Bonus Chapter. Enjoy!!
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"Hmph!"
Xu Xiaoyan pouted and retracted the Spirit in her hand.
With a trace of unwillingness on her face, she nonetheless straightforwardly admitted, "Alright, you win!"
To be honest, in that split second, she hadn't seen everything clearly.
She couldn't understand why Tang Wulin and Xie Xie's attacks, which were already within reach, had suddenly and bizarrely stalled, giving Huo Yuhao the chance to break free and counterattack.
However, the fact that her first Spirit Ability, "Stellar Ice Chain," only controlled Huo Yuhao for a mere second before he broke free was telling enough.
She understood that Huo Yuhao's strength had likely already exceeded the scope of an ordinary Spirit Elder.
A loss was a loss. Although Xu Xiaoyan's personality was a bit spoiled, she wasn't the type who couldn't accept defeat or would make a fuss about it.
At that moment, Wu Changkong walked over slowly.
His ice-blue eyes held a rare touch of seriousness as they fell upon Xu Xiaoyan. He asked, "Absolute Establishment?"
Hearing this, Xu Xiaoyan immediately raised her little head proudly, puffed out her chest, and gave a firm "Mhm!"
Then she explained crisply, "That's right! My Spirit evolves into the 'Star Wheel Ice Staff' at night, allowing me to draw upon the power of the stars in the sky."
"Under the influence of stellar power, my first Spirit Ability, 'Stellar Chain,' gains the 'Absolute Establishment' property!"
"Once it locks on, it will definitely restrain the target for at least one second!"
Huo Yuhao, listening nearby, couldn't help but show a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
The property of "Absolute Establishment" was considered Heaven-Defying in the Spirit Master's world!
This meant her control effect could forcibly take effect regardless of Rank disparity!
In theory, even against a Titled Douluo, the chain could still restrain them, the only difference being that the duration of restraint would be drastically compressed.
But one second was already enough in a battle!
Beyond surprise, Huo Yuhao also felt a chill in his heart, a pang of retrospective fear.
Earlier... he had indeed been somewhat careless.
If not for his mental force far surpassing his peers, he might have truly capsized in a ditch just now.
This undoubtedly served as a wake-up call: one should never underestimate any opponent at any time.
"Starting tomorrow, we will increase the intensity of practical combat training, focusing on honing your teamwork coordination."
Wu Changkong's clear, cold voice echoed in the training hall, announcing the upcoming arrangements.
He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "Next month, we head to Tianhai City."
Xie Xie, the most quick-witted, rolled his eyes upon hearing this, a look of realization and excitement appearing on his face. He asked first: "Teacher, are we going to observe the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition?"
As a scion of a prominent Clan from Donghai City, he naturally paid close attention to such a grand event held every three years.
Wu Changkong's ice-blue eyes swept over him coolly as he corrected, "Not to observe, but to compete."
"I require you to participate in the Youth Group Team Competition... the goal is the championship!"
Upon hearing this, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie almost instinctively turned their gazes in unison towards Huo Yuhao beside them.
In their view, with a "monster" like Huo Yuhao anchoring the team, winning the youth group team championship should be a piece of cake.
However, Wu Changkong's next words instantly froze their expressions."The competition lineup..." Wu Changkong's voice held no ripple. "Gu Yue, Xie Xie, Tang Wulin, you three as the main force. Xu Xiaoyan, substitute."
His gaze passed over Huo Yuhao. "Huo Yuhao will not participate in this team competition."
"Huh?!"
Tang Wulin and Xie Xie let out a short exclamation almost simultaneously, their faces instantly falling.
Xie Xie couldn't help but blurt out a complaint: "Teacher! We... we're only ten! The age limit for the youth group is fifteen! That's a full five-year difference!"
Five years, for rapidly growing young Spirit Masters, meant a potential huge gap in Spirit Power Rank, physical fitness, combat experience, and even spirit ring configuration!
Hearing this, Wu Changkong's icy gaze instantly pierced Xie Xie, making him shiver.
"If that's what you think," Wu Changkong's voice was not loud but carried a bone-chilling coldness, "then there's no need for you to remain in Class Zero."
Intimidated by this look and these words, Xie Xie shrank his neck sharply, swallowing all his complaints and dissatisfaction back into his stomach, not daring to utter another word.
Just as Xie Xie fell silent and the atmosphere grew slightly tense, Tang Wulin raised his hand.
"Teacher, I... I also plan to participate in the Forging Competition at the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition."
"It shouldn't conflict time-wise with the Spirit Master team competition, right?"
Hearing this, Wu Changkong turned to look at Tang Wulin, his expression softening slightly. He replied, "According to past practice, competitions for different events are usually scheduled separately to avoid competitors being spread too thin."
"However, the specific schedule won't be finalized until the official process is announced."
"Understood, thank you, teacher."
Tang Wulin nodded.
At that moment, Huo Yuhao walked over to Tang Wulin and asked, "Wulin, I also plan to sign up for the Forging Competition."
"Do I need to join the Donghai City Blacksmith Association first to obtain eligibility?"
"Yes, that's right," Tang Wulin nodded instinctively and explained. "Only officially registered members of the Blacksmith Association in cities under the Heaven-Sea Alliance are eligible to represent that city in registering for the competition..."
Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly reacted, whipping his head around. "Wait! Yuhao, you... your secondary profession is also Forging?!"
He was genuinely shocked. In his impression, Huo Yuhao was already a Genius to look up to on the path of a Spirit Master and had shown astonishing talent in Spirit Tool creation.
He had never imagined that Huo Yuhao still had the energy and interest to venture into Forging, another field that required significant time and effort to master.
Not just Tang Wulin, Xie Xie and Gu Yue were equally surprised. They had thought Huo Yuhao's secondary profession would be Mecha Maintenance or Manufacturing.
Meeting his surprised gaze, Huo Yuhao nodded frankly.
Counting it up, Huo Yuhao had been learning Forging for nearly five years. This was a good opportunity for him to experience what a Forging Competition was like.
After a brief moment of shock, Tang Wulin quickly regained his composure, a warm smile appearing on his face.
He was naturally helpful, especially towards Huo Yuhao.
"Yuhao, don't worry!" He patted his chest, his tone firm. "Leave this to me! My teacher is the president of the Donghai City Blacksmith Association. With his help, you joining the association and getting your eligibility will absolutely not be a problem!"
Hearing this, a gentle smile also appeared on Huo Yuhao's face. "That's really great. I'll be troubling you and your teacher then."
"Hey, no trouble at all! It's a small matter!" Tang Wulin waved his hands repeatedly, appearing very chivalrous. "Between us, there's no need for such formality!"
He then immediately turned to Wu Changkong and said respectfully, "Teacher, then tomorrow... can I take Yuhao to the Blacksmith Association to handle the membership procedures?"
Wu Changkong's gaze lingered on Huo Yuhao and Tang Wulin for a moment. While he also felt a trace of surprise at Huo Yuhao delving into Forging, considering the endless stream of "surprises" this juvenile already possessed, he quickly accepted it.
His expression unchanged, he simply nodded tersely, indicating his approval. "You may."
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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. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.