Xu Yucheng truly was a formidable opponent. With four soul rings, he stood at the peak of the first grade.

  Tang Wulin’s team would have to face him sooner or later, but from what they had seen, victory would be no easy feat.

  “He really is too powerful. I’m not sure if we even stand a chance against him. Big brother Yang, do you think you can withstand his attack?” Tang Wulin asked with a worried face.

  Yang Nianxia thought about it for a moment.

  “I can probably endure for a short while,” he replied. “I think suppressing him with ranged attacks is the best approach. If we do face him, I’ll keep him occupied while Gu Yue showers him with her ice-attribute attacks. He has a frail body so he will be more susceptible to elemental attacks. Don’t worry, we still have a chance. Wulin. You’re a control-type soul master, right?”


  “Yeah.” Tang Wulin nodded.

  “Our team composition is pretty good then. You control, I’ll be the vanguard, and Gu Yue can attack from a distance. Alright, we got this!” Fire blazed in Yang Nianxia’s eyes.

  Tang Wulin relaxed, a trace of admiration flashing through his eyes. “I have a suggestion, big brother Yang. I think you should be the captain of our team. Gu Yue and I are from Eastsea City, a distant place, so we’re not as knowledgeable as you. You’re strong and experienced. With you as captain, we’ll be able to last even longer in this competition. If we last until the end, you should be class president and we’ll be your vice-presidents.”


  Yang Nianxia smiled wryly and patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder. “Sure, sure. Don’t worry. I’ll definitely protect you two.”


  Gu Yue lowered her head, hiding the twitching of her mouth from Yang Nianxia as she fought to contain her laughter.

  Tang Wulin beamed. “Big brother Yang, what should we do now?”


  “I’ve almost fully recovered, and my martial soul is still fine. Once I’m ready, we’ll go join the fray and pick some fights too,” Yang Nianxia answered. “The class president is whoever lasts the longest, but if someone wins the position by just hiding the entire time, I don’t think our classmates would accept them. The class president isn’t just a figurehead after all. They’re responsible for leading the class. To that end, strength is paramount.”


  “Oh. So it’s like that,” Tang Wulin said. “I thought just being the last person standing would be enough.”


  A slight smile formed on Yang Nianxia’s lips, then he stood up. “You have to look at things on a deeper level. Now let’s get going.”


  Tang Wulin pulled Gu Yue in front of him so she stood behind Yang Nianxia. She turned around and glared at him, puffing her cheeks out. He simply smiled in response.

  Yang Nianxia was cautious as they advanced. Their path always zigzagged to take advantage of the shadows the foliage provided, and they silently made their way toward the most chaotic part of the forest.

  A flash of white light suddenly bathed the area before them. Yang Nianxia raised a hand and Tang Wulin and Gu Yue came to a halt.

  Another competitor had been eliminated.

  A group walked out ahead of them. It was a team of seven.

  Leading the way was a tall youth with a shield in his hands. He had three soul rings, two yellow and one purple.

  Behind that youth was a handsome boy, the most eye-catching of the seven. He had long blue hair flowing down his back and an air of stability around him. Wu Zhangkong also had blue hair, but their auras differed like black and white. Wu Zhangkong was the Icily Arrogant Prince Charming, whereas this youth wore a lukewarm smile as if he had everything under control.

  He was slender and had pale skin, blue hair, and blue eyes. Every single one of his movements was as natural as drifting clouds and flowing water, as if he were one with nature.

  Even watching from afar, Tang Wulin could tell that this person was the core of that team.

  Two people flanked the blue-haired youth, both of whom looked slender and agile.

  But behind him was someone that Tang Wulin and Gu Yue were all too familiar with.

  It was Xu Xiaoyan.

  With her cute face and sweet smile, Xu Xiaoyan naturally found her place behind the blue-haired youth, occasionally exchanging a few words with him.

  Following Tang Wulin’s team from a distance, Xie Xie had climbed a tree. When he saw Xu Xiaoyan with that team, the corner of his mouth began to twitch.

  “The old saying really is true,” Xie Xie mumbled. “Life really is like a drama, and everything is an act!”


  Yang Nianxia motioned to Tang Wulin and Gu Yue. He quietly squatted into the shrubbery, concealing his presence as much as possible.

  There were 101 students in the first grade, but surprisingly enough, there was a seven-man team. This was likely the largest team in the competition. Considering how organized their ranks were, they definitely worked well together.

  Yang Nianxia turned to Tang Wulin and whispered, “It’s actually a seven-man team. This is a bit troublesome. Three-man, five-man, and seven-man teams all have different tactics, and a team of seven is the optimal number. They are able to advance or retreat however they want without a single member being redundant. We should avoid them for now and let other teams weaken them first.”


  “Do you recognize them?” Tang Wulin asked. “I know that girl in their team. She’s also from the Skysea Alliance. Her name is Xu Xiaoyan. She has an ice staff martial soul, and she’s a ice-attribute controller. Her abilities are a bit similar to Gu Yue’s, but slightly weaker. I don’t recognize any of the others.”


  “I only know about the guy in the center. He’s really annoying to deal with, maybe even more than Xu Yucheng.”


  “Huh?” Tang Wulin stared at Yang Nianxia in astonishment. “He’s more powerful than that Demon Scythe guy?”


  Yang Nianxia shook his head. “He isn’t more powerful—he can’t even hope to compare with Xu Yucheng. However……”


  Yang Nianxia paused for a moment, then said, “He’s from Heaven Dou City. His name is Luo Guixing. He’s a control-type soul master that has three soul rings, but his spiritual power is his most noteworthy quality. I heard that he’s already reached the Spirit Sea realm. Aside from that, he’s a space-type soul master. I was in the same entrance exam group as him. I was there to witness him get a total of ninety-three points in the end, which is supposedly the highest score in the last fifty or so years. Considering his ability, he shouldn’t have any problems with entering the inner court. His space abilities are extremely powerful, and he’ll be annoying to deal with when he has such a large group of teammates.”


  Space-type? Tang Wulin subconsciously glanced at Gu Yue.

  Elemental-type soul masters were rare, and the most common elements wielded were the four base elements: water, fire, earth, and wind. As for light, darkness, and space, they were called the three higher elements and were the most powerful. Of the three, space was the most mysterious and deceptive. Developing the space element for control would only result in a powerful combination. Furthermore, all space-type soul skills were strong.

  “Luo Guixing also has a nickname: Shackler. Both Shackler Luo Guixing and Immortal Xu Yucheng are top geniuses of our generation and were supposedly already chosen to enter the inner court. The girl that Gu Yue helped me defeat a while back is also quite famous. She’s a poison-type soul master, and her martial soul is the Jade Phosphorus Snake Emperor, a martial soul that excels at guerrilla warfare. She’s quite arrogant, but fairly weak in one-on-one combat. Her name is Zheng Yiran, also known as Jade Snake Zheng Yiran. Have you guys heard of the Continental Rankings?”


  “The Continental Rankings? What’s that?” Tang Wulin blankly shook his head. This was his first time hearing of it.

  Yang Nianxia stared at him in shock. “You really don’t know about it? It looks like Eastsea City really is a remote place. The Continental Rankings is a series of rankings specially curated by the Spirit Pagoda for us soul masters. The objective of these rankings is to promote the development of soul masters as a whole, as well as individually. Several smaller lists make up these rankings. The main one is the Douluo Continent Ranking, which lists the top one hundred battle armor masters in order.”