The Gap

"Please wait a moment."

Just as Lie arrived at the room door, Zhu Zhuqing's voice suddenly came from behind him:

"Excuse me, can you spar with me? I want to see how big the gap between us is."

"Hm?"

Feng Xinglie raised an eyebrow. The words sounded familiar. Weren't these supposed to be said to Tang San during the soul duels at night? Why were they directed at him now? While he was wondering, he saw Zhu Zhuqing purse her lips and whisper:

"We're not much different in age, but you not only repelled the assassins chasing me, but you could also easily defeat the students of Shrek Academy. You could even hold your own against the Immovable Wisdom King for a while, and you even have a deeper understanding of the definition of strength. Among peers, you are the strongest person I have ever seen. I want to become stronger, so I need to know how big the gap between us is."

So that's how it is...

Feng Xinglie understood.

After understanding Zhu Zhuqing's thoughts, he smiled and extended his hand, making a gesture of invitation. Zhu Zhuqing didn't delay, directly summoning her Martial Soul Possession, and the yellow spirit ring under her feet lit up:

"First Spirit Skill: Hell Stab!"

Perfectly utilizing the cat's agility, she launched an attack at the fastest speed, her sharp cat claws lunging straight for his chest. But Feng Xinglie merely used his left foot as an axis, pushed off with his right foot, and spun sideways 45 degrees like a compass drawing a circle, easily dodging the attack.

"Second Spirit Skill: Hell Hundred Claws!"

The moment they crossed paths, Zhu Zhuqing forcefully twisted her body, facing Feng Xinglie again, and launched a fierce assault at extremely close range. As the name suggests, Hell Hundred Claws involved constantly moving hands that transformed into a sky full of claw shadows, like an inescapable net cast down. Just as Zhu Zhuqing thought she would hit him at least once no matter what, she heard two light "snap" sounds. Feng Xinglie accurately captured her rapidly moving cat claws, interlocking his fingers and holding them in his palms, instantly dissipating the countless claw shadows.

"Ugh..."

Although she knew defeat was inevitable, Zhu Zhuqing still wanted to struggle a bit more. But as soon as she was about to make a move, Feng Xinglie applied a slight force with his hands. Instantly, she felt a tremendous force pressing down, making her unable to stand. Her legs bent, and she almost knelt down.

"I concede."

As he spoke, Feng Xinglie loosened his grip, and Zhu Zhuqing immediately regained control of her body, gasping for breath while holding her hands.

"Thank you for the guidance..."

Her cold personality meant she didn't want to say more. Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's somewhat dejected back, Feng Xinglie smiled and said, "When you attack, don't focus all your attention on your hands."

"?"

Zhu Zhuqing turned her head in confusion, meeting Feng Xinglie's gentle smile:

"Your claws, the tips of your weapons, are already too fast to see clearly. But..."

As he spoke, Feng Xinglie took a step forward and lightly tapped Zhu Zhuqing's shoulder with his finger:

"Here, at the end, is extremely slow. By observing the movement of your shoulders, I can roughly infer your attack path. In actual combat, pay attention to hiding it."

Saying that, Feng Xinglie suddenly threw a left punch straight at Zhu Zhuqing's face, but stopped just before hitting her. After the fist was retracted, Zhu Zhuqing realized that Feng Xinglie's right hand had transformed into a claw shape and was now resting at her abdomen.

"This is a very common feint. As a foundation, master this move first."

"Thank you... thank you so much."

Excitement flashed in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes, but after searching her mind for a long time, she could only find these words. However, Feng Xinglie didn't mind, smiling and waving his hand:

"It's nothing. If you have any questions, you're always welcome to spar."

Watching his retreating figure as he returned to his room, a ripple stirred in Zhu Zhuqing's cold heart. He not only saved her life, but also stood up for her, comforted her when she was sad, and pointed her towards a different path to becoming stronger. Now, he was even pointing out her combat flaws hand-in-hand and guiding her. The continuous help made the simple Zhu Zhuqing unable to think of how she could repay this kindness. After hesitating in the small courtyard for a moment, she finally left, looking back three times.

Time flew by. Feng Xinglie was painting in the courtyard when he suddenly heard crying approaching from a distance. Soon, Ning Rongrong ran into the dormitory area, wiping her face haphazardly with her hands, sobbing.

Oh? It seems she didn't finish her punishment and was scolded into tears by Flender.

Seeing that the person he was waiting for had finally appeared, Feng Xinglie called out to Ning Rongrong:

"Rongrong, who bullied you?"

Ning Rongrong, who was in the middle of crying, suddenly froze. She looked up and saw Feng Xinglie looking at her with a gentle and curious gaze. She immediately wiped away her tears with her sleeve, sniffled, and said:

"None of your business!"

"You're crying so sadly, you must have suffered quite a bit. While I dare not say I can definitely manage it, as a classmate, I can offer some help. If you're really unhappy about something, why not tell me? Don't worry, I'm very discreet and won't spread it around."

"Hmph, what can you help me with even if I tell you?"

Although she said that, Ning Rongrong still moved closer to Feng Xinglie. Seeing him painting, she leaned over to take a look:

"Is this... the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda? You draw pretty well."

Seeing that Feng Xinglie was drawing her martial soul, Ning Rongrong's mood immediately improved a little. She puffed out her chest with a bit of pride. Seeing this, Feng Xinglie handed her the large bowl of candy beside him:

"Want some? This is cheap candy."

"Hmph, this young lady has never eaten anything cheap before."

Ning Rongrong pouted, grabbed a handful of candy, and stuffed it into her mouth, biting down hard as if venting her anger. It was only then that she realized that Feng Xinglie, who had been sitting the whole time, had no chair beneath him.

"Ah! You... what are you doing? Where's your chair?"

Feng Xinglie didn't answer immediately. He grabbed a candy and popped it into his mouth before saying:

"Practicing, this is called Standing Stake, to train the strength in my legs."

"So... you've been squatting like this to paint?"

Ning Rongrong's eyes widened. She thought running laps around the village was tiring enough, but she didn't expect there to be a master. This posture looked incredibly strenuous, and Feng Xinglie had maintained it to paint a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!?

"Yeah, I'd draw while eating candy. When the candy in the bowl was gone, the drawing was finished. That's when my training would end."

After speaking, Feng Xinglie tossed the last piece of candy into his mouth and stood up:

"Perfect timing. I'll give you this painting. In return, can you tell me who exactly bullied you?"

"What else could it be? Of course, it's that damned old thing, Flender!"

The moment Ning Rongrong mentioned Flender, she became agitated, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and complained indignantly. Simply put, this pampered Eldest Young Lady hadn't completed the running task assigned by Flender. She'd gone to Suotuo City alone to eat and drink for the entire afternoon. When she returned to the academy, she didn't take it seriously and ended up arguing with Flender.

Upon receiving Ning Fengzhi's letter, Flender, without any reservations, unleashed his full fury and berated Ning Rongrong, calling her the worst talent in the academy. The Eldest Young Lady, who was usually held in high esteem, couldn't bear such a grievance and ran back to her dorm in tears.