Xiao Wu and Lin Mo

Notting Academy, playground.

"Lin Mo, Tang San and I definitely won't lose this time." Xiao Wu said, full of energy.

Yet, there was clearly not much confidence in her tone.

"You've said that many times, but it has never come true even once."

Lin Mo scratched his ear and stepped forward, his black hair instantly turning white.

As he entered the Innate Life State, he simultaneously ignited his first soul ring: Body-Protecting Qi.

That extremely thin layer of Qi shield emerged on his skin, refracting a pale golden luster under the sunlight, looking just like a layer of translucent glaze.

After nearly a year of familiarization, Lin Mo had undoubtedly reached a new level in both his use of the Innate Life State and his Body-Protecting Qi.

The three of them had sparred many times over the past year.

But whether it was Tang San or Xiao Wu, neither had ever managed to break through that seemingly paper-thin Qi shield on Lin Mo's body head-on.

The moment Lin Mo stepped forward, the first soul ring at Tang San's feet lit up.

Clusters of Blue Silver Grass suddenly appeared around Lin Mo, binding him into the shape of a rice dumpling.

Blue Silver Grass first soul skill: Binding.

The Blue Silver Grass Tang San released was significantly thicker than it had been a year ago.

Over a dozen vine-like blades exerted force simultaneously, contracting at an extreme speed, wrapping Lin Mo tightly in the blink of an eye.

One could not even see Lin Mo's figure through the gaps in the tangled vines.

Before Xiao Wu could get close enough to engage in melee, Lin Mo's voice drifted out from beneath the 'large blue dumpling,' sounding slightly muffled.

"The speed and precision of your soul skill have improved quite a bit compared to last time. You've truly been working hard, Tang San."

"It's a pity that Blue Silver Grass is, after all, just Blue Silver Grass. Its restraint is as good as non-existent to me."

The next moment, Lin Mo condensed his Qi into a blade, and the Qi on his body suddenly surged violently.

Countless grass shards and severed vines exploded in all directions.

Lin Mo stood where he was, his Qi shield completely unscathed.

Xiao Wu's figure had already darted in front of Lin Mo.

A yellow soul ring lit up at her feet, and Waist Bow was activated.

Lin Mo did not retreat or dodge; he simply gathered his energy, clenched his fist, and threw a punch.

The fist-Qi tore through the air, emitting a dull thud.

Xiao Wu seized the momentum to grab Lin Mo's arm, attempting to use his own strength against him.

But Lin Mo's power was too immense, far exceeding the scope of what she could redirect.

She was sent flying backward involuntarily.

She performed a flip in mid-air, landing steadily on the ground to stabilize herself.

Seeing this, Xiao Wu was clearly still feeling indignant and rose to meet him once more.

The Qi shield on Lin Mo's body returned to calm, reverting to that quiet, pale golden film.

He stood there, letting Xiao Wu punch and kick him for a while.

Xiao Wu unleashed her full repertoire of Soft Skill, with elbow strikes, knee smashes, and whip kicks—a series of combos pouring out like flowing water.

Yet, the Qi shield remained unmoved.

"I quit, I quit."

She waved her hands, saying with a helpless expression, "Lin Mo, this shield of yours is practically cheating. Tang San and I just can't break it no matter what."

Lin Mo retracted his soul ring, his white hair turning back to black, and the Qi shield dissipated into the air along with it.

After he improved his control over his first soul skill, the possibility of Xiao Wu and Tang San defeating him had all but vanished.

Perhaps because she had lost too many times, Xiao Wu now seemed somewhat resigned, no longer obsessed with defeating Lin Mo.

Over this past year, she had also sparred with Tang San, and the two of them had traded wins and losses.

If she were careless and got caught by Tang San's Binding soul skill, she would basically have no ability to resist.

But if Tang San let her get close, she could use the power granted by Waist Bow to instantly defeat him with her Soft Skill.

However, if one were to speak of frustration, Tang San was the most frustrated of them all.

His Blue Silver Grass martial soul's first soul skill was nothing more than a decoration to Lin Mo.

In Tang San's view, in terms of raw brute force alone, Lin Mo's strength even surpassed that of the Vajra Ape they had encountered in the Soul Hunting Forest.

Throughout this year, he had lived a life of studying with Yu Xiaogang in the morning, working as a blacksmith in the afternoon, and cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Technique at night.

Tang San had not deliberately hidden the fact that he was working a part-time job at the smithy.

There was no hiding this.

He simply decided to attribute the Silent Sleeve Arrow he had crafted to his father, a fellow blacksmith who had taught him how to make it.

He had tested the power of the sleeve arrow; it was more than enough to deal with spirit masters of the same rank, and even against higher-ranked ones, it could have miraculous effects if used in a sneak attack.

Once, at Lin Mo's invitation, he had used the sleeve arrow to attack Lin Mo.

Lin Mo wanted to test the defense of his protective shield, and Tang San, in turn, wanted to test the piercing power of the sleeve arrow.

However, after the sleeve arrow struck the aura shield and emitted a crisp metallic clang, there was nothing more to it.

The sleeve arrow could not break through Lin Mo's defense.

It was precisely this blow that made Tang San even more determined to craft mechanical hidden weapons as quickly as possible.

The piercing power of an ordinary sleeve arrow was limited, but if it were a mechanical hidden weapon, such as the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, it might just be able to shatter Lin Mo's aura shield.

After the sparring session, the three of them sat at the edge of the playground.

A thin layer of dust had settled on the bench by the playground; Xiao Wu brushed it off casually and plopped down.

"Tang San, where do you plan to go tomorrow? We're on break starting tomorrow."

Xiao Wu sat on the bench, swinging her slightly slender legs in boredom.

Her braid swayed with the movement of her legs, and her entire person radiated an irrepressible, lively energy.

"I..."

Tang San's tone was slightly hesitant.

"I think I'll head home tomorrow. I've been away for a year, and I want to go back and see my dad..."

His voice softened involuntarily as he spoke.

His father lived alone in Holy Soul Village. Although he trusted that his father could take care of himself, it had been a year, and he couldn't help but feel concerned.

He wondered if his father was eating on time.

He wondered if the blacksmith shop was doing well.

Thinking of this, Tang San changed the subject and turned to ask, "What about you, Xiao Wu, and Lin Mo?"

"What do you two plan to do over the break?"

Xiao Wu turned to look at Lin Mo, who was leaning beside her with his arms crossed over his chest, eyes closed in a light nap.

Hearing this, she chuckled, "My family has things to attend to, so I have nowhere to go for this break."

"Lin Mo is planning to return to the orphanage, and I'm going to go with him, and maybe wander around Notting City while I'm at it."

As she spoke, she stretched lazily, an expectant look appearing on her face.

"I've been here for so long, but I haven't really had a chance to properly explore Notting City yet..."