After activating his soul skill, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass split into more than ten strands, winding gently around the waists of everyone in the Seventh Dormitory—including Xiao Wu.
Almost instantly, Xiao Wu, Wang Sheng, and the others felt a warm energy flow into their bodies. It was soothing, and any scratches, bruises, or soreness vanished.
"What a powerful soul skill! It healed everything!"
Wang Sheng rolled up his sleeve to inspect his once-bruised arm, now perfectly healed. He looked at Tang San with admiration—not just because he had become a soul master, but because he had such a rare and helpful healing ability.
If they were injured in the future, they had someone to turn to.
"It's… passable," Tang San said modestly, though in his heart, he wasn't entirely satisfied.
The soul skill couldn't refine the earth's energy into soul power.
If it could, he was confident he could become a Titled Douluo before graduating from Nuoding Academy.
But unfortunately, that was impossible.
—
"How long do you need to master your soul skill?" Xiao Wu asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.
"I remember—you've never called me Sister Xiao Wu. If I win, you have to."
Tang San smiled subtly, the kind that made Xiao Wu's scalp tingle—but not unpleasantly. He had a scent about him that made her think of something nostalgic.
Something… delicious.
"What if I win?" Tang San asked calmly.
"The title of 'Boss of the Seventh Dormitory'—even the Boss of Nuoding Academy—will be yours," Xiao Wu said confidently.
Tang San had changed since obtaining his first soul ring, and his presence was appealing, but Xiao Wu wasn't foolish. She wasn't about to bet herself in this wager.
"I'm not interested in being dorm boss or school boss," Tang San said flatly. Then, with rare seriousness, he looked directly at her.
"I want a promise."
"A promise?" Xiao Wu tilted her head. "What kind of promise?"
Tang San's voice dropped to a more analytical tone, one that caught the attention of everyone in the dorm.
"Judging by your manner, you're not like us—not a real working student."
In front of everyone, he laid out his deduction in a way even Wang Sheng and the others could follow:
"You have a smooth complexion. You didn't know the value of money when you got here. You've never done hard labor. And your first soul ring was a hundred years old. That's not something a civilian could achieve casually."
"You're clearly a little princess from a powerful family who's run off to experience life."
Xiao Wu laughed. "You guessed wrong. I'm not some rich girl. Besides—didn't you also get a hundred-year soul ring? Wouldn't that make you the same?"
"Not quite," Tang San countered. "My martial soul is Blue Silver Grass. It just mutated."
"When I first came to the dorm, I looked just like Wang Sheng and the others—skin dark, thin as a stick, hair rough. You remember that."
Wang Sheng and the others nodded. They clearly remembered how Tang San had looked when he arrived: scrawny, sun-baked, and utterly unremarkable.
"But after absorbing the soul ring, my martial soul mutated, and that triggered my physical changes."
Tang San continued, "My home is in Holy Spirit Village. When holidays come, if you have time, you're welcome to visit. My grandfather is the village head. It's not a secret."
"I only made it this far because, before awakening my martial soul, I became friends with Su Yuntao from the Spirit Hall. Later, he and Master Ma Xiunuo helped me study soul theory and hunt for a soul ring."
Wang Sheng's eyes gleamed with admiration.
Compared to Xiao Wu's mystery, Tang San's rise from humble beginnings was relatable—and inspiring.
—
Xiao Wu realized her little fanbase had been won over in just a few words. She pouted.
"Anyway, I'm not some noble-born girl."
But even her tone sounded unconvinced.
Wang Sheng and the others weren't scholars, but they weren't fools either. A girl with that kind of elegance, control, and presence—who casually suppressed the noble kids and never once showed fear—didn't act like a commoner.
Still, as long as she stayed in the Seventh Dormitory and lived as a working student, she was one of them.
A worthy boss.
Even if she was a bit eccentric, she protected them.
But if she suddenly left, what would happen to them?
—
"Well, noble or not, give me your word," Tang San said gently. "In the future, if I have deeper ideas about martial soul research, and I need strong people to help, you'll ask your family to support me."
"I told you—I'm not—" Xiao Wu tried to argue, but paused. Then she sighed.
"Even if I were from a big family, I ran away. No one's come looking. That means they don't care."
"That's not necessarily true," Tang San replied.
"Maybe they're watching from the shadows—making sure you're safe."
"It makes sense," he continued. "If someone from a noble family awakened with innate full soul power and ran away, the family wouldn't just let them wander. They'd definitely send someone to protect them in secret."
"After all, someone like that is destined to become a Titled Douluo. A family wouldn't risk losing them."
"Look—while I was away hunting soul beasts, you took over Nuoding Academy, beat back the nobles, and crushed their pride. Even if you're strong, do you really think they'd just accept that defeat?"
"They'd send people to investigate you. Study your background. If you were really a civilian and had no backers, they'd suppress you, maybe even make you disappear."
Xiao Wu shivered.
Tang San's logic wasn't far off—if she were a normal soul master, defeating the nobles like that might very well have drawn retaliation.
"But… they haven't come after me, have they?" she said stubbornly. "People aren't that evil."
"No, they aren't," Tang San said. "But they're also not as kind as you think. They didn't retaliate because they assume you have a family behind you—a strong one. Because civilian soul masters don't have hundred-year soul rings as their first ring."
He paused. "Just like me. I only got mine because of Su Yuntao and Ma Xiunuo."
Xiao Wu fell silent.
She had entered human society a bit too casually.
But now, she realized the misunderstanding about her background was protecting her.
If others believed she was a noble heir, they wouldn't dare act recklessly.
Which was… convenient.
Besides—Da Ming and Er Ming were both hundred-thousand-year soul beasts. In terms of influence, she did have the equivalent of two Titled Douluo protecting her.
Wasn't that basically the same as being from a powerful clan?
—
"Fine. I agree to your condition," Xiao Wu said, raising her chin.
"Three days from now, we'll duel—on Nuoding Academy's playground."
She looked down at him slightly.
Girls matured faster than boys, and she was still a few centimeters taller than Tang San.
Tang San didn't mind.
He just smiled.
A serious promise had been made.
And in three days, their first true duel would begin.