Upon finishing reading this, Yu Haidong's eyes couldn't help but widen slightly as he carefully observed Lin Guang, who appeared calm and didn't shy away from meeting his gaze.
No wonder he could win over a group of outstanding students, and it also made sense that he kept these students waiting for so long without their formation getting messed up.
Because the leader didn't make a fuss, the rest naturally wouldn't cause a scene.
This was truly unexpected.
Yu Haidong secretly nodded, raising his inner appraisal of him.
Originally, he intended to provoke intentionally and then give these students a lesson to prevent them from dismissing his orders and courses just because they considered themselves "elite."
This wasn't groundless worry; he had already experienced it at Zhen Sheng City First Middle School and Private Zhen Sheng Middle School two years ago. High school students are always youthful and exuberant, thinking themselves unique prodigies once they have some talent, but undeveloped geniuses are nothing and often end up plotted against and killed in the secret realm, news heard every year.
Yu Haidong didn't particularly care about their growth speed, but he insisted that these young people couldn't die meaningless and stupid deaths, ignorant and unclear.
Fortunately, Lin Guang here didn't seem like the arrogant troublemaker, likely won't lead classmates to deliberately oppose him.
In that case, let's start according to the plan.
"Summon your Spirit Beast," he said to Lin Guang.
Lin Guang nodded slightly, and a soft blue glow emerged from the mark on his right hand, as a silver-haired girl appeared beside him.
Having been instructed earlier, Vishdair didn't exhibit any outlandish behavior this time, obediently standing beside him.
"Terra... it's actually a Terra creature."
Upon seeing Vishdair, Yu Haidong's pupils slightly enlarged, and his brows furrowed.
But he quickly composed his expression.
"Then..."
Saying this, Yu Haidong scanned the crowd; many students instinctively avoided his sharp gaze.
Retracting his gaze, he said to Lin Guang: "Attack me."
Lin Guang hesitated slightly but understood after looking at the ground beneath Yu Haidong's feet.
"Vishdair, go ahead."
Feeling bored for a while, Vishdair suddenly perked up: "Can I hit him? Such a nice opportunity?"
"Been wanting to punch him in the face for being fake for so long."
Vishdair said vividly, and the next moment she turned into an arrow off the string, arriving before Yu Haidong in an instant, drawing a dagger from her waist and attempting to thrust towards his right chest.
Many students gasped as if Yu Haidong would be pierced through the chest the next moment.
But Lin Guang suddenly spoke: "Watch your step."
Vishdair's eyes flickered, prepared in advance, and the dagger in her hand immediately changed direction, aiming for his neck - but almost simultaneously, the soil under Yu Haidong's feet rapidly turned fluid, elongating like stretched chewing gum, then solidified in front of him.
Vishdair's dagger was caught in the gummy soil, stuck just an inch deep, the force exerted rebounding back into her hand, causing a numb sensation at the base of her thumb.
"Tsk."
Students erupted in astonishment:
"Spirit Beast? When did he summon it?"
"I didn't see any Spirit Pattern showing on his right hand."
The earth wall rapidly hardened again after a moment, forming into a sea urchin shape, with dozens of sharp spikes piercing towards Vishdair with sharp whistling sounds.
Without hesitation, she immediately released the dagger trapped there, turning to her side like a spinning top, dodging the front, black-red tail rhythmically swaying unknown when, as Tail Wagging emitted a faint Ether from her body, attaching to the soil.
However, almost at the same time, Lin Guang's eyes, emitting a soft blue glow, suddenly widened.
He suddenly realized something, a sense of crisis surged in his heart, immediately shouting: "Fall back! Don't attack!"
Vishdair's pupils shrank, distinctly hearing the command, but it was too late, the attack already before her, relying on the spinning force to kick, unable to retract, just hitting the side spike again.
And the soil spike didn't budge in the slightest!
Vishdair stumbled as she landed, retreating two steps, an apparent 5 cm wound near her ankle.
Blood began seeping from it, a scent of blood floating in the air.
In a blink, the scene fell silent.
As if feeling no pain, she simply frowned slightly, first time looking into Yu Haidong's eyes: "The shell is really tough."
In that moment, she not only failed to break the soil spike but when she kicked it, the fluid-like surface again shaped, becoming rough and irregular, injuring herself with her own strength upon contact.
"You think I wouldn't notice your [Tail Wagging]?"
"This soil defender isn't my main Spirit Beast, but since retiring, it's been with me for years, so the synergy is good."
The spikes gently retracted, Yu Haidong again showing his face, lightly smiling at Lin Guang and Vishdair, "Before retrieving my Spirit Beast, I always issue a command, once released, to deploy the skill [Hardening], and when the effect diminishes, to use it again, meaning it's ordinarily in a defensive status enhancement state, thus negating the weakening effect of [Tail Wagging]."
"Though Double Blue grants you a broad future, currently, the soil defender's level and technique surpass it, you can't break through its defense."
"You've done well enough, reacted swiftly, and your Spirit Beast's battle response is also excellent, you just lack experience."
He lifted his head, addressing all the students, solemnly announcing: "Train hard, whoever first breaks the soil defender's defense will receive a reward, a Visualization Crystal engraved with Two-Star Attributeless Spirit Rune Secret Technique, with two weeks of visualization time—"
"Isn't it too early to announce the end now?"
Yu Haidong's expression suddenly froze, halting his words.
Lin Guang stood behind the girl, and a dark golden flame ignited simultaneously in both their pupils, an inexplicable aura leaked from them—that was the proof of Spiritual Power and Ether surging intensely.
"We haven't admitted defeat yet."
Amidst students' astonished cries, Vishdair stretched her hand, suddenly grasping something from the void.
A rugged firearm appeared in her hand, aimed at Yu Haidong behind the earth wall, with perilous red slowly illuminating in the barrel.