Notting Academy, playground.
"Lin Mo, Tang San and I definitely won't lose again this time." Xiao Wu said, brimming with energy.
But there was clearly not much confidence in her voice.
"You've said that plenty of times already, but you've never once made it happen."
Lin Mo scratched his ear and stepped forward. His black hair turned white in an instant.
As he entered the Innate Life State, he simultaneously activated his First Soul Ring, Body-Protecting Qi.
A thin shield of protective qi appeared around his body. Sunlight glinted off it, giving it a pale golden sheen, like a layer of translucent glass.
After nearly a year of practice, Lin Mo had undoubtedly become much more adept at both using the Innate Life State and controlling his Body-Protecting Qi.
The three of them had sparred many times over the past year.
But neither Tang San nor Xiao Wu had ever managed to break through the seemingly thin shield of qi around Lin Mo.
The moment Lin Mo stepped forward, the First Soul Ring beneath Tang San's feet lit up.
Clumps of Blue Silver Grass suddenly appeared around Lin Mo, binding him up into the shape of a giant dumpling.
Blue Silver Grass First Soul Skill: Binding.
The Blue Silver Grass Tang San released was much thicker than it had been a year ago.
More than a dozen vines tightened all at once, moving so quickly that they had wrapped Lin Mo up completely in the blink of an eye.
Not even a glimpse of Lin Mo could be seen through the gaps between the vines.
Before Xiao Wu could get close enough to attack, Lin Mo's voice suddenly came from beneath the "giant blue dumpling," slightly muffled.
"The speed and precision of your Soul Skill have both improved quite a bit since last time. You've really been working hard lately, Tang San."
"Too bad Blue Silver Grass is still just Blue Silver Grass. Its restraints might as well not exist to me."
The next moment, Lin Mo condensed his qi into a blade, and the protective qi around him suddenly surged.
Shreds of grass and severed vines burst in every direction.
Lin Mo stood where he was, his shield of protective qi completely unscathed.
Xiao Wu had already darted in front of him.
A yellow Soul Ring lit up beneath her feet, and she unleashed Waist Bow.
Lin Mo neither retreated nor dodged. He gathered his qi into his fist and threw a punch.
His fist's qi tore through the air with a dull thud.
Xiao Wu grabbed his arm, trying to borrow his force and turn it against him.
But Lin Mo was far too strong. His strength was beyond anything she could redirect.
She couldn't help being flung backward.
She turned a somersault in midair before landing steadily and regaining her balance.
Xiao Wu still seemed a little disgruntled. She got back up and charged at him again.
The shield of protective qi around Lin Mo settled down, returning to its quiet, pale golden sheen.
He stood there and let Xiao Wu punch and kick him for a while.
Xiao Wu unleashed every one of her Soft Skills. Elbow strikes, knee strikes, whipping kicks—one flowing combination after another poured out of her.
But the shield of protective qi didn't budge.
"I'm done, I'm done."
She waved her hand and said helplessly, "Lin Mo, that shield of yours is practically cheating. Tang San and I can't break it no matter what."
Lin Mo dismissed his Soul Ring. His white hair turned black again, and the shield of protective qi dissipated into the air.
Now that he had improved his control over his First Soul Skill, Xiao Wu and Tang San had practically no chance of beating him.
Perhaps because she had lost so many times, Xiao Wu seemed to have made peace with it. She no longer obsessed over defeating Lin Mo.
Over the past year, she had sparred with Tang San too, and the two of them had more or less traded wins and losses.
If she was caught by Tang San's Binding Soul Skill, she basically had no way to fight back.
But if she got close to Tang San, the strength granted by Waist Bow let her use her Soft Skills to knock him out in an instant.
But if anyone was truly frustrated, it was Tang San.
His Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul's First Soul Skill was completely useless against Lin Mo.
In Tang San's view, Lin Mo's brute strength was even greater than that of the Vajra Ape they had encountered in the Soul Hunting Forest.
Over the past year, Tang San had spent his mornings learning from Yu Xiaogang, his afternoons at the forge, and his nights cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
Tang San hadn't gone out of his way to hide his part-time work at the blacksmith's shop.
There was no way to hide it anyway.
So he simply claimed that his father, who was also a blacksmith, had taught him to make the Hidden Weapons he'd forged: Silent Sleeve Arrows.
He had tested the Sleeve Arrows' power. They were more than enough to deal with Soul Masters of the same rank, and could even be effective against higher-ranked Soul Masters if used in a sneak attack.
Once, when Lin Mo invited him to, he had used a Sleeve Arrow to attack Lin Mo.
Lin Mo wanted to test his shield's defense, and Tang San wanted to test the Sleeve Arrow's penetrating power.
But the Sleeve Arrow struck the shield of protective qi with a crisp metallic clang, and that was the end of it.
The Sleeve Arrow couldn't break through Lin Mo's defenses.
That setback only strengthened Tang San's resolve to hurry up and make Hidden Weapons with mechanical triggers.
Ordinary Sleeve Arrows had limited penetrating power, but a mechanical Hidden Weapon like the Godly Zhuge Crossbow might be able to break through Lin Mo's shield of protective qi.
After their sparring match, the three of them sat at the edge of the playground.
A thin layer of dust covered the bench. Xiao Wu brushed it off with one hand, then plopped down.
"Tang San, where are you planning to go tomorrow? We're on break starting tomorrow."
Sitting on the bench, Xiao Wu idly swung her rather long legs.
Her braids swayed along with them, and she radiated a restless, lively energy.
"I..."
Tang San sounded hesitant.
"I'll probably go home tomorrow. I've been away for a year, and I want to go see Father..."
His voice had unconsciously softened as he spoke.
His father was living alone in Holy Soul Village. Tang San trusted him to take care of himself, but after a whole year apart, he couldn't help worrying.
Had his father been eating regularly?
Was business at the blacksmith's shop going well?
At that thought, Tang San changed the subject and turned to ask, "What about you and Lin Mo, Xiao Wu?"
"What are you two planning to do over the break?"
Xiao Wu turned to glance at Lin Mo. He was leaning beside her with his arms crossed over his chest, eyes closed as he dozed.
Hearing that, she grinned. "My family has some things to take care of, so I don't have anywhere to go this break."
"Lin Mo's going back to the orphanage. I'm going with him, and we'll look around Notting City while we're at it."
As she spoke, she stretched her arms high above her head, anticipation showing on her face.
"I've been here for so long, but I still haven't properly explored Notting City..."