First Soul Skill: Angel Holy Sword!

Spring passed and autumn came; several more months slipped by.

Autumn arrived in North Sea City without a sound. Most of the leaves on the locust tree in the courtyard had turned yellow, and they rustled down whenever the wind blew, carpeting the bluestone paving in golden splendor.

Morning light slipped through the bare branches, divided into pale-gold shafts that fell upon the hand of a small figure gripping a sword.

Shen Nanxun completed a full set of sword forms, lowered his sword, and slowly breathed out. Sweat drenched him from head to toe, yet he still felt clear-headed and refreshed.

After Qian Renxue's rigorous training, his sword forms had begun to take shape. The iron sword that had once been too heavy for him now moved with effortless ease, and the transitions between his basic moves flowed smoothly.

He looked up at the old locust tree in the corner of the courtyard.

On a thick branch that stretched out horizontally, chibi Qian Renxue sat cross-legged. A paper-wrapped parcel rested on her knees, and inside it was a spicy rabbit head.

The rabbit head was a whole size bigger than her upper body. She had to hold it with both hands to keep it from rolling off her knees.

She was bent over, gnawing at it. A small spot of red oil stained her little cheek, and two white sesame seeds perched on the tip of her nose. Her round purple eyes were half closed, her face utterly blissful. Her cheeks were stuffed full, and her little wings beat faster than usual—a sure sign she was in a good mood.

After finishing the last bite, she wiped her mouth and finally had time to offer her verdict. "Not bad, not bad. You're improving."

She found it a little strange, watching Shen Nanxun grow bigger and improve day by day. It was almost like playing some kind of questionable raising-sim game.

"Xun, time to go. Na'er has been waiting for ages."

Ye Li's voice drifted from inside the house. Qian Renxue turned back into a streak of light and returned to Shen Nanxun's body.

Shen Nanxun answered, then headed out of the courtyard.

Over the past few months, Shen Nanxun's Soul Power had reached level ten, an exceptionally fast rate of cultivation. This was partly related to awakening his Soul Spirit, though Soul Power was easier to cultivate in the early stages anyway.

Now that his Soul Power had reached level ten, Shen Nanxun was finally ready to return to the academy. Na'er had been arranged to attend with him.

Na'er had been waiting at the front gate for some time. After several months of enjoying the Shen Family's comfortable and prosperous life, her face had grown rounder; she was no longer so thin. Her peerless looks and bright silver eyes stood out even more.

Ye Li reminded him, "Once you're at the academy, Xun, take care of Na'er. Don't let anyone bully her."

Na'er looked obedient, head bowed. She really seemed like a delicate little white lotus, vulnerable to anyone who might pick on her.

But Shen Nanxun's eyelid twitched, and his lips quivered. He said nothing.

Na'er spoke sweetly. "Don't worry, Mom. I'll listen to my big brother."

"Oh, my precious daughter, you're so adorable..."

But that scene was for home only. Once they were in the car and had said goodbye to Ye Li, Na'er immediately turned around and looked up at him with a proud little tilt of her chin.

"Shen Nanxun, don't call me your little sister at the academy. I'm going to be the big boss."

Just as you could see, Na'er was a well-behaved girl in front of her family, softly calling Shen Nanxun "big brother." But when they were alone, she usually called him by his full name.

She was an absolute little devil.

Of course, they actually got along quite well. They just had an unusual way of interacting.

Shen Nanxun said, exasperated, "I never called you my little sister."

"Hmph!" Na'er snorted and turned her face away. The next instant, her silver eyes brimmed with tears.

"Waaah, Big Brother, do you not like me? Then I'll leave. I won't tell Mom or Sister Xingxing..."

Shen Nanxun clapped a hand over her little mouth, moving as fast as lightning. It was a reflex he'd developed after being tricked countless times over the past few months.

His palm pressed against her soft cheek. He could clearly feel the curve of her lips pursing and the warm breath puffing from her nose.

With his hand over her mouth, Na'er stared at him with wide silver eyes. The tears gathered in them wavered, yet not a single one fell.

Shen Nanxun knew that look all too well. Whenever she pulled this trick, her tears came as soon as she wanted them to—and dried up just as quickly.

That last line wasn't her saying she wouldn't tattle. It was a blatant threat.

"Your Highness, I was wrong."

Shen Nanxun was thoroughly exasperated. She had him completely under her thumb. There was no helping it; that was the difference in their standing at home.

With his hand still over her mouth, Na'er couldn't speak, but her silver eyes curved in smug satisfaction.

