The next morning dawned bright and clear. Tang San and Xiao Wu walked side-by-side along the familiar path to the training ground, the dew-kissed grass sparkling under the rising sun. The air was fresh, carrying the promise of a new day, but a thread of unspoken curiosity hung between them.
Xiao Wu, unable to contain herself any longer, broke the comfortable silence. She nudged Tang San with her elbow, her pink eyes wide with anticipation. "So? Spill it, Brother San! What happened with the weird Grandmaster yesterday? Did he try to hypnotize you with his sleepy eyes? Offer you a cursed spirit bone? What?"
Tang San's lips quirked into a faint smile at her dramatics. The memory of the tense afternoon tea was still vivid. "It was... an interesting conversation," he began, choosing his words carefully. He saw no reason to lie to Xiao Wu, but the full truth of his twin spirits was a secret he had to keep, even from her.
"He is, without a doubt, incredibly knowledgeable," Tang San admitted. "He had deduced a great deal just from observing us."
Xiao Wu's eyes widened. "He knew about our spirit rings?"
"He knew more than that," Tang San said, his voice lowering slightly. "He presented a theory. He believes the reason for my innate full spirit power is that I possess a twin martial spirit."
Xiao Wu stopped walking, her mouth dropping open. "Twin spirits?! Like, two? At once? Is that even possible?" The concept was clearly fantastical to her.
"According to his research, yes," Tang San replied, nodding. "And he believed one of them must be immensely powerful to compensate for the Blue Silver Grass."
"Whoa..." Xiao Wu breathed, impressed despite herself. "So he's not just a weirdo, he's a smart weirdo. So you agreed to be his disciple? He can teach you how to use two spirits!"
This was the crux of it. Tang San shook his head, his expression turning serious. "No. I declined again."
"Why?" Xiao Wu asked, utterly bewildered. "That sounds amazing!"
"Because his theory is flawed," Tang San explained, the analytical part of him taking over. "He is smart, but he is so desperate to prove his own ideas that he isn't seeing clearly. He believes a powerful spirit is 'boosting' a weak one. But the basic texts on the subject—the ones even I've read—state that for two spirits to coexist, they must be of similar quality. Otherwise, they would conflict and tear the soul apart. He was so focused on proving he was right that he overlooked the fundamental rule of his own theory."
He looked at Xiao Wu, his gaze firm. "A master who cannot see past his own assumptions is a dangerous guide. He sees me as proof of his theory, not as a person. He doesn't understand the real nature of my spirit; he only understands the version that fits his narrative."
Xiao Wu processed this, her nose scrunching up in thought. "So... he's a fraud?"
"Not a fraud," Tang San corrected. "A brilliant man who has become blinded by his own intellect. He has the knowledge, but his judgment is clouded. I cannot trust him with my path."
"Hmph," Xiao Wu snorted, crossing her arms. "I knew it. Super weird. And super rude to guess stuff about you like that." Her protective instincts flared. "If he bothers you again, I'll give him a Waist Bow right to his stuffy old face."
Tang San chuckled softly at her fierce loyalty. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that. For now, we have our own training to focus on. We rely on ourselves, and on Mei."
"Right!" Xiao Wu agreed, her enthusiasm returning instantly. "We're way cooler than some old theory guy anyway! Race you to the training ground!"
With a burst of pink energy, she shot off down the path, laughing. Tang San smiled and followed at a more sedate pace, his heart feeling lighter after sharing the burden. The Grandmaster was a complication, but he was not a threat they couldn't handle together.
The familiar training field came into view, but the usual sounds of casual practice were absent. Instead, the air was thick with tension. A circle had formed around a confrontation, and at its center were their dorm mates, Wang Sheng and the others, looking defiant but outnumbered.
Opposing them was another group of students, their uniforms finer, their postures dripping with a sense of entitlement. These were the children of nobility, the rich students from the other dormitories who often looked down on the "commoners" from their dorm.
Tang San and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance, their lighthearted race forgotten. They quickened their pace, weaving through the gathering crowd to stand beside their friends.
