Start Beating Your Little Brother Early

Early the next morning.

Yan Zu had just finished his morning check-in when he saw Xiao Wu standing proudly in the courtyard, hands on her hips, looking ready to challenge the whole world.

"Little Brother A-Zu!" Xiao Wu lifted her chin, revealing two little canine teeth. "I challenge you to Soul Fighting!"

Yan Zu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why?"

"Hmph, you awakened your Martial Soul yesterday, so you must be really strong." Xiao Wu was utterly confident. "But I'm strong too! I'm already level 13, and I have my First Soul Ring! I want to see whether your Qilin or my Soft Bone Rabbit is stronger!"

Though she sounded fierce, Yan Zu could tell from her slightly trembling fingertips that the child simply wanted to test the results of her cultivation and, while she was at it... remind everyone she was there.

To put it plainly, she had felt so comfortable being nourished by the Qilin's presence last night that she had too much pep today. If she didn't stir something up, she'd feel restless all over.

Yan Hu and his wife were tidying their Soul Hunting gear in a corner of the courtyard. Hearing her, they looked over with smiles. Su Qing said gently, "Xiao Wu, A-Zu has only just awakened. He doesn't even have a Soul Ring yet."

Xiao Wu's eyes darted around, and a sly smile curved her lips. She planted her hands on her hips and said with perfect confidence, "That's exactly why I want to fight him now!"

"You have to beat your little brother while you can! Once he gets a Soul Ring, how am I supposed to beat him?"

Yan Zu: "..."

Yan Hu nearly spit out his saliva. "This little girl sure knows how to pick her moment!"

Caught between laughter and tears, Su Qing gently poked Xiao Wu's forehead. "You little thing, aren't you a clever one?"

Yan Zu shook his head with a chuckle. "All right, Sister Xiao Wu, so you're really going to 'strike while I'm vulnerable,' huh?"

"Of course!" Xiao Wu proudly raised her chin, her eyes sparkling. "I'm very clever! Once you have a Soul Ring, I might not be able to beat you, so of course I have to bully you all I want while I still can! Opportunities are reserved for rabbits who are prepared!"

Yan Hu put down his hunting knife and came over with a chuckle. "Xiao Wu has a point, A-Zu. You might as well accept it."

Su Qing also shook her head with a smile. Watching the two children bicker, her eyes were full of tenderness.

"All right, I'll fight you." Yan Zu stood up and loosened his wrists. "But you're not allowed to cry if you lose."

"I will not!" Xiao Wu jumped up and down in anger.

The two went to an open space in the courtyard. Su Qing and Yan Hu followed to watch the fun, and Yan Hu even grabbed a handful of melon seeds.

The open space wasn't large, but it was enough for two children to tussle.

Xiao Wu immediately released her Martial Soul. The phantom of a Soft Bone Rabbit appeared, and her First Soul Ring lit up-yellow light circled beneath her feet, and her petite body instantly filled with explosive power.

She flashed forward with astonishing speed, her right hand curled into a claw as she went straight for Yan Zu's shoulder. The strike looked simple, but it held the Soft Bone Rabbit's characteristic flexibility and explosive power, and its angle was tricky.

Yan Zu neither dodged nor retreated. Only when the wind from her claw drew near did he turn slightly, his right hand darting out like a nimble snake. He rested it lightly on Xiao Wu's wrist, then guided and pulled.

Xiao Wu felt a gentle force travel through her, and she involuntarily pitched forward. Startled, she put strength into her waist and forcibly twisted around, sweeping her left leg toward Yan Zu's lower body like a whip.

A trace of approval flashed in Yan Zu's eyes. He tapped the ground lightly and floated up like a falling leaf, narrowly avoiding the kick.

Unwilling to give in, Xiao Wu attacked even faster. Though her Martial Soul was the Soft Bone Rabbit, her human form after transformation was better suited to leg techniques. Combined with the Waist Bow skill granted by her Soul Ring, her legs struck like two nimble snakes from incredible angles.

Yan Zu, however, remained unhurried. Using the footwork from the Nine Yin Manual, he weaved and dodged within that tiny space, avoiding Xiao Wu's attacks by a hair's breadth every time. When he occasionally struck back, he withdrew at the slightest touch, using nothing but skillful force.

After twenty exchanges, Xiao Wu was breathing slightly harder, yet she hadn't even touched the hem of Yan Zu's clothes.

"Little Brother A-Zu, you're cheating!" Xiao Wu said indignantly, her little face flushed from exertion. "All you do is dodge, you don't fight back!"

Yan Zu smiled. "All right, then I'll attack."

The moment he finished speaking, he abruptly sped up!

This was the profound mystery of Nine Spiral Shadows from the Nine Yin Manual-with a single step, his figure seemed to split into several afterimages, bearing down on Xiao Wu from different directions.

Xiao Wu's pupils contracted. She instinctively released her Soul Ring skill, Waist Bow, instantly pushing her body's flexibility to its limit in an attempt to overcome strength with softness.

But just then, Yan Zu had a thought.

The Qilin phantom, Little Jade, lying on his shoulder, gently raised her head and let out a soft cry that only Soul Beasts could perceive.

Hum-

A gentle yet incomparably noble auspicious presence spread out.

