With a rough assessment, this kid's Soul Power fluctuations were more than a level stronger than they were a month ago, and his Physical Body's aura had become increasingly refined; it was as if he were using a cheat code.
"Aside from Arthur," Wu Zhangkong said, "all of you attack me together."
The old rule: he would lower his level to spar with the students, but he couldn't include Arthur in the mix.
In a one-on-one fight against Arthur without using his Battle Armor, Wu Zhangkong found it increasingly difficult.
If other students were added to the fray against him, how could he possibly handle it?
Wu Zhangkong also needed to save Face.
Familiar with the routine, the members of Class Zero, excluding Arthur, huddled together to discuss their tactics.
Naturally, they mainly questioned Xu Xiaoyan. They still had no idea what abilities this new member possessed.
"Xu Xiaoyan, what type is your Spirit Ability?"
Gu Yue spoke first, her gaze falling upon the starwheel ice staff in the girl's hand.
Xu Xiaoyan gripped the ice staff tightly and said in a small voice, "It's... control system. My Martial Soul is actually quite special; its true power can only be unleashed at night."
"At night?" Xie Xie curled his lip. "Then let's do this: we'll take the lead on the attack, and you just act as the opportunity arises from the sidelines."
"O... Okay."
"Begin."
As soon as Wu Zhangkong's voice fell, his figure was already in motion.
Even though he deliberately suppressed his Soul Power, he was still as fast as an afterimage, reaching Xie Xie in an instant.
Xie Xie was prepared; he grabbed the Blue Silver Grass extended by Tang Wulin and used the momentum to turn and flee.
Na'er moved to intercept, blocking the path between Xie Xie and Wu Zhangkong, meeting him head-on with her fists. Gu Yue's fingers flicked, and wind blades mixed with ice spikes whistled through the air, precisely sealing off Wu Zhangkong's evasion routes.
Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi provided interference from the sides, obstructing Wu Zhangkong's line of sight.
Xu Xiaoyan gripped her starwheel ice staff, staring tensely at the battlefield, her eyes following Wu Zhangkong's figure closely.
This battle exceeded Wu Zhangkong's expectations.
After only a few exchanges, he called a direct halt.
"Stop!" Wu Zhangkong held one hand behind his back, taking a moment to recover where others couldn't see; his hand had been struck numb by Na'er.
After not seeing her for just one month, he was already completely inferior to Na'er in terms of strength.
Had she improved this much?
One had to remember that Wu Zhangkong had only suppressed his Soul Power; his Spirit Emperor-level physical toughness had not changed.
"Na'er, step out for a moment. Wait on the side."
"Oh." Na'er didn't mind; she skipped over to Arthur's side to watch the show with him.
"Alright, continue," Wu Zhangkong said to the remaining group.
But after a short while, he called another halt: "Gu Yue, you step out too."
Gu Yue was also a bit overpowered; her field control was too strong. This would prevent Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and the others from getting any actual training.
Hearing this, Gu Yue's elemental fluctuations quietly dissipated, and she walked to the side expressionlessly.
"Continue." Wu Zhangkong waved his hand. This time, only Xie Xie, Tang Wulin, Wang Jinxi, Zhang Yangzi, and Xu Xiaoyan remained on the field.
Without Na'er's overwhelming strength and Gu Yue's powerful field control, Wu Zhangkong instantly felt much more relaxed.
What followed was a one-sided slaughter.
Finally, he sparred individually with Arthur, Na'er, and Gu Yue.
After all the matches ended, Wu Zhangkong, enduring the resentful glares of Xie Xie and the others, summarized: "Not bad. You have all improved significantly this month."
"Especially Na'er's strength, Gu Yue's field control, and Arthur..." Wu Zhangkong paused, his gaze landing on Arthur, his tone carrying a hint of complexity.
"Your progress exceeds my expectations every single time."
Arthur gave a cheeky grin. "It's mainly because Teacher teaches well!"
I teach well? What have I even taught you?
Wu Zhangkong glared at him before returning to his cold demeanor. "Xie Xie, Tang Wulin, your coordination still needs strengthening. When facing a powerful enemy, you cannot rely solely on brute force."
He hesitated slightly when mentioning Tang Wulin; he could sense that something about Tang Wulin seemed different.
"Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi. Although you have a Spirit Fusion Skill, it still seems a bit forced at the moment. You must practice diligently."
"Yes, Teacher!" everyone responded in unison.
Xie Xie rubbed his aching arm and muttered under his breath, "It's obviously because you're too strong, Teacher, and you didn't even let Na'er and Gu Yue fight."
Wu Zhangkong pretended not to hear, finally looking at Xu Xiaoyan. "Xu Xiaoyan, I haven't seen where your strengths lie yet. If you continue like this, I won't let you represent Class Zero in the upcoming Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition."
"Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition?" Before Xu Xiaoyan could answer, the others cried out in surprise.
What is that?
The group looked at each other, and Xie Xie couldn't help but ask, "Participate in the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition?"
"Us?"
The Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition was a major event hosted by the Tianhai Alliance.
The Tianhai Alliance was composed of several coastal cities with strong economic power on the East Coast, including Tianhai City and East Sea City.
These cities had developed later and had few powerful Soul Masters, so they held this competition to screen for talent and cultivate regional powerhouses.
The Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition was not a federal event, but its influence was significant. It included Soul Master combat, mecha duels, and even a Blacksmith arena competition, drawing numerous geniuses every time.
The competition was divided into Junior and Youth Groups, featuring individual matches, three-person team battles, five-person team battles, and seven-person team battles.
"Is there a problem?" Wu Zhangkong asked back.
"Uh, no problem." Noticing Arthur, who had already started spacing out, Xie Xie suddenly felt that this Grand Competition was just so-so.
I have the Great General Arthur; the Grand Competition championship is practically in the bag.
And East Sea Academy thought the same way. Whether the establishment of Class Zero was useful was still uncertain, but they couldn't ignore that Arthur was in it; as long as Arthur led the group to a brave victory...
Then Class Zero would become the political correctness within the Tianhai Alliance.
Moreover, with the three monsters Arthur, Gu Yue, and Na'er, each was more ridiculous than the last.
East Sea Academy couldn't even imagine how they could lose.
Wu Zhangkong said coldly, "In the coming time, I will conduct specialized training for the Grand Competition. Xu Xiaoyan, this period is your chance. If you can't grasp it, you'll just have to stay at the school."
Xu Xiaoyan bit her lip and nodded vigorously. "I... I will work hard!"
On the other side, Arthur's mind had already wandered off, reminiscing about the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition.
He eventually realized that winning the Junior Division championship would be effortless.
"By the way, I wonder if I can participate in the Youth Group," Arthur let his thoughts wander.
The Youth Group should be quite interesting.
Arthur asked, "Teacher, can we go fight in the Youth Group?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire field went silent. Xie Xie's jaw nearly dropped. "No way, Arthur! We're not even sure about the Junior Division yet, and you're already eyeing the Youth Group?"
Na'er's eyes lit up, and she leaned in, saying, "I want to go too." She simply wanted to follow Arthur.
Wu Zhangkong was stunned for a moment. He didn't doubt whether Arthur's strength was sufficient; instead, he hesitated, "The Grand Competition is grouped by age. Neither of you meets the criteria for the Youth Group, so it probably won't work."
"I guess so." Arthur stopped thinking about it.
Whatever, he'd deal with it when the time came.
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