A month later, on the grounds of Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.
Thud!
Wrapped in Blue Silver Grass, Xiao Wu landed on her backside and pouted.
"Why do you keep getting stronger? I'm done fighting!"
Su Bai smiled at her words and withdrew his Blue Silver Grass.
"How many times have you said that now? Can't you let me cultivate in peace for a few days?"
Over the past month, Xiao Wu had latched onto Su Bai, insisting that he spar with her every day.
Of course, no matter what Xiao Wu tried, the outcome remained the same: a crushing defeat. That only stoked her competitive spirit, and she kept fighting and losing.
"Why does your Blue Silver Grass feel so powerful? It's completely different from Tang San's."
After getting up, Xiao Wu brushed the dust off herself, sat down beside Tang San, and propped her chin in her hands as she asked curiously.
"Tang San's is all limp and snaps with one tug. It's really tiny, too, unlike yours, which is thick and hard. His can't compare to yours at all."
After a month of sparring with Su Bai, Xiao Wu had grown much closer to him. They had been practically inseparable during that time.
Su Bai's mouth twitched at Xiao Wu's outrageously suggestive words. How was he supposed to answer that? Surely he couldn't tell her he had formed a contract with Tang San's own mother?
"...I suppose I was born that way."
Xiao Wu blinked at his answer. Before he could say anything else, several heavy breaths came from behind them.
The two looked back and discovered that Tang San had somehow appeared behind them, his face flushed red as he glared at them.
Even with two lifetimes under his belt, Tang San was so furious at Xiao Wu's words that smoke practically poured from his seven orifices.
What man could stomach being described like that?
Xiao Wu hadn't thought that deeply about it. She simply greeted him without a care. "Tang San, you're here too?"
"I haven't seen you around lately. Where have you been?"
Tang San furrowed his brows, ignored her questions outright, and fixed his gaze on Su Bai.
"You shameless bastard! I challenge you to a duel!"
Even though he and Xiao Wu had no special relationship yet, Tang San was still beside himself with anger.
Xiao Wu had left a deep impression on Tang San when they first enrolled. Moreover, since coming to this world, he had never really had any companions, or even any family, so he treasured Xiao Wu all the more.
Now, seeing Xiao Wu laughing and chatting with Su Bai naturally set his heart ablaze with rage.
On the surface, he had no relationship with Xiao Wu yet, but deep down, Tang San already regarded her as his possession.
Su Bai chuckled and looked at Tang San. "Oh? It's been a month, and you think you can beat me now?"
"That's right!" Yu Xiaogang emerged from the side at some point, his face brimming with smug satisfaction, while quite a few students gathered around. "You won by a lucky fluke last time. This time, you're certain to lose!"
"It's not too late to recognize your mistakes. Su Bai, don't ruin your entire life over a moment of wounded pride!"
His speech set many of the students whispering among themselves. Seeing how confident Yu Xiaogang was, they became interested too.
There was no need to guess: Yu Xiaogang had summoned these students to recover the face he had lost a month earlier.
"Then come on." A cold glint flashed in Su Bai's eyes. Although he had no idea where those two fools, Tang San and Yu Xiaogang, had found their confidence, he hadn't spent the entire month just playing around with Xiao Wu.
After he formed a contract with Ah Yin, that immense vitality had not only sent his height soaring over the past month, bringing him to 1.6 meters when he was barely over seven, but also caused his Soul Power to rise rapidly.
Immediately after contracting with Ah Yin, Su Bai's Soul Power had reached rank fifteen. Now, it had already reached rank seventeen.
That speed was nothing short of terrifying.
Tang San stepped forward. A Soul Ring appeared beneath his feet, and Blue Silver Grass sprouted around them.
"Tang San, rank-fifteen tool Soul Master. Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass. Please instruct me."
As soon as he finished speaking, exclamations erupted around them.
"What? Tang San is already rank fifteen? Didn't he obtain his first Soul Ring just a month ago?"
"His Soul Power rose two ranks in a month? Isn't his Martial Soul Blue Silver Grass? How did he improve so fast?"
"No wonder Tang San and Yu Xiaogang are so confident. Damn."
"Looks like Su Bai is in trouble now. I wonder what rank he is, but the quality of his own Martial Soul probably isn't anything special."
Listening to everyone's astonished exclamations, Tang San puffed out his chest almost imperceptibly, thoroughly enjoying them.
Yu Xiaogang's face was equally smug. His nose was practically pointing at the heavens, and he wished everyone knew that this was his disciple.
Look at that! Two ranks of Soul Power in a month. Only a genius like this deserves to be my disciple!
Su Bai raised an eyebrow. Now he understood why Tang San had dared to challenge him after only a month.
He stepped forward, and a Soul Ring likewise appeared beneath his feet as Blue Silver Grass slowly rose.
"Come on."
Tang San snorted, deeply displeased that Su Bai hadn't introduced himself in return. "You can attack first. I'll give you one move!"
His words had all the bearing of an expert, as though he hadn't been beaten so badly in their last duel that he nearly suffocated and surrendered outright.
Su Bai sneered at his words.
"You've already lost."
Tang San's eyebrows immediately shot up. He discovered that Blue Silver Grass had already coiled around him without his knowing.
The Blue Silver Grass had risen with extraordinary stealth, moving close along Tang San's body without touching him, leaving him completely unaware.
"This is..."
Tang San's pupils contracted. His first Soul Skill was also Entanglement, so he naturally understood how terrifying Su Bai's move was. It meant that Su Bai's control over Blue Silver Grass had reached an unimaginable level, allowing him to perform even a maneuver like this!
What shocked and enraged Tang San most was that the Blue Silver Grass he had released at his feet had somehow been crushed beneath Su Bai's, pinned so firmly that it couldn't move.
A ripple of quiet laughter immediately spread through the crowd.
"Look, why is Tang San's thing so scrawny? Put it beside Su Bai's, and the difference is way too obvious!"
"I don't know what's going on with Su Bai's, but his Blue Silver Grass doesn't even look like the same species as Tang San's!"
Hearing the mockery around him, Tang San's face alternated between red and white. He wished he could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.
He had barely finished boasting before being defeated in an instant. Was there anything more humiliating in the world?
Yu Xiaogang froze in place, unable to believe his eyes. "Impossible... This is impossible..." he muttered.
"How could an ordinary pagoda Martial Soul be this powerful?"
"Something must have gone wrong. This is absolutely impossible!"
Su Bai looked at Yu Xiaogang with a sneer. "What's wrong, Grandmaster? What excuse are you going to come up with this time?"
"'Absolutely impossible,' huh? You're a fool who knows nothing, with only half a rank of Innate Soul Power. What could you possibly know?"
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