Little San, Do You Care That Much About Little Rabbit?

By the time Tang San entered the training ground, the atmosphere had changed completely.

When Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing had stepped up earlier, there had still been an element of competing for the team captaincy and testing their strength. But now that Tang San had stepped forward, everyone could see he was not fighting for a place on the main team.

He was fighting for Xiao Wu.

Ling Yun glanced at Xiao Wu, who was receiving treatment at the edge of the field, then looked back at Tang San and suddenly smiled.

"Little San, I haven't seen you in years. I'll hold off on judging how else you've changed, but you've certainly gotten better at protecting people. First Grandmaster, now Xiao Wu. You must keep busy."

Tang San's face remained calm, though Blue Silver Grass had already begun spreading beneath his feet. "Xiao Wu ambushed you. She was wrong, and I've already said so. I won't make excuses for her."

"And?"

"And you hit her too hard."

Ling Yun nearly laughed. "She'd already surrendered. Then, after I lowered my guard, she Teleported behind me and tried to wrap her Waist Bow around my neck. If I'd reacted a little slower, I might be the one lying over there. What, when she pulls a dirty trick, it's a moment of impulse, but when I fight back, I'm supposed to pull my punches?"

Tang San fell silent for a moment.

He knew Ling Yun had a point.

If the injured person had been Dai Mubai or Ma Hongjun, Tang San might have stood aside and calmly judged who was right and who was wrong. But the person leaning against Ning Rongrong now, her face still pale, was Xiao Wu.

From Holy Soul Village to Nuoding Academy, and then to Shrek, they had come all this way together.

Some things had long since grown beyond what the word companions could fully explain.

Ling Yun saw it clearly. He deliberately jerked his chin toward the edge of the field. "What, does it hurt to see that little rabbit injured?"

Tang San's gaze turned cold. "Little rabbit?"

"I mean her." Ling Yun did not hold back. "She hops fast, has a nasty temper, and likes to bite when she gets worked up. Fits pretty well, doesn't it? Too bad this is a training ground, not her backyard. Pull a dirty trick, pay the price."

At that, Ling Yun seemed to remember something. His gaze moved back and forth between Tang San and Xiao Wu.

"Though with you in such a hurry, I've noticed something I missed before. Little San, the two of you... you don't seem to be just ordinary companions, do you?"

The edge of the field went quiet for a moment.

Ma Hongjun's eyes lit up.

Dai Mubai wisely said nothing.

Ning Rongrong looked at Tang San, then at Xiao Wu, and her expression grew distinctly intrigued.

Even Xiao Wu, who had been listless from her injury, looked a little uncomfortable when she heard that. Then she shot Ling Yun a fierce glare.

Tang San's face finally lost its earlier calm. "Ling Yun, cut the nonsense."

"Touch a nerve?"

Ling Yun's smile widened. "Looks like I guessed right. See? I never said what kind of relationship you have. You got nervous all on your own."

Tang San slowly exhaled.

He suddenly understood why Ling Yun had been saying all this. The guy was not just running his mouth. He wanted to make Tang San angry.

In a battle between Soul Masters, anger did not necessarily make someone stronger. More often, it made their judgment rash. If Tang San lost his composure over Xiao Wu, he would be halfway to defeat before the fight even began.

At that thought, the anger in his eyes gradually faded.

"Trying to provoke me?"

Ling Yun raised an eyebrow. "You've improved a little."

Tang San clearly had no intention of letting him keep talking.

His First Soul Ring flared to life.

"First Soul Skill: Entanglement!"

The Blue Silver Grass that had already slipped underground erupted all at once.

This time, Tang San did not simply block Ling Yun's path in every direction as he had before. Instead, he covered more than half the training ground. The strands of Blue Silver Grass wove together into something close to a massive net.

Water had only just appeared beneath Ling Yun's feet when dozens of strands of Blue Silver Grass coiled toward him. Water Shadow Clone appeared in an instant, and three Ling Yuns scattered in different directions.

