Little San, Have You Lost Your Cool?

Several cold glints appeared between Tang San's fingers, and the atmosphere at the edge of the training ground changed.

Dai Mubai and the others had seen Tang San use Hidden Weapons. They knew how troublesome those inconspicuous little things could be. And now Tang San was plainly serious. His Purple Demon Eye stayed locked on Ling Yun as his fingers adjusted their angles. This was no longer the probing of an ordinary sparring match.

Ling Yun glanced at the Hidden Weapons in his hand, then at Xiao Wu on the sidelines. Suddenly, he smiled. "Little San, have you lost your cool? Your Blue Silver Grass nearly covered the whole training ground, and now you're pulling out the tricks you kept at the bottom of the chest. That little rabbit gets hurt, and it pains you this much?"

Tang San did not snap back as he had before. He said calmly, "There's no point trying to get into my head with that."

"If there's no point, why explain yourself?" Ling Yun flexed his wrist. "I'm just curious. Do you care this much about everyone, or is she special? Grandmaster takes a few insults and you step in. Xiao Wu takes one palm strike and out come your Hidden Weapons. Little San, you've drawn a pretty clear line around who you protect."

Hearing that, Xiao Wu flushed with embarrassment and anger. She could not help shouting, "Third Brother, don't listen to his nonsense!"

The corner of Tang San's eye twitched.

The next instant, his wrist snapped forward.

Three cold glints flew toward Ling Yun almost at once.

Water surged beneath Ling Yun's feet, and he darted sideways. But the three Hidden Weapons came at wicked angles. One flew straight at where he had stood, while the other two had already sealed off the spots he habitually moved toward.

He had barely dodged the first when the second skimmed past his shoulder.

Ling Yun's gaze finally sharpened.

"Not bad, Little San. All that time watching from the sidelines wasn't wasted."

Tang San did not answer.

He really had been observing all along.

Ling Yun's movement habits when fighting Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing; where his Water Shadow Clones appeared; even the angle he most liked to attack from after Wave Treading—Tang San had committed it all to memory.

Being fast did not mean being unpredictable.

And if there was a pattern, he could cut it off in advance.

Tang San flicked both hands in quick succession, sending several more Hidden Weapons flying from different directions. Ling Yun stopped relying on dodges. His Second Soul Ring lit up, and a Water Shuriken spun rapidly from his hand.

Clang!

Two Hidden Weapons were knocked away.

Yu Xiaogang did not look relieved. Ling Yun still had not used his Fourth Soul Skill.

Tang San clearly knew that too. The Hidden Weapons were only the first layer.

Ling Yun had just avoided the last flying needle when Blue Silver Grass burst from the ground beside his feet. It did not wrap around him. Instead, it blocked several patches of water where he could land.

At the same time, Tang San used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to close in rapidly from the front.

Ling Yun started to retreat, but Tang San's right hand, hardened by Mysterious Jade Hand, was already reaching for his wrist.

"Hidden Weapons to force me into position, then Blue Silver Grass to cut off my escape, and finally you close in yourself."

Ling Yun slipped aside, still in the mood to comment. "I don't know what else Grandmaster taught you over the years, but you're a lot smarter in a fight than you were as a kid."

Tang San turned his hand and grabbed for him again with Mysterious Jade Hand. "Smart enough for today."

"Now that sounded impressive."

Ling Yun suddenly stopped retreating. Their palms collided head-on, and Soul Power erupted from both of them.

Tang San's body shuddered. He immediately used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to bleed off the force, but Ling Yun steadied himself after retreating only half a step.

After Ice and Fire Body Tempering, the gap between their physical strength had widened further.

Tang San had clearly noticed it too.

He could not meet Ling Yun head-on.

He shifted his footing and immediately opened the distance again.

Ling Yun did not pursue him. Instead, he glanced toward Xiao Wu. "See that, little rabbit? Your Third Brother even tried a head-on exchange, the thing he's worst at, just to get back at me for you. If I were you, I'd be at least a little touched."

"Ling Yun!"

This time, it was Tang San who spoke.

Ling Yun raised an eyebrow. "What, did I hit the mark again?"

Tang San took a deep breath and said no more.

But Dai Mubai, watching from the sidelines, had figured it out. Ling Yun had never expected a few remarks to make Tang San lose his head.

He just kept needling him.

One line after another, each aimed at whatever was most likely to distract Tang San.

The less Tang San wanted to hear it, the more Ling Yun said. Someone with a shorter temper would probably have lost control already.

