Drawing a Water Armor Shield—Tang San, Who Are You Trying to Impress?

Chen Xuan stood beside the horizontal bar at the edge of the training ground.

There was no one around. Most of the students were fighting over food in the cafeteria.

He silently recited the word "draw."

A translucent roulette wheel instantly filled his vision.

There was none of yesterday's blinding red light. This time, the wheel spun steadily, and when it finally stopped, it burst forth with a gentle blue glow.

The blue light surged up from his palm, cool and pleasant.

[Congratulations, Host, you have obtained: Water Armor Shield (Epic) ×1]

[Description: A heavy defensive weapon that gathers the power of extreme water. Its form can be freely changed, resisting both physical and energy attacks. Its defensive limit increases with the host's soul power.]

Chen Xuan opened his hand.

A palm-sized blue crystal rested in his left palm. It was shaped like a curled rhinoceros head, its horn slightly curved, water-like ripples flowing across its surface. He tried pressing it against his left forearm. The crystal instantly spread out, transforming into a translucent arm shield that fit perfectly along the outside of his forearm. The rhinoceros-head relief stood prominently at the front, cold and solid to the touch.

With a thought from him—

Five gray stones automatically appeared. One of the previously dull stones now gave off a deep blue halo, reflecting the red glow of yesterday's stone.

[Light-Shadow Stones activated: 2/5.]

Chen Xuan hid the arm shield beneath his sleeve. With his clothes covering it, it looked like nothing more than a wrist guard from the outside. He clenched his fist and bent his arm. The shield's surface faintly lit up, and an invisible layer of watery ripples silently covered the front of his forearm.

He had the Flame Bow for offense and the Water Armor Shield for defense.

Now he had confidence.

Over the next few days, Tang San followed Yu Xiaogang to hunt soul beasts and did not show his face at the academy.

Chen Xuan was more than happy to enjoy the peace.

During the day, he attended class in the last row, either dozing off or lowering his head to play with the broken iron spoon in his pocket. Whenever the teacher called on him, he would stand up and say only one thing: "I don't know," drawing laughter from the entire class.

Everyone knew there was a freak among the work-study students with innate ninth-rank soul power. His martial soul was several broken stones, and he spent every day idling around.

That was exactly the effect Chen Xuan wanted.

At night, once the snores started in Dorm Seven, he would climb out the window and slip off to the back mountain on schedule.

He had set a strict training plan for himself.

The first item was seamless switching between the Flame Bow and the Water Armor Shield.

Battlefields changed in an instant, and the Light-Shadow Stones' power could not activate two attributes at the same time. He had to complete the sequence of putting away the bow, raising the shield, then drawing the bow again within fractions of a second.

The tree trunks on the back mountain gained a heap of scorched holes, while the ground accumulated pits from impacts redirected by the Water Armor Shield.

The second item was practicing throwing stones.

The Flame Bow was too conspicuous and could not be casually exposed in front of others. He needed a reasonable cover for his fighting style.

He summoned the five unlit gray stones and hurled them forward like hidden weapons.

With the foundation of innate ninth-rank soul power, combined with an adult's force-generation techniques from his previous life, the stones he threw carried considerable force. They could leave shallow dents in tree bark.

Though they could not compare to the Tang Sect's precise hidden weapons, they were more than enough for sparring among low-level soul masters.

On the afternoon of the fifth day—

Nuoding Academy erupted.

Yu Xiaogang had returned with Tang San.

Not only had they returned, Tang San had successfully absorbed a hundred-year Mandala Snake soul ring.

The news spread faster than if it had wings. In less than half an hour, even the cafeteria ladies serving meals were talking about it.

Innate full soul power, Blue Silver Grass, and a hundred-year soul ring.

Yu Xiaogang's theory that there were no useless martial souls seemed to have truly proven itself in Tang San.

The way the academy's teachers looked at Yu Xiaogang changed. Their former mockery turned into doubt mixed with belief.

That evening, in Dorm Seven—

The room was packed. Even work-study students from several neighboring dorms had come over to watch the excitement.

Tang San stood in the middle of the room.

He raised his right hand. Blue light surged in his palm, and a Blue Silver Grass several times thicker than before emerged, its leaves marked by distinct yellow patterns.

Immediately afterward, a bright yellow ring rose from beneath his feet and pulsed up and down around his body.

A hundred-year soul ring.

A chorus of sharp breaths sounded in the room.

Wang Sheng swallowed and took half a step back, barely daring to breathe.

