Legend of the Dragon King: I really didn't mean to provoke them!

"Take it." She said calmly, "Start by practicing the most basic sword swings."

Xie Xie bent down to pick up the wooden sword. It felt slightly cool to the touch, solid yet not heavy. He gripped it with both hands, subconsciously adjusting his grip, his eyes instantly becoming serious.

Wu Changkong spoke again, his voice clear and crisp, “Feet shoulder-width apart, lower your center of gravity, slightly tuck in your waist and abdomen, relax your shoulders and neck, and first get your posture stable.”

Xie Xie adjusted his posture as instructed, his back straight but not stiff, his whole body like a fully drawn but not taut bow.

"Swing your sword."

Wu Changkong's instructions were simple yet powerful: "Thrust straight down. Use your waist and abdomen to generate power, let your shoulders follow your elbows, and let your elbows follow your hands. The tip of your sword should be aimed directly at the target. The movement must be completed in one smooth motion without any pauses."

Xie Xie took a deep breath and raised his arm to swing his sword.

The wooden sword drew a simple arc in the air, its power not great, yet carrying the unique drive of a young man.

"Too agitated." Wu Changkong said mercilessly, "Retract your strength, not release it."

Xie Xie paused, then swung his sword again.

This time, the movement was a beat slower, but much more steady.

The wooden sword fell with a soft, clean sound.

"very good."

Wu Changkong nodded slightly, "Again."

again and again.

The sunlight shifted from overhead to the west, and sweat dripped down Xie Xie's face, soaking his clothes. His sword swings became increasingly steady, and his breathing gradually synchronized with his movements.

It was dry, but extremely solid.

Wu Changkong stood aside, quietly watching Xie Xie swing his sword again and again.

She watched Xie Xie go from being impetuous at first to gradually becoming calm, and her gaze towards Xie Xie became more and more focused.

"stop."

After practicing countless times, Wu Changkong finally spoke, "Take a five-minute break."

"Oh my god, my hands are so sore."

Xie Xie collapsed to the ground, his wooden sword lying to the side, sweat rolling down his forehead as he gasped for breath.

He could clearly feel the soreness spreading through every muscle in his arm, even his fingertips were trembling slightly. There was nothing he could do; Wu Changkong wouldn't let him use his soul power to recover.

Wu Changkong looked at Xie Xie's sweat-dampened forehead and said, "The foundation has no end."

"Okay, okay—"

Five minutes later, Xie Xie gritted his teeth and got up again, raising his wooden sword once more.

Under the sunlight, the shadows of wooden swords swept across the training ground, again and again, with crisp, clear sounds of swinging echoing throughout.

Wu Changkong stood there quietly with him until the sunset painted the horizon red.

Chapter 111 A Small Gathering in the Cafeteria and the First Appearance of the Star Wheel

When it was time for dinner, Xie Xie originally planned to stay in Wu Changkong's dormitory for dinner, but he was dragged away by Tang Wulin and the other two.

At dinner time, the four members of Shift Zero gathered in the cafeteria.

"The Tianhai Alliance Grand Tournament? What's that?" Tang Wulin asked Xie Xie with a puzzled look, holding a chicken leg in his left hand and a steamed bun in his right. This was also the reason why the three of them had dragged Xie Xie along.

Xie Xie's hands were shaking so badly from practicing sword swinging all afternoon that he couldn't even hold chopsticks properly.

In the end, Gu Yue couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she got up and sat next to Xie Xie, personally feeding him, even though she was feeding him things she didn't like...

Xie Xie watched helplessly as Gu Yue took the chicken leg from his bowl, and just as he opened his mouth to protest—

Gu Yue directly picked up a floret of broccoli and stuffed it into his mouth.

Xie Xie: "..."

Gu Yue glanced at Xie Xie indifferently, "Is there a problem?"

Xie Xie immediately chewed and swallowed the broccoli, then shook his head frantically, "No, no, I love broccoli the most."

Tang Wulin swallowed the last steamed bun. "So, what exactly is the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition?"

Xu Xiaoyan actually knew this, after all, she came from a big family, but at this moment she was completely shocked by Tang Wulin's appetite and didn't hear what the three of them were talking about.

Xie Xie swallowed the boiled egg that Gu Yue had fed him, and then explained:

"Our alliance has a total of eighteen first-tier cities, which are divided into five regions according to their directions: east, west, south, north, and center. The central region has only two first-tier cities: Shrek City and Tiandou City."

"Although there are only two first-tier cities in the central region, these two cities hold a pivotal position on the mainland."

"In contrast, the East has the most first-tier cities, a total of five, and the Tianhai Alliance is an alliance of these five first-tier cities."

"And this Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition is held to select outstanding talents."

"This is also a great opportunity for major cities to showcase their strengths, and some of the most outstanding individuals will represent the Tianhai Alliance in the once-every-five-years All-Alliance Grand Competition."

"This All-Federation Grand Competition is a super-major event for the entire continent."

Xu Xiaoyan finally came to her senses and nodded, saying, "I've heard my brother mention this before. I think the Federation Grand Competition is held at Shrek Academy, right?"

"Yes!"

Xie Xie wanted to snap his fingers, but his hand was too sore to lift it.

"However, Shrek Academy is not participating because their strength is too abnormal. If they participated, there would be no point in even having a competition."

Xu Xiaoyan tilted her head and thought for a moment, "So, we still have hope!"

“Yes, there is, but it’s not easy.” Xie Xie continued to explain: “The next All-Federation Competition is next year, and we will be 11 years old, which is just the cutoff for the junior group.”

