Just as Shui Wuhen was curiously staring at Xiaowu's retreating figure, Shui Bing'er had already taken the two boxes of fried potatoes and turned to hand one to him with a smile.
"Brother, this is for you!"
"Thanks."
Shui Wuhen came back to his senses and took the box of fried potatoes from Shui Bing'er's hands.
At that moment, Shui Bing'er glanced in the direction Shui Wuhen had just been looking, tilting her head slightly in puzzlement. "Brother, what were you looking at just now?"
By then, Tang San and Xiaowu had already disappeared into the crowd, so Shui Bing'er naturally couldn't see anything.
"Nothing." Shui Wuhen shook his head lightly. "I just sensed that someone's aura was a bit different, but it's probably just my imagination."
"Oh!"
Shui Bing'er didn't ask further and instead grabbed Shui Wuhen's hand as they continued weaving through the market stalls.
She cherished every moment she could spend with her brother. Although they met fairly often, opportunities like this—an entire night free from training, just for fun—were rare.
Before the age of twenty, a Soul Master's training period was golden. It was when their cultivation speed was fastest. Even if Shui Wuhen was willing to take a break, Shui Bing'er wouldn't want to waste his time. Besides, she herself needed to train.
Soul Masters had abundant energy, and Shui Bing'er was already a high-level Soul Sect disciple. They wandered through the streets until the shops began closing, and only then did they return to the Tian Shui Academy residence.
Back in his room, Shui Wuhen walked to the window, gazing at the high moon and the silver moonlight spreading across the ground. A sudden sense of loneliness welled up in his heart.
Would he ever be able to go back?
After a moment, Shui Wuhen smiled. "The moon is beautiful tonight, isn't it, Articuno?"
"Uhh~~"
The Articuno beside him looked up at the moon and nodded slightly.
Shui Wuhen then stroked Articuno's chin and neck, and the loneliness in his heart immediately eased considerably. At least in this world, he still had Articuno and his sister Shui Bing'er with him, didn't he?
But tonight… no training.
Meanwhile, over at Shrek Academy, Tang San tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Shui Wuhen's overwhelming strength during the day, combined with Shui Bing'er's extraordinary control, kept echoing in his mind.
"The teacher said my Blue Silver Grass is most suited for a control path, but compared to Shui Bing'er, my control is nothing. If I hadn't absorbed the Octagonal Profound Ice Herb, I wouldn't even have qualified to fight her.
My Blue Silver Grass… is it really suitable as a control-type Spirit Master?"
The more Tang San thought, the more confused he became. His future felt like a dense fog. Should he continue along the control path set by Yu Xiaogang?
Indeed, compared to other control-type Soul Masters, he had unparalleled advantages: the endurance from Xuantian Skill, the observation from Purple Extreme Demon Eye, the mobility and attack from Ghostly Shadow Trail, the supreme manipulation from Crane-Seizing Dragon…
Yet none of these could solve a fundamental problem: his Blue Silver Grass was far too weak.
Even though he had followed Yu Xiaogang's instructions to give Blue Silver Grass resilience and poison attributes.
Even though he had pushed his absorption of Spirit Power to the limits, surpassing the normal boundaries, absorbing the third and fourth spirit rings, and attaining the unprecedented Millennial Fourth Ring.
Even though, with the Octagonal Profound Ice Herb and Fire Apricot, Blue Silver Grass gained immunity to ice and fire.
Even with the martial arts and hidden weapons from his previous life.
When facing truly top-tier peers, he still felt powerless.
This was not because he was weak, but because Blue Silver Grass itself was inadequate.
Now Tang San finally understood why Su Yuntao, who had awakened his Spirit, had looked so regretful when he discovered that Tang San, a Blue Silver Grass Spirit Master, possessed innate full Spirit Power.
Blue Silver Grass—it truly was a trash Spirit!
His previous victories over other opponents were due to his Tang Sect martial arts from his previous life, his spirit ring configuration far exceeding his opponents, and the aid of miraculous herbs—not because of Blue Silver Grass!
If his Spirit had been something else, he would have won even more easily, and he wouldn't have felt so powerless against Shui Bing'er.
"No, it can't be like this. Blue Silver Grass is too weak. If I keep training like this, by the time I reach Spirit King, I'll be no one's match."
Suddenly, Tang San shouted as he jumped out of bed, his words and eyes full of unwillingness.
A moment later, he lowered his head and murmured, "Perhaps retraining with a different Spirit is also a good choice."
The next day, at Shrek Academy, in the teachers' building.
"What? Xiao San, you want to give up Blue Silver Grass and retrain with Haotian Hammer?"
Yu Xiaogang sprayed the tea in his mouth upon hearing Tang San's words, his eyes wide in disbelief as he stared at him.
Tang San wiped the tea off his face and nodded firmly. "Yes. Teacher, this is a decision I've made after careful consideration."
Yu Xiaogang immediately stood up, crossing the desk to Tang San's side, frowning. "Xiao San, haven't I told you? Wait until you cultivate Blue Silver Grass to Spirit Emperor level. Then your second Spirit, Haotian Hammer, can have a full set of millennial spirit rings added. You promised me this. Why the sudden decision to retrain with Haotian Hammer?"
As the legacy Spirit of the continent's top sect, Haotian Sect, Haotian Hammer's strength was unquestionable. Whether it was Tang Chen, the first-generation sect master of Haotian Sect and one of the continent's two peerless Douluos long ago, or Tang San's idol, Haotian Douluo Tang Hao, their power was beyond ordinary Soul Masters.
Adding spirit rings only after reaching Spirit Emperor was a decision Tang San had made with Tang Hao.
In Yu Xiaogang's eyes, Blue Silver Grass, a weak Spirit, was usable as is. No matter how much one cultivated it, it wouldn't be particularly strong. It was just paving the way for the Haotian Hammer of the world's number-one sect—nothing embarrassing.
Tang Hao, even knowing that Blue Silver Grass could evolve into Blue Silver Emperor, had still chosen it as the first Spirit because he knew Haotian Hammer was far stronger.
"But Teacher, can this Blue Silver Grass Spirit really reach level sixty? Even if it can, how long would it take?"
Despite Yu Xiaogang's patient persuasion, Tang San's resolve did not waver. He continued, "Teacher, am I supposed to keep fighting geniuses like Shui Bing'er and Shui Wuhen with this weak Blue Silver Grass before I reach sixty? With Blue Silver Grass alone, Shrek can never achieve ultimate victory!"