Time flew by swiftly.
In the blink of an eye, Qi Lin and Xiao Wu had already spent a full year at Nuoding Academy.
Qi Lin swore to the heavens—he really hadn't trained that hard!
But somehow, his soul power just kept increasing like crazy.
Three months ago, he had already reached rank 20. He just hadn't bothered to obtain his second spirit ring yet.
And it wasn't just him—Xiao Wu had hit rank 19 as well.
As for Tang San?
The rapid progress of the other two had nearly driven him into a state of self-doubt and isolation.
Over the course of the year, he had challenged Xiao Wu three times—and each time, he had been thoroughly beaten.
Despite training day and night with blood, sweat, and tears, he had only just managed to reach rank 17.
Now, the dormitory was mostly empty. Their roommates had already packed up and gone home for the break, leaving only Qi Lin and Xiao Wu behind.
The two sat side by side in front of a game console, each with a controller in hand, completely absorbed.
A loud K.O. rang out from the screen, followed by Xiao Wu's shrill protest, "Ahhh! I told you to go easy on me!"
Qi Lin stretched lazily and replied without much concern, "I did go easy on you. I let you get me down to half health, didn't I?"
He smirked. "If you're bad at it, practice more. Can't handle losing? Then don't play."
"Humph!" Xiao Wu huffed and turned away, puffing up her cheeks in frustration. "I'm not talking to you anymore!"
Qi Lin raised his hands with a shrug. "Perfect. Now I can finally fight the AI in peace. You've been playing for months and still can't beat the beginner-level bots."
"You're so mean, Qi Lin ge!" Xiao Wu stomped her foot. "I'm serious! I'm not talking to you anymore!"
"Alright, alright," Qi Lin said with a chuckle. "Later on, if there's anything you want on the way home, I'll buy it for you. That cheer you up?"
"Really?" Her big, bright eyes lit up instantly.
Xiao Wu had always been the kind of girl who couldn't hold onto money. Every time she got her stipend from the Spirit Hall, she'd blow through it in a matter of days.
She envied Qi Lin terribly. He never seemed to lack spending money and always managed to run into friendly people offering him discounts or even treating him to meals.
Unfortunately for her, most of those generous people were girls.
Still, if Qi Lin would just spend those gifts on her instead, she figured she could live with it.
Qi Lin rolled his eyes. "If you don't believe me, then forget it."
"Hey, hey, I was just joking!"
As the two bantered and bickered, the dormitory door suddenly swung open.
It was Tang San.
"Oh, it's you, Little San." Xiao Wu turned casually toward the newcomer, unbothered.
Qi Lin looked over as well, curious.
Over the semester, he hadn't spoken much with Tang San, but he had no particular issue with him either. Just a regular classmate, really.
That said, Tang San did look healthier than when he'd first arrived.
Back then, the kid had been pale and thin, with yellowish skin from malnutrition.
Now, after a year of good food and rest, his face had filled out, and he didn't look nearly as frail.
Looking at him now, Qi Lin couldn't help but sigh inwardly. What a shame Tang San had such a deadbeat of a father. The poor guy had nearly starved to death before even starting school!
Tang San smiled faintly and spoke up, "Xiao Wu, I don't have many friends. Since we're on break, I'd like to invite you and Qi Lin to my home as guests."
He looked at Xiao Wu, his eyes quietly expectant.
Tang San was no fool. He knew that if he invited only Xiao Wu, she'd never agree to go. So he wisely included Qi Lin as well.
Xiao Wu turned toward Qi Lin. "Qi Lin ge, what do you think?"
Qi Lin paused for a moment, then nodded. "Sure, sounds interesting."
He was curious about the famous old man, Grandpa Jack. This would be a good chance to see him in person.
Tang San brightened at once. "Great! Where's your luggage? I've got a spirit tool—we can store it inside."
He pointed at the exquisite jade belt around his waist—Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moonlight.
Qi Lin chuckled and held up his wrist, revealing a sleek silver bracelet.
"No need. I've got a spirit tool too."
Tang San blinked. "You have one too?"
"Yeah," Qi Lin replied nonchalantly. "A nice older girl gave it to me on the first day of school."
Tang San frowned slightly, digging through his memories. Back when Qi Lin first entered Dorm 7, he didn't have any accessories on his hands. But that same night, he'd returned wearing the bracelet. Tang San had assumed it was just a regular ornament.
He hadn't expected it to be a spirit tool.
"Well," Tang San said finally, "you're really lucky. Spirit tools are expensive."
Qi Lin silently agreed. Way too many of them were ridiculously overpriced.
Fortunately, he could now make some himself. Honestly, it hadn't been all that hard to learn.
As they left the academy grounds, they passed by the new gatekeeper. The old one had been fired just three days into the semester due to multiple complaints.
The new gatekeeper was a simple-looking teenager around seventeen or eighteen. Qi Lin got along well with him and even waved goodbye before leaving.
A horse-drawn carriage waited by the entrance. Tang San had prepared it in advance for the trip.
During the ride, Xiao Wu chatted nonstop, her voice lively and animated. Tang San, on the other hand, remained unusually quiet.
Noticing this, Qi Lin decided to pull him into the conversation. He steered the topic toward spirit beasts and cultivation theory.
Despite Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's flawed logic and heavy reliance on the Spirit Hall's library, some of his teachings had merit. And Tang San, being his disciple, had absorbed quite a bit of that knowledge.
The two boys quickly found common ground, and Tang San slowly opened up, becoming more animated and confident as he spoke.
But then came Xiao Wu's killer blow.
"Little San," she said, tilting her head innocently, "maybe your soul power's so low because you waste all your time reading theory instead of actually training?"
Her words stabbed Tang San like a dagger to the chest.
So painful. Too painful!
He wanted to argue, to say that he trained way harder than those two slackers ever did.
But when he thought about his pitiful rank 17 soul power compared to their rapid progress, self-doubt surged up again.
They were all born with innate full soul power. So why were Qi Lin and Xiao Wu advancing so much faster?
Could it really be… that Blue Silver Grass was that useless?
But Qi Lin's spirit was also a mutated Blue Silver Grass!
Watching Tang San spiral into confusion and doubt, Xiao Wu grinned smugly.
That's what you get for showing off.
Tang San didn't recover for a long time.
Qi Lin scratched his head awkwardly. Well, that wasn't his fault.
He'd only wanted to stop Tang San from feeling left out while he and Xiao Wu chatted the whole way. Who would've guessed that the moment Tang San got to talk about something he was good at, he'd start acting all high and mighty?
They say beauty brings disaster. Qi Lin guessed Tang San had just been trying to impress Xiao Wu, only for it to backfire completely.
Not that he believed Tang San had feelings for Xiao Wu already—she was still a little girl, after all.
But considering how quiet and introverted Tang San had been in his past life, Qi Lin wouldn't be surprised if he was naturally drawn to outgoing girls like Xiao Wu.
If he'd been raised differently from the start, Qi Lin mused, Tang San might've become a full-on anime nerd.
His current personality was shaped by Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang, Tang Hao, and even the Slaughter City. Environment and education mattered a lot.
What a pity.