First Battle of Nine Shadows Shift

"Still daring to call us overbearing?"

Hearing Shi Quan's words, Xiao Wu's anger flared even hotter.

"If I don't beat you until you're crawling around looking for your teeth, I won't call myself Sister Xiao Wu today!"

Shi Quan looked completely ordinary, yet he had managed to evade her attacks twice. She excelled in agility by nature. No longer in the mood to play around, Xiao Wu grew serious even as her anger rose.

With a Rabbit Flip, her speed increased by several degrees, and she lunged after Shi Quan with claws bared.

Seeing that Shi Quan still dared to talk like that, Chang Ke was overjoyed. He wished Shi Quan would keep saying the wrong things and get thoroughly beaten up by Xiao Wu.

Shi Quan's expression remained unchanged. Inner Force circulated through his body as he used the Nine Shadows Shift footwork to move rapidly. His speed was no slower than Xiao Wu's, and with his constant shifts to either side, Xiao Wu could not get close to him at all.

Xiao Wu had come to establish her authority, yet Shi Quan had evaded her repeatedly. They were still on the Sports Field, with plenty of people watching all around. If she still could not catch Shi Quan, Sister Xiao Wu's prestige would be completely gone.

"I'd like to see just how long you can keep running!"

As Xiao Wu's gritted voice rang out, a faint red glow lit up around her body. Her large eyes instantly turned red, her ears gradually lengthened and rose from the sides of her head, covered in soft white fur. A gentle aura of soul power rippled around her body, while a yellow Hundred Year Spirit Ring slowly rose beneath her feet.

When everyone on the Sports Field saw Xiao Wu's Hundred Year Spirit Ring, they immediately erupted into commotion. Most of them had only heard that Xiao Wu and Tang San possessed Hundred Year Spirit Rings. Seeing one with their own eyes, they would be lying if they said they were not envious.

Seeing Xiao Wu release her Martial Soul, Shi Quan's expression became more serious. A Beast Spirit Soul before and after gaining a Spirit Ring was an entirely different matter. A Beast Spirit Soul with a Spirit Ring could undergo Martial Soul Possession, and the enhancement it brought was several times greater than before possession.

The moment her Martial Soul was released, Xiao Wu's speed visibly surged. In almost the blink of an eye, she had arrived before Shi Quan, sweeping a leg toward his waist.

Transforming into nine shadows, Shi Quan's body suddenly tilted slightly. Not a fraction too far or too little, he neatly evaded Xiao Wu's kick.

Xiao Wu was truly stunned this time. Her speed was now clearly several degrees faster than Shi Quan's, yet he had still evaded her close-range attack.

Naturally, Xiao Wu was unwilling to accept this. With a light tap of her toes, she sprang after Shi Quan again.

Shi Quan's speed remained the same. Compared with Xiao Wu, he was not particularly fast, yet an eerie scene unfolded. No matter how fast Xiao Wu moved or from which direction she pounced, Shi Quan always stepped in the right direction at precisely the right moment, causing every one of Xiao Wu's attacks to miss.

Furthermore, while keeping watch in all directions, Shi Quan slipped among the students watching nearby, using them to disrupt Xiao Wu's rhythm of attack.

What had originally been a cat chasing a mouse now felt more like the mouse was toying with the cat.

Nine Shadows Shift included not only footwork, but also body movement. Combined, the two made one not only extremely fast but exceptionally agile. Shi Quan had only just begun cultivating Nine Shadows Shift. Given more time, when facing the current Xiao Wu again, he would not need to be this serious, much less rely on the surroundings.

"Everyone, move farther away!" Xiao Wu roared.

The spectators immediately scattered, but their speed of dispersal was clearly nowhere near as fast as Shi Quan and Xiao Wu.

One chased while the other dodged. Before long, the two had already covered half the Sports Field. Xiao Wu had begun to pant, yet she still could not catch Shi Quan.

Shi Quan, in contrast, remained calm and unruffled.

As the saying went, outsiders watched the excitement, while experts watched the technique.

After watching for so long, Tang San concluded that Shi Quan likely possessed a Spirit Ability similar to his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. Compared to Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Shi Quan's Spirit Ability was faster, but in terms of intricacy, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was superior.

It was only natural for Tang San to think so. Shi Quan had only recently begun learning Nine Shadows Shift. First came steps, then body movement, then force; body movement came after footwork. Moreover, Shi Quan had little prior combat experience, so naturally he could not perfectly bring out Nine Shadows Shift's power.

Even so, on this crowded Sports Field, it was more than enough to deal with the current Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu was too furious to think of anything else and directly called out to Tang San, "Xiao San! Aren't you going to help me?"

