The Meeting Beneath the Locust Tree

On Wednesday afternoon, it was time for practical combat class.

Autumn was drawing to a close in Bluestone Town. The old elm trees beside the training ground had shed all their leaves, their bare branches looking desolate beneath the gray-white sky. The training ground itself, however, was lively. The children from all three classes had a rare chance to attend a lesson together, and they chattered nonstop around the stone platform. Chen Hao was among them, standing in the middle of Class B's ranks. When he caught sight of Long Tian approaching, he casually turned his head away. The burn on his abdomen had long since healed, but being knocked flat in public by a new student without a Soul Ring that day had made him considerably more restrained.

Lin Mo stood in the middle of the stone platform, wearing a padded jacket over his green robe and a stalk of grass between his teeth. He looked languid, like a farmer basking in the sun on a field ridge. He clapped his hands to quiet everyone and said with a smile, "No elimination matches today. I'll watch you one by one. Starting with Class A, each of you will come up, activate your Martial Soul, and use your strongest Soul Skill against me as your target. Don't worry about hurting me. That little bit of strength of yours isn't even enough to scratch an itch."

The children of Class A took the stage one after another. Their Martial Souls came in all shapes and sizes-rabbits, sickles, balls of water-and they sent them all at Lin Mo. Lin Mo didn't dodge. He simply stood there and let them attack, a thin gray Soul Power shield around him bouncing every blow away. He offered a few offhand comments, sometimes pointing out problems with how they exerted their strength, sometimes correcting minor flaws in their stances. He didn't say much, but every word hit the mark.

When Class B's turn came, Chen Hao took the stage. His Ironback Wolf Martial Soul seemed steadier when he activated it than it had been the first time Long Tian saw it. He unleashed his first Soul Skill, Ironback Charge, and became a gray blur as he slammed toward Lin Mo. Lin Mo blocked him with one hand. His body didn't budge; only his shoulders rocked. Smiling, he said, "The force is there. Steady your footing a little more, and you'll be able to send your opponent flying instead of throwing yourself at them." Chen Hao's face flushed red, and he jumped off the platform.

After several more children, it was finally Class C's turn. Long Tian walked up the stone steps onto the platform. The moment the black-and-white Soul Ring rose faintly from beneath his feet, the buzzing discussion below grew noticeably louder. For most of those present, this was their first time seeing a mixed-color Soul Ring in person.

Lin Mo took the grass stalk from his mouth. Some of the laziness vanished from his eyes, replaced by concentration. He nodded to Long Tian. "Come on, use your strongest move. I want to see what Yin-Yang Rotation is all about."

Long Tian took a deep breath, brought his palms together, then slowly drew them apart. Golden light surged in his right hand, and dark mist gathered in his left. He activated his Soul Ring-black and white light flowed rapidly around it, and a ball of chaotic light formed between his palms. He flipped his wrists and thrust it forward. Three inches from his hands, the ball split in two. A golden projectile shot at Lin Mo from the front like a falling star, while a black shadow silently sank into the stone platform.

A ripple of quiet gasps rose from below. Zhao Xiaopang clenched his fists, his eyes wide and round.

The golden projectile hurtled straight for Lin Mo's chest! His gaze sharpened slightly, and he struck out with his palm. A gray Soul Power shield gathered before his hand. With a muffled bang, the projectile exploded in a burst of golden flame, sending a scorching wave of air into his face. Lin Mo's palm tingled faintly from the impact, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes-the boy's Soul Power was more condensed than he had imagined.

Almost at the same time, the shadow that had sunk into the ground surfaced silently three feet behind Lin Mo's heels. It skimmed swiftly along the ground, heading straight for his ankle! A thin layer of white frost formed on the stone platform wherever the shadow passed.

Lin Mo didn't turn around. He sprang lightly into the air, rising five feet, and the shadow swept past the soles of his shoes. As he landed, he tapped the ground with his toes and retreated half a step. Then he gave Long Tian a thumbs-up. "Impressive. A head-on assault and a sneak attack from the shadows-the obvious and the hidden worked well together. But-" His tone shifted. "The shadow you sent out slows down as it approaches its target. I noticed just now that it slowed once it got thirty feet away. An alert opponent could easily dodge it. Practice maintaining your Soul Power output and extend the distance your shadow can travel undetected."

Long Tian listened attentively and nodded, then withdrew his Martial Soul.

Lin Mo added, "But overall, for a First Soul Ring to have this kind of power and versatility, it would hold its own even among the geniuses in Spirit City. Not bad."

His assessment was neither high nor low, but it made Mr. Wang's brows twitch slightly below the platform. Holding its own even in Spirit City-those words carried a different weight coming from someone who bore a gray Spirit City token.

Class continued, but Long Tian's thoughts were no longer on it. From the corner of his eye, he caught Lin Mo glancing his way during a pause in the lesson, his gaze carrying a silent confirmation: see you after class.

Two hours later, practical combat class ended. The children streamed toward the dining hall in twos and threes. Zhao Xiaopang tugged at Long Tian's sleeve, wanting to rush over and grab some meat buns. Long Tian laughed it off, saying his stomach felt unwell and he wanted to go back to his room for a rest first. He asked Zhao Xiaopang to bring two buns back for him. Zhao Xiaopang thought nothing of it and ran off like a puff of smoke.