The ride was short. The car quickly turned into the North Sea Legion and reached the North Sea Academy.

Teacher Adolf had been waiting there for some time. As the deputy legion commander's family, they naturally had that kind of influence.

He led the two of them into the classroom. Aside from them, all the other students were already there.

When Dong Yi'an saw Shen Nanxun walk in, his eyes flew wide and his mouth fell open, his face full of astonishment. Only then did his gaze land on the silver-haired little girl following behind Shen Nanxun.

With her short silver hair and silver eyes, she walked quietly half a step behind Shen Nanxun, like a small silver shadow.

But when the class noticed Na'er's astonishing beauty, exclamations of admiration inevitably rang out.

"Shen Nanxun was on leave for several months due to health reasons. Starting today, he will be returning to class."

Adolf's voice was as stern as ever, without a word of unnecessary pleasantry. "The girl beside him is Na'er. Starting today, she'll be joining this class and studying with all of you. Na'er is Shen Nanxun's younger sister, and she's a little younger than you. If she has trouble keeping up with her lessons..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the class.

"Shen Nanxun will be responsible for her."

A low stir swept through the classroom.

His sister?

Since when did the Shen Family have another daughter? And with silver hair and silver eyes, she clearly wasn't of the Shen Family's blood. A few well-informed children of officers had already begun whispering, quietly trading scraps of information they'd heard from their parents.

"Quiet." Adolf's voice rang out, and the entire classroom fell silent at once. He turned around and wrote two large characters on the blackboard in chalk.

Combat.

"Today's lesson is sparring." He put the chalk back in its groove and dusted the chalk powder from his hands.

Before he could finish speaking, Dong Yi'an hurriedly raised his hand and stood up. "Teacher Adolf, I request a match against Shen Nanxun!"

He was still eager to get started.

He would never pass up such a chance to defeat Shen Nanxun in a straight fight. Especially when his opponent had just returned and already caused such a stir in class by bringing his younger sister along.

Adolf merely glanced at him. "Randomly assigned pairs."

Those who lost the sparring matches would face physical punishment, so students absolutely couldn't choose their own opponents.

At the same time, he stressed, "I have something I need to make clear to you.

"The strong never throw their weight around against the weak. True strength means raising your fists against the stronger, against injustice in this world and the old rules of heaven and earth.

"Within the legion, whether in class or in the field, whether you're classmates or comrades, it's fine to be competitive, but you must never let jealousy take root."

Dong Yi'an lowered his head, somewhat ashamed, but resentment still lingered in his eyes. There was no doubt Adolf had aimed those words at him, but they were also a warning to everyone else. Even so, he still wasn't convinced.

Shen Nanxun had awakened his Martial Soul later, and Adolf naturally didn't know that. His earlier words hadn't been meant to protect Shen Nanxun; he was simply laying out the rules of the legion.

That man had always valued rules above all else.

Shen Nanxun remained calm, not the least bit ruffled by Dong Yi'an's provocation. Na'er, however, looked a little more dangerous.

The pairings were soon settled on the training field. Dong Yi'an wasn't matched against Shen Nanxun as he'd expected; instead, his opponent was Na'er.

Shen Nanxun's opponent was also someone he knew: the girl who had spoken up for him that day, Ye Xi.

The order of the matches was random too, but Shen Nanxun was in luck—he had been assigned to the first group and would fight first.

"Shen Nanxun, long time no see." Ye Xi greeted him with a smile, then said seriously, "But I won't hold back. Let's give it everything we've got!"

Not holding back meant respect. Ye Xi was countless times better than Dong Yi'an—not only in strength, but also in character. She knew when to hold back and when not to.

"Sure." Shen Nanxun nodded.

At the edge of the training field, Dong Yi'an stood with his arms folded. His expression had long since turned into one of gleeful anticipation, as if he were waiting for a good show. He leaned toward a boy he was friendly with and muttered under his breath.

"Someone without a Martial Soul thinks he can beat Ye Xi?" He wore an unmistakably mocking smile. "Ye Xi has innate Soul Power of level seven. Even I can't beat her, so what chance does he have?"

"Two levels of innate Soul Power, and not even a Martial Soul. He took a few months off and came back a little taller, but you can't grow a Martial Soul just by getting taller."

The more he spoke, the more convinced he became, and his voice rose without him realizing it. "I'll admit, he walked in looking pretty confident, but what's confidence worth? No Martial Soul means no Martial Soul. Ye Xi only has to show hers and suppress him with her Soul Power; he won't even be able to get close. Hmph, I want to see how he plans to win."

