Stockpiling Over a Thousand Fireball Talismans, Tang Hao Meets Yu Xiaogang at Night

The next day, Tang San came to practice with Lin Xuan as usual. He seemed no different, though he spoke a little less.

Lin Xuan did not press him or bring up Yu Xiaogang again.

He had said what needed saying. More words would do no good.

The days that followed were quiet and regular.

Every afternoon, they practiced for two hours: Tang San taught for one, and Xiao Wu taught for the other.

Tang San's Fist Technique was solid, his Footwork precise. Every move had a practical purpose.

Xiao Wu's Leg Technique was nimble and varied, her weight shifting as smoothly as flowing water.

Lin Xuan soaked it all up like a sponge.

He had a decent foundation and a quick mind.

His practice with the Clear Mind Talisman had not been for nothing. Drawing Talismans over the long term had honed his Spiritual Power, letting him learn far faster than most.

Where others needed ten tries to grasp the trick to applying force, he got the hang of it in three or five.

Half a month later, Lin Xuan's side kick had earned Xiao Wu's nod of approval.

A month later, he could occasionally use the Inch Force Tang San had taught him in a real fight.

Of course, using it occasionally and using it at will were two different things.

Yu Xiaogang did not appear.

That surprised Lin Xuan a little.

He had expected Yu Xiaogang to keep pestering him. Judging by Yu Xiaogang's expression when Lin Xuan turned him down at the door, he had not looked ready to give up.

But for well over a month, Yu Xiaogang did not seek Lin Xuan out. He did not even arrange a "chance encounter."

Tang San sometimes went to Yu Xiaogang for advice on cultivation, but he never mentioned those visits to Lin Xuan afterward.

Lin Xuan never asked.

The two reached an unspoken understanding: neither would bring up Yu Xiaogang.

Lin Xuan had not neglected his own cultivation, either.

Every night after returning to the dormitory, he silently circulated his Soul Power beneath the covers and drew Fireball Talismans.

He folded the finished talismans into palm-sized squares and hid them beneath a floor tile under his bed.

Five a day, without fail.

That was his real trump card.

By the end of the semester, Lin Xuan had amassed more than fifteen hundred Fireball Talismans beneath that tile.

That was enough to give a Soul Sage a headache—provided all fifteen hundred-plus Fireball Talismans hit their target.

As for whether they could catch a Titled Douluo off guard, Lin Xuan did not dare speculate.

They were only the first soul skill of a one-ring Soul Master, after all. But fifteen hundred-plus blasts of that first soul skill might actually do something, right?

Whenever Lin Xuan pictured all fifteen hundred-plus blasts going off at once, he found it rather amusing.

Time slipped by, and the end of June arrived.

It was the last day of the first semester.

When the final class at Notting Academy ended, the students cheered and rushed out of the classroom.

In Dorm Seven, Wang Sheng was packing his things and humming an off-key tune.

"Boss Lin Xuan, where are you going for the break?" Wang Sheng asked without looking up as he stuffed a change of clothes into his bundle.

"Back to Holy Soul Village."

"Holy Soul Village? That little village you came from?"

Wang Sheng looked up, baffled.

"What's worth going back there for? Aren't you staying in Notting City? At least the city's lively."

Lin Xuan shook his head. "I'm going back to see Grandpa Village Chief."

Wang Sheng slung his bundle over his shoulder and waved to Lin Xuan.

"See you when school starts, Boss."

After Wang Sheng left, the dormitory fell quiet.

Lin Xuan sorted through his few belongings: two changes of clothes and a spare pair of cloth shoes.

He did not take many Fireball Talismans with him, since he had no Storage Soul Tool. He left the fifteen hundred-plus Fireball Talismans buried beneath his bed.

Fifteen hundred-plus sheets were about as much paper as fifteen stacks of ten-thousand-yuan notes.

Just then, the dormitory door swung open and Xiao Wu walked in.

She had not packed, because she had no luggage to pack.

Xiao Wu sat on the edge of the bed opposite Lin Xuan, her feet dangling and swinging back and forth.

"Lin Xuan."

"Mm?"

"You're going back to the village for the break?"

"Yeah."

Xiao Wu swung her feet twice more, then stopped.

"Um..." She fiddled with the end of her braid. "Can I come with you?"

Lin Xuan paused what he was doing and looked up at her.

Xiao Wu looked a little uncomfortable. She pressed her lips together before continuing:

"I don't have anywhere to go. So..."

Lin Xuan knew where Xiao Wu came from, of course. Tang Hao had already noticed her, so there was no problem taking her back to the Clear Sky Sect.

"Sure. Come with me."

Xiao Wu's feet immediately started swinging again. "Really?"

"There are plenty of empty houses in the village. You can stay in one. Grandpa Village Chief is kind; he won't turn you away."

"That's great!" Xiao Wu hopped off the bed. "Then I'll carry your things!"

"I only have one bundle. You don't need to carry it."

"Then I'll carry it on my back!"

"Suit yourself."

Xiao Wu had barely been happy for two seconds when something occurred to her. "Hey, what about Tang San? He's going back to Holy Soul Village too, right? Isn't that where his home is?"

A voice came from the doorway as soon as she finished speaking.

"I am."

Tang San stood in the doorway.

"Perfect. The three of us can go together." Xiao Wu clapped her hands. "When do we leave?"

"First thing tomorrow morning." Lin Xuan tied his bundle shut. "We can travel while it's cool. It won't take long to get there."

Tang San nodded and set his cloth bag on his bed without another word.

Over the semester, the relationship among the three had subtly changed.

Lin Xuan and Xiao Wu were still close, and bickering remained a regular occurrence.

Between Lin Xuan and Tang San, the initial probing and wariness had faded, replaced by something like the understanding between comrades.

Neither had spoken openly about it, but after two hours of instruction and sparring every day, some things needed no words.

Tang San never brought up Yu Xiaogang taking Lin Xuan as a disciple again.

Lin Xuan never spoke ill of Yu Xiaogang again, either.

That was enough.

Lin Xuan no longer had any prejudice against Tang San. At least, not for now.

Meanwhile.

In a building on the west side of Notting Academy, Yu Xiaogang sat bent over his desk, leafing through his notes.

The flame of the oil lamp flickered twice. The window was shut, and so was the door.

Yet a sudden chill ran down his back.

Someone was in the room.

Yu Xiaogang sprang to his feet and turned toward the door.

A tall figure stood in the shadows at the corner of the room. Cold sweat had already soaked Yu Xiaogang's back.

He had heard nothing. Someone had appeared in his room out of nowhere.

Yu Xiaogang knew better than anyone what that meant.

"Who are you?"

The visitor did not answer. He merely took a token from inside his coat and tossed it onto the desk.

It landed beside the notebook with a dull thud.

"I am Tang Hao!"

Yu Xiaogang glanced down.

It was a Papal Decree.

His hands began to tremble.

At those words, Yu Xiaogang jerked his head up.

"You... you really are the Clear Sky Douluo?"

Tang Hao stepped out of the shadows and sat in the chair opposite Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang remained where he stood, his legs weak.

The Clear Sky Douluo.

The man who had gravely wounded Qian Xunji, the former pope of Spirit Hall.

The spark that had set Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect against each other all those years ago.