Douluo Continent III Haotian Wulin

When Zhou Changxi retreated to the sidelines, his face was still flushed red.

He had clearly activated his soul skill, and he was engaging in a head-on confrontation, which was his forte, yet he was still overwhelmed by Tang Wulin's hammer blow, ultimately unable to even stand. For a power-type battle soul master like him, this kind of defeat was even more painful than simply being knocked down.

But Wu Changkong didn't even glance at him.

"Next match," he said calmly, his gaze shifting. "Yun Xiao, Xie Xie."

Yun Xiao pushed up her glasses and stood up, her expression bitter.

"Could you... be a little gentler?"

Xie Xie had already entered the arena. Upon hearing this, he merely glanced at him coldly, then with a flick of his right hand, the Light Dragon Dagger slid into his palm.

"start."

No sooner had Wu Changkong finished speaking than Xie Xie moved.

There was no probing, no pause.

His yellow spirit ring glowed, and he practically skimmed the ground as he slashed forward, faster than he had been in the dormitory yesterday, and more agile than in Donghai Park. The Light Dragon Dagger pointed forward, and a golden line shot straight towards Yun Xiao's chest; the entire process was so clean it was almost entirely devoid of unnecessary movements.

Several students on the sidelines held their breath almost simultaneously.

too fast.

Even Tang Wulin's gaze tightened slightly.

Watching from the sidelines is a completely different experience from actually playing yourself. He already knew Xie Xie was fast yesterday, but standing on the sidelines today, he understood even more just how frustrating that speed was. It wasn't chaotic; every step was taken at the shortest distance and the most precise angle, so fast that no one had time to think.

Yun Xiao clearly knew that she absolutely could not let Xie Xie get close to her.

He raised both hands simultaneously, and the astrolabe in his palms suddenly lit up with white light, the patterns on the surface coming to life. Just as Xie Xie lunged forward, a flash of white light appeared, and the two people in the arena were abruptly separated by half a body length.

Xie Xie's original attack missed completely.

"Um?"

A slight commotion broke out on the sidelines.

Tang Wulin observed the most carefully.

He saw it clearly: Yun Xiaozhen hadn't disappeared; rather, the relative positions between him and Xie Xie had been forcibly switched the instant the soul skill was activated. The range wasn't large, but the timing was extremely precise. Against anyone else, this would have been enough to cause them to miss.

But Xie Xie is none other than himself.

His attack missed, but without even a moment's hesitation, he twisted his waist and back, turning around effortlessly. The Light Dragon Dagger traced a semi-circle along his side, its golden light receding as it returned to protect him. It was as if he had anticipated this move all along.

Yun Xiao had barely stood still when Xie Xie arrived again.

The Star Chart Soul Skill clearly couldn't be activated consecutively, so Yun Xiao could only retreat. He wasn't slow, but compared to Xie Xie, he was still slower.

Seeing that the Light Dragon Dagger was already close in front of him, Wu Changkong suddenly raised his hand.

"stop."

An invisible chill pressed down from the middle, and Xie Xie's dagger stopped half a foot in front of Yun Xiao's throat. His wrist was very steady, without even the slightest tremor.

Yun Xiao's face had turned pale.

Xie Xie withdrew his martial spirit, took a step back, and remained indifferent.

Wu Changkong first looked at Yun Xiao.

"The timing of your soul skill activation wasn't bad, and your judgment was also acceptable. But you only thought about dodging the first attack, without considering what to do afterward. Whether you're a support soul master or a weapon soul master, since you're weak in direct combat, you need to learn how to survive first. After you successfully switched positions, your first reaction should have been to continue creating distance, not to stay in place and wait for him to catch up."

"Yes," Yun Xiao replied, bowing her head, sweat already beading on her forehead.

Wu Changkong looked at Xie Xie again.

"Speed, entry, and pursuit are all decent. Advancement."

Xie Xie didn't speak, sheathed the Light Dragon Dagger, and turned back to the sidelines. As he passed Tang Wulin, he didn't even glance at him, as if he hadn't seen him at all. But Tang Wulin knew that this guy definitely still remembered that punch from last night.

The subsequent battles became increasingly chaotic.

Only Xie Xie and a few others showed any real skill or strategy. Most others were already half-defeated the moment they stepped in. Some, despite being Battle Soul Masters, didn't even know how to approach their opponents; others lost their rhythm the moment they activated their Soul Skills; and two Weapon Soul Masters, one wielding a short ruler and the other an iron abacus, pushed and blocked each other like they were fighting out of sheer willpower, making even the spectators on the sidelines feel awkward.

Wu Changkong's expression grew increasingly cold.

He wasn't a talkative person, but after each match, his critiques were accurate and incisive. He could almost instantly pinpoint each player's weaknesses. The more he did this, the greater the pressure on the students in Class 5 became. They gradually realized that their new homeroom teacher wasn't just trying to intimidate them, nor was he deliberately putting on airs.

He genuinely looked down on their current level.

After the first round, there weren't many players left on the field.

Wu Changkong didn't even give them much time to catch their breath, and started the second round directly.

"Tang Wulin, Li Chushui."

When the girl whose name was called stood up, Tang Wulin glanced at her again.

