Chapter 482: Four Captains

The office in the Rune Institute’s Ghost Level Class zone...

Old Wang’s office had a totally different vibe from those of the principals and mentors at Rose. There were no ordinary items like desks, but plush sofas and a well-stocked liquor cabinet were standard. There was even a small kitchen inside, where Mapeier would occasionally whip up something tasty during mealtimes. It had to be said that her background as a spy made her a quick learner—after just two or three months of practice, her culinary skills were almost on par with Su Mei’er's. The occasional whiff of grease did make the office feel a bit eerie, though. It didn’t resemble an office at all; rather, it seemed like Old Wang had turned it into a luxurious dorm for himself.

At the moment, the room was packed with over a dozen people. Aside from Old Wang, Old Hei, and Mapeier, the rest were the core members of the Ghost Level Class whom Old Wang considered his inner circle.

The "Rose Four" were a given—along with the two from Darkmoon Archipelago, Mo Tong and Yin Fu, Xiao Bang and Gule, as well as Ice Spirit's Xue Zhiyu and Aota.

Xuecai had long been talked into it—well, more like dragged—into returning to Ice Spirit. On one hand, she hadn’t passed the entrance exam, and on the other, Xue Cangbai had bombarded her with five urgent letters in a row. After the Ice Bee incident, Xue Cangbai had become particularly attentive to his youngest daughter, seemingly trying to make up for past neglect. Going two or three months without seeing her had him climbing the walls...

Old Wang had been busy with school affairs recently, hardly seeing everyone twice a week. Now that they were gathered, the discussion revolved around the issues the Ghost Level Class had encountered over the past week—mostly complaints about chaotic management, unclear learning objectives, and low motivation. Old Hei had no experience with such matters, nor the patience to dwell on them. He stood by the liquor cabinet, browsing through Old Wang’s collection of fine wines, while the others bickered back and forth.

"I’ve heard all the issues," Wang Feng said with a smile after listening carefully. "I was indeed too busy before, shoving everything onto you guys—my bad. Now that Rose is back on track, today we’ll sort this out."

The moment Old Wang spoke, everyone immediately fell silent and turned their attention to him.

"Over the past few days, I’ve drafted a preliminary plan based on the actual situation. I propose dividing the hundred-member Ghost Level Class into four teams. Aside from making management easier, competition between the teams will also motivate everyone to improve."

"Competition? How?"

"Each week, every team will send five members for a randomized duel. The winners will take half of the losers’ potion quota for the following week. Additionally, each team will initially be allocated two of the eight Soul Refining Arrays. If a team loses in the duel, they must surrender one array for the winners to use."

Competition keeps things sharp. Without lions on the savanna, the weak and lame would overrun the wildebeest herds. Rose Holy Sanctuary had long talked big about reform, but from the start, Karida’s true core philosophy wasn’t just about expansion—it was about fostering competition, cultivating what she called the "wolf spirit."

The crew lit up, especially Mo Tong, who almost bounced off the couch in excitement. "This is great! Wang Feng, let me tell you—forget that last ranking crap. This time, you’ve got to let me lead a team! I guarantee my team will win every time!"

"That brings us to team leader elections," Old Wang said with a smile. "Alright, aside from Mo Tong, does anyone else want to be a team leader?"

The others traded looks but remained silent. Old Wang looked at Xue Zhiyu, who smiled and said, "I’m probably the weakest here. No one’d follow me anyway."

Aota beside her seemed eager to volunteer, but since Xue Zhiyu had declined, he reluctantly shook his head.

Old Wang then turned to de Broglie and Momosang.

Momosang stayed silent, while de Broglie chuckled. "We’ll pass. Just being part of it is enough."

They knew how people viewed Darkmoon Archipelago, and changing that perception wouldn’t happen overnight.

"Fair enough. At Rose, we don’t have as many rules as before. If booze won’t fix it, double the booze," Old Wang said with a laugh. He then glanced at Yin Fu, Kela, and Wu Di, who all studied their shoes—none of them were leadership material either.

"Since no one’s stepping up, I’ll just assign them directly," Wang Feng said.

He paused as Mapeier handed him four gleaming golden badges, each engraved with the numbers "1, 2, 3, 4"—clearly marking the team leaders. Mo Tong’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. Since he was the only one who volunteered, the first badge was surely his.

