Tang San, however, looked puzzled and asked, “Why can’t we go to the playground alone?”
“Because there are some jerks in this school who love to pick on us work-study students!”
Ye Ling’an, standing beside Wang Sheng, chimed in indignantly.
“You’ll learn about these things naturally after staying here longer.”
Wang Sheng took over the explanation, addressing both of them: “At Notting Academy, besides completing our daily work assignments, work-study students also have to get into fights with other students from time to time.”
“So if you don’t want to get beaten up, it’s best not to go anywhere alone.”
“If you really want to go to the playground, make sure to go with a few others.”
“Students fighting?”
Tang San frowned.
“Not just fighting,” Wang Teng added from the side.
“To be precise, it’s group fights.”
Wang Sheng had mentioned these situations to Wang Teng during his visits home over the past few semesters.
So it wasn’t surprising that Wang Teng brought it up now.
“Group fights…
don’t the teachers step in?”
Tang San found it troublesome and pressed further.
“As long as it doesn’t go too far, the teachers usually don’t interfere.”
Wang Sheng let out a scoff and shook his head.
“Besides, students fighting in groups at the academy is also a way to practice for future battles as soul masters after graduation.”
“I see.”
Tang San lowered his head and muttered softly, lost in thought.
But Wang Teng couldn’t detect any worry on his face—if anything, he seemed to find it more of an annoyance.
Well, that made sense.
Tang San had the foundation of his past life’s Tang Sect, and the Tang Sect was built on assassination.
He naturally wouldn’t take children’s brawls seriously.
Unlike Tang San, Wang Teng genuinely felt uncertain.
Though he was also a reincarnator, he didn’t possess any extraordinary strength at present.
Facing provocations and gang-ups from other students, Wang Teng truly found it troublesome.
Lacking strength was simply lacking strength—a fundamental weakness.
Wang Sheng seemed to guess his younger brother’s thoughts and reached over to pat his shoulder reassuringly.
“Little brother, don’t worry too much.”
“Just stick with me from now on.”
“As long as I’m the boss of Room Seven, I won’t let them mess with you.”
“Focus on your cultivation and leave everything else to your big brother.”
“Thanks, Big Brother!”
Hearing Wang Sheng’s words, Wang Teng felt a warmth in his heart.
Though he had reincarnated into this world, he was still born into it.
And ever since he was born, his relationship with Wang Sheng and his father Wang Wu had been no different from any ordinary family’s brothers and father.
In short, Wang Teng had long regarded them as his true family.
Hearing his brother protect him like this made his heart feel warm and fuzzy.
By now, the group had reached the dormitory entrance and began climbing toward the third floor.
“Oh, I almost forgot to mention something.”
As they climbed the stairs, Wang Sheng suddenly slapped his forehead, as if just remembering.
“What is it?”
Wang Teng asked.
“It’s about the position of Room Seven’s boss.”
Wang Sheng stopped and turned to Tang San, explaining, “Ever since I can remember, the boss of Room Seven has always been the strongest work-study student.”
“When there’s a fight, the boss has to charge to the front and lead everyone in fighting back.”
“So, Xiao San, if you think you can beat me, you can challenge me right now.”
“If you win, the position of Room Seven’s boss is yours.”
With that, Wang Sheng looked at Tang San, waiting for his response.
By now, everyone had reached the third floor and stood right outside Room Seven’s door.
“I…” Tang San started to speak.
“Haha!
Beat you and become the boss?
You said it yourself—I want to fight you!”
Before Tang San could finish, a crisp voice cut him off.
The door to Room Seven swung open from the inside, and a small figure bounced out.
She was a little girl in a pink dress, her pretty face rosy and fair, radiating liveliness.
The most eye-catching feature was the braid at the back of her head—thick and long, hanging all the way to her hips, swaying with her movements like a nimble scorpion’s tail.
“So this is Xiao Wu…”
Wang Teng sized up the little girl before him and immediately came to that conclusion.
“Though it feels a bit perverted to think this…
she really does look quite cute.”
Pushing aside the messy associations in his mind, Wang Teng asked deliberately, “Who are you?
Why are you in our dormitory?”
“My name is Xiao Wu—Wu as in dance!”
The girl lifted her chin and grinned at Wang Sheng.
“Hey, you big lug, your big sister Xiao Wu is here to challenge you!”
