"Then let's go to the Training Ground. Don't just stand behind a tree and make threats."
Su Hang's voice came from the courtyard gate.
Tang San stopped. There was far less tucked beneath his sleeves now; the hidden mechanisms he had registered yesterday had been reduced to demonstration pieces the academy allowed him to carry out.
Yu Xiaogang clasped his hands behind his back, forcing himself to maintain a teacher's dignified air.
"Since you want to see it, today I'll show you the true value of the control-type path."
Xiao Wu peeked halfway out from behind Su Hang.
"Here we go again. Yesterday he nearly pricked the teacher, and today he still dares to give a public demonstration?"
Ning Rongrong shifted the little bag on her shoulder and added,
"Good timing. I can see just how much the Seven Treasures will need to guard against in the future."
The students soon formed a ring around the Training Ground.
They set a wooden track in the center of the field. Two younger students pulled ropes, moving a wooden target back and forth along the rails.
Xiao Chenyu stood outside the wooden railing with his arms crossed.
"Wang Sheng, want to start a betting pool? I bet Tang San gets off to a steady start, then messes up."
Wang Sheng hugged his breakfast bag to his chest.
"Don't encourage bad habits. I'm only here to watch the show."
Yu Xiaogang walked over to the track and raised a hand to signal the start.
"Today's demonstration will show how control Spirit Skills work in tandem with assisted equipment."
Tang San stood at one end of the track and raised his right hand.
His Yellow Soul Ring lit up. Blue Silver Grass shot across the ground, but the leaves didn't rush about wildly. They first coiled around the base of the wooden target.
Yu Xiaogang continued,
"Moving targets are harder to hit than stationary wooden posts. A control-type Soul Master's value lies in predicting, restricting, and creating openings to land a hit."
Tang San shifted his feet slightly, aiming the mechanism concealed in his sleeve at the center of the target.
Whoosh.
The short arrow struck the bull's-eye. The Blue Silver Grass held the target in place, keeping it from slipping off the track.
A few students at the edge of the field called out softly.
"He got it this time."
"Did Tang San practice last night?"
"The Blue Silver Grass didn't miss by much, either."
Yu Xiaogang finally regained a little confidence.
"See? Every Spirit Skill needs time to acclimate. To judge an entire path by a single mistake is shallow in itself."
Tang San retrieved the short arrow, his voice firm and measured.
"Control-types don't seek to decide a fight with a single strike. Their real value lies in holding the rhythm of the battlefield in their hands."
Xiao Wu felt a little uncomfortable listening to him and turned to Su Hang.
"Brother Su Hang, was he really steady this time?"
Su Hang didn't rush to give his opinion.
"The wooden target won't veer off course, and it won't fight back."
Ning Rongrong understood. She tapped the Seven Treasures Token with a finger.
"You mean we'll know for sure if we switch to a living person?"
Su Hang looked toward the students outside the wooden railing.
"Xiao Chenyu."
The moment he heard his name, Xiao Chenyu shuffled half a step backward.
"Boss Su, I'm here."
Su Hang pointed toward the outer edge of the Training Ground.
"Activate White Wolf possession and run a lap around the field. Don't stop."
Xiao Chenyu glanced at Tang San, then at Yu Xiaogang.
"I just have to run. I'm not getting pricked, right?"
Xiao Wu immediately chimed in,
"Run fast enough, and he might not be able to prick you."
Ning Rongrong piled on.
"Don't worry. If you do get pricked, I'll pay your medical bills."
Xiao Chenyu's face fell.
"Seven Treasures Little Princess, that's a pretty costly reassurance."
Wang Sheng gave him a shove.
"Go on. You're the White Wolf speed-type test subject."
Xiao Chenyu gritted his teeth, walked onto the field, and gave a low shout.
"Martial Soul, White Wolf, possess!"
After activating White Wolf possession, he drove off with both legs and ran along the outer edge of the Training Ground. He was far faster than the moving wooden target.
Yu Xiaogang immediately turned to Tang San.
"Don't let him disrupt your rhythm. Widen the Blue Silver Grass's coverage and block his route first."
