Before her words had even faded, her body had already become a blue-green afterimage. She crossed several meters in an instant and appeared before Qian San. There were no flashy techniques, just a simple punch straight at his chest.
Yet this seemingly ordinary punch came with a scalp-prickling crack through the air. It was heavy and forceful, like Haotian Mountain crashing down on him!
Qian San's pupils contracted. He could feel the terrifying power packed into that punch. This girl's physical strength was practically inhuman!
He chose not to meet it head-on. His steps instantly turned illusory, and his body twisted strangely like a willow in the wind, narrowly dodging the crushing blow—Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!
Her first strike missed, but Xiao Qing didn't pause for a moment. Her right leg swept out like a steel whip, bringing with it a shrill rush of wind. Her fighting style was cold and ruthless, without a single wasted movement. Every strike was broad and forceful, relying on strength to overwhelm finesse. She was like a giant python lying in wait to hunt in the abyss: if it didn't strike, nothing happened; once it did, it killed.
Qian San drew a deep breath. His hands instantly took on a warm, jade-like sheen—Mysterious Jade Hand!
He reached out with both hands and precisely caught Xiao Qing's sweeping leg. At the same time, Mysterious Heaven Skill surged through his body, and he pushed Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon to its utmost.
He retreated along with the terrifying force of Xiao Qing's kick. His hands traced a smooth arc through the air, not only dissipating most of the power in her leg but also using her momentum to guide her whole body off to the side.
Xiao Qing's brow furrowed slightly. It felt as if her strength had struck a ball of cotton: she had nowhere to direct it, and even her balance was being thrown off by her opponent's strange technique.
The instant Xiao Qing's center of gravity shifted, Qian San seized the fleeting opening. He stepped in with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, and his Spider Armor-clad arm, glowing with a deep blue sheen, stopped steadily less than half an inch from her throat.
The victor was decided.
The entire spar had lasted no more than a dozen breaths, yet the danger and finesse of it left the surrounding Work-Study Students staring in stunned silence.
The vertical pupils in Xiao Qing's eyes slowly faded, and her blue-green scales quickly withdrew into her body. She wasn't furious or embarrassed. Her cool face remained perfectly calm, without the slightest ripple.
"You're very good." Xiao Qing straightened and looked at Qian San openly.
"I lost."
With that, she turned around briskly, ready to return to her bare bed, which didn't even have a bedsheet.
Watching Xiao Qing's thin back, Qian San sighed softly. He walked to his own bed, grabbed the bedding Ning Dagang had sent over earlier, and tossed it straight onto Xiao Qing's bed.
"What do you mean by that?" Xiao Qing stopped and looked back at him, a trace of confusion in her eyes.
"My dad taught me to do one good deed every day." Qian San shrugged and casually made up an excuse. Truthfully, the bedding was too stiff, and he hadn't wanted it anyway. Besides, faced with such a stubborn girl who could take defeat so calmly, he couldn't bear to watch her freeze that night.
Xiao Qing stared blankly.
For the first time, her usually impassive face showed an expression called astonishment. She looked at the bedding on the bed, then at Qian San, and remained silent for a full three seconds.
"You gave me the bedding. What will you do?" Xiao Qing asked.
Qian San was already planning to go to a shop in Nuoding City and pick out the softest goose-down bedding he could find. But outwardly, he remained calm and unruffled. "You don't need to worry about that. My dad will get me some."
Xiao Qing looked at him, then at the bedding. A complicated light flickered in her eyes. There was surprise, a little confusion, and also a faint trace of warmth.
"Thank you."
She spoke the two words softly, so quietly they might have been missed if one wasn't listening carefully. Then she turned and went to her bed, silently laying out the bedding she had come by so hard.
Xiao Qing no longer paid him any attention, but Qian San didn't mind. He brushed the dust off himself and walked out of Dorm Seven.
It was still early. He planned to sort out his bedding in the city first, then stop by a blacksmith's shop in Nuoding City. The Tang Sect's Hidden Weapon techniques were exquisite, but even the cleverest housewife couldn't cook without rice. He needed some tools that suited him. He didn't know how skilled the blacksmiths in this world were, so he would have to see for himself. Hopefully, he could find a few reliable craftsmen to make his Sleeve Arrow and Silent Sleeve Sword.
As for Dad... Qian San raised his head and looked at the clouds rolling across the horizon.
Dad, you'd better bring back a powerful Spirit Ring for me. My Blue Silver Spider is counting on you.
After leaving Nuoding Academy, Qian San went straight to Nuoding City's commercial district.
His destination was a discreet blacksmith's shop. As a former Tang Sect disciple, he had countless intricate Hidden Weapon designs in his head. Now that he had Soul Power, there was no way he would abandon the Tang Sect's signature skills.
To keep the Hidden Weapon designs from being leaked, Qian San deliberately took several detours and found two blacksmiths' shops far apart from each other, with no connection between them. He broke the Silent Sleeve Arrow plans into separate parts, giving the mechanisms and springs to a blacksmith in the east of the city, and the casing and arrow tubes to one in the west.
"The measurements must be exact to the tiniest fraction. Use the finest tempered iron." Qian San slapped the gleaming Gold Soul Coins onto the anvil. Watching the old blacksmith's surprised expression, he spoke with a composure far beyond that of a six-year-old child.
After taking care of the initial weapon components, he strolled over to a bedding shop and spent one Gold Soul Coin on the softest goose-down quilt he could find.
By the time he returned to Dorm Seven with the brand-new bedding in his arms, it was already dark. The Work-Study Students in the dorm were gathered in little groups, boasting to one another. When they saw the bedding in his arms, which was obviously worth a pretty penny, they all looked envious.
Qian San paid no attention to their gazes and went straight to his bed to lay out his bedding. In a corner not far away, Xiao Qing sat cross-legged on the old bedding he had given her yesterday, eyes closed as she meditated. Hearing the commotion, she opened her eyes slightly. Her cool gaze paused for a moment on Qian San's goose-down quilt. She said nothing, then closed her eyes again.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, Qian San followed the academy's schedule and attended his first class in the beginner class. The lessons were very basic, mostly covering Soul Power meditation and general knowledge about Soul Beast species.
When the class bell rang, Qian San was about to head to the cafeteria when a senior student waiting outside called to him. "Qian San, Teacher Ning Dagang wants you to go to his office."
Qian San frowned slightly, but nodded all the same. He followed the student down the corridor to a private office on the top floor.
When he opened the door, Ning Dagang stood with his back to him, hands behind his back, gazing out the window at the students playing on the field—a masterful, inscrutable air about him.
"Teacher, you wanted to see me?" Qian San asked politely.
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