The moment Shi Quan heard that, he sternly shot back, "A Spirit Master chasing after a Spirit Scholar to beat him up is one thing, but now you want to gang up on me?"

Xiao Wu angrily pointed at Shi Quan and shouted, "If you've got the guts, stop running!"

Shi Quan laughed. "If you've got the guts, stop chasing."

"You, you, you..." Xiao Wu was so angry that she could not speak for a moment.

Seeing Xiao Wu like that, Shi Quan added fuel to the fire. "What about me? All because I wouldn't help you clean? Do you really think that just because you're the boss, everyone in the academy has to listen to you? If you've got the ability, hit me. Other people might be afraid of you, but I'm not. Always looking for trouble!"

"Damn it!" Provoked by Shi Quan, Xiao Wu stomped her feet in fury, but she could do nothing to him.

"I'll do it." Tang San stepped forward at that moment, pulled Xiao Wu back, and nodded to her.

Xiao Wu knew Tang San's methods and understood that two against one would invite criticism. She could only glare viciously at Shi Quan before saying to Tang San, "Xiao San, you have to teach him a good lesson for me."

"Don't worry." Tang San gently patted Xiao Wu's shoulder, then stepped forward and looked at Shi Quan in the distance.

Shi Quan looked back at Tang San, his expression becoming more serious. In terms of threat, Tang San was unquestionably more dangerous than Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu posed no threat if she could not get close, but Tang San was different. He had his own methods at both long and close range. Even if he did not want to reveal his Hidden Weapons, he still had the control of Blue Silver Grass. Relying on Nine Shadows Shift alone, Shi Quan feared he would not be able to evade Tang San's Bind Spirit Ability.

Just as everyone awaited Tang San's move, Tang San suddenly asked Shi Quan, "Did you say that Work-Study Students weren't even worthy of carrying your shoes?"

Shi Quan froze for a moment, then understood. His gaze toward Chang Ke turned colder. "I never said that."

Upon hearing Shi Quan say this, Tang San immediately showed a look of understanding. He turned and looked coldly at Chang Ke. Pale blue light blossomed from his hand, and a yellow Hundred Year Spirit Ring appeared. Blue Silver Vines, like venomous snakes, spread toward Chang Ke.

"I don't like being used by others. Tell me the truth, or I don't mind letting you taste Mandala Snake venom!" Tang San's cold voice was full of pressure, while the Blue Silver Grass spreading around them lurked like venomous snakes poised to strike.

Chang Ke might have had a little cleverness, but he was ultimately only a six-year-old child. How had he ever seen a scene like this? He was frightened straight into collapsing onto the ground.

"I'll talk... I'll talk... Don't use the snake venom, don't use the snake venom." Chang Ke trembled as he explained, "I made all of that up. Shi Quan never said those things!"

The moment Xiao Wu heard that, she stepped in front of Chang Ke, grabbed him by the collar, and angrily demanded, "Then why did you say it!"

Chang Ke's eyes were red, and he had been frightened out of his wits. Facing Xiao Wu's questioning, he shakily recounted the full details of what had happened yesterday.

"...I just wanted you to teach him a lesson. Who knew..."

By the end, Chang Ke's voice had grown softer and softer.

"You actually dared to lie to me." Xiao Wu's eyes widened in rage after hearing everything, and she violently threw Chang Ke to the ground.

Tang San spoke at the right moment. "This matter with Shi Quan was a misunderstanding. I'll apologize on Xiao Wu's behalf. You weren't hurt either, so let's leave it at that."

Shi Quan dusted off his academy uniform, returned to where he had been standing, and picked up the books he had placed on the ground. "There's no need to apologize. Even if there is an apology, it isn't your place to make it. Just don't let people disturb me in the future. I only want to study and cultivate in peace."

As he spoke, Shi Quan did not forget to glance at Xiao Wu in the distance.

Seeing this, Xiao Wu stubbornly replied, "Hmph, you think you can make Sister Xiao Wu apologize? Dream on."

Shi Quan naturally could not be bothered with Xiao Wu. He turned and headed toward the Classroom. Seeing Shi Quan ignore her yet again, Xiao Wu grew even more annoyed with him.

Soon, the bell for class rang.

Tang San and Xiao Wu entered the Classroom one after the other. Another strange scene played out inside: the moment Chang Ke sat down, all the students around him immediately changed seats and moved far away.

He had offended the two academy bosses, as well as Shi Quan, whose strength was unknown but who could fight the academy boss on equal terms. Everyone feared getting caught in the crossfire.

