bookbashuk Chapter 100: Participating in the Tianhai Grand Competition
Chapter 100: Participating in the Tianhai Grand Competition
Once Wu Changkong's figure had completely disappeared at the entrance of the training ground, Yu Chen slowly calmed down the still lingering fluctuations of his soul power. His golden eyes returned to normal, and the fine dragon scales quietly disappeared.
He turned around and looked at his companions, who were slumped on the ground in various poses, a relieved yet slightly smug smile playing on his lips.
"We won."
Those three simple words seemed to possess a magical power, instantly relaxing everyone's tense nerves. The pent-up frustration of being suppressed, tempered, and struggling on the edge of their limits day after day for the past month finally found an outlet, transforming into an indescribable sense of joy and exhilaration.
"Yay! We won! We beat Teacher Wu!"
Xu Xiaoyan was the first to cheer, her face flushed with excitement, and she jumped up and down a few times, a stark contrast to Gu Yue, who remained calm even in victory.
Xie Xie and Tang Wulin were even more direct. The two collapsed to the ground without any regard for their image, panting heavily, but with relieved smiles on their faces.
"So... it turns out that Wu Lin and I were just cannon fodder, specifically tasked with drawing Teacher Wu's fire and taking the most beatings?"
Xie Xie caught his breath, struggled to sit up, and tugged at Yu Chen's arm, who had also sat up beside him. His tone was sour, tinged with grievance.
"Look at us, we're covered in injuries, our clothes are practically tattered! And you two, you're just sitting in the back, gathering your strength for a big attack, stealing the show."
"Can you even handle the work that Xiaoyan and I are doing?"
Gu Yue glanced at Xie Xie with annoyance, then reached out and pulled Yu Chen away from Xie Xie's "clutches," while simultaneously dodging Xie Xie's dirty hands covered in dust and grass clippings.
"Controlling the rhythm, creating opportunities, dealing with distractions—which of these is easy? Isn't it stressful to directly confront a dance teacher?"
"If all else fails, how about you do what Chen did and confront the dance teacher head-on? I'll be impressed if you can last even a minute, okay?"
Gu Yue narrowed her eyes and began to torture Xie Xie directly. He wilted after only a couple of sentences.
Considering Wu Changkong's swordplay, which was still incredibly sharp even when restricted, Xie Xie's complaints were really meaningless.
The facts are clear: he simply cannot be the main attacker and the one who bears the pressure like Yu Chen.
Xu Xiaoyan giggled, revealing two cute little tiger teeth. She walked to Xie Xie's side but ignored him. Instead, she gently helped Tang Wulin, who was equally disheveled but had a calm expression, to his feet.
"Actually, Xie Xie, it's just that your own strength is not yet at the level of Brother Chen and Sister Gu Yue."
Xu Xiaoyan's voice was clear and crisp, with a hint of teasing.
"Look at Wu Lin. He was also 'cannon fodder,' but he didn't complain at all. He completed his task of restraining Wu Lin very seriously, which took a lot of Wu Lin's energy."
"You just like rubbing salt into other people's wounds, don't you?"
Xie Xie stared at Xu Xiaoyan with a stiff expression, then looked at Yu Chen and Gu Yue, who were "paired up" in front of him, and Tang Wulin, who was being helped up and standing together by Xu Xiaoyan. Suddenly, he felt lonely and helpless, with unspeakable bitterness in his heart. It was as if there was an unfriendly atmosphere in the air.
Tang Wulin didn't see anything wrong with Xu Xiaoyan's words. On the contrary, he nodded in deep agreement and said earnestly to Xie Xie, "Xie Xie, I think what Sister Gu Yue and Xiaoyan said makes perfect sense. The tactical arrangement was devised by Brother Chen based on each of our strengths. You and I attracted attention and wore down the opponents in front, while Brother Chen and Sister Gu Yue prepared the decisive blow, and Xiaoyan seized the opportunity to control the situation. That's how we defeated Teacher Wu. A different approach might not have worked. This is the most reasonable tactical division of labor."
"Wu Lin! What... what happened to you?"
Xie Xie was almost speechless at his good brother's blunt remark, and looked at Tang Wulin with a lot of speechlessness.
This wasn't the first time Tang Wulin had "unintentionally" delivered a precise blow to him, and Xie Xie seriously suspected that this guy was naturally cunning.
Tang Wulin blinked blankly and looked at Xie Xie: "What's wrong with me? Is there something wrong with what I said? We really won."
"You—" Xie Xie opened his mouth, but when he looked into Tang Wulin's clear and innocent eyes, he was speechless for a moment.
While Xie Xie and Tang Wulin were still arguing, Yu Chen had already called Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan, and the three of them headed out of the training field. After a high-intensity competition, everyone needed rest and recovery.
Over the past month, under intense training, everyone's strength has improved. Yu Chen's soul power has steadily increased, reaching level 25. Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and Tang Wulin's soul power levels have remained unchanged at levels 24, 23, and 19 respectively, but their soul power solidification, control over their own abilities, and combat experience have all made significant progress.
