Arthur could already sense it from a quick assessment: this kid's soul power fluctuations were at least a full tier stronger than they had been a month ago, and his physical aura had grown noticeably more refined. It was like he was cheating.
"Except for Arthur," Wu Changkong said, "the rest of you, come at me together."
Same as always, he'd suppress his own power to spar with the students. Arthur just couldn't be included.
Without his battle armor, Wu Changkong had been finding it harder and harder to handle Arthur in a straight one-on-one fight. If he let the others pile on top of that, where would his dignity be?
Wu Changkong did have a reputation to protect.
With practiced efficiency, the Zero Class members minus Arthur huddled together to discuss tactics. Mainly, they were questioning their newest member.
"Xu Xiaoyan, what type are your soul skills?"
Gu Yue spoke first, her gaze drifting to the star-wheel ice staff in Xu Xiaoyan's hand.
Xu Xiaoyan gripped her staff tightly and said quietly, "Control-type. My martial soul is a bit special, actually. It can only show its true strength at night."
"At night?" Xie Xie clicked his tongue. "Fine, just hang back for now. We'll take the lead, and you look for openings."
"Alright."
"Begin."
The word had barely left Wu Changkong's lips before he was already moving. Even with his soul power deliberately suppressed, he was still a blur, crossing the distance to Xie Xie in an instant.
Xie Xie was ready. He grabbed the Blue Silver Grass Tang Wulin passed him, wheeled around, and bolted.
Na'er cut in from the side, planting herself between Xie Xie and Wu Changkong, and met him head-on with a punch. Gu Yue flicked her fingertips, sending wind blades laced with ice spikes howling outward, precisely cutting off every angle Wu Changkong might use to evade. Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi pressured him from the flanks, disrupting his line of sight.
Xu Xiaoyan gripped her ice staff and watched the battlefield with wide, tense eyes, tracking Wu Changkong's every move.
The fight didn't unfold the way Wu Changkong expected.
After only a few exchanges, he called a halt.
"Stop!" Wu Changkong put one hand behind his back, out of sight, and quietly shook it out. Na'er's punch had left it numb.
He hadn't seen them in a single month, and he was already completely outmatched by Na'er in raw strength.
That much progress, really?
And to be clear, Wu Changkong had only suppressed his soul power. His Spirit Sage-level physical conditioning hadn't changed at all.
"Na'er, step out. Wait on the side."
"Okay." Na'er didn't seem to care either way. She hopped over to stand beside Arthur, perfectly content to watch.
"Alright. Continue," Wu Changkong said to the rest.
But before long, he called another stop. "Gu Yue, you step out too."
Gu Yue was becoming a problem as well. Her crowd control was simply too dominant, and keeping her in would mean Tang Wulin and Xie Xie never got a proper workout.
At his word, Gu Yue let her elemental presence fade and walked off to the side without expression.
"Continue." Wu Changkong waved a hand. Now the field held only Xie Xie, Tang Wulin, Wang Jinxi, Zhang Yangzi, and Xu Xiaoyan.
Without Na'er's overwhelming strength and Gu Yue's iron-grip control, Wu Changkong felt immediately at ease.
What followed was a one-sided slaughter.
Afterward, he sparred individually against Arthur, Na'er, and Gu Yue in turn.
When all the matches were done, Wu Changkong endured Xie Xie's and the others' resentful stares and offered his assessment. "Not bad. You've all made real progress this month."
"Na'er's strength, Gu Yue's field control, and Arthur..." He paused, his gaze settling on Arthur, something complicated entering his tone. "Your growth keeps exceeding my expectations. Every single time."
Arthur grinned. "That's because you're such a great teacher!"
I'm a great teacher? What exactly have I taught you?
Wu Changkong shot him a look, then resumed his usual cool demeanor. "Xie Xie, Tang Wulin, your coordination still needs work. Against a powerful opponent, you can't just rely on brute force."
He hesitated briefly when he said Tang Wulin's name. Something about him felt different, though Wu Changkong couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Wang Jinxi, Zhang Yangzi: your martial soul fusion skill has potential, but it's still a bit forced. Keep practicing."
"Yes, Teacher!" everyone responded in unison.
Xie Xie rubbed his aching arm and muttered under his breath, "It's not us, Teacher, you're just ridiculously strong. And you wouldn't even let Na'er or Gu Yue fight."
Wu Changkong pretended not to hear. He turned last to Xu Xiaoyan. "Xu Xiaoyan, I haven't seen what you're capable of yet. If things stay this way, I won't be sending you to represent Zero Class in the upcoming Skysea Alliance Tournament."
"The Skysea Alliance Tournament?" Before Xu Xiaoyan could respond, the rest of the class erupted.
What was that?
Everyone looked at each other. Xie Xie couldn't help himself. "We're going to the Skysea Alliance Tournament?"
"Us?"
The Skysea Alliance Tournament was a major competition hosted by the Skysea Alliance, an organization formed by several economically powerful coastal cities along the eastern seaboard, including Skysea City and Eastsea City.
These cities had developed relatively recently and had few powerful soul masters of their own, so the tournament had been established to identify talent and cultivate regional powerhouses.
While the Skysea Alliance Tournament wasn't part of the Federation's official competition circuit, its influence was considerable. It featured soul master duels, mecha combat, and even a blacksmith's arena, drawing top-tier young talent every year.
The competition was divided into a Youth Division and a Senior Division, with formats including individual matches, three-person team battles, five-person team battles, and seven-person team battles.
"Any objections?" Wu Changkong asked flatly.
"Uh, no." Xie Xie glanced at Arthur, who had already started daydreaming, and suddenly felt pretty good about their chances. We've got Arthur on our side. The championship might as well already be ours.
Eastsea Academy thought the same way. Whether Zero Class had been worth building was still an open question, but it didn't matter much when Arthur was in it. If Arthur led them to the championship, Zero Class would become a politically untouchable symbol within the Skysea Alliance.
And with three monsters like Arthur, Gu Yue, and Na'er in the lineup, the academy genuinely could not picture a scenario where they lost.
Wu Changkong's voice stayed cold. "From here on out, our training will focus specifically on the tournament. Xu Xiaoyan, this is your window. If you can't make use of it, you'll be staying behind at school."
Xu Xiaoyan bit her lip and nodded firmly. "I'll work hard. I will!"
On the other side, Arthur had long since drifted off, running through his memories of the Skysea Alliance Tournament in his head.
He quickly concluded that winning the Youth Division would be trivially easy.
"Actually, could we enter the Senior Division instead?" The thought wandered out of his mouth before he could stop it.
The Senior Division might actually be fun.
"Hey, Teacher, any way we could compete in the Senior Division?"
The whole group went silent. Xie Xie's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Come on, Arthur! We're not even sure about the Youth Division yet, and you're already thinking about the Senior Division?"
Na'er's eyes lit up and she sidled over. "I want in too." She just wanted to follow Arthur.
Wu Changkong paused, and rather than question whether Arthur was actually capable of it, he said with genuine uncertainty, "The divisions are split by age. Neither of you meets the age requirement for the Senior Division. I don't think it's possible."
"Hm, fair point." Arthur didn't dwell on it.
Whatever. He'd figure it out when the time came.
Author's Note: I checked the comments today with high hopes, and sure enough, got roasted again. After much reflection, I have made a firm decision: read fewer comments.