Chapter 483: Eating Grapes Without Peeling

"Yes, Shifu... I mean, Captain!" Xiao Bang was momentarily distracted but quickly corrected himself.

He nearly misspoke. Shifu probably doesn’t want to humiliate Hei Wukai. After all, for someone as self-assured as Hei Wukai, losing cuts both ways—it could push him to grow, but it might also... As for the outcome, there's no doubt about it. Though Hei Wukai is indeed a genius who even impressed Xiao Bang, they have no clue just who they’re dealing with.

Sigh. Shifu shoulders the world’s burdens yet still stoops to humor them. It's truly not easy.

Hei Wukai, however, just smiled. "Fanteksi."

Fanteksi blinked, answering reflexively. He was a little surprised—he hadn’t expected Old Hei to pick him first.

Compared to Old Wang choosing Xiao Bang, this was actually the most normal choice in everyone’s eyes. Xiao Bang and Gule were undoubtedly strong, among the top in the Ghost Level Class, but no matter how you spin it, ghost-level fighters have the advantage. Skipping two of the four ghost-level captains—what’s the logic there? As for choosing between Fanteksi and Winnie... well, that was a matter of personal preference.

Hearing Hei Wukai pick Fanteksi, Winnie also breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t that she disliked Old Hei, but when they’d trained the Old Wang Squad before, their personalities just didn’t mesh. Old Hei was solid otherwise, but he lacked Wang Feng’s silver tongue—simply put, they didn’t speak the same language!

Her spirits lifted, eyes locked onto Wang Feng with fiery intensity: *Pick me, pick me!*

But to her shock, Wang Feng didn’t hesitate before calling out, "Gule."

Winnie froze, her eyes instantly flashing with murderous intent. If glares were lethal, Old Wang would’ve been a goner ten times over.

*Am I being rejected? Did I just get passed over?!*

"Going easy on me?" Hei Wukai chuckled. "That’s giving me an advantage. Don’t regret it later."

To be honest, when it came to fundamentals, combat talent, experience, and all other aspects, Xiao Bang and Gule clearly surpassed Winnie and Fanteksi. In the week since the Ghost Level Class had started, the four had sparred and tested each other. On the surface, Xiao Bang and Gule seemed to hold a slight edge. But Winnie and Fanteksi were, after all, ghost-level fighters. In a real fight, they could absolutely outlast Xiao Bang and Gule.

Bottom line: overcoming a tier gap was near-impossible.

Of course, the outcome didn’t just depend on the four captains. After all, this wasn’t a one-on-one duel—it was a match between four teams. If you looked at the main forces on each side, most of the elite fighters from Ice Spirit and Fire God Mountain were concentrated under Xiao Bang and Gule. Meanwhile, Fanteksi and Winnie led a combined force of Rose and Dark Demon Island... In terms of top-tier fighters, the two sides were evenly matched. But with Winnie and Fanteksi in the mix, it seemed Wang Feng was at a serious disadvantage.

But this was Old Wang—who’d bet against him?

"Wang Feng! You’re dead, I’m telling you!" Winnie finally snapped out of her daze, gnashing her teeth. "Dare to add another bet?"

"You challenging me too?"

"As if!" Winnie fumed. "Loser does the winner’s laundry for a month! Mapeier, you can’t help!"

"Deal!" Old Wang laughed, smacking his palms. "You’re on!"

………………

As the Ghost Level Class’s rivalry heated up, the Holy City wasn’t idle either...

The Saint and Wang Feng’s one-year showdown had already shaken the entire Holy Sanctuary and even the entire League of Blades.

If it were anyone else, people would be scrambling to figure out just how much weight Wang Feng’s boldness carried. But Saint Roy had no intention of doing so. He didn’t even push forward with the traps he’d originally set for Wang Feng.

Roy knew better than anyone—while Wang Feng’s defiance had put Rose in a tough spot, his fearless integrity had won over the entire League of Blades. There were no secrets that could stay hidden forever. If the Holy City resorted to underhanded tactics now, no matter the final outcome, it would mean the Holy City had already lost.

Moreover, how many years had it been since a Holy Sanctuary dared to stand up to the Holy City like this? Since a disciple had the audacity to challenge him, the League of Blades’ favored son?

A thrill shot through Roy—a rarity—excitement over the unknown source of Wang Feng’s confidence. Being Saint in peacetime, though he held the title and enjoyed its prestige, his position wasn’t entirely secure.

The council elders paid him lip service, but the Saint was still just the Saint. Until he officially took power, he could be replaced at any moment. Forget external threats like Rose—even in the Roy clan, his brothers were no slouches, posing no small threat...

A curl of incense rose from an ornate wooden table. Roy meditated, eyes shut, drinking in the fragrance. The incense soothed him, sharpening his focus and grounding him.