"Team One’s leader—Xiao Bang." Old Wang handed the first badge to Xiao Bang, who stood and accepted it with both hands. His strength was undeniable. Even disregarding his progress after returning from Dragon City, his feat of single-handedly slaying the Beastman Prince Obololo in Dragon City already placed him in a league of his own at the Holy Sanctuary. His reputation was also the most prominent among those present.

Mo Tong pursed his lips. Can’t knock that. Fine, three more to go!

"Team Two’s leader—Winnie Lee."

"Pfft..." Winnie accepted the badge with feigned indifference, though the glint of pride in her big eyes didn’t escape the group.

Mo Tong was stewing. Winnie hadn’t even volunteered... Whatever, she was Ghost Level. He fixed his gaze expectantly on Wang Feng’s lips as they parted again: "Team Three’s leader—Gule."

Gule wasn’t surprised. He stood and accepted the badge. Three months ago, his strength might not have ranked in the top five among the elites in this room, but the Haigray Pearl Old Wang had given him had been an immense help... Hei Wukai had even remarked that Gule was on par with Xiao Bang, making him one of the top fighters in the Ghost Level Class. Even against Ghost Level opponents like Winnie and Fan Texi, he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage.

Mo Tong was visibly tense now but still holding on. There was one last leader position left. The two from Darkmoon Archipelago and the Ice Spirit representatives had already declined. This had to be his shot, right?

"Team Four’s leader—Fan Texi."

Axi Ba stood up with a grin and took it. Achieving the Ghost Rank had made him a different person; Fantasi's current confidence was rock solid, leaving Motong beside him utterly stunned.

What the hell is going on? Is my own apprentice shitting on me now? Although this apprentice is already stronger than me... Motong had indeed challenged Fantasi to single combat these past few days, with a record of three losses and zero wins. The overwhelming ghost-level soul power aside, Fantasi’s dark entanglement technique after letting loose left him speechless, perfectly countering his straightforward style, always losing by just a little... But is winning or losing the point?

Wang Feng had clearly asked everyone to sign up just now, and he was the only one who did, yet he wasn't included? This is discrimination!

But before Motong could raise his objection, Old Wang smiled and said, "As for Motong, if you want to be a team leader, challenge them yourself. There are four team leaders; if you can beat any of them, the position is yours."

The words that were about to burst from Motong's throat instantly died in his throat, his face turning red with frustration. With his combative nature, he hadn't spared the team leaders these past few days, but he hadn't won a single time. Fantasi, despite being the weakest in practical combat among the four, couldn't really go all out during sparring sessions. Even so, Fantasi in his normal state was still too much for him to handle.

Wang Feng's words now were like a slap in the face, leaving him speechless. He puffed up in anger, damn it, how he missed the early days at Rose, when he could bully anyone he wanted. Not like now... No! He had to challenge Fantasi again; there was still a chance against him!

Old Wang didn't have time to deal with him. Mapeier handed over another stack of documents, and Old Wang added some names to it, which were the pre-assigned team lists. The current candidates for team leaders were temporarily assigned, and with a flourish of his pen, Old Wang finalized the selections: "I've tried to balance the strength of each team as much as possible. Everyone, take a look. If you have any objections to the list, we can discuss it."

Everyone passed the documents around, and it was clear that Old Wang's team assignments were based on several principles. First, Ning Zhiyuan, Patu, and the large group from Rose Holy Sanctuary were dispersed across various teams to alleviate concerns among other team members about favoritism towards those from Rose, preventing any psychological imbalance. Based on this principle, even those from Ice Spirit, Fire God Mountain, and Dragon Moon, who were closer to Old Wang, had their personnel spread out as much as possible.

In terms of the main forces, Xiao Bang's team included Ice Spirit's Xue Zhiyu, Yin Fu, Jina, and Fire God Mountain's Varaloka; Gule's team had Aota, Dongbuluo, Retsu, and Naloluo; Winnie's team had Momo Sang, Tatashi, Ice Spirit's Badeluo, and Wu Di; Fantasi's team had Kela, Motong, Debroye, and Dragon Moon's Thomas.

The strength distribution was quite balanced, except for two names marked in red that stood out.

