Xiao Wu's Chaotic Cloak

Clang, clang, clang.

One blow after another rang through the Blacksmith Shop.

Every blacksmith in the shop had gathered around to watch Tang San demonstrate his Chaotic Cloak, marveling at the sight.

Even though they had seen it once yesterday, they were still full of admiration seeing it again today.

What's so impressive about it? Xiao Wu muttered to herself.

Glancing to the side, she noticed Jiang Jiu watching Tang San's continuous forging technique intently, too.

"Jiang Jiu, I'll teach you!"

"Huh?"

Xiao Wu took Jiang Jiu's Forging Hammer, but didn't hold it in her palm.

She took out a handkerchief and tore it in half. Then she crouched down, tied the Forging Hammer to her lower leg, and used the other half of the handkerchief to pin up her scorpion braid.

"Jiang Jiu, help me secure this."

At her words, Jiang Jiu secured the pig iron in the furnace.

Xiao Wu loosened up, planted both hands on the ground, and flipped into a handstand with an agile twist.

Then she pushed off with both hands, lifting them from the ground as her body began to leap through the air.

"Ha!"

Xiao Wu spun deftly in midair, tracing graceful curves.

The Forging Hammer on her lower leg was held firmly in place by her Soul Power and rotational force. As her center of gravity shifted, the hammer struck the pig iron with a clang, landing precisely with considerable force.

The wind brushed past Jiang Jiu's ear, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Wait, Xiao Wu really could do this?

This bizarre forging style landed a blow more effective than his strongest strike. It was ridiculous.

Xiao Wu was still upside down, her body swaying through the air.

Just before she landed, her fingers touched the ground and pushed off again. Her whole body sprang up like a coil. This time she spun in the opposite direction, twisting her lower leg through the air before landing another direct hit.

Clang—

The second strike drew everyone else's attention, too.

"Are all the youngsters these days this monstrous?" Shi San truly felt his horizons had been broadened.

The other blacksmiths stared, dumbfounded.

That delicate-looking young girl had never even learned to forge, yet she'd come in and pulled off such a wild trick.

Xiao Wu, however, wasn't particularly satisfied.

She braced herself on both hands, slowly and evenly lowering her legs through the air. Even with the Forging Hammer tied to her leg, it seemed not to affect her at all.

Once her feet touched the ground, her upper body gradually returned to a normal standing position. She performed a little contortionist's act right there on the spot.

Xiao Wu brushed the dust from her hands and said sheepishly, "Jiang Jiu, wait while I figure it out."

Her upside-down technique could also channel force through her entire body.

Unlike Chaotic Cloak, which began with force from the lower leg, Xiao Wu could start with her hands and carry the force through her whole body. A kick from her leg could unleash her full strength, making it tremendously powerful.

But she'd found that she wasn't good at accumulating power for the next strike.

With Xiao Wu's eye for these things, she could naturally see the marvelous effect of each strike of Chaotic Cloak growing stronger than the last.

Still, she was confident she could gradually manage that, too. She just needed time to refine her technique.

"Teaching me this move first is fine, too."

Chaotic Cloak began with force from the lower leg, carried it through the entire body, and, once mastered, could even be performed with the fists.

Jiang Jiu wasn't greedy. If he could learn to channel force through his whole body, that would count as success.

He understood Xiao Wu's method: the hands led the shoulders, the shoulders led the back, and the force extended into the waist before exploding through the legs, making the whole body one unified whole. So, reversing the process—starting with the legs and carrying the force into the waist, then the back—was only natural.

"Huh? Hehe, sure. Want me to teach you now?" Xiao Wu scratched her cheek, then suddenly seemed to realize something and hid her hands behind her back. Her face was already smudged with dust, though.

"No need. We'll talk about it when we get back."

Jiang Jiu untied the half-handkerchief from Xiao Wu's hair and wiped her face.

Xiao Wu's cheeks were rosy and soft. Jiang Jiu couldn't resist giving them a couple of pinches.

"You bully!"

"Ahem. Right."

This was getting a little too much for children.

Jiang Jiu turned around. The blacksmiths had all gone back to watching Tang San forge, acting as if nothing had happened. They looked utterly absorbed.

After tidying themselves up a bit, Jiang Jiu and the others continued watching Tang San forge.

This time, though, Xiao Wu was much quieter.

She rested her head on Jiang Jiu's shoulder, watching Tang San's movements and the way he spun the hammer with complete focus. She planned to learn from him, work it into her own legwork, and then teach Jiang Jiu.

What's that with his hand?

This time she watched closely, and immediately noticed Tang San's Mysterious Jade Hand. She wasn't a blacksmith, so she didn't focus on the hammer striking the pig iron and miss his pale, jade-white hands.

Is it to protect his hands?

Jiang Jiu's hands have gotten rough from forging for so long, too. I should use my Soul Power to help nourish them.

I should develop a Soul Power technique to protect his hands, too.

Unbeknownst to Jiang Jiu, Xiao Wu had become a rabbit who loved to think.

She was lazy, sure, but using her brain was already a huge improvement.

Before they knew it, dinnertime had arrived. Shi San seated the three youngsters together.

Technically, Xiao Wu wasn't supposed to get a meal, but Jiang Jiu paid for her food, and Shi San said, "Just treat her like family." From then on, he took it for granted that Xiao Wu would eat there, too.

"Tang San, your forging skills really are something," Jiang Jiu said, seated between them as he took the initiative to start a conversation.

"Not really. Yours are good, too," Tang San replied modestly.

The two exchanged compliments.

One wanted to make friends, and so did the other. Aside from the slightly awkward atmosphere, things were going well enough. After all, neither of them was particularly outgoing.

The outgoing one was busy with her daily task.

Xiao Wu didn't join their conversation. She kept moving all the meat from her bowl into Jiang Jiu's. She liked vegetables more, and Jiang Jiu liked meat, so she wanted him to eat more.

"Leave some for yourself, at least."

Jiang Jiu tapped Xiao Wu on the head with his chopsticks. Her bowl was completely empty of meat now.

But would not eating meat affect a transformed Soul Beast's development?

She already had the foundation to form her own Soul Ring, so she probably wouldn't suffer from stunted growth.

"Ow!" Xiao Wu clutched her head and pretended to be hurt, looking pitiful.

"Fine, fine. You can at least eat tofu, right?"

He'd give Xiao Wu some high-quality protein. He could also have her drink more soy milk in the morning, as a passable substitute for meat.

Could she catch up to Zhu Zhuqing?

Tang San ate quietly, envy surging through him once more.

Geniuses were lonely, but they also longed for friends.

Ordinary people didn't catch a genius's eye. Only other geniuses could make them take notice.

There was no doubt that Xiao Wu was a genius.

But Tang San thought she was a little too childish.

Jiang Jiu might not be as gifted, but hard work and diligence could make up for it.

Besides, Tang San wasn't necessarily more gifted in Soul Power than Jiang Jiu.

So how could he become friends with them, instead of just being someone who "lived in the same dorm"?