Chapter 319 - The Victor

Wu Siduo had thought her soul power recovered enough to defeat Gu Yue, but evidently, that was not the case.

In a flash of white light, Wu Siduo switched martial souls.

White hair sprang up into existence and covered her body in a blanket of fur, a golden aura swallowing up her form. Her muscles expanded, the sinewed shape of her limbs impressive to eye. Instead of breaking out into a dash, she used her body’s newfound strength to gradually pull free from the tornado.

However, she soon found herself obstructed by earth walls. The walls hardly put up a fight, crumbling to fine dust with a single punch. But in the time it took her to shatter one, the tornado would have snuck up to obscure her vision. She couldn’t maintain a straight path as she tried to escape. Fleeing from these obstacles’ clutches was just out of her reach.

Wu Siduo’s expression turned sour. Although she was an agility-type soul master first and foremost, she favored direct confrontations. Winning her battles through brute force brought her all sorts of satisfaction. It pained her to endure such a muddled battlefield where she couldn’t even locate her opponent.

She was confident that if she could use Hell White Tiger, she could break free. Out of caution for that skill, Gu Yue must have maintained a large distance between them. That said, Wu Siduo held complete faith in her fusion soul skill—just a few seconds of it and she’d instantly get the upper hand.

But as the seconds ticked by, the wind grew more turbulent, thrashing and tearing through the surroundings. The storm swelled in its excitement. All the while, Gu Yue funneled external elemental energy into the storm using Elemental Tide, building upon its power.

A silver flash, and Gu Yue appeared at Tang Wulin’s side, face dusted with pallor.

“Let’s run! I can’t control it any longer.” There was a limit to how much elemental energy she could manage with Elemental Tide, and if left unchecked, it would rampage and explode.

Since her opponent was Wu Siduo, she didn’t dare hold back. Now, the result was an unstable elemental storm on the verge of erupting.

There was no need to consider Wu Siduo anymore. Gu Yue’s Elemental Tide condensed the elemental energy to a level far beyond both her control and soul rings. Wu Siduo’s tragic fate was sealed.

The four teammates turned tail and bolted. Though pale, Gu Yue managed a satisfied smile. She had succeeded. The battle may not have gone as she had initially intended and Wu Siduo may not have been at her peak, but she still won. In a one-on-one battle, she stood the victor.

Through their escape, the world bent and distorted. A beam of light shined down on them, warping and rippling as the wave-light particles hit skin. A moment later, they found themselves in darkness and utterly stupefied.

After a while, they recovered their grip on reality. The doors to their cabins slid open and the four stepped out into the initial wide room.

The emergence of Tang Wulin’s team had brought out a wave of silence.

Nearly a hundred pairs of eyes surveyed the new arrivers. Several of those gazes dripped with complex emotions, unreadable.

One of them belonged to the stoic Yang Nianxia. His brows were knitted as he studied Tang Wulin. After being eliminated, he watched the rest of the competition through the viewing screens. All sorts of emotions warred within his heart, melding together into a puzzling mess. All he could manage at present was a bitter smile.

Of the five geniuses of the first grade, Luo Guixing seemed the least touched by excitement. He sat in a corner of the room, knees held close to his chest and eyes staring off into nothingness. Though it was evident his mind roamed far away in thought.

Tang Wulin’s feats caused Jade Snake Zheng Yiran to regard him in a newfound light. Although her attention mostly remained on him, occasionally a scornful glare or two flickered over to Gu Yue.

On the other hand, Xu Yucheng was just as pale as usual. He fought hard to suppress the twitching in his hands, the stare he threw over at Tang Wulin cold enough to freeze.

Losing to Tang Wulin had been disgraceful. No matter what a monstrous variant his opponent’s martial soul was, in the end he was still a two-ringed Soul Grandmaster. As a Soul Ancestor, Xu Yucheng had no excuse for losing.

Last but surely not least was Wu Siduo. Her face was twisted into a rage, an ugly flush painting her cheeks and the sides of her neck. She had exited the cabin before Tang Wulin’s team and stared daggers at Gu Yue as she walked past, teeth gritted so hard it was a wonder they didn’t crack

Everyone’s eyes were on the four, though it was safe to say they concentrated on Tang Wulin and Gu Yue especially.

