"Come on, come on, Ah Jue, start with me — let me try what your wolf Spirit can do." Dai Mubai, eager to try, reached out his hand; he was not at all afraid of the Master saying it would draw blood.
"Since Mubai says so, then indulge him." Seeing Dai Mubai so excited, the Master smiled and said to Qian Jue.
*Sigh*
Qian Jue looked at Dai Mubai's excited expression, not sure whether to call his courage admirable or simply foolish. With a sigh, he controlled the wolf Spirit to drift over and stop beside Dai Mubai's hand.
"Boss Dai, I'm coming — it might hurt a little, so you must bear it."
"Don't worry, don't worry, go on! I'm a real man — am I afraid of pain?!" Dai Mubai waved at Qian Jue, signaling him to get on with it.
Seeing Dai Mubai so recklessly fearless, Qian Jue no longer hesitated. He controlled the wolf spirit and had its sharp fangs carve a bleeding cut across his arm.
"Ugh—what the hell, what the hell, what the hell!" At the instant the wolf spirit's fangs passed, Dai Mubai's legs went weak and he dropped to his knees, his right hand clutching his injured left arm; the interjection he'd learned from Qian Jue tumbled out of his mouth without stop.
Oscar, standing beside him, was taken aback by the reaction and stepped back two paces. "Boss Dai, are you okay? What's wrong? Don't scare me."
Dai Mubai ignored him, bowing his head and gripping his left hand so tightly veins bulged on his forehead. After a while, when the pain lessened, he recovered, lifted his head, and looked at Qian Jue with an aggrieved expression.
"Ah Jue — is this what you meant by 'a little pain'?"
"Ah, I guessed. I haven't tried it myself; this effect doesn't work on me, and I already told you repeatedly to be prepared." Qian Jue shrugged his shoulders, quite innocent.
"Damn it!"
Dai Mubai spat under his breath, then slowly stood up. He tentatively poked the skin around the bloodstain; feeling that the sensation was no different from before and confirming the wolf spirit's effect had already worn off, he exhaled in relief and stepped to one side.
"Your turn, Xiao Ao." Qian Jue, with the wolf spirit, turned toward Oscar.
"Heh heh—no, Teacher, Teacher Yu, I'm a Auxiliary-class Spirit Master, can't I skip this? Ah Jue, Brother Jue, please spare me..." Oscar looked at Qian Jue's turn as if he'd seen something terrifying, waving his hands and slowly backing away. But Qian Jue's wolf spirit was like a ghost: he took one step back, and the Wolf Spirit floated forward two, steadily closing in.
"Alright, Xiao Ao, stop backing away. You can't get away — come and try it obediently. Don't worry, it won't hurt for long. Look at Boss Dai; isn't he fine now?" Qian Jue reassured Oscar, using Dai Mubai as an example.
"As if I'd believe you — he was on his knees a moment ago, alright!!" Oscar didn't believe Qian Jue's nonsense for a second and kept stepping back, but suddenly felt something touch his back. Turning, he found Dai Mubai there.
"Relax, Xiao Ao. It really doesn't hurt. See—I already tried it, how could you run?" Dai Mubai said with an evil grin, teeth clenched. Then he reached out, grabbed Oscar's hands tightly, and held them spread and fixed.
That action, combined with Qian Jue's slow approach, was like an arrogant playboy of old teasing a young lady held by his servants.
"Don't worry, it only hurts for a moment." Qian Jue said this as he controlled the wolf spirit to cut along the arm that Oscar's hands were held by.
"Ah—ugh."
Unlike Dai Mubai, Oscar's body instantly went rigid; his left hand clamped hard on the injured right hand, his whole body locked straight, his breathing even stopped.
"Heh heh." Seeing Oscar so stiff, Dai Mubai couldn't help laughing.
"Hmph, you think you can get away."
They all watched the tautly-held Oscar. After about a minute, he finally moved a little and began to breathe slowly.