"Clara?" Gule frowned, the name sounded familiar. Counting the names on the list, there were actually twenty-six, and this red-marked Clara seemed to be an extra.

"The princess of the Mermaid Clan, our sponsor for the Ghost Rank class. Just consider her a transfer student," Old Wang said with a smile. "She probably won't attend classes or participate in assessments."

"Su Mei'er? Old Wu's granddaughter?" Fantasi recognized the other red name on his team list, having dealt with the beastmen countless times, he and Su Mei'er were quite familiar.

"It's a favor from Old Wu," Wang Feng didn't elaborate further, only saying, "The teams are assigned, and regarding the competition rules, besides the magic potions and soul refining arrays mentioned earlier, there is another more severe punishment for the losers."

"Entering the Ghost Rank class doesn't mean you'll always be a member. From the two losing teams, the two with the worst performance will face a challenge from a regular disciple who has received the highest scholarship at Rose. If they lose, their spots in the Ghost Rank class will be taken by the challenger." Old Wang said calmly, "Survival of the fittest is a natural law and also a rule of our Ghost Rank class. Don't let them think that once they enter the Ghost Rank class, they're safe. Without effort, someone is always waiting to replace them!"

"Of course, our captains aren’t working for free. If any team can maintain a ten-win streak, or if any of you can break through to the ghost level ahead of others, I’ll personally craft a ghost-level Soul Tyrant skill tailored just for you." Wang Feng gave a mysterious smile. "An in-house bonus—take it or leave it."

Holy shit!

If this had been said before, others would’ve scoffed. But now, after the Eight Battles, Wang Feng’s prowess was undeniable—total mastery of every skill! But a ghost-level Soul Tyrant skill? Could that really be custom-made?

Xiao Bang’s eyes instantly lit up. The Divine Triangle was just a rough theory casually left by his master, yet grasping even a fraction of it had transformed him. If his master were to personally design a ghost-level Soul Tyrant skill for him, how powerful would that be?

De Broglie and Momosang locked eyes, their usual icy gazes briefly thawing. To others, Wang Feng was a genius, but to them, he was far more than that. As core disciples of Darkmoon Island, they didn’t know Wang Feng’s true identity as the Divine Envoy, but they had witnessed the reverence Island Lord, Sky Dome Elder, and Ghost Elder showed him. Call Wang Feng an ordinary Holy Sanctuary disciple? They’d sooner die than believe that!

Even someone as self-absorbed as Mo Tong couldn’t help drooling a little, while Winnie and Fatty protested, "Holy crap, that’s unfair! We’re already at the ghost level—how are we supposed to ‘break through’?"

"You’re captains, aren’t you? Aim for the ten-win streak!" Wang Feng laughed heartily, pleased with the competitive fire he’d ignited.

Just as he was about to add more, Hei Wu Kai suddenly spoke up with a grin, "Wang Feng, since the Ghost Level Class students are competing, why don’t we mentors join in too? A duel!"

The room fell silent. Wang Feng’s jaw dropped. Oh shit… This whole scheme was his excuse to laze around! If he got tangled up with a battle maniac like Hei Wu Kai, how could he rest?

Once? With something like this, once would lead to countless times!

He’d joined Rose Academy specifically for Wang Feng, but Old Wang had been dodging him like a pro—no shame at all, keeping him around to work hard without any reward. Now, he’d finally seized the chance to say it!

A duel! No backing out today!

"Wang Feng, fight him! You have to! I don’t know what kind of temper you have, but if someone challenged me like this, I wouldn’t take it lying down!" Mo Tong, shedding his earlier gloom, flushed with excitement.

After witnessing the battle at the Zenith, he knew he stood no chance against Wang Feng. But Old Hei? That was a different story! He’d known Hei Wukai since they were three, and in all that time, he’d never seen Hei Wukai lose a fight. Just seeing Old Hei pummel Wang Feng would make his year! And even if—just hypothetically—Old Hei lost and got beaten up… that’d still be satisfying!

If there was one person in the world who’d been beaten up by Hei Wukai the most, it was undoubtedly Mo Tong. If he could witness Hei Wukai getting thrashed just once in his lifetime, he’d gladly go without meat for a month. Either way, he’d be grinning ear to ear!

