When it came to the third person—Tang Wulin's turn for the test—Wu Zhangkong was shocked, and so were the others.
"Could Tang Wulin have unlocked the second seal?"
Nan Fusheng guessed silently. Many of the original story's fine details were already fuzzy in his memory; he could only recall the key points. To expect him to remember every single thing perfectly would be asking too much of Nan Fusheng.
"Two hundred and twelve?" Xie Xie read the number aloud, his voice cracking.
"Teacher Wu, are you sure our equipment isn't malfunctioning?" Xie Xie stared blankly at Tang Wulin. Two hundred and twelve—that was already mid-stage Spirit Connection Realm.
Tang Wulin's spiritual power had always been decent, but never anything extraordinary. Yet this number… it had surpassed Gu Yue's last recorded result! It was a talent figure that could leave anyone stunned.
"Nan Fusheng, your turn."
Wu Zhangkong's surprise only lasted a moment. His expression quickly returned to calm, as if he had thought of something.
"Two hundred and ninety-seven?" Nan Fusheng's result shook the room all over again.
"Teacher Wu, this machine has got to be broken," Xie Xie said, dumbfounded.
"It's not broken," Wu Zhangkong replied. He was just as astonished. Tang Wulin had been with him for the past month, so he had some understanding of Wulin's improvement.
Tang Wulin's drastic growth in spiritual power had been due to an accident—an accident that had also convinced Wu Zhangkong to have Class Zero undergo a full round of physical testing.
When Nan Fusheng's strength had spiked earlier, Wu Zhangkong had guessed his spiritual power might also have grown significantly. But he hadn't expected this much of a jump.
"Teacher Wu, am I dreaming? Maybe you should slap me so I wake up," Xie Xie said in disbelief. Was he the weakest one here?
"Are you sure?" Wu Zhangkong raised an eyebrow.
"Just kidding, just kidding," Xie Xie quickly backed down. He had no real desire to get slapped—it was just hard for him to accept being left so far behind by his teammates.
Spiritual power above 150 meant mid-stage Spirit Connection Realm. Above 350 was high-stage, and beyond 500, one entered the Spirit Sea Realm—a huge qualitative leap that most top-tier powerhouses had reached.
"What did you two eat this past month, some kind of immortal pill? How do you gain over a hundred points of spiritual power just like that?" Xie Xie asked, staring at Nan Fusheng and Tang Wulin in shock.
Tang Wulin didn't know how to answer. Was he supposed to admit that his increase was the result of a near-death accident caused by Teacher Wu's oversight?
Nan Fusheng, on the other hand, had a complicated expression, a pained look crossing his face as he cried inwardly, "My money… my money!"
Xie Xie's question had reminded him of his financial loss, reopening the wound. The pain was real.
"Uh… Fusheng, you don't have to force yourself to talk about it. I was just asking casually."
Seeing Nan Fusheng's "pain-stricken" face, Xie Xie realized he must have said something wrong. Fusheng had gone through something difficult over the past month.
He thought back to yesterday, when Nan Fusheng had said, "My pain—you wouldn't understand!"
Xie Xie grew solemn. That kind of growth in such a short time could only mean he had endured some harsh trial.
It seemed the others thought the same, especially Wu Zhangkong and Tang Wulin, who both had deeper suspicions.
"Looks like I'll need to keep an eye on this kid. For his spiritual power to grow so drastically, he must have suffered considerable mental strain." Wu Zhangkong thought to himself.
"Gu Yue, you're next," Wu Zhangkong said, having made up his mind.
"Three… three hundred and five?" Gu Yue's result stunned everyone again. The slightly heavy atmosphere brought by Nan Fusheng's earlier reaction was instantly shattered.
Even Wu Zhangkong's eyes showed a faint smile. These kids… they were finally starting to look like monsters.
Xu Xiaoyan, who had felt confident about staying in Class Zero for more than a month, realized after seeing these results just how large the gap was.
"Teacher Wu, I request to retest my spiritual power tonight," Xu Xiaoyan raised her hand.
"Oh?" Wu Zhangkong looked at her, a thought flashing through his mind. "Your spiritual power changes at night?"
"Yes." She nodded.
This was her greatest secret, but her competitive spirit had driven her to speak up.
"Very well."
"Next will be the combat test," Wu Zhangkong said evenly. "Nan Fusheng, Tang Wulin, and Xu Xiaoyan in one group. Xie Xie and Gu Yue are in the other."
Xie Xie froze, but Gu Yue frowned. "Teacher Wu, that's not fair. They're one two-ring and two one-ring soul masters.
Fusheng and Xu Xiaoyan are both control-type, with low base combat power. If Xie Xie closes in on them, they're finished. We should balance the teams better. How about I team up with Wulin?
Xie Xie's speed, combined with Fusheng's strong control and Xiaoyan's Starwheel Ice Staff, would be more reasonable. Plus, Xie Xie's soul power is the highest among us."
Hearing that, Xie Xie nearly teared up. Now she remembered his high soul power?
Of course, Gu Yue was just talking nonsense. Nan Fusheng's control skills were downright nasty—hard to counter even when you knew them. And with that punch of his, over three thousand jin of force… if he closed in, the result was far from certain.
From Xie Xie's point of view, Wu Zhangkong's arrangement was perfectly fair. He couldn't confidently take down either Nan Fusheng or Tang Wulin alone, much less together.
If the enemy had to carry Xu Xiaoyan—a "deadweight" in his eyes—they'd have to divide their attention, while he had Gu Yue, the "elemental artillery.
The balance tipped toward him.
Do as I say. Who said combat tests must be perfectly balanced? Wu Zhangkong said coldly.
Nan Fusheng and Xu Xiaoyan stood behind Tang Wulin, facing Xie Xie and Gu Yue in the distance.
For some reason, Xu Xiaoyan found that standing beside this boy gave her a sense of stability, a subconscious feeling of safety.
Is it because he saved me before? she wondered.