Xiao Wu, I Gave You Chances, but You Were Useless

At six years old, he was already level twelve. His Innate Soul Power had to be at least level nine, right? Xiao Chenyu was deeply shaken. Every year, Spirit Hall deacons usually went to the villages to awaken the children's Martial Souls three months before the Primary Soul Master Academy opened. During that time, it was not difficult for someone with high talent to raise their Soul Power by one level. If the Soul Ring they absorbed happened to be close to the optimal age limit, gaining two levels was entirely possible.

This child named A'man only had level three Innate Soul Power. His aptitude could only be considered average. His great strength came from a Martial Soul Mutation, so at most, he could be called naturally gifted. But this Xiao Wu was truly outstanding. Having confirmed it with his own eyes, he knew she was someone he absolutely could not provoke.

With Innate Soul Power that high, he would not believe she did not come from a major family.

Pushing aside his underlings, Xiao Chenyu quickly bent forward slightly and said politely, "Big Sister Xiao Wu, I concede. Since you're A'man's Big Sister, and I lost to A'man, then from now on, you'll be the Big Sister of our Nuoding Academy."

After saying that, he waved to those behind him.

"Everyone, pay your respects to Big Sister Xiao Wu!"

"Greetings, Big Sister Xiao Wu." Upon hearing this, the underlings all bowed in unison.

Why did this feel like some kind of gang? Lin Manshan stared blankly, though he was quite satisfied with the situation. To conceal his strength, he had only defeated Xiao Chenyu through tricks before. If that kid remained dissatisfied and challenged him to another Soul Dueling Match later, it would be troublesome.

With Xiao Wu helping him keep things under control, he could go to the Blacksmith Shop in the afternoons and work in peace.

"Easy, easy." Xiao Wu clearly enjoyed the feeling. After looking over her newly acquired underlings, she waved Xiao Chenyu and the others away. Then she turned to Lin Manshan, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a grin, "A'man, you did well."

You're really getting addicted to being the boss. Lin Manshan was speechless inside, but he only gave a foolish grin. "It was nothing."

"A'man, hurry and tell us. What happened just now?" Wang Sheng quickly asked from the side.

The group talked as they walked and soon returned to the Dormitory.

When they pushed open the door, Tang San was lying sideways on his bed, sleeping soundly.

No one disturbed him. They each jogged lightly back to their beds, sat cross-legged, and prepared to cultivate their Soul Power.

Cultivating after dark was practically a tradition on Douluo Continent.

Only Xiao Wu seemed to have no intention of cultivating. She bounced back to her bed and lay directly across the dividing line between their connected beds. Facing Tang San's face, she examined him carefully before suddenly calling out, "Hey."

Tang San woke up at once and opened his eyes.

"It's not even night yet. You're already sleeping? Will you still be able to sleep tonight?" Xiao Wu asked with a smile.

"You've crossed the line." Tang San sat up and pointed at the boundary.

"..."

The two of them immediately began chatting idly.

After Tang San finished eating his coarse dinner cake, Xiao Wu immediately grabbed his arm and said she wanted to go out for a walk together.

Unable to withstand her urging, Tang San nodded and followed Xiao Wu out of the Dormitory.

At that moment, Lin Manshan slowly opened his eyes and fell into thought.

He knew Xiao Wu had taken Tang San out to spar, but he felt it was not that simple.

Ever since she had fought Tang San when she first arrived at the Dormitory and learned that he possessed Innate Full Soul Power, Xiao Wu seemed to have been actively sticking close to him. First, there had been the bedding issue. It had still been noon then, and Xiao Wu could easily have borrowed money from a Dormmate and bought herself a new set outside, just as he had. Yet she had still taken the initiative to suggest sharing a bed and bedding with Tang San, urging him repeatedly.

She had even said something like, "Are you afraid I'll force myself on you?"

And now, she had actively woken Tang San and invited him out to spar.

Could she be doing it deliberately? Was her goal to confirm Tang San's strength again? Lin Manshan could not help considering a possibility. After Spirit Beasts chose to cultivate anew, they had to go through a period of growth from infancy to maturity. Xiao Wu was currently in her infancy, undoubtedly her weakest stage. To get through that period, besides working hard to increase her own strength, finding a powerful companion to protect her was undoubtedly the best choice.

And finding one among commoners would be the safest.

No high-level Spirit Masters to see through her identity, and she would still have freedom.

Tang San possessed Innate Full Soul Power. Whether in talent or strength, he was undoubtedly the strongest peer Xiao Wu could currently find. By following him, she would have someone to compare herself against. Not only could he act as a shield to conceal her own talent and reduce her presence, but she could also use him to integrate into and learn about the human world.

"So Xiao Wu has been pretending to be innocent?"

Lin Manshan rubbed his chin. "After all, she's in the human world."

But did that Silly Rabbit really have the brains for it?

Lin Manshan began to doubt it again.

Spirit Beasts chose to cultivate anew to fight for a slim chance at survival. Xiao Wu even carried the grudge of her mother's murder, yet after coming to the human world, she had not cultivated properly at all. Although the cultivation within her body could be converted, cultivating diligently would at least speed up that conversion. At the same time, she could absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy through her Martial Soul and convert it into Soul Power, could she not? With such an advantageous foundation for cultivation, why was she not making proper use of it? What had she come here for?

All she did was cling to Tang San, flirt with him, act cute, and play coy. Later, she obtained the Lovesick Heartbreak Red but did not eat it, which caused it to fall during the Soul Master Competition and expose her identity. If she had eaten it, not only would her strength have increased, but perhaps she could have inherited the Immortal Herb's concealing properties. Would all that have happened afterward?

Damn it, I gave you chances, but you were useless!

This Silly Rabbit truly left Lin Manshan unable to understand her. He shook his head slightly and stopped making wild guesses. Whether Xiao Wu was pretending to be innocent or not had nothing to do with him anyway.

He closed his eyes and continued cultivating.

The next morning was the opening ceremony.

That afternoon, since he did not need to clean the garden, Lin Manshan went straight to the Blacksmith Shop to work.

Near evening, he took a bath in the Blacksmith Shop's inner room and was kept by Tie Shan for dinner before finally returning to the academy.

Seeing Lin Manshan enter the Dormitory, Wang Sheng asked with a puzzled look, "A'man, what did you do this afternoon?"

"I went to work." Lin Manshan said with a smile, "Xiao San's dad is a Blacksmith in our village. He's tall and sturdy, and his arms are thicker than my thighs. You can tell at a glance that he's very strong. My Martial Soul is a Firewood Chopper, and it feels like using it takes a lot of strength, just like chopping firewood or felling trees. It's labor-intensive work. So I thought I'd become a Blacksmith to train my body. I'm an apprentice now."

"A'man, you're pretty clever. You actually thought of that." Xiao Wu, who had been lying on the bed, suddenly sat upright and nodded repeatedly as she stared at him. "Still, your strength really is impressive. You're well suited for this job."

"I think so too." Wang Sheng nodded in agreement.

"A'man, work hard. Once you get paid, buy me something tasty." Xiao Wu said with a smile.

"Okay." Lin Manshan nodded, walked back to his bed, and began cultivating his Soul Power.

He ran in the mornings to warm up and train, attended class in the morning, worked at the Blacksmith Shop in the afternoon, cultivated Soul Power as his main focus at night, and trained his Soul Power as a secondary focus. Although his Physical Strength grew slowly, Lin Manshan still spent a small portion of every night cultivating Soul Power, keeping his body constantly full of energy.

Several days passed like this.

Until Tang San returned.