Practical Combat Class

On the third day of school, it was practical combat class.

Notting Academy's practical combat classes were held on an open-air arena west of the Martial Arts Arena. The ring was a ten-meter-square bluestone platform, its surface pitted from years of Soul Skill bombardment, with several cracks at the edges and corners. A circle of tiered stands surrounded it for students to watch from.

The teacher in charge of practical combat was named Tie Shan, a Soul Ancestor whose martial soul was the Ironclad Rhinoceros. Standing beside the ring, his presence was like a wall, and his voice made the ears of the students in the front rows buzz.

"Today's practical combat class is simple. Draw lots for pairs and fight one-on-one. Surrender, getting knocked off the ring, or being judged unable to continue by me all count as defeat. No attacking vital points, and no lethal blows." His gaze swept over the crowd before finally settling on me. "Especially you freshmen, stop when appropriate. Understood?"

"Understood!" the students answered in unison.

My gaze passed over the crowd and landed on Tang San. He still wore that expressionless face as he stood beside Xiao Wu. The pouch at his waist had been replaced by a belt with several long, thin iron nails tucked into it.

Xiao Wu, meanwhile, met my gaze openly and flashed a toothy grin. Ever since I had claimed the top freshman spot on the martial arts platform during the first day of school, this girl had been looking at me far more often. Sometimes when we ran into each other in the cafeteria, she would tug Tang San's sleeve and point at me, only for Tang San to drag her away without even looking back.

"The drawing begins." Tie Shan drew two slips from the lot container. "First match: Yu Tianlin versus Tang San."

The stands fell quiet for a moment before a wave of whispers rose up. The top freshman against the master's disciple—the first practical match of the school year had paired two people everyone was talking about. What a coincidence.

Tang San stepped out of the crowd and onto the ring, cupping his hands toward me. "Please enlighten me." His tone was polite, but his eyes were already studying me. A faint glimmer flashed deep within his pupils as he observed the circulation of my Soul Power.

I stepped onto the ring and returned the salute. Tie Shan glanced at the two of us, retreated to the edge of the ring, and raised his right hand. "Begin!"

The instant he spoke, Tang San moved first. Rather than charging directly at me, he tapped his feet in rapid succession, his body moving in an S-shaped path. At the same time, he flicked his right hand, sending three streaks of cold light at my face, chest, and lower abdomen. Three bone-piercing nails, launched at tricky angles and incredible speed, blocked every route of frontal evasion.

I did not dodge. I raised my right hand, gathered Soul Power in my palm, and slapped all three bone-piercing nails away. They struck my palm with three crisp metallic clangs, then spun away and embedded themselves in the wooden posts at the edge of the ring.

Tang San's pupils contracted slightly. His bone-piercing nails had been fired in a fan shape. Even if I knocked aside the middle one, the two on either side should have slipped through. Yet in that instant, my palm had shifted sideways twice, completing three slaps almost simultaneously—so fast that even his eyes could catch only a blurred afterimage.

A chorus of sharp breaths rose from the stands. Xiao Wu leaned over the railing, her eyes wide. "What fast hands!"

Tang San did not pause. Using the motion of throwing hidden weapons as cover, he activated Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and closed to within three steps of me. At the same time, he used Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon. This Tang Sect secret art focused on borrowing force to counter force, using little strength to move great weight. He circled to my left, his five right fingers pressed together like a snake's head as they shot toward my ribs.

If that strike landed, I would be stiffened for at least three seconds. In a fight between opponents of the same level, three seconds was enough to determine victory or defeat.

I turned aside to avoid his fingers, then swept my right hand upward from below and precisely caught his wrist. Tang San's expression finally changed. His Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon had always been unstoppable among people his age, yet before me, it was utterly ineffective.

He tried to pull back, but my five fingers locked his wrist joint like an iron band. The physical strength enhanced by the Azure Dragon martial soul was not something he could break free from with the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

"You're only so-so," I said quietly, just loud enough for him to hear.

I released him and stepped back at the same time, giving him a chance to readjust. At the edge of the ring, Tie Shan frowned, unable to understand why I was giving up an advantage already in my grasp. The students in the stands stirred as well. Taking advantage of the moment I released him, Tang San retreated three steps and widened the distance. With a swipe at his waist, four slender iron nails appeared between his fingers.

He stared at me, the violet light in his eyes several shades brighter than before. "I won't hold back now."

Four streaks of cold light shot out at once, all aimed at the same point on my chest.

I remained where I was, crossing my right arm before my chest as a blue-green radiance burst from my palm. Azure Dragon Longevity.

