The wind whispered across the clearing, stirring leaves in lazy spirals as the tension between the two boys crackled in the air like a brewing storm.
Tang San stared at Qian Yu, wide-eyed and unmoving, as if the very ground beneath his feet had shifted. A chill rippled through his chest—not from the breeze, but from the words he had just heard.
He knows.
He knew the soul ring Tang San had absorbed had belonged to a Mandala Snake. He even knew the beast had been grievously wounded before the final blow was struck. But how? That kind of knowledge wasn't something one could guess or deduce—it was firsthand.
And if that wasn't enough, Qian Yu had just wielded wind-based powers—an entirely separate martial soul.
Dual martial souls?
Tang San's thoughts tangled like thorns. What else is this guy hiding?
Across from him, Qian Yu's expression remained calm, almost amused. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. He stepped forward lightly, voice steady and warm, yet laced with something unspoken.
"You're wondering how I knew all that, right?"
Tang San nodded slowly, eyes narrowed, guarded. Though he looked young, there was an old soul in his gaze. "Yeah… I'd be lying if I said I wasn't."
Qian Yu tilted his head, watching him with mild interest, then said casually, "Because the Mandala Snake you absorbed? I was the one who injured it."
The words dropped like stones into still water.
Tang San instinctively stepped back. His chest tightened, mouth dry.
He hurt the Mandala Snake?
That soul beast had been over four hundred years old—a monster even his teacher had warned him to avoid. Tang San had only dared confront it with hidden weapons and the secret arts of the Tang Sect. And even then, it was barely manageable. Yet Qian Yu had wounded it—critically, at that.
That meant... by the time Tang San found it, it had been dying.
He hadn't defeated it.
He'd picked up Qian Yu's leftovers.
The thought curdled in his stomach like spoiled milk.
Qian Yu didn't press. His smile remained easy. "Didn't think you'd be that lucky, huh? Showed up just in time to collect what I left behind."
Tang San's face darkened. It twisted—shame, frustration, disbelief all warring behind his eyes. He'd taken pride in that soul ring. He and his teacher had seen it as a turning point, a milestone. But now...
Now it was a hand-me-down.
And worse—from him.
Tang San clenched his fists. If he'd known it had been Qian Yu's prey, he would've walked away without hesitation. He would've rather left empty-handed.
"I can't believe this…" he whispered, voice hollow. "Why… why does it have to be you?"
Qian Yu's tone remained as tranquil as a mountain stream. "What's wrong? Giving up already?"
The words struck something deep in Tang San—something raw and stubborn. His eyes narrowed.
He wouldn't run from this.
No. If anything, he'd fight harder.
He inhaled deeply, and in that breath, centered himself.
The purple gleam of the Purple Demon Eye surged to life within him. His aura shifted—the serene surface breaking to reveal a fierce current beneath.
Xuan Tian Technique, engage.
The ground beneath him cracked faintly as spirit power surged through his limbs. He raised his gaze and met Qian Yu's eyes.
"I'm not backing down," he said, his voice steady now, steel beneath silk. "Qian Yu, I will defeat you."
Qian Yu chuckled, not unkindly, as though amused by a kitten baring its fangs. "Is that so?" he murmured, brushing wind-swept hair from his brow. "Then I'll be watching."
Tang San vanished.
One moment he stood before Qian Yu, the next—gone, his movement masked by the shadow-dance of the Tang Sect's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step. Fast. Too fast for the untrained eye.
A flicker behind.
Two concealed weapons flew toward Qian Yu's back silent as whispers.
But the wind answered.
With a sharp hum, a wall of compressed air spiraled into existence, shielding Qian Yu in a dome of motion. The blades clattered harmlessly to the ground.
Tang San didn't slow.
"Blue Silver Grass!" he shouted, thrusting a palm to the earth.
Thick vines erupted from the ground, coiling into a muscular trunk beneath his feet. Like a spring-loaded catapult, it launched him into the air. He soared, twisting in mid-air, before launching toward Qian Yu like a missile.
His classmates gasped from the sidelines.
"Blue Silver Grass can do that?"
Riding the arc of momentum, Tang San fell like a hawk from twenty meters up, arm cocked, a punch primed with every ounce of force gravity and soul power could offer.
"Go, San-ge!!" someone cried.
"Man, if he hit me with that, I'd be in the infirmary for a week…" muttered Xiao Chenyu, awe flickering across his face.
Qian Yu didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't even blink.
"He's just… standing there?" someone whispered.
Tang San's eyes sharpened. Too easy.
His palm brushed the sash at his waist—prepping a second wave of hidden weapons.
He was ready. If Qian Yu struck, he'd dodge and counter at point-blank range.
No one could react faster than that.
But then—
A smile.
Just a faint curve at the edge of Qian Yu's lips.
And then…
His eyes.
They turned crimson.
Tang San saw them—locked eyes with him for a breathless second—and the world blinked out.
Darkness.
His thoughts scattered like dandelions in the wind. His mind emptied. No pain. No fear. Not anything.
When consciousness returned, it was too late.
BOOM.
A gale-forged first met his chest with thunderous force.
He flew—like a ragdoll from the vine—collapsing in a heap as blood sprayed from his lips.
Gasps.
Silence.
Then shockwaves of disbelief.
Xiao Chenyu trembled. "How… How is this possible? He beat San-ge… without moving a step?"
The other students stared at Qian Yu as if seeing him for the first time.
He hadn't dodged. He hadn't even raised a hand until the final blow. He had simply stood there—silent, composed—and dismantled everything Tang San had thrown at him.
Was he really just a working student?
Who was this guy?
Qian Yu walked forward, calm as ever, and looked down at Tang San, who lay battered but not broken on the ground.
"You're talented," Qian Yu said softly, "More than most. And your techniques… they're formidable. You've got potential."
Tang San lifted his head, teeth gritted, eyes burning with frustration and resolve.
"Qian Yu… I might not be your match now. But don't get cocky. Someday—I will catch up to you."
The wind ruffled Qian Yu's hair as he gazed down, that same elusive smile still on his lips.
"Catch up?" he repeated, almost to himself. "I've never considered someone I've defeated a rival."
His eyes grew distant, like he was already looking far beyond this moment, beyond this field.
"I'll give you time to chase me," he said quietly. "Until the day you can no longer see my back."
And with that, he turned—each step echoing like the toll of a distant bell.
___________________
Daily Uploads!
Unlock Bonus Chapters:
1. Reach 100 / 200 / 300 / 400 / 500 / 600 Power Stones per Chapter!
2. Visit: https://www.fanfns.top to read the unlocked bonus chapters.
3. You can read up to 2 chapters ahead of Webnovel by using the link!
Resets every Monday