The next day, before dawn, rustling sounds came from Xiao Wu's room. Moments later, she carefully poked her head out, glancing left and right. Seeing that Lin Yang hadn't come out yet, she slipped toward the bathroom like a little mouse, clutching something tightly in her hand. From the exposed corner, it looked like pink fabric.
Ten minutes later, Xiao Wu slipped out again and hurried back to her room. At some point, a piece of freshly washed undergarment appeared hanging outside her room window.
When Lin Yang came out, washed his face, and was about to start his daily training, Xiao Wu walked in from outside carrying breakfast.
"You actually got up this early today?" Lin Yang looked as if he had seen a Demon.
Xiao Wu's face reddened, then she grumbled, "What's with that expression? Can't I wake up early? And I even specially bought breakfast. If I'd known, I would've just let you starve."
Despite her words, she placed the breakfast on the table.
Lin Yang sat down to eat. "How do you feel after using the whale glue?"
A smile appeared on Xiao Wu's face. She clenched her fist, her eyes full of pleasant surprise. "My body feels much stronger, and soul power circulation is smoother too."
"The effects are naturally more obvious at the beginning," Lin Yang said without surprise. "From now on, take the medicinal bath every day and use the whale glue once every three days. I'll cover the cost of the herbs and whale glue for now. Later, when you earn money from the Great Soul Arena, you'll repay part of it."
Xiao Wu snorted unhappily. "Got it, you money-grubber, you cheapskate!"
Now bearing another "money-grubber" title, Lin Yang rolled his eyes. "This is called settling accounts clearly—even between brothers!"
"Who's your brother," Xiao Wu muttered softly.
"Do you still want to soak or not?"
"Of course," the little rabbit blurted out.
"Then listen to me!" Lin Yang's voice grew heavier. Xiao Wu quickly sat up straight with a serious expression.
"Remember, the medicinal bath and whale glue are only external aids. The core is still your own cultivation and the polishing of the breathing method. During the next period, you must go to the Great Soul Arena every day to complete your solo fights. Accumulate points as quickly as possible and rise to the Copper Soul Badge. That shouldn't be difficult for you.
"Once you get the Copper Soul Badge, you can apply to challenge two-ring Great Soul Masters above your level. As for the two-versus-two fights, we'll arrange them as the situation allows. I still won't be taking part."
"Understood!" Xiao Wu nodded firmly. She had no complaints about Lin Yang's plan.
That same afternoon, Xiao Wu and Lin Yang went to the Great Soul Arena. Each completed one solo fight and earned seven points—five from winning the soul fight and two from consecutive win bonuses.
At this rate, their winning streak would make the points snowball. It wouldn't take long to upgrade to the Copper Soul Badge.
In reality, that was exactly what happened. In less than ten days, both obtained their Copper Soul Badges. Afterward, they began challenging opponents above their level.
Lin Yang challenged Soul Honoreds. Whether it was level 31 or 39, they were all settled with a single slap. He didn't even need to reveal his martial soul.
At first, people were shocked, but they gradually grew used to it. The name "Blade Demon" began to spread in the Great Soul Arena.
Opponents soon figured out his temperament: fight fairly and openly, and you'd at most take one slap and walk away alive. Play dirty or use underhanded tricks, and you would die ugly.
Because fights against him never exceeded half a minute, the audience jokingly called that half-minute "garbage time." It meant paying for a fight and getting nothing entertaining in return—like sitting through a thrilling movie only to have a half-minute ad forcibly inserted.
What the audience wanted were bloody, violent, brutal, and evenly matched battles—not boring one-sided stomps.
In comparison, Xiao Wu's fights were far more watchable. Her back-and-forth exchanges, with every punch landing solidly, were highly entertaining.
Over two months, their records were impressive whether in solo or two-versus-two fights:
· Lin Yang: 48 solo fights, 48 wins.
· Xiao Wu: 46 solo fights, 46 wins.
· Two-versus-two: 18 fights, 17 wins, 1 draw.
Notably, in those 18 two-versus-two fights, Xiao Wu single-handedly resolved ten of them (9 wins, 1 draw). In the remaining eight, they faced Soul Honored-level pairs. Lin Yang would hold back one while Xiao Wu faced the other. For a one-ring soul master to fight a three-ring Soul Honored was strenuous, but under heavy pressure, her strength grew rapidly.
Now, her Soft Breathing Technique had reached a smooth and natural realm, meeting the basic conditions for "Transparency."
The only draw came when Xiao Wu was heavily ambushed by a two-ring soul master using poison. Fortunately, she promptly circulated her breathing method to slow the toxin's spread; otherwise, she might have died. Before collapsing, she used her last strength to break all the bones in both opponents' bodies—one dead, one severely injured. The match ended in a draw.
Afterward, the surviving opponent never appeared in the Great Soul Arena again. This left Xiao Wu grumbling for a long time—she had hoped for revenge.
With their terrifying winning streaks, their points accumulated rapidly. Their Copper Soul Badges upgraded to Silver, and one more unified settlement at the end of the month would likely earn them Gold Soul Badges. Even four-ring Soul Sages rarely earned Gold badges.
At this point, Lin Yang chose to temporarily stop participating in soul fights to consolidate their gains—and to avoid unnecessary trouble. Their dazzling performances had drawn private contact from nobles, wealthy merchants, and even people from the Great Soul Arena itself, all trying to recruit "Blade Demon" and "Charm Rabbit."
Lin Yang rejected them all. The price of rejection included retaliation—until one night, when he personally placed a Soul Sage's head on the bed of the noble who had tried hardest. The noble was scared half to death and never targeted them again.
After this "return gift," the harassment quieted considerably. Everyone knew "Blade Demon" was not someone easy to provoke.
Fortunately, the two had disguised themselves thoroughly, and with Lin Yang's vigilance, no one connected them to their real identities.
In the end, soul badges, gold soul coins, and recruitment offers were just add-ons to strength. What they truly cared about was improvement.
After two months of high-intensity battles, uninterrupted medicinal baths, and whale glue, Xiao Wu successfully broke through to level 19. She had just turned seven years old.
Lin Yang, under the dual boost of Sun Breathing and the Blue Silver Domain, reached level 29 at eight years old. To avoid attention, he had not updated his information at the Spirit Hall since his martial soul awakened. Externally, he claimed to be twelve.
After three months of nightly tempering, the external soul bone—Hidden Edge—finally fused completely with the Sun Wheel Blade. It now looked no different from a real scabbard. On the black sheath, dark golden patterns faintly outlined the shape of a sun. Under sunlight, they reflected a fiery red glow. The soul power fluctuations had been completely restrained, just as its name suggested—it concealed all its sharpness, waiting for the day it would shock the world.