There were two soft knocks on the door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and eight people filed in single file. Their outfits differed, but each wore a silver dragon emblem on their chest.

Leading the group was the Battle Demon Mu Xi in silver armor, followed by the Thousand-Faced Fox Aerna, the Red Spider Yan Ruoyu... These were clearly members of the Dragon Group, and its core members.

Ever since the first Holy Lord founded the Dragon Group, it had always been led by the Saint. Beyond the nominal goal of "cultivating Dragon Level candidates," the true significance of the Dragon Group was to accompany the Saint's growth... This wasn't just about training a few experts—it was about shaping the future power structure of the entire Holy City. One could imagine that once the Saint inherited the Holy Lord's position, how much trust would be given to these Dragon Group members—who had grown, learned, and understood each other inside out.

In essence, the Dragon Group was the future Holy City, and its members were naturally the Saint's most trusted confidants.

Now, with external threats from Rose and internal ambitions from his own brothers, the best and quickest way for Saint Roy to consolidate his position was to achieve merit. The Rose incident was a provocation to the Holy City, but couldn't it also be seen as a stepping stone handed to Roy on a silver platter?

Geniuses? Powerhouses? The Holy City was never short of them, and the Dragon Group even less so!

Roy glanced indifferently at the end of the line, where Ye Dun should have been. But it seemed the guy's injuries hadn't fully healed yet... Never mind. To the Dragon Group, he wasn't irreplaceable—even if he had already reached ghost level.

"Your Highness," the eight knelt on one knee before Roy in unison, their expressions devout.

"You're all aware of the matter regarding Rose's Wang Feng."

"Yes!"

"For the duel a year from now, five of you will be selected. For this year, drop all other responsibilities. Focus on training and preparation—analyze every strong fighter in Rose's Ghost Level Class thoroughly." Roy smiled faintly. "Not a single loss is permitted in next year's duel. No excuses, no reasons. If anyone loses, don't blame me for disregarding years of camaraderie. Expulsion from the Dragon Group will be just the start of their punishment—their family will be barred from setting foot in the Holy City for thirty years!"

As he spoke, his gaze drifted deliberately toward the bowing Yan Ruoyu.

This was an outstanding individual, even within the Dragon Group, and one of Roy's favorites.

Previously, at Karida's invitation, he had been sent to Rose. On the surface, he completed Karida's request to the Holy City, resolving the issue with Long Luo. At the same time, without raising any suspicion, he also gathered all the intelligence Roy had tasked him with—without alerting anyone in Rose, including the sharp-eyed Karida and Thunder Dragon.

Admittedly, Roy was extremely fond of him. His only flaw was that his heart wasn't ruthless enough... Sometimes, he showed unwarranted softness. Last time, he had even spoken up for Wang Feng in front of Roy, earning himself a scolding. Who knew if he still remembered those meaningless connections with his former Rose teachers and classmates...

Fortunately, Yan Ruoyu's reaction didn't disappoint the Saint.

Without hesitation, eight voices responded as one: "Yes!"

Mapeier was the Red Spider, and he had the Spider King—who would prove superior?

...

The detailed rules for the four-team PK in the Ghost Level Class were quickly finalized through group discussion.

Other than Old Wang's initial ideas, everyone contributed additional suggestions. For example, "Other than the team captains, no one else can participate in the same match within a month." After all, the purpose of the competition was for everyone to improve together, not just to concentrate resources on a few key players. With four matches in a month—one per week—each mainstay could only participate once, requiring the whole team to work together the rest of the time. Getting everyone involved was Old Wang's goal.

With the new team division and reward-punishment system announced, the previously chaotic Ghost Level Class quickly fell into order. At the same time, the competitive atmosphere within the class gradually intensified without anyone noticing.

Everyone had been here for over a week now, consuming plenty of potions and using the Soul Refining Array frequently... Both of these had the most noticeable effects early on. The visible progress in cultivation had everyone utterly obsessed. According to the rules, the losing team would have to forfeit half their potions and half their Soul Refining Array usage for the next week—who could tolerate that? Naturally, they'd give their all not to lose!

On the day the team division rules were announced, the four captains drew matchups in front of everyone. The competition wasn't meant to torment everyone or rely on luck. Drawing early and knowing their opponents in advance allowed for more targeted training, ensuring they could show their true capabilities when the time came.

The draw results: Team Xiao Bang vs. Team Winnie, Team Gule vs. Team Fan Texi.

The moment the pairings were revealed, beneath the surface harmony, tensions were rising between the teams.

Previously, aside from regular classes like rune introduction, ghost-level lectures, meditation classes, potions, and the Soul Refining Array, the students' favorite activity had been crowding around the elite fighters like Hei Wukai, Xiao Bang, Gule, and Winnie to seek advice on soul cultivation. But now, theory seemed temporarily set aside, replaced by a noticeable increase in sparring between teams.

