Chapter 86: Tianhai Grand Competition

Gu You didn't pay much attention to everything else and quietly slipped away to head to the classroom.

"Gu Yue?" Gu You looked toward the end of the corridor and happened to see Gu Yue in her school uniform with a blank expression.

Gu Yue had delicate features, but she wasn't particularly stunning—at least, not to the level of Xu Xiaoyan. However, she had a unique aura that subtly influenced those around her.

"Hmm." Gu Yue let out a soft hum. After experiencing the incident with Gu You, she no longer trusted any humans.

And ever since that incident, Gu Yue had changed. Her possessiveness toward Tang Wulin gradually faded as well. Even Xie Xie had teased, "Women, huh? The moment they find something better, they forget their old favorites…"

As they walked to the classroom together, they must have taken a bit more time, because when they arrived, they found that Xu Xiaoyan had arrived even earlier than Gu You and was already chatting with Tang Wulin and the others. Wu Zhangkong was likely still handling some affairs and had not yet arrived.

It's him… The moment Xu Xiaoyan saw Gu You, her face turned pale.

Gu You didn't say much about it and simply returned to his seat.

"Gu You is actually a good person. That day, your brother really did anger him. At the time, I didn't know why he was so furious, but whatever he did, it was extremely important to him," Xie Xie said. Pretty girls always had a strong charm, and Xie Xie was no exception to this.

"Teacher's here," Tang Wulin suddenly announced.

Everyone immediately sat up straight. The students in Class Zero hadn't attended the new semester's opening ceremony. After all, listening to the same speeches every year wasn't as useful as learning something practical. Besides, the speech was so predictable that veteran students could practically recite it on the spot and even improvise their own new-semester address.

Wu Zhangkong stepped up to the podium and faced the class. "Today, you will undergo a comprehensive evaluation."

"As for the newcomer, you should already be aware—you only have one month. If you fail to meet my requirements, you will still have to leave. That's all I'll say. Now…"

Xu Xiaoyan bit her lips slightly. I must pass! I have to prove myself and make others acknowledge me, just this once!

What followed was a series of evaluations that even shook Wu Zhangkong's usual composure.

Aside from Xu Xiaoyan's soul power being at Rank 17, the highest-ranked in the class was Gu You.

Even more surprisingly, Wu Zhangkong found himself unable to determine Gu You's spiritual power level. That was a terrifying realization. Either this boy's spiritual power surpassed his own, or he had some special method of concealing it. Regardless of which was true, both possibilities were remarkable.

When Xu Xiaoyan reported her soul power level, Tang Wulin's mouth twitched slightly.

I thought I was bad enough, but it turns out there's someone even "better."

Then came the strength test. Gu You's punch directly made the machine smoke and malfunction, rendering it useless for anyone else to test.

After a busy morning, the evaluations were finally completed. Gu You was absolutely monstrous, breaking multiple machines and leaving Wu Zhangkong hesitant to let him test further. However, the data for the others had also been collected, and both Gu Yue and Tang Wulin were gradually proving themselves to be little "monsters" in their own right.

The six students then sparred with Wu Zhangkong, and Xu Xiaoyan's combat performance far exceeded his expectations. By the end of it, he acknowledged her as a member of Class Zero.

Afterward, Xu Xiaoyan glanced at Gu You, who was sitting in a daze. "Why didn't he have to fight Teacher Wu?"

Xie Xie gave her a meaningful look. "He's… special. Just know that he's the strongest among us. Acknowledging him as big brother won't do you any harm."

Xu Xiaoyan blinked in confusion but nodded. She looked at Gu You. From her initial fear and shyness when she arrived to now—after just five or six hours—she had already stopped being timid around him. That was a big improvement; she wasn't the silent, withdrawn type. At least, she wasn't emotionally scarred.

Meanwhile, Long Hengxu had been observing from the sidelines. He slowly walked up to Wu Zhangkong and said, "Now, I have even more confidence in your class. I also believe I can persuade the principal to increase our investment in you. Wu Teacher, if you have any requests, just let me know."

Wu Zhangkong looked at him. "I think the children's diet should be further improved. At their current stage, nutrition is crucial. Their martial souls are part of their bodies and need ample nourishment to grow."

Long Hengxu was startled, then seemed to recall something terrifying and smiled bitterly. "If they had normal appetites, that would be fine. But that Gu You eats way too much! Just him alone could bankrupt our school's premium meal plan! And Tang Wulin's appetite is enormous too."

Wu Zhangkong remained firm. "Donghai City produces a variety of seafood, including many top-tier nutritional delicacies. Give them to the children. They need a solid foundation of energy for growth."

Long Hengxu hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded. He gritted his teeth. "I'll submit a request to the school. But Wu Teacher, you should understand that Class Zero's existence puts a lot of pressure on even the principal. The resources you consume are far greater than expected. Just the Ascension Platform sessions alone have cost us a fortune. Fortunately, it has paid off, with everyone advancing to thousand-year soul rings. However, what the academy needs even more is honor, do you understand? That's why the academy may soon have you participate in the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition. Get your students ready. Even if you don't achieve top results, at the very least, you must make a strong impression and bring some glory to the academy. Right now, your set goal is to win either the Outstanding Newcomer Award or the Outstanding Newcomer Team Award."

"The Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition?" Wu Zhangkong's eyes flashed. He nodded without hesitation. "Send me the competition details."

…

Time flew by, though no one knew exactly how many days had passed. During this time, the group trained in actual combat against Wu Zhangkong and even managed to defeat him when he was in his three-ringed state.

Gu You, on the other hand, had been absent the entire time. Wu Zhangkong had given him special approval—he had been focusing on blacksmithing.

The Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition wasn't just for soul masters; it also included blacksmithing events. With Gu You's current skill, winning first place was practically guaranteed. But as the saying goes, one must not become arrogant. Even as a genius, he had to train every day. Gu You had already mastered high-grade spiritual forging with up to 108 types of ores. Now, he was beginning to consider his future one-word battle armor. These past few days, he had been constantly searching for ores that suited him, using his spiritual senses to detect their energy signatures.

One morning, Gu You's dormitory door was pushed open forcefully.

Wu Zhangkong stepped in, frowning at the messy room. The air was filled with an unpleasant metallic scent.

"Tomorrow, we depart for Tianhai City. Get ready."

Gu You stretched his waist. This Tianhai City isn't the small one I knew before. As the largest city on the eastern coast, it's a true first-tier metropolis with a booming economy.

It's said that at its economic peak, it could rival the ancient Tian Dou Empire.

There sure are a lot of cities with the same name in the Sun-Moon Federation…

(End of Chapter)