"What's going on here?" Tang San asked, his voice calm but firm, his gaze sweeping over the hostile group.
One of the rich students, a tall boy with a sneer that seemed permanently etched on his face, stepped forward. "Well, well, if it isn't the two little shadows. Finally decided to show up?"
Xiao Wu's hands went to her hips. "And who are you supposed to be? The welcoming committee? You're blocking our training spot."
A smaller, weasel-faced boy beside the leader laughed. "Your training spot? You think you deserve it? You think you deserve anything after the way you've been acting?"
Wang Sheng, his face flushed with anger, spat out, "They've been saying we're not fit to be near 'their' Mei! That we're bothering her!"
The pieces clicked into place for Tang San. The Grandmaster's interest, the strange questions, and now this. Their friendship with Senior Mei had drawn attention, and not the good kind.
The leader, whose name they would learn was Xiao Chenyu, scoffed. "She's a rare talent, a once-in-a-generation spirit. She doesn't need commoner riff-raff like you clinging to her and slowing her down. You think just because she gives you some attention, she's one of you? Know your place."
"So that's what this is about," Tang San said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone. The protectiveness he felt for his friends—and for Mei, who had been nothing but kind—flared within him. "You believe you have the right to decide who Mei associates with?"
"We have the right to ensure the best for the academy's future," Xiao Chenyu retorted pompously. "And that means keeping distractions away from her. Consider this a warning. Stay away from Senior Mei. Stop following her around like lost puppies, or next time, the consequences will be more than just a few harsh words."
Xiao Wu's pink eyes flashed with fury. "Or what? You'll cry to your mommies and daddies? Mei is our friend! We'll train with her if we want to! She doesn't belong to you!"
"Friend?" The weasel-faced boy laughed derisively. "A tool, more like. You see her status and want to leech off it. We're doing her a favor."
That was the final straw. The accusation was so vile, so opposite to the pure joy and mutual respect they shared with Mei, that it erased any hesitation.
"You will take that back," Tang San said, his voice ice-cold. He took a single step forward, and the air around him seemed to grow heavier.
Xiao Chenyu, confident in his own rank and the backing of his group, merely smirked. "Or you'll do what, trash?"
In a blur of motion, it was Xiao Wu who moved first. Her patience had evaporated. "This!"
Her first kick was a warning, aimed at the weasel-faced boy's chest. It connected with a thud, sending him stumbling back into his companions, gasping for air.
Chaos erupted.
Xiao Chenyu roared in anger, his spirit flaring to life—a gleaming silver sword. His companions followed suit, summoning a variety of weapons and beast spirits.
But they were unprepared for the storm they had unleashed.
Tang San didn't summon his martial spirit. He didn't need to. Against these arrogant bullies, the power of Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and the strength of his Mysterious Heaven Skill were more than enough.
He became a phantom, weaving between them. A precise strike to the wrist disarmed one boy. A gentle push, amplified by internal energy, sent another tripping over his own feet into a messy heap.
Xiao Wu was a pink hurricane. She danced between them, her Waist Bow technique a beautiful and devastating weapon. "You want a favor? Have this one!" she taunted as another boy found himself flipped head over heels onto the hard ground.
It was over in moments. The group of rich students lay on the ground, groaning, their fine uniforms dusty and torn, their pride thoroughly shattered. They looked up at Tang San and Xiao Wu with a mixture of pain, shock, and dawning fear.
Tang San stood over Xiao Chenyu, who was clutching his bruised ribs. "Listen carefully," Tang San said, his voice low and leaving no room for argument. "Mei is not a tool. She is our friend. We will not be staying away from her. If you have a problem with that, you deal with me. If you bother our friends again, or if you ever speak to Mei with anything less than respect, you will regret it. This was your only warning. Do you understand?"
Xiao Chenyu, humiliated and defeated, could only nod weakly and run off.
Xiao Wu then turns back to her dorm mates, "Since that's settled, let's continue our training." The other student nodded in agreement and started their training with Tang San and Xiao Wu joining in.