Douluo Continent III Haotian Wulin

After Li Chushui retreated to the sidelines, the way the remaining students from Class 5 looked at Tang Wulin was different from when the semester had just started.

Yesterday's two fights in the dorm could be attributed to impulsive actions, private brawls, and a combination of coincidence and luck. But this fight, fought on the playground, right under Wu Changkong's nose, was decided one match at a time. To win against Zhou Changxi and Li Chushui, that can't be dismissed as mere "coincidence."

Tang Wulin himself, in particular, felt a different sensation.

When fighting Zhou Changxi, he relied on the force of pressing down on him head-on.

When he fought Li Chushui, he began to realize that he had to observe first, wait, and seize the moment when his opponent truly revealed a weakness.

The change was subtle, but he could feel it himself.

Wu Changkong didn't give them much time to think.

"Next group."

Then some more people walked out of the room.

The following matches were still not particularly exciting. Class Five's foundation was too weak; few students were truly able to bring out the unique characteristics of their martial souls. Some panicked as soon as they stepped onto the stage, while others, despite having soul skills, didn't know when to use them. Wu Changkong's comments grew colder and colder, until eventually, the students on the sidelines didn't even dare to whisper anymore.

Xie Xie was as efficient as ever.

In the second round, his opponent was a power-attack type Soul Master whose Martial Soul was a short axe. Logically, this type of Martial Soul wasn't weak in close combat, but the opponent never truly touched Xie Xie. Xie Xie used the Light Dragon Dagger to advance and retreat, relying entirely on speed to create distance, and finally, a final strike with the back of the blade to Xie Xie's throat sealed the victory.

Wu Changkong glanced at him and said only one sentence:

"Cleaner than the last one."

Xie Xie's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything, though he couldn't suppress his smugness.

After the second round was over, there weren't many people left on the field.

Wu Changkong glanced at them and pointed out the next group of names:

"Tang Wulin, Tao Liufan."

Tao Liufan walked out of the crowd. She was not tall, but had broad shoulders and messy short hair. She seemed more composed than Zhou Changxi.

Tang Wulin stepped into the arena, and the person opposite him had already released their martial soul.

It's not a beast spirit.

It is a willow tree.

A white spirit ring rose from beneath Tao Liufan's feet. As he raised both arms, slender willow branches floated out from his sides, hanging down lightly and seemingly weightless, yet numerous in number. The small green snake spirit on his shoulder flicked its tongue, clearly also belonging to the control route.

"start."

Tao Liufan did not rush to launch an attack.

The willow branches moved first, with more than a dozen slender branches spreading out from different directions, attempting to trap Tang Wulin in the middle. This tactic was very steady, just like his appearance—unhurried and calm, first securing a position, then pulling inwards.

Tang Wulin didn't rush either.

Against this type of control system, brute force is not a good option.

After the sinking star hammer landed in his palm, his first action was not to advance, but to retreat half a step, using that half step to regain his footing. The willow branches wrapped around him from the front and sides, tightening their grip, as if trying to leave him a blind spot.

Many people on the sidelines held their breath.

Just now, Li Chushui at least had to get close, but now Tao Liufan is clearly trying to prevent Tang Wulin from touching him.

Tang Wulin's wrist sank, and the Sinking Star Hammer suddenly swung low.

It wasn't about hitting people.

Instead, they smashed the ground.

"Bang!"

The ground shook.

The white spirit ring glowed, and the oppressive aura suddenly expanded. The first thing to be suppressed was not the people, but the willow branches that were approaching him. Tao Liufan's expression changed slightly. He obviously did not expect that Tang Wulin's spirit skill would not only affect people, but also suppress this kind of outward control spirit.

The moment the willow branch sank, Tang Wulin had already moved.

Instead of rushing straight ahead, it cuts to the left.

He made a very accurate observation. Although there were many willow branches on the left, three of them were where Tao Liufan's soul power was weakest. After several battles yesterday and today, he had learned a basic judgment—don't confront your opponent's strongest point head-on, but find their weakest point.

He swung the hammer and smashed it down.

"Slap! Slap!"

The first two willow branches were smashed open on the spot, while the third was deflected by the force of the hammer blow. Tang Wulin was sent hurtling out of the opening, almost brushing against it.

Tao Liufan reacted quickly, immediately pulling back the willow branches to try and seal the opening again.