Long Tian waited until everyone had dispersed before turning onto the path behind the teaching hall and leaving through the academy's side gate. Outside the gate was a narrow dirt road, with abandoned vegetable plots on either side. At the end of the road stood the old locust tree at the entrance to town, no one knew how many years old.

In the late autumn, the old locust tree stood bare, its branches gnarled like iron and its bark cracked and mottled. A green-robed figure was already leaning against the trunk, waiting, idly flicking a dead blade of grass between his fingers.

Hearing footsteps, Lin Mo turned his head to glance at Long Tian and smiled. "You're here? I thought you'd bring that little fatty with you."

"I didn't tell him." Long Tian stopped three paces from the tree and looked up at Lin Mo. "Brother Lin, that letter yesterday... who asked you to bring me a message?"

Lin Mo tossed the dead blade of grass away and clapped the dust from his hands, his expression growing somewhat more serious. He looked around and, after making sure no one was nearby, took something from his sleeve-a palm-sized jade pendant, dark green throughout, with a warm, smooth texture. A single character was carved on its face.

Tian.

Long Tian's breath caught. He was very familiar with the way that character was written. His mother had sewn a small piece of cloth inside the collar of his clothes, and on it was the same character, "Tian," in the same handwriting. His father had written it himself when Long Tian was one month old.

"This jade," Lin Mo said, holding the pendant out to Long Tian, "was entrusted to me by your father to give to you."

Long Tian stood rooted to the spot, unable to recover for a long moment. "My dad?" He reached out and took the pendant without thinking. It felt cool and smooth in his hand, clearly a piece of fine jade worth a considerable sum. "How would my dad have something like this? How does he know you?"

Lin Mo leaned against the tree trunk with his arms folded, his expression unusually serious. "Your father, Long Tieshan, went by a different name when he was young. He used to be a Soul Master in Spirit City's Iron Guard, and his cultivation was considerable. Later, because of certain things, he left Spirit City, concealed his identity, and went to Starfall Town to work as a blacksmith. Even his Martial Soul was mostly crippled. That was how he became the blacksmith you see today."

Long Tian held the jade pendant, his fingertips growing slightly cold. His father's rough, callused hands appeared before his eyes-those hands that worked the forge had once belonged to a Soul Master?

"Before he left, he asked me to pass a few things on to you." Lin Mo raised a finger. "First, that jade pendant was his token from his time in the Iron Guard when he was young. Keep it close to you; it might be useful someday. Second, he said to cultivate diligently and not worry about him. Third..." Lin Mo paused, his gaze somewhat complicated. "He said that if you ever set foot in Spirit City, you should go to a shop in the south of the city called Old Chen's Blacksmith Shop and find an old blacksmith surnamed Chen. Just say, 'Tieshan's son is here,' and he'll help you."

Long Tian listened, gripping the jade pendant in his palm, and said nothing for a long while. He remembered the morning he had left home, when his father had crouched beneath the old locust tree at the entrance to town and straightened his collar, his eyes faintly red. At the time, Long Tian had assumed his father simply couldn't bear to see his son leave on a long journey. Now, looking back, there were probably many more words buried in those eyes that his father had never had time to say.

"My dad... why did he leave Spirit City?" Long Tian looked up, his voice a little strained.

Lin Mo shook his head. "He didn't say. He only asked me to deliver the message. You can ask him about the rest yourself someday."

Long Tian fell silent for a while, then carefully tucked the jade pendant inside his clothes, close to his body, beside the protective charm his mother had sewn for him. The small charm still carried the faint fragrance of old locust leaves, and it felt warm against his chest.

He looked up at Lin Mo, something in his gaze that hadn't been there before. "Brother Lin, how do you know my dad? Why did you help him pass on the message?"

Lin Mo smiled, a hint of self-mockery in his expression. "When I was seventeen, people were hunting me down, and your father saved my life. He was the one who pulled me back from death, so what's running an errand for him? This time, I volunteered to come to your academy as a guest instructor just to deliver this to you." He reached out and patted Long Tian's head. "All right, the message is delivered and I've given you the pendant. Go back and eat. Don't keep the little fatty waiting."

Long Tian nodded and turned to walk away. After a few steps, he stopped and looked back. "Brother Lin, will my dad... send someone to bring me another message?"

Lin Mo thought for a moment. "Probably. But it might not be so convenient next time. I'll be here for two months at most on this assignment, and when it's over, I have to return to Spirit City to report back. If you want to know more about your father, get stronger and go to Spirit City to ask him yourself someday."

Long Tian gripped the jade pendant at his chest and nodded firmly. He took a deep breath and strode toward the academy's side gate. When he reached it, he looked back once more. Lin Mo was still leaning against the old locust tree, gazing up at its branches, his thoughts unknown. Thin autumn sunlight fell on him, casting a long shadow.

Long Tian went through the gate and followed the path back. The warmth of the jade in his palm came through the fabric, rising and falling against his heartbeat. He looked down at his right hand. Golden scales surfaced and receded, as naturally as breathing.

Father, what secrets are you hiding? If you won't tell me, I'll dig them out myself.

He quickened his pace. Zhao Xiaopang was probably still saving him a seat in the dining hall.