"It's alright, though the teacher is a bit... strange."
After a moment's thought, Tang Wulin settled politely on the word "strange."
"For some reason, she's exceedingly strict with our combat training, as if she's desperate for us to defeat someone... I suppose she wants to use the Class Promotion Tournament to make us Class One?"
Recalling what he had seen during the class placements, Xie Xie fell silent.
It likely wasn't about beating Class One, but rather Class Five. Just unrequited love—what kind of grudge could make someone act like this?
Keeping those thoughts to himself, Xie Xie asked, "Is the training miserable?"
"Not at all. In fact, having practical combat training actually gives me a shot. After all, I'm pretty strong, and I've already been chosen as one of the candidates for the Class Promotion Tournament."
Tang Wulin quickly polished off a bowl of white rice and asked for another. "Enough about me. How are things on your end?"
"Class One gets great perks, all kinds of preferential treatment, and the teacher is very friendly. He taught us a new meditation method, and I'm almost a two-ring Great Spirit Master now."
"Really? That's amazing!" Tang Wulin's face filled with admiration.
"Amazing?"
Xie Xie's expression darkened. "Do you remember those two we met the day before class placements?"
"Of course I do," Tang Wulin nodded.
He had bumped into Huo Yuhao a few times around the academy afterward and exchanged names, so naturally he remembered.
"They're the real freaks!" Xie Xie began venting his grievances. "One is level twenty-seven and the other is level thirty-three, and their sheer battle prowess rivals four-ring Soul Ancestors! Here I was thinking I was the ultimate genius, only to run into them."
Tang Wulin's eyes widened in sheer astonishment. Seeing that Xie Xie wasn't lying, a thought crept into his mind.
Maybe he should tell his teacher later that their class shouldn't bother competing against Class One after all...
"Help! Robbery!"
A sudden shriek pierced the air above the snack street.
Snapped back to reality, Tang Wulin looked toward the source of the noise. A pale-faced, middle-aged man came stumbling out of an alley, pursued by two burly men with menacing scowls and knives in their hands.
"Keep yelling and see if I don't carve you up today!"
Apparently enraged that they had failed to corner him, the two thugs paid no heed to the public setting and chased relentlessly after the middle-aged man.
A few passersby sized up their muscular frames, glanced at the knives in their hands, and shrank back, not daring to play the hero.
Tang Wulin frowned and started to stand up to help, but Xie Xie held him down with a firm hand.
"Don't worry about it."
Xie Xie took one look at the thugs' attire and sneered coldly.
"They aren't East Sea locals. No wonder they dare to cause trouble here."
Tang Wulin blinked, puzzled. What did he mean?
The surrounding shopkeepers remained fairly calm, merely stepping back cautiously to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Before long, a booming, resonant voice rang out, bringing the two thugs to a halt. They turned to see a burly man in uniform striding over, wearing a fierce grin.
From the security team?
The thugs' expressions changed, and they turned to flee. But the security officer's exposed skin had already turned an iron-gray, and raised, iron-gray scales sprouted across his neck. Several Spirit Rings rose into the air, but before Tang Wulin could clearly count them, the man stomped his foot and shot forward, closing the distance in an instant.
Thud, thud! Before the thugs could react, the man slammed them to the ground and smoothly snapped handcuffs onto their wrists.
"You didn't even bother to ask who protects this street before trying to rob someone here?"
The man scoffed, tossed the two thugs to the colleagues behind him, clapped his hands clean, retracted his Martial Soul, and walked over toward Tang Wulin's table.
"Boss, give me three bowls of braised jar beef and ten bowls of rice! Out of everywhere in East Sea City, your braised jar beef is the most satisfying."
"Coming right up, Captain Guang Long!" Uncle Li was clearly well-acquainted with him. "Not too busy lately?"
"Public security around here has been pretty good. Sitting around in the office all day has my body rusting up."
Finding a seat, Guang Long chuckled. "Who would've thought I'd run into two idiots while out for dinner with my coworkers?"
"They must be newcomers who didn't know the security team's outpost is right nearby," Uncle Li replied with a laugh.
Only now, watching Guang Long sit just a few meters away, did Tang Wulin recover from the display. He carefully studied the man.
For some inexplicable reason, when Guang Long unleashed his Martial Soul earlier, Tang Wulin had felt a strange fluttering inside him that briefly dazed him... What had that been about?
Then again, he hadn't expected to witness a four-ring Soul Ancestor in action while just having a meal outside. His own teacher was a mighty Soul King, but he had never seen her fight...
"If he hadn't been worried those two might hurt the residents here, he wouldn't have bothered using his Martial Soul at all."
Noticing Tang Wulin's cautious glances, Xie Xie found it amusing. "So don't let Captain Guang Long's fierce looks fool you—he's actually quite kind."
"Xie Xie, you know him?" Tang Wulin withdrew his gaze and asked.
"Who that frequents this street doesn't?"
Xie Xie said, "He's practically a local legend."
Guang Long, captain of the security team, came from an ordinary background. His parents had passed away early, leaving him with only an older brother. But the two brothers possessed remarkable Martial Souls belonging to the sub-dragon category. After awakening their Martial Souls at the Spirit Pagoda and obtaining Soul Spirits at age six, they gradually rose to prominence...
Listening to Xie Xie's account, Tang Wulin felt an odd sense of looking at another version of himself. Feeling inexplicably happy, he polished off seven bowls of rice in a row, catching the attention of Guang Long nearby.
*Damn, this kid seems to eat even more than I do.*
Smiling with amusement, Guang Long was about to look away when his eyes landed on the bracelet Tang Wulin wore, which his parents had strictly instructed him to keep on whenever going outside.
"..."
Guang Long pressed his lips together, a flicker of envy flashing through his eyes. If he had possessed something like that back then, he might have gone much further...
After a moment's reflection, however, a relieved smile touched his face.
If not for the Spirit Pagoda's sponsorship back then, only one of the two brothers would have been able to obtain a Soul Spirit, while the other would have lived a life steeped in jealousy and resentment, unable to cultivate. What kind of life would that have been?
Guang Long couldn't imagine it, but he knew it certainly wouldn't have been satisfying... He already lived a prestigious life, so why harbor envy?
When Tang Wulin ordered another portion of braised jar beef, Guang Long took his own order over, sat down beside him, and slid the food forward.
"You two were talking about me just now, weren't you? How about letting me hear your story?"
...
"Keep working hard from now on, and don't squander your talent for forging."
Having listened to Tang Wulin's abridged account of his experiences, Guang Long left some money on the table, patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder, and stood up to leave.
Tang Wulin watched his departing figure with a bewildered expression. "Xie Xie, why was Captain Guang Long so interested in me?"
"You still haven't figured it out?" Xie Xie gave him a look that was torn between admiration and disbelief at his cluelessness. "That Soul Tool on your wrist represents recognition from the Spirit Pagoda. Guang Long's older brother has one too. I saw it on this street before, which is why I recognized your bracelet at a glance."
Curious, Tang Wulin asked, "His older brother?"
Xie Xie adopted a rare, solemn expression.
"His older brother is the captain of the East Sea Mecha Battalion—Guang Biao, a seven-ring Soul Sage! His status is on par with the East Sea Administrator's..."
Seven rings?!
Those two words echoed in Tang Wulin's mind, drowning out everything else as his expression went blank.
That was a realm he dared not even dream of, yet from Xie Xie's implication, could he achieve something comparable?
*"Little Wulin, you're a forging genius. Would you like to join us?"*
The words of the Spirit Pagoda receptionist echoed in his ears, stirring a powerful flutter in his chest.
Could he really do it too?
Chapter 40