions.
Long Hengxu looked over both sides, nodded in satisfaction, and announced loudly, "Then, now! First-year Class Five versus first-year Class Three. Begin!"
The moment his words fell, the Gu triplets in Class Three's lineup released their Martial Souls at almost exactly the same time!
Accompanied by three clear eagle cries, three yellow Soul Rings rose from beneath their feet at once, fully displaying their strength as two-ring Grand Soul Masters.
A pair of broad wings spread behind each of them, their dark gray feathers edged with a faint golden sheen. These were their Skyscraping Battle Eagle Martial Souls!
These Martial Souls specialized in agility attacks and flight, which should have given them an enormous advantage in the arena.
Unfortunately, their first Spirit Souls were not of particularly high quality and had failed to provide their Martial Souls with especially powerful enhancements.
The wings behind the triplets beat fiercely, and their three figures shot skyward like three arrows loosed from their strings. They hovered above the platform, looking down at Class Five's four members, their eyes brimming with confidence.
The spectators around the arena gasped, clearly stunned by these perfectly synchronized flying Martial Souls.
Their smugness, however, did not last long.
Seeing the triplets take to the sky, Lu Chen showed not the slightest panic. He did not even release his Martial Soul. With just a thought, Fenrir happily emerged from the depths of his sea of consciousness.
A faint black silhouette quietly appeared behind Lu Chen: Fenrir's tiny figure.
Lu Chen immediately transmitted his voice through his Spiritual Power, gently instructing him, "Fenrir, see those three guys up in the sky? Could you try using Gravity Squeeze to press them down? Remember, don't hurt them. We're just playing a game, so stop short of hurting them. Thanks!"
"Okay!"
There was a trace of barely perceptible excitement in Fenrir's voice.
His eyes lit up instantly, especially when he heard the word "game." The little fellow immediately reined in his playfulness and became very serious.
The next second, an invisible pressure instantly spread outward from the competition platform.
This pressure was not powerful, but it enveloped the triplets in the sky with precision.
Word Spirit: Gravity Squeeze!
The triplets, who had been feeling smug in midair, suddenly felt as though their bodies had been filled with lead, becoming unbearably heavy.
The wings behind them beat desperately, but they could not resist that invisible pressure at all, and their bodies began plummeting uncontrollably.
The confidence on their faces was instantly replaced by terror.
"What's going on?!"
"My body's so heavy!"
"I can't fly!"
Three startled cries rang out one after another. The triplets scrambled to steady themselves, but to no avail.
In the end, they could only crash miserably onto the platform, the impact leaving them so dazed that they could not get up for quite some time.
Three flying Soul Masters had been dealt with in just one move!
Everyone beside the arena stared, dumbstruck.
Ye Yingrong's face, in particular, was covered in disbelief.
Try as she might, she could not understand what on earth had happened.
Having dealt with the triplets, Lu Chen instantly turned his gaze toward Chen Yi beside them.
By now, Chen Yi had already released his Martial Soul. His Martial Soul was actually a rabbit!
A snow-white rabbit. After his Martial Soul possessed him, Chen Yi's ears grew long and pointed, a short tail appeared behind him, and his legs became exceptionally thick and strong.
Two yellow Soul Rings slowly rose beneath his feet. He, too, had the strength of a two-ring Grand Soul Master.
It had to be said that this Martial Soul and its owner were utterly mismatched.
Chen Yi himself was tall and burly, with dark skin and a fierce look about him.
Yet his Martial Soul was a tiny, delicate, gentle, and adorable rabbit.
That stark contrast made him look unbearably awkward.
Lu Chen and Gu Yue frowned at almost the same time, both their gazes carrying a measure of undisguisable distaste.
The sight practically burned their eyes!
Gu Yue struck first.
An intense concentration of wind elements instantly gathered in her hand.
A sharp wind blade shot toward Chen Yi in an instant, trailing howling gusts.
At the sight, a trace of disdain appeared on Chen Yi's face. Though his rabbit Martial Soul looked gentle, it was an agility-attack type.
He pushed off hard with his feet, his figure darting sideways in an instant and easily evading Gu Yue's wind blade.
However, though he dodged Gu Yue's attack, he could not evade Lu Chen's surprise assault.
The instant Chen Yi dodged, a glint of gold flashed through Lu Chen's eyes.
Word Spirit: Time Zero!
In an instant, it was as though someone had pressed the slow-motion button on the time around them.
In Lu Chen's eyes, Chen Yi's movements became incredibly slow.
Lu Chen's figure instantly became an afterimage, appearing beside Chen Yi like a phantom.
Before Chen Yi could even react, he felt a powerful hand suddenly seize the back of his neck.
Lu Chen gave him no chance to resist at all. With a slight exertion of his arm, he actually lifted Chen Yi bodily into the air through brute strength alone.
Chen Yi was scared out of his wits. He struggled desperately, his legs kicking wildly, but he could not break free of Lu Chen's grip.
With a faint smile on his face, Lu Chen gave his arm a gentle swing.
Thud!
With a muffled impact, Chen Yi's body was violently hurled off the platform like discarded trash.
He hit the ground hard, raising a cloud of dust.
The entire process had taken only a few short seconds.