Sparring

On the way back to the academy, Wang Xingyu walked beside Tang San, still clutching his Blue Silver Grass.

During the fight, he had transferred Soul Power to Tang San, and Tang San's Blue Silver Grass had held firm.

But the transfer had nearly drained his own Soul Power, and both his hands were still trembling a little. If he could draw Soul Power from the surrounding Blue Silver Grass to replenish himself, he wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state.

He had actually tried that before. While cultivating on the hillside behind Holy Soul Village, he had planted his Blue Silver Grass in the soil and linked it to the wild Blue Silver Grass growing around it.

Cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill while connected did increase his Soul Power faster than cultivating alone. That was how he had risen from rank three to rank four in a month: he had been riding on the Soul Power produced by the surrounding Blue Silver Grass through photosynthesis.

But he had tried countless times to draw the Soul Power already inside that Blue Silver Grass directly into himself, and not once had he succeeded. He could connect to it and reap the benefits, but he simply couldn't pull the Soul Power out. It was as if a membrane stood in the way: he could sense something on the other side, but couldn't get hold of it.

Apparently, his Blue Silver Grass alone couldn't draw it in. He would probably need to use a skill slot and accomplish it through a Soul Skill. For the Life System Blue Silver Grass's First Soul Ring, he had to find a Soul Beast that could solve this problem.

Wang Xingyu withdrew his Blue Silver Grass and put the matter aside for now.

As they walked, he suddenly thought of something and couldn't help letting out a snort.

Tang San turned his head to look at him. "What is it?"

"Nothing." Wang Xingyu withdrew his Blue Silver Grass. "I was just thinking about a certain someone who took his disciple into the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt for a First Soul Ring, only for them to nearly get wiped out by a Mandala Snake. In the end, he only survived thanks to his disciple."

Tang San's mouth twitched, but he said nothing.

The two continued on. The walls of Nuoding City had already come into view.

"Have you decided what to look for for your First Soul Ring?" Tang San suddenly asked.

Wang Xingyu thought for a moment. "Not yet, but I have a direction. Your Iron Thorn Vine is a strangulation type, following a fierce, forceful path. My Blue Silver Grass is taking the Life System path, so I need a plant Soul Beast with recovery or symbiotic abilities. Its age doesn't need to be high; compatibility matters most. And I just figured it out back there: I can't absorb Soul Power on my own. I'll need a Soul Skill."

Tang San nodded.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long. As Wang Xingyu walked, he thought about how he had learned to transfer Soul Power and how to connect and benefit from Soul Power, but still couldn't draw someone else's Soul Power directly into himself. Once he had settled on his First Soul Ring, he had to crack the problem of absorption. Only when he had mastered both transferring and absorbing would he have truly gotten started with Life System Blue Silver Grass.

As for a Storage Soul Tool, Wang Xingyu felt the few Silver Soul Coins left in his pocket. That was a matter for later.

He needed to push the soap business forward and could try working with Grandpa Ma Xiunuo. After all this time, he could tell what sort of person the man was.

Although the aunties who made soap in the village all knew the recipe, if he asked them to keep it secret, perhaps they couldn't do so forever, but it should be fine for the time being. He would earn as much as he could. He wasn't asking for much; a Storage Soul Tool should be within reach.

Once he grew stronger, he could consider other things. He was a transmigrator, after all; he could just take advantage of an information gap. Speaking of which, Tang San was a transmigrator too. How had he made money again?

He seemed to have sold Hidden Weapons to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Never mind. He would think about it later.

The two returned to the academy and pushed open the door to Dorm Seven.

Xiao Wu was sitting cross-legged on her bed, three empty bowls in front of her and a fourth steamed bun in her hand, her cheeks bulging. When she saw them come in, her eyes lit up, and she asked indistinctly, "Did it work?"

"It did." Wang Xingyu sat down on the edge of his bed. "What about you?"

Xiao Wu swallowed her bun, the corners of her mouth curling up. She held out her right hand, and a yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath her feet. Its color was slightly lighter than Tang San's, and it glimmered faintly in the lamplight. "I did it too."

