Victory

On the training ground, Xiao Tianyang rolled his neck and flexed his wrists, a faint smile in his eyes. "Little San, you and Xiao Wu had better coordinate properly. Otherwise, if you get hurt later, Brother Tianyang won't be held responsible."

For some reason, Tang San, who was not even afraid of death, actually felt a trace of pressure from Xiao Tianyang.

"Little San, don't be afraid. The two of us are joining forces—are we really afraid of him?"

Xiao Wu was bold and skilled, and she began encouraging Tang San.

"Enough. Let's begin. End this quickly; I still have things to take care of."

Xiao Tianyang added, "And if you still don't make a move, don't blame me for striking first."

"Xiao Wu, take the lead. I'll support you from the side. Remember one thing: don't get too close to Brother Tianyang!"

After saying that, Tang San offered no further explanation and charged forward.

He truly feared that Xiao Tianyang would attack first. If that happened, they probably would not have even the slightest chance!

Tang San was incredibly fast. Although he had yet to truly master Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track with this body, it had still greatly improved his speed.

"Don't get too close to me? Is that enough?"

Xiao Tianyang smiled and closed in, waiting for Tang San's hands to strike. How could someone as familiar with Tang San as he was fall for it?

He lowered his body, his leg skimming the ground as it swept outward. Not only did he evade the grab, but he also made Tang San miss entirely, leaving his lower body wide open!

"Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon is rather troublesome."

Tang San was tripped, his body tilting to one side as he fell toward the ground.

However, after fighting Xiao Tianyang for several months, he had gained considerable experience. Knowing what move would come next, Tang San slapped one hand against the ground and flipped sideways, narrowly avoiding Xiao Tianyang's incoming punch.

"Brother Tianyang, don't forget about me!"

A voice rang out behind Xiao Tianyang, but all it earned was his soft laugh. "Don't worry, I won't."

Xiao Wu excelled at Soft Skills. Despite Tang San's warning, it was impossible for her not to engage Xiao Tianyang at close range.

That was why Xiao Tianyang had never taken Xiao Wu seriously from the very beginning.

When her small hands wrapped around Xiao Tianyang's arm, his entire body trembled, and his Internal Energy burst outward. Even Little San's hidden weapons could not harm his Body Protection Qi—how could Xiao Wu's Soft Skills possibly do so?

Bang!

Xiao Wu was sent flying, her face filled with shock. Yet at that very moment, Xiao Tianyang half-turned, shot out his right hand, and caught Xiao Wu by the ankle, a smile appearing on his face.

Before Tang San could come to her aid, Xiao Wu cried out as Xiao Tianyang swung her around like a sandbag.

Of course, he knew his limits and would not smash her into the ground. But if he wanted to defeat these two stubborn mules, he had to make them see no hope of victory!

With that thought, Xiao Tianyang flung her toward Tang San.

"Little San, catch me!"

Unable to find anything to push off against in mid-air, Xiao Wu could only flail her limbs helplessly, looking somewhat adorable.

Tang San could neither refuse to save her nor evade her himself, so he could only sigh inwardly.

Sure enough, the moment he caught Xiao Wu, Xiao Tianyang bent his left leg slightly and drew his right arm inward. After tracing a semicircle with his palm, he pushed it forward with a howling gust of wind, accompanied by the faint sound of a dragon's low roar.

Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, First Form: Arrogant Dragon Regrets!

Left with no choice, Tang San tossed Xiao Wu into the air while crossing his arms before his chest.

Naturally, Xiao Tianyang could not concentrate the full force of that palm strike at one point. Thus, Tang San merely stumbled back several steps without suffering any injury.

"What was that? It didn't look like much..."

Xiao Wu had already prepared herself when Tang San moved, so when she saw the result from mid-air, she could not help muttering that.

Before she could finish, however, Xiao Wu saw Xiao Tianyang draw a circle with his left hand. Using the same stance as before, he reversed it and struck out with another palm!

This time, Tang San did not merely retreat several steps—he was slapped straight onto the ground.

At the same time, Xiao Tianyang vanished from where he stood, leaped into the air, and struck down with a palm toward Xiao Wu in mid-air!

Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, Second Form: Flying Dragon in the Sky!

Hearing the palm wind draw closer and feeling the crushing pressure rushing toward her, Xiao Wu could only close her eyes and wait to be hit.

Yet all she felt was a light tap on her forehead, followed by Xiao Tianyang's mutter.

"What a hassle. I even have to hold back when fighting..."

Before she could think any further, Xiao Wu fell with a thud onto Tang San, making him let out a muffled groan.

When Xiao Tianyang landed, he received a System Prompt.

"Congratulations, Host, for completing the Side Quest, [The Three-Five Combination]!"

"Reward obtained: Lottery Points ×7!"

Xiao Tianyang looked utterly relaxed, while Tang Seng on the other side was in some pain as he pushed the girl on top of him.

"Xiao Wu, could you get up first?"

Xiao Wu, who had been staring in disbelief, finally came back to her senses. She hurriedly stood up and pulled Tang San to his feet before looking at Xiao Tianyang. "Brother Tianyang, how much strength did you use just now?"

"Less than sixty percent, I'd say."

Xiao Tianyang clapped his hands, A Trace Of a smile lingering on his face throughout.

"Is that so?"

Xiao Wu looked somewhat suspicious.

For some reason, guided by instinct, Xiao Wu always felt that Xiao Tianyang was hiding something.

"Brother Tianyang, I Did Not Expect you to have become this strong already."

Tang San climbed up from the ground. He was not injured, merely somewhat sore from being smashed by Xiao Wu.

"Now that I think about it, it's been nearly a month since we last sparred before coming here."

After thinking back, Xiao Tianyang nodded.

"But..."

Tang San hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "But Brother Tianyang, have you really decided to go to the Soul Hunting Forest alone?"

"You're still worried about that?"

Xiao Tianyang stepped forward and patted Tang San's shoulder. "Don't worry. Even Master Su couldn't do anything to me, let alone those puny Soul Beasts. You should worry more about yourself."

"My teacher is helping me. We've already decided to set off the day after tomorrow to obtain my First Soul Ring."

Tang San was still somewhat uneasy. "How about Brother Tianyang comes with us? At least we can look out for each other."

"There's really no need."

Xiao Tianyang suddenly remembered something and said, "Bubu is still outside the academy. Little San, I'll be leaving first!"

Tang San called out to him several times, but only received a farewell wave from Xiao Tianyang, leaving him somewhat dejected.

This alone showed that Tang San truly cared about Xiao Tianyang. Otherwise, given his usual way of handling things, how could he be so nagging?

At that moment, Xiao Wu stepped forward as well and carefully asked, "Brother Tianyang really wants to go to the Soul Hunting Forest alone to obtain his First Soul Ring? It's dangerous."

"I know, but I'm afraid this is his final decision—the kind no one can change."

Tang San nodded and sighed again. "Brother Tianyang has always been like this. Ever since he untied that knot in his heart, he's become far too stubborn."

That was right. Xiao Tianyang's way of doing things gave Tang San the impression that he was simply too determined to prove himself!

It seemed as though Xiao Tianyang's words from back then were still ringing in his ears...

'Little San, I want to become stronger. I hate the feeling of being weak!'