Before the words had fully left her mouth, she was already in motion.
True to her nature as a transformed hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit, Xiao Wu moved with astonishing speed.
Neither Wang Teng nor even Wang Sheng could fully react in time.
Wang Sheng hastily raised his arm to block.
But Xiao Wu retracted her leg in an instant and, while Wang Sheng was off balance, crouched down.
“Amazing control!”
Wang Teng thought to himself from the side.
The next moment, Xiao Wu struck.
A brat’s downward leg sweep!
“Thump!”
Wang Sheng hit the corridor floor with a solid thud.
“I win!”
Xiao Wu straightened up slowly, chin raised, looking at everyone with satisfaction.
Her gaze then landed on Tang San.
She blinked and said, “I heard you talking earlier—you’re a new student too?
How about it?
Want to fight your big sister Xiao Wu for the boss position?”
“Me?
I’ll pass.”
Tang San didn’t want to be any kind of boss—it sounded too troublesome—so he waved his hand in refusal.
“Hmph, perfect then.” Xiao Wu flicked her braid happily.
“From today on, I’m the big sister of Room Seven!”
Meanwhile, Wang Teng quickly helped Wang Sheng up and asked, “Big Brother, are you okay?”
“I’m fine…”
Wang Sheng brushed off the dust and scratched his head awkwardly.
“I really didn’t expect a little genius to join our work-study group.”
“Alright, alright, you lot!”
Xiao Wu planted her hands on her hips, her voice clear and crisp, and called out, “Is anyone going to introduce me to the academy?
When I came to Room Seven just now, none of you were here.”
“Big Sister Xiao Wu, here’s how things work at the academy…”
Then, everyone took turns explaining the academy’s situation and the work-study rules to Xiao Wu.
They chatted as they walked back into the dormitory.
“I see…
that sounds fun.”
Xiao Wu’s eyes lit up after hearing everything.
“So as the boss of Room Seven, I have to lead everyone into fights?”
“Great, great!
I’m definitely going to be this big sister, and I’m definitely going to fight all these fights!”
The mention of fighting made Xiao Wu look utterly thrilled, like someone who couldn’t wait for chaos to break out.
“Big Sister Xiao Wu, where are you sleeping?
We didn’t see your bedding.”
A work-study student asked curiously.
“Oh, bedding…”
Xiao Wu furrowed her brows slightly and pouted.
“I didn’t bring any.”
“Would you like to borrow a blanket from me?
I brought two.”
Wang Teng asked intentionally, his tone sincere.
Xiao Wu had probably already caught Tang Hao’s attention by now, but Wang Teng still wanted to befriend her.
Whether because of her identity as a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, or simply because she was a lively, cute little girl in front of him, making a friendly gesture couldn’t hurt.
“No need!”
Xiao Wu refused Wang Teng’s offer outright and instead hopped over to Tang San’s bed, plopping herself down.
“Xiao San, your blanket looks big enough for two people.”
“So your big sister Xiao Wu has decided: I’m sleeping with you!”
“Ah?
That’s…
not really appropriate, is it?”
Though Tang San said that, he didn’t explicitly refuse.
“Alright, alright.
I’m going to start cultivating now!”
Xiao Wu said as she kicked off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and sat cross-legged on one side, assuming a meditation posture.
Just before settling in, she opened her eyes again and emphasized to Tang San, “This bed is half for each of us.
You’re not allowed to cross the line, got it?”
“Fine…”
Tang San also took off his shoes, sat down across from Xiao Wu, and began cultivating on his own.
Meanwhile, Wang Teng sat on his own bed, watching the two of them cultivate side by side, silently musing to himself.
“These two really do treat each other—and themselves—like children…
one old rabbit, one middle-aged man’s soul in a kid’s body, tsk!”
“But they do seem quite well-matched.”
“And Xiao Wu outright refused my help and gravitated toward Tang San, just like in the original story…”
“Is it perhaps because Tang San’s identity as the ‘child of destiny’ is somehow attracting her?”
“Like how, ten thousand years later, Huo Yuhao and the Imperial Auspicious Beast were drawn to each other by fate?”
“Or could it be that Tang San’s Blue Silver Emperor bloodline holds a special allure for her?” This story is hosted at novelping.com.
“After all, Tang San was born from a hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor in human form.
