Chapter 18

"Boys, get started—don’t disappoint me!"

Wang Teng hadn’t noticed anything unusual; he grinned and sidled up to Jiang Xia. "Old Xia, transform! It’s time to shock everyone!"

Jiang Xia grabbed him and lowered his voice: "That time in the secret realm was a special case—we can’t use it now. We have to rely on coordination."

Wang Teng froze in place, his face turning red. "Huh? Then… what do we do?"

"What else can we do? Just give it a try." Jiang Xia looked at Zhou Hu, whose aura radiated the Wu Zong realm, and felt a flicker of uncertainty.

Ye Lingxi’s voice was calm: "I’ll handle long-range suppression—use ice arrows to disrupt his vision. Fatty, try coordinating with your spell. Jiang Xia, look for an opening to strike the white cloth."

Zhou Hu watched the three whispering among themselves, not rushing them—only smiling and tilting his chin. "Finished discussing?"

As soon as he spoke, Ye Lingxi drew her bow and fired three arrows straight at the white cloth. Zhou Hu prepared to block—but the three ice arrows exploded suddenly before him.

"Binding Seal of Immobilization! Old Xia, your turn!"

In an instant, the ice mist before Zhou Hu cleared—Wang Teng’s immobilization spell took effect.

Jiang Xia, using the lingering mist, swung the Thousand Birds Blade toward the white cloth.

"Child’s play!" Zhou Hu roared, forcibly breaking the spell’s hold and lashing out with his left palm, wind surging behind it toward Jiang Xia.

"Shinra Tensei!" As his palm neared Jiang Xia’s body, a white energy wave erupted around him, repelling Zhou Hu half a meter back.

Wang Teng stared, eyes wide, slapping his thigh. "Holy shit, Old Xia! When the hell did Itachi learn this? Why didn’t Itachi use it sooner?!"

"Stop wasting time! Move!" Jiang Xia’s temple glistened with sweat—he’d only intended to test the Rinnegan’s ability, never expecting such a massive drain.

Wang Teng fell silent at once, forming hand seals: "Gravity Seal·Sinking!" A crushing weight settled on Zhou Hu’s shoulders, slowing his movements by half a beat.

Ye Lingxi seized the opening—her arrow struck the white cloth. As the ice arrow exploded, Zhou Hu’s Wu Zong aura solidified into a tangible wave, shattering both the gravity seal and the ice arrows.

He stared at Jiang Xia and the others, stunned—and furious. A Wu Zong, fighting three juniors, and he was losing? Unforgivable!

"Since Itachi’re begging for death, I’ll knock out this annoying brat first!" Zhou Hu’s eyes hardened, his aura coiling into multiple waves surging toward Jiang Xia.

He’d figured it out: if he took down Jiang Xia, the rest would be easy.

"Kamui!" The Sharingan spun—Jiang Xia phased through the air blades, leaving a Flying Thunder God mark in place, then swung the Kusanagi once more at the white cloth.

"Holy shit, what the hell is this?! Just declare Itachi won already!" Zhou Hu blurted out a curse.

Jiang Xia charged forward with the Kusanagi, its blade glowing white with Thousand Birds, driving it straight into the white cloth.

"Good! Mountain and Sea Power!" Zhou Hu snapped back and punched forward.

Jiang Xia gritted his teeth and hurled the sword, activating Susano’o’s skeletal frame to absorb the blow.

"Crack—" The Susano’o frame shattered instantly. Jiang Xia was flung backward, spitting blood.

"Old Xia!"

"Jiang Xia!"

Wang Teng and the others rushed forward to check on him. Jiang Xia pulled two ration pills from his system space, swallowed them, and waved them off with a nod.

He turned to Zhou Hu, pale-faced, and said, "Coach, we won."

Zhou Hu looked down—the white cloth bore a clear slash from a shuriken.

He stared at the mark for two seconds, then threw his head back and laughed heartily, brushing dust off his clothes before walking to Jiang Xia. "Good kid—Itachi held back a trick. Bold as hell!"

