An Unexpected Encounter with Xiao Xiao, and Advice for Xiao Xiao

"Brother Lin, I was wrong, really! That's eight laps already, please, have mercy!" Xu Ye sprinted desperately ahead, begging for leniency, while Lin Yao simply retracted his Martial Soul and pursued him with his head down.

Even with his Martial Soul retracted, the intimidation Lin Yao had built up in Xu Ye's mind was so great that the latter didn't even dare to turn around and counterattack. Instead, Lin Yao kept urging him on: "Turn around and fight back! I don't have my Martial Soul manifested right now; you could land a first strike on me. Come on!"

Xu Ye wailed, "Don't talk about first strikes, Brother Lin. Even if you let me have three moves for free, I'd still be a sitting duck. I'm not an idiot; there's no way I'm turning around to fight you right now."

Lin Yao retorted irritably, "So you aren't a total fool after all. You had the guts to spout that nonsense in the Director's office, so you're definitely getting a beating today."

Ye Guyi had already gone to buy food for the two of them, leaving Lin Yao alone to chase Xu Ye for another two laps around the track. Seeing that Xu Ye was truly collapsed on the ground and on the verge of vomiting from exhaustion, Lin Yao finally stood still, his breathing steady and face unreddened. "You still need to train, you know? Today it's just your Brother Lin, but if the wife you find in the future happens to have a fiery temper and chases you like this, you'll be in for a real treat if you can't outrun her."

Xu Ye struggled to prop himself up and offered a weak smile. "As expected of Brother Lin, your stamina is so much better than mine. Truly overbearing."

Lin Yao scratched his head and replied, "Isn't that obvious? I'm a full twenty levels higher than you; how could you possibly compete with me in endurance? Anyway, once we get back, focus on absorbing that Spirit Bone. After you're done, take a shower and forget about today. At the very least, when we were in Director Du's office, we were a complete team. Distributing resources based on need within a team is normal; there's no such thing as who owes whom."

"I've already shown signs of rejection toward that Spirit Bone. I'll prepare something better for your Sister Ye in the future; she doesn't need this mediocre one."

Xu Ye smirked cheekily at Lin Yao. "So, 'a perfect match' really wasn't just talk... Ouch!"

Lin Yao punched him into the dirt, and immediately after, Huo Yuhao cracked his wrists and said, "Give an inch and you take a mile."

With that, Lin Yao ignored the still-grinning Xu Ye and turned to head toward the cafeteria.

Just as he stepped off the track, a beautiful melody played on a flute reached his ears. Lin Yao glanced to the side and saw a petite figure in the woods, gently playing a green bamboo flute.

A yellow spirit ring floated quietly beneath the girl's feet, remaining steady without flickering; clearly, the music did not contain any of her spirit skills.

Lin Yao recognized the girl as Xiao Xiao, a member of Huo Yuhao's team.

Xiao Xiao opened her eyes and looked at Lin Yao. The latter waved at her. "Nice playing."

Xiao Xiao smiled at Lin Yao and replied, "Thank you for the compliment. I've chosen the Control System as my development path, so I was assigned to Freshman Class One. We're classmates, Brother Lin. I look forward to your guidance."

Lin Yao studied Xiao Xiao for a moment before asking, "Is that 'look forward to your guidance' just a polite formality, or do you actually want to hear my opinion?"

Xiao Xiao was taken aback, then lowered her head slightly. "The capable are the masters. Naturally, I would like to hear what you have to say, Brother Lin."

Lin Yao said to her, "Your two Martial Souls, the Nine-Phoenix Flute and the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, represent the destiny of the nation and the phoenix aura of the Empress's lineage, respectively. In that regard, the quality of both Martial Souls is identical, which is why you were able to achieve a Twin Martial Soul state."

Seeing that Lin Yao was being serious, Xiao Xiao immediately shed her playful demeanor and listened carefully to every word.

Although her initial request had been a polite gesture, Xiao Xiao acknowledged the principle that the capable were the masters. After all, Lin Yao's cultivation progress was far ahead of her own, and his words were indeed worth considering.

"To be honest, I don't quite understand. Your family background should be quite good, so why have you been neglected to this extent? Not only did you cultivate your Martial Souls in the wrong order, but you were even allowed to attach spirit rings to both simultaneously."

Lin Yao looked at Xiao Xiao, asking a question that had piqued his curiosity back when he read about the Douluo world in his past life.

Xiao Xiao lowered her head upon hearing this and whispered, "The pressure in the freshman classes is immense, and I didn't want to be the one holding the class back. So, behind my family's back, I secretly attached my first spirit ring to the Nine-Phoenix Flute. Even though I only have the strength of a two-ring spirit master, I can unleash three spirit skills, which counts as having the combat power of a one-and-a-half-ring Soul Elder."

Lin Yao sighed, silently cursing Old Woman Zhou for causing such harm. She had unknowingly ruined a promising Twin Martial Soul talent without even realizing it, all while feeling smug about her supposed teaching prowess.

"Foolish. If you could already do everything perfectly, why would you even come to Shrek Academy? To play? To go on vacation? Or do you just have too much money to burn?" Lin Yao looked at Xiao Xiao, unable to hide his frustration.

"Do you know what an academy is? An academy is a place for a student to go from knowing nothing to knowing something, from having no ability to having ability. If you arrived with all your abilities already unlocked, there would be no need to waste your time here."

Xiao Xiao looked up at Lin Yao and asked, "What about you, Brother Lin?"

Lin Yao gave a bitter laugh. "I had no choice. The day my Martial Soul awakened, a pillar of light shot into the sky, making my existence known to Shrek Academy. When the Dean personally sends a letter, do you think the son of a Dou Ling Empire official dares to refuse? If I hadn't shown them respect, my entire family would have mysteriously vanished the next day."

Seeing that Xiao Xiao was startled, Lin Yao softened his tone. "My father is the Chief Instructor at the Dou Ling Empire's Spirit Academy. Given my family's expertise regarding your two Martial Souls, I suggest you switch your primary Martial Soul to the Nine-Phoenix Flute."

Xiao Xiao looked at him with curiosity, and Lin Yao explained, "The Nine-Phoenix Flute's abilities are relatively singular, focusing primarily on control and damaging enemies through melody. The Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, however, functions through the symbiosis of three cauldrons. It can perform more varied control tasks than the Nine-Phoenix Flute, so it should be your secondary Martial Soul. Later on, you can attach a series of high-level spirit rings to it, allowing you to achieve feats the Nine-Phoenix Flute cannot, such as heavy assault and defense."

Xiao Xiao nodded, then gripped the Nine-Phoenix Flute in her hand. "Thank you for your guidance, Brother Lin. I will give your suggestion serious consideration."

Lin Yao nodded, then turned to Xiao Xiao and said...