Daily Sparring

Noon.

The cafeteria was more than half empty.

After the construction crew left, mealtimes on campus finally returned to normal. Only a few people remained at the serving windows, and the lunch lady leaned against the counter, dozing.

Tang Wulin sat by the window. Four empty bowls were stacked in front of him.

He was no longer hungry. After the seal disappeared, his appetite had returned to normal. Yet he was still eating. He chewed slowly, as if reluctant to swallow. Pork rib bones lay on the table in a neat little row.

Xie Xie sat across from him, his chopsticks resting across his bowl, both hands propping up his chin. His gaze paused on the stack of empty bowls, shifted to Tang Wulin's face, then returned to the bowls. After holding it in for two seconds, he asked, "You... can still eat?"

"Not anymore." Tang Wulin set his chopsticks back on the rim of the bowl.

Gu Yue sat beside him with a cup of hot soup in her hands. She blew on it and took a sip. Steam washed over her face, leaving a fine mist on her eyelashes that vanished with a blink. Wind poured in through the window, lifting several strands of black hair by her shoulder before letting them fall again. When she set down her cup, her fingertips pressed against the tabletop for a moment before withdrawing.

Her gaze rested on the empty field outside the window, as though she were watching something, yet as though she were looking at nothing at all.

Tang Wulin turned to look at her. Her profile was sharply defined in the light, her jawline clean and crisp. Her eyelashes cast a small fan-shaped shadow beneath her eyes.

He had seen this face far too many times.

In the snowfields of the Extreme North Icefield, her silver hair had been covered in frost, ice crystals hanging from her lashes. Her lips had curved faintly, as if telling him, "It's okay." He had held her, held that body growing colder and colder, held someone he knew would never return. That shell of ice had separated them for ten thousand years. He had called her name from outside, but she could not hear him. He had pounded the ice until his fists bled, yet it had not moved an inch.

After looking for two seconds, he withdrew his gaze and picked up the crumpled tissue on the table to wipe the corner of his mouth. When he finished, he kept the tissue clenched in his palm instead of letting go. Only after another two seconds did he put it back on the table.

"Let's go." Xie Xie stood and stretched, the chair legs scraping over the floor.

The three of them left the cafeteria one after another. Newly rebuilt low walls lined both sides of the walkway, the cement between the bricks still damp and dark gray. The athletic field was empty. Just days ago, broken bricks had been scattered everywhere and cranes had roared nonstop. Now, only a clean open field and rows of newly installed windows remained.

Tang Wulin walked in the middle, with Gu Yue two steps ahead to his left and Xie Xie half a step behind to his right.

"Teacher Wu will probably test everyone's abilities this afternoon."

"In front of a Titled Douluo, wouldn't the outcome be the same no matter what?"

Gu Yue did not look back. "So what if he's a Titled Douluo?"

Afternoon. In the repaired classroom. The newly installed windows were excessively clear, and the patches of light were blinding. Three desks stood side by side near the windows.

Wu Changkong stood behind the podium, changed into a dark blue training uniform with tightly fastened cuffs. "You three are up."

On the open athletic field, the ground had dried hard beneath their feet. The slanting sunlight stretched their shadows long. Wu Changkong stood in the center with his hands behind his back. The other students he had knocked down lay behind him.

"You three, come at me together."

Gu Yue moved. Ice spikes burst from the ground by her feet, three of them advancing toward Wu Changkong in a triangular formation. Xie Xie rushed out, the Light Dragon Dagger sliding from his palm. The golden short blade flashed with a thin glimmer as he cut in from the left.

Tang Wulin remained where he was. He knew better than either of them what would happen next. Gu Yue's ice spikes would be stopped half an inch from Wu Changkong, and Xie Xie's dagger would be caught between two fingers. He was waiting for that opening.

Gu Yue's ice spikes were stopped. Xie Xie's dagger was caught. Wu Changkong's hands faced two directions at once, leaving his waist exposed. Less than a beat of time.

Tang Wulin moved. Blue Silver Grass snaked along the ground, and he stepped forward from the side, his right hand curling into a fist. The power of his bloodline surged up from the depths of his Trunk Bone. Pale golden patterns wrapped around his fist as it smashed toward Wu Changkong's waist.

Gu Yue added more soul power, pushing the three ice spikes another inch forward. Xie Xie withdrew his blade and sidestepped, clearing the space on the left.

Tang Wulin's fist arrived. Wu Changkong twisted aside, released Xie Xie's dagger at the same time, then retreated half a step and steadied himself.

"Again."

For their second combination, Gu Yue first used fireballs to seal off the left side, while Xie Xie feinted from the front right. Tang Wulin knew Gu Yue would raise an earth wall to block off the retreat before the fireballs dispersed. That was a habit from her previous life. He also knew Xie Xie would switch to the flank after his feint.

He chose another direction. The instant the earth wall rose, he lowered his center of gravity and circled around its edge. It was a route Xie Xie had never taken and Gu Yue had never blocked, one he had carved out for them.

Blue Silver Grass lashed toward Wu Changkong's ankle. At the same time, Tang Wulin brought his fingers together and pressed down with a heavy wrist. The power of his bloodline scattered through his meridians halfway through its surge. The golden patterns along the edge of his palm flickered for an instant before dimming. Yet the force of the strike remained. The descending palm edge carried a lingering pale golden glow and an oppressive presence that did not belong to someone his age as it fell toward Wu Changkong's shoulder and neck.

For the first time, Wu Changkong actively retreated half a step. He did not use that barrier to knock the attack away. He truly stepped back. The palm strike landed an inch to the left of where he had been standing.

The air fell silent. Xie Xie crouched on the ground, still unable to catch his breath, and looked up at Tang Wulin. Gu Yue turned to look at Tang Wulin, her gaze lingering on him for a moment. Then she lowered her head and looked at her own hand—the one that had formed the ice spikes earlier. She did not know why she was looking at it. She simply stared, then lowered her hand as her fingers slowly relaxed.

Wu Changkong steadied himself and looked at him. "Where did you learn that palm strike?"

With the setting sun shining from behind him, Tang Wulin stood in the middle of the field, lingering warmth still left in his hand after his bloodline power dispersed. In his previous life, he had been exposed and beaten back over and over again on this field. Back then, he had chased desperately. Eventually, he had caught up, but that had been many years later. Those memories were too heavy.

"Just threw it out there."

Wu Changkong watched him, his gaze shifting from Tang Wulin's face to the hand that was still trembling faintly. He paused, then said, "That's enough for today. We'll continue tomorrow."

He turned and left. The hem of his white clothing swayed once in the slanting sunlight as he walked into the entrance hall of the teaching building and was swallowed by shadow.

Xie Xie crouched on the ground, still short of breath. "Teacher Wu... is terrifying."

Gu Yue stood to one side, tucking windblown black hair behind her ear. She tilted her head and looked at Tang Wulin, her gaze lingering on him for a moment. Then she lowered her hand, her fingers slowly straightening. She did not ask anything.

Xie Xie stood and brushed the dust from his knees before walking over to Tang Wulin. "Tang Wulin, I couldn't tell at all. Is your martial soul really not mutated?"

Tang Wulin glanced at the closed door in the distance. "I guess it is."

After saying that, he turned his head and looked at Gu Yue's hand hanging by her side. Her right hand, which had just straightened, curled its fingertips slightly when he said, "I guess it is," then straightened again. As if she had something to say, yet did not say it. He did not look again and shifted his gaze away. The setting sun dragged the shadows of the three of them across the ground, long and narrow, slanting in the same direction. Wind blew in from afar, carrying the chill of evening. It brushed past their ankles and slipped away.