In stark contrast to his contemptuous words, Ye Xi looked utterly serious. Just as she'd said, she intended to give it everything she had.

"Ye Xi, level-ten Power Attack System Battle Soul Master."

A yellow Soul Ring lit up beneath the girl. She opened her hand slightly, and a long sword settled into her grasp.

Seeing that sword, Shen Nanxun couldn't help but look surprised, because he knew this Martial Soul very well. It was identical to his mother Ye Li's. It was the Ye Family's Star Saint Sword.

Before this, he hadn't known Ye Li's background. After all, the Evil Soul Master incident had happened the day after his Martial Soul Awakening, and he hadn't returned to the academy since.

Ye Xi came from a collateral branch of the Ye Family, but her father had made a good career for himself and held a decent officer's post in the North Sea Legion. And part of the reason Ye Xi had spoken up for Shen Nanxun last time was his identity.

"The Star Saint Sword..." Shen Nanxun grew interested too. He'd always wanted to fight someone with a Sword Martial Soul, but his mother Ye Li was far too strong. How could he not be excited to meet someone his own age with a Sword Martial Soul?

Faint starlight slowly gathered around the Star Saint Sword in Ye Xi's hand, and the aura around her sharpened.

The sword released the faintest trace of sword intent, forming a thin halo around her. On the yellow earth of the training field, a small circle of golden light slowly spread out from beneath her feet.

The curve of Dong Yi'an's mouth deepened. He turned to look at Shen Nanxun in the middle of the field, waiting to see him crushed beneath the Star Saint Sword, too miserable even to lift his head.

Shen Nanxun raised his right hand and briefly closed his eyes before snapping them open.

Golden light blazed behind him. On either side of his shoulder blades, two golden wings formed purely of light suddenly unfurled.

The wind around them stopped.

So did the clamor.

The contempt on Dong Yi'an's face froze in an instant.

His mouth hung open, the mocking curve at its corner rigidly fixed in place. A vein in his neck even twitched. He stared at the golden wings behind Shen Nanxun, his pupils contracting as his breathing fell out of rhythm.

"That's..."

Someone gasped, the sound bursting through the crowd.

Even Adolf's usually placid eyes rippled with surprise.

Shen Nanxun took a step forward. The golden wings behind him trembled slightly, stirring a clear, crisp breeze.

At the same time, a mark appeared on his forehead: a pair of outspread golden wings. His black eyes turned pure gold in that same instant, halos of light slowly swirling deep within his pupils.

He raised his right hand and held it open.

In a flash, the shadow of a long sword formed from pure golden light descended from his wings and settled firmly into his palm. At the same time, an extremely unusual golden Soul Ring lit up beneath him.

"First Soul Skill: Angel Holy Sword."

Qian Renxue's voice sounded deep in his consciousness. It was as cool as ever, though touched with the faintest hint of approval. "Angel Holy Sword. Though forged from mortal souls, it carries a third of a divine weapon's essence. That will do."

Shen Nanxun held the shining sword with its tip pointed down. Faint golden light flowed through the winged mark between his brows. He looked up at Ye Xi with golden eyes.

"Come."

Ye Xi didn't hesitate. She stepped forward and thrust her Star Saint Sword. Ever since her Martial Soul Awakening, she'd been practicing the Ye Family Sword Technique, and she ranked among the strongest fighters in the class.

What surprised her, however, was that Shen Nanxun blocked every one of her successive strikes. It was as if he knew all her sword forms—and his own moves were even fiercer.

A feint, a deflection—and the advantage shifted.

Ye Xi didn't even have time to release her first Soul Skill before the golden holy sword was already pointed at her throat.

In just a few seconds, she'd lost the fight. In combat sense, the details of swordsmanship, and physical ability, Shen Nanxun far outclassed her.

Ye Xi looked up. Reflected in her eyes was the black-clad boy standing with his sword lowered. The Angel Holy Sword dissolved into golden specks in his hand, and the wings behind him slowly folded away. The core of the winged mark between his brows returned to its faint, pulsing rhythm. His golden eyes faded back to black.

"I lost."

Ye Xi had lost. This girl, one of the strongest fighters in the class, had been defeated by Shen Nanxun, who hadn't even had a Martial Soul before and had only two levels of innate Soul Power—a boy who had nearly been advised to withdraw from the academy.

The contrast was undeniably staggering.

Dong Yi'an still hadn't recovered from his shock when Adolf announced the next match.

"Dong Yi'an versus Na'er!"