Mei Lele said nothing; she simply stood there. When Jin Bao saw she wasn't responding, he dropped the subject. "Dad, let's go home! Two days—I just want a good, long bath."
Jin Ge nodded. "Director Vess, I'll take my son back now. On Monday, when we come to school, I'll find you to register his spirit ring and spirit power." After that, he pulled Jin Bao into the carriage.
Back home, Jin Bao bathed and slept like a log.
The next day he woke up and spent the entire day cultivating and practicing his Spirit Ability.
On Monday, after registering his spirit power Rank and spirit ring, Jin Bao returned to the classroom. Same room, but he now had an extra course.
Combat Class—mandatory for every student who'd obtained their First Spirit Ring.
Because Jin Bao had declared himself a Support-type Soul Master and his Spirit Ability had passed the teacher's inspection, Combat Class meant weekly team fights; otherwise he trained alone.
Of course, that was for actual combat drills. In ordinary training he could still partner with other Spirit Masters.
Most of the time, however, the teacher paired him with Mei Lele.
"A support-system with only a defensive ability and an agility-attack system with only a ranged move—perfect match," the teacher said.
They took their positions. At the bell, Mei Lele's fan snapped open, sending blades of wind. Her First Spirit Skill was a simple wind-blade, but like Jin Bao's it could be released repeatedly, and with spirit power control she could vary its size, number, and flight path.
The whole term the two quietly competed. Whenever one unveiled a new trick, the other soon devised a counter.
As a pair, they never lost to any duo below the two-ring level.
Victory after victory spread their names through the academy; their seamless teamwork earned them the whispered title of "golden boy and jade girl."
Jin Bao's ability shone gold; Mei Lele's glowed jade-green.
Publicly neither acknowledged the rumor, yet whenever Mei Lele overheard it she dragged Jin Bao into a private rematch.
The cause: once, she stacked wind-blades against him. That day Jin Bao refused to be pummeled; he charged through the storm and fought her hand-to-hand.
Right hand shield-blade, left hand shield-bash, offense and defense in one; tiny shield-edges orbited within half a meter of his body, and he wielded them so deftly—
When he came to his senses, Mei Lele lay on the ground, her clothes pinned by the blades, his shield-edge at her throat.
He was terrified; for a week he avoided solo practice with her.
Then, before a partnered exam, she proposed a tactic that let them win effortlessly.
In the blink of an eye, year two arrived.
Stepping off the carriage, Jin Bao glanced at his father. "I told you—Mei Lele and I are just classmates!"
Jin Ge chuckled. "Fine, fine. But I still can't trace that girl's background; she could be real nobility. If you win her heart…"
Jin Bao slammed the carriage door and strode into campus.
Familiar sights lifted his mood. Thanks to that all-out fight with Mei Lele, his spirit power had reached Rank 17; in half a year he should hit 20 and qualify for a second spirit ring.
In the classroom he spotted a familiar figure.
"Yuan Bao, long time no see!" A cute, golden-haired boy bounded over.
"Balu, why the long hair? You know you…"
"Look like a girl in a skirt? I know! I wore one over break and earned a tidy sum handing out flyers."
"That's not something to brag about," Jin Bao sighed.
"It's my Spirit's fault—hair grows fast, faster when cut. Keeping it long slows it down, so I'm used to it."
"Whatever makes you happy." Jin Bao had learned how deeply a Spirit could shape its host.
He could accept this Balu; after all, the World had Chrysanthemum Douluo—so long as Balu didn't go that far, perpetual cuteness was fine.
Back at his seat Balu whispered, "Hey, for Combat Class, can you and Mei Lele team up with me?"
Jin Bao studied him: a century First Spirit Ring—only 150 years—boosted spirit power recovery.
If he amplified both Mei Lele and himself with that skill, Mei Lele could become a walking turret—though she was agility-attack, which felt… odd.
Then again, his own shield grew tougher and larger with each Rank; with shaping finesse he could mold it into full-body armor lasting ten minutes—only on himself, though.
So he could melee-tank, Mei Lele could ranged-dps, and Balu could keep them both fueled.
Great—I've become a warrior-tank.
He pulled out a notebook and scribbled. Balu peeked, baffled.
Tank, Warrior, Assassin, Ranged DPS, Control, Protection, Pure Support—seven terms arranged in seven spots.
A formation for seven-man team battles.
Exactly: Jin Bao recalled a 5v5 game from Earth whose hero roles fit this World's combat roles.
But since teams here were seven, add two more positions and tactics could diversify.
The bell rang; he snapped out of it.
'Why am I planning full-team strats? We're not there yet!'