Winning Big

Two and a half years.

Time flew by. During this period, Cheng Xiao spent a great deal of time and finally developed a Soul Power circulation route that fit Tai Chi quite well.

Every time he modified the route, he practiced Tai Chi for an entire day to gauge its effects. If it felt worse, he scrapped it and started over. If it felt better, he used it as a foundation for further revisions.

After countless modifications and continuous experimentation, this Soul Power circulation route finally took shape.

Cheng Xiao still felt it was imperfect. Aside from the first time he entered the state of "Selfless and Formless," he had been unable to recapture that feeling during the past two and a half years.

His current Soul Power circulation route only allowed him to approach "Selfless and Formless" infinitely closely, yet it always fell just short by a tiny margin.

He still wanted to improve it further, but limited by his current knowledge and experience, it had become difficult for him to make even the slightest change to the route.

No matter how helpless Cheng Xiao felt, he had to admit that human ability had its limits.

He was not Zhang Sanfeng, capable of ascending to immortality in broad daylight. He did not possess such tremendous ability and could only rely on that faint, intangible intuition to make tiny adjustments, gradually exploring a better state in hopes of achieving perfection.

The Soul Power circulation route was finally finalized. Combined with Tai Chi, it became the Tai Chi cultivation method.

Thanks to Tai Chi's ability to improve his physique, his innate deficiencies were gradually made up for. In less than three years, Cheng Xiao broke through to level ten.

Compared to ordinary people, this speed was considered quite fast, but it was nowhere near genius-level.

Tang San and Xiao Wu had broken through to level twenty a few days ago.

Breakthroughs in the Soul Master stage were far more difficult than those in the Soul Scholar stage, yet they had advanced faster than Cheng Xiao. This showed that Cheng Xiao still lagged far behind them in innate physique—or rather, affinity.

Breaking through to level twenty before even reaching ten years of age alarmed the academy's headmaster.

Under the academy headmaster's guidance, Tang San hunted a Ghost Vine and obtained his second Soul Ring. Its skill was Parasite.

The treatment geniuses received was enviable, but ordinary people could not enjoy it.

Nearly all students were merely led by Soul Master teachers in their teens to hunt Soul Beasts. Few obtained hundred-year Soul Rings; most only had ten-year Soul Rings. Not only were their qualities poor, but their Soul Ring attributes often failed to suit their needs.

After Cheng Xiao broke through to level ten, he had one chance to ask a teacher to help him hunt a Soul Beast, but he did not choose that path.

Ten-year Soul Beasts were far too weak for him.

He had trained his body so desperately, tempered his muscles and bones, honed his mind, and used Tai Chi to nurture his innate foundation and make up for his deficiencies. Even if he could not absorb a Soul Ring beyond his limit, he at least had to go for the maximum. A ten-year Soul Ring was not even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.

Therefore, he brought up the agreement from over two years ago and sought out Xiao Wu and Tang San.

A great many things had happened over the past two and a half years. Cheng Xiao and Xiao Wu had grown closer, and naturally, Tang San and Xiao Wu had as well.

A year and a half ago, when the first school year ended, Xiao Wu returned to Soul Saint Village with Tang San and became his sworn sister. Cheng Xiao had been unable to stop it.

At some point, Xiao Wu had privately arranged with Tang San to visit his home over the summer break, leaving Cheng Xiao no chance to stop her.

As for returning to Holy Soul Village with Tang San...

Cheng Xiao ultimately dismissed the idea. He needed to help with the family business during summer break and could not stay in Holy Soul Village for the entire holiday. There would always be opportunities for the two of them to spend time alone. Even if he could stop it once, could he stop it twice or three times?

Besides, they shared a dorm room and could get close whenever they wanted. So long as Tang San had the intention, he would always find an opportunity.

With the soul of an adult, Tang San naturally had methods beyond those of a child. Since Tang San had his own designs, the two of them becoming sworn siblings had been inevitable.

