Xie Xie: Nike, Save My Dog Life!

Wu Zhangkong fell silent for a moment, her gaze resting on those strange spirit rings. A rare tremor of shock laced her cold, clear voice as she spoke slowly:

"You have utilized the symbiotic spirit of the Silver Wing Light Scale Dragon to a degree that far exceeds its inherent value."

"You haven't just inherited its power; you have used it as a medium to awaken the true form of your martial soul."

Xie Xie's eyes shimmered with a brilliant light, his excitement tempered by a lack of arrogance:

"I don't just have more spirit skills now; every set can be used in tandem! Light Dragon Slash paired with Shadow Dragon Strike becomes the Nirvana Dragon Blade; Light Dragon Storm paired with Shadow Binding Chain becomes the Twin Dragon Soul-Locking Storm."

He paused slightly, looking at Wu Zhangkong with a serious expression:

"Teacher Wu, I will not waste this talent."

"I will become stronger—strong enough to protect those around me, and strong enough to be worthy of everything you have taught me."

Watching the youth before her, his eyes clear and his fighting spirit surging, the corners of Wu Zhangkong's typically indifferent mouth curved upward ever so slightly.

"Very good."

Just two words, yet they served as her highest form of recognition.

"From today on, in addition to your regular cultivation, you will add extra training for the synchronization rate of your light and shadow spirit skills. I want you to achieve this: with a single thought, both skills must be unleashed, fused, and cast instantly."

Xie Xie stood at attention, his voice clear and powerful, carrying the sharp, unwavering resolve unique to a youth:

"Yes! Teacher Wu!"

By the time Xie Xie returned to the dormitory, it was nearly time for dinner. Yun Xiao and Zhou Changxi were not in the room, and Tang Wulin had not yet returned.

Xie Xie didn't intend to idle away his time, and since Tang Wulin was bringing dinner back anyway, he decided to further refine his Rasengan.

The Rasengan had one fatal flaw: it dissipated the moment it left the user's hand.

To compensate for this, he needed to do what Naruto did with the Wind Style Rasengan—coat this mass of high-speed rotating spirit power in a stable shell of elemental attributes.

Xie Xie condensed a wisp of fine, bright soul power at his fingertips.

He lowered his head, pondering how to inject the light attribute into the Rasengan.

Only a Rasengan imbued with the light attribute could truly become a long-range killing weapon that could be thrown. Besides, Gu Yue had a whole arsenal of attributes he could utilize.

Just as Xie Xie raised his hand to attempt it—

Bang!

The dormitory door was slammed open.

Xie Xie jumped in fright, and the unformed Rasengan in his hand exploded once again.

Just as he prepared to point a finger and start cursing, he turned to see Tang Wulin with his head hanging low.

Tang Wulin's shoulders were slightly slumped, his usually vibrant face pale and desolate, tear tracks still wet on his cheeks, his very breathing ragged with suppressed sobs.

The string of insults Xie Xie had prepared died in his throat.

He didn't need to ask to guess the situation; this plot point could only mean that Tang Wulin's adoptive parents had left.

Tang Wulin kept his head down, walking step by step toward Xie Xie.

At this moment, Tang Wulin looked like a small, abandoned beast with nowhere to go. Before Xie Xie could speak, he reached out and wrapped his arms around Xie Xie's waist, burying his face in his chest.

Tang Wulin's voice was muffled and thick with heavy sobs:

"Xie Xie... Mom and Dad... they, they left..."

"Because of me."

Xie Xie's spine stiffened, his heart softening instantly.

He could feel Tang Wulin's body trembling slightly; that heavy, suffocating weight of sorrow and self-reproach pressed down on them both, making it hard to breathe.

Xie Xie did not reply immediately.

He slowly raised his hand and clumsily patted Tang Wulin's thin back.

"...Alright, don't cry anymore." Xie Xie gently cupped Tang Wulin's soft cheeks in his hands, his thumbs applying slight pressure to wipe away the tear tracks at the corners of his eyes.

Seeing Tang Wulin's reddened eyes and feeling the warm moisture against his fingertips, his heart tightened once more.

Xie Xie's breathing slowed unconsciously, the warmth of his palms transferring bit by bit to Tang Wulin's cool cheeks.

He had never seen Tang Wulin so fragile. The youth who was usually able to eat and endure anything, always charging to the front, was now like a tuft of fur soaked by rain, so soft it made his heart tremble.

Xie Xie's thumb gently caressed the skin beneath his eyes again, his movements slow to the point of tenderness, his voice dropping to a soft, gentle murmur.

"They left because of you, but it was because—they loved you."

As he spoke, he leaned in slightly, resting his forehead against Tang Wulin's. Their noses nearly touched, their breaths intertwining, warming Tang Wulin's heart.

Xie Xie gazed into Tang Wulin's eyes, which were veiled in a thin mist of tears, his tone suddenly becoming deliberate and impossibly earnest:

"Besides, if they don't want you, I do."

Tang Wulin's eyelashes fluttered, his wet gaze locking directly into Xie Xie's eyes. The grievance began to melt away, replaced by a burning sense of reliance.

He instinctively huddled closer into Xie Xie's embrace, tightening his arms as if trying to embed himself into the other's warmth.

Xie Xie felt his heart melt, and he simply raised his arms to pull him into a tight, reciprocal embrace.

Resting his chin gently atop Tang Wulin's head, he inhaled the faint, sun-kissed scent lingering on him.

The person in his arms stirred slightly, his voice still thick with lingering sobs, light as a feather yet heavy with profound unease as he rubbed against his chest and asked:

"Xie Xie, then... will you leave me?"

As the words fell, Tang Wulin's fingers, clutching the fabric over Xie Xie's chest, tightened, his knuckles turning pale.

The word "never" was on the tip of his tongue, but Xie Xie forced it back.

He suddenly recalled Tang Wulin's constitution, which rivaled that of Wu Xie; in the original work, he, who had stayed by Tang Wulin's side the longest, had indeed been cursed quite severely.

After a few seconds of silence, Xie Xie spoke with a relaxed, slightly irreverent tone, yet his words held the most earnest certainty: "Although you're a bit of a jinx... I'm wearing Nike! Yeah, that's right, it can't 'curse' me to death."

It was meant to be a half-joking remark, yet Tang Wulin's heart gave a violent jolt.

Large, scalding tears rolled down once more, but no longer out of sorrow; rather, they were born from the sudden surge of relief and warmth overflowing from the depths of his heart.

"...Mm."

Tang Wulin buried himself deeper into Xie Xie's embrace, nodding vigorously as he let out a muffled sound of agreement.

He clung to him as if he had grasped the most precious thing in the world, refusing to ever let go.

"So, stop crying now,"

Xie Xie coaxed him softly, his fingertips gently smoothing out Tang Wulin's messy hair. "If you keep crying, you won't look good anymore."

While coaxing him, Xie Xie used his left hand, which was still holding Tang Wulin, to retrieve his Soul Guidance Communication Browser from his Soul Guidance Storage Device, his thumb tapping open the search bar at the top.

His thumb nimbly typed out the words: "Nike brand clothing."

Hey, wouldn't you know it, after a couple of spins, a familiar logo popped up; he hadn't expected this brand to actually exist here.

Xie Xie immediately placed an order for two pieces in his size and clicked the button to expedite shipping.

It was a pity, however, that the Nike of the Douluo Plane was ultimately not the authentic version from Blue Star, so it wasn't quite "Nike" enough, which led to Xie Xie nearly being "cursed" to death later on.

Fortunately, Xie Xie had worn two extra layers at the time, so he didn't end up dying.