The meditation class had just ended, and already, many disciples had formed circles in the large hall to spar. Within minutes, seven or eight matches were underway, surrounded by eager spectators.

Old Wang was lounging on the left side of the hall. Teaching wasn’t his job—Li Sitan handled the rune classes, and Hei Wukai took care of the ghost-level lectures. As the nominal class monitor, he acted more like a supervisor, sitting on a long bench with his legs crossed, claiming to keep an eye on any slacking students... But honestly, who in the Ghost-Level Class wasn’t already pumped up, eager to break through as soon as possible? With the new competition rules announced, everyone was too busy pushing themselves to slack off. There was no need for him to monitor anything.

Lounging in the sun, snacking on grapes, sipping tea—with the Ghost-Level Class’s steward, Mapeier, gently massaging his shoulders—he looked every bit the pampered noble. If not for the fact that this was his usual demeanor, and more importantly... if not for the fact that no one could beat him, everyone would’ve loved to punch him right then and there.

This class monitor seemed to exist solely to annoy everyone!

Most found the sight unbearable—except for Xiao Bang. *To train our focus and willpower, Master is truly going to great lengths!*

Even Hei Wukai, who rarely paid attention, watched for a while. These Tiger Peak disciples were elites of the Holy Sanctuary, but in Old Hei’s eyes, their fights were still somewhat hard to watch. Normally, he wouldn’t bother watching, but now, to win his bet with Old Wang and secure that long-awaited duel, he was putting in the effort.

To win, one had to know both the enemy and oneself. Assessing the strengths of Xiao Bang’s and Gule’s teams was the real priority.

The sparring pairs in the hall at least looked somewhat decent—far better than when he’d helped Old Wang train rookies like Fan Te Xi.

Among the four assigned teams, the core members were roughly equal in strength. However, among the four captains, Winnie and Fan Te Xi had the advantage of their ghost-level status, giving them a higher chance of victory.

But the skill levels among the regular members were uneven. When Old Wang had divided the teams, aside from the core group, the rest were assigned purely based on assessment rankings—ensuring balanced potential. But potential wasn’t the same as actual combat ability.

Take Li Chunyang, for example—a grassroots newcomer to Rose. His talent was first-rate, but in terms of actual combat? As a Martial Artist, he couldn’t even perform the most basic Holy Body Fist from the Martial Academy properly. His assessment ranking had placed him in the middle, but in actual fights, he was undeniably the weakest on the team. Earlier, he had sparred with Patu—a guy from Rose’s Foundry Academy, hardly a combat specialist. Patu only knew a few basic fist techniques from Holy Sanctuary training, yet he had completely overwhelmed Li Chunyang. It was about as bad as it could get.

Hei Wukai had brought this up with Wang Feng yesterday. Honestly, Old Hei didn’t understand Old Wang’s logic for admitting these grassroots students. If they truly wanted to improve, in Old Hei’s view, they’d have to start from scratch—starting from the basics. Breaking through to ghost level wasn’t just about cultivating soul power; it required personal comprehension of combat, the ghost level realm, and even the nature of the world itself. Without combat skills or even basic knowledge and insight, how could they possibly achieve enlightenment?

But that would take a long time. Even if they were all geniuses, by the time of the one-year duel, these grassroots students would undoubtedly be the ones dragging the team down—the timeframe was simply too tight.

Yet Old Wang didn’t seem worried at all, just saying to let things take their course. Who knew what he was really thinking? Was there some hidden plan, or was he truly leaving it to fate? It had to be the former—this was Wang Feng, after all...

Hei Wukai glanced over at Wang Feng, only to see him opening his mouth with a soft “ah” as Mapeier popped a peeled grape inside. Old Wang chewed with relish, juice bursting in his mouth, looking utterly satisfied... Old Hei didn’t know what to say.

He genuinely seemed not to care. So why did Hei Wukai keep feeling like there was some grand scheme at play? Perhaps he’d been brainwashed by Old Wang after all... But it wasn’t something to laugh about—in this alliance, he wasn’t the only one who’d been brainwashed.

The training hall buzzed with energy, the atmosphere of progress thriving. Everything was moving in a positive direction.

When the morning training ended, everyone scattered from the hall in a hurry. Speed was key—spots in the Soul Refining Array had been first-come, first-served for over a week. If you were slow and ended up at the back of the line, you might not get a turn until the next morning.

Xiao Bang and Gule were about to leave when Old Wang called them over.

In the blink of an eye, the hall was empty except for the three of them. Old Wang’s expression turned serious, his eyes shifting between the two as if weighing something of great importance, making Xiao Bang and Gule tense up as well.

“I’ve got a big problem—something very important I need your help with.”