The most noticeable change was in Xu Xiaoyan. She was naturally gifted, but she was somewhat timid and hadn't been hardworking enough before.
After entering Class Zero, under the stimulation of the "monsters" around her and the high-pressure training of Wu Changkong, she not only increased her soul power by one level, from level 17 to level 18, but more importantly, her personality became much more cheerful and resilient. She completely integrated into the group, gained everyone's recognition, and officially became a member of Class Zero.
Moreover, compared to Gu Yue's cold and aloof personality, who was only close to Yu Chen, Xu Xiaoyan was lively, cheerful, clever, and cute. Coupled with her pretty appearance, she quickly became the "joker" and darling of Class Zero, adding a lot of vitality and warmth to this class that was mainly focused on cultivation and combat.
……
The next morning, in the dedicated classroom for Class Zero.
Wu Changkong arrived on time as always, his gaze sweeping over the five students who looked refreshed and energetic. Without any pleasantries, he went straight to the point:
"Yesterday's practical summary has already been done, so I won't go into it again. Today, I'll inform you of the upcoming arrangements." He said calmly, "Tomorrow morning, we'll depart for Tianhai City."
Tianhai City? The largest city on the eastern coast, the core of the Tianhai Alliance?
The group exchanged surprised glances. Xie Xie couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Wu, are we going... to observe the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition?"
Wu Changkong glanced at him, his voice completely flat: "It's about participating, not just observing."
join? !
These two words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up ripples in their hearts. Xie Xie's eyes widened, and his voice rose slightly: "Participating in the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition?! Teacher Wu, this... why weren't we notified beforehand? We're leaving tomorrow, and you're only telling us now!"
Wu Changkong's behavior is extremely abhorrent to students. It is just as despicable as when they were in junior and senior high school and the school would only announce the holiday the day before it was about to start, leaving them with no time to prepare!
Wu Changkong seemed oblivious to Xie Xie's "accusation" and continued making arrangements calmly:
"Okay, there will be no more training this afternoon and evening. You can all get some rest and pack your things. The competition will last for more than ten days."
"Yes, dance teacher!" Despite a little resentment towards the dance teacher's "surprise attack," the group was more excited and expectant than anything else about participating in such a large-scale competition, and they responded in unison.
At this moment, Tang Wulin raised his hand.
"Wu Lin, what is it? Speak." Wu Changkong looked at him, his tone slightly gentler than when he spoke to Xie Xie.
"Teacher Wu, Chen-ge and I... we also need to represent the East Sea City Blacksmith Association in the Youth Blacksmith Competition held concurrently with the Sky Sea Alliance Grand Competition. Will this... conflict with the Soul Master Competition?" Tang Wulin asked with some concern. This was a task solemnly entrusted to him by Teacher Mu Chen.
"I've already looked into this matter." Wu Changkong nodded. "The schedules for the blacksmith competition and the soul master competition are staggered. The organizing committee has made arrangements so there won't be any conflicts. You can manage both."
"That's good, thank you Teacher Wu!" Tang Wulin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Now, I will explain the specific details of the Soul Master Competition of the Tianhai Alliance." Wu Changkong walked to the front of the stage, his gaze sweeping over five young and focused faces.
"The Tianhai Alliance Grand Tournament is a very large-scale competition with many matches and categories."
"The competition is divided into three groups: the Junior Group, the Youth Group, and the Adult Group, which correspond to Soul Masters under 15, 16 to 20, and 20 to 25 years old, respectively. Based on your age, you will participate in the Junior Group competition."
"As for the format of the competition, it is divided into individual competitions and team competitions. Team competitions are further divided into three-person team competitions, five-person team competitions, and seven-person team competitions. Of course, you can also choose to participate in the individual competition. There is no conflict between the two times."
"In the team competition, the most anticipated is the seven-person team competition, but unfortunately you don't have enough people. As for the five-person team competition, although it's just the right number for you, this competition doesn't get much attention, and the opponents are generally not strong, so it's not worth participating in."
"So, what you will be participating in is a three-person team competition. The starting team members are Yu Chen, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie. Tang Wulin and Xu Xiaoyan are substitutes. Of course, although they are substitutes, you will also have the opportunity to play in some of the earlier matches."
"As for the goal, it's very simple. I only have one task for you: to win the team championship. I have no requirements for the individual competition results because I don't want you to let the individual competition interfere with the team competition."
Wu Changkong provided a very detailed introduction to the competition.
"Ah, the champion? Teacher Wu, you're asking too much of us. We're only a little over ten years old, the youngest in the junior group. Even with Brother Chen leading us, it's still too difficult to win the championship."
After hearing Wu Changkong's words, Xie Xie began to complain.
"This is an order, there's no room for negotiation. Also, if you lack confidence in yourself, you can choose to give the starting positions to Tang Wulin and Xu Xiaoyan, I won't object."
Wu Changkong raised an eyebrow, revealing his displeasure, before coldly shutting down Xie Xie's complaint.
Following that, Wu Changkong briefly introduced the general itinerary before dismissing the students.
......