The training ground fell silent for a moment.
Xiao Wu gripped the letter, her fingers tightening little by little.
"He's fighting me himself?"
She lifted her head.
There was no hesitation in her eyes. If anything, they shone brighter.
"Fine."
"That saves me from having to warm up by taking down someone else first."
Shen Zhi looked at her.
"Don't get worked up just yet."
"Zhou Ling dares to change the first match and fight you himself. That's not just arrogance."
"He's testing you, too."
Xiao Wu slapped the letter back into Su Chen's hand.
"Let him test me."
"Like I'd be afraid of him."
Su Chen glanced down at the letter, folded it, and tucked it into his sleeve.
"Whether you're afraid is one thing."
"How to win is another."
Xiao Wu stepped closer.
"Go on."
Su Chen looked at her.
"Since Zhou Ling dares to go first, that means he doesn't want to drag things out."
"He's not aiming for a narrow win."
"He wants to crush you head-on in front of everyone in Suotuo City."
Shen Zhi nodded.
"Exactly."
"He's best at seizing the momentum in the first two rounds."
"He'll force you into position, then close in and overpower you."
"Once he drives you to the edge of the arena, the rest will be all his fists."
Xiao Wu furrowed her brows.
"A power type who likes to push people to the edge."
"Then I just won't fight him near the edge."
"It's not that simple."
Su Chen nudged a short stick on the ground toward her with his foot.
"Watch."
He walked to the middle of the training ground and gestured for Wang Sheng to drag over an old punching bag.
Wang Sheng immediately did as he was told.
Shen Zhi also moved closer.
Su Chen traced a circle on the ground with the tip of his foot.
"If Zhou Ling presses in from here, you cut outward."
"On the first step, he'll follow."
"On the second, he'll pick up speed."
"On the third, he'll press against your shoulder line and drive you toward the edge."
Xiao Wu stared at the lines on the ground.
"Then I'll change direction on the second step."
"Not enough."
Su Chen glanced at her.
"If you can think of it, so can he."
Xiao Wu bristled.
"Then what do you suggest?"
Su Chen bent down, picked up the stick, and planted it in the ground.
"Make him think you're going left."
"Then go right."
"Once he really shifts his weight that way, cut back again."
Xiao Wu blinked.
"A feint on top of a feint?"
"Right."
Su Chen shoved the stick into her hand.
"When you used to fight, you relied on speed and closing in."
"This time, you have to learn to fool him."
Clutching the stick, Xiao Wu suddenly grinned.
"Yesterday, you said Tang San was full of tricks."
"Now you're teaching me to deceive people."
Su Chen's expression didn't change.
"It's not deception when you're facing an enemy."
"It's taking control of the pace."
Xiao Wu smacked her lips.
"Fine. You're right about everything."
Shen Zhi stood to the side and picked up where he left off.
"One more thing."
"Zhou Ling isn't just a power type."
"His right hand has a strong burst, and he likes to use his left leg to cover his position."
"If you go for his right side, don't get greedy."
"If the first strike misses, move on."
Xiao Wu looked at him.
"How do you know all that?"
"I trained him for half a month."
Shen Zhi's voice was flat.
"Then I decided his approach was crooked and stopped teaching him."
Xiao Wu's gaze turned even colder.
"Perfect."
"Just watch. I'll take care of him for you."
Su Chen cut her off before she could say more, raising a hand.
"Begin."
For the next half hour,
the training ground held nothing but the sound of footsteps and short, sharp breaths.
Xiao Wu practiced again and again.
Cut left, stop, feint, turn back.
Sometimes she moved half a beat too fast.
Sometimes she showed her shoulder line too early.
Sometimes she landed too heavily.
Every time something went wrong, Su Chen spoke up.
"That one was too heavy."
"Lighter."
"Don't look for the exit first."
"Fool his eyes, then his feet."
"Don't twist your waist all the way."
"Leave some in reserve."
At first, Xiao Wu still talked back.
