Beatings and Growth

Tang Ling's figure disappeared through the entrance of the blacksmith shop.

Tang San still stood where he was, the smile on his face—even uglier than crying—seeming glued in place, impossible to pull down.

Let Xiao Wu go to Notting Academy with him?

Have him protect Xiao Wu?

Tang San recalled last night's beating, and his ribs began to ache faintly again. That little girl could kick him flying thirty feet with one kick and leave his eye blackened for three days with one punch. Did she need his protection?

"Xiao San, you don't look too good." Tang Hao frowned. "Didn't you sleep well last night?"

"...It's nothing, Dad." Tang San took a deep breath and forced his expression back to normal. "Godfather is right. It's good for Xiao Wu to go to the academy with me. We can look out for each other."

He practically ground out the last three words through clenched teeth.

Tang Hao nodded without giving it much thought.

Old Jack went on for a few more sentences about the things a work-study student should keep in mind before rising to take his leave. The clanging of ironwork soon rang out through the blacksmith shop again.

Tang San sat back down on the threshold, holding the martial arts manual in his hands, but he could not take in a single word.

Tang Ling's parting words kept replaying in his mind: "You're a boy. Protect her well, and don't let anyone bully her."

Protect her?

Tang San raised a hand to rub his still-aching nose, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

He felt that he was the one who needed protecting.

But on second thought, Tang San decided the situation was not that bad.

Xiao Wu might have beaten him viciously, but the system had judged that as an "intimate relationship," and the mission reward had been a very real innate full soul power at rank ten.

What did that mean?

It meant that contact with Xiao Wu itself was recognized by the system. If he built a good relationship with her first, it would be easier to farm missions later.

Besides, Xiao Wu now had a Heavenly Spirit Root and cultivated an immortal path technique personally passed down by Tang Ling. Her strength exceeding his was only temporary. Once he cultivated soul power, martial arts, and the immortal path all at once, it was still uncertain who would come out on top.

Thinking of this, Tang San's mood improved again. He closed the book, jumped down from the threshold, and strode into the blacksmith shop.

"Dad, I'll help you work the bellows."

Tang Hao glanced at his son and asked no questions, merely nodding.

The furnace fire burned even hotter. Bare-chested, Tang San gripped the bellows handle with both hands and pushed and pulled it again and again.

Sweat ran down his lean back and dripped onto the scorching ground, making soft hissing sounds.

Blacksmithing was physical work, but it was also technical work. Tang Hao's Clear Sky Hammer struck the red-hot iron block again and again, each blow steady and powerful. Every time the hammer fell, the iron block gave a low, heavy hum.

As Tang San worked the bellows, he watched his father's movements from the corner of his eye.

Tang Hao's hammer technique looked clumsy, but it actually contained an extraordinarily profound method of exerting force. Every strike began at the heels, traveled through the waist and hips, and finally gathered at the wrist before erupting in an instant.

This method of exerting force bore a remarkable resemblance to the "bursting force" recorded in his martial arts manual.

"Dad, how do you use that hammer strike?" Tang San could not help asking.

Tang Hao stopped his hammer and looked at his son. A rare hint of a smile appeared on his face. "Want to learn?"

Tang San nodded vigorously.

"Watch." Tang Hao swung the Clear Sky Hammer again, slowing his movements several times over. "The force rises from the soles of your feet, moves through the calves and thighs, passes through the waist and hips, travels up the spine, and finally reaches the wrist. When the hammer falls, you don't use the strength of your arms. You use the strength of your whole body."

As he spoke, he demonstrated. The Clear Sky Hammer carved an arc through the air before crashing down onto the iron block.

Clang—

The iron block was flattened by nearly half, and sparks flew everywhere.

Tang San's eyes lit up. He understood. This way of exerting force was almost exactly the same as the "bursting force" in the martial arts manual. In other words, he could completely treat blacksmithing as part of his martial arts training.

From that day onward, Tang San's schedule became exceedingly regular.

He rose at dawn and forged iron with Tang Hao for two hours, tempering his body and honing his strength. In the morning, he cultivated the martial arts manual, practicing basic fist techniques and footwork according to its diagrams.

In the afternoon, he cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill. Although his innate full soul power had recovered, he still felt that it was not stable enough and needed to be tempered repeatedly.

His days were full and peaceful.

The only thing that was not so peaceful was that Xiao Wu came to find him every few days for a "spar."

Calling it a spar was merely a polite way of saying it was a one-sided beating.

Their first spar took place three days later. Xiao Wu said she wanted to test the results of her cultivation. Before Tang San could refuse, she swept his legs out from under him, knocked him to the ground, then straddled him and pummeled him.

Their second spar came a week later. Tang San had learned his lesson and immediately assumed a defensive stance.

When Xiao Wu rushed at him, he gritted his teeth and withstood three moves. On the fourth, her palm struck his chest, sending him flying backward into the courtyard wall. When he slid down, he even tore off a chunk of plaster.

Their third spar came half a month later.

After every spar, Xiao Wu would pat his head and say with a giggle, "Xiao San has improved. Keep working hard next time," before skipping away.

Tang San lay on the ground, bruised and battered, staring at the sky with only one thought in his mind: Just wait until I become stronger.

But strangely, every time Tang San got beaten up, he could feel his reaction speed and ability to withstand blows improving.

There was a saying in the introductory section of the martial arts manual: "Actual combat is the best teacher." He had never quite understood it before, but after being beaten up by Xiao Wu for over half a month, he suddenly did.

Pain truly was the best teacher.

What surprised Tang San even more was that after every beating, his soul power would increase by a faint, nearly imperceptible amount. The increase was extremely slight; if he had not checked the state of his soul power every day, he would never have noticed it.

Could getting beaten actually increase soul power?

Tang San buried this discovery in his heart and told no one.

That afternoon, Tang San was cultivating on the back mountain as usual. He had just finished a set of punches and was sitting on a rock beside the stream, regulating his breathing, when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

He sprang to his feet on reflex and assumed a defensive stance.

"Don't be nervous. I'm not beating you up today." Xiao Wu poked her head out from behind a tree, carrying a small basket in her hand. "Mother made osmanthus cakes and asked me to bring you some."

Tang San watched her warily without moving.

"Really. If I'm lying, I'm a puppy." Xiao Wu walked over, set the basket on the rock, and sat down beside it, her legs swinging above the stream.

Tang San took a deep breath and told himself not to fuss with a little girl. He picked up an osmanthus cake and took a bite. It was fragrant, sweet, soft, and chewy—truly delicious.

"Thank you," he muttered.

"You're welcome." Xiao Wu smiled with crescent eyes, her scorpion braid gleaming in the sunlight.

"Oh, Xiao San, how's your martial arts training going? Big Brother said the manual he gave you was top-tier too, so why are you still so bad at taking a beating?"

Tang San's mouth twitched. "...I'll work harder."

"Then do your best."

After Xiao Wu finished the last osmanthus cake, she brushed the crumbs from her hands and jumped down from the rock.