Xie Xie had a great morning. He helped a granny bring her groceries home, found out that she was the principal's grandmother, and got a free ticket to leave the school any time he wanted! It was a great morning where the heavens were looking down on him kindly!
"So uh… why me?" That was what Xie Xie had thought anyway. In truth, it seemed the heavens were taking pity on him this morning. There was no other explanation as to why his wonderful day would end with him fighting against their teacher with the next student!
"You need to be punished." Wu Zhangkong's voice was as cold as usual but there was a new edge to it that wasn't present before. If Xie Xie wanted to lose his head he would say their ever calm teacher wasn't actually so calm today.
Their teacher was every bit the ice statue he always was but there were a few things that gave his worries away. His finger that rhythmically tapped his leg, the slightly deep frown on his face, the ticking of the watch he looked at occasionally. They were telling signs.
"I'll give you five minutes. Discuss among yourselves." Teleporting away immediately after speaking, Xie Xie could sense their teacher by Wulin's forge. A knowing smirk crossed his face but he threw it away immediately after.
"My martial soul is—" Xu Xiaoyan quickly began speaking but was abruptly stopped when Xie Xie placed a finger on his lips. Training with Gu Yuena had told him plenty about the uses of spiritual power and this was the easiest trick in the book. He may have given them time, he may not be here, and he might be stressed out of his mind but their teacher was listening.
Swiftly grasping her wrist the two disappeared from this realm as they entered the reverse world, their surroundings flipping immediately. This was a realm of space alone where nothing was real besides space.
"Let's hurry." Practically begging the girl to stop being distracted Xie Xie was beyond worried about what to do and that only grew with every word. He was an assassin type while she was a backliner, they didn't mesh at all.
When he went in for the kill she'd get out while if he stayed they'd both lose. This was definitely why Wu Zhangkong picked them as partners. If it was Wulin instead of him everything would be fine but he wasn't Wulin. He wasn't that kind of monster.
"Why don't we use the Demon's strategy?" Tilting her head in confusion, Xu Xiaoyan didn't understand his worries. With a lightbulb above his head, Xie Xie felt confidence wash over him as they returned to the battlefield. He wasn't Wulin and he never would be. But he could follow in his footsteps.
"Ten seconds left. Good." Praising them, Wu Zhangkong flashed in, his belt already in hand. It was a worrisome sight, especially considering what had happened just yesterday but Xie Xie had a proper plan this time.
Shooting forward Xie Xie didn't hide within the reverse world like he usually did, he just relied on speed alone to mask his presence. Of course, such a thing would never work on their teacher whose belt dropped down toward Xie Xie in the blink of an eye.
Xie Xie couldn't replicate Wulin's strategies. He was a tank of offense and defense and Xie Xie didn't have either of that enough to mimic even a fraction of Wulin's tyrannical strength. But he didn't need that.
With wide eyes, Wu Zhangkong felt his belt strain against him like it was being pulled inward. It was like he was fighting against a vortex, a suction that desperately wished to devour everything inside it.
It would have taken only a bit of effort to rip his belt away but Wu Zhangkong didn't have that chance, the blue chains wrapping around him making any resistance impossible to muster. In the fraction of a second it took for him to break out, his weapon was stolen from him.
"How's that!" Breathing heavily, Xie Xie looked toward their stunned teacher with a fire burning in his eyes. He couldn't follow Wulin's path but he could certainly achieve the same results. All it took was a bit of creativity.
Looking at his belt that had been torn in half, Wu Zhangkong almost grinned in pride. That wasn't quite what he had intended from this lesson but it was a wonderful result. A moment of weakness was all that it took to win and these two took that concept and ran.
"It would have been better if you were more efficient at destroying space." Wu Zhangkong spoke coldly, the remaining half of his belt lightly tapping Xie Xie on the head. To create that suction effect Xie Xie made his body a portal to the reverse realm and destroyed space to create a vacuum that ultimately destroyed his belt.
Every part of it was reminiscent of Wulin albeit in a roundabout way. Whether it be conscious or unconscious, Xie Xie had mimicked even Wulin's posture when taking a blow. While the observational skills were impressive, that wasn't ideal. Taking an idea and altering it was the first rule of development but taking it without changing the fundamentals was inherently flawed.
"Xu Xiaoyan." Calling out the prospective student's name Wu Zhangkong hardly cared for her squeak of shock or Xie Xie's lingering complaints. "Your timing was perfect. You did well." It was odd for him to praise others but she truly deserved it.
He wasn't sure how she'd fare in a longer battle but the activation of her ring ability was undeniably perfect. It wasn't because she activated it perfectly but instead because she timed it perfectly down to the hundredth of a second.
It was extremely impressive, especially considering her ring created a wheel of ice, not chains like she had used. She activated it, altered it, and trapped him in a fraction of a second. She may not be as offensively focused as her peers but she was no less focused.
"Huh? How come she gets praised?!" Xie Xie's shouts were not undeserved but Wu Zhangkong didn't feel like listening to them regardless. Sending the boy a glare he fell silent immediately while Xu Xiaoyan quietly celebrated her success.
Turning toward the source of the familiar snickering that he hadn't noticed arrive Wu Zhangkong struggled to keep his nerves from appearing on his face. He didn't doubt his student's words, especially after seeing so much proof but he was still nervous.
"He's ready for you~." Gu Yuena's melodious voice announced the start of Wu Zhangkong's advancement to the level of the extraordinary.
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Hey there, hope you liked the chapter.
Poor Xie Xie, always the pitiful one. Still, I'm more interested in Wu Zhangkong's three word battle armor. That's a huge boost and he's changed quite a bit compared to cannon due to Wulin and Gu Yuena so look forward to that. I've written the chapter already so I already know how cool he is and you should definitely be excited for that.
If you want more chapters, head to patre*on.com/TrapOverlord for up to 25 extra chapters. It isn't required but it'd be much appreciated.