Four People Fighting Like Children

That night, after the awakening test, the atmosphere in the four-person dormitory was worse than usual.

Xiao Yan sat against the wall with his right leg bent and his left leg stretched out. He toyed with a faint Heavenly Flame in his hand, his face flickering in its light, his expression as bitter as if he'd eaten three pounds of bitter melon.

"Why is Shi Hao at level nine while I'm only at level four?" he finally said, his voice full of indignation. "How is that fair? Back in the Great Thousand World, who didn't call me the Flame Emperor? And here in this godforsaken place, I'm only level four? Level four!"

Shi Hao was hanging upside down from the edge of his bed, doing sit-ups. At Xiao Yan's words, he replied with his head still pointing at the floor, "Because I'm the Desolate Heaven Emperor, the one who ruled supreme for eternity. You're a level-four weakling. Whether you like it or not, you'd better accept it."

Xiao Yan's face darkened further. "You ruled supreme over nothing. You can't beat Wang Lin!"

Shi Hao paused, his upside-down head turning toward Xiao Yan. "I've never fought him."

Wang Lin leaned against the opposite wall with his eyes closed, like a statue. Hearing his name, he didn't even lift an eyelid. He merely said, "This venerable one can't be bothered to fight you."

Shi Hao flipped down from the bed.

He stood upright, half a head taller than Wang Lin, his muscles gleaming in the dim light. He walked up to Wang Lin and looked down at him.

"What did you say? Wang Lin, come here."

Wang Lin finally opened his eyes.

His pale gray eyes were as still as two pools of dead water. There was no emotion in his gaze as he looked at Shi Hao, only a near-cold indifference.

"I said this venerable one can't be bothered."

Shi Hao clenched his fists.

Han Li sat on his bed, meditating. He hadn't wanted to get involved in this nonsense, but the two were getting louder and louder, until their argument was interfering with his cultivation.

"Both of you, shut up. Go to sleep."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was cold enough to make the air feel as if it had dropped several degrees.

Xiao Yan was too worked up to listen. He turned and glared at Han Li. "Who are you to tell us to shut up, you ugly freak?"

Han Li opened his eyes.

There was no expression in his dark eyes, but for some reason, Xiao Yan felt a chill run down his back.

"Would you care to say that again?"

His voice was so calm it didn't sound like a threat, but that calm was more frightening than a shout.

What kind of person was Xiao Yan? He'd risen from being the good-for-nothing of Wutan City to the pinnacle of the Great Thousand World. What hadn't he seen? Who had he ever feared?

"Ugly! Freak!" He enunciated each word, biting down hard on every syllable.

A streak of azure light glimmered at Han Li's fingertips.

Sword energy.

It was extremely faint, barely an inch long, but so sharp that the surrounding air trembled.

The sword energy shot out.

Xiao Yan tilted his head aside.

It skimmed past his ear and struck the wall behind him, gouging a deep mark as brick dust pattered to the floor. A two-foot-long crack now marred the wall.

Xiao Yan touched his ear. It wasn't cut, but his fingertip felt a trace of heat.

He looked up at Han Li.

Han Li was looking at him too.

The air was thick with an almost tangible smell of gunpowder.

Shi Hao had been squaring off against Wang Lin, but when he saw a fight about to break out nearby, his eyes lit up. "Then let's fight!"

He threw a punch at Xiao Yan.

His fist whistled through the air, hurtling straight for Xiao Yan's face.

Xiao Yan didn't have time to curse. Heavenly Flame burst forth, blue fire gathering in his palm as he met Shi Hao's punch.

Fist collided with flame, and a muffled boom rang out. Xiao Yan staggered back two steps while Shi Hao didn't budge an inch. A charred patch appeared on Shi Hao's fist, while Xiao Yan's wrist throbbed with pain.

Standing to the side, Wang Lin watched them fight, the corner of his mouth slowly curling upward.

The Heaven-Defying Bead appeared from his sleeve, gray-white light swirling within it.

"Whose side should this venerable one take?" His voice held the teasing amusement of a cat toying with a mouse.

Han Li rose from his bed. The azure light at his fingertips flared again, brighter and longer than before.

"A bunch of brats."

Sword energy crisscrossed the room.

The four of them fell into a brawl in the dormitory.

But this fight was nothing like the world-shattering battles they'd waged in their own worlds.

There were no earth-shaking effects. Their cultivation was suppressed too severely for them to unleash their full power.

There was no flying or burrowing through the earth. The damn dormitory was too small; turn around and you'd hit a wall. There were no flashy techniques either. All they could use were basic punches and kicks, along with their weak elemental attacks.

