17: C17 Xiao Wu’s Teaching,
Xiao Wu’s figure was already in motion.
As a soul master who had already obtained her first soul ring, and with her martial soul being the Soft Bone Rabbit—renowned for speed—Xiao Wu moved almost too fast to follow.
In the blink of an eye, she had flashed to Wang Teng’s side, her leg sweeping toward his right waist.
Wang Teng quickly turned and retreated, but Xiao Wu’s attack had only been a feint.
Her leg retracted mid-swing, she bent her knees, and her entire body leaped lightly into the air.
The next moment, she had landed firmly on Wang Teng’s shoulders.
Now, her feet gently clamped around his head.
“You lose!”
Her crisp voice came from above.
“I lose.”
Wang Teng admitted defeat readily.
He had long been aware of the gap between himself and Xiao Wu, so he felt no sense of frustration.
“Do you know what your problem is?”
Xiao Wu hopped down nimbly from his shoulders, landing silently, and asked.
“What is it?”
Wang Teng pressed immediately.
“You haven’t fully shed your ordinary person’s habits yet.”
Xiao Wu extended her index finger and pointed at him like a little teacher.
“A soul master’s attacks come in all kinds of forms, and from all kinds of directions.”
“Just now, my attack could have come from any direction—front, back, left, right, even from above you, or even from below.”
“In short, you have to be prepared to be attacked from all angles at all times.”
“But right now, your awareness is still at the level of an ordinary person.
You only focus on the opponent in front of you, and you only guard against attacks from the front, back, left, and right.”
Xiao Wu paused to let Wang Teng process her words, then continued explaining: “Just now, my movements weren’t actually that fast.
Logically, your reaction should have been quick enough.”
“But you never expected me to jump directly onto you, so I caught you off guard.”
Wang Teng replayed the exchange in his mind and couldn’t help nodding repeatedly.
“So, Teacher Xiao Wu, what should I do next?”
Wang Teng asked sincerely.
“Simple!”
Xiao Wu’s eyes curved into crescents.
“Get hit a few more times, and you’ll naturally learn how to defend and dodge.”
Before Wang Teng could respond, a faint pink glow began to emanate from Xiao Wu’s body.
“Soft Bone Enchanting Rabbit, possess!”
She called out softly, and a pink phantom of her martial soul appeared behind her, merging into her body in an instant.
In the next moment, two long rabbit ears sprouted from Xiao Wu’s head, her legs grew longer and more powerful, and her entire being radiated an agile aura.
Her figure flickered—and she vanished from Wang Teng’s sight.
Wang Teng immediately assumed a defensive posture, his body tensed, alertly sensing the surroundings.
“Focus on feeling my attacks and do your best to dodge or block.”
“Of course, if you find an opportunity to counterattack, don’t hesitate.”
Xiao Wu’s voice drifted from all directions in the grove, impossible to pinpoint.
Then Wang Teng heard a whoosh from his left!
He spun around, raising his arms to block.
“Thump!”
A force struck his arms, sending a numbing sensation through them.
He instinctively stepped back, only to feel attacks landing on various parts of his body in quick succession.
Xiao Wu had begun a continuous series of kicks, circling around Wang Teng.
At the sidelines, Wang Sheng and Tang San stood side by side, watching the battle clearly.
Xiao Wu was moving at high speed around Wang Teng, striking different parts of his body from various angles.
At first, Wang Teng couldn’t keep up at all—he took hits all over.
If Xiao Wu hadn’t deliberately held back her power, he would have been injured long ago.
But this seemingly one-sided beating gradually began to show results.
After the initial fluster, Wang Teng’s body and awareness slowly adapted to the rhythm.
He started trying to predict, dodge, and even block Xiao Wu’s kicks.
By the end of this training session, Wang Teng could successfully defend against one or two of every ten of Xiao Wu’s attacks.
After over half an hour, both were drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.
“Huff…
huff…”
Xiao Wu sat down with her back against a large tree and complained, “Your one gold coin really isn’t easy to earn.”
“If we train like this every day, I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep it up.”
“Teacher Xiao Wu, you’re not going to give up halfway, are you?”
Wang Teng grew a bit anxious at this and couldn’t help using a bit of provocation.
“That’s not what a good teacher should do.”
“Hmph, don’t worry.
I’ve already taken your money,” Xiao Wu patted her chest.
“I’ll teach you until you graduate.”
“That’s a relief.”