"Look at your sorry look," Old Wang shot him a glance. "Hoping to see me and Old Hei get their asses kicked, huh?"

Mo Tong's face turned red as he hurriedly denied it. "No, no..."

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he felt something was off. He was a real man—what was wrong with admitting he wanted to see them get thrashed? Would they actually beat him up for it? Damn it, when did the First Warrior of Mahoraga become afraid of Wang Feng?

Everyone burst into laughter. Mo Tong had practically become the group's comic relief—just a bit dense.

Old Hei had always wanted a real fight with Old Wang. Back when they were still in Blade City, he had brought it up, and everyone knew about it. But Wang Feng kept putting it off. After returning to Rose, he even used schoolwork as an excuse, claiming he was "too busy to show his face," making people wonder if he was genuinely swamped or just dodging Old Hei.

Of course, those who had witnessed the Zenith Battle wouldn’t think Wang Feng was weak—they knew his nature too well. The guy was genuinely lazy, the kind who’d rather lie down than sit, and sit than stand. He simply didn’t fight unnecessary battles. Rumor had it that back in Rose, he and Hei Wukai had once played the "thirty-second man" joke. Was it because he couldn’t win or didn’t dare? Obviously not. The time gap was only about half a year, and Wang Feng was likely already strong back then—stronger than Hei Wukai at the time, even. Yet he’d rather take the L than fight. The guy had long transcended the dick-measuring contests of youth. You had to respect that.

Sure enough, after teasing Mo Tong, Old Wang outright refused, offering a bullshit excuse with a grave tone. "Listen, Old Hei, you’re an assistant instructor now. How can you still be so fixated on fighting? Have you finished your assistant instructor duties? Do you understand each student’s individual situation? Have you written your lesson plans tailored to each student? And you still have time for sparring? What if you get injured and need time to recover? Who’s going to lead the Ghost Level Class then? Tsk tsk tsk. Right now, Rose is facing trouble inside and out. As members of Rose, we must set aside personal preferences and prioritize the bigger picture!"

When it came to bureaucratic talk, Old Wang was a master. Everyone struggled to hold back their laughter, though his smug expression made them want to punch his lights out. Winnie chimed in, "Old Wang, you can’t back down now. He’s practically looking down on you. You’re the class leader—how can you cower before the deputy?"

Fanteixi also egged him on. During the Zenith Battle, everyone had witnessed Old Wang’s bravery—except for the Old Wang Squad members, who had been knocked out and missed the whole thing. "Exactly! A fight would only take half an hour. Old Wang, no matter how important work is, you still need personal time. And you look pretty free right now!"

Xiao Bang, Yinfu, Kela, and Xue Zhiyu smiled without a word, while Gule, Aota, and the others looked intrigued—especially Momosang and de Broglie. Coming from the Dark Demon Island and having heard the elders’ and the Island Lord’s praise, they had no doubt about Wang Feng’s strength. But Hei Wukai… They were genuinely curious about the Night Sprite Prince’s power.

Seeing the crowd’s excitement, Old Wang chuckled. "Enjoying the show, huh? Why don’t you all buzz off and mind your own business? Stop egging us on."

"How is this egging us on? This is the voice of justice!" Mo Tong exclaimed passionately.

Old Wang shot him another glance. "Kids shouldn’t interrupt when adults are talking."

Hei Wukai grinned. "Alright, Old Wang, you said instructors should focus on their duties first, right? Then let’s each pick two teams to mentor. Four teams will compete anyway. If my teams win two-zero, you’ll fight me. No more excuses, Old Wang. I’ll work without pay, but you can’t withhold benefits."

With things put so bluntly, there was no escaping it. Old Wang could only laugh helplessly. "Fine, fine. But let’s schedule it for the end of the month."

The crowd buzzed with excitement at the prospect of a real fight. Hei Wukai added, "Since it was my idea, you pick the four teams first."

Old Hei was truly a real stand-up guy. Old Wang turned to the four captains. When his gaze landed on Winnie, her eyes instantly lit up like Christmas: *Pick me, pick me! Believe in me, and you’ll live forever!*

But to everyone’s surprise, Wang Feng’s eyes slid past her and settled on Xiao Bang. "Xiao Bang."

He didn’t pick the two ghost-level students? The crowd was stunned.