Tang San nodded.
"Okay."
Patches of Blue Silver Grass burst from the ground and began spreading ahead of Xiao Chenyu.
At first, the leaves did block half the path.
Forced to change direction, Xiao Chenyu veered aside. His White Wolf claws skimmed past the edge of the wooden railing, then he circled around the other side.
The students watching were getting excited.
"Not bad!"
"If it catches him, Xiao Chenyu won't be able to run away."
Yu Xiaogang raised his voice.
"This is how control-types suppress speed-type Soul Masters. As long as your predictions are accurate, even the fastest opponent can be restricted."
Tang San circulated his Soul Power, expanding the Blue Silver Grass's range another ring.
But the Dark Green Poisonous Veins on the leaves suddenly went haywire.
A streak of poison raced back along the roots. Several strands of Blue Silver Grass stopped chasing Xiao Chenyu and instead curled up around Tang San's feet.
Xiao Wu immediately slapped the edge of the table.
"Here it comes!"
Halfway through his run, Xiao Chenyu spotted the strands of grass too.
"Tang San, your grass is going the wrong way!"
Blue Silver Grass wrapped around Tang San's ankle, dragging his body down.
He immediately used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, shifting his steps as he tried to shake off the grass.
But the Blue Silver Grass and the mechanisms hidden in his sleeves both fell out of rhythm.
A few metallic clinks rang out.
Several Fine Needles slid out from his sleeve and rolled along the ground toward the students at the edge of the field.
"Get back!"
Su Hang pressed a hand downward. Dark Purple Lightning swept along the ground, batting every needle beneath the wooden posts.
The students quickly crowded backward.
"Again?"
"This time they almost pricked us!"
"The control-type's controlling their own classmates first. Isn't this training a little too intense?"
Xiao Chenyu had already run back to the wooden railing, and he didn't even dare to end White Wolf possession.
"Boss Su, I'm filing for workplace injury."
Wang Sheng pulled him behind himself.
"You weren't pricked. That just means you ran fast enough."
Tang San tore the Blue Silver Grass off his ankle, his right hand still numb.
Yu Xiaogang hurried over.
"He expanded the range too quickly. The poison's backlash caused a brief deviation."
Ning Rongrong walked over to the wooden posts and looked down at the Fine Needles.
"A brief deviation?"
She raised the Seven Treasures Token and lightly tapped it against her palm.
"If Su Hang hadn't stopped them just now, those students would have gone back to their dorms injured."
Yu Xiaogang flicked his sleeve.
"When a deviation occurs during training, the teacher is responsible for handling it."
Ning Rongrong fixed her gaze on him.
"Are you responsible for handling it, or for explaining it? You nearly got pricked yesterday, and today the students nearly got pricked. You call that a controllable path?"
The students at the edge of the field fell noticeably quieter.
Xiao Wu walked over beside Su Hang, her words no softer than before.
"Grandmaster, stop making your mistakes sound so nice. The grass tangled around his own leg, and the needles rolled to someone else's feet. You call that control?"
Xiao Chenyu raised his hand.
"I'd like to add that he scared my White Wolf, too."
Wang Sheng nodded.
"Even White Wolf thinks this is dangerous."
Yu Xiaogang was stumped for a moment. At last, he spoke.
"Tang San's Spirit Skill does have short-term risks."
Tang San stood where he was and didn't argue.
Yu Xiaogang quickly continued,
"But risks don't mean the path is wrong. Once the Poison Pattern stabilizes and he gets more familiar with the Hidden Weapon's rhythm, this combination still has a future."
Ning Rongrong put the Seven Treasures Token back at her waist.
"Then don't use other people as targets until it stabilizes."
Tang San raised his head and looked at Su Hang.
"Today's demonstration was just a mistake. I'll get it under control next time."
Su Hang walked over to the wooden post, picked up a strand of Blue Silver Grass scorched black by the Poison Pattern, and casually tossed it back onto the ground.
"A control-type should learn to control himself first. You're getting quite a head start in that lesson."
Before you continue