Comb

Xiao Wu's body suddenly dropped, her legs drawing back like a fully bent bow as she kicked toward Li Han's lower abdomen.

The force behind it was immense. Even with Li Han's Elephant Armor Skill cultivated to the third layer, getting hit would leave him hurting for a while.

Li Han's pupils contracted. His Divine Sense locked onto Xiao Wu, tracking her movements, and the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo instantly swung up in front of him!

Thud!

Xiao Wu's right leg didn't hit Li Han's lower abdomen. It struck the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo instead.

Under the tremendous force, Li Han's feet carved two marks across the floor, but he wasn't hurt at all.

"Huh?"

Xiao Wu was startled. She hadn't expected her attack to be blocked.

After all, this Soul Skill had an extremely powerful first-strike advantage.

Most people couldn't block it the first time they saw it.

Its angle of attack was too strange; ordinary people simply couldn't anticipate it.

Yet Li Han had blocked it.

His Martial Soul, the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, was also exceptionally sturdy.

The force behind her strike had been immense, but it hadn't caused it any damage at all.

"The force behind your first Soul Skill is incredible.

If I'd been hit, I'd probably be down for the count."

"Your reflexes are so fast. You're the first person who's ever dodged my Waist Bow."

Xiao Wu spoke softly, but the fighting spirit in her eyes only grew stronger.

"I was just lucky."

"Luck alone won't cut it. Let's go again!"

As she spoke, Xiao Wu launched another attack.

Her fists and feet alternated, each strike coming from an angle unlike anyone else's.

Her body was extraordinarily flexible, which allowed her to fight with such skill.

Anyone else would have broken their back and fractured their bones by now.

Xiao Wu's close-combat skills were astonishing, but Li Han was no slouch either.

Training in the Blinking Sword Technique and Smoke-Drifting Steps had greatly improved his combat skills.

The Blinking Sword Technique in particular was an absolute textbook on combat.

It covered everything one needed to consider in a fight. Mastering it might not mean your combat skills were perfect, but you'd certainly be at a grandmaster's level.

Li Han had trained well, so he seemed completely at ease as he faced Xiao Wu's relentless attacks, without the slightest hint of panic.

The two traded blows back and forth, evenly matched for a time.

After another clash, they both pulled away.

Li Han reversed his grip on the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, using it like a dagger as he switched from defense to offense.

The Heavenly Thunder Bamboo swept out again and again. It had no blade, but the repeated whooshes as it cut through the air were still fearsome.

Xiao Wu's pupils contracted, and she dodged repeatedly.

The corners of Li Han's mouth lifted slightly as he suddenly accelerated with the Smoke-Drifting Steps.

In the next instant, his left hand seized Xiao Wu's arm. He yanked hard, pulling her to his side.

By the time Xiao Wu reacted, the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo was already resting against her neck.

"I win."

Li Han spoke calmly.

Xiao Wu looked at Li Han, so close to her, and her face reddened slightly.

Before she could say anything, Li Han had already let go of her.

Coming back to her senses, Xiao Wu asked, "What was that you just used?

You were so fast. Was it your first Soul Skill?"

Li Han shook his head slightly.

"No. You can think of it as an ability that comes with my Martial Soul. It's called Smoke-Drifting Steps."

"That's amazing. You can move so fast. And your combat skills are really polished, much better than those of ordinary Soul Masters.

It's strange. You're so strong, so why don't you ever show it? The others in Dorm Seven don't seem to know how strong you are at all."

Xiao Wu looked puzzled.

"I'm not the type to show off.

I just want to focus on cultivating and pursue the end of the Soul Master path.

So unless someone picks a fight with me, I can't be bothered to act."

Xiao Wu understood a little.

Li Han was the kind of Soul Master who devoted himself to pursuing the path to godhood.

Hadn't she taken human form for the same reason?

They were the same kind of person.

"I never would've guessed someone so young could be so resolute."

Xiao Wu secretly admired him.

"Then why didn't you hide your strength from me?"

Xiao Wu asked the question that had been puzzling her.

"Maybe because, in my heart, you've always been a little different."

"A little different? How?"

Xiao Wu's heart skipped a beat.

"After all, you're the little rabbit I feed every day. How could you be the same as everyone else?

You could say we're on the same side, right?"

Li Han grinned and patted Xiao Wu's shoulder.

"Stupid Li Han! You think I'm a pet rabbit? Hmph!"

Xiao Wu stomped on Li Han's foot in displeasure, then stalked away in a huff.

"Ow!"

Li Han clutched his right foot and watched Xiao Wu walk away.

"How does she go from happy to angry just like that? Girls' thoughts really are hard to figure out."

Li Han shook his head slightly and hurried after her.

"Don't walk so fast. Wait for me."

Xiao Wu turned around and made a face at him.

"Bleh! I'm not waiting for you."

Then she sped up.

"This little rabbit sure has a temper.

But she's pretty cute."

Li Han smiled faintly, then called out, "I've got a present for you. Want it?"

At that, Xiao Wu stopped at once, turned to Li Han with delight, and even took a couple of steps toward him.

"A present? What is it?"

Li Han took a jade-green comb from his robes.

"I made this comb myself. Your hair's so long, you'll find it useful for combing it every day."

Li Han had made the comb from an eight-hundred-year-old Lone Bamboo, and it was excellent quality.

That eight-hundred-year-old Lone Bamboo had been far too long to use up. When he'd grown tired from cultivating, Li Han had cut off a piece to make the comb and relax.

It had also given him a chance to practice his carving.

The Lone Bamboo Comb now had a cute design of a rabbit eating a carrot, which he'd carved himself.

After finishing it, Li Han had secretly admired his own handiwork.

He'd improved a lot.

Xiao Wu froze when she saw it.

A comb?

For a moment, she seemed lost in a daze.

The last person who'd given her a comb had been her mother.

"Thank you, Li Han."

Xiao Wu took the Lone Bamboo Comb, tears welling at the corners of her eyes.

"Why are you crying?"

Li Han was puzzled.

The design looked pretty good.

Could it be a difference in taste?

"I'm not. I'm just happy. Thank you for the present.

I'll let you off the hook for what happened earlier.

We're still friends!"

Xiao Wu smiled brightly and carefully put away the Lone Bamboo Comb.

"Good. As long as you're not angry anymore. Come on, let's go back to the dorm and sleep."

Li Han smiled.

"Okay!"

Xiao Wu walked beside Li Han, gazed at his profile, and smiled sweetly.

"Mom, the human world seems pretty nice."

The next day, at the library.

Xiao Wu hadn't arrived yet. Li Han took out the talisman paper he'd prepared, cinnabar made from the blood of a fire-attribute Soul Beast, and the Bamboo Bone Pen he'd already finished making.

He planned to try making talismans.

The Fireball Talisman was his first choice.

First, he'd already learned the Fireball Technique, so drawing a Fireball Talisman should be a little easier.

Second, he only had the blood of a fire-attribute Soul Beast, so he could only draw fire-attribute talismans.

Li Han dipped the Bamboo Bone Pen into the cinnabar, then took a deep breath. His brush flew like a dragon and snake, and in an instant, he'd drawn the Fireball Talisman.

The lines were exactly the same as those in the Compendium of Talismans, but the moment his brush stopped, the paper burst into flame and turned to ash.

"Did I fail?"

Li Han was a little surprised, but he wasn't discouraged.

The odds of getting it right on the first try had never been high.

So he tried again.

Unfortunately, he failed at the exact same point.

Li Han furrowed his brows and kept practicing.

After three failures in a row, he finally spotted the problem.

"It's the pen!"