The duel location was set on the large plaza of Eastsea Academy. It was currently class time, so the plaza was empty and silent, without anyone around to interrupt.
Leaving class and walking across the academy grounds like this gave the students a strange sense of excitement and superiority. The five members of Zero Class all felt it, at least a little.
Xie Xie glanced curiously at Gu You, who walked beside Wu Zhangkong. 'So this is the opponent I'm supposed to face today?'
He didn't know why, but standing next to him, Xie Xie felt an odd sensation.
'Forget it,' Xie Xie shook his head, clearing his mind. 'I don't know how this new guy got into Zero Class, but for Wu laoshi to make an exception… he must be talented. I can't lose again.'
To be honest, compared to Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, Xie Xie's initial advantage of innate full soul power had already faded. After being punched across the arena by Tang Wulin and defeated by Gu Yue's elemental control, he had realized what true genius looked like. Soul power alone didn't decide everything.
Now, Xie Xie was the weakest in Zero Class, and he had been eager to prove himself. He couldn't beat monsters like Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, nor could he surpass Zhang Yangzi or Wang Jinxi, who had superior martial spirits and soul power. But after today's fight with Gu You, he was determined to change the way everyone saw him — to prove his worth.
Tang Wulin also watched Gu You curiously. At the moment, Tang Wulin was about 1.5 meters tall, while Gu You was nearly 1.7 meters, giving off the aura of a big brother figure.
Beside him, Gu Yue frowned slightly. She couldn't sense any clear aura from Gu You — yet she felt a strange, underlying hostility filling the space between them.
Zhang Yangzi looked on with open disdain. 'Just another outsider,' he thought. 'Probably pushed into Zero Class through some background connections.'
Wang Jinxi, on the other hand, didn't feel much of anything. 'There've been so few of us in Class Five — adding one more will just make things livelier.' Besides, his mood had been great recently. Training with Tang Wulin every day not only boosted his cultivation speed but also gave his martial spirit the sensation of breaking through its limits, a feeling that was both refreshing and exhilarating.
At the Eastsea Academy plaza, Gu You and Xie Xie faced each other, standing several dozen meters apart.
"Xie Xie, step back another thirty meters," Wu Zhangkong ordered coldly.
Xie Xie was a sensitive-assault-type soul master. In close range, he would have a massive advantage, so Wu Zhangkong deliberately increased the distance, forcing him to overcome that strength and pushing his limits.
Gu You silently admired Wu Zhangkong a little more.
"Release your martial spirits," Wu Zhangkong instructed.
Xie Xie bounced lightly on his feet, loosening up his body, his spirit sharp and focused.
He stepped backward, each pace perfectly measured. Even while retreating, his gaze remained locked on Gu You.
From the moment he saw Gu You, he had sensed a threat. Now, he was fully concentrated, ready to face his opponent with his best state.
After several battles with Tang Wulin, Xie Xie had learned not just from victory but also from defeat. At the very least, he now understood the meaning of the saying: 'Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit.'
A gleaming dagger of light appeared in his hand — the Light Dragon Dagger, one of Xie Xie's twin martial spirits.
Gu You's hands, meanwhile, were covered in shimmering dragon scales, though he hadn't fully released his martial spirit.
'Dragon Claws,' Tang Wulin, Wu Zhangkong, and Wang Jinxi all noticed at once, startled.
'A dragon-type martial spirit?' Wu Zhangkong murmured softly, his eyes glinting. 'And it seems to carry a destructive attribute…'
First, Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon Claw; then, Wang Jinxi's Dark Bone Dragon martial spirit. Things were getting more and more interesting.
Gu Yue lowered her gaze. A strange shimmer flickered briefly around her, then quietly faded away.
'So familiar… but why can't I remember anything?' she thought, pressing a hand to her forehead before glancing again at Gu You's dragon-clawed figure.
'Who exactly are you?'
Tang Wulin naturally noticed Gu Yue's odd behavior. Though curious, he said nothing. Right now, the fight in front of him promised plenty to learn from.
Wu Zhangkong didn't rush to start the match. Instead, he stared directly at Gu You.
"Underestimating your opponent," he said quietly, "is an irrational act."
Gu You froze for a moment, then chuckled softly. "Teacher, it's not that I don't want to fully display my martial spirit — I'm just worried that if I do, this fight won't be any fun."
Wu Zhangkong said nothing more.
"Begin," he ordered crisply.
At the signal, Xie Xie instantly unleashed his soul rings — two yellow rings, a top-tier combination — and shot forward at top speed, a blur racing across the plaza.
His burst was astonishing, his body darting ahead like a swift cheetah, closing the dozens of meters in an instant.
Gu You seemed almost slow to react. By the time he lifted his hand, Xie Xie was already less than ten meters away.
Light flashed on the blade of the Light Dragon Dagger. Xie Xie didn't immediately activate his soul skills; as a two-ring soul master, he only had two techniques, and both consumed a lot of energy. Best to save them for the critical moment — besides, from the looks of it, his opponent wasn't even reacting. Maybe he wouldn't need soul skills at all.
The others held their breath, eyes fixed on the clash.
Among their peers, Xie Xie was one of the strongest fighters they had ever seen. There was no way this newcomer could beat him, right?
Suddenly, without any soul rings appearing under his feet, Gu You lifted his dragon-clawed hand slightly — and a powerful dragon roar erupted from his mouth.
A terrifying pressure exploded outward, instantly shattering Xie Xie's charge.
For a moment, the world seemed to freeze.
Tang Wulin flinched as an invisible wave of suppression washed over him. Gu Yue's face darkened, eyes wide in disbelief as she stared at Gu You. Wang Jinxi felt his chest tighten, struggling even to breathe.
As for Wu Zhangkong and Zhang Yangzi, they felt the suppression too, though far less intensely.
Xie Xie's martial spirit suddenly flickered, momentarily retracting back into his body.
'What's happening?! My martial spirit — it's not under my control!'
He gritted his teeth, forcibly re-summoning the Light Dragon Dagger and charging at Gu You again.
Wu Zhangkong's eyes gleamed. 'Bloodline suppression?' He had only seen this once before — on Tang Wulin.
Xie Xie was nearly on top of his opponent now. At this range, it was almost too late for Gu You to respond — unless he was also an agility-type combat soul master.
But Gu You was not someone who could be easily defeated.
A ring of violet light rippled outward from his body, just as Xie Xie reached him. The Light Dragon Dagger stabbed into the glowing aura — and suddenly, Xie Xie felt a surge of force rebound up his arm. His hand jerked involuntarily, the dagger slipping free and flying off into empty air.
In the next instant, to his horror, Gu You appeared directly in front of him — a massive fist driving straight toward his face.
Xie Xie's instincts kicked in. Twisting his waist midair, he launched himself into a rapid horizontal spin, narrowly dodging the blow.
(End of Chapter)
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