Qian Jue's eyes widened as he saw Xiao Wu flying through the air toward him. He almost ordered the wolf spirit of his Kindred to intercept her midair, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to do it. With a quiet sigh, he stepped back off the tree trunk and let himself fall straight down.
As he dropped, Qian Jue quickly glanced below, looking for a good landing spot—but what he saw instead was Tang San standing at the base of the tree, Clear Sky Hammer in hand. His burning gaze locked onto Qian Jue, hammer lowered, body set in a poised uppercut stance.
"Damn it… this insidious Tang San actually used Xiao Wu as bait!"
In that instant, Qian Jue pieced it all together. When Tang San had tossed Xiao Wu at him earlier, he hadn't expected her to land a hit. He already knew Qian Jue's wolf spirit must be lurking nearby, ready to guard him. Even so, Tang San had dared to fling Xiao Wu forward—because he was gambling that Qian Jue would never let her suffer. And while Qian Jue's attention was on Xiao Wu, Tang San had slipped under the tree to ambush him!
"Tch, manipulative bastard…"
After cursing Tang San inwardly, Qian Jue fixed his gaze on him, crouched and waiting like a hunter by a rabbit hole. With a flick of his right hand, he pulled himself sideways, his lightfoot skill kicking in. His body abruptly halted mid-fall, then he kicked off the wolf spirit in midair, vaulting horizontally past Tang San to land behind him at a safe distance, neatly evading the ambush.
This time, however, Qian Jue didn't retreat further. Instead, he crooked a finger at Tang San, signaling him to attack.
He wanted to test himself—just how far could his close combat ability go against Tang San?
In terms of skill, Qian Jue was no match. The Tang Sect techniques Tang San wielded had been tempered through countless refinements. Qian Jue's fighting methods, on the other hand, were born of his own contemplation and the lessons carved into him by years of battling spirit beasts.
In terms of raw strength, Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer was a top-tier power-type spirit weapon, and his forging practice gave him physical might greater than most power-type spirit masters at the same rank. Even with 4 spirit rings empowering him, Qian Jue's strength couldn't completely crush Tang San's. Without overwhelming force, Tang San's mastery of technique allowed him to offset the gap, ensuring he wouldn't be defeated in mere moments.
Sure enough, after exchanging several blows, even though Qian Jue's physical attributes surpassed Tang San's across the board, every time he was about to subdue him, Tang San managed to slip away with precise skill.
Tang San's stubborn persistence kept Qian Jue from ending the fight quickly, which gave Xiao Wu time to rejoin the battle. Having been dodged twice already, Xiao Wu was annoyed. Landing on a branch, she immediately leapt down, charging straight toward the two of them.
Now Qian Jue had no chance to disengage, caught up as he was with Tang San. Facing Tang San and Xiao Wu together, he knew full well that two fists couldn't beat four hands. Still, he wasn't afraid—this was a chance to test his limits.
And just as he expected, once Xiao Wu joined in, the tide shifted. What had been Qian Jue pressing the attack turned into a steady defense. Tang San's technique and Xiao Wu's soft skill meshed seamlessly, while Qian Jue held back from recklessly unleashing his Kindred's wolf spirit or his bow.
The result was inevitable.
*Bang! Thud! Ahh! Crack!*
After a flurry of blows, Xiao Wu flipped him over with her waist-bow technique, slamming him hard into the tree trunk.
"Ouch! Are you two trying to kill me?" Qian Jue groaned, bracing against the tree to stand back up. He carefully twisted his sore joints. Luckily, just before hitting the trunk, he had used his lightfoot skill to soften the impact, reducing his weight to nearly nothing. Otherwise, Xiao Wu's finishing move might have ended the match outright.
Realizing they might have struck too hard, Tang San and Xiao Wu rushed over to check him. Seeing that his injuries were only minor scrapes, Xiao Wu slapped his arm with a grin. "Haha! Jue-ge, you've got real talent as a punching bag. That workout felt amazing—let's spar like this more often!"
Qian Jue glared at her, face stern. "Hmph, spar, huh? Sounds like you've forgotten about my ultimate technique. Butt Pain!" He clasped his left hand over his right, formed a sword-finger with his right hand, and jabbed it toward Xiao Wu.
"Ah!"
Xiao Wu squealed and instantly darted behind Tang San.
Her reaction wasn't exaggerated. For the past 2 years, Qian Jue had used this move to punish plenty of people. At Nuoding Academy, almost no one dared to seek trouble with him anymore.
"Awuu…"
Tang San stumbled forward, clutching his backside with a resentful look at Qian Jue.
"Jue-ge…"
That pitiful stare made Qian Jue a little guilty. But when he remembered how ruthlessly the two of them had just beaten him, his chest swelled with self-righteousness. "And where was your mercy when you two were pummeling me? Hmph! Anyway, consider this a parting gift. I'm leaving."
"Leaving? Where to?" Tang San blinked in surprise. He had never imagined Qian Jue would leave. After all, Qian Jue's home was here, and they'd lived side by side for over 2 years without much separation.
"Of course—to Shrek Academy. I've outgrown what this place can offer. Teacher says it's time for me to advance to a greater academy."
"Shrek Academy…" Tang San murmured.
"Don't worry. Once you graduate here, you'll go too. After all, you're monsters—and Shrek only takes monsters. I've already met the dean of Shrek Academy. He even helped me secure my last spirit ring. He's a level-76 Spirit Saint."
"Bah, you're the monster! I'm not going to any weird place like that. What's so great about a Spirit Saint anyway?" Xiao Wu pouted, annoyed that Qian Jue had lumped her in as a "monster."
"A Spirit Saint… Our dean is only a level-40 Spirit Ancestor. That really is strong," Tang San admitted, impressed.
"Exactly. So work hard, or you'll get left in the dust." Qian Jue clapped Tang San's shoulder with a grin.
"Oh, right—Xiao Wu, this is for you." Suddenly remembering, he tossed her a badge for special enrollment.
"Since Tang San's been freeloading off you all this time, now it's his turn to eat off you."
"Bah, what do you mean 'eat off me'? Don't worry, I'll raise him until he's nice and plump." Xiao Wu snatched the badge with a laugh, making her promise.
"Good. Then keep training. I'm off. Don't miss me too much."
Qian Jue pulled both Tang San and Xiao Wu into a brief hug, then turned and soared away.
Yes—soared.
With lightfoot skill and the wolf spirit of his Kindred, he could now sustain short bursts of low-altitude flight.
Technically, he'd been able to before—but back then, carrying his own weight along with the wolf spirit made his speed plummet. Now, with lightfoot mastery and the boost of 4 spirit rings, it was true flight.
"Wow, Xiao San! Xiao San! Jue-ge can fly!" Xiao Wu tugged Tang San, eager to chase after him.
But Tang San held her back.
"That's enough, Xiao Wu. He left this way because he didn't want us to see him off. Hah… maybe that's for the best. Four years until graduation—we can't afford to fall too far behind. If we can't even keep up, how can we hope to surpass him?
Let's keep training, Xiao Wu."
With his resolve renewed, Tang San pulled Xiao Wu back into their relentless sparring practice.
…