You're So Young; You Should Hold Your Head High! Do What Others Cannot

Hearing Ning Rongrong's answer, Lin Yan raised his voice a little.

"What's wrong with being a support Soul Master? Your support abilities work on you too, don't they?"

"In my view, all Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Masters have fallen into a misconception. Since your enhancement abilities can be used on yourself, why not treat them as enhancement Soul Skills?"

"Enhance your strength, and your punches become more lethal..."

"Enhance your speed, and your steps become more nimble..."

"Isn't that a form of combat ability? Even if using your support abilities on yourself weakens them somewhat, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul should be capable of more than just that."

When he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

"This..."

"That's right! I can use the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's support abilities on myself too. So why can't I support myself?"

Ning Rongrong seemed to have discovered a path she had never considered. Her beautiful eyes sparkled, and her sorrowful expression gave way to thought.

"Support myself, gain attribute boosts, and become a Soul Master with the ability to fight..."

"How did you figure this out? Does your Blue Silver Grass have a similar effect?"

The girl lifted her snow-white neck and looked at Lin Yan. He smiled faintly.

"Not exactly. I have Twin Martial Souls."

"My Blue Silver Grass is purely for healing. My Second Martial Soul is what I use to attack."

Lin Yan's Twin Martial Souls were no secret. Everyone who lived with him at the academy knew about them. Besides, sooner or later, he would reveal his Second Martial Soul anyway, so he chose not to hide it.

"What? Twin Martial Souls?"

Ning Rongrong's eyes, which had been brimming with tears just moments ago, were now filled with shock.

Lin Yan had no intention of boasting or explaining further. He simply rose from his chair and put it back in its place.

"Take some time to think over what I just said. I'm heading to the Soul Fighting Field."

As he spoke, he summoned his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul once more. [Third Soul Skill: Life Tide.]

This time, Lin Yan didn't wrap it around Ning Rongrong's wrist. Instead, he channeled the energy of his Soul Skill into one of the grass blades.

Before long, he had made a blade filled with the essence of life. Lin Yan handed it to Ning Rongrong.

"This grass blade has the same effect as my Soul Skill. If you still don't feel well, hold it in your palm and you can absorb its energy."

Before the girl could react, Lin Yan headed for the door without another word.

Just before closing it, he said one last thing to her.

"You're so young; you should hold your head high!"

"Do what others cannot."

With that, the door clicked shut. Lin Yan's footsteps faded into the quiet night until they disappeared.

A cool breeze swept across the windowsill, dispelling the stuffy heat—and the gloom in Ning Rongrong's eyes.

The redness in the girl's eyes gradually faded, and her drooping shoulders slowly straightened.

The pride of the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect began to gather in her eyes once more. It was no longer the overbearing arrogance of a spoiled girl, but the confidence of someone composed and open, who neither fawned nor cowered.

Soto Great Soul Arena.

The group led by Flender sat in the stands, discussing their upcoming tactics and team arrangements, when Lin Yan suddenly walked over.

Flender was the first to notice him and went up to ask.

"How did it go?"

Lin Yan knew he was asking about Ning Rongrong and answered honestly.

"I comforted her a little. She should be fine."

"She seemed pretty reasonable to me."

Flender secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good! Get ready. Your Soul Fighting match is about to start."

"Next up is Zhu Zhuqing versus Tang San, and after that it's your match against another Soul Master."

"Zhu Zhuqing and Tang San?"

Lin Yan murmured softly, then quickly recalled the details of their match.

If he remembered correctly, Tang San had won by an overwhelming margin not long after the fight began.

A control-type Soul Master against an agile attack-type Soul Master was a foregone conclusion even if they were the same level, let alone when Zhu Zhuqing was lower-level than Tang San.

Normally, this had nothing to do with Lin Yan. But he had his reasons for wanting Zhu Zhuqing on his side, and that meant he had to start protecting her now.

If Tang San used his Blue Silver Grass to tie Zhu Zhuqing up when they fought...

At the thought, Lin Yan pursed his lips and quietly walked over to Zhu Zhuqing.

"Zhu Zhuqing, I'd like to talk to you about something. Could you come over here for a moment?"

Zhu Zhuqing looked up. Seeing that it was Lin Yan, she seemed a little confused.

"What is it?"

Lin Yan didn't answer, but his eyes made his meaning clear: it wasn't convenient to talk here.

In the end, Zhu Zhuqing followed Lin Yan to a secluded spot.

Lin Yan got straight to the point.

"I want to talk you into forfeiting your match against Tang San."

Zhu Zhuqing furrowed her delicate brows, confusion filling her eyes.

Seeing her reaction, Lin Yan continued explaining.

"Remember how I wrapped my Blue Silver Grass around your wrist yesterday to use my healing Soul Skill?"

"The Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul lets me feel whatever it touches. In other words, yesterday it was as if I were holding your wrist."

"What I mean is, if you fight Tang San and he uses his control abilities to restrain your whole body..."

He didn't finish the sentence. Zhu Zhuqing had already caught on, and her delicate face had turned slightly pale.

It was obvious that she was terrified of that happening.

After taking a few deep breaths, Zhu Zhuqing forced down the turmoil in her chest and said, "I understand. Thank you."

Lin Yan smiled faintly. "It's nothing. I just wanted to give you a heads-up."

They said nothing more, then returned to the stands.

"Whew, just in time!"

"Otherwise, that kid Tang San would've gotten his way."

As if! Zhu Zhuqing was the heroine Lin Yan had already set his sights on. Little Scumbag thought he could touch her? Not a chance! Even Dai Mubai wouldn't get away with it.

Just as expected, the moment Zhu Zhuqing and Tang San stepped onto the stage for their Soul Fighting match, Zhu Zhuqing forfeited.

Tang San couldn't make sense of it. It wasn't until he returned to the stands and spotted Lin Yan that he realized the two of them had been away together for a while...

"Lin Yan, what did you say to Zhu Zhuqing? Why did she forfeit instead of fighting me?"

"She came here to get stronger. What gives you the right to talk her into changing her mind?"

At that, everyone turned to look at Lin Yan.

Dai Mubai spoke up too. "Yeah, Lin Yan. What did you say to Zhuqing?"

Then Dai Mubai leaned close to Lin Yan's ear and whispered, "Brother, she's my fiancée. You haven't fallen for her, have you?"

Lin Yan merely smiled, his expression open and untroubled.

"Mubai, do you know why I've only ever used grass blades I broke off to heal you over the years, instead of connecting directly with my Blue Silver Grass?"

"Because the Blue Silver Grass lets me feel whatever it touches." He answered his own question, swept his gaze around the group, then looked back at Dai Mubai.

"Think about it. If Zhu Zhuqing fought Tang San, how would it end?"