Xiao Wu sat on the edge of her bed, swinging her legs. She stared at the soul ring for a long while, then curled her lips without saying anything.

Tang San put away his martial soul, and the yellow ring dissipated with it.

He looked around, taking in everyone's reactions.

This feeling of being the center of attention was not unfamiliar to him. In his previous life at the Tang Sect, he had been the most dazzling genius among the outer disciples. Now, he still was.

Teacher was right. As long as one finds the right direction, even Blue Silver Grass can become a top-tier control-type martial soul.

Tang San turned toward the farthest corner of the room.

Chen Xuan sat cross-legged on the lower bunk, holding a ragged cloth in his hands as he lowered his head and polished his shoes.

Tang San pushed through the crowd and stopped in front of Chen Xuan.

"Chen Xuan."

Chen Xuan stopped what he was doing and looked up. "Congratulations. A hundred-year soul ring. Impressive."

Tang San looked down at him.

He recalled Yu Xiaogang's assessment of Chen Xuan on the training ground a few days ago—outside the boundaries of theory, destined for mediocrity.

At the time, Tang San had felt a little regret for Chen Xuan. But now, having just stepped through the gate of becoming a soul master and experienced the thrill of wielding power, his mindset had completely changed when he looked at Chen Xuan.

Teacher was right.

Martial souls did have ranks. Blue Silver Grass simply happened not to be among the lowly ones.

But Chen Xuan's stones really were worthless.

"Your soul power foundation is very good, so don't give up on yourself," Tang San said, his tone carrying the steadiness of someone experienced, along with a trace of barely perceptible pity. "Your martial soul may be stones, but as long as you work hard enough, one day you'll find a use for it."

The room fell quiet.

Everyone looked at Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan tossed the ragged cloth onto the bedboard and brushed the dust from his hands.

He looked at Tang San.

This kid had only just gotten a soul ring, yet he was already using Yu Xiaogang's teachings to save the masses.

"Thanks for the kind words." Chen Xuan reached into his pocket and rummaged around. "My luck really was pretty good today. I just found a use for it."

Tang San froze for a moment. "What use?"

Chen Xuan pulled his hand from his pocket and opened his palm.

A pair of dingy, worn-out socks.

There was even a huge hole at the toes.

They were the spoils from his midnight draw last night.

"See? These socks may be torn, but my stones fit perfectly into the holes. They should keep my shoes nice and warm in winter." Chen Xuan gestured solemnly.

The room went silent for a second.

Then laughter exploded.

Wang Sheng laughed so hard he slapped his thigh. "Chen Xuan, you're fucking talented! Using your martial soul to patch socks!"

Xiao Wu clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she rolled around on the bed.

Tang San stood where he was, the expression on his face stiffening.

He looked at the ragged socks in Chen Xuan's hand, then at Chen Xuan's indifferent face.

Hopeless.

Tang San gave Chen Xuan his final verdict in his heart.

He had originally thought that since they both came from Saint Soul Village, he should help if he could. But now, it seemed Teacher was right. They were simply not on the same road.

Tang San said nothing more. He turned and returned to his bed, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began cultivating.

Chen Xuan tucked the socks back into his pocket, leaned against the wall, and yawned.

That was exactly the effect he wanted.

The more Tang San regarded him as trash and looked at him with that pitying attitude, the deeper Chen Xuan could hide his trump cards.

Once you get used to standing high above everyone else, once you treat Yu Xiaogang's theories as absolute truth...

Then, when I tear that whole set of beliefs apart before your eyes, that will really hurt.

The next morning.

Practical combat class.

On the training ground, the first-year freshmen stood in two rows.

The instructor was a muscular man in his thirties. His martial soul was a wild boar, and he was an assault-type Grand Soul Master.

He held a roster in his hand, his gaze sweeping across the students' faces.

"Today's lesson is about how control-type and assault-type soul masters deal with each other in combat."

The muscular man cleared his throat.

"I heard someone in our class went out and obtained their first soul ring, and it was even a hundred-year ring."

His gaze landed on Tang San.

"Tang San, step forward!"

Tang San took a step forward and stood straight.

"Take a good look, everyone. This is the student who has caused the biggest stir in our academy this year." The muscular man clapped his hands. "Control-type soul masters hold every advantage in one-on-one fights. Today, I'll open your eyes and show you how control-type soul masters fight."

He lowered his head and flipped through the roster.

"For a combat demonstration, we need an opponent."

The muscular man scanned the group, finally settling on Chen Xuan, who was spacing out in the back row.

"You there, Chen Xuan, right?"