But it was a beat too late.

Tang Wulin has already gone viral.

Once he was out of that encirclement, the situation immediately reversed.

Tang Wulin didn't lunge forward again, but instead turned around abruptly and slammed his hammer into the ground once more. The oppressive force spread across the ground, causing Tao Liufan's willow branches, which he was about to collect, to sink down, and even slowing his own movements for a moment.

It was in that very moment.

Tang Wulin took his third step forward, closing in directly.

Tao Liufan's expression finally changed. The willow branches quickly curled back, trying to weave another layer of protection in front of him. But the thing that control-type characters fear most is being approached, especially by someone like Tang Wulin who can strike without any reason when he hits them with a hammer.

The hammer was not swung in a wide arc; it was simply thrust forward in a short motion.

The movements were small, but the force was substantial.

"Bang!"

Tao Liufan's arms jerked violently, and he was thrown back by the force of the impact, his back stumbling as he bumped into the willow branches he hadn't yet managed to retract. The willow branches became tangled, tripping him in the process.

Tang Wulin followed up with another hammer blow.

The hammer fell on Tao Liufan's shoulder, not quite hitting him hard, but it was enough to make him afraid to move.

"Stop," Wu Changkong said.

Tang Wulin immediately put away his hammer.

Tao Liufan stood there, her face pale. She clearly understood that if the teacher hadn't stopped the performance, things would have been even worse for her.

"I lost," he whispered.

Wu Changkong looked at Tang Wulin, his expression still cold.

"A little better than the last game."

That's already considered a compliment.

But the next sentence still showed no mercy.

"But you went in too straight. If that attack hadn't been from a willow branch, but from a weapon spirit with a blade, your shoulder and neck would have been slashed open. Remember, close combat isn't about charging forward; it's about getting into the opponent's most vulnerable position in the shortest amount of time."

Tang Wulin wrote down those words and replied earnestly, "Yes."

Wu Changkong looked at Tao Liufan again.

"You lost because of hesitation. The advantage of a control-based system lies in distance, not in fancy moves. When the first layer of encirclement was broken, you thought about patching up, then you wanted to retreat, and only when you couldn't retreat did you think about defending. You handed the tempo to him yourself."

Tao Liufan lowered his head and said nothing more.

After this match, there were three players left in Class 5.

Thank you for the invitation.

Tang Wulin.

It also contains blue.

Han Lan was a slightly chubby girl with a constant smile on her face and a soft voice. Judging by her appearance alone, it was easy to think she posed no threat. But after the first few matches, no one really thought that anymore.

Her martial spirit is earth element.

Among pure elemental martial souls, earth isn't the most eye-catching, but it's very stable and rare. Her soul power is level thirteen, which is considered high in Class Five. More importantly, this girl fights in a way that's completely different from her usual self. She's calm, composed, and very patient; she can defend effectively and wait patiently.

Wu Changkong's gaze lingered on the three of them for a moment before he finally spoke:

"Tang Wulin, Han Lan. You two go first."

Xie Xie stood on the sidelines, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

What this means couldn't be clearer.

In Wu Changkong's eyes, Xie Xie was still the most promising of the remaining three.

He couldn't help but look at Tang Wulin, and the corners of his mouth twitched up slightly, as if to say: See? In the end, it was still me waiting for you.

But Tang Wulin didn't even look at him.

He has already entered the field.

As the winning streak continued, the feeling that had been gradually activated by actual combat became increasingly clear in my body. My shoulders, waist, arms, and legs all seemed to be gradually adapting to this kind of exertion that was "not training, but rather targeting the person."

And he really did want to give it a try.

Try facing a stable, solid, and defensive opponent like Han Lan, and see how well you can perform now.

Han Lan also came out.

He still had that smiling look on his face, as if he wasn't nervous at all.

But when she actually stood opposite Tang Wulin, her feet had already subtly shifted, and her center of gravity was very steady. Tang Wulin only needed one glance to know that this girl was not easy to fight.

Because she doesn't get carried away like Zhou Changxi, doesn't hesitate like Li Chushui, and doesn't panic easily when her rhythm is disrupted like Tao Liufan.

She is very steady.

This is the most troublesome part.

Wu Changkong stood between the two, glanced at them, and said calmly:

"start."

The wind swept across the playground.

Neither of them made the first move.