In the early morning, the five teachers and students of Class Zero gathered at the academy gate, then boarded a medium-sized soul guidance bus and drove toward the outskirts of the city.
Inside the bus, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie sat side-by-side, while Huo Yuhao and Gu Yue sat in front of them.
As the vehicle moved steadily forward, Xie Xie leaned into Tang Wulin's ear and lowered his voice, his tone carrying a bit of the mischief unique to teenage boys.
"Wulin, have you noticed?"
"Ever since Yuhao arrived, Gu Yue hasn't been as 'close' to you as she used to be."
Huo Yuhao then turned his head and glanced at him: "Gu Yue and I weren't that close before, either."
Xie Xie gave a "hmpf," looking like he saw through everything: "This is called the bystander sees most clearly!"
"Gu Yue... although her looks aren't top-tier pretty, her talent and strength are undeniable."
"I originally thought you two could..."
He spoke halfway and squeezed his eyes together, his unspoken meaning being perfectly clear.
Tang Wulin looked at him in surprise, his face clearly saying "you're overthinking it": "We're still students, we're still young."
"What do you mean young!" Xie Xie retorted righteously: "You don't know, in the academy, people are secretly..."
His words stopped abruptly at this point.
Because a shadow loomed over him.
Xie Xie's neck stiffened as he slowly raised his head.
He saw that Gu Yue, who was in the front row, had turned around at some point. Her dark eyes were looking down at him coldly, and her face seemed to be covered in a layer of thin frost.
Xie Xie's Adam's apple bobbed. He suddenly remembered that the mental force of the two in front far exceeded that of ordinary people; his "whispers" were probably no different from shouting in their ears.
He gave a few dry laughs, quickly cupped his hands in a gesture of apology, and sensibly shut his mouth.
Only then did Gu Yue withdraw her gaze and sit upright again.
She had initially approached Tang Wulin because she sensed the aura of the same origin, the Golden Dragon King, within him.
As for spending more time with Huo Yuhao now, it was because in her eyes, the mystery surrounding this suddenly appearing Senior Brother was deeper and even more inscrutable.
She had already secretly contacted Di Tian. Calculating the time, he should be able to arrive in Donghai City in a few days.
After sitting back down, Gu Yue suddenly turned her head, looked at Huo Yuhao beside her, and asked softly: "Am I... not pretty?"
Huo Yuhao was stunned by her sudden question.
He thought for a moment before speaking carefully: "Well... everyone's definition of 'pretty' is different."
"You aren't pretty in the conventional sense..."
Whether it was Ten Thousand Years Ago or Ten Thousand Years Later, although the number of exceptionally beautiful women Huo Yuhao had seen wasn't vast, it wasn't small either.
To be fair, Gu Yue's current appearance was delicate and clean, with a unique temperament, but by mundane standards, she indeed wasn't stunning.
He was tactful because he didn't want to hurt his Junior Sister's feelings.
However, before he could finish, Gu Yue interrupted indifferently: "Fine, I understand."
Huo Yuhao decisively shut up. He didn't want to say too much about this matter; it really wasn't his strong suit.
Gu Yue turned her gaze toward the street scenes flashing past the window, but a thought quietly surfaced in her mind: Should she... show her true face?
Her current appearance was a transformed shape she maintained deliberately to hide her identity and integrate into the human world.
If she restored her true appearance as the Silver Dragon King, by human aesthetic standards, she should... be considered pretty.
The Soul Guidance Bus drove out of the urban area. The buildings outside the window became sparse, and the view grew more open.
When everyone got off the bus, they were in the countryside.
Wu Changkong led them on foot for another distance, finally arriving in front of a vast complex of buildings.
The plaque for "Donghai Soul Guidance Technology Park" glinted with a cold metallic luster in the sunlight.
The roads inside the park were intricate, and the architectural style was full of futuristic vibes.
After walking for about another half hour, a small building, deep blue all over with outer walls as smooth as mirrors, appeared before them.