Wang Teng finally relaxed.
“How about it, Wang Teng?”
Tang San walked over and asked, “Do you have any energy left?
“I’ll be fine after a short rest.”
Wang Teng wiped the sweat from his forehead and explained, “I was mostly focusing on adapting and defending just now.
I didn’t expend as much energy as Xiao Wu.
I can keep going after catching my breath.”
Wang Teng was right.
In the previous session, his focus had been on reaction and combat awareness—his physical stamina hadn’t been drained as much.
And Xiao Wu wasn’t just doing this for the gold coin—she also viewed these sparring sessions as a way to hone her own footwork, speed, and endurance.
Tang San nodded upon hearing this and, without another word, walked to the center of the clearing.
He took some smooth pebbles from his storage soul tool and carefully arranged them on the ground.
After a while, Wang Teng caught his breath and walked to a spot not far opposite Tang San.
“Let’s begin,” he said to Tang San.
“For this next part, my training is very simple.”
Tang San picked up a pebble and weighed it in his palm.
“I’ll throw these stones at you.
You need to dodge as best you can.
If you can counterattack, feel free.”
“So he’s using me to practice his hidden weapons.”
Wang Teng understood Tang San’s intention at once.
But he didn’t refuse—on the contrary, he found the method quite practical.
Still, he asked one more question: “For counterattacks, I’m not good at throwing things.
Can I use my martial soul for long-range attacks?”
As he spoke, Wang Teng flicked his right hand, and a silver-white streak shot out.
It was his Blast Spinning Top martial soul.
The moment it appeared, the spinning top began to rotate at high speed, landing on the forest floor with a low hum.
“Hum—crunch—”
The sharp edge of the spinning top cut through the ground, slicing the fine grass cleanly at the roots.
Wherever it passed, blades of grass flew up, leaving a clear trail.
“No problem.
Let’s go.”
Tang San’s eyes lit up slightly at the sight of Wang Teng’s spinning top.
He had originally thought that merely throwing stones would be a bit monotonous.
Now, with Wang Teng’s counterattacks, this training suddenly became much more interesting.
And so, their specialized training officially began.
“Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!”
In the grove, stones flew continuously from Tang San’s hand toward Wang Teng.
Wang Teng used the trees for cover, moving quickly to dodge.
At first, Tang San’s throws weren’t too fast, and with the tree trunks providing cover, Wang Teng could avoid most of the stones.
But as Tang San gradually increased his speed, the trajectories of the stones became more cunning and swift.
Before long, Wang Teng had taken several hits.
“Hiss…”
Each impact sent a dull pain through his skin.
As he weaved through the trees, Wang Teng thought to himself: If this keeps up, I’m going to be covered in bruises soon.
“Little brother, keep going!”
“Wang Teng, counterattack!
Don’t forget your martial soul!”
“Xiao San, can you throw a bit denser?
Wang Teng’s dodging too many!”
Wang Sheng and Xiao Wu’s shouts came from the sidelines.
“Right, I have my spinning top!”
Wang Teng snapped back to attention.
While protecting his head and face with his hands, he quickly located Tang San’s position.
Once he’d locked on, Wang Teng focused his mind—the spinning top that had been rotating idly on the ground suddenly changed direction, charging straight at Tang San.
“Whoosh!
Whoosh!”
Faced with Wang Teng’s counterattack, Tang San remained unfazed.
With a flick of his fingers, several stones shot toward the spinning top in rapid succession.
Dodge!
Turn!
Ram!
Under Wang Teng’s control, the spinning top executed three responses in succession.
It nimbly dodged the first stone.
It curved in an arc to avoid the second.
Unable to dodge the third, it collided head-on!
“Bang!”
The stone was deflected, and the spinning top’s momentum didn’t diminish—it bore straight toward Tang San.
“Good speed, decent attack power too.”
Tang San made a quick assessment, then suddenly changed his footwork.
Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!
His figure shifted like a phantom, and Wang Teng’s spinning top brushed past his clothes.
Is that Tang San’s self-created soul skill?
He’s a genius!”
Wang Sheng couldn’t help but exclaim from the sidelines.
On the other side, Wang Teng frowned slightly—Tang San had retreated to a spot more than ten meters away, which happened to be the maximum range of his current spinning top control.
So Wang Teng leaped out from behind the tree, actively closing in on Tang San.
At the same time, the spinning top that had missed its mark accelerated again, circling around from the other side.
