Sparring with Tang San

When they returned to the academy, the lanterns in the dormitory area were already lit.

Wang Sheng was sitting on the stone steps at the entrance, gnawing on a steamed bun. Seeing the two return, he laughed and said, "Boss, you two are back quite late."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu immediately lifted her chin and patted Xu Yuan on the shoulder with a feigned air of maturity: "Of course. When this Miss Xiao Wu goes out shopping, how could I possibly return so early?"

The three of them entered the dormitory together and headed toward their respective beds.

The other children in the dormitory were all tidying up their things, preparing to rest.

Tang San sat on his bed, reading a book by the light of an oil lamp. The pages were densely packed with annotations, clearly showing he was studying with extreme focus.

Hearing the commotion, Tang San looked up. His gaze lingered on Xu Yuan for a moment before quickly falling back to the pages, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the edges of the paper.

He did not know why, but watching Xiao Wu and Xu Yuan being so intimate made him feel incredibly restless.

Xiao Wu took off her shoes, crawled into Xu Yuan's quilt, and poked her head out, saying, "Xu Yuan, hurry up and come in to rest."

The others looked at Xu Yuan with envy, making him feel immensely uncomfortable under their gazes.

Xu Yuan took off his shoes and outer coat, then slipped under the covers.

As soon as Xu Yuan lay down, he felt Xiao Wu shift toward the inside, trying her best to leave space for him.

Xu Yuan could feel the gazes cast upon them—some curious, some envious, and Wang Sheng's meaningful look—all of which made him feel completely ill at ease.

In the blink of an eye, a week passed.

Tang San and Yu Xiaogang returned to the school from the Soul Hunting Forest.

Yu Xiaogang stepped down from the carriage and said to Tang San, "San, you can go find that fellow named Xu Yuan and spar with him."

He was now supremely confident that Tang San would surely crush Xu Yuan.

Without his guidance, Xu Yuan was nothing but trash!

"I understand, Teacher." Tang San nodded to show he understood.

Tang San did not think he would lose. After all, he possessed the secret arts of the Tang Sect and had a soul skill; no matter how he looked at it, it was impossible for him to lose to Xu Yuan.

Seeing Tang San's lack of reaction, Yu Xiaogang let out a cold snort: "What? Do you still think he has any chance of winning? A guy who refuses to even take me as a teacher—what kind of vision could he possibly have? His Blue Silver Grass is at most a ten-year soul ring; you can render him unable to move with a single Bind!"

Tang San did not reply, merely nodding to indicate he knew.

"Go on, let him know what a great loss it was to miss out on me." Yu Xiaogang gave Tang San a push, his eyes filled with unquestionable expectation.

He could not wait to see the look of regret on Xu Yuan's face after his defeat.

Tang San took a deep breath and turned to walk toward the dormitory area.

The noise of the dormitory area grew clearer, and from afar, he could see Xu Yuan sitting on the stone steps.

Xiao Wu was squatting beside him, holding a foxtail grass, occasionally waving it in front of Xu Yuan's eyes, only to be laughed at and swatted away.

"Xu Yuan." Tang San stood still, his voice breaking the leisure of the moment.

Xu Yuan looked at Tang San and said, "What is it? Is something the matter?"

Tang San's gaze landed on Xu Yuan as he spoke slowly: "Teacher says we should have a spar."

As soon as the words fell, the surrounding noise instantly died down. A few passing students stopped in their tracks, looking over here with curiosity.

Xiao Wu immediately stood up, blocking the way in front of Xu Yuan, and frowned: "Tang San, you just got back and you're already looking for trouble? Did Xu Yuan provoke you?"

Xu Yuan grabbed Xiao Wu's arm, signaling her to calm down. He stood up from the stone steps and brushed the dust off his clothes: "A spar? Fine. But, let's keep it friendly?"

"Naturally." Tang San nodded and stepped aside to clear the path to the playground. "Let's go over there; there isn't enough room here."

Xu Yuan agreed and took the lead.

Xiao Wu followed behind, pouting and muttering, "There's no reward for winning, and if we lose, we'll just be mocked by Yu Xiaogang. Why bother fighting him..."

Wang Sheng appeared from somewhere and leaned in close to Xiao Wu, whispering, "Miss Xiao Wu, Tang San has absorbed a soul ring, and Xu Yuan, he..."

"Xu Yuan definitely won't lose!" Xiao Wu interrupted him, chin held high, though her eyes remained fixed on Xu Yuan's back with a hint of worry.

A crowd quickly gathered on the playground, all having heard that Tang San had returned with a soul ring and was going to spar, so they came specifically to watch the excitement.

Yu Xiaogang also followed slowly, standing on the periphery of the crowd with his hands behind his back, a smile of certain victory playing on his lips.

In the center of the playground, the two stood facing each other.

Tang San spread his feet slightly, his soul power quietly circulating, and a yellow hundred-year soul ring slowly emerged beneath his feet.

Seeing Tang San's soul ring, a collective gasp rose from the surroundings.

A hundred-year soul ring!

For a work-study student to absorb a hundred-year soul ring was a first at Notting Academy!

One had to know that the first soul ring for a work-study student was basically a ten-year soul ring.

A hundred-year soul ring?

That was purely a dream; one would need to pay the school money to get one, otherwise, the school would never help you hunt a hundred-year soul beast.

"Xu Yuan, watch out for his soul skill!" Xiao Wu shouted nervously from the sidelines.

Xu Yuan nodded slightly, merely loosening his wrists.

For this sparring match, he did not intend to reveal his Tang Sect martial arts.

"Begin."

Tang San let out a low shout, and the light of his century-old spirit ring suddenly flared bright.

"First Spirit Skill, Entanglement!"

As Tang San's voice fell, dozens of Blue Silver Grass stalks shot out like agile serpents, moving with extreme speed toward Xu Yuan's limbs.

The surrounding students couldn't help but gasp, convinced that Xu Yuan was destined to lose this time.

Yu Xiaogang stood outside the crowd, the smile at the corners of his mouth deepening.

In his view, Xu Yuan possessed no spirit skills; faced with this Entanglement, he had no choice but to be bound.

Xu Yuan stood motionless, appearing as if he had been stunned by the momentum of the Blue Silver Grass.

Everyone around thought he had been frightened silly, and even Xiao Wu couldn't help but clench her fists, her heart rising to her throat.

Just as the Blue Silver Grass was about to touch Xu Yuan, he leaped backward, dodging the attack.

The moment the yellow spirit ring lit up beneath Xu Yuan's feet, the entire arena fell into a deathly silence.

A century-old spirit ring!

Another century-old spirit ring!

"Ho... how is this possible?" Wang Sheng's mouth hung wide open, the foxtail grass in his hand dropping to the ground. "Xu Yuan... he also absorbed a century-old spirit ring? And it's Blue Silver Grass?"

Xiao Wu was stunned at first, then erupted into cheers ten times louder than before: "Xu Yuan! You have a spirit skill too! I knew you were the best!"

The smile on Yu Xiaogang's face froze instantly. He stared fixedly at the spirit ring beneath Xu Yuan's feet, his knuckles turning white from the force of his grip. "No... this is impossible! As a work-study student, how could he possibly absorb a century-old spirit ring? And keep it hidden from everyone?!"

Tang San's pupils contracted sharply, his shock beyond measure.

He had always assumed Xu Yuan had yet to absorb a spirit ring, never imagining that not only had he absorbed one, but it was a century-old ring of the same level as his own.

In this instant, Tang San realized he was in trouble.

"First Spirit Skill, Life Entanglement."