The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

Notting Academy, back mountain.

Lin Mo stood in place, his gaze locked onto Tang San, who was a few meters away.

Tang San's right hand suddenly flickered, and a tiny black shadow shot out from his sleeve.

Silent Sleeve Arrow!

The arrow moved with extreme speed, heading straight for Lin Mo's chest.

Clang!

Lin Mo raised his hand and swatted it down with a single palm strike.

A sound like metal clashing rang out; the Silent Sleeve Arrow was knocked away by the force of Lin Mo's palm.

At the same time, he stomped hard on the ground, his entire body launching forward like a cannonball.

The speed was immense—so fast that even Tang San, who had sparred with Lin Mo many times, still struggled to adapt to such high velocity.

Before Tang San could react, Lin Mo had already appeared right in front of him.

Tang San's pupils constricted, and he instinctively executed the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, his figure drifting toward the rear-side.

But Lin Mo was faster.

Another palm strike shot out, landing directly on Tang San's braced arms.

A massive force surged through him, causing Tang San to slide uncontrollably backward. He skidded seven or eight steps before he could barely steady his stance.

Lin Mo withdrew his palm and stood where he was, making no move to pursue.

"Let's call it a day. I'm done fighting you."

Tang San steadied himself after retreating several steps, took a deep breath, and felt his chest heave.

He closed his eyes and silently circulated his Mysterious Heaven Skill, adjusting the surging blood and qi within his body.

A moment later, he opened his eyes again, his condition already somewhat recovered.

"You really are a monster. No wonder the teachers in the academy aren't very willing to spar with you anymore!"

"Not bad, your rate of improvement is very fast," Lin Mo said.

As he spoke, changes quietly occurred on the surface of Lin Mo's body.

His hair, which had turned white due to the activation of the Inversion of Three, reverted to its original jet-black luster in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, the layer of Body-Protecting Qi on his skin, which was already barely perceptible, dissipated silently into the air.

Inversion of Three deactivated; Body-Protecting Qi retracted.

Lin Mo returned to the appearance of an ordinary youth, and the overbearing aura he had exuded vanished along with it.

Hearing Lin Mo's words, Tang San gave a rare roll of his eyes.

"Still no comparison to you."

Lin Mo smiled and didn't reply.

He looked at the Tang San before him, feeling a sense of sentimentality in his heart.

After more than a year of spending time together, Tang San was much more vibrant than when they had first met.

When they first encountered one another, Tang San had carried a sense of detachment that kept people at a distance, and he had been a man of few words.

But now, Tang San's personality had improved significantly; not only would he retort and tease back, but occasionally he would even take the initiative to crack a few jokes.

Tang San lay back on the Blue Silver Grass, letting out a long, slow sigh.

Over the past year, his rate of progress could be described as incredibly swift.

This was true whether it concerned his cultivation as a spirit master or his practice of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.

The Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record was divided into several major parts: the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Mysterious Jade Hand, Purple Demon Eye, and Hundred Interpretations of Hidden Weapons.

Over this year, his progress in the Mysterious Jade Hand and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track had been rapid.

Having engaged in close-quarters combat with Lin Mo so often, his proficiency had naturally increased.

Although, in Tang San's view, Lin Mo relied more on brute force to overwhelm his opponents.

Lin Mo crushed spirit masters of the same rank in all three dimensions: strength, defense, and speed.

Tang San sometimes even felt that this guy wasn't a spirit master in the normal sense at all.

At the same rank, others might have an advantage in one area, but with Lin Mo, everything was an advantage.

Every time he sparred with Lin Mo, the pressure was maxed out—how could his progress not be fast?

However, what Tang San didn't notice was that over this past year, Lin Mo's footwork and combat techniques had also improved significantly compared to before.

If one were to observe Lin Mo's current footwork carefully, one could faintly discern the shadows of the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track within it.

Just as Lin Mo and Tang San were teasing each other, someone was watching them from the canopy of a large tree not far away.

Yu Xiaogang was rubbing his forehead, looking at Flender beside him with a helpless expression.

Flender stood on a tree branch, one hand braced against the trunk, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on the two youths on the lawn below.

He wore a grey robe today, his signature spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose, still maintaining that trademark profiteer air.

Yu Xiaogang felt exceptionally helpless regarding Flender.

He could clearly go over and communicate with Lin Mo in advance right now.

Yet, he was not prepared to show himself, choosing instead to observe Lin Mo and Tang San silently from the shadows.

Just today, Flender had dragged him here to crouch for nearly an hour.

"How is it? Are you satisfied?" Yu Xiaogang asked.

Flender kept his eyes on Lin Mo and Tang San, nodding.

"Very satisfied. That kid Lin Mo is far more outstanding than I imagined."

"However, in my opinion, he must have deliberately held back some of his strength while sparring with your disciple, Tang San."

"Otherwise, if he had truly gone all out, I fear your disciple wouldn't be able to withstand a single punch from him."

At this, Flender looked at Yu Xiaogang and smiled.

"This Lin Mo is likely just as you said; he could attempt to challenge a thousand-year soul ring for his second one!"

"And it looks like the probability of success is extremely high!"

"That goes without saying."

Yu Xiaogang nodded, his tone filled with confidence.

"My judgment regarding all kinds of soul master data is quite accurate; under normal circumstances, I don't make mistakes!"

"However..."

At this point, Flender shook his head slightly, his eyes filled with a trace of doubt as he looked at Yu Xiaogang.

"However, in my view, your disciple Tang San is much weaker compared to Lin Mo."

"Although he is already extremely outstanding compared to soul masters of the same age and rank, his martial soul is a fatal flaw after all."

"Even with the talent of Innate Full Soul Power, a martial soul like Blue Silver Grass will ultimately struggle to achieve greatness."

Flender's words were direct and unreserved.

He did not rate Tang San poorly.

But the problem was that the Blue Silver Grass martial soul was simply too ordinary, or to put it bluntly, trash!

Hearing Flender's words, the expression on Yu Xiaogang's face remained unchanged.

"I can only tell you now that, in my view, San's talent is by no means inferior to Lin Mo's!"

"In the future, there is even a high probability that San will be able to go further than Lin Mo!"

Upon hearing this, a look of suspicion appeared on Flender's face.

He looked Yu Xiaogang up and down, attempting to find some clues on his face.

Immediately, he withdrew his gaze helplessly and said thoughtfully:

"It seems there are some secrets about your disciple that I haven't managed to see."

"But never mind, never mind. Blue Silver Grass with Innate Full Soul Power—that truly qualifies as a monster. In the future, he will also be a member of my Shrek Academy!"

Just as Flender and Yu Xiaogang were conversing, in the canopy of a large tree at the furthest distance from them.

In almost the exact same position, a disheveled figure clad in a black robe remained hidden among the dense branches and leaves.