Tang Wulin rushed over, his fists clenched tight, his eyes full of admiration: "Arthur! You're amazing! To think you could actually win against Shrek one-on-seven!"
Arthur habitually pushed Na'er's head aside, looked at the crowd, and said modestly: "It was alright."
"What 'one-on-seven'? Tianhai Academy was pretty tough too; they drained a lot of Shrek's Soul Power. I was just cleaning up at the end."
"Give me a break." Xie Xie curled his lip, sounding sour: "They were just a bunch of people getting carried! I could've done it too!"
Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi chimed in one after another: "Exactly, exactly."
Others might not know, but how could they, who lived and breathed with Arthur every day, not know?
Even without Tianhai Academy, Arthur could have suppressed Shrek all by himself.
Tianhai Academy's only function was that the match couldn't have started without them.
Xie Xie and the others were incredibly envious; that was defeating Shrek Academy, after all. If only Arthur's teammates had been them instead.
Gu Yue's eyes darted around, a sudden flash of inspiration hitting her, and she quietly approached.
Then, she nudged Na'er aside with an elbow and pulled Arthur to the side to whisper.
"Arthur." Gu Yue seemed like a shy young girl, her fingertips gently twisting her skirt hem, the tips of her ears tinged with a faint pink. Avoiding Na'er's murderous gaze, she lowered her voice to a whisper, "How would you say I usually treat you?"
"Whoa!"
Unfamiliar.
Arthur leaned back tactically.
"What do you mean by this?"
"How about we make a deal?" Gu Yue leaned in closer, oblivious to the fact that she was almost pressed against Arthur.
"What deal?"
Gu Yue's breath carried a faint, fresh scent of plants and trees, almost brushing against Arthur's ear. Her voice was sickeningly sweet: "We're both in the Individual Competition, right? How about you lose to me on purpose when the time comes?"
Na'er didn't care what they were talking about, but they couldn't be this intimate!
"Damn!" Na'er rolled up her sleeves, planning to do a death charge and bowl Gu Yue over.
Xu Xiaoyan, Xie Xie, and the others desperately held Na'er back, advising her: "Sister Na'er, let it go, let it go. You can't beat her."
In their usual training, Na'er was never a match for Gu Yue.
"Don't be impulsive!"
Arthur was stunned when he heard this, blinking as if he didn't understand: "Lose to you on purpose? Why?"
Gu Yue said mysteriously: "Look, you broke Shrek's myth of invincibility; they must hate your guts."
"If I defeat you then..."
"Won't my path to Shrek be smooth sailing from then on?"
"Aren't I smart?"
Smart?
Truly an Astonishing Wisdom, Grandma Gu!
At this moment, Arthur was struck with awe.
Seriously, girl, where's your emotional intelligence?
Oh, I defeat Shrek, and then you suggest I lose to you so you can step on me to suck up to Shrek.
Where am I supposed to put my pride?
Arthur stared into Gu Yue's eyes; there was no calculation against a friend in them, only pure, clear stupidity.
And with that face that screamed "hurry up and praise me for being smart," Arthur couldn't squeeze out a word for a long time, feeling as if his brain had been attacked.
He could tell Gu Yue didn't mean anything else.
She just simply lacked emotional intelligence—no, it should be said she didn't have any at all.
Seeing Arthur dazed, Gu Yue thought he didn't agree and quickly added: "A deal, it's a deal!"
"I won't let you lose for nothing; I'll give you a reward."
Oh? A windfall?
It was just acting. As a friend, Arthur didn't actually mind losing to Gu Yue on purpose.
If Xie Xie and the others wanted this, Arthur would have satisfied them too.
He just hadn't expected Gu Yue to offer a reward.
It would be a waste not to take it.
That was the Silver Dragon King; anything she gave casually wouldn't be bad, right?
"Deal!"
..."Don't look down on Shrek's students because of this."
A cold voice suddenly rang out, instantly drawing the gazes of the happily celebrating crowd.
Without anyone noticing, Wu Zhangkong had already quietly stood beside them.
"Those just now were merely students from Shrek Academy's Outer Court." Wu Zhangkong's tone was indifferent as he began to rationalize for Shrek.
"Indeed." Arthur took the opportunity to add: "They were too weak; their combat awareness, techniques, and experience were all lacking."
"Never mind me, if it weren't for the Soul Power advantage, even you guys could have thrashed them."
Wu Zhangkong's brow furrowed instantly. If it were anyone else who dared to talk back, he would have lashed out directly.
But this was Arthur.
He continued:
"The Inner Court is where Shrek's true elites are. If you want to enter Shrek in the future, or even compete with them, complacency is the greatest taboo."
"Even for the top students of the Outer Court, whether they can enter the Inner Court still requires further observation. The entry threshold for Shrek's Inner Court is sixteen years old; they haven't reached that age yet, so naturally, they aren't considered Inner Court Disciples."
"Actually, in the team just now, the ones you should pay the most attention to are those two younger members. To be able to represent Shrek in a competition at that age, their talent must be extraordinary; they might even be pre-selected candidates for the Inner Court. If you enter Shrek Academy in the future, they will be your strongest competitors."
Xie Xie curled his lip but didn't dare to talk back. Although Wu Zhangkong's words were harsh, every sentence was reasonable. But he still couldn't help muttering: "Can the Inner Court even compare to Arthur?"
Arthur, standing nearby, immediately looked over with pity.
I'm happy that you're praising me.
But I can't help you if you talk back to Wu Zhangkong.
Arthur usually dared to talk back because he had the strength to back it up.
How did Xie Xie have the nerve? It seemed he really was getting ahead of himself.
Sure enough, Wu Zhangkong instantly began his lecture; he was just looking for a place to vent.
Shrek losing actually made him feel a bit uneasy too.
"Arthur's strength far exceeds those of the same rank; that is a fact, but it doesn't mean you can slack off." Wu Zhangkong's gaze fell on Tang Wulin and the others, "Next are your individual and Team Competitions. I will be watching the matches starting tomorrow."
"Xie Xie, since you're so confident, I will be paying close attention to your matches."
"If you don't perform well anywhere..."
"Extra training when we get back!"
The smugness on Xie Xie's face froze instantly, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. His mouth twitched, but he couldn't say a word.
Extra training?
Please no, I'll have nightmares at night.
Xie Xie shuddered. During the most intense days of training before, he had even dreamed of being beaten by Wu Zhangkong every day.
Beaten during the day, and still beaten while sleeping at night.
It was truly Hell.
Tang Wulin suppressed his laughter, patted Xie Xie's shoulder, and mouthed a comfort: "My condolences."
Xu Xiaoyan couldn't hold it in and let out a "pfft" laugh, then quickly covered her mouth, pretending to fix her hair.
"Alright." Wu Zhangkong said to everyone finally, "I've already finished the drawing for you before coming; the matches start tomorrow."
"Go back and rest well today."
"Arthur and Tang Wulin, take note. Your Forging Competition starts first, then the Individual Competition, and finally the Seven-person Team Competition for everyone."
Class Zero had eight students, so they naturally entered the Seven-person Team Competition, with the extra one serving as a substitute.
"Yes."
...The next day.
Arthur and Tang Wulin woke up early and headed to the Blacksmith Association together.
When they arrived, they saw Cen Yue, Mu Xi, and the others already waiting there ahead of time.
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