Wang Xingyu looked at the Soul Ring and knew exactly what was going on. A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit in human form could condense her own Soul Rings once she reached the required level; she didn't need to hunt Soul Beasts at all.

The "help" Xiao Wu had mentioned probably meant finding a deserted place and spending half a day there by herself. But he didn't expose her.

"What Soul Skill?" Tang San asked.

Xiao Wu jumped off the bed and took two steps back. Her Soul Ring lit up, and her figure suddenly blurred for an instant. She shifted half a step to the left, leaving a faint silver afterimage in her original position. It lingered in the air for a breath before dispersing.

"Moon Shadow. I can use it during the day too. It boosts my speed and evasion, and when I move, it leaves afterimages that can confuse my opponent. It works better at night. Under moonlight, the afterimages last longer and I'm faster. But in a completely dark place without any light, it's strongest of all. The afterimages are almost solid, and my opponent can't tell which one is me."

Wang Xingyu nodded. It worked during the day, worked better at night, and was strongest in darkness. The progression was well designed: it wasn't simply limited to moonlight, but manipulated light and shadow. The Red Moon Rabbit had been the right choice.

Xiao Wu tossed her scorpion braid back, looked Tang San up and down, and suddenly leaned closer. "Little San, what's your Soul Skill? Show me."

Tang San held out his right hand, and Blue Silver Grass emerged from his palm. It was a shade darker than before, and an extremely fine metallic-colored line ran along the edges of its leaves, glimmering faintly in the lamplight.

With a thought, he sent the Blue Silver Grass shooting out to wrap around the post at the foot of the bed, then pulled it tight. With a creak, a shallow ring of indentations appeared on the post.

Xiao Wu leaned in to look at the marks and reached out to feel them. Her eyes lit up. "That's good!"

She stepped back twice, took up a stance, and stared at Tang San with shining eyes. "Come on, let's fight."

Tang San paused. "Now?"

"Now!" Xiao Wu tossed her scorpion braid back. "You've got a new Soul Skill, and so have I. How will we know who's stronger if we don't fight? Don't worry, I'll hold back."

Tang San glanced at Wang Xingyu. Wang Xingyu leaned against the head of his bed, his hands pillowed behind his head. "Don't look at me. I'm just a spectator. My Soul Power's only rank four, so I'm not joining in."

Tang San took off his outer garment and draped it over the foot of the bed. He wanted to test his own strength too.

He went outside the room. Xiao Wu was already standing opposite him, one foot in front of the other, her scorpion braid hanging over her shoulder as she watched him.

The work-study students in Dorm Seven heard the commotion and poked their heads out from their beds. Wang Sheng had already lain down, but now he sat up too, leaning against the wall to watch.

Xiao Wu moved first. She pushed off and shot forward, noticeably faster than usual. It wasn't Moon Shadow, just an ordinary dash.

Tang San sidestepped and reached for her wrist. Xiao Wu turned her wrist, grabbed his fingers instead, and twisted her waist to pull him sideways. It was the opening move of a soft technique.

Tang San was pulled halfway around. He braced his other hand against the edge of a bed and used it to steady himself. Blue Silver Grass shot from his palm, aiming for Xiao Wu's ankle.

Xiao Wu released his wrist and jumped back. The Blue Silver Grass skimmed past the sole of her shoe and failed to catch her. Tang San gave her no chance to catch her breath. A second strand shot out close behind, heading straight for her side. Xiao Wu twisted her waist in midair and flipped sideways through half a turn. The Blue Silver Grass slipped past her waist, missing again.

"Is that all you've got?" Xiao Wu landed on the ground, her lips curled up.

Tang San said nothing. Two strands of Blue Silver Grass shot out at once, one from each side, cutting off her room to dodge. Xiao Wu's Soul Ring lit up: Moon Shadow. Her figure blurred for an instant, leaving a silver afterimage where she had stood, while she had already moved three steps to the right. Tang San's Blue Silver Grass passed through the afterimage and wrapped around empty air.

Xiao Wu appeared at Tang San's side and used Moon Shadow's acceleration to sweep a leg at his knee. Tang San had no time to withdraw his Blue Silver Grass. He bent his knee, planted one hand on the ground, and flipped over, narrowly dodging the kick.

