Tang An: My Martial Soul is a Jack-of-All-Trades?

Xiao Xiao's small face flushed. She stood by the bed, twisting the hem of her shirt with her fingers, and only after hesitating for a moment did she bend down to remove her dainty cloth shoes.

Xiao Xiao's feet were tiny. Her fair, tender insteps glowed faintly under the sunlight filtering through the curtains, and her rounded, adorable toes looked even whiter against the dark bedsheets.

She climbed onto the bed with cautious movements and knelt opposite Tang An, not knowing where to place her hands or feet.

Tang An withdrew his gaze, pulled a booklet from his robe, and handed it over with a grin:

"Don't be nervous, I don't bite. You possess Twin Martial Souls; the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron and the Nine-Phoenix Flute are both top-tier tool martial souls. This is an improved version of the Tang Sect Mysterious Heaven Skill, adjusted specifically for the traits of your martial souls. Read through it first, and ask me if you don't understand anything."

Xiao Xiao took the booklet, her fingers trembling slightly.

Her Twin Martial Souls were her greatest secret; apart from the teacher who conducted the test when she first awakened her martial soul, almost no one knew.

Yet, the boy before her had mentioned it as if it were nothing, and he even knew the specific names of both her martial souls.

Suppressing the shock in her heart, Xiao Xiao opened the booklet and began to read intently, whispering questions whenever she encountered something she didn't understand.

Tang An answered them one by one, his words hitting the mark every time. From time to time, he would even use his finger to trace lines on the booklet.

"Reading isn't enough," Tang An closed the booklet and leaned against the headboard. "Try circulating the first level. I'll watch from the side and correct you if there are any deviations."

Xiao Xiao nodded, closed her eyes, and began to circulate her soul power according to the paths described in the technique.

The first few cycles were a bit stiff, and Tang An would occasionally offer guidance from the side: "Slower. Guide the energy through the Governing Vessel; don't rush to break through the barrier."

But as the technique began to flow smoothly, that warm soul power coursed through her meridians, and a faint cyan glow began to emanate from Xiao Xiao's body.

Within Tang An's Sea of Consciousness, the Immortal Scythe and the Crimson Annihilation Hammer trembled gently in unison.

A strange sense of resonance spread along with the soul power. Behind Xiao Xiao, the phantom of the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron appeared uncontrollably, the cauldron body vibrating with a low hum.

Tang An raised an eyebrow; it was the resonance reaction of a Martial Soul Fusion Skill again.

Just like that time with Tang Ya's Dark Blue Silver Grass, his own martial soul origin was actually resonating and fusing with Xiao Xiao's Twin Martial Souls.

Tang An tentatively channeled his soul power into Xiao Xiao's body. This energy spontaneously intertwined with hers, and the surrounding heaven and earth energy surged toward them as if drawn by a vortex.

Xiao Xiao trembled slightly, feeling as though she were soaking in a hot spring. It was so comfortable she nearly let out a moan. She leaned back in a daze, only to be caught by Tang An.

"Don't lose focus, you're in the middle of a breakthrough," Tang An's voice rang in her ear, so close it made her ear burn.

Xiao Xiao bit her lower lip and sat upright again. Her fair, tender calves tensed involuntarily, and her crystalline toes curled slightly, creating fine wrinkles in the bedsheets.

As the fused soul power circulated faster and faster within her, Xiao Xiao could feel her soul power climbing at a speed visible to the naked eye, moving forward without any obstruction.

Tang An, meanwhile, checked his own cultivation speed and found almost no change; this slight boost was negligible to him.

Tang An couldn't help but marvel inwardly: What is this? It resonates with Tang Ya's Dark Blue Silver Grass, and it resonates with Xiao Xiao's Twin Martial Souls. Could it be that my Immortal Scythe and Crimson Annihilation Hammer are universal keys, capable of fusing with anyone's martial soul?

After an unknown amount of time, the soul power within Xiao Xiao surged violently, and the bottleneck of level twenty-two was shattered.