Xiao Wu's movements froze instantly.

It wasn't suppression, but... awe and affinity from the depths of her bloodline. As a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, she could sense the special nature of an auspicious beast like the Qilin better than other Soul Beasts could-it was an existence akin to a "totem" among Soul Beasts.

In that single moment of hesitation, Yan Zu's hand had already come to rest lightly on her shoulder.

"You lost," Yan Zu said with a smile.

Xiao Wu came to her senses and pouted. "That's not fair! You let the little one help!"

Yan Zu withdrew his hand with a smile, rubbing Little Jade's head while he was at it. "In a fight, any means you can use are fair. But Sister Xiao Wu, your foundations are solid, and your leg techniques have spirit. You just lack systematic training and real combat experience."

Just then, a system notification sounded in his mind:

[**Ding!** Defeated core female lead Xiao Wu for the first time. Surprise reward triggered!]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Martial Soul Compatibility Enhancement Card ×1, Soft Bone Charm Rabbit Origin Essence ×1]

[Martial Soul Compatibility Enhancement Card: Increases Martial Soul compatibility with a designated person by 50% upon use, laying the foundation for a Martial Soul Fusion Skill]

[Soft Bone Charm Rabbit Origin Essence: Extracted from the origin of a Soft Bone Charm Rabbit. Upon consumption, it can evolve the origin of a Soft Bone Charm Rabbit]

A flash of pleasant surprise appeared in Yan Zu's eyes.

He hadn't expected that casually having a fight with Xiao Wu could trigger a system reward.

What did that mean? It meant he should interact more with the original story's group of protagonists in the future. Maybe he could fleece even more wool.

And Nuoding Academy was obviously the best place for all of it to begin.

He could obtain system rewards, observe and influence Tang San up close, and spread the Core Flame of civilization-three gains in one stroke.

Seeing Yan Zu lost in thought, Xiao Wu assumed he was feeling smug and angrily reached out to pinch his waist. Yan Zu dodged with a laugh, then said seriously, "Sister Xiao Wu, how about a bet?"

"What kind of bet?"

"If you can break through to level 14 within two months, I'll give you a big gift."

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. "What big gift?"

"A big gift that tastes even better than spicy strips." Yan Zu deliberately kept her in suspense. "It'll also make you stronger."

"It's a deal!" Xiao Wu held out her little finger. "Pinky promise!"

Yan Zu smiled and hooked pinkies with her.

Sunlight fell on the two children, casting two little shadows on the ground.

In the distance, Yan Hu finished his last melon seed and licked his lips, still wanting more. "Wife, are there any melon seeds left?"

Su Qing rolled her eyes at him. "No. Go home and cook."

"All right."

Yan Hu trotted after his wife. Before leaving, he remembered to turn back and call to the two children, "A-Zu, Xiao Wu, don't play too late! We'll call you when the food's ready!"

"Got it, Dad!"

Yan Zu called back. Watching Xiao Wu's retreating figure as she bounced back, he glanced at the two rewards in his mind, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly upward.

Nuoding Academy, Tang San, here I come.

I hope you won't disappoint me when the time comes.

Over the next month, Xiao Wu put aside her playful nature entirely and threw herself into cultivation. Nourished by the Qilin's vitality and with occasional pointers from Yan Zu, her cultivation yielded twice the result for half the effort. At first, she still slacked off occasionally, but whenever she remembered the big gift Yan Zu had promised, she immediately gritted her teeth and persevered.

Next, Yan Zu needed to consider how to obtain his First Soul Ring.

On the third day after Yan Zu awakened his twin Martial Souls, the sun shone warmly in the little courtyard. He called his parents over to the old locust tree and seriously told them which Martial Soul he would cultivate first. "Dad, Mom, I've decided to focus on the Auspicious Beast Qilin first."

Su Qing was somewhat puzzled. "A-Zu, the Xuanyuan Sword looks more powerful in attack. Why choose the Qilin?" Yan Zu pointed with a fingertip, and Little Jade happily ran out and rubbed against the back of Su Qing's hand. "The Qilin is an independent Martial Soul that can leave my body. She needs to live outside for a long time for her intelligence to grow."

Yan Zu wanted to focus on the Qilin Martial Soul first mainly because, with a Martial Soul that could leave the body, he had to pay attention not only to cultivation but also to the growth of the Martial Soul's own intelligence, so she could become a better partner.

Yu Xiaogang, on the other hand, had been afraid people would laugh at his Trash Martial Soul and kept Luo Sanpao inside his body year-round, instead stifling its potential for growth. That was the most foolish approach. A Martial Soul that could leave the body belonged in the world, not confined within the body.

Yan Hu slapped his thigh. "A-Zu has a point! Dad supports you! We'll get ready right now and go deep into the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt a suitable Soul Beast for you!" Su Qing nodded in agreement. She had long since experienced the nourishment of the Qilin's vitality and knew well the potential of this Martial Soul.

Xiao Wu was hiding off to one side. When she heard the words "Soul Hunting," her ears drooped slightly, and a barely perceptible trace of sadness flashed in her eyes-she was, after all, a transformed Soul Beast, and instinctively recoiled from "hunting Soul Beasts."