"The junior group includes 11 to 15 years old, while the youth group includes 16 to 20 years old."

"What's even more frustrating is that this competition is held every five years. By the time the next one comes around, we'll be exactly 16 years old, and the youngest in the youth group."

Tang Wulin shrugged and continued to eat heartily: "Rankings don't matter. It's good enough to be able to see the world. We don't have that strong a competitive spirit."

Xie Xie rolled his eyes upon hearing this.

I don't know who was seriously injured by Dragon Madman in the Youth Soul Master Competition, but still managed to win the runner-up.

You call this not being competitive?

Gu Yue tapped Xie Xie on the head with her chopsticks.

"Have confidence in yourself. If you don't have confidence in yourself, who will have confidence in you? If you're going to do something, do it the best you can."

Xie Xie nodded, "Yes, yes, you're absolutely right."

After a hearty meal, the four began to discuss the dance teacher's abilities in order to devise targeted tactical plans.

Tang Wulin gave the three of them a general explanation of Wu Changkong's soul skills.

After much deliberation, the four of them came up with only one method of countering the situation: cooperation.

Xie Xie was speechless. "So all that discussion was for nothing?"

Tang Wulin looked at him and suddenly asked, "Xie Xie, you've sparred with Teacher Wu the most times. So how do you usually fight against Teacher Wu?"

Xie Xie found this question baffling.

"Just fight like that."

Xie, a level 28 Great Soul Master with two purple soul rings and eight soul skills, said this.

The three people: ...

never mind.

Tang Wulin then turned to Xu Xiaoyan opposite him and said, "Xu Xiaoyan, you said before that you would become stronger tonight, can you show me later?"

"This...okay!" Xu Xiaoyan hesitated for a moment before readily agreeing.

"It'll be dark soon, let's try it out on the playground then."

Soon, night fell.

Tang Wulin and his three companions arrived at the academy's playground and headed towards the grove of trees in the corner.

Both Tang Wulin and Gu Yue were curious about Xu Xiaoyan's claim that she was stronger at night. Xie Xie, on the other hand, felt that Xu Xiaoyan's aura was even more beautiful and dashing at night.

The grove was dimly lit. Gu Yue raised her hand and held up a ball of golden light. A faint golden halo flowed in her palm, illuminating the surroundings.

Faced with the intense gazes of the three men, Xu Xiaoyan couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Um, why are you all staring at me like that? It's making me nervous..."

Tang Wulin laughed and said, "This shows that everyone cares about you. Come on!"

Xu Xiaoyan looked up at the sky, where twinkling stars twinkled. She nodded gently, "Then I'll begin!"

Xu Xiaoyan's face instantly turned serious.

She raised her ice staff high, and her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Stars in the sky, twinkling brightly, forever shining, bringing peace to Chang'an!"

"Grant me power, my Star Wheel!"

As she softly murmured, the tip of her ice staff suddenly lit up, and all three of them vaguely saw an inconspicuous pale golden light descend from the sky and land on her ice staff.

Suddenly, it was as if a lamp had been lit up at the tip of the ice staff.

A golden light spread out, gradually transforming into a golden halo containing a six-pointed star.

As the star wheel appeared, Xu Xiaoyan's entire demeanor began to change. Surrounded by starlight, she became noble and elegant, exuding an aura of unapproachability.

The spirit rings beneath her feet were also filled with starlight, and a golden star lit up on her forehead, becoming her most beautiful adornment.

Xu Xiaoyan slowly opened her eyes and her gaze fell on Xie Xie.

Xie Xie stretched his body, then said with some eagerness, "Let's go!"

Xu Xiaoyan gently raised her head, waved her ice staff, and the magical six-pointed star flew out and landed directly at Xie Xie's feet.

In an instant, Xie Xie felt his whole body tighten and feel a chill.

The stars shone brightly, and streaks of starlight rose from beneath his feet, transforming into chains of ice that bound his body.

The absolute validity that comes with the Star Wheel Ice Staff is really disgusting.

But no matter how disgusting it is, is it as disgusting as the world's corrective power that hides behind the scenes and uses underhanded tactics?

Chapter 112 Battle (Xie Xie: Why am I always the one who gets hurt?!)

A faint yet majestic phantom of a light dragon suddenly appeared behind Xie Xie!

The dragon was long and slender, its scales shimmering with fine light, its horns hidden among the light and shadow. Though it was a phantom, it exuded an unyielding dragon's aura, spreading out silently.

The icy chains, gleaming with a cold light, continued to coil around Xie Xie's body, tightening inch by inch, and also tightly binding the massive dragon body of the light dragon behind him.

The chilling aura from the chains attempted to penetrate the illusory dragon of light, trying to completely suppress it.

But in just one second, something unexpected happened!

The illusory dragon suddenly let out a silent roar, and Xie Xie's spiritual power suddenly erupted, a powerful force surging out from his limbs and bones.

The icy chains binding him and the dragon's body shattered instantly!

A series of crisp cracking sounds rang out, and countless ice shards scattered and flew in all directions with starlight. The chains that had been binding Xie Xie broke inch by inch, leaving not even the slightest trace.

The feeling of restraint around Xie Xie completely disappeared, and the illusory dragon behind him slowly faded away, as if it had never appeared at all.

He patted the ice crystals off his clothes. "Not bad."

Xu Xiaoyan explained, "At night, I can use the power of the Star Wheel to fight, so my martial soul is the Star Wheel Ice Staff, not an ice staff like my brother's."

"The Star Wheel Ice Staff is a special mutated martial spirit passed down from ancient times in our family."