Phew. He breathed out deeply; the pain in his arm finally faded, and Oscar felt as if he'd come back to life. Looking up at the people staring at him, he lifted his foot to step away from the center of attention, but somehow suddenly toppled backward. Fortunately, Dai Mubai grabbed him.
"Xiao Ao, what's wrong, Xiao Ao?" Dai Mubai cried, checking him over. Qian Jue was startled too and hurried forward to inspect; Tang San and Xiao Wu also gathered around.
"Uh—I'm fine. I just held myself rigid too long and cramped my leg, that's all. Your turn now—Tang San, don't run." Oscar, still being held by Dai Mubai, said somewhat embarrassedly, but he kept his eyes on Tang San and Xiao Wu, wanting to see their reactions.
"..."
Tang San and Xiao Wu were speechless — how could this guy be like Dai Mubai?
"Alright, who wants to try next?" The Grandmaster, seeing Oscar was okay, beckoned Qian Jue to continue.
Hearing the Master, Tang San immediately stepped forward. "I'll go."
"No, Xiao San, I'll go first."
Tang San wanted to protect Xiao Wu and let her be last, but Xiao Wu stepped forward on her own.
"It's only pain — who do you think you're looking down on!"
"Brother Jue, come on, I'm not afraid!"
Xiao Wu, like a little hero, thrust out her right hand and stepped up in front of Qian Jue.
Seeing Xiao Wu's brave stance, Qian Jue doubted whether she was truly that brave, so he tried controlling the wolf spirit to nick her wrist. A trickle of blood immediately flowed out.
"Mm." Xiao Wu whimpered, clutching her wrist and squatting down, head bowed — whether she cried or not was unclear.
Tang San hurried over, took her hand, and comforted her. After a short while Xiao Wu breathed out deeply and stood up.
"It's not that painful."
Xiao Wu really hadn't cried or made a fuss; she had simply endured it, leaving Dai Mubai and Oscar on the sidelines dumbfounded.
"???"
What does this mean? When did I become worse than a girl? No way! I can't be beaten by a girl.
"Ah Jue, do it on me again — I want to try it again!" Dai Mubai suddenly called out, looking at Qian Jue seriously.
"Yeah, I want to try again too!" Oscar chimed in.
Qian Jue turned to the Grandmaster; the Grandmaster nodded. "This is good. Experiencing it more will let you more accurately sense the effect of your wolf spirit. It will be helpful in future battles."
Alright — Qian Jue no longer hesitated. He directly controlled the wolf spirit and gave each of the other three (aside from Xiao Wu) one cut. The three of them all clenched the injured spots, experiencing that intense pain again and quietly contemplating life.
....
"Hey, it really seems so. Although it's very painful, it's not unbearable." After the pain, Oscar exhaled and said in surprise.
Dai Mubai nodded in agreement.
"Yes. Although the wolf spirit increases the pain it inflicts, that increase still stays within the range humans can endure. The way you reacted earlier was only because it was your first time feeling that level of pain — the brain couldn't react in time, which led to such an extreme display. Later, because you had already felt it once, your brain was prepared and it didn't feel as intense.
And Xiao Wu as well — because of your two previous reactions, her brain had a certain degree of preparation, so even though it was her first time, she didn't feel it as painful."
At this moment the Grandmaster stood and explained to everyone.
"So, this is the effect of Xiao Jue's wolf spirit: it amplifies the pain suffered by those it injures. You must remember this feeling. In combat this effect will be even more significant than the sheep spirit's pain reduction and will more easily create openings in an enemy — you must seize those opportunities.
Also, Xiao Jue's wolf spirit has an invisibility effect. That invisibility has very high priority; you basically don't need to worry about being seen. Thus the wolf spirit more readily allows tactical cooperation with you — you should go and think it over carefully, discuss what tactics you can build around this effect.
And this — this is the main reason I brought you to this lesson."
To be continued.
(End of chapter.)