It stood there quietly, reflecting unpredictable flows of light as the angle of illumination changed.
Wu Changkong walked to the entrance and pressed his right hand against the glass wall. A faint blue beam of light swept from beneath his palm.
Immediately after, a translucent humanoid projection emerged from the wall, looking at Wu Changkong with a hint of mockery in its tone.
"Yo, isn't this Little Changkong of East Sea? A rare guest, a rare guest indeed. Long time no see!"
The name "Little Changkong of East Sea" made the few people behind him freeze in unison.
Xie Xie was the first who couldn't help it. He let out a "pfft" and laughed, then quickly held it in when Wu Changkong's cold sidelong glance swept over.
Wu Changkong's expression remained unchanged as he coldly spat out two words: "Open up."
"Sigh, you're still this cold-mannered. How boring."
The projection shrugged helplessly. Just as it finished speaking, the glass doors in front silently slid open to both sides, revealing an internal passage.
The pure white floor inside the building was spotless, and the deep blue walls had a matte finish, appearing simple and neat.
A silver circular platform quietly rose from the floor in front of Wu Changkong, with four metal bracelets neatly placed on it.
He took the bracelets and distributed them to the four, saying concisely: "Put on the bracelets. There is identity recognition here, otherwise you will be treated as enemies!"
The four quickly slipped the bracelets onto their wrists. The metal rings automatically contracted to fit, and a very faint ring of green light lit up on the surface.
Then, the four followed Wu Changkong through the passage, turning left and right. After passing through a sensory glass door, Wu Changkong's figure ahead suddenly flickered and vanished into thin air.
"Spatial teleportation technology?!"
Xie Xie paused and whispered in surprise. Coming from a Great Clan, he had heard of such things.
Tang Wulin looked blank, clearly having never encountered such a concept.
While he was dazed, Huo Yuhao and Gu Yue had already stepped forward with normal expressions, their figures instantly vanishing from the spot as well.
As Leng Yaozhu's Personal Disciples, they were naturally not unfamiliar with this kind of cutting-edge soul guidance technology.
Tang Wulin and Xie Xie didn't dare delay and followed closely behind.
Stepping across that invisible boundary, a strange sensation of weightlessness and pulling instantly swept through their bodies.
The next moment, the two found themselves in a brand new space.
This was a closed space that appeared entirely deep blue. Both the ceiling and the floor were deep blue crystals as smooth as mirrors, emitting a faint cold light.
Wu Changkong walked to one side of the wall and quickly traced several specific paths with his fingers on a spot that seemed to have no gaps.
The wall slid open silently, revealing a soul guidance screen shimmering with light, equipped with a precision-structured physical keyboard below.
His hands tapped rapidly on the keyboard, leaving a series of afterimages.
At the same time, an emotionless Electronic synthesized voice echoed within the space.
"Identity confirmed: Wu Changkong of East Sea."
"Test difficulty: Medium."
"Number of testees: Three."
"Ten-second preparation countdown started."
"Ten, nine, eight, seven..."
The sound of the countdown was like a drumbeat against their hearts, and Tang Wulin and the others subconsciously grew tense.
As the last count fell, three concentrated blue light beams shot down from the ceiling without warning, accurately enveloping Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue!
With a flash of blue light, the three figures vanished into thin air.
Now, only Wu Changkong and Huo Yuhao remained in the space, standing opposite each other.
Wu Changkong turned to look at Huo Yuhao: "Medium difficulty doesn't mean much to you. Therefore, your assessment will be set to High difficulty."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao showed no fear; instead, a burning spark of Battle Intent ignited in his eyes.
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he said directly: "Teacher, let's begin!"
Wu Changkong nodded slightly and turned to quickly complete the settings on the operation screen.
The cold countdown sounded again.
"...three, two, one, zero."
A dazzling blue light pillar descended with a roar, completely swallowing him.
When the light pillar dissipated, only Wu Changkong's standing figure remained in the deep blue space, reflected on the mirror-smooth floor and walls.
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Thank you.