Who Said Green Jade Bamboo Could Only Record?

The junior training ground was packed with people.

Lin Hao stood in the center of the field.

Crimson flames covered both his hands.

Although he did not yet have a Soul Ring, his fire-attribute Martial Soul still had a natural advantage over Plant-type Martial Souls.

The moment he saw Li Man appear, a smile spread across his face.

"You finally came."

"I thought you only dared to hide behind Dong Jian and write things down."

A few laughs rang out around them.

Most came from the noble students.

The work-study students stood on the other side, their displeasure plain on their faces.

Li Man ignored the mockery.

She handed the notebook she carried to Dong Jian.

"Hold on to this."

Dong Jian took it.

"I can tell you about his punching habits."

"No need."

Li Man looked at Lin Hao.

"There's nothing wrong with my eyes."

The combat instructor walked between them.

"This is only a ranking challenge."

"Attacks on vital points are forbidden."

"The match ends when either side loses the ability to fight or admits defeat."

Lin Hao released his Crimson Fire Dog Martial Soul.

Flames spread from his palms to his forearms.

"When a plant Martial Soul faces fire, it can't even bring out half its strength."

Li Man raised her Green Jade Bamboo.

"Touch me first, then we'll talk."

"Begin!"

Lin Hao charged straight at her.

His fighting style was similar to that of most Soul Scholars with Beast Martial Souls.

He relied on the physical boost from his Martial Soul to close in quickly, then used his strength and attribute to overpower his opponent.

His flaming right fist smashed toward Li Man's shoulder.

Li Man did not retreat.

The Green Jade Bamboo flicked upward from below.

The bamboo tip did not touch his fist.

Instead, it jabbed toward the inside of Lin Hao's wrist.

Lin Hao forced himself to change direction.

His left hand grabbed the bamboo shaft.

Flames spread rapidly.

The surface of the Green Jade Bamboo grew slightly charred.

"Got it!"

Lin Hao pulled hard, trying to snap it to one side.

When a Plant-type Martial Soul was damaged, its Soul Master would suffer backlash as well.

He could already seem to see Li Man falling to the ground in pain.

But Li Man let go with her right hand.

Her left palm struck the butt of the bamboo.

The Green Jade Bamboo bent in an instant.

Crack!

The other end snapped back and whipped across the side of Lin Hao's face.

Lin Hao's head jerked sharply to one side.

His grip on the Green Jade Bamboo loosened with it.

Li Man took hold of the bamboo pole again.

Its tip stabbed out in quick succession.

The first strike hit the hollow of his shoulder.

Lin Hao's right arm immediately slowed.

The second strike landed on his wrist.

The flames covering his hand scattered briefly.

The third strike went straight for the side of his knee.

Lin Hao hurriedly backed away.

"Is hiding behind your bamboo all you can do?"

He roared and smashed out with both fists at once.

A wide expanse of flame blocked the space in front of Li Man.

Green Jade Bamboo was indeed vulnerable to fire.

If she kept blocking head-on, her Martial Soul would only be damaged.

But Li Man suddenly drove the bamboo pole into the ground.

The shaft bent.

She stepped on a bamboo joint and used the rebound to leap above Lin Hao.

"She can use her Martial Soul to move?"

The students outside the field cried out in surprise.

By the time Lin Hao looked up, Li Man had already passed over his head.

The instant she landed, the Green Jade Bamboo swept out from behind him.

Bang!

The butt of the bamboo struck the back of his knee.

Lin Hao fell forward onto his knees.

Li Man gave him no chance to get back up.

The bamboo tip slid along the ground.

It struck precisely where his ankle met the ground for support.

Lin Hao lost his balance completely.

Thud!

He fell flat on his face.

Li Man thrust her Green Jade Bamboo forward.

Its tip stopped above the back of his neck.

"Are you still going?"

Lin Hao braced both hands against the ground.

The flames had yet to go out.

He gritted his teeth and turned, swinging his right fist again.

Li Man had anticipated it.

The bamboo shaft pressed down on his wrist.

She planted her foot on the butt of the bamboo.

Using the weight of her entire body, she pinned his flaming fist to the ground.

"Do you admit defeat or not?"

Lin Hao struggled repeatedly.

But his right arm felt as though it were pinned beneath a wooden stake driven into the ground. No matter what he did, he could not lift it.

"I admit defeat!"

The combat instructor immediately announced the result.

"Li Man wins."

Cheers erupted from the work-study students.

By the time Lin Hao stood up, his face was flushed bright red.

He had intended to use his fire attribute to suppress her plant Martial Soul.

