Bai Jin's Classroom

The next morning, Blue Tyrant Academy's Training Ground was unusually quiet.

Not because everyone had slept enough.

Because no one had the strength to speak.

Bai Jin sat on a wooden post, tapping a thin Bamboo Branch against his palm. The Shrek students stood in a row, still damp from the Old Canal.

"Review."

Dai Mubai spoke first. "I rushed my frontal advance. On the third charge, I nearly ran straight into the heart of the formation."

"Good that you know." Bai Jin nodded. "The Power Attack System doesn't mean scouting with your face."

A vein twitched at Dai Mubai's temple, but he held his tongue.

Zhu Zhuqing spoke softly. "There were two hidden passages on the right that I failed to spot."

"Because you trust your eyes too much," Bai Jin said. "A cat doesn't just look. Wind, scent, vibrations underfoot—you need to account for all of them."

Zhu Zhuqing nodded.

Ning Rongrong bit her lip. "I hesitated for a moment when I was boosting everyone. I didn't know whether to help Boss Dai or Xiao Wu first."

"Next time, help whoever's closest to dying."

Ning Rongrong: "..."

Bai Jin looked at Oscar.

Oscar immediately straightened. "I think I did all right yesterday."

"Mm." Bai Jin nodded, a rare sight. "So today, you'll carry Fatty for ten laps."

Oscar's face fell. "Why?"

"Because you did all right. You can handle more."

Beside him, Ma Hongjun laughed so hard he nearly lost his breath.

Then Bai Jin looked at him. "You'll sit on his back. No Soul Power."

Ma Hongjun stopped laughing.

Tang San spoke last. "I was too slow breaking the formation. If Mr. Bai hadn't been there to hold the line, the children would have been in danger."

Bai Jin glanced at him. "So?"

Tang San fell silent for a moment. "I need to identify the Formation Core faster, and I need more experience fighting head-on. I can use Hidden Weapons, but I can't use them as an excuse to avoid close combat or controlling the field."

Bai Jin smiled.

"Finally, something worth hearing."

Xiao Wu protested, "My brother always says things worth hearing!"

"You don't have to leap to his defense that fast."

Xiao Wu huffed.

Training began soon after.

Tang San was forbidden from using Hidden Weapons for three rounds. He could only use Blue Silver Grass, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, and his fists and feet. Dai Mubai would press him head-on, Zhu Zhuqing would ambush him, and Ma Hongjun would attack with fire from the flank. Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong and Oscar had to keep providing Support without getting struck by Bai Jin's Bamboo Branch.

Tang San lost the first round quickly.

When Dai Mubai's White Tiger claws bore down, Tang San instinctively reached for his Sleeve Arrow. The instant his fingers moved, the Bamboo Branch struck his wrist. The blow was light, but it sent a sour numbness through half his arm. Zhu Zhuqing seized the chance to strike from behind. Xiao Wu was desperate to help, but one look from Bai Jin rooted her in place.

"Let him fall on his own."

Tang San hit the dirt, his lips pressed into a tight line.

He hated losing, especially when he knew he had a way to fight back but was forbidden to use it. Yet he understood that Bai Jin wasn't restricting his Hidden Weapons. He was breaking his dependence on them.

When the Second Round began, Tang San did not reach for his sleeve again.

Blue Silver Grass crept along the ground as Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track carried him clear of Dai Mubai's frontal assault. He took a feinting slash from Zhu Zhuqing on his shoulder to buy half a breath of control. In that half-breath, his Blue Silver Grass caught Dai Mubai's ankle and brought Xiao Wu into the perfect position to attack.

Only then did Bai Jin nod.

"Now that's a teammate."

Half an hour later, screams rang across the Training Ground.

Bai Jin's Bamboo Branch was light.

But it always struck where it hurt most.

Just as Dai Mubai tried to muscle through Tang San's Entanglement, the switch tapped the back of his knee. He nearly dropped to the ground.

"You're a tiger, not a stone block."

Zhu Zhuqing darted in from the side. The moment her intent to strike showed, the Bamboo Branch touched her shoulder.

"Fast, but too direct."

Ning Rongrong was about to call out a boost when the Bamboo Branch whistled past her ear.