The boring lessons were especially dull for Xiao Wu. Looking at Shi Quan studying seriously in the back, she lightly poked Tang San and whispered, "Xiao San, does that Shi Quan have a Spirit Ability like yours?"

Tang San gently shook his head. "It's different, only somewhat similar."

Xiao Wu pouted. "Both of your Martial Souls are Blue Silver Grass, and you have similar Spirit Abilities too. I'm starting to suspect you're family."

"What are you thinking?"

Tang San smiled and instinctively looked back toward Shi Quan. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. Could Shi Quan, like him, have crossed over from another world? The Spirit Ability Shi Quan had just used really did resemble Martial Arts.

What am I thinking?

However, Tang San quickly shook his head. If Shi Quan knew Martial Arts, his Innate Soul Power could not possibly be only rank one.

The two classes ended quickly. Shi Quan continued as usual, and Xiao Wu did not come looking for trouble again.

It was not until late at night, when Shi Quan returned to the Dormitory, that he found everyone there, just like yesterday, neither cultivating nor resting. They were chatting as though waiting to watch a show.

"Shi Quan, I shouldn't have provoked you. I know I was wrong. I apologize to you."

The moment Shi Quan returned to the Dormitory, Chang Ke hurried over to him.

"Oh?" Shi Quan smiled as he looked at Chang Ke's bruised face, then slowly walked in front of him. "But if apologies worked, what would we need the police for?"

"What does that mean—" Before Chang Ke could finish speaking, his vision blurred. Then he heard a crack. Intense pain made him let out a miserable howl.

Everyone in the Dormitory was stunned by the sight before them. Shi Quan had raised his hand, patted and twisted Chang Ke's left shoulder and elbow, and Chang Ke's left arm now hung limply as though it had lost all sensation.

Paired with Chang Ke's miserable howls, they immediately guessed that his arm might be broken.

"What happened!?" Su Yun, who was responsible for managing Dorm Three, quickly entered the Dormitory. Chang Ke's cries were not quiet, and the teachers were not deaf. They were immediately drawn over by the commotion.

"Teacher, Chang Ke fell while getting out of bed. Something seems to be wrong with his arm." Shi Quan raised his hand with a smile.

Su Yun hurried over to them. When he saw Chang Ke's twisted, pale face from the pain and his dangling left arm, his brow immediately furrowed. "Is that so?"

Su Yun was not an idiot. This clearly did not look like an injury from a fall.

Even though cold sweat streamed down Chang Ke's face from the pain, he gritted his teeth and said, "Teacher Su, I just fell by accident."

"All right." Seeing Chang Ke say the same, Su Yun could only helplessly shake his head. "All of you should be more careful. I don't want this to happen again."

As he spoke, Su Yun's gaze involuntarily swept over Shi Quan.

Shi Quan smiled, turned, and walked toward his bed.

"Come on. I'll take you for treatment." Su Yun frowned slightly as he watched Shi Quan's back, then took Su Yun toward the top floor of the Dormitory building.

The infirmary had long since closed at this hour, so Su Yun could only take Chang Ke upstairs to seek help from other teachers.

Shi Quan had held back. Chang Ke's left arm had merely been dislocated using Dismantle Tendons and Dislocate Bones. Though it hurt, it was not difficult to treat. The bones only needed to be set back in place, followed by a few days of rest.

After this lesson, Chang Ke would have to take a detour whenever he saw Shi Quan in the future.

After what had happened today, the other people in the academy probably would not come to provoke him either. He could finally study and cultivate in peace.

The only thing giving Shi Quan a headache was that Xiao Wu was not someone who could stay quiet. There was no telling whether she would come looking for trouble again later. For now, the urgent matter was improving his strength.

He rose with the day and slept at night.

The fulfilling yet peaceful days passed quickly.

That night.

Surging Inner Force continuously circulated within Shi Quan's body. Three weeks had already passed since the misunderstanding.

After nearly a month of arduous cultivation, the final trace of soul power in Shi Quan's body was about to complete its final conversion.

As the Inner Force returned to his Dantian, the instant the last trace of soul power dissipated, a crisp cracking sound rang out in Shi Quan's mind.

Shi Quan felt as though something within his body had shattered. For a moment, his entire body felt exceptionally light, and the Inner Force within him began to circulate wildly, instantly surging in strength.

As the Inner Force continued to circulate, Shi Quan found that the scene before his eyes began to change. Streams of black-and-white energy appeared before him, followed by the image of his own bones, muscles, and meridians.

Feeling the yin-yang Inner Force flowing steadily through his body, Shi Quan was ecstatic. Perhaps because of his accumulated progress, his Inner Force had directly broken through to rank six, allowing him to reach the realm of Inner Vision.