The Class Promotion Tournament ended three days ago.
With the upgraded trio taking the lead, the outcome was hardly in doubt.
With Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and the now much stronger Tang Wulin standing on the field, the first-year students looked like they were made of paper, utterly vulnerable.
This victory was even easier than in the original story. In the match against Class 4, Qing Linyun didn't get up from the stands the entire time, watching coldly from the sidelines, so bored he almost fell asleep.
Gu Yue stood at the very back, her hands clasped together in front of her. The second yellow ring beneath her feet flashed.
" Second Soul Skill, Elemental Tide."
The fireball and ice spike were thrown out simultaneously, creating an earthen wall that blocked the escape route of the two students from Class 4. The student from the Power Attack System stood frozen in place, his front foot barely out before he was shoved back against the wall by the ice spike.
Xie Xie waiting for this moment. He pushed off with his feet, sliding across the ground, the Light Dragon Dagger twirling in his hand, the yellow ring on it shining brightly.
" First Soul Skill, Light Dragon Slash!"
The golden blade of light drew a half-foot-long arc, aiming straight for the wrist of the Control System student. Before the student could react, the blade of light grazed his fingers, and the Martial Soul in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter.
Tang Wulin made the final move. The second yellow ring beneath his feet flashed.
" Second Soul Skill, Blue Silver Parasite."
Fine Blue Silver Grass sprouted from under the feet of the two students from Class 4, winding up their trouser legs.
The two struggled a couple of times, but the struggle only tightened, as if they were tied up like dumplings. The three of them coordinated perfectly, as if they had practiced hundreds of times. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the entire fourth class was sprawled out.
In the stands, the college's top executives, including the principal, deans, and shareholders, sat together, their faces beaming with joy. Their eyes were practically gleaming as they looked at the three students from Class 5 on the field; they looked like they could be turned into LED lights if they were fixed up any further.
"These three are exceptional."
" Wu Changkong just broke through to the seventh ring, and now these three have appeared."
"Our East Sea is about to turn things around!"
In the conference room, the dean slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup jump.
"All in! We have to go all in!"
"Going all in is a form of wisdom."
He looked around with an air of Rule the World, as if from this day forward, the entire East Sea would be under his control.
"Shareholders, take the money from my dean's personal account first. Class Zero must be established. Wu Changkong will be the class teacher, and all the necessary resources will be provided—the best of everything."
The shareholders looked at each other, and no one objected.
"That's right! Wu Changkong and the elf girl are both from Shrek, they're definitely reliable! All in! We have to go all in!"
Money was being poured in.
Class Zero was established just like in the original story, and even more relaxed. Wu Changkong became the class teacher. Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue were admitted as they wished. The two little geniuses from Class One also joined as replacements.
Wang Jinxi was short in stature but had a large frame, standing there like half an iron tower. His Martial Soul Bone Dragon King, a top-tier dark-type Beast Martial Soul. He was Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster, and his talent was quite impressive. However, for some reason, he disappeared from the scene later on.
Zhang Yangzi is tall and thin with piercing eyes and walks silently. His Martial Soul is Shadow, Agility Attack System Martial Soul. Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster and is skilled in using Shadow Clone.
Five people, now we're all together.
The dean grabbed Qing Linyun's hand and shook it vigorously. The old dean's eyes were red, and his voice trembled.
" Teacher Qing, Teacher Qing. It's our Eastsea Academy's blessing to have Teacher Wu Changkong and a teaching assistant like you. These two fellow students are what make Eastsea Academy great again."
Qing Linyun chuckled. He hadn't actually done anything, but he just went along with it.
These past few days, Qing Linyun has been diligently cultivating, and his progress has been astonishingly fast. He broke through the level 80 bottleneck without a sound. Level 80, Quasi-Soul Douluo. The news would be terrifying if it got out, considering he's only fifteen this year. Good news also came from Ye Lingling's side: the Three-Word Battle Armor was finally completed. Chest armor, back armor, waist guard, leg armor, and combat boots—the entire set was three-word complete, with not a single piece missing.
With the Class Promotion Tournament over, he finally had some free time to improve himself.
Training Ground Number One. Qing Linyun leaned against the railing, watching the three people in the field. Gu Yue stood on the left, Tang Wulin squatted on the ground wiping his sweat, and Xie Xie stood in the middle, his expression more serious than ever before. This kid Xie Xie, I don't know what kind of stimulation he suffered a couple of days ago, he came back like a different person. He's not lazy anymore, he's not gossiping anymore, and he even wants to train actively, which is pretty good. Today he even took the initiative to come along and said he wanted to train with Qing Linyun.
Qing Linyun didn't care. Taking care of a child is no big deal.
He straightened up and dusted off his hands.
" Tang Wulin, Xie Xie."
The two of them looked up at the same time.
"You two, don't do any more high-intensity sparring for the next couple of days. Use the medicine I gave you to treat your injuries, adjust your condition, and then go about your normal training as usual. Remember, don't push yourself too hard in the training ground; even sparring needs to be balanced. Oh, by the way, I'll be leaving for a while."
Tang Wulin was stunned. He stood up abruptly, not even wiping the sweat from his face, and his Adam's apple bobbed.
"Master, where are you going?"
"Something came up. It won't be long. You two should make the most of these two days to digest what you learned in the Class Promotion Tournament. The training load for Class Zero is heavier than you think."
Tang Wulin's lips moved. He was reluctant to leave; his master had finally agreed to teach him a little more, how could he just leave like that? But he also knew that what his master was going to do must be very important.
Xie Xie didn't speak. He just stood there, his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles white. After a long while, he finally spoke in a muffled voice, a little hoarse.
"Knew."
"Hey, hey, hey, you two, stop acting like it's a matter of life and death. I've broken through in Soul Power and need to go into seclusion to cultivate. It's not a big deal."
Qing Linyun glanced speechlessly at Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, who were adding drama to their lives, and rolled her eyes.
Finally, Qing Linyun's gaze fell on Gu Yue. Gu Yue stood there motionless. In the past two days, their relationship had eased somewhat. It was no longer the kind of cold war where they would turn their heads away as soon as they met, but it hadn't gotten much better. She still didn't like to talk to him much, but her eyes no longer avoided his.
Qing Linyun walked over. Gu Yue's eyelashes trembled slightly.
I'm leaving.
He spoke very softly.
Gu Yue didn't look up. She simply nodded slightly.
"Um."
One word.
Qing Linyun looked at her. The girl's ears were red again, and although she was being stubborn, he didn't know what she was thinking. He didn't expose her, but reached out and ruffled her hair. Gu Yue's shoulders stiffened for a moment. She didn't flinch.
'Knead it.'
'Leave quickly after you're done massaging.'
'Who... who's waiting for you?'
'If you dare not come back, I... I'll...'
She swallowed the rest of her thoughts. She couldn't think of anything she could do to him. She couldn't beat him, and she couldn't bring herself to scold him. She simply raised her chin a little higher, feigning indifference.
Qing Linyun withdrew his hand, turned around and left. As he walked out of the training ground, he glanced back. Gu Yue was still standing there, looking in his direction. When she saw him turn around, she immediately turned her face away, pretending to look at the sky, but the tips of her ears were so red they looked like they were about to bleed.
Qing Linyun smiled.
Wu Changkong's office. The door was open. Qing Linyun knocked on the doorframe. Wu Changkong looked up, saw it was him, and put down his pen.
"Senior brother."
Qing Linyun went in and sat down opposite him.
I need to leave for a while.