"Look before you shout. Don't throw your strength at empty air."

Oscar ran until his vision darkened. Yet as he pushed himself to the limit while repeatedly producing sausages with his soul incantation, he suddenly felt his Soul Power growing denser, like dough kneaded over and over.

That afternoon, he dropped onto the ground. A faint ripple of Soul Power lit up around him.

Level thirty-two.

Oscar stared for a long moment, then looked up. "I leveled up?"

Ma Hongjun applauded with genuine enthusiasm. "Congratulations. You finally ran like a human being."

Oscar hugged his basket of sausages. "I hereby announce that Recovery Big Sausages are twenty percent off for everyone today."

"Who's paying for yours?" Ning Rongrong said with a look of disgust.

On the other side of the field, Dai Mubai let out a low roar during his relentless exchanges with Tang San. The White Tiger phantom behind him suddenly grew solid, and his Soul Power burst through its bottleneck.

Level thirty-eight.

He panted, his eyes blazing.

"Again."

Bai Jin gave a satisfied yawn.

"Not bad. You're finally worth watching."

Just then, Xue Qinghe approached from the edge of the field. He wore ordinary clothes today, his expression gentle, with only two unremarkable attendants behind him.

"May I watch?"

Bai Jin glanced at him. "You can watch. You can get hit, too."

Xue Qinghe's smile did not change. "Then I'll give it a try."

Tang San and the others immediately turned to look.

The Crown Prince was joining in?

Xue Qinghe stepped onto the Training Ground and took up a Wooden Sword. His movements were steady, more like swordsmanship learned in an etiquette lesson than killing techniques honed in battle. Yet when Bai Jin's Bamboo Branch came down, Xue Qinghe's Wooden Sword met the first strike precisely.

Bai Jin raised an eyebrow.

"You hide it well."

"I know a little," Xue Qinghe said mildly.

"I've heard enough of 'a little' today."

The Bamboo Branch abruptly sped up.

Xue Qinghe retreated three steps, each measured to perfection. He could not use his true Martial Soul or reveal too much of the ruthlessness he had learned in battle. He could only answer with techniques that his identity as Crown Prince could explain.

Bai Jin did not expose him.

He merely smiled.

"Little Crown Prince, doesn't living like this wear you out?"

Xue Qinghe blocked another strike. "I'm used to it," he said quietly.

Bai Jin's Bamboo Branch stopped three inches from his brow.

"Being used to it isn't a good thing."

Xue Qinghe's gaze shifted.

Those words struck harder than the Bamboo Branch.

He had learned to Disguise himself long ago, to hide his real feelings behind a gentle smile. The identity of the Heaven Dou Crown Prince was a set of clothes, but it was also a cage. Bai Jin usually acted as though nothing was serious, yet every time he saw through Xue Qinghe, his words landed so precisely that there was nowhere to hide.

Xue Qinghe lowered the Wooden Sword. "You always like making people uncomfortable."

Bai Jin smiled. "That's how they remember."

Standing nearby, Tang San suddenly felt those words were meant for him, too.

When training ended, Lu Heng delivered a confidential letter. There was no name on the envelope, only the Worship Hall's distinctive hidden pattern.

Bai Jin opened it, read a couple of lines, and raised an eyebrow.

Qian Daoliu wanted him back in Spirit City as soon as possible to train the Golden Generation—and, while he was at it, to "keep the disobedient young master in line."

Bai Jin folded the letter.

Xue Qinghe watched him. "Is the Great Enshrined urging you back?"

"Mm." Bai Jin smiled. "He says someone needs a beating."

Xue Qinghe's expression remained unchanged. "Will you go back?"

Bai Jin looked toward the Imperial City.

"The Gate hasn't closed yet. What's the rush?"

He tucked the letter into his sleeve and turned to the others. "Rest for half an hour."

Ma Hongjun was so moved he nearly cried.

Bai Jin added, "Then we continue."

Groans erupted across the Training Ground.

Only Tang San watched Bai Jin's retreating figure, a light slowly settling deep in his eyes.

He suddenly understood that strength was not just a matter of having more Soul Power.

Strength was knowing danger waited behind the Gate and still being able to stand before everyone with a smile.