Tang San forced his emotions down and swept his right hand across the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges.

More Hidden Weapons appeared.

This time, Ling Yun did not wait.

His First Soul Ring lit up at once.

Three Water Shadow Clones scattered in different directions.

Tang San's Purple Demon Eye swept rapidly over them, but he did not release his Hidden Weapons yet. He knew Ling Yun's clones could carry traces of Soul Power for a short time. His eyes alone could not immediately tell real from false.

Then he would bind them all.

"First Soul Skill: Entanglement!"

A mass of Blue Silver Grass sprang up at once.

All three figures came under attack.

Two instantly dissolved into splashes of water.

The third Ling Yun skimmed across the water toward the side.

"Found you."

Tang San's wrist snapped, sending several Hidden Weapons straight at the third figure. They struck with a string of soft thuds, but Tang San's expression changed sharply. Water again? All three were fake?

Where had Ling Yun gone?

"Little San."

The voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Don't rely on your eyes alone."

Without thinking, Tang San struck backward with Mysterious Jade Hand. His palm met empty air again. Ling Yun slid several meters across the water, keeping himself at precisely the distance Tang San found hardest to deal with.

Tang San finally understood why Ling Yun had held back Mist Veil until now. It was not because he did not need it. He had been using Tang San to test himself.

At that thought, the anger inside him flared higher.

"You're using me to practice?"

Ling Yun was perfectly frank. "Of course. How often do I get a sparring partner who can control the field, use movement techniques and Hidden Weapons, and take a beating? It'd be a waste not to try a few more things."

"And today, you're free."

On the sidelines, Ma Hongjun's mouth twitched. This guy really knew how to rub it in.

Tang San finally stopped trading words with him. His Third Soul Ring lit up.

Spider Web Restraint!

A huge web of Blue Silver Grass dropped from above, covering a far wider area than ordinary Entanglement. At the same time, the Blue Silver Grass already spread across the ground tightened.

With escape routes sealed above and below, Ling Yun's room to move shrank abruptly.

Tang San did not wait to see the result. Hidden Weapons followed close behind.

This time, he had accounted for nearly every place Ling Yun could dodge to. "Now this is getting interesting."

Ling Yun finally stopped smiling. His black Fourth Soul Ring lit up, and the moisture already in the air rushed together.

Mist Veil!

Dense white mist swallowed most of the training ground in an instant. Tang San pushed his Purple Demon Eye to its limit.

Yet all he saw were chaotic fluctuations of Soul Power.

His Blue Silver Grass could sense what touched the ground, but Ling Yun's Water Shadow Clones could cross the water too. Real and false blurred together.

The tight web of control he had woven lost its clear target in an instant.

"Little San, weren't you in such a hurry to avenge Xiao Wu?"

Ling Yun's voice came from within the mist. Tang San immediately flung Hidden Weapons to his left.

Water burst apart.

A fake.

"Over here."

The voice sounded again from behind him on the right.

Tang San turned.

Still no one.

Ling Yun seemed to be deliberately holding off his attack.

"You know, she was the one who tried a little trick first. You knew that, but you still insisted on fighting for her. What, does it hurt you so much to see her injured that right and wrong don't matter anymore?"

"Or—"

Ling Yun's voice suddenly drew close. "Did I guess right about the two of you?"

Tang San's pupils contracted. A fast-moving figure tore through the mist at his side—Ling Yun was already upon him. Tang San hastily raised his Mysterious Jade Hand.

Their arms collided. Ling Yun did not stop. His tongue-scarf wrapped around Tang San's right wrist and yanked him forward.

Tang San lost his balance.

Ling Yun's knee drove toward his abdomen.

It stopped half an inch short.

Silence fell beyond the training ground. Everyone could see that if this had not been a sparring match, that blow would have ended it.

Ling Yun released his tongue-scarf and stepped back twice. "Little San, there's nothing wrong with standing up for someone. But next time, make sure you know who broke the rules first."

Tang San kept his head lowered and did not answer. A few seconds later, he suddenly extended his left hand.

Black light gathered in his palm, and a small, unassuming hammer slowly appeared.

Some of the smile finally faded from Ling Yun's face.

The Clear Sky Hammer.

Tang San raised his head again. "It's not over."

On the sidelines, Yu Xiaogang's expression changed sharply.

Ling Yun looked at the little black hammer and slowly flexed his wrist.

Now that was more like it. At last, something with real weight had entered the fight.