So the brawl was more like a street fight.

Han Li grabbed Xiao Yan by the hair. Xiao Yan grimaced in pain and sank his teeth into Shi Hao's shoulder.

Shi Hao kicked Wang Lin in the shin. Wang Lin tried to dodge but failed, stumbling a step before reaching out to pinch Han Li's arm with his nails.

The four of them wrestled together like four angry roosters.

If anyone had seen them from the doorway, they never would have guessed that these four had once stood at the pinnacle of their respective worlds.

Next door.

Tang San was reading in his room, poring over a treatise on Soul Beast habits. Recently, he'd been studying Xiao Wu's eating habits.

Then he heard the noises from next door.

"Ugly freak, how dare you pull my hair?"

"This venerable one will strangle you!"

"Rule supreme for eternity! Crush everything! Take this!"

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river! I'll fight you to the death!"

Tang San put down his book and frowned.

Were they at it again?

He sighed, put on his shoes, and left his room. The corridor was dark, with only a single dim yellow light at the far end. He walked to the door of the four-person dormitory. It wasn't fully closed; a narrow gap remained.

Tang San pushed the door open.

His pupils dilated in an instant.

Han Li had Xiao Yan by the hair. Xiao Yan's face was twisted out of shape, but his teeth were clamped firmly onto Shi Hao's shoulder like a wolf with its prey.

One of Shi Hao's feet was planted against Wang Lin's shin, while the other hung in the air. He kept his balance in an utterly contorted pose.

And Wang Lin—the aloof one who was always calling himself "this venerable one," and who was more beautiful than a girl—was pinching Han Li's arm with his nails. They dug into the flesh, and Han Li's brows had knitted into a tight knot.

The four of them were tangled together in a bizarre fashion. None could beat the others, and none would let go.

Tang San's brain crashed.

He opened his mouth, but not a word came out.

All four sensed the commotion at the door and turned toward it at the same time. Their four faces wore different expressions, but all conveyed the same message: annoyance at being interrupted.

Four mouths opened at once and let out the same word. "Get out!"

Tang San closed his mouth.

He silently stepped back, took hold of the doorknob, and slowly shut the door.

Click.

The door closed.

Tang San stood in the corridor, staring at the shut door in silence for a long while.

He turned and went back to his room, closed the door, and sat on his bed.

Xiao Wu was munching on an apple in bed. Seeing Tang San's expression, she asked curiously, "Third Brother, what's wrong? You look awful."

Tang San took a deep breath. "Nothing. I went to break up the fight, and they kicked me out."

Xiao Wu asked, "Who did?"

Tang San said, "The four of them."

"Together?"

Tang San nodded.

Xiao Wu was silent for a second, then burst out laughing.

"Third Brother, you never learn. The four of them are fighting, and you just have to stick your nose into it?"

Tang San lowered his head and muttered, "I thought I could help."

Xiao Wu took a bite of her apple, chewed, swallowed, then said seriously, "Third Brother, you're great in every way, except you meddle too much."

Tang San: "..."

He wanted to say, "I'm not meddling. I'm just trying to help." But the words died on his lips when he realized Xiao Wu was right.

Ever since the four of them had arrived at the academy, he'd been helping them: introducing them to the academy, arranging their accommodation, smoothing over their conflicts, and comforting those who got hurt... Every time, he'd meant well, yet every time they'd cursed him out and treated him like a doormat.

He clearly meant well. Why did everyone always resent him?

A knock sounded at the door.

Tang San opened it. Flender stood outside, his face livid.

"Xiao San, come with me for a moment."

Tang San followed Flender to the four-person dormitory. This time, the door was open. He glanced inside and saw that the four had separated, each standing in a corner. Their clothes were disheveled, their hair was a mess, and they were all sporting injuries.

Han Li had a red mark on his left cheek, Xiao Yan had a black eye, Shi Hao had a bite mark on his arm, and Wang Lin's sleeve was covered in dust. He looked as if he'd been stepped on several times.

The dormitory was even worse. The beds were overturned, the quilts scattered, the pillows torn, and feathers littered the floor. Several sword marks marred the walls, a few charred pits pocked the ground, and a crack ran across the ceiling. It looked as if it might collapse at any moment.

Flender took a deep breath, trying to hold back his anger. "Who started it?"

Four fingers pointed at someone else at the same time.

Flender: "...Fine. Very good."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then another. When he opened them, he said each word slowly and clearly, "Starting tomorrow, the four of you will train together as a group until you learn to work in sync."