Li Chushui wasn't tall, with short light blue hair and a small face. When she was quiet, it was hard to believe she was an agility-based attacker. But in the first round, Tang Wulin saw how she won. Although her speed wasn't as sharp as Xie Xie's, it was lighter and more agile, like a cat, almost silent when she got close.

The two walked into the arena.

Li Chushui nodded slightly to Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin nodded as well.

"start."

A white spirit ring rose from beneath Li Chushui's feet.

A small white cat spirit appeared on her shoulder, its light blue short hair suddenly mixed with strands of white, and its pupils changed, one leaning towards green and the other towards blue. She leaned forward slightly, and long, slender claws extended from the tips of her fingers, instantly making her feel lighter.

In the next instant, she had already slashed out diagonally.

It was neither fast nor slow, but extremely quiet.

Tang Wulin didn't confront Zhou Changxi head-on like he did. He knew very well that against this kind of agile attacker, once he lost his footing, he would be led astray.

Acquired the Sinking Star Hammer.

The silver light dimmed, and he steadied himself.

Li Chushui walked around him, changing direction twice. She didn't rush at him, but was looking for the right angle. Clearly, she didn't want to face Tang Wulin's hammer head-on.

Tang Wulin turned around and looked at her.

After playing two matches with Xie Xie yesterday, he had a clear understanding of one thing: if he couldn't keep up with the speed, he shouldn't chase after the opponent. What he could do was observe, wait, and figure out the opponent's habits in the instant before they made a move.

He quickly noticed a detail.

Every time Li Chushui prepares to change direction, his shoulder dips slightly first. And when he actually lunges forward, his right foot lands a little heavier than his left. The movements are subtle, but easy to spot if you're watching closely.

She cut diagonally across again.

This time it was closer than the previous two times.

Tang Wulin did not make a move immediately, but remained standing in place. Only the moment her right foot landed did he slam the Sinking Star Hammer forward.

"Bang!"

The hammer didn't strike her, but rather struck the spot where she was about to make her cut.

The ground shook.

The white spirit rings lit up simultaneously, and a sense of oppression suddenly spread outwards.

Li Chushui's expression changed slightly, her feet faltered, and her rhythm was thrown off balance. Agility-based attackers are most vulnerable to this kind of momentary loss of balance. Just as she was about to use the momentum to dodge to the side, Tang Wulin's second attack followed.

It's not about swinging, it's about picking.

The sinking star hammer, moving from bottom to top, blocked her path to continue lunging forward.

Li Chushui could only raise her claws to block.

"Bang!"

She was so shocked that she staggered back several steps, her wrist went numb, and a look of surprise flashed in her eyes. She clearly hadn't expected that Tang Wulin would not only remain calm but also seize her rhythm.

Tang Wulin did not stop.

Yesterday, Wu Changkong just told him that if you can finish the job in one strike, don't drag it out to a second. Now that you've got your sights set, you should keep pressing down.

He followed closely, his hammer tip slanting, directly blocking Li Chushui's escape route on the left. Li Chushui instinctively dodged to the right, but Tang Wulin's left hand slid forward along the hammer handle, and the Sinking Star Hammer stopped right in front of her throat.

Not too much, not too little, exactly half a foot.

The sidelines fell silent.

Li Chushui looked down at the hammerhead, then looked up at Tang Wulin, and gently exhaled.

"I lost."

Tang Wulin withdrew his hammer and took a half step back.

Wu Changkong spoke:

"Stop. Tang Wulin, you advance."

Li Chushui stepped aside, and only then did Wu Changkong look at the two of them.

"Li Chushui, your speed is acceptable, and your movement technique is somewhat basic, but you don't dare to go in. If an agility-based attacker is always thinking about avoiding being hit, then you'll only ever be able to circle around on the outside, and in the end, it's still useless."

Li Chushui blushed slightly and responded softly.

Wu Changkong then looked at Tang Wulin.

"A little better than the last game."

Tang Wulin had just relaxed when he heard him continue:

"You know how to observe and anticipate your opponent's moves. But you're still too slow. You noticed her footwork problems on the first lap, so why wait until the third time to make your move?"

Tang Wulin was taken aback.

He just wanted to be on the safe side.

"You're fighting, not testing your judgment," Wu Changkong said coldly. "If you've figured it out, then fight. The longer you wait, the more chance your opponent has to figure out your rhythm. If this were a life-or-death battle, you'd already be dead once."

Tang Wulin's heart tightened, and he said seriously:

"Yes."

Wu Changkong said no more and clicked on the next group.

Tang Wulin retreated to the sidelines, his breathing still steady, but he did not immediately release the Sinking Star Hammer.

Just now, when he was continuously circulating his soul power and using his first soul skill to press the ground and then hit the hammer, he suddenly noticed that a very faint golden pattern flashed by near the hammer handle.

It's very light.

It was so faint it was almost an illusion.

But he knew he hadn't misread it.

That single golden mark only shone for a fleeting moment when his soul power was extremely stable, before sinking back down. It wasn't the uncontrolled outburst he experienced in Donghai Park yesterday, nor the brute force he displayed when his arms were covered in golden scales. Rather, it seemed to be something deeper, quietly hidden within the hammer and within his body.

Tang Wulin looked down at the Sinking Star Hammer in his hand and said nothing.

The competition in the arena is still ongoing.

But a good portion of his attention was already focused on that fleeting golden pattern.