Far from the academy, Tang San was elsewhere.
He had gone to the forest for soul hunting, and his path had already become separate from the daily rhythm of Notting Academy. The other students spoke his name now and then, but he was no longer present in the courtyard, no longer part of the visible routine.
That made the academy feel different
Xiao Wu had become the clear boss among the working students.
She moved with confidence, spoke with force, and made it obvious that she did not care about size, age, or rank. Her presence changed the balance
of the student groups almost immediately. Working students looked to her. Some admired her. Some feared her. A few simply followed because she made following seem natural.
That alone would have been enough to create tension.But the sixth-year boss, Xiao, was not the type to ignore a challenge.
The conflict began in the training yard.
It was nothing dramatic at first. Just a few sharp words. A few students watching too closely. A few smiles that carried too much pride.
Someone from the older group had mocked the working students.Someone had answered back.
Then Xiao appeared.
He was taller, older, and carried the confidence of someone used to being obeyed. His group stood behind him with the easy posture of those who
believed their age gave them authority.
"This is the academy," Xiao said coldly. "Working students should know their place."
The yard fell quiet.
Mo Chen was not at the center of the crowd. He stood at the edge, where he could see everything without being seen too clearly. It was a position he naturally preferred.
Xiao Wu stepped forward.
She was small compared to the sixth-years, but there was no weakness in how she stood. She did not retreat. She did not look uncertain. Her eyes stayed level.
"You talk too much," she said.The sixth-year students reacted first, muttering and shifting their feet. Xiao's expression hardened.
Mo Chen watched without expression.
This kind of conflict was not his to solve.It was still important to observe.
Xiao Wu moved first.
There was no wasted motion. No long preparation. No dramatic opening. She simply struck with speed, and the gap in age became meaningless forthe first exchange.
Biss Xiao subordinate tried to respond, but the result was already decided.
He staggered.
The crowd reacted.
The working students looked shocked, then excited. The older students looked angry. Xiao's face darkened
Mo Chen noted the details carefully.
Confidence.Explosive body control.No hesitation.
Xiao Wu did not dominate through size. She dominated through speed and direct force.
The sixth-years were forced back step by step.
A few students began whispering that she was impossible to deal with. Others said she was reckless. But Mo Chen only watched.He was not surprised.
He was measuring the level of reality around him.
When the clash ended, Xiao Wu stood calm, while the crowd buzzed with new rumors. Her position among the working students had clearly strengthened.
Mo Chen turned away before the noise grew louder.
He had seen enough.
That evening, the house was quiet again.
The day's light faded behind the hills near the academy, and the small room gradually filled with soft shadow. After dinner, Mo Chen returned to his
desk, opened his diary, and wrote down the day's events in a careful, unemotional hand.
Day 8.
Observed Xiao Wu's conflict with Xiao.
Observation: the academy is not calm. Groups form quickly. Strength attracts attention.
Zhao Kai remains useful for discussion and information.
Tang San is still away in the forest. The academy will feel his absence only temporarily. He paused, then continued.
Evening training begins now.
The diary closed with a soft sound.
He stood up, moved outside, and took the wooden sword again.This was the second training session of the day.
The evening routine was different from the morning. There was less effort in raw movement and more emphasis on recovery, control, and calm,breathing.
He began with deep breathing.
Inhale for five counts.
Exhale for seven.
Longer. Slower. Deeper.
The muscles loosened little by little.
Then came meditation.
He stood or sat depending on the feeling in his body, focusing on breath and circulation. He did not chase power aggressively. He let it settle. He guided it. He observed how his spirit power moved when the body was relaxed and when the mind was still.
That was when he moved into the sword forms his father had left behind.
The style was called Foundation Flow Sword Art.
It was not a famous technique.It was not a high-level skill.It was simply a practical foundation style designed for control, coordination, and basic combat awareness. His father had taught it with one simple
principle:
A sword is not for showing power. It is for control.
Mo Chen lifted the wooden sword.
The first form was Straight Cut.
A clean forward slash.No flourish.No wasted motion.
Just alignment, balance, and directness.
Then came Guarding Block.
The blade shifted into defense without overcommitting.
Minimal movement.
Maximum efficiency.
Then Step and Slash.
A step forward. One strike. The body and blade moving together.
Then Returning Blade. After the attack, the sword returned to guard.
No opening left behind.No careless exposure.
Then Low Sweep.
A horizontal motion aimed low, disrupting the imagined opponent's stance.
The final form was Breath Control Stance.
He stood still.Feet stable.Body relaxed.
Breathing slow.
A small amount of soul power moving through him in a controlled, deliberate way.
This was where the Douluo system and the breathing method began to overlap.
The sword style did not create power by itself.But it gave structure to power.
It made the body more obedient.It made spirit power easier to guide.
He repeated the sequence several times.
Again.
Again.
Again.
The movements were still rough. His body was still weak. The forms were not yet beautiful. But they were becoming more natural.As the night deepened, he lowered the sword and stood in silence.
The training had ended.The body was tired.
The mind was calm.
He went back inside, sat at the desk one last time, and wrote the final lines of the day.
Evening training complete.
Breathing is improving. Sword forms are clearer than before.
He closed the diary.
Then he lay down and stared at the ceiling.
Tomorrow would be the same.
Morning breathing. School life.
Library.
Observation.
Evening sword practice.
Repeat.
No miracles.No sudden change.
Only accumulation.And in the silence of the room, that was enough
The Return
Morning.
The academy gates were busy.But something changed.
A quiet shift.A boy walked in.
Simple clothes.
Calm eyes.This was Tang San.
He had returned from the forest.Soul hunt forest
Mo Chen saw him.
Just once.Then looked away.
Back mountain.
The conflict finally broke.
Working students—
Cornered.
Boss Xiao—Laughing.
"Now what?"
Then—A voice.
"Move."
Tang San stepped forward Calm.Cold.
Mo Chen stood far away. Watching.
The fight was short.
Clean.Precise.
No wasted movement.
Boss Xiao fell.
Silence.
Xiao Wu stepped forward.Eyes shining From that moment—
Everything changed.Mo Chen turned away.
No reaction.
📓 Diary (Night)
"Day 12"
Tang San returned.
Observed combat.
Efficient. No excess movement.
Conclusion:
Technique > strength (early stage).
Continue training.