Sparring Practice and an "Accidental" Hug

After gaining their First Spirit Rings, the work-study students of Seventh Dormitory had all grown much more confident. But the shadow cast by Xiao Chenyu and his group still lingered. The ill-intentioned looks they occasionally sent their way reminded them that the gap remained.

Master Yu Xiaogang understood the importance of actual combat. That day, he brought Tang San, Xiao Xiaoxiao, and Xiao Wu, who stubbornly insisted on tagging along "for fun," to a secluded clearing behind the academy.

"Theoretical knowledge and proficiency with soul skills must ultimately be tested in real combat." Master stood with his hands behind his back, his expression stern. "Today, the three of you will conduct a sparring exercise. Tang San, you'll face two opponents: Xiaoxiao and Xiao Wu."

The moment Xiao Wu heard that, she excitedly jumped up. "Great! Great! I can finally beat up Little Sanzi fair and square! Xiaoxiao, let's team up!"

But Xiao Xiaoxiao's heart tightened. One against two? Though Xiao Wu had no spirit ring, her Soft Skill was incredibly formidable. Added to her own interference... could Tang San handle it? She was worried, yet she also vaguely looked forward to seeing an even stronger side of Tang San.

Tang San remained calm and nodded. "All right."

The three spread out.

"Begin!" Master ordered.

Xiao Wu charged first, darting forward as nimbly as a rabbit and pouncing straight at Tang San. "Take this!"

Tang San shifted his feet and unleashed Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, easily evading Xiao Wu's attack. At the same time, his gaze locked onto Xiao Xiaoxiao, who stood farther behind her.

Xiao Xiaoxiao took a deep breath and suppressed her distracting thoughts. This was training. It was meant to help Tang San improve. She couldn't hesitate!

"First soul skill, Mental Interference!" she shouted, and moonlight flashed in the eyes of her Phantom Moon Fox.

An invisible wave instantly swept toward Tang San.

Tang San's forward motion visibly stalled, and a fleeting daze appeared in his eyes. That brief delay was all it took!

Xiao Wu seized the chance. Her Waist Bow exerted force, and her supple body coiled around him like a spirit snake, both legs locking directly around Tang San's neck!

However, Tang San's Purple Demon Eye possessed strong resistance to Spiritual Power. In less than half a breath, his clarity returned. Facing Xiao Wu's deadly Entangling, he did not resist head-on. His Mysterious Jade Hand shot out like lightning, precisely grabbing for Xiao Wu's ankle in an attempt to break her point of leverage.

Xiao Wu reacted quickly, twisting through the air with the momentum and kicking at Tang San's face with her other foot.

The two instantly became entangled in combat, their movements so fast they dazzled the eye. Xiao Wu's Soft Skill was strange and tricky, while Tang San's Tang Sect Secret Arts were steady and precise. For a time, neither could gain the upper hand.

Xiao Xiaoxiao watched anxiously from the side. The cooldown for her Mental Interference was not short, and it consumed a considerable amount of Soul Power. She could not use it repeatedly. She tried to find another chance to interfere, but the two figures moved too quickly, and she was afraid of accidentally hitting Xiao Wu.

"Xiaoxiao! What are you spacing out for? Use your Blue Silver Grass to whip him!" Xiao Wu still found time to shout amid the fight.

Xiao Xiaoxiao: "..." Sis, I don't have Blue Silver Grass!

Gritting her teeth, she decided to take a risk and move closer in search of a better opportunity. She shifted lightly on her feet, circling the edge of the fight.

At that moment, Tang San seemed to deliberately expose an opening. He took a light kick from Xiao Wu head-on, but used the force to abruptly retreat, landing directly in Xiao Xiaoxiao's path!

At the same time, his First Spirit Ring lit up in his hand. "First soul skill, Entangling!"

But his target was not Xiao Wu. It was Xiao Xiaoxiao, who had just moved closer!

Several Blue Silver Grass vines patterned with jade-green markings burst from the ground beneath Xiao Xiaoxiao's feet without warning, instantly wrapping around her legs!

"Ah!" Xiao Xiaoxiao cried out. She had never expected Tang San to target her so suddenly. Caught completely off guard, her ankles were tightly bound, and she instantly lost her balance, pitching forward with a scream!

And Tang San, because of his retreat and the release of his soul skill, was standing directly in front of her!

Everything happened too fast!

Just as Xiao Xiaoxiao was about to fall face-first into the ground, Tang San instinctively turned and reached out to catch her—

Thud!

Xiao Xiaoxiao crashed solidly into Tang San's arms!

The impact made them both stagger. Tang San instinctively tightened his arms, steadying them both.

Time seemed to freeze.

Xiao Xiaoxiao's cheek was pressed tightly against Tang San's slightly thin yet remarkably solid chest. She could clearly hear the steady, powerful beat of his heart, while the faint scent of grass and sunlight lingered beneath her nose. Her hands had unconsciously clutched the front of his clothes.

Tang San's body seemed to stiffen for an instant, his arms still holding her in an embrace. He could feel the soft warmth of the girl in his arms and her slight tremble, along with a faint, almost imperceptible fragrance drifting from the top of her head.

They both froze.

Xiao Wu also stopped moving. Her large eyes blinked as she looked at the two hugging, her mouth forming an O.

Master coughed twice.

As though he had been burned, Tang San abruptly released her and took a step back. A faint blush rose at the tips of his ears, though he still tried to keep his tone calm. "...Sorry."

Xiao Xiaoxiao hurriedly straightened herself as well. Her cheeks were so red they seemed ready to drip blood, and her heart pounded so hard it felt ready to leap out of her throat. She did not even know where to put her hands and feet. Lowering her head, she spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz. "I-It's okay... I was the one who wasn't careful..."

