Douluo Continent III Haotian Wulin

Xie Xie's expression turned a little strange after hearing Tang Wulin say, "We're friends now."

"That sounds so awkward," he said, pursing his lips. "I'm helping you not because I really consider you a friend, but because I can't stand them bullying the few with their numbers, and using their age to their advantage."

Tang Wulin smiled.

"That's the same."

"How are they the same?" Xie Xie said irritably.

Tang Wulin said, "Anyway, from my perspective, we're already friends."

Xie Xie looked at him, momentarily at a loss for words. In the end, he could only let out a cold snort and turn his face away.

But the next morning, he couldn't think about any of that anymore.

Because Wu Changkong keeps his word.

The first class in the morning was basic physical training.

Run.

The playground of the intermediate section of Donghai Academy is a full 800 meters long. Wu Changkong stood in the center of the playground, offering no further words, simply stating the number:

"Ten laps. Warm-up."

The students in Class 5 immediately fell silent.

Ten laps.

8,000 meters.

Even though they were all students in the Soul Master class, this number still sounded incredibly high. Yet, no one dared to complain. Yesterday, Wu Changkong's words at the entrance of the administration office, "If you can beat me, then I'll respect myself," were enough to make the entire Class 5 understand that their homeroom teacher was not someone to be trifled with.

But the next moment, everyone felt a surge of relief.

Because Wu Changkong was carrying two sets of dark iron armor, he walked directly in front of Tang Wulin and Xie Xie.

"You two, put them on."

The iron armor is made of heavy iron chains and iron plates, and each set weighs exactly twenty pounds.

Looking at those two sets of equipment, the other students suddenly realized that simply running ten laps didn't seem so difficult to accept.

Xie Xie's face immediately turned green.

If it were before yesterday, he would most likely have already spoken up and retorted. But now, he really doesn't have that confidence. First, he himself said yesterday that he "would not complain"; second, Wu Changkong's sword strike is still weighing on his mind.

Tang Wulin didn't react much; in fact, he seemed quite energetic.

He took the iron suit, put it on deftly, and tried to move his shoulders and back, finding it to be alright.

Xie Xie glanced at him and couldn't help but ask, "Don't you find it heavy?"

Tang Wulin shook his head honestly.

"fine."

Xie Xie fell silent.

He suddenly realized that he shouldn't have asked.

"Begin," Wu Changkong commanded.

The twenty students in Class Five immediately sprang into action.

At first, the team was fairly well-organized. Xie Xie, being an agility-based attacker, was still nimble and quick even with a 20-pound iron armor on his back, propelling himself forward with incredible speed.

Tang Wulin wasn't fast, but he was very steady.

His steps were small and his pace was slow; his breathing was even from the start. The twenty-pound iron armor did have some presence on him, but it was far from affecting his movements.

After one lap, the group began to loosen up.

After two laps, some people had already fallen behind.

Xie Xie started off fast, but his speed began to drop in the latter half of the second lap. Agility-based attackers excel at bursts of speed and continuous changes of direction, but if they had to run with heavy loads for such a long time, their weaknesses would become apparent.

By the fourth lap, Xie Xie felt as if his lungs were on fire.

The iron armor pressed down hard on his shoulders and back, making his legs feel heavier and heavier. He had to grit his teeth to take each step forward. He didn't even have the strength to regret what he had said to Wu Changkong yesterday.

"How are you?"

Tang Wulin's voice came from behind.

Xie Xie glanced back at him, and immediately felt even more depressed.

Tang Wulin also had sweat on his forehead, but his breathing was much more steady than Tang Wulin's. His rhythm was perfectly in place, and he even had the energy to speak.

"I'm alright." Xie Xie gritted his teeth and forced himself to increase his speed again.

He absolutely cannot let this guy catch up.

Tang Wulin followed behind him, his tone surprisingly serious.

"The dance teacher makes sense by having us carry weights. Aren't we going to have a promotion tournament in a month?"

Xie Xie didn't want to talk at all.

Now, even speaking is a burden.

Fifth lap.

Xie Xie's legs were starting to go numb.

Tang Wulin could have surpassed him long ago, but he just hadn't. He could sense that Xie Xie was currently only holding on by sheer willpower. But if he were to collapse from exhaustion, it would be even harder for him to recover later.

So he quietly reached out a hand and placed it under Xie Xie's elbow.

Xie Xie felt a sudden lightness in his body.

That heavy feeling of being on the verge of falling apart was somehow averted.

He suddenly turned his head to look at Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin didn't say anything, just smiled at him, and then started to accelerate, carrying him forward.

