Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 279: Challenging the Teachers

With a hint of resignation, Zhang Haoxuan turned his head to look at Tang San, who stepped forward and said, "The five of us, with brother Du Bai not directly participating in the battle, challenge Teacher Guan, Teacher Mu, and Teacher Yu. All three of you are formidable opponents. If we win, does that mean we qualify to compete?"

Guan Longjiang laughed incredulously. "You want to challenge us?"

Tang San nodded.

It would be four against three, but all three were teachers. Guan Longjiang had recently advanced to the ninth order, Mu Enqing was at the peak of the eighth order, and Mu Yunyu was in the mid-eighth order. Although they couldn't compare to Si Ru or Zhang Haoxuan, all three teachers were seasoned fighters.

"It seems life never slapped you down, I guess! Fine then, challenge accepted!" Guan Longjiang agreed without hesitation, filled with righteous indignation. He failed to notice the amused smile playing at the corners of Zhang Haoxuan's mouth.

Judging the strength of Tang San and his companions seemed straightforward to him.

Wu Bingji was naturally the strongest among them. His eighth-order strength was not weak, already on par with a teacher's. However, his time at the eighth order was relatively short, and compared to the experienced teachers, he was likely inferior in all aspects.

Cheng Zicheng and Gu Li had grown stronger, but Gu Li was still at the sixth order, and Cheng Zicheng at the seventh. Although their Demonic God Transformations were incredibly powerful, the gap in cultivation was significant.

As for Tang San, he was also at the seventh order, not yet having reached the eighth.

Guan Longjiang alone could quickly deal with these youngsters, so having Mu Enqing and Mu Yunyu fight together with him seemed overkill. How could Tang San and his companions stand a chance?

"Teacher, we'll discuss our tactics now. Is that okay?" Tang San smiled.

"Alright." Guan Longjiang's anger hadn't subsided. He turned and walked toward Zhang Haoxuan, whispering something to him. Seeing his angry face and the occasional glances cast his way. Tang San understood it was not praise, but most likely criticism directed at him.

Tang San told Wu Bingji, "Senior brother, could you please bring back sister Zicheng and brother Gu Li, tell them about the situation, and get them to work with us?"

Wu Bingji laughed. "There’s no way they’ll say no. We've all been feeling pent-up lately. It's been long since we've been out or had a real battle. Everyone feels like they've made significant progress but they had no opportunity to test their skills. This is perfect. If you're confident, so are we."

Tang San smiled and nodded, and Wu Bingji quickly left to do as asked.

Du Bai looked dejected. "So, I'm not participating?"

Tang San chuckled. "You're just not entering the fray. When did I say you couldn't participate? Do you need to be on the field to use your luck? Can't you use it before the battle?"

"Right!" Du Bai's eyes lit up, his face instantly showing excitement. "But what about later, in the arena fights? If I don't enter the battle, I won't get a noble title."

"By then, of course, you'll enter the battle. I'll tell you what to do later. Trust me, you’ll play a big part," Tang San said.

"It's decided then! You're always the best to me," Du Bai spread his arms for a hug, only to be pushed away by Tang San.

It didn't take long for Wu Bingji to bring back Gu Li and Cheng Zicheng. They were already on their way back and happened to meet on the mountain path.

Seeing the excitement in Cheng Zicheng and Gu Li's eyes, Tang San understood he didn't need to persuade them further.

"How are we going to fight?" Cheng Zicheng said eagerly, rubbing her hands together.

"We four against the three teachers should stand a good chance. Senior brother, you know Teacher Guan the best. Can you handle him?" Tang San asked.

Wu Bingji nodded. "It should be possible for me to hold him back. For a short time, definitely no problem. However, now that he’s at the ninth order, he's much stronger than me in terms of bloodline power, so there’s no way I can win."

"It won't take long for us to come to your aid. Brother Gu, you're responsible for facing Teacher Mu. Use the Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique and your Chrono Croc Transformation to hold him off for at least fifteen seconds. Do you have confidence?"

Gu Li responded without hesitation, "I'm able to do thirty-six strikes of the Chaotic Wind Hammer, and my Chrono Croc Transformation can now both pause time and accelerate it. Do you need to ask if I'm confident? Hehehe. I'll give the teacher a surprise."

Tang San turned to Cheng Zicheng, "Sister Zicheng, you take the air. I'll take the front. Within ten seconds, we'll take down Teacher Yu. Then assist brother Gu, and finally, support brother Bingji."

"Okay," Cheng Zicheng agreed, smiling.

Seeing their spirits so high, Tang San couldn't help but chuckle.

He stepped forward from the group to Guan Longjiang. "Teacher Guan, we're ready. We can start at any time."

"Hmm." Guan Longjiang glared at him, then turned to look at Zhang Haoxuan, who appeared utterly unfazed.

"Come on, let’s do it."

Soon, in the courtyard of the Redemption Academy, both sides took their positions.

On one side were the four led by Tang San, and on the other, the three teachers: Guan Longjiang, Mu Enqing, and Mu Yunyu.

Above Du Bai's head, the white phantom of the Celestial Fox shimmered, its two tails becoming more substantial. Four beams of white light fell directly onto Tang San and his teammates, and Du Bai chuckled as he stepped aside. Luck was with them!

Guan Longjiang merely glanced at him but said nothing. After all, as a teacher, he had his dignity to maintain.

All the students of Redemption Academy were watching, especially the ones who had recently enrolled, their faces full of curiosity.

Are students challenging teachers? Are the seniors really that powerful?

Si Ru stood next to Zhang Haoxuan, asking in a low voice, "How do you see this match going?"

"No chance," Zhang Haoxuan sighed softly.

Si Ru was startled. "Then why did you let them... no, wait, are you talking about the kids or the teachers?!"

Zhang Haoxuan smiled slightly. "I’m talking about whoever you’ll witness getting slapped down by life in about a minute."

"Are you that confident?" Si Ru understood what the mayor meant, but that only made him more surprised.

Zhang Haoxuan remained silent, smiling, but he thought to himself that if Tang San did not conceal his abilities, perhaps he alone could...

This was also why he had no objections to Tang San participating in the beast arena competitions. He had seen too much wonder in this young man, and yet even he only had a vague idea of Tang San's strength. At the very least, in terms of spiritual power, Tang San was likely above him, even though he was at the very peak of the ninth order.

"What a pity..." Si Ru couldn't help but laugh. It was unfortunate that he was at the god level; otherwise, even he felt the urge to join the fray and test himself.

"Ready!" Zhang Haoxuan shouted. He was the one acting as a referee. With him and Si Ru by their side, there was no need to fear any mishaps during the fight.

Almost simultaneously, both sides unleashed their Demonic God Transformations.

A blue light surrounded Tang San, but his body did not significantly change.

Wu Bingji, however, was enveloped in white light with rising ice fog. His eyes had turned entirely ice-blue, and his body floated off the ground as if carried by the ice fog; this was his Ice Nymph Transformation.

Cheng Zicheng blew a clear whistle, and golden wings suddenly unfolded behind her. Her eyes sparkled with golden light, and her entire being instantly emanated a sharp aura. The Golden Roc Transformation!

Gu Li's transformation was the most dramatic; his stature instantly became more robust, covered in thick scales, and a long tail whipped the air behind him. The space around him was visibly distorted, as if he was in the middle of a mirage. It was the Chrono Croc Transformation!

The three teachers on the opposite side also transformed.