Spiritual Sea – Yang Xiaolong
Sitting on a simple armchair, Zeus watched her little golden eagle diligently practicing sword techniques. Previously, the white-haired goddess had taught her the basic concepts, and now it was up to the child to train on her own. Seeing that focused and determined little face, Zeus couldn't help but recall Xiaolong's recent battle.
Despite having made a mistake or two, considering that it had been only her second real fight—excluding training with her or Tang Wutong—Zeus viewed it as a valuable experience. One cannot always win in life, and she believed this was an important lesson for her little eagle to learn early on. In fact, since that defeat, Xiaolong had been training even harder.
"I hope I'm right about this." Turning her attention to the books scattered on the table, Zeus sighed, slightly worried.
Among the open volumes were detailed accounts of various spirit beasts from the Douluo continent. Now that Xiaolong had reached the 10th rank of her martial soul, Zeus was devoting herself to finding the ideal beast to help her break through her first evolutionary bottleneck.
If the girl's martial soul was indeed a variant or mutation of the weapon Zeus suspected—the Sacred Spear Longinus—then she had found the perfect beast for her first soul ring: the Silver-Eyed Grey Wolf. These wolves, although common in certain regions, would leave their packs and live solitary lives upon reaching a certain age.
Considering that this creature possessed the ability to generate gravitational fields, the skill granted by its soul ring would fit perfectly with Xiaolong's Hands of Longinus. Zeus's only concern was the age of the beast: even though Xiaolong could endure a soul ring over 400 years old, she would have to hunt the beast without assistance.
"Teacher, what are you staring at so intently?" a sweet and curious voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Oh, this?" Zeus smiled, unfazed, and pulled the student onto her lap. "I'm deciding what your first soul ring will be."
Used to this routine, Xiaolong let herself be pulled and sat comfortably, peeking at the open book before her. Her eyes shone with curiosity.
"But, Teacher... shouldn't we look for a beast with Light or Sacred attributes to match my martial soul?"
"Fufufu~ Just trust your beautiful teacher," Zeus replied with a mischievous smile, hugging the girl and pinching her cheeks. "I guarantee that the skill from this beast will have wonderful synergy with your spirit."
"It's not that I doubt you, but... I thought choosing beasts of the same attribute increased the synergy. I'm just curious..." Xiaolong murmured, resigned to the cheek-squeezing hands.
Zeus's expression suddenly changed: her eyes narrowed, and her voice turned cold.
"Yang Xiaolong... what did you call me just now?"
Xiaolong instantly paled. She knew that shift in mood well. It was the same terrifying look from the first time she had accidentally called Zeus "ma'am." Trembling, she blurted the first thing that came to mind:
"E-Elder Sister! I said Elder Sister!"
Zeus narrowed her eyes at her.
"Is that so...?"
"Y-Yes, I'm sure!" Xiaolong insisted with a nervous smile.
"Hehehe~ Of course... my beloved student would never call her beautiful and wonderful Elder Sister 'ma'am'," Zeus giggled softly before pulling Xiaolong's head into a hug, burying her face in her soft chest.
Letting out a relieved sigh, Xiaolong relaxed. Not only had she escaped punishment, but she also ended up with a comfortable resting spot.
"The reason I chose a gravity-manipulating beast for your first ring is simple," Zeus murmured, stroking the girl's golden hair. "This ability will create far greater synergy than any other at this moment. Trust your spirit. It will guide you when the time is right."
"Hm... alright," Xiaolong responded softly, nestling into the embrace.
----- x -----
In a Carriage
Inside a modest carriage on its way to the Star Dou Forest, three figures traveled together: a man with black hair and a sparse beard, and two children.
The man was Yu Xiaogang. The children were Yang Xiaolong and Tang Wutong.
The atmosphere inside the carriage was... tense. Very tense.
Xiaolong, arms crossed and cheeks puffed, shot deadly glares in Yu Xiaogang's direction, while he, in turn, tried his best to pretend he didn't notice the hostility. Beside her, Tang Wutong sighed softly, struggling to calm her friend.
"I still can't believe you accepted this weirdo as our teacher!" Xiaolong burst out, stomping her foot on the floor.
"Little Eagle..." Wutong began patiently, though clearly exhausted. "I've already explained it was just a misunderstanding. The teacher just... didn't express himself well the first time."
Xiaolong narrowed her eyes.
"Didn't express himself well? He literally looked at us in a creepy way and already wanted to take us somewhere else. That's super weird!"
Yu Xiaogang's face flushed red instantly.
"I wasn't going to do anything wrong!" he defended desperately, waving his hands. "I just wanted to assess your potential! I... I just didn't express myself well because I was excited, that's all!"
"Hmpf... sure..." Xiaolong muttered, turning her face away. "If it weren't for Wutong insisting, I would have already kicked you out of the carriage."
"Xiaolong..." Wutong smiled faintly, tugging her friend's sleeve. "No need to be so suspicious. The teacher really can help us. He's known as the Grandmaster because he has deep theoretical knowledge, and that could help us a lot."
"Fine, fine... but I'm still keeping an eye on him," Xiaolong huffed.
Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath and tried to change the subject:
"Ahem! Let's focus on what matters. You're both about to hunt your first spirit beasts. This is an important milestone for any spirit master. My role here is to ensure you have the best guidance possible so that..."
"...we don't die in the middle of the forest?" Xiaolong cut in sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.
He opened his mouth but ended up sighing.
"Exactly..."
Tang Wutong let out a quiet giggle, shaking her head.
"It'll all work out," she said optimistically. "We'll both get our first rings and grow stronger together."
"Yeah..." Xiaolong relaxed slightly. "Speaking of which, what beast are you going after, Wutong?"
Wutong smiled brightly.
"According to the teacher, my first ring will come from a Datura Snake. It'll strengthen my Blue Silver Grass and might even give it some poisonous properties."
"A snake, huh?" Xiaolong smirked. "Mine's going to be a Silver-Eyed Grey Wolf. It's going to grant me a gravity-based ability."
Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened.
"A Silver-Eyed Wolf...? But that beast doesn't match your martial soul's attributes!"
"Hm... just like the Little Butterfly here isn't choosing a plant-type beast, I picked this wolf because the ability it grants will be useful to me in the future," Xiaolong replied with a firm look. "Even if it doesn't seem like it now, this choice will strengthen my spirit for future abilities that align with my Light and Sacred attributes."
Yu Xiaogang fell silent, thoughtful, while Wutong smiled, admiring her friend's confidence.
"Well... if that's what you believe, let's hope it works out," Yu Xiaogang murmured, knowing that the girl wouldn't listen to him anyway. Besides, she hadn't even accepted him as her teacher, which made it even harder for him to voice any opinion regarding her decisions.
Why should he, Yu Xiaogang, care about someone who treated him with such antagonism? Even if that girl clearly had enormous potential...
And so, the carriage continued its journey, carrying the two future spirit masters toward the first of many trials to come.