First Battle in the Mimicry Training Ground

The battle began in an instant. Three Wind Wolves pounced in a triangular formation, swift as a gale. Rather than retreat, Yan Zu advanced. His footwork shifted as he unleashed Nine Spiral Shadows from the Nine Yin Manual, leaving several afterimages in the cramped space and drawing the attention of two Wind Wolves.

"Little Jade!" he called. The Qilin's phantom image on his shoulder raised its head, and a pale green Vitality Corridor spread out from Yan Zu, covering a fifteen-meter radius. Within the domain, Xiao Wu felt her whole body grow lighter, and her Soul Power circulated noticeably faster.

"Now!" Yan Zu shouted.

Xiao Wu moved like lightning. As the third Wind Wolf pounced at Yan Zu's flank, she launched into the footwork of Wind God Legs and slipped into the battle like a phantom. Her First Soul Ring lit up and Waist Bow activated, instantly pushing her flexibility to its limit. Her right leg lashed out like a whip at the Wind Wolf's waist and belly.

"Bang!" The Wind Wolf was sent flying, but the Soul Beast's powerful physique allowed it to scramble back up and pounce again.

"Don't get greedy with your attacks!" Yan Zu called out at just the right moment. "Strike once, then retreat!"

Xiao Wu pulled back as instructed. Sure enough, the other two Wind Wolves' claws slashed through the spot where she had just been. A cold sweat broke out all over her; if Yan Zu had not warned her, she would have been injured.

By then, Yan Zu was locked in combat with the two Wind Wolves. Although he had not released the Xuanyuan Sword, he used the grappling techniques from the Nine Yin Manual. His hands moved like butterflies flitting among flowers, always striking the weak points of the wolves' joints between their attacks and bringing their assault to a halt.

"Sister Xiao Wu, the one ahead on the left has an old injury on its right hind leg!" Yan Zu suddenly shouted.

Xiao Wu focused her gaze and, sure enough, saw that the Wind Wolf on the left dragged its right hind leg slightly as it ran. She understood at once and charged forward again. This time, rather than meet it head-on, she circled around it, targeting its injured leg.

After a few exchanges, the Wind Wolf fell with a howl and dissolved into specks of light.

"Good!" Yan Zu praised her. "Two left. Let's take them down together."

The rest of the battle went much more smoothly. Yan Zu used his movement techniques to hold the wolves in check while Xiao Wu waited for chances to attack fiercely; Yan Zu's Vitality Corridor continually helped both of them recover, and Xiao Wu grew faster and faster within the domain. Though it was their first time fighting together in earnest, they gradually found their rhythm in battle.

When the last Wind Wolf dissolved, Xiao Wu was panting, but her face was full of excitement. "Little Brother A-Zu, we won!"

Yan Zu smiled and nodded. "We worked well together. But there's still a lot we can improve-your charges could be timed more precisely, and my control could be more continuous."

With a wave of his hand, new opponents formed in the air: this time, they were phantom images of two human Soul Masters, a defense-type wielding a shield and a ranged-type wielding a bow.

"Come on, let's continue."

That night, the two fought several battles in the mimicry space, winning some and losing others. They fought Soul Beasts and Soul Masters, one-on-one and in groups, on open terrain and in complex environments. After every battle, Yan Zu analyzed their gains and losses in detail, pointing out problems in their coordination.

To Xiao Wu's delight, as the number of battles increased, she felt that some kind of wondrous connection seemed to be forming between her and Yan Zu.

In particular, whenever the Qilin's vitality domain enveloped her, her Phantom Jade Rabbit Martial Soul would become active of its own accord, and her Soul Power circulated more than twenty percent faster than usual.

"Little Brother A-Zu," Xiao Wu suddenly said during a break, "I feel... like your Qilin Martial Soul is especially compatible with mine."

Yan Zu's heart stirred. He had noticed it long ago: whenever they fought side by side, the Qilin's phantom image in his spiritual world seemed to be responding to something. On the system panel, the hidden value for "Martial Soul Compatibility" was slowly rising at a rate visible to the naked eye.

"Maybe it's because we both have beast Martial Souls." Yan Zu did not reveal the truth, simply smiling as he said, "It's a good thing. The higher our compatibility, the stronger we'll be when we work together in the future."

Xiao Wu nodded vigorously, her eyes full of anticipation.