Xie Xie paused for a moment, then gritted his teeth and followed the rhythm.

In the center of the playground, Wu Changkong kept watching.

His gaze swept over the students who had fallen behind, his expression remaining unchanged. Only when he saw Tang Wulin leading Xie Xie forward and accelerating did a very slight ripple appear in his eyes.

Then he spoke.

"Tang Wulin".

The two people who were running tensed up at the same time.

Wu Changkong's voice was very calm.

"Since you have so much strength, then add ten more laps. Run with him along."

Xie Xie's legs almost gave way.

Ten more laps?

He abruptly turned to look at Tang Wulin, only to find that Tang Wulin's face showed no despair, but rather he muttered something under his breath:

"I have to run ten more laps. I need to hurry, or I'll miss lunch. I didn't eat this morning, and I'm starving."

Xie Xie was almost numb.

"Are you even human?" he asked breathlessly. "Aren't you tired?"

Tang Wulin thought for a moment, then answered very seriously:

"It's alright now."

Xie Xie was completely speechless.

Just then, someone slowly walked over from the other side of the playground, towards the school gate.

She was a girl about their age.

She was wearing white trousers and a white top, not her school uniform. She had black hair and black eyes; her features weren't particularly striking on their own, but they were very clean. She walked slowly, but with a steady pace, radiating a unique sense of tranquility.

Wu Changkong noticed her immediately.

It's class time now, and this girl isn't wearing her school uniform, so she's clearly not a student who would normally be here.

He turned and walked away.

Which class are you in?

The girl did not answer immediately.

Her gaze first fell on the playground, landing on Tang Wulin, who was still running while wearing double layers of iron armor. She glanced at him, seemingly quite interested in the scene, before looking up at Wu Changkong.

"I'm not a student here yet," she said. "I came here to study. But they said the registration period has already passed."

Wu Changkong frowned slightly.

"Aren't you a student at Tunghai College?"

"Not now," the girl nodded, "but I want to go to school here. Is that alright, teacher?"

If it were another teacher, they would most likely just have her go through the procedures first, or simply send her away.

The one who can soar through the sky is none other than himself.

He looked at the girl, his tone still indifferent.

"This is the Soul Master Academy. You can't get in by just talking."

The girl smiled.

"Then let's take the exam."

She spoke so naturally, as if it were the most normal answer.

Wu Changkong looked at her and asked, "What's your name?"

"Gu Yue".

Wu Changkong nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

"Okay, I'll give you a chance."

After saying that, he turned and looked at the other side of the playground.

"Xie Xie, come here."

Xie Xie, who was still struggling to run forward with Tang Wulin's encouragement, heard this cry and felt as if he had heard a lifeline. He immediately stopped, panting, and took off his iron armor, handing it to Tang Wulin.

"Are you sure you can handle it?" he asked in a low voice. "Two sets of iron armor."

Tang Wulin took it, quickly put it on, and stretched his shoulders.

"It's easier than carrying you around."

Xie Xie's face darkened.

That sounds so irritating.

But the next second, he discovered that Tang Wulin actually sped up again after putting on the second set of iron armor.

Xie Xie stood there watching his retreating figure, unsure of what to say.

This guy's stamina is truly outrageous.

He dragged his nearly broken body and walked over to Wu Changkong, panting heavily.

"Dance teacher."

Wu Changkong glanced at him.

"Your stamina is too poor."

Upon hearing this, Xie Xie instinctively wanted to defend himself.

"We agility-based Soul Masters prioritize burst damage and agility; stamina isn't our focus—"

"Superficial," Wu Changkong interrupted him directly.

Xie Xie immediately shut up.

Wu Changkong raised his chin, gesturing to Gu Yue beside him.

"You have twenty minutes to recover. After twenty minutes, you'll have a match with her. If you win, you'll be exempt from the remaining laps this morning."

Upon hearing this, Xie Xie was taken aback at first, then his eyes lit up.

Is there really such a good thing?

He immediately looked up at Gu Yue. The other person looked to be about the same age as them, and his build was not particularly strong. He didn't seem like someone who would be difficult to deal with at all.

"No problem," Xie Xie immediately agreed.

Wu Changkong said calmly, "Go and recover."

Without saying a word, Xie Xie immediately sat down cross-legged and began meditating and regulating his breathing.

Twenty minutes isn't long, but it's better than nothing. He was well aware of his current condition; if he didn't recover quickly, he wouldn't be able to fight, let alone stand up.

Meanwhile, Tang Wulin, already wearing two sets of iron armor, continued running along the track.