“Oh?
There’s a distance limit between the top and its user?”
Tang San keenly observed this.
He flicked his wrist, and this time his stones split into two waves: one aimed at Wang Teng, the other intercepting the spinning top.
Wang Teng’s pressure increased sharply.
He now had to split his attention: dodging the stones coming at him while simultaneously controlling his spinning top for long-range attacks.
And so, the two circled each other in an ongoing dance of evasion and offense.
Overall, however, Wang Teng remained on the defensive.
After another half hour, the training finally came to a pause.
In this session against Tang San, Wang Teng’s spinning top had only struck his opponent two or three times, with no significant impact.
But Tang San’s stones had left countless marks on Wang Teng’s body.
At this moment, Wang Teng felt sore all over, as if he’d been taken apart and put back together.
“Are you alright, little brother?”
Wang Sheng rushed over, his face full of concern.
“I’m fine.”
Wang Teng shook his head at him, then turned to Tang San and Xiao Wu.
“Thank you both for today’s training.”
“Don’t mention it.” Xiao Wu waved her hand.
“We’ll continue next time after your injuries heal.”
“How about we make it once a week, same time next week?
What do you think?”
Wang Teng felt that training every day wasn’t feasible—even if Xiao Wu and Tang San were willing, his body wouldn’t be able to take it.
So after careful consideration, he made this proposal.
“Alright.
I’ll be going now—I still have to work at the blacksmith shop.”
Tang San nodded and turned to leave.
Xiao Wu also wandered off to play.
“Little brother, I’ll brew another dose of herbs for you.”
Wang Sheng looked at the bruises on Wang Teng’s body and said with concern.
“Your injuries look pretty bad today.”
“Thanks, Big Brother.
I’ll drink it when I get back tonight.”
After agreeing, Wang Teng rested alone in the grove for a while, then began his daily personal training routine.
Long runs, sprints, push-ups…
One exercise after another, until the sun began to slant westward.
In the evening, Wang Teng dragged his tired yet fulfilled body back to the dormitory.
Wang Sheng had already prepared two bowls of medicinal soup.
Wang Teng took one, tipped his head back, and drank it down in one go.
The bitterness spread across his tongue, but he didn’t even frown.
After a short rest, Wang Teng sat cross-legged and began the last and most important task of the day: meditation.
The night deepened, and the dormitory grew quiet.
Moonlight streamed through the windowsill, gently falling on Wang Teng’s focused face.
And so, day after day, Wang Teng honed his body and will under the alternating training of Xiao Wu and Tang San.
Time flowed on, and Wang Teng’s studies and cultivation progressed steadily through persistent daily effort.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, two years had quietly passed.
Over these two years, Wang Teng’s soul power had risen step by step from its initial level five to level nine.
Beyond that, he could even faintly sense that the threshold of level ten was not far off.
Once he broke through, he would be able to obtain his first soul ring and truly take the first step on the path of a soul master.
However, his continuous extreme training naturally came with enormous consumption.
The gold coins he had earned from the spinning top tournament had long since been exchanged for bowl after bowl of medicinal soups to support his cultivation and regulate his body.
It was precisely this medicinal support that allowed his soul power to maintain a steady pace of increasing by two and a half levels per year.
Of course, aside from honing his body and soul power, Wang Teng hadn’t neglected theoretical knowledge.
Over these two years, he had frequently borrowed various books from Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang.
Now, though he wouldn’t dare claim to know everything, when it came to the habits, characteristics, and distributions of soul beasts, he could speak with authority—he was quite proficient.
“After reaching level ten, I’ll hunt my first soul ring first, then I can claim the soul master subsidy from the Spirit Hall.
Things should be a bit easier after that.”
Wang Teng thought to himself as he walked out of the dormitory.
“I should also shift my focus in studying.”
“Grandmaster still has many books on continental geography, various soul master factions, and analyses of different soul skills—all rare treasures.
I need to find a chance to borrow them.”
With this thought, his steps lightened as he headed toward the familiar grove by the playground.
The time for his daily sparring session with Tang San and Xiao Wu was approaching.
Today, Tang San and Xiao Wu had arrived even earlier than Wang Teng.
“Wang Teng, hurry up!
Today your two teachers are going to thoroughly assess your training results!”
Xiao Wu stood in the shade of the trees, waving and calling out from afar, her voice crisp and tinged with anticipation.
“Coming!” Wang Teng replied, jogging over.