Ironclad Rules and Cracks

Mr. Wang's room was at the very end of the second floor of the teaching hall. It was small but kept immaculately tidy. Several pieces of calligraphy and paintings hung on the walls, and a lush pine bonsai stood on the table by the window, a world apart from the half-withered asparagus fern on Long Tian's dormitory windowsill. Mr. Wang motioned for Long Tian to sit in the wooden chair opposite him, then picked up a pot, brewed two cups of coarse tea, and pushed one across to him.

"Drink. It'll warm you up."

Long Tian cradled the cup in both hands. It was ordinary leaf tea, slightly bitter, but the warmth slid down his throat and eased his taut nerves a little.

Mr. Wang sat opposite him, removed his copper-framed glasses, wiped them, and put them back on. Then he spoke unhurriedly. "How much do you know about Spirit Hall?"

Long Tian shook his head. "I've only heard my parents say that Spirit Hall is in charge of Soul Masters and that it's very powerful."

"Very powerful... that's not wrong." Mr. Wang's mouth twitched. "Spirit Hall can be found in every town and city on the continent. Even our little Bluestone Town has a Spirit Hall Branch. As a rule, anyone who awakens Soul Power should register with Spirit Hall and obtain proof of their status as a Soul Master. They can also receive a monthly allowance in the future."

"Then I..."

"Of course you need to register too." Mr. Wang cut him off. "But registration isn't the problem. The problem is that Spirit Hall isn't a single, solid block. Someone with Twin Martial Souls like yours, whose attributes are also in conflict, could meet entirely different fates depending on whose hands you fall into."

Long Tian pricked up his ears and tightened his grip on his teacup.

"One faction in Spirit Hall advocates gathering those with special Martial Souls and training them with the best resources, turning them into Spirit Hall's sharp blades. Most of them are elders and senior figures in Spirit Hall. They value talent, not background. The other faction is far more cautious. They advocate observing or even restricting abnormal Martial Souls, believing that Twin Martial Souls can easily go out of control and, if they do, pose an enormous hidden danger." Mr. Wang fixed Long Tian with a grave look. "That Qin Feng earlier called himself a probationary deacon. His rank in Spirit Hall is neither particularly high nor particularly low. This time, he was most likely ordered to come and sound you out first. As for whether they'll try to win you over or guard against you once he's done..."

He didn't continue, but his meaning was clear enough.

Long Tian was silent for a while. He lowered his head and watched the flecks of tea leaves rise and fall in his cup. "Then what should I do?"

"What should you do?" Mr. Wang suddenly smiled, a teasing glint in his expression. "You don't even have a single Soul Ring yet. All ten levels of your Soul Power rest on the foundation you brought out of your mother's womb. What can you do? Attend class, cultivate, and learn your skills. Once you have strength, you won't need to fear them, whether they try to win you over or guard against you. Remember, in the world of Soul Masters, nothing is harder than a fist."

Long Tian looked up, and the uncertainty in his eyes was replaced by a burning light. He nodded firmly. "I'll remember."

"All right, Class C has its first Soul Power guidance lesson this afternoon. Don't be late." Mr. Wang waved him out, then added, "And keep that dark dragon power in your left hand hidden whenever you can. At least until you figure out why Qin Feng really came, don't let outsiders get too clear a look at it."

Long Tian glanced at his left hand instinctively, nodded, and left the room.

That afternoon, beneath the great banyan tree in the eastern side courtyard.

Class C had twelve students in all, aged between six and seven. They sat cross-legged in a circle on grass mats in the shade, listening as a young teaching assistant in a short blue-cloth jacket explained the basics of guiding Soul Power. The assistant's surname was Sun. He was in his early twenties, lean and wiry, with a clear voice. He spoke rapidly as he taught, but his explanations were well organized.

"Soul Power is the foundation of every Martial Soul. Without Soul Power, a Martial Soul is a dead thing. Starting today, you'll cultivate for two hours every morning and evening. Use the meditation method I teach you to gather the Soul Power scattered through your meridians into your dantian. Once you can control your Soul Power steadily, you can begin trying to absorb a Soul Ring."

The children only half understood, and some had already begun to yawn. Zhao Xiaopang sat beside Long Tian, his chubby face wearing an expression that said, "I don't understand, but I'm trying to listen."

After explaining the theory, Teaching Assistant Sun had everyone try it for themselves. "Don't rush. The first time, you might not feel anything at all. That's normal. Take it slowly, day by day..."

Before he had finished speaking, Long Tian had already closed his eyes and entered a meditative state. After his attempts the previous night and that morning in the dining hall, he had gained some understanding of how to guide Soul Power. Now, following Teaching Assistant Sun's instructions, he sank his awareness into his dantian and first found the warm golden vortex. With a gentle tug, he drew a wisp of golden light along his meridians to the center of his right palm. He didn't stop there. He turned his awareness to the left and soothed the restless black vortex, keeping it quiet and still in his dantian.

One hot, one cold; one still, one moving. He carefully maintained the balance as fine beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

"Hm?" Teaching Assistant Sun walked over and looked down. A faint layer of pale golden light shimmered in Long Tian's right palm. It was weak, but clearly visible. His eyes lit up at once. "Well, well, he can guide Soul Power out of his body on the first day!" He quickly lowered his voice to keep from distracting Long Tian, stepped back a few paces, and pulled a booklet from his robes to jot down a few notes.