The atmosphere suddenly became unbearably awkward and suggestive.

Xiao Wu looked at one, then the other, and suddenly burst into laughter. She hopped over, wrapped an arm around Xiao Xiaoxiao's shoulders, and wiggled her brows. "Oh my, sorry~ Did I interrupt you two~? Little Sanzi, now that you've hugged her, you can't go back on it!"

"Xiao Wu!" Xiao Xiaoxiao was so embarrassed she wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground. She hurriedly tried to cover Xiao Wu's mouth.

Tang San's expression also became slightly unnatural. He averted his gaze and looked at Master. "Teacher, just now..."

A faint smile played on Master's face as he interrupted him. "Your tactical application was good. You knew to control Xiaoxiao first, since her interference ability was stronger, before focusing on Xiao Wu. In actual combat, prioritizing a Control System Spirit Master is the correct choice. However, Xiaoxiao still needs to improve her timing when using interference and her own positioning. Xiao Wu, your attacks lack continuity. You rely too heavily on Soft Skill..."

Master began offering his evaluations one by one, lightly passing over that awkward incident and shifting the focus back to combat analysis.

Both Xiao Xiaoxiao and Tang San secretly let out a breath of relief and tried to focus on listening. Yet it seemed an invisible barrier had formed between them. Whenever their eyes accidentally met, they would immediately dart apart as if shocked.

The atmosphere during the following practice became somewhat strange. Whenever Xiao Xiaoxiao used her soul skill, she could not help getting distracted and looking at Tang San, greatly weakening its effect. Tang San's attacks also seemed less sharp than before, with more defense and evasion.

Xiao Wu, on the other hand, was as carefree as ever and fought happily. She only settled down after Tang San found an opportunity to bind her into a dumpling with Entangling.

When the training ended, all three were drenched in sweat.

"That's enough for today. Go back and reflect carefully on what you learned." With that, Master left first.

The three remaining behind stood where they were, and the atmosphere became awkward again.

Xiao Wu struggled free from the Blue Silver Grass, shook her Scorpion Braid, looked at Xiao Xiaoxiao's slightly flushed face, then at Tang San's expressionless face and wandering gaze. With a mischievous grin, she suddenly grabbed one of them with each hand. "I'm starving after all that fighting! Come on, come on! Let's eat! You two have to treat me today! Consider it compensation for beating me up so badly!"

Without giving them any chance to object, she dragged them both toward the cafeteria.

As Xiao Xiaoxiao was pulled along by Xiao Wu, she secretly lifted her eyes to look at Tang San on the other side. The golden rays of the setting sun fell across his profile, softening some of his usual coldness. He seemed to sense her gaze. His lashes trembled slightly, but he did not turn around.

But Xiao Xiaoxiao noticed that the tips of his ears seemed to be... a little redder again?

It was as if someone had poured a jar of honey into her heart, leaving it cloyingly sweet.

That accidental hug from earlier had been brief, but incomparably vivid. His heartbeat, his warmth, the instant of stiffness and panic...

Did that count as... tremendous progress?

At the cafeteria, Xiao Wu was indeed completely unrestrained, ordering a huge pile of food and loudly declaring that she would "eat them broke."

Tang San silently went to pay.

Xiao Xiaoxiao looked at the only piece of braised pork in her tray. After hesitating for a moment, she picked it up and quickly placed it in Tang San's bowl, then immediately lowered her head and shoveled rice into her mouth, not daring to look at him.

Tang San looked at the extra piece of meat in his bowl, fell silent for several seconds, then softly said, "Thank you."

Then, after a pause, he placed the untouched Carrot Bun from his tray, Xiao Wu's favorite, onto her plate.

Xiao Wu cheered and snatched it up. "At least you've got a conscience!"

Then Tang San used his spoon to transfer more than half the scrambled eggs with tomatoes from his bowl into Xiao Xiaoxiao's.

"Eat more." His voice remained calm, but Xiao Xiaoxiao abruptly raised her head and met his clear, tranquil eyes.

He... he served me food?

Xiao Xiaoxiao looked at the red and yellow tomatoes and eggs in her bowl. Her nose felt a little sore, but countless fireworks exploded in her heart.

"Mm!" She nodded hard, unable to hide the delight in her voice.

Xiao Wu looked at the carrot bun in her hand, then at the tomatoes and eggs in Xiao Xiaoxiao's bowl. Blinking her big eyes, she suddenly leaned close to Xiao Xiaoxiao's ear and said in a voice she believed was very quiet—though Tang San could definitely hear it—"Xiaoxiao, Little Sanzi is playing favorites! He gave you a dish, but all I got was a bun!"

Xiao Xiaoxiao's face instantly turned scarlet.

Tang San's hand holding the spoon paused. He continued eating with an expressionless face, but the suspicious blush at the tips of his ears seemed to spread a little farther.

The meal ended in a strange yet sweet atmosphere.

Although the sparring practice had produced a little "accident," Xiao Xiaoxiao felt that it had been an enormous assist!

Her dream guy had not only hugged her—though it had been an accident—but had also served her food! Even if it was only to "balance things out"...

But that was progress! A qualitative leap!

It seemed that the occasional accident and awkward moment could be a catalyst for affection?

Xiao Xiaoxiao held her burning cheeks, the little abacus in her heart clicking away.

For the next step, should she pretend to accidentally break something of his and ask him to help fix it? Or ask him about Hidden Weapons to create more chances to be alone?

Mm... it was worth planning carefully!