Only when Yan Zu felt somewhat mentally fatigued did he end their training. "Let's stop here for today. Sister Xiao Wu, it's time we went back."

Their consciousnesses returned to reality. The moonlight shone brightly outside the window, and less than an hour had actually passed.

"Little Brother A-Zu," Xiao Wu said, hugging her pillow as she sidled up to his bed, her eyes shining, "can we come back tomorrow?"

"Every day." Yan Zu ruffled her hair. "But remember, this is a secret between the two of us."

"Got it!" Xiao Wu happily crawled back under her own covers and soon fell fast asleep, a smile still on her lips.

Yan Zu, however, lay awake for a long time. He called up the system panel and, sure enough, saw a new notification:

[The host and bound subject "Xiao Wu" have improved their coordination in actual combat. Martial Soul Compatibility +3%. Current compatibility: 53%.]

[Note: At 60% compatibility, Martial Soul Resonance may be attempted at a preliminary level. At 80%, there is hope of awakening the rudiment of a Fusion Skill.]

"Martial Soul Fusion Skill..." A thoughtful gleam flashed in Yan Zu's eyes. In the original story, Martial Soul Fusion Skills were extremely rare abilities that could often unleash combat power far beyond one's level. If he and Xiao Wu could really develop one, it would undoubtedly be a powerful trump card.

"Looks like I'll have to make good use of the Mimicry Training Ground."

As soon as the morning sun filled the little courtyard, Yan Zu silently said, Check in.

[Ding! Daily check-in successful!]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: basic Soul Tool blueprints ×1, spicy strip gift pack ×1 (contains twenty packets of spicy strips in different flavors).]

[Basic Soul Tool blueprints: Contain complete designs for three basic Soul Tools-a constant-temperature Soul Tool furnace, a simple Soul Power lamp, and a Soul Power water pump. Materials such as Soul Tool metal are required to make them.]

Yan Zu was delighted. The basic Soul Tool blueprints were just what he needed, fitting the path of civilization's development. But he soon calmed down. Soul Tool metal was nowhere to be found in Five Souls Village, so he could only find a way after going to Nuoding City. He put the blueprints into the system storage and picked up the spicy strip gift pack instead.

"Sister Xiao Wu, look what I brought you!" Yan Zu shook the gift pack in his hand.

Xiao Wu's attention was caught in an instant. She sniffed, her eyes shining like stars. "Spicy strips! And a whole gift pack!" She snatched it up, tore open a packet and stuffed the strips into her mouth. The spicy, savory flavor burst across her tongue, making her narrow her eyes in satisfaction.

"Slow down. Nobody's going to snatch them from you," Yan Zu said with a smile. "But these spicy strips aren't free."

Her mouth stuffed with spicy strips, Xiao Wu asked indistinctly, "Wh-what's the condition?"

"Every day, you have to complete the physical training I assign: run three laps around the village in the morning, practice the basic footwork of Wind God Legs before noon, cultivate the Nine Yin Manual's breathing technique in the afternoon, and enter the training ground with me in the evening to practice working together. You only get a packet of spicy strips if you finish everything. You can't skip a single part." Yan Zu listed his requirements, his gaze carrying an unquestionable seriousness.

Xiao Wu pouted and looked at the spicy strips in her hand. In the end, she could not resist the temptation. "All right, all right, I promise!" But her eyes darted around, and she was already considering whether to slack off-after all, Yan Zu might not be watching her every moment.

Yan Zu had long since seen through her little scheme and added, "I'll be supervising the whole time. If I catch you slacking off, not only will I confiscate the spicy strips, I'll increase your training and forbid you from entering the training ground for a week."

Xiao Wu's face fell at once. "Little Brother A-Zu, you're so mean!" she muttered. Even so, she obediently nodded her agreement, hurriedly swallowed the spicy strips in her mouth and opened another packet.

That afternoon, Yan Zu took several handwritten booklets to the old scholar tree at the entrance to the village. It was a gathering place where the children of Five Souls Village played, and seven or eight children were chasing and roughhousing beneath the tree.

"Little Stone, Er Ya, come here." Yan Zu beckoned to them.

Several children immediately gathered around him. They were all ordinary village children, the oldest no more than nine and the youngest only five. They loved listening to Yan Zu tell strange and wondrous stories-the Yan family's "little immortal child" knew so much, after all.

"Brother Zu, what story are you telling today?" a boy named Little Stone asked eagerly.