But Tang San did not rush to identify the real one. Once he activated the Purple Demon Eye, he kept his gaze fixed on the water. The clones could replicate Soul Power fluctuations.

Their footsteps still left traces.

"Left."

A mass of Blue Silver Grass suddenly changed direction. Ling Yun was just about to turn when his path was sealed off ahead of him.

"Little San, your mind's working pretty fast today."

Tang San did not answer. His Second Soul Ring lit up.

Parasitic!

The Blue Silver Grass seeds that had quietly landed on Ling Yun's clothes during the earlier fights sprouted together. Vines tightened around his shoulders, arms, and waist in an instant.

Tang San had clearly prepared this sequence in advance. Ling Yun had fought several matches in a row, and Tang San had watched from the sidelines the whole time. He had not been watching for entertainment. He had been memorizing Ling Yun's habits.

When Ling Yun liked to use Water Shadow Clone first, which direction he most often cut toward after Wave Treading, even which side he usually launched his tongue scarf from—Tang San had gone over it all in his mind more than once.

Since he had decided to fight this match for Xiao Wu, he was not going to charge in on anger alone.

Yu Xiaogang finally nodded slightly. "Little San hasn't let Ling Yun set the pace. Speed is his opponent's advantage. The more he chases, the more easily he'll be led around. Restrict the terrain first, then use Parasitic to create an opening for control. That's what a control-type should do."

Xiao Wu clenched her fists at the edge of the field.

Even fighting two against one earlier, she had failed to truly restrain Ling Yun. Now Tang San had taken control the moment he stepped onto the field, and some of her frustration finally eased.

"Third Brother, teach him a lesson!"

Ling Yun turned his head when he heard her. "Hear that, Little San? Little Rabbit's cheering you on. If you lose today, you'll have some explaining to do tonight."

Tang San's temple twitched. He really could not give this guy the slightest chance to open his mouth. Tang San advanced swiftly with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, his Mysterious Jade Hand already taking on the color of jade.

"Ling Yun, I admit you're strong. But your biggest habit is trusting your speed too much."

"Is that so?"

Ling Yun glanced down at the Blue Silver Grass on his body. The next moment, his Second Soul Ring lit up. A Water Shuriken spun rapidly in his hand and swept close along his body, instantly severing the Blue Silver Grass around his waist and arms.

Tang San's eyes shifted slightly, but the distance between them had already closed to less than three meters.

Ling Yun did not retreat. Instead, he charged forward.

The Mysterious Jade Hand struck Ling Yun's palm head-on.

Bang!

Both of them took half a step back.

Tang San's heart sank. After Ice and Fire Body Tempering, Ling Yun's physical strength had clearly increased again.

Ling Yun, however, was already smiling once more. "Little San, that was a lot more honest than Little Rabbit's sneak attack. At least you didn't surrender first."

Tang San's brow twitched, and his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track shifted again.

Left.

Right.

They crossed paths three times in quick succession.

Ling Yun kept pace throughout.

With Wave Treading active, the two of them changed direction rapidly within inches of each other. Tang San struck palm after palm, but Ling Yun never once let the Mysterious Jade Hand truly lock onto a joint.

Xiao Wu grew more and more nervous as she watched from the edge of the field. She knew Tang San's true strength lay in more than just Blue Silver Grass.

But Ling Yun clearly had not used Mist Veil either. Both of them still had tricks in reserve. Tang San suddenly drew back, and a mass of Blue Silver Grass rose again.

This time, it was not for an attack. It formed layer upon layer of barriers around him.

Ling Yun was about to advance when Tang San's right hand quietly dropped to his waist.

A faint glint flashed from the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges.

Ling Yun stopped. "Little San."

He looked at Tang San's hand.

"Finally ready to bring out the real thing?"

Tang San did not answer, but several cold glints had appeared between his fingers.

The Blue Silver Grass, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, and Mysterious Jade Hand he had used so far were, at least, ways of fighting a Soul Master could understand.

What came next was Tang San's true last resort: Hidden Weapons.