Before long, all that remained were her panting breaths and nods.
Sweat dampened her bangs, sticking them to her face.
Her new training shoes struck the ground with a steadier and steadier rhythm.
Wang Sheng and the others stood to the side, not daring to make a sound.
They couldn't quite understand the finer points.
But they could tell.
Xiao Wu's movements were growing sharper and sharper.
Shen Zhi watched the training ground in silence for a long time before murmuring,
"She learns fast."
Su Chen gave a quiet "Mm."
"She was always quick."
"She was just too straightforward before."
Xiao Wu happened to hear him and turned to glare.
"Can't you praise me to my face?"
Su Chen replied blandly,
"Am I not saying it to your face right now?"
Xiao Wu paused, then gave a huff.
"I'll give you that."
As soon as she finished speaking, she moved again.
This time, she edged half a step to the left, deliberately lowering her shoulder line.
Then her body slipped away like boneless silk, cutting around the post to the right before abruptly doubling back.
Clean and crisp.
Shen Zhi's eyes shifted.
"That one's got it."
Su Chen finally lifted his chin.
"Not bad."
Once Xiao Wu steadied herself, she took two breaths, then raised her face.
"Of course."
"Just look at who taught me."
Su Chen walked over and handed her the water flask he'd prepared earlier.
"Drink."
Xiao Wu took it and gulped down a few mouthfuls.
The water was warm.
Just right.
After she finished drinking, she kept hold of the flask instead of putting it down.
"Su Chen."
"Mm?"
"If I really beat Zhou Ling in the first match..."
She paused, as if asking offhandedly.
"What are you going to give me as a reward?"
At once, Wang Sheng and the others pricked up their ears.
Shen Zhi also turned his head to glance over.
Su Chen looked at her.
"What do you want?"
Xiao Wu had only asked on impulse.
But when he answered so directly, she was suddenly at a loss.
Her gaze wandered before finally settling on the carrot wooden hairpin in her hair.
"I haven't decided yet."
"Then wait until you win."
Su Chen's tone was calm.
"Whatever you ask for, I'll give you."
Xiao Wu's lips curled into a slow smile.
"Fine."
"You'd better remember you agreed to this."
Training continued until the sun slanted west.
Shen Zhi handed over the roster from Suotuo City as well.
It was a thin sheet of paper, not a long list.
Zhou Ling, level twenty-eight.
There were also three followers: two at level twenty-five and one at level twenty-four.
All of them relied on strength and close-quarters combat.
Xiao Wu skimmed the list and sneered.
"So they really are all cut from the same cloth."
Shen Zhi took the roster back.
"They're doing it on purpose."
"Zhou Ling is going up first. If he manages to suppress you, the others will gain momentum."
"So you can't lose the first match."
Xiao Wu looked at him.
"That sounds like stating the obvious."
"I wasn't planning to lose anyway."
When they returned to Dorm Seven that evening, Wang Sheng and the others had already packed what they needed.
There wasn't much, really.
Two changes of clothes and some travel rations.
Wang Sheng stood at the doorway with a bundle in his arms, looking a little tense.
"Boss, are you sure we shouldn't go with you?"
Su Chen fastened his outer robe.
"You wouldn't be allowed into the arena anyway."
"Stay at the academy and look after Dorm Seven."
Wang Sheng scratched his head.
"Then... then Sister Xiao Wu had better give them a real beating."
Xiao Wu slung her bundle over her shoulder.
"Don't worry."
"When I get back, I'll bring you all some snacks from Suotuo City."
Laughter rippled through Dorm Seven.
The tension eased a little.
That night, the carriage was already waiting outside the academy.
Shen Zhi led the way himself.
The carriage wasn't cramped. Thick rugs lined the floor, and a Soul Guidance Lamp was secured in one corner.
As soon as Xiao Wu climbed aboard, she lifted the curtain a crack and looked out at the night.
"How long will it take to get from Nuoding to Suotuo?"
Shen Zhi rode alongside the carriage.