Chen Xuan looked up.

"I heard you have innate ninth-rank soul power, and your martial soul is several stones?" The muscular man grinned. "Perfect. You don't have a soul ring yet, so you're basically a blank-slate assault type."

He pointed at the white-lined circle in the center of the training ground.

"Chen Xuan, come out. Spar with Tang San and give everyone a demonstration!"

A low wave of laughter ran through the group.

Wang Sheng nudged Chen Xuan with his elbow. "You're done for, brother. The teacher's using you as Tang San's stepping stone."

Xiao Wu turned around from the front and made a face at Chen Xuan. "Hey, want me to take your place? Those broken stones of yours couldn't even take one kick from me."

Chen Xuan ignored them.

He slowly walked out of the line and entered the white circle.

Tang San was already standing opposite him.

"Chen Xuan, this is only a spar. We'll stop at the right time." Tang San looked at him. "I'll control my strength. I won't hurt you."

Chen Xuan rolled his neck, his bones cracking loudly.

Looking at Tang San's face filled with confidence, he found it rather amusing.

Stop at the right time?

Fine.

Chen Xuan spread his hands, and five dull gray stones appeared in his palms.

"Come on, let me see just how impressive a hundred-year soul ring is."

The instant Chen Xuan finished speaking, his right foot slammed into the ground, and he shot forward.

Instead of retreating, he advanced.

He did not use the Water Armor Shield, nor did he summon the Flame Bow.

His right hand snapped outward.

"Whoosh!"

A gray stone tore through the air with a sharp whistle, flying straight at Tang San's face.

It was incredibly fast and carried tremendous force.

Tang San's pupils suddenly contracted.

That stone was far faster than he had expected.

This was not the kind of movement a useless martial soul should have!

Tang San stepped into Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, his body folding strangely to the side as he narrowly avoided the stone.

"Bang!"

The stone struck the ground behind Tang San, blasting out a fist-sized pit as dirt sprayed everywhere.

The entire field fell silent.

The smile on the muscular instructor's face froze.

Tang San turned his head to look at the pit, and his expression completely changed.

Chen Xuan stood where he was, still tossing the remaining four stones in his hand, his tone casual.

"Why aren't you using your soul ring? Keep dodging, and the next one won't hit the ground."

Tang San took a deep breath and abruptly raised his right hand.

The yellow hundred-year soul ring flared brightly.

"First Soul Skill, Binding!"

More than a dozen thick Blue Silver Grass stalks burst from the ground, curling along the earth toward Chen Xuan's ankles.

Chen Xuan did not dodge.

He stood still and watched as the Blue Silver Grass crawled up his calves.

He silently recited a sentence in his heart.

Water Armor Shield, activate.

Beneath the sleeve of his left arm, the rhinoceros-head relief on the Water Armor Shield silently lit up with a faint, deep-blue glow. A layer of barely visible ripples instantly covered his entire left arm and the left half of his body.

The Blue Silver Grass suddenly tightened, unleashing tremendous constricting force as its vines wrapped around Chen Xuan's left leg and waist.

But the next second, Tang San's expression froze.

He felt his Blue Silver Grass tightening around a slick sheet of solid ice. All its force was silently dispersed by a strange, yielding power.

Especially the few strands wrapped around Chen Xuan's left arm—they seemed to have coiled around an impossibly slippery shield, unable to constrict it in the slightest!

Chen Xuan lowered his head to glance at the Blue Silver Grass around his leg, then raised his left arm, briefly revealing the faint rhinoceros-head arm shield. He lifted his head and smiled at Tang San.

"Is that all?"

He raised his left foot and stomped forward fiercely.

Smack!

Two thick strands of Blue Silver Grass were forcibly torn apart.

A deathly silence fell over the training ground.

At some point, Yu Xiaogang had appeared at the edge of the training ground. He stared fixedly at Chen Xuan's left forearm, his brows twisted into a tight knot.

What was that? He had not seen any physical manifestation of a martial soul, yet something had clearly blocked the constricting force of the Blue Silver Grass.

No records had ever stated that a stone martial soul could possess such defensive power!

This completely contradicted his theory!

Chen Xuan brushed the grass clippings from his trousers and looked at Tang San across from him.

"Keep going, Tang San. Your control doesn't seem all that impressive."

Tang San clenched his teeth and quietly reached toward the small of his back with his right hand.

Hidden weapons.

He was going to get serious.

Watching his movements, Chen Xuan's lips curved into the faintest smile.

Come on. Let me see what the chosen one looks like when he loses his temper.