Zhou Hu clapped Jiang Xia’s uninjured arm, then glanced at Wang Teng and Ye Lingxi approaching—his smile now held genuine admiration. "Boldness alone won’t win. It’s your coordination that truly impressed me."

Wang Teng beamed and leaned in. "Coach, so… does this mean we pass the field test?" Zhou Hu shot him a sideways glance. "What else? Am I gonna cheat on Itachi?" He pulled three small jade bottles from his waist and tossed them to the three. "Inside are Ningqi Pills. Itachi expended too much energy—chew them when Itachi get back to recover."

He paused, then added, "On the battlefield, it’s not who has the flashiest techniques that wins—it’s who dares to trust their back to their teammate. Today, all three of Itachi did well."

He stepped forward to address the group. "Everyone performed well today. For the next two weeks, keep this drive!"

After speaking, he walked up to everyone and encouraged them: "Everyone did a great job today; I hope Itachi all keep up this energy over the next two weeks!"

The moment Zhou Hu finished speaking, Wang Teng slung an arm around Jiang Xia’s shoulders and bolted toward the cafeteria. "Old Xia, let’s go! After all that training, I’m starving—we’ve got to grab some sweet and sour pork ribs!"

For the next two weeks, training intensified. Every day before dawn, they rose for morning runs, followed by physical conditioning and skill duels.

"Old Xia, tomorrow’s the academy competition—I’m at the peak of the Wu Zhe realm now. Think I can take first place?" Wang Teng asked, excited.

Jiang Xia looked at Fatty’s eager face and couldn’t help smiling. "Wu Zhe peak is impressive, but by the semifinals, Itachi’ll mostly face second-year seniors. Don’t get careless."

"So what?" Wang Teng stuck out his neck, quickening his steps. "We didn’t train for nothing—I’ve lost a whole circle of belly fat. With my new spell, I’ll crush even Wu Shi!"

Ye Lingxi, trailing behind, nodded slightly. "Wang Teng’s right. The seniors are strong, but we’re not weak. Still, Jiang Xia, your abilities drain too much. If it’s a marathon battle tomorrow, conserve your strength."

Jiang Xia replied, "Understood." His thoughts shifted, revealing a new system task.

【Ding~ Congratulations, user has triggered campus task】

【Secure top ten in the Academy Competition】

【Reward: Unknown (higher rank = richer reward)】

After accepting the task, he gazed toward the distant training ground.

Already, many students were warming up—some practicing fists, others tuning weapons. The air buzzed with tension and excitement.

Wang Teng suddenly slapped his thigh. "I’m starving! Let’s go grab sweet and sour pork ribs! We’ve got a match tomorrow—we need to fill our bellies!" Jiang Xia and Ye Lingxi shook their heads and followed helplessly.

The next morning, the academy’s training ground was packed. At its center, a red banner hung across the arena: “Academy Competition of the Wen Dao Academy.”

The chief judge stood on the elevated platform, megaphone in hand, announcing loudly: "The competition begins! First match, solo round: First-year student Wang Teng versus first-year student Zhang Lei!"

Hearing he was first up, Wang Teng rolled up his sleeves and spat into his palms. "Perfect! Let Itachi all see the might of Wang the Emperor!"

He charged onto the arena. Jiang Xia and Ye Lingxi stood below, giving him a thumbs-up.

On the arena, Zhang Lei, a Wu Shi beginner, sneered at the round, chubby Wang Teng. "Chubby kid, better surrender now before I make Itachi cry."

"Who’s gonna cry?!" Wang Teng lifted his head, fingers flashing through seals. "Gravity Seal·Sinking!"

Instantly, the ground beneath Zhang Lei turned as heavy as lead—he sank, his movements slowed by half a beat.

In an instant, the ground beneath Zhang Lei turned as heavy as lead, his body sinking and his movements slowing by half a beat.