"All right, Xiao Wu, stop bullying him now."
Zhou Qing finally spoke up, halting her next strike. "From now on, don't go around beating up Xiao Chenyu for no reason."
"What about beating you instead?" Xiao Wu asked playfully, grinning.
"If you want to spar with me, no problem. You can fight Tang San, or even challenge Romantina… sensei."
Zhou Qing hesitated slightly when mentioning "Romantina-sensei," but still said it aloud. "But if it's other students in the academy, you should issue a formal challenge first—and the other person has to agree. Otherwise, we're no better than those nobles who used to bully the working students for fun."
"Let's not become the kind of dragons we set out to slay."
His words carried weight.
Tang San was slightly stunned.
The dragon slayer becomes the dragon?
There was something meaningful behind that.
The other students, like Wang Sheng, didn't fully grasp the deeper meaning, but they understood Zhou Qing's point well enough. Even though the nobles used to pick fights and bully them, that didn't mean they, as working students, should turn around and abuse their own power the same way.
…Still, seeing those nobles get beaten up was pretty satisfying.
Xiao Wu also froze for a moment, then quickly pouted and said, "I'm not bullying the weak, okay?"
Xiao Chenyu, whose face was covered in bruises, looked at Zhou Qing with deep gratitude.
But Zhou Qing ignored him. He turned to the crowd of gathered students and declared,
"From today on, I'm setting a rule. If anyone has a grudge, or just doesn't like someone, they'll settle it right here on the academy's training grounds—in a fair duel."
"But there's one condition: you're not allowed to start trouble without reason. Before a sparring match begins, the challenger cannot deliberately insult, mock, or threaten the other person, nor force them into a fight through bribery or coercion."
"Sound fair?"
The surrounding students all recalled the overwhelming power of Zhou Qing's first spirit skill back when he fought the nobles. No one dared disagree.
And besides, what he said made sense. Things couldn't continue like they had been. If you wanted a fight, you had to issue a challenge—and both sides had to agree.
Zhou Qing knew that "mutual consent" wouldn't always work out perfectly.
But it was still far better than the free-for-all bullying of the strong preying on the weak.
Tang San nodded in agreement but asked, puzzled,
"Qing-ge, didn't you say you can't protect them for a lifetime?"
"Well… yeah. That's true," Zhou Qing admitted. "But if you've been caught in the rain before, you'll still want to hold up an umbrella for someone else. Even if it doesn't stop the downpour, at least it helps a little."
He thought of a friend in his previous life who had been bullied…
Maybe he shouldn't try to act so detached from it all.
"San."
"What is it?" Tang San could hear the emotion in Zhou Qing's voice and was confused.
"Can I ask you a favor?" Zhou Qing asked.
"What kind of favor?" Tang San was going to say, You don't need to ask, just tell me.
But… for some reason, he felt this request was important.
"If I ever forget where I came from… remind me," Zhou Qing said, looking up at the vast blue sky, letting out a long sigh.
"Huh?" Tang San was bewildered. "Where did you come from?"
"I was born in Saint Soul Village." Zhou Qing answered simply.
"Me too!" Tang San replied quickly, seeming to understand something, though he couldn't quite put it into words.
He could only place it within the category of "helping the weak" and nodded earnestly.
"What are you two talking about?" Xiao Wu asked, confused. "Who forgets where they come from? That's some terrible memory right there."
"A lot of people forget," Zhou Qing smiled.
"…Really?"
Tang San seemed to gain a deeper understanding, remembering how in his past life, many poor scholars, after earning titles and entering politics, never returned to their impoverished hometowns.
"And where do you come from?" Zhou Qing asked Xiao Wu.
"I come from… from…" Xiao Wu hesitated. She wanted to say the Star Dou Great Forest, but something about it didn't feel right.
And besides…
Is the Star Dou Great Forest really my home?
Sure, in the core lake area, I have my memories of Mom, and I met Da Ming and Er Ming there—but the real rulers of the forest were the likes of Di Tian. Mom, Da Ming, Er Ming, and I… we were just temporary guests when they were away.
A true home, I guess… I never really had one.
Seeing her mood drop, Zhou Qing didn't press the question further. Instead, he smiled and declared,
"All right! Then it's settled. From now on, if you want to spar, do it right here in the training ground!"
"Fine! Then I'll be the referee from now on!" Xiao Wu shook off her worries and cheerfully shouted to the students,
"If anyone doesn't agree, they'll have to answer to my fists first!"
"Sister Xiao Wu, so cool!"
"Brother Zhou Qing, awesome!"
"Brother Tang San, amazing!"
On the training grounds, nobles, commoners, and working students alike cheered for Xiao Wu, Zhou Qing, and Tang San.
In the faculty office, teachers opened the windows and watched the lively scene.
"Hey, aren't those three from your class, Mo Hen?" one teacher asked. "They've got some leadership in them—making even those noble brats fall in line."
"I didn't expect this either…" Mo Hen sighed, somewhat emotional.
"And to think their little errand at the Notting Guild somehow got them tangled up with Romantina."
"I heard they all got century-level spirit rings. Is that true?" another teacher asked. "Could they be children from some major clan?"
"Who knows?"
"Probably not. Kids from big clans wouldn't mix so naturally with commoners. And looking at them, they don't seem like they grew up in noble or sect upbringing."
"That's true. Noble children carry themselves with a certain air. Take Xiao Chenyu, for example—arrogant as he was, his posture and confidence were like a rooster strutting proudly.
But those three—Zhou Qing's relaxed and easy-going, Tang San's calm and gentle, and Xiao Wu's lively and bold. Completely different vibes."
"Honestly, I don't think Romantina's a noble either. When she acts all proper and elegant, it feels like she's putting on a show, not something natural."
"That's why the people of Notting City like her so much."
"But I also heard the adventurers at the Notting Guild don't like teaming up with her for missions."
"Well, those two things aren't exactly contradictory…"
Mo Hen brought the conversation back on track.
"What do you think? What if we build an official dueling platform here on the academy grounds, like a mini Spirit Arena?"