"Su Yun actually got a kiss from Sister Xiao Wu with just a bag of carrot bread!"
"I could never pull that off. Never."
"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Just thinking about how Su Yun will have to practice hand-to-hand combat with Sister Xiao Wu every day from now on makes me feel sorry for him."
"..."
Tang San didn't feel much when he saw Xiao Wu kiss Su Yun.
He had to admit that even though she was young, Xiao Wu was indeed much prettier than ordinary girls.
And she was quite strong, too.
But he had lived two lifetimes. How could he let feelings hold him back?
As a disciple of the Tang Sect, love was nothing but a needless distraction.
He had to cast it aside.
Women would only slow down my Hidden Weapon strikes!
Compared to Xiao Wu, what Tang San wanted to know more right now was which Soul Beast Su Yun had hunted.
And what Soul Skill he had obtained.
In a battle between Soul Masters—or in any battle, for that matter—
knowing yourself and your enemy was the key to victory.
A month ago, after obtaining his Soul Ring, he had demonstrated his Soul Skill in front of everyone.
Su Yun had seen it, too.
If he didn't know what Su Yun's Soul Skill was, he would be missing a piece of information when he faced him in the end-of-year competition.
That would put him at a serious disadvantage.
With that thought, Tang San stood up and walked over to Su Yun.
"Su Yun."
He stopped in front of him and asked, "Have you obtained your First Soul Ring yet?"
"Of course."
Su Yun's smile didn't fade when he saw Tang San. "And I'm very happy with my First Soul Ring."
Tang San knew that the teacher who had accompanied Su Yun was Teacher Xiong, the strongest fighter at the academy, whose Martial Soul was a Bear Martial Soul.
With Teacher Xiong by his side, Su Yun's Soul Ring might not be much worse than his own.
"So, what Soul Ring did you get?" Tang San asked.
Want to know what Soul Ring I got?
Su Yun's smile vanished. He shook his head. "Sorry, I can't tell you."
Tang San paused, taken aback.
"We're opponents now. Do you really think I'd reveal my weaknesses to you?" Su Yun gave Tang San a pointed look and asked.
Su Yun knew exactly what Tang San was thinking.
At present, they were both One-Ring Soul Masters.
No matter how talented they were, there was no way either of them would become a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster by the end of their first year.
That made information about their First Soul Skills incredibly valuable.
Tang San had already revealed his First Soul Skill.
Su Yun, meanwhile, had only just obtained his First Soul Ring and hadn't revealed his Soul Skill.
In that respect, he had gained a slight advantage over Tang San.
Su Yun had planned things carefully.
On the way back, just to be safe, he had also spoken to the Twin Work-Study Students and Teacher Xiong, asking them not to reveal where his Soul Ring came from or what his Soul Skill was.
If he intended to defeat Tang San, he certainly wasn't going to give away information ahead of time.
Without a Self-Created Soul Skill or a Soul Bone, a Soul Master could have at most nine Soul Skills.
When two Soul Masters who had never met before fought, the one who could force their opponent to reveal all their Soul Skills first naturally gained the greater advantage.
The same applied to the battle between Tang San and Su Yun.
"You're right. Sorry," Tang San said. He wasn't particularly annoyed that Su Yun wouldn't tell him. After apologizing, he left the dormitory.
Only after Tang San was gone did Xiao Wu hop over to Su Yun, half a piece of carrot bread in hand. "Su Yun, do you and Tang San have some kind of grudge?"
Xiao Wu didn't feel much affection for Tang San, but she didn't dislike him much, either.
"Something like that. We'll have a match at the end of the year," Su Yun said with a smile.
He wouldn't tell her why. It had to do with Tang San's Twin Martial Souls.
He knew Tang Hao was probably still guarding Tang San somewhere outside the academy, so he wasn't about to expose Tang San's secret.
But when it came to Xiao Wu's future...
Su Yun looked at Xiao Wu's face, his thoughts in turmoil.
According to the original story, Tang Hao had spared Xiao Wu because of Tang San.
In other words, it was because Xiao Wu and Tang San were emotionally connected.
Now that Xiao Wu's bond with Tang San had shifted to him, what choice would Tang Hao make?
Su Yun didn't know yet.
"Su Yun, is there something on my face?" Xiao Wu asked when she noticed him staring at her, lost in thought. She blinked.
"Nothing?"
Su Yun finally came back to himself. He patted Xiao Wu's head and smiled. "You're getting prettier, Xiao Wu. I got so caught up looking at you."
"Hmph, smooth talker," Xiao Wu said with a soft snort.
She thought, Da Ming and Er Ming were right. Humans really did know how to say nice things.
But Su Yun had a familiar scent about him, so he was probably being sincere.
"By the way, can I know what your First Soul Skill is?" Xiao Wu asked suddenly.
Then she added, "We're not opponents, and I even shared my blanket with you."
Su Yun smiled. "Of course."
"Come on, let's go test it out in the back hills."
Xiao Wu's eyes widened. "Sure! Now that you've got your First Soul Skill, you want to bully me? Once I get a Soul Ring in a few days, I'll come bully you right back."
"Whatever you say."
Su Yun shrugged. "But if you don't dare to fight me this time, I'll wait until you get your First Soul Ring."
"Fight! Why wouldn't I?"
Xiao Wu put her hands on her hips and looked around at the boys behind her. "It just so happens your Sister Xiao Wu hasn't had anyone to practice with these past few days. Today, I'll use you for practice."
"Let's go!"
With a wave of her hand, Xiao Wu headed straight out of the dormitory.
Su Yun smiled calmly and followed.
"My goodness, Su Yun's just got back and he's already going to fight Sister Xiao Wu?"
"Su Yun has a First Soul Ring now, so he's got a Soul Skill and a lot more confidence."
"So what if he has a First Soul Skill? Lots of us have one, and we still lost to Sister Xiao Wu."
"If Su Yun's First Soul Skill is like Tang San's—Bind—then he might be able to restrain Sister Xiao Wu."
"Tch, hard to say. But I think Sister Xiao Wu's still more likely to win."
"Yeah, I think so too. Even Tang San sometimes can't beat her."
"Not necessarily."
Huh?
Everyone turned around.
The ones who had spoken were the twin brothers who had gone with Su Yun to hunt for a Soul Ring.
"I think Su Yun has the better chance of winning."
Before you continue