The next day.
After the students finished their daily physical training, Wu Zhangkong's cold voice rang out, different from usual: "Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Gu Yue, come find me after dinner."
He then turned his head to look at Arthur, who was standing nearby.
Having finished their sparring session for the day, he was racking his brain trying to figure out how to condense his Sword Intent.
In terms of pure combat technique, Wu Zhangkong couldn't compare to Arthur, but Wu Zhangkong's Sword Intent often saved the situation at crucial moments.
Sword Intent was too profound.
Sword Moves that were identical in power, angle, and movement.
The difference in power caused by whether or not Sword Intent was included was enormous.
After a moment of hesitation, Wu Zhangkong said, "Arthur, you come too later."
"Alright."
After dinner, the twilight was deepening.
The group arrived at the Training Ground. Not far away, Wu Zhangkong was wearing a black tracksuit, maintaining his usual cold demeanor, looking very aloof and handsome.
This caused many passing female students from higher grades to stop in groups of two or three, their eyes glued to him.
Until Arthur and Gu Yue stood together. Arthur's appearance was sunny and handsome, making people feel relaxed and comfortable just by looking at him.
Gu Yue, however, exuded a unique, ethereal aura that firmly captured attention. She naturally moved closer to Arthur, and the two together formed a striking small scene.
Tang Wulin and Xie Xie silently leaned toward the other side. After several days of interaction, anyone with eyes could tell Gu Yue was interested in Arthur. They decided not to be third wheels.
"You four, follow me." Seeing that everyone was present, Wu Zhangkong wasted no time, turned around, and walked toward the depths of the Academy.
The four quickly followed, eventually arriving at an Indoor Training Ground.
This venue was specifically requested by Wu Zhangkong from Director Long Hengxu of the Academic Affairs Office during the day.
He promised to assist Long Hengxu's work going forward and not cause him trouble, which earned him Long Hengxu's full approval.
Wu Zhangkong wasn't too concerned about assisting Long Hengxu, as long as he achieved his goal.
Furthermore, if it weren't for these students who had moved his heart, given his personality, he would never have done something so compromising.
Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue were all talented students, which had somewhat moved Wu Zhangkong.
As long as they were properly nurtured, they would definitely be able to enter Shrek Academy.
As for Arthur, Wu Zhangkong wouldn't manage him too much.
Over these past few days, through the constant clash of swords, Wu Zhangkong had sensed a profound purity.
He understood that Arthur had his own Dao, and he was walking down that path unswervingly.
"I called you here regarding the Grade Promotion Tournament..." After Wu Zhangkong explained, he added, "If all four of you meet the standards, then one of you will be a substitute."
Hearing this, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie exchanged glances. Gu Yue and Arthur were far stronger than them, so the substitute would inevitably be one of the two of them.
"No need, Teacher." Arthur had no interest in the Grade Promotion Tournament. The others were too weak, failing to ignite his desire to fight.
"I won't be participating."
"Good. Then Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue. The three of you will participate." Wu Zhangkong nodded. He had thought the same thing; Arthur surpassed his peers too much.
Furthermore, if he participated, the others wouldn't get the proper training, making the competition meaningless.
In Wu Zhangkong's view, promotion was secondary; the match was primarily a test for the other three.
Wu Zhangkong calling Arthur over now was also to seek his opinion, as Arthur's strength was sufficient, and excluding him entirely would be unreasonable.
Gu Yue, standing nearby, immediately wanted to withdraw upon hearing that Arthur wasn't participating. She gently parted her lips, about to speak, but stopped herself.
Gu Yue suddenly realized that participating in the competition seemed quite necessary. Displaying her prowess on the arena, overwhelming everyone, and showing her excellence in front of Arthur—wouldn't that attract him even more?
The Training Ground was circular, protected by a soul guidance shield on the periphery, designed specifically for students with higher Cultivation to prevent damage to the field if they couldn't control their strength during training.
Wu Zhangkong led the three students to the center of the venue and stopped.
Arthur watched from the side.
Wu Zhangkong was efficient as always: "Starting today, you will undergo Special Training every night, aiming for the Grade Promotion Tournament three months from now!"
He paused and added, "Although it is confirmed that the three of you will participate, if any of you fail to meet my requirements after training, don't blame me for keeping you out of the match."
"Teacher, is the Special Training physical training?" Xie Xie's focus was different from the others, and his tone was full of resistance. Clearly, physical training had left a deep trauma on him.
"No." Wu Zhangkong's voice remained cold. "Your Special Training will consist solely of Actual Combat. Use Actual Combat to stimulate your potential and improve your combat experience."
Wu Zhangkong's gaze was like a sharp blade as he looked at the three in turn and began his critique: "Xie Xie, your speed is fast for your stage, but stamina is your weakness; you can't last too long. twin spirits are rare. You can hold off on using your Second Spirit for now; using it unexpectedly at a crucial moment in combat can easily yield good results."
Turning to Tang Wulin, his tone softened slightly: "Your Blue Silver Grass is very tough, but even mutated, it is still Blue Silver Grass. Its toughness is both a good thing and a bad thing. Right now, you must focus on Cultivating Soul Power and developing toward being a control system Soul Master."
"Achieve complete mastery over your Blue Silver Grass. The timing of using Blue Silver Grass during combat is very important."
"Also, your strength. You must utilize your talent in strength. You can try combining the hammer and Blue Silver Grass in combat."
Tang Wulin responded softly, "Yes."
Finally, looking at Gu Yue, Wu Zhangkong didn't offer much advice. He knew too little about Elementalist, having never even heard of this Martial Soul before.
"Gu Yue, your Martial Soul is very powerful and comprehensive."
"You have many developmental options. In my opinion, your talent for Elemental Control is excellent. You can try to learn Elemental Fusion and develop in that direction. A single element has limited power, but combining multiple elements can unleash tremendous power."
"Thank you, Teacher Wu." Gu Yue nodded in response.
"Special Training begins." As soon as Wu Zhangkong finished speaking, Xie Xie eagerly asked, since in his view, anything was fine as long as it wasn't physical training: "Teacher, who are we fighting?"
Wu Zhangkong took three steps back, waved his right hand, and a wooden sword appeared in his grasp: "Your opponent is me. All three of you attack together. I won't use my Martial Soul or Martial Soul Abilities, so feel free to attack."
As soon as he finished speaking, the wooden sword thrust straight toward Xie Xie.
Xie Xie hastily retreated, but the wooden sword followed like a shadow, clinging to him. Seeing this, Tang Wulin immediately summoned Blue Silver Grass connected to his Thousand Forging Tungsten Steel Hammer and threw it at Wu Zhangkong.
However, the opponent didn't even spare it a glance, subtly shifting his body, and the Tungsten Steel Hammer flew right past him.
Just then, Gu Yue secretly made her move.
A gust of strong wind blew from the side, slowing Wu Zhangkong's speed.
At the same time, the ground beneath his feet suddenly softened and instantly sank. Several Ice Cones followed, shooting out in an attempt to restrict his movement space.