"If we travel through the night, we'll arrive before noon tomorrow."
Xiao Wu nodded, then settled back inside.
She'd been full of energy before.
But once she sat down, she realized she'd overdone it a little during training.
Her inner thighs and sides ached.
She said nothing, only shifted her position discreetly.
Su Chen glanced at her.
"Does it hurt?"
Xiao Wu immediately put on a brave face.
"Who said it hurts?"
"Your legs are shaking."
"That's because the carriage is rocking."
Su Chen didn't argue. He simply took a small porcelain bottle from the cabinet beside him and tossed it to her.
"Medicinal oil."
"Rub it in before you sleep."
Xiao Wu caught it and examined the bottle.
"When did you prepare this?"
"Before we left."
"How do you always think of everything in advance?"
Su Chen leaned against the carriage wall and closed his eyes to rest.
"Because you're always too stubborn to admit it."
Xiao Wu hugged the little bottle of medicinal oil, the tips of her ears warming slightly. She didn't reply.
After a while, she spoke again.
"Su Chen."
"Mm?"
"Do you think Zhou Ling will regret going first tomorrow when he sees me?"
"No."
Xiao Wu immediately turned to him.
"Couldn't you say something I'd like to hear?"
Su Chen opened his eyes and looked at her.
"He won't regret it."
"Because he doesn't know he's going to lose yet."
Xiao Wu fell silent for a moment, then her eyes curved into a smile.
"That's more like it."
The wheels rolled along the night road.
They didn't stop for long again.
By the middle of the night, only the faint sound of breathing remained in the carriage.
Xiao Wu fell asleep against the cushions, clutching the bottle of medicinal oil.
Even in sleep, her brow was faintly furrowed, as if she were still trading blows with someone in her dreams.
Su Chen sat opposite her and didn't wake her.
He only narrowed the gap in the window, so the night wind wouldn't blow inside.
The sky gradually brightened.
By the time the convoy crossed the border into Balak, the outline of Suotuo City was already visible in the distance.
Its walls were taller.
Its streets were wider.
Even the lines of people waiting outside the city gates were several times longer than those in Nuoding City.
Xiao Wu woke quickly.
She rubbed her eyes, and the moment she saw the crowds outside, she perked right up.
"We're here?"
"We're here," Shen Zhi answered from outside.
"Should we settle in at the academy first, or go straight to the arena?"
Su Chen lifted the curtain and glanced ahead.
"Straight there."
Xiao Wu straightened her wooden hairpin and took a deep breath.
"Fine."
The carriage didn't enter the main street.
Instead, it took a side road straight to the Soul Fighting Training Ground on the east side of Suotuo City.
Even before they got close, sounds were already carrying over from outside.
The din of voices, the clamor of the crowd, and the dull thud of someone striking a wooden sign.
Xiao Wu lifted the edge of the curtain and took a look.
The area outside was already packed with people.
Flags had been raised.
The largest wooden board in the center bore several striking words in black ink.
First match.
Zhou Ling versus Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu stared at the words, her gaze gradually turning cold.
Just as she was about to climb down, someone suddenly blocked the convoy.
A youth in brocade stood in the middle of the road, with four or five guards from Suotuo City behind him.
He didn't approach the carriage. He simply folded his arms and lifted his chin.
"Have the people from Nuoding City arrived?"
"My young master told me to pass along a message."
Shen Zhi's expression darkened.
"Go ahead."
The youth sneered, deliberately casting a glance into the carriage.
"If that girl called Xiao Wu is scared now, she still has time to back out."
"As long as she admits in front of everyone that she isn't fit to step onto Suotuo City's arena, my young master can let her leave with some dignity."
A hand lifted the curtain from inside.
Xiao Wu jumped straight down from the carriage.
She stood before the carriage shaft, her Scorpion Braid hanging down her back, and stared straight at the youth.
"Go back and tell Zhou Ling."
"Don't be in such a hurry to spare someone else's dignity."
"Make sure he saves some of his own first."
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