It was of no consequence what sort of devious strategies and tactics they had drawn up. What mattered most was that they had defeated Immortal Xu Yucheng and Hell Wu Siduo in one-on-one combat! The two were both four-ringed soul masters widely accepted as the strongest in their grade. But Tang Wulin and Gu Yue had two and three rings respectively!

“The difference in strength between the four of you is clear, so there was no need for the competition to continue any longer,” said Shen Yi who was standing next to Wu Zhangkong. “Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, you two are on the same team, so choose who will be the class president and the vice-presidents.”

Unlike Tang Wulin, Gu Yue immediately took a step back, a clear sign of her opinion.

Tang Wulin turned to look at her, only to be met with a sweet smile. He didn’t bother trying to decline modestly. Sometimes, one just had to accept the responsibility.

Shen Yi nodded, then directed her attention to Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan. “Normally, we only take into consideration who’s left standing at the end. Although you two showed remarkable power, it isn’t enough. You both survived, so you have two choices: insist on your candidacy for vice-president, or step back. Let me remind you that there’s a reselection for class representatives once every term, and strength will always be the decider.”

“I’ll give up,” Xu Xiaoyan instantly said. She had a clear understanding of her abilities. To further drive in her resignation, she walked into the crowd to join the spectators, finding her position at Luo Guixing’s side.

The corner of Xie Xie’s mouth twitched as he watched her leave.

That girl’s acting is the real deal!

“I give up too!” Although he hesitated for a moment, Xie Xie resolved himself. “But I’m sure that I’ll one day be able to be a challenger for president or vice-president!”

An eerie calm settled upon him, his demeanor unlike his normal jittery one. On the battlefield, he had gained a deeper comprehension of his position. Each time an opponent stronger than him appeared, it stimulated him to improve faster.

Shen Yi regarded them calmly. “So you both choose the second option. Since the two of you lasted until the end and chose to give up on being the vice-presidents, you will be rewarded with two thousand contribution points to distribute among you two. As for filling the remaining vice-president seat… Wu Siduo, would you like to take the position?”

Wu Siduo glanced at Gu Yue, then Tang Wulin. She drew a deep breath. “I’ll do it!”

Shen Yi smiled. “Good. Then everything is settled. The class president is Tang Wulin, and the two vice-presidents are Gu Yue and Wu Siduo.”

This was the best scenario she could have hoped for. While Xie Xie was by no means weak, he couldn’t compare with Wu Siduo. If not a single one of the five genius rankers held a position as a class representative, the entire class would be stricken with restlessness. With Wu Siduo, the strongest of the rankers, as a vice-president, the rest would be too intimidated to throw a big fuss. At the very least, discontent would be curbed.

“We’ll hold competitions for the remaining three representative positions accordingly. The blacksmiths representative is already settled, with Tang Wulin being both class president and the blacksmith representative, so this leaves the mecha designers, makers, and mechanics. Now, would all designers, makers, and mechanics rank two and above come sign up to compete.”

Tang Wulin listened, his body language the picture of tranquility. He occupied two of the seven representative positions. He had a firm standing in the class now. Besides that, he obtained a deeper understanding of his classmates thanks to the battle for presidency.

Gu Yue left his side and walked over to sign up.

She’s trying to be the designer representative?

Not a beat later, Wu Siduo, Luo Guixing, and Xu Yucheng also went to register.

As members of the Genius Youths Ranking, they were both strong and skilled in their professions. Only Yang Nianxia remained still as he directed an awkward smile at Tang Wulin.

“Junior brother, you really know how to act lowkey!”

Tang Wulin smiled. “I was just lucky. If Xu Yucheng hadn’t been so exhausted, I don’t think I could have won.”

Yang Nianxia shook his head. “You can’t be so sure about that.”

“Anyone who isn’t signing up for the profession competitions can leave now. Class is over. Meet back here for class tomorrow,” Shen Yi announced.

A chuckle escaped Yang Nianxia’s lips. “Let’s go then, oh great class president. Take good care of me in the future!”

Tang Wulin smiled wryly. “Let’s look after each other.”

Tang Wulin understood how important it was to obtain the approval of his classmates as class president, but it was a gradual process, one more in tune with coaxing than force. He would take things slowly for now.