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Hearing that Tang San wanted to spar with him, Tang Chuan pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, let's go outside. It's too cramped in here."
"Mhm." Tang San smiled immediately and was the first to walk out of the door.
"Spar? Spar?!" A lively voice rang out, and Xiao Wu suddenly sat up from her bed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I want to go too, I want to watch too! Little San, you have to help me get revenge. He bullied me last time when you weren't here!" She flipped over and landed lightly, tugging at her pink short skirt, and cheerfully followed along, looking eager to watch the fun. Tang San smiled helplessly, not responding.
Seeing this, the other students in the dormitory also gathered around, some pushing open the door, others peeking out, all chattering excitedly. "Tang Chuan and Tang San are going to spar?" "Really? Who's stronger between them?" "Tang San is the most formidable in our class. I heard his first spirit ring is a Datura Snake of over four hundred years!" "What about his brother? Didn't he just come back? He also has a spirit ring."
The young people were all curious, and since class had just ended, it was the perfect time for some excitement. They all went out of the dormitory together. The weather this season was at its most comfortable, the air cool but not cold. It was dusk, the sky was clear, and the stars were beginning to appear. As Tang Chuan and Tang San walked out of the dormitory, they ran into Yu Xiaogang who was approaching from the other side.
Yu Xiaogang had been looking down, seemingly still pondering some problem, but when he looked up and saw a large group of students surrounding Tang San and Tang Chuan, his brows furrowed slightly. "It's almost dark. What are they going to do?" he muttered to himself, then quickened his pace and walked straight toward them.
"Little San." Yu Xiaogang stopped in front of the two brothers, his gaze sweeping over them. "What are you two going to do?"
Upon seeing Yu Xiaogang, Tang San immediately stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said, "Teacher, I heard that my brother got his first spirit ring, so I plan to spar with him to better understand each other."
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang nodded, letting out a faint 'oh,' but a subtle glint flashed in his eyes. He sneered inwardly, "Spar? Tang Chuan's first spirit ring is only a ten-year one. Even if he has some cleverness, how can he compare to Little San? Perfect... Today, I'll let him understand whose Blue Silver Grass cultivation path is the correct one."
However, on the surface, Yu Xiaogang maintained his profound and indifferent demeanor. He spoke softly. "Since that's the case, I'll go and watch as well. It's a good opportunity to observe your battle and offer you some guidance."
Just then, Tang San seemed to remember something and suddenly asked, "Teacher, are you here at the student dormitory for something?"
Yu Xiaogang took a thick, worn book from his clothes. The title was written in neat, large characters: "Blue Silver Grass Spirit Cultivation Reference Outline." "Little San, these are some research insights I've organized during this period," Yu Xiaogang said, handing the book to Tang San, his eyes filled with seriousness and expectation. "It includes a Blue Silver Grass cultivation plan tailored for you based on your spirit's characteristics. Take some time to read it carefully when you can."
"Thank you, Teacher. I will study it thoroughly when I go back." Tang San solemnly took the book and bowed to Yu Xiaogang again to show his gratitude.
A few minutes later, the group passed through the winding corridors of Nuoding Academy, slowly walking along the mountain path, and finally arrived at an open clearing in the back mountain. The clearing was flat and surrounded by sparse trees.
Although the ground was somewhat soft and muddy, it was very clean, clearly having been used as a sparring ground for many years. Tang Chuan and Tang San walked slowly to the center of the clearing, standing side by side. They stood about ten steps apart, looking at each other, their auras subtly intertwining.
At the edge of the clearing, Xiao Wu stood under a large tree, her arms crossed, staring expectantly at the two in the field. Beside her were Wang Sheng and the other students from Dormitory Seven, each with excitement and nervousness in their eyes. "Brother Chuan and Tang San are actually going to fight?" "This is the first battle of the new semester at the academy!" "Who do you think is stronger?" "It must be Tang San.
His first spirit ring is a hundred-year one." "That's not necessarily true. Maybe Brother Chuan's first spirit ring is also a hundred-year one, or even a thousand-year one," said a student whose family was relatively poor but was often invited by Tang Chuan to share roasted rabbits.
The children whispered, their faces full of excitement. On the other side of the clearing, Yu Xiaogang stood ramrod straight, his hands behind his back, his gaze deep as he looked at the two brothers in the field. His expression was calm, but his brows were slightly furrowed. This battle, for him, was not just a spar between disciples.
It was a powerful counterattack against Tang Chuan, the questioner. He wanted everyone to know that his spirit theory was not to be disrespected. How could he, a dignified Yu Xiaogang of spirit theory, be wrong?
