NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10: 1 - 10
Chapter 10: Xiao Wu—"My mother said papaya can help me sleep!"
"Sure, you'd win," Xiao Tian said with a teasing grin. "But let's say you lose—what would you do then?"
"Hmph! If I lose, you can do whatever you want to me!" Xiao Wu declared confidently, crossing her arms.
"Oh? Anything?" Xiao Tian's smile grew mischievous as his gaze deliberately swept over Xiao Wu, his tone mockingly regretful. "Forget it. I'm not interested in a little loli like you. You have nothing at the front nor anything behind—nothing to see there."
In an instant, Xiao Wu's face turned crimson with both embarrassment and anger. Without thinking, she lashed out, kicking at his waist. "You jerk, Xiao Tian! How dare you say that! Your head is full of filthy thoughts! I'm still growing, okay? What kind of crazy pervert thinks like you do at your age?"
"Tsk, tsk. Still mad even when I'm just stating the truth," Xiao Tian said with a chuckle, easily catching her kicking foot before she could land the hit.
"Fine, I'll stop teasing you. But listen up—if you want to spar with me, you better be ready to get spanked again like earlier. And don't come crying to me if you get hurt during a real fight," he warned with a sly smirk.
Xiao Wu glared at him, her face still flushed. "Crazy pervert! Keep talking, and I'll show you who's crying!"
Xiao Tian smirked, lowering her foot with ease. "Alright, alright. Save that energy for practice. Look, we're at the cafeteria now. Let's focus on food instead of your temper."
With a playful wink, he added, "But seriously, Xiao Wu, maybe practice more before challenging me again. Otherwise, you'll just end up being the one crying."
"Hmph!" Xiao Wu huffed but couldn't help trailing behind him toward the cafeteria, muttering indignantly under her breath.
Her face flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment. Xiao Tian might have been handsome and well-built, but his mouth was just too much!
Subconsciously, she glanced down at her slightly flat chest, then at her feet. Her eyes narrowed as an idea formed in her mind.
"Xiao Tian, buy me some papaya later. My mom said it helps me sleep better!" she declared through gritted teeth, her tone as sharp as a blade.
For a moment, Xiao Tian was stunned before bursting into laughter, unable to hold it back. "Papaya? To help you sleep? Xiao Wu, you just came up with that one, didn't you?!"
Still chuckling, he added with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "Sure, no problem. Oh, and for the best results, pair it with milk. Hahaha! Just remember, the money for this 'miracle sleep aid' is going on your tab!"
Xiao Wu glared at him, her fists clenched tightly at her sides, but she couldn't come up with a retort. Meanwhile, Xiao Tian's laughter echoed as he walked ahead, clearly enjoying himself far too much for her liking.
---
Yu Xiaogang and Tang San remained rooted in place, exchanging uneasy glances. After a moment, Yu Xiaogang sighed, his voice carrying a faint bitterness.
"Ahem, it's mealtime. Let's go," he finally said, the words serving more to salvage his pride than anything else.
Yet, beneath his calm facade, Yu Xiaogang's mood was anything but good. Xiao Tian's dismissive attitude had left a sour taste in his mouth.
Of course, the only reason he had been willing to make an exception and consider Xiao Tian as a nominal disciple was due to the unique nature of the boy's martial soul. Over the years, apart from his own Luo Sanpao, Xiao Tian was the only other person Yu Xiaogang had encountered with a spiritual martial soul. This alone piqued his interest.
According to Tang San, Xiao Tian's martial soul was an ordinary iron sword, yet it somehow possessed innate level 5 soul power. Yu Xiaogang found this hard to believe. An iron sword was far too plain; how could it possibly reach such a level?
By contrast, his own Luo Sanpao—a martial soul imbued with true dragon blood—had only granted him half a level of innate soul power. And in Yu Xiaogang's eyes, Luo Sanpao's supposed mediocrity wasn't due to the martial soul itself but rather the subpar soul rings he had chosen for it.
Dragon-bloodline martial souls were typically powerful, and it was an unspoken rule among soul masters that they should absorb rings from soul beasts with dragon bloodlines to enhance such martial souls. But Yu Xiaogang had defied convention, and in doing so, he had ruined Luo Sanpao's potential.
"Teacher, are you really planning to accept Xiao Tian as your disciple?" Tang San asked curiously, breaking the silence.
To be honest, Tang San didn't harbor the best impression of Xiao Tian. As someone who had carried the accumulated knowledge of the Tang Sect into this world, he had always believed that even if he couldn't defeat opponents above his level, he should at least be unmatched among his peers.
But losing his first battle to Xiao Tian—a soul master with only innate level 5 soul power—had deeply unsettled him. On top of that, seeing Xiao Wu growing closer to Xiao Tian left him with an inexplicable sense of discomfort.
Yu Xiaogang glanced in the direction where Xiao Tian had disappeared, his expression calm. "Not a true disciple, just a nominal one," he said lightly. "I'm only interested in his martial soul. With only innate level 5 soul power, he doesn't deserve to be my disciple. In this life, I will only ever have one final disciple, and that's you, Tang San."
A faint smile played on Yu Xiaogang's lips. In his mind, Tang San's talent was unparalleled—surpassed only by Bibi Dong—and with the Clear Sky Hammer as his second martial soul, he believed Tang San's potential far exceeded hers.
He envisioned a future where Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer was adorned with ten-thousand-year soul rings, complemented by the secret techniques of the Clear Sky Sect. When that time came, not even Bibi Dong would stand a chance against him.
As for Xiao Tian defeating Tang San today? Yu Xiaogang dismissed it as a trivial matter. It was only natural for Xiao Tian to have a temporary edge with his unique martial soul. But after acquiring the first soul ring for Tang San's Blue Silver Grass tomorrow, the boy wouldn't even pose a challenge.
After all, control-type martial souls like Blue Silver Grass were natural counters to attack-types like Xiao Tian's sword. Once the sword was restrained, Xiao Tian would lose his threat entirely.
Furthermore, Yu Xiaogang considered Tang San's background—a lineage tied to Tang Hao and the Clear Sky Sect—as invaluable. For someone like Tang San, his theories would be carefully tested and refined.
Xiao Tian, however, was nothing more than a six-year-old child. Did he understand how to absorb soul rings? Did he have any knowledge of soul beasts?
In the end, Xiao Tian would have no choice but to rely on him, becoming an excellent subject for his research.
Yet, their first meeting had ended on such a sour note, something Yu Xiaogang hadn't anticipated. As he mulled over the encounter, his gaze darkened, and he silently vowed to find another way to win Xiao Tian's cooperation—whether the boy liked it or not.