All four exploded at once.

Xiao Yan was the first to object. "Who wants to be grouped with him?" He pointed at Shi Hao.

Shi Hao exploded too. "I'm not grouping up with a weakling!" He pointed at Xiao Yan.

Wang Lin sneered. "This venerable one won't associate with the likes of you."

Han Li said nothing, but his expression said it all: refusal, vehement refusal.

Flender slapped the doorframe, splitting it with a crack.

"Objections overruled! That's the dean's order!"

The four fell silent.

But their faces all said the same thing: they weren't convinced.

The next day, Tang San refused to give up.

He found the four and blocked their way as they headed to the training grounds.

"I know you can't stand each other," Tang San said, standing in the middle of the path with his arms spread wide like a mother hen protecting her chicks. "But Dean Flender is right. You need to learn to work in sync. I can help you..."

Xiao Yan walked around him without even turning his head. "None of your damn business, doormat."

Tang San's smile froze for a moment, but quickly returned. "...I just wanted to help."

Shi Hao walked past him and patted his shoulder, using enough force to nearly knock Tang San off his feet. "You're not strong enough to help. Thanks."

Tang San: "..."

When Wang Lin passed him, he paused. Those pale gray eyes looked Tang San up and down, then the corner of his mouth curled into a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

"This venerable one suggests you stay away from us, lest you get caught in the crossfire."

Tang San's face began to pale.

Han Li was the last to approach. He didn't walk around Tang San, but stopped in front of him and looked at him expressionlessly.

Tang San felt a little creeped out under that gaze from those pitch-black eyes.

Han Li spoke, his voice as flat as if he were stating the day's weather. "Your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul is too weak. If you team up with us, you'll only drag us down. For our sake, and for yours, keep your distance."

He paused, then added, "I'm not mocking you. It's a fact."

Then he left too.

The four of them disappeared in the direction of the training grounds.

Tang San stood alone in the middle of the path, opening his mouth, closing it, then opening it again and closing it once more.

He wanted to argue, to say his Blue Silver Grass wasn't ordinary Blue Silver Grass, to say he had the Mysterious Heaven Skill, the Hundred Interpretations of Hidden Weapons, the Purple Demon Eye, and the Eight Spider Lances. He wanted to say that one day he'd become the Sea God, that he had countless trump cards, and that he wasn't useless.

But the words turned over in his throat a few times, and not a single one came out.

There was no point saying them. They wouldn't believe him.

Tang San turned and went to the flower bed by the academy gates, where he crouched down.

The midday sun shone on his blue hair, casting a small shadow on the ground. He hugged his knees and buried his face in his arms, his shoulders trembling slightly.

When Xiao Wu came looking for him, this was what she saw.

"Third Brother?"

Tang San lifted his head. His eyes were red, his nose was red too, and tear tracks still glistened on his face.

"They said I was weak." His voice was muffled, as if he had a cold.

Xiao Wu crouched beside him, looked at him, and sighed. "Third Brother, they're right."

Tang San's tears welled up again.

"I know." His voice grew even more muffled. "But could you at least not be so direct?"

Xiao Wu parted her lips, wanting to comfort him, but she thought for a long time and couldn't figure out what to say.

In the end, she patted Tang San's head like he was a puppy. "All right, all right. I'll make braised pork for you tonight."

Tang San lifted his head, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Really?"

Xiao Wu nodded. "Really. But you have to promise me one thing."

"What?"

"Don't say 'Resurrect, My Love' again. At least not today."

Tang San fell silent for three seconds, sniffled, and then—

"Resurrect, My..."

Xiao Wu covered his mouth with one hand. "You're at it again?"

Tang San blinked, his mouth muffled beneath her palm. "Mmph... mmph... mmph..."

Xiao Wu glared at him. "Like I'd believe a word you say!"

In the distance, Shi Hao's roar rang out from the training ground. "Arbitrary Eternity!"

Then came Xiao Yan's retort. "Arbitrary my ass!"

A dull thud followed, as if something had slammed into the ground.

Xiao Wu let go and stood up. She looked toward the training ground in the distance, then down at Tang San, who was crouched on the ground.

"Third Brother, do you ever feel... that even though those four are a real pain, they live so authentically?"

Tang San looked up, thought it over, and nodded.

Then he added, "Resurrect..."

Xiao Wu didn't wait for him to finish. She turned and walked away.

"Xiao Wu, wait for me!" Tang San hurried after her, still muttering his catchphrase:

"Resurrect, my beloved! Resurrect, my beloved!"