Could Cheng Xiao possibly watch over them without leaving their side for all six years of the junior Soul Master academy?

If the heavens wanted rain and a woman wanted to marry, then so be it.

Cheng Xiao did not care much. At worst, he could just reclaim the bones. He was quite interested in the Invincible Golden Body. As for the body... The bones and soul are both with me. What Tang San gets is nothing more than an empty shell without a soul.

Besides, this was not necessarily a bad thing. Ever since Tang San and Xiao Wu became sworn siblings, Tang San had obeyed Xiao Wu's every word.

Cheng Xiao only needed to win over Xiao Wu to indirectly command Tang San, and Xiao Wu was so carefree that she was much easier to fool than Tang San.

No matter how he looked at it, Cheng Xiao came out ahead. He was winning big.

Of course, Xiao Wu was not stupid either. She definitely would not agree to anything excessive.

"Xiao San, are you free today?"

"Xiao San, do you have time today?"

"Xiao San, you should be free today, right?"

Ever since breaking through to level ten, Cheng Xiao had asked Tang San every day whether he had time to accompany him to hunt a Soul Beast.

Tang San was shocked by this.

The scene on the training field two and a half years ago had already been deeply etched into Tang San's mind, and he had lost all goodwill toward Cheng Xiao.

Tang San could also sense Cheng Xiao's ill intent. Whenever their eyes met, Tang San could always detect a trace of deep scheming.

Thus, their relationship was in a very delicate state. If not for Xiao Wu, the taut string between them would likely have snapped instantly. On the surface, they maintained peace, but in their hearts, they had simulated fighting each other countless times.

Both of them knew their relationship had reached its lowest point, but what Tang San could not understand was how Cheng Xiao still had the nerve to bring up the past and ask him to help hunt a Soul Beast.

Can people really be this shameless? Tang San could not understand, and he was deeply shaken by it.

Cheng Xiao did not care about any of that. Forget the fact that they had not openly fallen out yet—even if they became mortal enemies who wanted each other dead, he would still use Tang San if he could.

What a joke. Did Tang San know how much it cost to hire a Soul Grandmaster outside? Cheng Xiao's family was not nobility; they were not rich enough to treat money like dirt.

Squeezing every bit of labor that could be squeezed was the conscience of every qualified capitalist.

Cheng Xiao touched his conscience and found that he was indeed quite qualified.

At first, Tang San refused on the grounds that his teacher needed his help organizing documents, but in the end, he could not hold out.

Mainly because his skin was not thick enough, and his weakness was still in someone else's grasp. It would have been stranger if he could endure.

He truly had not expected Cheng Xiao to insist on waiting for him. The repeated delays made Xiao Wu somewhat dissatisfied as well. With Cheng Xiao occasionally stirring things up from the side, Xiao Wu began throwing tantrums at Tang San.

"Xiao San, when exactly will you have time? If you keep delaying, we won't wait for you anymore." Xiao Wu pouted.

Tang San panicked. "You can't go. Hunting Soul Beasts is too dangerous. I won't feel at ease if you go."

"Then what are we supposed to do? I promised Xiao Cheng back then! I'm the boss, I can't go back on my word." Xiao Wu snorted. "Hmph! I don't care. If you still won't make time, I'll accompany Xiao Cheng by myself."

Tang San was helpless and could only say, "Fine. Wait a few more days. I'll ask my teacher for leave."

"Hehe, Xiao San is the best." Xiao Wu grinned. "I knew Xiao San cared about me the most."

"Only this once. No next time. I'm really worried about you." Tang San gave in helplessly, his face full of indulgence.

Xiao Wu said coquettishly, "I know. It was just because we were still young then. Xiao Cheng asked us for help, so I agreed without thinking. I won't do dangerous things in the future, okay?"

"That's more like it."

And so, Cheng Xiao won over Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu manipulated Tang San, and the alliance was formed—a three-way win.

Time to play some games. I just downloaded Honkai: Star Rail and Genshin Impact. Which one is more fun?