Chapter 429: True Strength

Shooting a golden vine at the ground, Tang Wulin bounced upward using it as a spring.. His sudden acceleration brought him in front of Xie Yinling in a flash.

Not good! Xie Yinling was a bit slow to react. He pushed his hands forward as soon as he snapped free of surprise, stopping his ascent. His wings took on a sharp metallic shine as he brandished them and used Eagle Wing Slash! The wings came slicing down on Tang Wulin’s shoulder. At the same time, Xie Yinling circulated his soul power within his body to keep him afloat in the air. 

Eagle Wing Slash was his second soul skill. Yet, he didn’t dare underestimate Tang Wulin, his third soul ring lighting up as a result.  His third soul skill was linked with his fourth, and eclipsed soul skills of the same level in aerial combat. As such, he was convinced after blocking Tang Wulin’s charge victory would swiftly follow.

However, his plans were dashed in an instant. 

Tang Wulin scrunched up his body in mid-air as the wings bore down on him, hands shooting out to deflect the attack. He stared Xie Yinling straight in the eye, his irises flashing purple. Bluesilver grass sprang out of the ground and curled around Xie Yinling like an iron chain. With his opponent restrained, Tang Wulin whipped out his right fist for a powerful knockout punch. 

Although Xie Yinling was restrained, his arms were still still mobile, extended in front of him in an effort to meet Tang Wulin’s attack. Unable to use his third soul skill in his current position, he had no choice but to divert Tang Wulin first! 

Tang Wulin didn’t withdraw his fist as those two arms chopped down. His fist continued its trajectory, swift and brisk, easily evading Xie Yinling’s parry. In that hairbreadth of a moment, golden scales glimmered, popping into existence on his arm.

Xie Yinling was stunned at the sight of the transformation. The golden claw reached his chest in an instant. 

I’m finished! 

His mind went blank. But rather than the scalding pain of claw tearing through flesh, he felt a more subtle sensation. The claw lightly bumped him and disrupted his internal soul power circulation. Then Tang Wulin grabbed the bluesilver grass binding him and yanked, throwing him against the ground like a rag doll, the earth crackling beneath him upon impact. 

Tang Wulin landed next to Xie Yinling and released him from his restraints then took two steps back. “Excuse me.” 

Xie Yinling was speechless. 

I didn’t even get a chance to fight! He was frustrated by how helpless he had been throughout the entire battle. He had only been able to use one soul skill before losing, the battle having ended too quickly. It pained him to swallow the bitter pill of reality. He had lost. Admitting it wasn’t easy, especially since he hadn’t been able to work out Tang Wulin’s martial soul.

Zhen Hua had stood by, watching from a distance with cold detachment. Even for him, the battle had ended too quickly. A few moves and it was settled. Tang Wulin hadn’t wasted any strength, each move wrapped tightly in a blanket of precision and consideration. Xie Yinling thought he hadn’t had a chance to show off his true strength, but in Zhen Hua’s eyes, it was Tang Wulin who had been reserved. 

Are all students from Shrek Academy this strong? He had thought that with a one ring difference, Tang Wulin would have struggled a bit. 

He was jolted out of his thoughts by the sound of Tang Wulin’s voice, the young man approaching him with steady steps. “Thank you for helping me, Uncle-master.” 

“Mn. Let’s go then.” Zhen Hua patted Tang Wulin’s shoulder. 

Tang Wulin dropped one final glance at Xie Yinling and a curt nod before following Zhen Hua out.

Meanwhile, Xie Yinling still refused to accept the outcome of the match. However, as one of the Blacksmith’s Association’s guardians, it would be too impudent to request a rematch in front of the President. If he knew Tang Wulin was the class president of Shrek Academy’s first grade, his attitude would have been far different. 

“Wulin, I never would have thought you would be so strong. Not bad. Since this is the case, I don’t recommend you take me up on my offer. You’re still young. You can just wait until you’re twenty before you decide. And at that time, if you still don’t have five rings, then I would suggest the route I presented to you. Once you’re boosted to six rings, you can go the rest of the way with your own efforts. Your soul power is very strong, but it’s impossible to heavenly refine without becoming a Titled Douluo,” Zhen Hua said. 