Maybe there’s some special resonance between them on some level…”
Wang Teng watched for a long time, countless thoughts swirling through his mind.
“Little brother.”
Wang Sheng patted his shoulder from beside him, pulling his attention back.
“How’s your practice of the meditation method I taught you?
If you haven’t started yet, I can teach you again.”
“Big Brother, I’ve already tried practicing the meditation method before—I can calm my mind and enter stillness.”
“But after awakening my martial soul, I haven’t formally cultivated with it yet.”
“I’ll try it myself first.
If I run into trouble, I’ll come to you for help.”
Wang Teng explained.
“Alright.”
Wang Sheng nodded.
Wang Teng then sat cross-legged on his bed, ready to begin his first formal soul power meditation session.
He closed his eyes, gathered his focus, and gradually ignored the outside noise.
Soon, he succeeded.
Thanks to his previous practice, which now paid off, Wang Teng could enter meditation more quickly.
Next, he visualized deeply within his mind, attempting to communicate with his martial soul.
He had expected the first meditation to be difficult, but surprisingly, within moments of closing his eyes, he felt the not-insignificant soul power within him stir to life.
In his gradually sharpening perception, countless tiny specks of light appeared in the surrounding air, flickering in and out like fireflies dancing across a summer field—quiet and mysterious.
Then, Wang Teng tried to attract these energies scattered throughout heaven and earth through his martial soul.
In his perception, those drifting specks of light began to slowly converge toward him, merging bit by bit into his spinning top martial soul.
“So these are the energies of heaven and earth…”
Wang Teng felt the faint coolness seeping into his body, contemplating silently.
He then sensed that the absorbed energy, after being spun and refined by his spinning top martial soul, gradually transformed into purer soul power that slowly settled into his dantian.
In just this short while, Wang Teng could clearly feel that his soul power had indeed increased by a tiny fraction.
Inside Room Seven at Notting Academy.
The afternoon passed quietly in cultivation, and before anyone knew it, an hour and a half had gone by.
The children who had been meditating gradually came out of their trances, and the dormitory filled with rustling sounds.
“Ugh, so tired.
This happens every time after meditation—my legs are so numb they don’t feel like mine.”
Xiao Wu’s crisp, complaining voice rang out beside Wang Teng.
Wang Teng slowly came back to himself, opening his eyes just in time to see Xiao Wu and Tang San getting off their beds one after another.
He looked around—most of the others in the dormitory were awake too, rubbing their shoulders and stretching.
“So boring!”
Xiao Wu twisted her waist nimbly, moving her arms and legs as she looked at Tang San.
“Xiao San, want to take a walk around campus with your big sister Xiao Wu?
Maybe we can check out the playground—might even find a fight.”
Tang San frowned slightly at that.
“Isn’t looking for fights a bit too flashy?”
“Big Sister Xiao Wu, let’s all go together.
We can show you three newcomers around the academy.”
Wang Sheng stepped forward with the suggestion.
“Fine, let’s all go then!”
Xiao Wu nodded cheerfully.
“Little brother, hurry up.
We’ll take you to see the area you’ll be cleaning.”
Wang Sheng turned and called to his brother.
“Coming.”
Wang Teng got off the bed and followed the group out of the dormitory.
Notting Academy wasn’t very large—the teaching and dormitory buildings took up limited space—so before long, the group of children arrived near the playground on the west side.
Wang Sheng pointed to the garden not far away and introduced it to Wang Teng, Xiao Wu, and Tang San.
That garden was the area the three of them would be responsible for cleaning.
The group chatted and walked, the atmosphere relaxed.
“What?
Xiao San, you also have innate full soul power?”
When Xiao Wu learned from Tang San that he had innate full soul power, she couldn’t help but widen her eyes in surprise.
“Mm.”
Tang San nodded, his tone very casual, but Wang Teng could detect a hint of pride.
“That’s amazing!
No way, I don’t care—you have to fight me!”
Xiao Wu’s fighting spirit was instantly ignited, her eyes blazing as she fixed them on Tang San.
“Why?
I don’t want to compete with you for the position of Room Seven’s boss.”
Tang San refused helplessly.
“No reason—I just want to stretch my muscles and compare with you.
Come on, come on!”
Before she finished speaking, Xiao Wu had already dashed toward the center of the playground, turning back repeatedly to wave for him to follow.
Tang San reluctantly trailed after her.