Yet from beginning to end, he had only managed to burn the Green Jade Bamboo once.

"Why didn't your bamboo burn through?"

Lin Hao was still unconvinced.

"Because the flames never fully touched the bamboo shaft."

Li Man put away her Martial Soul.

"You thought you had the advantage over plants."

"So with every attack, you tried to grab my Martial Soul first."

"That also made your moves easy to read."

Lin Hao could not argue.

From the start, he had assumed that Li Man would protect the Green Jade Bamboo.

It had never occurred to him that she would let go of it and use the bamboo's rebound to counterattack.

Li Man walked back to the edge of the field.

Dong Jian handed the notebook back to her.

"Do you still need me to write a battle summary?"

"You can write one."

Li Man took the notebook.

"But don't claim the credit for yourself."

"I was only in charge of holding things."

Dong Jian smiled.

"Everyone saw it."

After the match ended, the discussion at the training ground did not die down immediately.

Green Jade Bamboo was no longer a Martial Soul used only for sensing and recording.

Li Man could use its tip to attack joints.

The shaft could block, rebound, and change her direction of movement.

Even without a Soul Ring, she had already developed her own fighting style.

The combat instructor walked up to Li Man.

"Your control is good."

"But why did you choose to fight up close?"

"If you obtain control-type Soul Skills in the future, it will be safer to stay in the rear."

Li Man shook her head.

"Standing in the rear isn't a rule of the Control System."

"It's just what most Control System Soul Masters choose to do."

"If the enemy breaks through the front line, I can't just wait for someone to come back and protect me."

The combat instructor looked at her for a moment.

He did not disagree.

"It's good to have ideas."

"But Control System Soul Masters usually aren't as physically strong as Soul Masters with Beast Martial Souls."

"You need to know your limits."

"I will."

Li Man said.

She did not reject traditional control methods just to prove herself.

She simply refused to accept that a Soul Master had to be forever restricted by a category.

After the battle, Li Man did not leave immediately.

She challenged a Soul Scholar with a long-staff Tool Martial Soul who ranked higher than Lin Hao.

Her opponent had no flames to use against her.

But his technique was more polished.

The Green Jade Bamboo and the wooden staff clashed repeatedly.

For the first time, Li Man found herself at a disadvantage in a head-on weapon exchange.

The long staff struck with greater force.

Every collision jarred her wrists numb.

She did not force herself to hold out.

Instead, she used the Green Jade Bamboo's greater flexibility to keep changing the angle of her attacks.

On the twelfth clash.

The long-staff Soul Scholar put too much force into his attack.

Li Man deliberately let the Green Jade Bamboo bend.

The force of her opponent's blow was stored in the bamboo.

The next instant.

The rebounding force and Li Man's own Soul Power erupted at once.

Crack!

The Green Jade Bamboo whipped around the long staff and struck her opponent's shoulder.

The long staff flew from his hand.

Li Man won for the second time.

Her breathing was noticeably ragged.

The impacts had also left red marks on both her hands.

But after two consecutive battles, her level-eight Soul Power had become fully active.

The Soul Power barrier began to loosen.

Li Man did not make her breakthrough in front of everyone.

She returned to the bamboo grove and sat down cross-legged.

The Green Jade Bamboo stood planted in front of her.

Soul Power flowed upward along its joints, layer by layer.

Dong Jian kept watch nearby.

He made no sound to disturb her.

An hour later.

The shadow of a ninth bamboo joint slowly lit up on the surface of her Martial Soul.

Li Man opened her eyes.

Level nine.

Dong Jian walked over.

"Now we're the same."

"Only for now."

Li Man said.

"I'll reach level ten before you."

"Yesterday you said it would take a few days at most."

"I'm already level nine now, so of course I have to change my goal."

The two were about to resume training when the practical combat instructor brought them a new notice.

A lower-grade two-person practical combat assessment.

First-place rewards: two bottles of Soul-Concentrating Medicinal Liquid, access to the gravity training room, and a Soul Hunting recommendation upon reaching level ten.

Li Man looked at Dong Jian.

"Want to team up?"

Dong Jian deliberately asked:

"Didn't you say you didn't need my help?"

"Teaming up and being protected aren't the same thing."

Li Man put away the notice.

"Besides, first place gets two bottles of Soul-Concentrating Medicinal Liquid."

"Just enough for one each."

Dong Jian held out his hand.

"Then let's take first place."

Li Man high-fived him.

From that moment on.

They were not just companions who trained together.

For the first time, they would also face all the academy's lower-grade teams as a true two-Soul-Master team.