The children around them cast envious looks his way. Zhao Xiaopang's eyes widened. He looked down at his own palm, where nothing was happening, and muttered aggrievedly, "How come I can't feel anything..."

Long Tian paid no attention to what was happening around him. All his focus was immersed in his body as he carefully sensed the flow of the two powers. The light dragon power felt warm as it moved through his meridians, like soaking in warm water. The dark dragon power lay dormant, like a sleeping beast, and its occasional twitch brought an icy, stabbing pain. He could sense a natural repulsion of some kind between the two powers, like two magnets with matching poles. But as long as he didn't force them together, each remained well behaved.

This is fine, he thought. One step at a time.

When the two-hour cultivation lesson ended, Long Tian let out a long breath and opened his eyes. The other children had already drifted away in twos and threes. Only Zhao Xiaopang was still sitting beside him, waiting with his chin propped in his hands.

"Long Tian, you're amazing!" Zhao Xiaopang looked at him with admiration. "You can glow on the first day! I couldn't even feel any Qi!"

Long Tian smiled. "I just got lucky. I tried it a few times myself last night."

"Then can you teach me? How do you find that, um, dantian?" Zhao Xiaopang leaned closer, his round face full of expectation.

Long Tian thought for a moment, then gave him a simple explanation of the method he had figured out: first, focus on a point three inches below the navel and imagine a flame there; then relax the whole body and let the breath sink. Zhao Xiaopang nodded throughout. He closed his eyes and tried it on the spot, and sure enough, his brows drew together slightly, his chubby face turning bright red with the effort.

"I-I-I feel it!" He snapped his eyes open, so excited he nearly jumped up. "Something warm moved!"

Teaching Assistant Sun heard him from a distance and couldn't help smiling. He had a good impression of the chubby child. Though his talent was ordinary, he made up for it by applying himself. He came over and patted Zhao Xiaopang on the head. "Good. Keep practicing. You two, try to earn the class a ranking in the monthly assessment at the end of next month."

Zhao Xiaopang was grinning from ear to ear as he pulled Long Tian toward the dining hall. They had just walked out of the side courtyard when they came face-to-face with a tall boy of about seven or eight. He wore a dark blue academy uniform with a bronze badge pinned to his chest, engraved with the character "B." Two boys his age followed behind him, dressed much the same way.

The tall boy blocked their path and looked down at Long Tian, an amused smile on his lips. "You're the one from Class C with the twin dragons of light and darkness? I'm Chen Hao, from Class B. I heard you were born with full Soul Power? Tsk, tsk. So what if it's full? Twin Martial Souls sound impressive, but you don't even have a Soul Ring. You're all show."

Zhao Xiaopang shrank back and tugged at Long Tian's sleeve. Long Tian looked up at Chen Hao, his face expressionless. "What do you want?"

"Nothing much." Chen Hao shrugged and stepped aside, his tone lazy. "I just heard Mr. Wang was paying you special attention, so I came to have a look. And this is what you look like... nothing special." He smiled and strode away with his two followers. After a few steps, he looked back and added, "Trash from Class C, don't think a good Martial Soul will let you ascend to heaven in a single step. I'll see you in the arena at the monthly assessment."

Only after the three had gone far away did Zhao Xiaopang speak in a low voice. "Chen Hao is the strongest in Class B. His Martial Soul is an Ironback Wolf. He got his first Soul Ring at the end of last year and is already a level-eleven Soul Master. He loves bullying newcomers. Don't lower yourself to his level."

Long Tian said nothing. He looked down at his right hand. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the ginkgo leaves, casting a dappled pattern of light and shadow across his palm. He slowly clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking.

Level eleven. One Soul Ring.

He clenched his fist tight, then released it and headed toward the dining hall. His voice was as calm as if he were saying the weather was nice today. "Let's eat. Are there any meat buns left?"

Zhao Xiaopang stared for a moment, then hurried after him. "Yes, yes, yes! I grabbed two for you and hid them under my bowl!"

The two walked through the light and shadow beneath the ginkgo trees toward the dining hall. Behind them, the wind stirred the crown of the great banyan tree. Amid the rustling, a nearly imperceptible dragon's roar could faintly be heard, low and deep, gone in an instant.

Meanwhile, in the unremarkable tea stall at the entrance to Bluestone Town, Qin Feng leisurely drank coarse tea, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. A secret letter that had just arrived lay open before him, bearing only a few brief lines:

"The initial probe is complete. Twin dragons of light and darkness, left weak and right strong; development still immature. Await further results. Also, someone in the Elder Hall has already taken an interest. Return at once."

Qin Feng held the letter to a candle flame and burned it to ash. Watching the gray smoke curl upward, the smile on his lips gradually deepened.

"The Elder Hall has made a move too... now this is interesting."

He rose, tossed a few copper coins onto the table, and led his horse out of the tea stall. Hooves clattered into the distance, kicking up a trail of dust that billowed like smoke in the afternoon sunlight.