The first bone-piercing nail struck my palm and was directly deflected by the phantom of a dragon claw. The second followed and was deflected. The third, the fourth—all four bone-piercing nails were blocked by the same palm, leaving not even a red mark on my hand.

At the same time, the phantom dragon claw flew from my palm and struck Tang San in the chest before everyone's eyes.

Tang San let out a muffled grunt and was knocked back five steps before steadying himself. But once he did, he froze. There was no explosion as he had imagined, no tearing force. There was not even a scratch on his chest.

Tang San looked down at his chest, a trace of confusion flashing through his eyes. The students in the stands exchanged glances, and Tie Shan frowned as well. Such a powerful-looking attack, yet there had not even been a sound.

"Is that your Soul Skill?" Tang San raised his head to look at me, his tone carrying a trace of confusion and faint disappointment.

He thought I was all talk. He thought the top freshman was nothing special.

I said nothing and simply watched him.

Then Tang San's expression changed.

The Soul Power in his body began to drain away. His ruddy complexion turned pale, his breathing grew rapid, and a sheen of fine sweat appeared on his forehead. He tried to use the Mysterious Heaven Skill to suppress the draining force, but the harder he suppressed it, the faster his Soul Power leaked away.

Five seconds.

Only five seconds had passed since the Soul Skill struck, yet nearly forty percent of Tang San's Soul Power had already been drained. His body swayed, and he dropped to one knee, one hand braced against the ring. His fingers scratched several white marks into the bluestone. Beads of sweat as large as beans dripped from his chin, splashing onto the stone and spreading into small dark patches.

"Your... your Soul Skill is absorbing my Soul Power." He looked up at me. The violet light in his eyes had vanished completely, leaving only shock.

I walked over to him, crouched down, and placed my hand on his shoulder. A gentle life force flowed from my palm into Tang San's body. The Soul Power that had been drained from him recovered at a visible rate, and much of the pallor faded from his face.

"Azure Dragon Longevity," I said, just loudly enough for the students in the stands to hear.

"It drains the opponent's Soul Power and converts it into my own endurance. It can also feed that power back to injured teammates. Besides, your movements are too easy to predict. Straight-line attacks have a trajectory no matter how fast they are."

Tang San remained silent for a long time before slowly standing and cupping his hands toward me. "I concede."

Tie Shan froze for a moment before coming to his senses and hurriedly announced, "First match, Yu Tianlin wins!"

The stands were deathly silent at first, then erupted.

From beginning to end, the pace of this match had been completely controlled by one person, and that person had not even used his full strength.

"Did you see that? Tang San's hidden weapons were all slapped away! With his bare hand!"

"That Soul Skill of his—after it hit Tang San, nearly half of Tang San's Soul Power vanished, and then he restored it for him?"

"The top freshman really is the top freshman. There was no way to fight him at all."

I walked off the ring and returned to the edge of the stands. As I passed Xiao Wu, she leaned against the railing with her head tilted, her large eyes full of curiosity as she studied me.

"Your name is Yu Tianlin, right?" she suddenly asked. "That Soul Skill of yours can absorb Soul Power and feed it back too? That's way too unfair."

"There's no such thing as a fair or unfair Soul Skill. It depends on how it's used."

"Then how did you train your hands? I wouldn't even dare catch Tang San's bone-piercing nails barehanded, but you slapped every one of them away."

"It's just the boost brought by a dragon-type martial soul."

She pouted, clearly dissatisfied with my answer.

At that moment, Tang San walked over as well. His complexion had fully recovered, but the way he looked at me was completely different from before. The scrutiny and wariness had vanished, replaced by admiration.

"Azure Dragon Longevity," he repeated the name of my Soul Skill.

"It absorbs the opponent's Soul Power and turns it into your own endurance, and it can feed it back to teammates. In a team battle, you alone would be like a mobile supply station."

"More or less."

"Your Soul Power is above level ten too, isn't it?"

I glanced at him without confirming or denying it.

Tang San did not press further. He merely nodded. "When there's a chance, I want to fight you again."

"Anytime."

When class ended, Xiao Wu did not bounce along beside Tang San as usual. Instead, she deliberately slowed by two steps and followed behind me. As we walked out through the Martial Arts Arena gates, she suddenly quickened her pace, brushed past me, and slipped something into my palm. A note, folded crookedly.

I unfolded it and glanced at it. There was only one line: "Next time, let's fight one-on-one when we're free."

The handwriting was far messier than Tang San's note, and beneath it was a crooked rabbit head.

I folded the note and put it in my pocket, then looked toward the direction Xiao Wu had left. She was already bouncing after Tang San!