“Understood.” 

Before Tang Wulin left, Zhen Hua handed him a card containing one million Federal credits. It was enough for the rest of his trip. Zhen Hua also threw a storage ring into the mix, one much better than his previous few. The storage space was larger with many compartments for easy organization. In Zhen Hua’s own words, this was a gift, and it contained everything that he exchanged the cloud gold hammers for. 

Tang Wulin peeked inside the ring. Despite not containing money, there were eighteen different types of valuable metals stored within. Twelve of them he had only heard of but had never seen before. There were also over a dozen bottles of the alloy forging catalyst refined by Zhen Hua. 

Zhen Hua didn’t make a fuss about the gift, and neither did Tang Wulin. 

He didn’t see Tang Wulin out, but he did direct him to use the backdoor. Tang Wulin’s performance had been too outrageous. Everyone was still talking about him. Tang Wulin would draw too much attention if he left through the front, especially if he was escorted by the President himself. 

After Tang Wulin stepped out through the back, as he was about to call a taxi, he paused at the sight of Wu Zhangkong. 

“Teacher Wu,” he greeted. 

Wu Zhangkong’s expression remained icy, not a hint of surprise. “I knew you would be here.” 

Tang Wulin rushed to his side. And then, after thinking it over, he threw the hand with the ring behind him. “I got this ring after I left campus. You can’t say I’m cheating!” 

Wu Zhangkong eyed him. “From now on, I will be following you closely until the end of the exam. Just do whatever you have to without minding me.” 

Tang Wulin was taken aback. “Aren’t you supposed to be watching from the shadows? Could it be that…?”  

Wu Zhangkong furrowed his brow. “An evil soul master appeared. The terrorist attack you foiled was arranged by that same person. I already notified the Academy, and they’ve dispatched more teachers to come protect the examinees. I will be watching over you personally. Due to the limited number of teachers, however, you will need to act as a group.” He pointed to the side as he spoke. 

Tang Wulin tracked his gesture to see familiar faces. Gu Yue, Ye Xinglan, Xu Xiaoyan, Xu Lizhi, and Xie Xie stood a distance away, smiling brightly. Although they missed Tang Wulin’s train, they boarded the very next one with Wu Zhangkong, arriving at Heaven Dou City as a group. They were following the same route after all. 　

When Wu Zhangkong had lost Tang Wulin, the gears in his head spun in overdrive. Penniless yet possessing such high blacksmithing skills, Tang Wulin was most likely to be found near the local Blacksmith’s Association.

“Hi guys.” Tang Wulin beamed. 

His mood soared. After visiting the Blacksmith’s Association, he no longer felt guilty over the security captain’s death. 

Xu Lizhi took the initiative to walk over. He sized Tang Wulin up, then sniffed. Astonishment filled his face. “Did you eat something good?”

Tang Wulin’s jaw dropped. “How did you know?”

Xu Lizhi gave a toothy grin. “Us food-types have an amazing sense of smell! Come on! Hurry up and tell me what you ate!” 

“What’s the use in telling you? It’s not like you can eat it now. I don’t want to make you hungry.” 

Wu Zhangkong interjected. “Have you won a match yet?” 

Tang Wulin nodded. 

“Alright. None of the others have finished yet. You guys decide on your plan. Don’t mind me. I’ll just follow along quietly.” 

Tang Wulin understood that Wu Zhangkong was there to protect them, and a soft warmth brushed his heart. He turned to his friends and smiled. “It looks like we’re together again. Where do you guys want to go to find some opponents?” 

“Let’s head to the Spirit Pagoda,” Gu Yue said, her eyes shining as she looked at him.  

The Spirit Pagoda? Tang Wulin’s smile flashed even brighter. That’s right! There’s tons of soul masters over there! Gu Yue has a high status there too, so it should be easy to find some opponents! 

“Yeah. Let’s go.” 

Heaven Dou City was bustling with activity. It didn’t take them long to find a taxi, and soon they were on their way to the local Spirit Pagoda. 

In the car, Tang Wulin let Wu Zhangkong view the video of his fight with Xie Yinling and sent him the file soon after. Wu Zhangkong did not comment on the battle. With that, Tang Wulin had cleared his first city.