An unprecedented sense of comfort swept through her entire body, and Xiao Xiao finally couldn't help but let out a soft "Mm."

The sound was soft and sweet, ringing out with startling clarity in the quiet dormitory.

Xiao Xiao's eyes snapped open, and she quickly covered her mouth, her face turning so red it looked like it might bleed. She stole a glance at Tang An and found him watching her with a playful smile.

"I... I leveled up!" Xiao Xiao quickly spoke, hoping to use this fact to cover up that shameful little sound.

Tang An chuckled, withdrew his soul power, and looked Xiao Xiao up and down. The young girl was covered in a light sheen of sweat from the technique; her bangs were damp and plastered to her forehead, and a small patch on the back of her school uniform was soaked through.

Xiao Xiao felt incredibly uncomfortable under Tang An's gaze. She tugged at the clothes sticking to her skin and lowered her head in embarrassment.

"The bathroom is over there," Tang An gestured with his chin. "If you don't mind, feel free to take a shower here."

Xiao Xiao's face turned bright red, but she was indeed feeling sticky and uncomfortable. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded and hurried into the bathroom.

The sound of splashing water continued for a long time before stopping, followed by a silence in the bathroom that felt somewhat unnatural.

Tang An leaned against the headboard, flipping through the booklet, when he heard the bathroom door open just a tiny crack.

"Um... Tang An..." Xiao Xiao poked half her head out from the gap. Her long, damp hair clung to the sides of her face, which was flushed a deep red. Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's hum. "I... I forgot to bring clothes."

Tang An glanced at the school uniform draped over the back of the chair; it was already soaked through.

He stood up, took a clean set of girl's clothes from the wardrobe—spare clothes left behind by Huo Yutong—walked to the bathroom door, and passed them through the gap.

Xiao Xiao took the clothes, and the door slammed shut immediately.

A moment later, the door opened.

Xiao Xiao stepped out of the bathroom. Huo Yutong's dress was slightly small on her, the hem reaching just below her knees, though the waist fit perfectly, accentuating her slender figure.

Her skin, fresh from a hot shower, was white with a rosy tint, as if steamed by the heat. She looked even softer and more delicate than usual.

Xiao Xiao walked barefoot on the floor, droplets of water still clinging to her insteps, glistening under the light.

As she dried her hair with a towel, she looked at the dress with a puzzled expression and couldn't help but ask, "Tang An, why do you have girl's clothes in your boys' dormitory?"

Before she could finish, the dormitory door was suddenly pushed open.

Huo Yutong walked in, the exhaustion from practicing in the Soul Guidance Department all afternoon evident on her face, her ash-blue hair slightly messy.

Huo Yutong was just about to call out, "Brother Tang An, I'm back," when her gaze fell upon the girl standing in the center of the room.

Xiao Xiao was wearing her dress, her long hair draped wetly over her shoulders, looking soft and docile—clearly, she had just finished a shower.

Huo Yutong froze in place, her lips trembling, and her eyes began to turn slightly red.

Tang An looked at Huo Yutong's expression and couldn't help but chuckle: "Yutong, why don't you explain to her why there is women's clothing in the boys' dormitory?"

Huo Yutong was stunned for a moment, forcing back the redness in her eyes. She took a deep breath, looked at Tang An's calm expression, then at Xiao Xiao's curious gaze, and suddenly felt that her grievance from just a moment ago was inexplicable.

She closed the door behind her, took a deep breath, and walked to the center of the room. She reached up to undo the hair tie binding her hair, letting her grey-blue short hair fall loose. She then took off her outer coat, revealing the undergarment beneath, the silhouette of a young girl's figure clearly visible.

"Xiao Xiao," Huo Yutong's voice was a few degrees softer than usual.

"Actually, I am a girl. My name is Huo Yutong. I had been dressing as a boy for convenience, and after entering the academy, I didn't have the chance to change back. I didn't mean to deceive you."