Before his feet touched the ground, Xiao Wu had already caught up. She twisted her waist and brought one leg chopping down from above. Tang San sidestepped and shot Blue Silver Grass from his palm. This time, instead of wrapping it directly around her, he caught the beam overhead and used it to swing away, landing behind Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu turned around, her eyes shining even brighter. "Interesting!"

Moon Shadow lit up again. This time she didn't use an afterimage, but pushed her speed to the limit, circling behind Tang San like a streak of silver. Tang San heard the wind behind his head and lunged forward, planting one hand on the ground to flip around as Blue Silver Grass shot out from his side. Xiao Wu was about to pursue him when the Blue Silver Grass brushed her ankle. She rolled with the movement and avoided being caught, but her rhythm was broken.

The two faced each other again. Tang San was panting, sweat already beading on his forehead. Xiao Wu was panting too, but her lips were still curled up; she clearly hadn't had her fill.

Wang Sheng leaned against the wall, his mouth hanging open. He had been the boss of Dorm Seven for over half a year and had seen fights before, but never one like this. One was as fast as a shadow, while the other used grass as a rope to fly back and forth. They fought like they were performing acrobatics, yet every move missed by a hair, and neither could hurt the other.

Xiao Wu wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Just trying to wrap me up with your Blue Silver Grass won't work. You can't catch me."

Tang San nodded. "Your Moon Shadow's acceleration and afterimages work very well together. But the afterimages can only fool the eyes, not the sense of touch. The instant my Blue Silver Grass touches you, I know which one is real."

Xiao Wu thought about it. "What if I mix the afterimages in with my real body?"

"Then it's hard to say."

Xiao Wu tossed her scorpion braid back. "Again!"

Wang Xingyu sat up from the head of his bed. "Stop."

The two turned to look at him at the same time.

"That's enough for today." Wang Xingyu looked at Xiao Wu. "You haven't mastered Moon Shadow yet. Your afterimages don't last long enough, and your real body moves in paths that are too straight, making them easy to predict. Practice changing speed and moving in zigzags. Your afterimages will be more deceptive."

He then looked at Tang San. "Your Blue Silver Grass kept chasing after her, trying to wrap her up. Try a different approach. Instead of chasing her, block off her movement in advance. No matter how fast her Moon Shadow is, she still needs somewhere to land. Spread your Blue Silver Grass over the places where she might land, and her own speed will make her run into it."

Tang San thought for a moment, then nodded.

Xiao Wu thought about it too. "All right. I'll practice changing speed and moving in zigzags, and Little San can practice blocking my movement. We'll fight again once we've practiced."

She tossed her scorpion braid back, sat down on her bed again, and took a bite of her fourth steamed bun. "The buns have gone cold while we were fighting," she said indistinctly.

Wang Sheng leaned against the wall and looked at Xiao Wu, then Tang San, and finally Wang Xingyu. "Are all of you from Holy Soul Village like this?"

Wang Xingyu lay back down, his hands pillowed behind his head. "Don't look at me. My Soul Power's rank four, and Xiao Wu isn't from Holy Soul Village."

Laughter filled Dorm Seven. Xiao Wu munched on her bun, her eyes curved into crescents. Tang San sat on the edge of his bed, his Blue Silver Grass still out, the metallic-colored lines along its leaves glimmering faintly in the lamplight.

Wang Xingyu stared at the ceiling, the corners of his mouth raised. One had Iron Thorn Strangulation, the other Moon Shadow. Tang San could spread his control across the field and block movement, while Xiao Wu's agility-based offense could use changes of speed, zigzags, and afterimages to confuse opponents. Once his own First Soul Ring was settled and his Life System support was in place, the three of them would truly come together.

"Oh, right." Xiao Wu suddenly turned to look at him. "When are you getting your First Soul Ring?"

Wang Xingyu thought for a moment. "It'll be a while. My Soul Power's only rank four right now. But I have a direction, even if I haven't settled on the details."

"Then hurry up." Xiao Wu bit into her bun. "Once you have a Soul Skill, the three of us can fight together."

"666, fighting a support."