As the mountain breeze gently blew, Tang Chuan's clothes fluttered slightly. He glanced around, then looked at Tang San standing opposite him, his tone calm but with a hint of excitement. "Little San, are you ready?"
A hint of battle intent appeared in Tang San's eyes, and he nodded slightly. "Anytime." As he spoke, a faint yellow light glowed from Tang San's body. He raised his right hand, and a thin Blue Silver Grass grew from his palm. With his movement, a bright yellow spirit ring rose from beneath his feet, slowly circling around his body, its spirit power fluctuations clearly visible.
"A hundred-year spirit ring!" a student couldn't help but exclaim.
"Wow, a yellow hundred-year spirit ring!"
"Tang San already has a hundred-year spirit ring, but I don't even have a ten-year one yet..."
"What's so great about that? Maybe Brother Chuan will show off a thousand-year spirit ring later."
Listening to everyone's praise for Tang San, Xiao Wu's lips curved slightly, with a hint of pride. "This is just the beginning. Little San is a man who will surpass Yu Xiaogang in the future."
"You don't need to tell me that." Wang Sheng stared enviously at Tang San's spirit ring, muttering softly, "When a big shot emerges from our dormitory, don't forget us. As the saying goes, 'If you get rich, don't forget your old friends!' Hehe!" For a moment, all eyes were focused on the bright yellow spirit ring beneath Tang San's feet, filled with envy, reverence, and shock.
But soon, they all turned to look at Tang Chuan on the other side. Tang Chuan's expression was calm, showing no surprise at Tang San's hundred-year spirit ring. Instead, the corners of his mouth curved slightly, and he looked at his brother with a half-smile. The next second, he slowly extended his right hand, palm open. A blue-gold Blue Silver Grass emerged from his palm. It was thicker than Tang San's, with denser branches and leaves, and a blue color with a hint of gold, like a symbol of some royal bloodline.
"Blue-gold Blue Silver Grass?" Tang San's expression immediately changed slightly. In that instant, everyone was amazed. "Such beautiful Blue Silver Grass. It seems even more powerful than Tang San's..." "The color of these leaves is too unique, isn't it? Is it a mutated spirit?" The discussions among the crowd rose and fell, and even Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but frown, his heart stirring. How did this aura feel so extraordinary?
However, just then, a white spirit ring quietly rose from beneath Tang Chuan's feet. Immediately, the surroundings fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. And then... "Pfft!"
Xiao Wu was the first to burst out laughing. She raised her hand to cover her mouth, her eyes filled with undisguised mockery. "Tang Chuan, aren't you being too careless? I thought your spirit ring would be at least a hundred-year one, but it's only a ten-year one?!" She laughed and shook her head. "Your Blue Silver Grass does look a bit nicer, but a ten-year spirit ring is too weak, isn't it? Little San, don't hold back, or you'll be 're-educated' by your brother."
The other students also looked at each other, their initial amazement instantly collapsing, their eyes filled with deep disappointment. "I thought Brother Chuan's spirit ring... but it turned out..." "With this ten-year spirit ring, Tang San could tie him up like a dumpling with just one Blue Silver Grass, couldn't he?" "This... how could this be?" Even the student who had been supporting Tang Chuan was stunned, at a loss.
For a moment, laughter and head-shaking rose and fell. Tang Chuan seemed to become the least favored person in everyone's eyes. But Tang Chuan didn't mind. He just glanced at everyone calmly, a slight curve on his lips, then said to Tang San, "Little San, let's begin!"
When Tang San saw the white spirit ring rise from Tang Chuan's feet, the slight tension he had felt because of the blue-gold light when his brother's Blue Silver Grass appeared immediately vanished. "A white spirit ring? Ten years?" A hint of surprise flashed in Tang San's eyes, followed by a smile that was almost impossible to hide on his face. Although he tried his best to maintain a calm expression, the sense of superiority that quietly rose in his heart could not be suppressed.
"I didn't expect Brother's first spirit ring to be merely a ten-year one. I thought... perhaps all my previous guesses were wrong. In that case, I'm sure to win, aren't I?" However, when Tang San heard Tang Chuan say, in a calm tone, that they could begin, his heart still tightened slightly for some unknown reason. Because he vaguely felt that Tang Chuan's Blue Silver Grass seemed to be not simple. Could it be a mutated spirit?
"Brother, you need to be careful. My Blue Silver Grass is not ordinary; it's poisonous!" Tang San shouted softly, taking the initiative to attack. A blue light suddenly appeared in his palm, and the Blue Silver Grass instantly shot up like a living snake, soaring into the air and darting towards Tang Chuan. Its speed was so fast that it was just an afterimage as it approached Tang Chuan's chest, showing that Tang San had not held back in this attack.