Han San's fingers twitched ever so slightly. A few stones were already tucked in his hand. He'd picked them up himself. Since he hadn't made any hidden weapons yet, he could only use stones to practice throwing them. Xiao Wu was his friend, and now she was in trouble. He couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
If Xiao Wu's life were in danger, he'd step in without hesitation.
Tang Qinghe had no idea how the boy had suddenly become so skilled at legwork. But his Spirit Power was only at Rank Four, and he hadn't even learned how to make hidden weapons. He couldn't possibly be better at them than Han San.
As Xiao Wu moved toward him, Tang Qinghe's Spirit Power surged. It all gathered in his left hand. He spread his five fingers and slapped at Xiao Wu's chest.
"Ha! Using the same move again? Think I'll fall for it a second time?"
Xiao Wu scoffed coldly, just as Tang Qinghe's palm struck her.
Suddenly, Xiao Wu shot upward, leaping higher than seemed possible. She twisted in midair and kicked Tang Qinghe with all her might. As she straightened, she was already right in front of him.
"I lose."
Tang Qinghe was close enough to touch. Xiao Wu beamed with delight, her figure blurring as she slipped behind him. She planted her hands on the ground, kicked up with both legs, and, in an instant, her first Spirit Light Shard enveloped her entire body.
First Spirit Skill: Waist Bow.
For an instant, her waist strength increased by a hundred percent, and her body's flexibility increased by fifty percent. Her Spirit Power rose by one rank, and each additional rank increased the effect by another ten percent.
Xiao Wu's body bent like a great bow. It seemed she was about to clamp her legs around Tang Qinghe's neck. But with a cry of pain, she lost her balance and toppled over.
Tang Qinghe had already anticipated her move. As she kicked off, he twisted aside, his legs spreading apart as he kicked her hands out from under her. That left her unable to keep her balance.
Just as expected, the instant she hit the ground, she started to roll.
"Oh no, Xiao Wu's in danger!"
Seeing Xiao Wu's Spirit Skill broken, Han San was worried sick. But his hand moved just as quickly, and without even thinking, he threw the stones he was holding.
Tang Qinghe heard the stones whistling toward him. He had no idea what was happening, but he chuckled coldly. Just before Xiao Wu hit the ground, he grabbed her ankle and pulled her in front of him.
"Ah..."
Amid a string of painful cries, three or four stones hit Xiao Wu. One even landed squarely on her backside.
Xiao Wu's pale, chubby little legs kicked up at a speed the naked eye could barely follow. The pain nearly made her pass out, and she let out a series of muffled groans.
Just as expected, everyone was stunned. All eyes turned to Han San, filled with shock and disappointment.
They were in the middle of a perfectly normal spar. Why had he suddenly stuck his leg in and secretly attacked? What was the point?
Han San hadn't paid attention to any of that. He stared at Tang Qinghe in disbelief, his eyes full of confusion, as if he couldn't believe what he'd just seen.
His Tang Family hidden weapon technique had actually been outdone. And Tang Qinghe had used the most ordinary throwing technique, with nothing but stones—not even real hidden weapons—and still outdone him.
[Han San's resentment +188888]
[Han San's resentment +288888]
Just by outdoing him with a few stones, Tang Qinghe had gained a huge amount of resentment. Han San truly was the male lead with the worst luck in all of webnovel history—he was about to catch up to the male lead of Reborn as a Brick.
Tang Qinghe muttered to himself, then let go of Xiao Wu's leg and left her to writhe on the ground in pain.
Under everyone's astonished gazes, Tang Qinghe looked around before turning to Han San. "Well, Han San, I'm sorry, but even if you wanted to help her, you shouldn't have secretly attacked. Look at Xiao Wu—she's nearly been beaten into a limp noodle, and at least she got one kick in. Otherwise, she'd have been completely crushed. All right, I've got things to do, so I'll take my leave. You two can chat."
With that, Tang Qinghe walked away.
"Han San, you jerk! How dare you secretly attack me? I'm never speaking to you again!"
As soon as Tang Qinghe left, Xiao Wu, who'd been helped up, immediately clutched her still-trembling leg and glared angrily at Han San.
"I'm sorry, Xiao Wu. I didn't mean to. I was trying to help you, but I never expected Tang Qinghe to grab your leg at the last moment and use you as a shield."
Xiao Wu wasn't angry at Han San. The anger she'd felt toward him had already been pushed to the back of her mind. She only smiled apologetically at him. Tang Qinghe's words, on the other hand, left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Tang Qinghe had no idea he'd just provoked him. It seemed he'd gotten lucky and outdone Han San by accident.
But he'd still seen through Han San's hidden weapons.
"Really?" Xiao Wu asked, still a little unconvinced.
"Of course. I swear!" Han San held up three fingers.
Xiao Wu believed him. Then she remembered Tang Qinghe and instantly grew furious. "That awful Tang Qinghe! How dare he use my butt as a shield? Next time, I'm going to beat him so badly he'll be screaming for mercy!"
Han San was silent, his heart pounding.
He'd been outdone. Tang Qinghe was far stronger than he'd expected, and Xiao Wu was close to becoming a Spirit Elder. Beating them would be extremely difficult.
Of course, he could still try to provoke Xiao Wu into attacking him.
After all, the gap between the two of them was right there.
By the time Xiao Wu became a Spirit Emperor, Tang Qinghe would probably still be a Spirit Elder. By then, the difference in Spirit Power alone would be enough to crush him.
Xiao Wu would deal with Tang Qinghe eventually.
[Xiao Wu's resentment +128888]
At the same time, Tang Qinghe looked at the information the System had just given him about Xiao Wu and smiled. "A Spirit Essence worth ten thousand years. No wonder she was able to fool so many people."
The days passed, and Tang Qinghe began a fulfilling life.
Perhaps because his wish to travel to the Autumn Water had boosted his mental strength, his comprehension had improved considerably. His learning ability had also increased dramatically.
In just a few months, he'd learned nearly everything that would take an average student seven or eight years to master.
The academy's lessons were no longer a challenge for him. He already understood the important parts, and with his knowledge from another world, he knew far more than the old Spirit Masters who'd only become great Spirit Masters through cultivation.
Han San had taken a Spirit Beast on his own and returned with its Spirit Essence. Apart from going to class and training in the mornings, Tang Qinghe had mostly stopped bothering him. He hadn't even gone looking for Jade Little Sister.
Every now and then, Han San would visit Jade Little Sister.
It wasn't only because he wanted to teach Jade Little Sister the so-called Mysterious Jade Hand technique. There was another reason, one only Tang Qinghe knew.
He'd put a bottle of System-made Mother River water in the tea Jade Little Sister drank. (It was the version that induced labor; it would make her give birth in October. Otherwise, if she gave birth the next day, it would be meaningless.)
Even if Han San didn't drink it, Jade Little Sister would.
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