Practice More When You're Weak, Build Familiarity and Coordination

Yu Yan knew his opponent was strong. The instant Xiao Wu moved, he fixed his eyes on her, observing every movement she made.

Xiao Wu swiftly came around to Yu Yan's side and raised her leg in a kick at him.

Having kept his attention on Xiao Wu's movements, Yu Yan hurriedly raised an arm to block. At the same time, his other hand had already clenched into a fist and swung sideways with all his strength toward where Xiao Wu stood.

Yu Yan did not need to worry about hurting Xiao Wu, because he simply could not beat her.

If he could not beat her, there was naturally no need for such concerns.

Xiao Wu's leg collided with the arm Yu Yan had raised to block, producing a dull thud.

What Yu Yan had not expected was for Xiao Wu's leg to bend sideways at an unbelievable angle and hook around his arm.

Immediately afterward, Xiao Wu used the leg locking Yu Yan's arm as the pivot, spun with force, evaded his other arm, and circled behind him.

Xiao Wu wrapped both arms around Yu Yan's waist and easily broke his balance with a simple exertion of force.

The consequences of losing one's balance in battle were obvious. Yu Yan was thrown to the ground by Xiao Wu.

Judging from the pain in his back, Xiao Wu had definitely held back.

From beginning to end, the battle had taken only five seconds.

Yu Yan lay on the ground, staring blankly at the sky. He had been unbeatable among the children of Fish Village, yet he had lost to Xiao Wu in five seconds.

There were many reasons for this, and Yu Yan did not want to analyze them one by one. He only knew that he had to work harder on actual combat.

If he was weak, then he needed to practice more—until diligence made up for his shortcomings and compensated for his weakness in actual combat.

Xiao Wu's cute face appeared above Yu Yan, blocking the sky from his view.

"Yu Yan, did I hit too hard just now?"

Xiao Wu had just been eager to hit Yu Yan a few times, but seeing him lying motionless on the ground, she instead became concerned about his condition.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I was just thinking about how I should have handled that fight. You didn't hit very hard. I could tell you held back."

Yu Yan rolled over and got to his feet, dusted himself off, then invited Xiao Wu again. "Come on, let's continue."

Seeing that Yu Yan seemed perfectly fine, Xiao Wu confirmed it with him twice more before returning to stand opposite him.

The battle began again. This time, Xiao Wu did not choose an especially fierce offensive. After approaching Yu Yan, she began feeding him moves.

Before the fight began, Yu Yan had thought of many ways to deal with Xiao Wu's Soft Technique.

But when it came to actual combat and Xiao Wu's unceasing stream of attacks, Yu Yan could only respond with all his strength. He had no time to think about anything else.

This battle lasted more than twenty minutes. Once his Soul Power was completely depleted, Yu Yan weakly waved at Xiao Wu and begged for mercy.

"Xiao Wu, tell me honestly. How much of your strength did you use just now?"

After drinking the tea Xiao Wu had brought him, Yu Yan became curious about his approximate level.

"Thirty percent."

Xiao Wu thought seriously for quite a while before giving a very rigorous answer.

Yu Yan froze upon hearing it. This was much better than the twenty percent he had expected. He had still been too cautious.

In high spirits, Yu Yan immediately declared, "Then I'd better work hard and return those words to you as soon as possible."

"Ha, it's impossible for you to beat me while using thirty percent of your strength. You're not the only one improving. I've been improving too."

Xiao Wu waved a hand, not taking the matter to heart at all. If Yu Yan could defeat her with thirty percent of his strength, then she would... she would... she would admit he was impressive.

After thinking it over for a long time and not wanting to impose any severe punishment on herself, Xiao Wu came up with a punishment that was easy to fulfill.

She could advance or retreat as she pleased, without suffering any loss at all. Xiao Wu felt that she was simply a genius.

Once he had rested, Yu Yan sat cross-legged and used the Meditation Method to restore his Soul Power.

Without the help of Purple Qi, this most ordinary Meditation Method was truly terrible. Its Soul Power recovery speed was slow, very slow, unbelievably, incredibly slow.

Three consecutive descriptions were enough to show Yu Yan's most objective evaluation of this Meditation Method.

Yu Yan was no peerless genius, nor could he create a more efficient Meditation Method out of thin air.

Therefore, obtaining a more efficient Meditation Method had to be listed among the important things he needed to do in the future.

Once his Soul Power had recovered, Yu Yan delightedly discovered that his Soul Power Level had risen slightly.

"Xiao Wu, let's go again."

Taking a deep breath, Yu Yan, restored to peak condition, stood up and invited Xiao Wu once more.

More than twenty minutes later, Yu Yan once again slumped against a chair, gasping heavily after exhausting all his Soul Power.

His Soul Power grew through depletion and recovery, while his combat experience also rapidly improved with Xiao Wu's help.

Night fell. Having successfully lasted thirty minutes against Xiao Wu, Yu Yan looked at the bright moon hanging high in the sky and smiled happily.

The feeling of improving was truly wonderful!

"Xiao Wu, thank you."

After his happiness subsided, Yu Yan did not forget to thank the person most responsible for his rapid improvement.

Without Xiao Wu sparring with him, without her tirelessly feeding him moves, he could not possibly have improved so quickly today.

"No need to be polite. You've helped me a lot too. I should be the one thanking you."

Having encountered such a good person as Yu Yan so soon after entering human society, Xiao Wu was truly grateful to him—aside from his slightly poisonous tongue.

"We're helping each other, so let's stop saying polite things like thank you in the future."

Faced with Xiao Wu's thanks once more, Yu Yan, who disliked such formalities, made a suggestion.

Thanking each other back and forth would make them seem too distant.

"No problem."

Xiao Wu, who also disliked exchanging empty pleasantries, immediately agreed to the suggestion.

Days passed one by one, and Yu Yan and Xiao Wu became increasingly familiar with each other.

Every morning, the two climbed to the mountaintop, cultivated beneath the rising Morning Sun, then descended together after practicing two sets of Taiji Fist.

In the afternoons, Yu Yan and Xiao Wu began sparring in actual combat. Under Xiao Wu's constant instruction and move-feeding, Yu Yan could now trade blows evenly with Xiao Wu when she used thirty-five percent of her strength.

Yu Yan knew that Xiao Wu was a transformed soul beast, so he specifically taught her much common knowledge about human society and many principles of how to conduct herself.

Unable to find any problem with what Yu Yan taught her, Xiao Wu listened cheerfully as though he were telling stories.

The two maintained a subtle yet harmonious understanding. They discussed many topics, yet there were also many topics they never discussed.

Yu Yan had been so busy that he lost track of time, until Old Man Yu, the village chief, came to remind him in person.

The merchant caravan passing through the village had arrived. The day to take Xiao Wu to Balaque City and obtain her Martial Soul Awakening Certificate had come.