When they returned to the academy, the sky was already deepening into a twilight hue. The adrenaline from the hunt and the spirit ring absorption had faded, leaving behind the gnawing emptiness of hunger.
"So," Mei announced, brushing a stray leaf from her robe, "since we haven't eaten much all day, how about we go to a restaurant I know in the commercial district? My treat. To celebrate our breakthroughs." She offered a warm smile.
The street performances there had made her a familiar face, and the owner of a particular eatery always gave her a generous discount.
Xiao Wu immediately erupted in cheers. "Yes! Food! I'm starving enough to eat a whole elephant beast!" She grabbed Mei's and Tang San's hands, already pulling them towards the bustling district.
Tang San, though usually more reserved, found himself nodding in agreement. His body, after the immense strain of absorption, craved some delicious foods.
The restaurant Mei led them to was a lively, welcoming place filled with the aromatic steam of soups and sizzling stir-fries. The moment Mei stepped inside, a wave of recognition and cheerful greetings flowed from the staff and several patrons.
"Mei! Over here!"
"Saved your usual spot, little songbird!"
"Ready to grace us with a tune tonight?"
Mei accepted the attention with practiced grace, waving and smiling as they were ushered to a good table. It was a side of her that Tang San hadn't fully witnessed—the "senior Mei" who was a beloved local figure.
They ordered heaping plates of food, and for a while, the only sounds were contented chewing and Xiao Wu's enthusiastic declarations that "this pork is even better than the cafeteria's!"
As they finished their meal, the owner approached their table. "Mei, the crowd's asking for you. Feel up for a song?"
Mei nodded, her professional demeanor clicking into place. "Of course." She turned to her friends. "This won't take long. Enjoy your desserts." She moved to a small, cleared space near the center of the restaurant. Her Starlight Stage materialized with a soft shimmer, its gentle light drawing every eye in the room.
She began to sing. It wasn't a complex battle hymn, but a sweet, uplifting folk melody about harvest moons and home.
Xiao Wu, mouth full of pudding, watched with wide, admiring eyes. "She's so cool..."
From the shadows of a narrow alley across the street, a pair of keen, calculating eyes watched the scene inside the restaurant with intense focus.
The next day, Tang San and Xiao Wu were in the academy training ground, the morning sun filtering through the leaves. They were practicing, testing the limits of their new abilities.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass lashed out with newfound speed and precision, snaring a practice dummy. The golden patterns flared, and he focused, channeling a trickle of solar energy into the vine. The grass itself seemed to grow momentarily lusher and greener where he directed the energy.
Xiao Wu was a pink blur, her body bending and contorting with impossible grace. She launched a kick from a seemingly impossible angle, her Waist Bow allowing her to strike the dummy's back while facing completely away from it.
"It's amazing, Brother San!" she laughed, springing back to her feet. "With Mei's singing making us faster and you patching us up, we'll be unbeatable!"
Their practice was interrupted by a dry, deliberate cough. They turned to see a man standing at the courtyard's entrance, his hands clasped behind his back. He appeared to be in his forties, with a somewhat thin figure and short black hair.
His most striking feature was his perpetually half-lidded eyes, which gave him a lazy, almost sleepy demeanor. Despite this, his gaze held a sharp, analytical quality that seemed to miss nothing.
He stood with a slight slouch, as if burdened by the weight of his own knowledge, yet there was an undeniable air of authority about him.
"Tang San. Xiao Wu," he greeted, his voice as measured and dry as his cough. "I heard a curious rumor that two first-year students ventured into the spirit forest yesterday and returned successfully with spirit rings. I see the rumors were true. Congratulations on your breakthroughs."
Tang San and Xiao Wu exchanged a brief, confused glance. The man spoke with an expectation of being recognized, but neither of them had seen him before.
Tang San, ever polite, bowed slightly. "Thank you, sir. May we ask who...?"
Xiao Wu, never one for formalities, tilted her head. "Yeah, who are you? How do you know our names?"
The man's composed expression faltered for a heartbeat. A faint twitch appeared at the corner of his eye. He drew himself up slightly, the slight slouch straightening as if offended by their ignorance. He had clearly expected his reputation to precede him.
"I am Yu Xiaogang," he stated, his voice taking on a more formal, almost lecturing tone.
He paused, as if waiting for a reaction—a gasp of recognition, perhaps. When none came, he continued, a hint of strained patience in his voice.
"I am a researcher here at the academy. Some have seen fit to call me the... Grandmaster of spirit theory."
He said the title with a certain weight, clearly accustomed to it commanding immediate respect and deference. The fact that it meant nothing to these two children was visibly irritating.
Xiao Wu blinked. "Grandmaster? Of... theory?" She sounded thoroughly unimpressed, looking at Tang San as if to ask, 'What's so great about that?'
Tang San, while more diplomatic, also looked politely blank. "I see. It is an honor to meet you, Grandmaster Yu." The esteemed title 'Grandmaster' had clearly not reached the small village of Holy Spirit Village.
Yu Xiaogang looked between their two utterly blank faces. For a moment, he seemed to struggle with himself, a muscle in his jaw tightening as he visibly fought back his irritation at having to explain his own importance. He took a slow, controlled breath.
"Never mind," he said, his voice tighter now, the pretense of casual conversation gone. He decided to bypass the issue of his reputation entirely and get straight to the point that had brought him here.
His eyes, though half-open, scanned the courtyard with methodical precision, immediately noting the changes in Tang San—the vivid blue tips of his hair, the enhanced Blue Silver Grass with its peculiar golden patterns, and the subtle but tangible increase in his spiritual pressure.
His gaze lingered on Tang San, piercing and analytical. "A plant-type spirit ring, I assume? For your Blue Silver Grass? And it seems to have caused... a significant physical mutation." He didn't wait for an answer, his curiosity visibly piqued.
"The energy I feel from you is unusual. Not merely that of a first ring. May I inquire as to the species and approximate age of the spirit beast you subdued?"
His presence was like a shadow falling over their sunny practice session. He wasn't just making conversation; he was conducting an interrogation, his half-open eyes missing no detail, his mind already racing through theoretical possibilities and anomalies.
"Why do you ask, Master Yu?" Tang San asked politely, but a note of caution had entered his voice. He subtly moved half a step in front of Xiao Wu.
Yu Xiaogang's lips thinned into something that wasn't quite a smile. "I am merely a scholar of spirit theory," he said, his voice carrying a weight that suggested this was both explanation and warning.
"Unusual cases are of particular academic interest to me. Your Blue Silver Grass, with its innate full spirit power, was already an anomaly among martial souls. Now this..." He gestured vaguely toward Tang San's hair, his sharp eyes missing nothing. "...coupled with the distinct energy signature you now emit, defies several conventional understandings of spirit ring absorption."
He took a measured step forward, his hands still clasped behind his back. "The physical manifestation alone is remarkable enough - spiritual energy typically internalizes. But the quality of the energy... it feels both ancient and nascent. Tell me, did you experience any unusual phenomena during absorption? Visions? A sense of dual consciousness? Perhaps a cooling sensation rather than the typical spiritual heat?"
His questions came like precise strikes, each probing a different aspect of the experience that the standard texts never covered. This wasn't casual curiosity; this was an investigation.
Tang San maintained his polite demeanor, though his mind raced. "The process was intense but straightforward, Master Yu. The spirit beast was a Green Jade Branch Snake of approximately 400 years. Its photosynthetic nature seems to have integrated with my Blue Silver Grass in unexpected ways."
Yu Xiaogang's eyebrows rose slightly, the most emotion he had shown yet. "A hybrid species. Fascinating." His gaze intensified. "Yet you show no signs of spiritual instability. Quite the opposite."
It was then that he seemed to notice Xiao Wu properly for the first time, his analytical eyes scanning her. "And you, young lady. You've obtained your ring as well. Your flexibility suggests a mobility-based skill. A rabbit-type spirit, if I'm not mistaken?"
Before Xiao Wu could respond, he continued, returning his focus to Tang San. "This is precisely why I've sought you out. I believe you don't have a master's, correct? How about you be my disciple? You've seen my intellect; with my help, you will be a Titled Douluo before you're 40."
Yu Xiaogong hid his smug expression, believing that showing Tang San this much knowledge would be enough to entice him.
Humph, showing this much knowledge to a child should be enough to impress him.
The offer hung in the air, seemingly generous but feeling more like a demand. Yu Xiaogang's expression remained smiling, but his eyes never left Tang San, clearly believing he was the boy's best chance at true power.
Tang San met the Grandmaster's gaze, his own expression one of deep respect but unwavering resolve. He bowed slightly, a formal and polite gesture. "Master Yu, I am deeply honored by your offer. Your knowledge of spirit theory is renowned throughout the continent, and any disciple would be fortunate to learn from you."
He straightened up, his voice calm but firm. "However, I must respectfully decline. For now, I feel my path is one I must walk myself, to understand my spirit through my own efforts and experiences. I thank you for your confidence in me."
The smile on Yu Xiaogang's face froze. For a fraction of a second, his composed, scholarly mask slipped, revealing pure, unadulterated shock.
He had been so certain of his own value, so confident the boy would leap at the chance, that the polite refusal struck him like a physical blow. He had never been refused before.
He quickly recomposed himself, the surprise vanishing behind a veneer of mild amusement, though a sharp glint remained in his half-lidded eyes. "I see," he said, his voice drier than before. "Do not be too hasty in your decisions, Tang San. The path of a Spirit Master is long and fraught with pitfalls that theory can avoid."
He clasped his hands behind his back once more. "Perhaps you simply require more... information before making an informed choice. Come to my study for tea this afternoon. I believe after our conversation, you may find your perspective... altered." There was a cryptic, knowing weight to his words.
He was clearly confident that revealing his knowledge of Tang San's greatest secret—the twin spirits—would make the boy beg to be taught.
Without waiting for an answer, he gave a short nod and turned, his robes sweeping slightly as he walked away, leaving the two students in the courtyard.
The moment he was out of earshot, Xiao Wu grabbed Tang San's arm, her pink eyes wide with disbelief. "Brother San! You said no? Are you crazy? He's so weird. What if he does something horrible to you? Are you really not going to be his disciple? Are you going to his weird tea party?"
Tang San watched the path where Yu Xiaogang had disappeared, his expression thoughtful. The man's confidence was unsettling. What does he know?
"He is intelligent, Xiao Wu," Tang San acknowledged. "But a master-disciple bond is not entered lightly. It is a lifelong commitment. I need to understand his intentions first." He looked at his friend, a small smile touching his lips. "And yes, I will go for tea. If he has knowledge to share, it would be foolish not to listen. But I will not agree to be his disciple until I am certain it is the right path for me."
Xiao Wu pouted, not entirely convinced, but she trusted Tang San's judgment. "Well, okay. But if he tries anything weird, I'm kicking him!"
Tang San's smile widened slightly, but his mind was already elsewhere, contemplating the mysterious Grandmaster and the cryptic conversation that awaited him at dusk.