Ch.23: How About A Spar?
[A/N: Spare me if it is awkward or not fitting in, I don't get good enough ideas to start with.]
Zhou Yueling was clearly enjoying herself.
And she certainly didn't want to end it here.
Just as she opened her mouth, clearly ready to add another wicked remark, a cold, unmistakable ahem cut through the air behind her.
"Ahem"
She heard a cough from her grandmother, indicating to her to stop.
Yueling froze.
She was about to ignore it, but the worst possible retort made her rethink her choice.
Then she made her choice.
With a sudden clearing of her throat and a graceful shift of posture, she straightened as if nothing inappropriate had just happened.
Adopting the same noble, disciplined air she wore during official audiences.
The two children stared up at her, with two pairs of big blue and violet eyes reflecting the soft morning light like night and dawn meeting on the horizon, and a faint sigh escaped her lips.
"Anyway," she said smoothly, "let's stop here for now."
Behind her, so soft it barely existed, a muffled click of a tongue, full of disappointment, reached Lu Sheng's ears.
There was only one person in the room who would click their tongue with that exact blend of frustration and amusement.
The City Lord himself.
Clearly, he shared his granddaughter's taste for entertainment; in a life filled with endless paperwork, strict schedules, and predictable routine, small dramas like this were probably the closest thing he had to a hobby.
But when Lu Sheng glanced over with suspicion, he found Zhou Ming calmly bent over the desk again.
Flipping through documents with a perfectly neutral expression, as if he hadn't been invested at all.
The old man didn't even blink.
Before Lu Sheng could analyze the act, his master's voice drew his attention back.
"Alright," Zhou Yueling said brightly, "let's move on to the formal introductions."
She stepped aside and placed a hand on each child's shoulder with the ease of someone presenting two priceless treasures at an auction.
"Lu Sheng, meet my second disciple, Li Yao. Li Yao, this is your 'Senior brother', Lu Sheng."
Her tone carried the dignity of a formal ceremony, but her eyes still gleamed with leftover mischief.
She opened her mouth again, this time intending to explain their martial spirits, soul power levels, attributes, and their respective abilities until her expression stilled mid-breath.
She had just realized she actually didn't know what spirit skill Lu Sheng had obtained.
She suddenly felt a sense of embarrassment at not even knowing the spirit ability of her disciple possesses.
Just as Lu Sheng inhaled, ready to explain before she asked, Li Xueya raised a hand gently, stopping him without a word.
"I also don't know Li Yao's and Sheng'er's spirit skills," she said, her calm voice cutting neatly into the moment.
"So why don't we let the children have a grand reveal together, with a soul master battle as their first proper introduction?"
The suggestion landed like a spark in dry grass.
Zhou Yueling's eyes practically lit up with unrestrained delight; this was her ideal solution, her favorite method of breaking the ice, making friends, and evaluating talent all at once.
A fight was always the answer.
Why talk when fists could communicate much more clearly?
Even Zhou Ming, who had been pretending disinterest, paused mid-page.
Without a word, he set the documents aside and stood, appearing beside the children with a silent shift of air.
His expression wasn't intense, but it carried unmistakable anticipation.
Li Yao must have obtained a really remarkable spirit ability for even him to show such interest.
"So," Zhou Ming said, looking at both children with an expression that was strangely warm despite his calm demeanor, "how about it? Will you two give us a match?"
At that, they both turned to each other.
Their eyes met, blue and violet, hesitation and spark, familiarity.
Their lips moved at the same moment.
"Should we?" x 2
Both of them said simultaneously.
...
Later that morning.
In the training ground behind the courtyard of the mansion.
All of the household members had gathered.
With two figures present standing in the arena.
They were obviously Lu Sheng and the new disciple Li Yao.
Standing while facing each other, Li Yao had a serious expression on her face, while Lu Sheng appeared pretty casual.
And why shouldn't he be?
By the cannon knowledge he has, he was sure that the current him is much stronger than even the original protagonist.
At this point, even if Li Yao were to turn out to be a reincarnator, not just a lucky person who awakened twin martial spirits, he was 100% sure he could defeat her, no matter what spirit ability she had.
And the confidence he has in himself comes from facts he himself has verified.
Even a normal soul elder can't match him if he goes all out, and coupled with the stealth and other capabilities, he was confident enough to take down a peak soul ancestor by a surprise attack.
What is a young genius with one spirit ring compared to that?
Looking at the wary-looking Li Yao and casual Lu Sheng Zhou Yueling and Zhou Ming, the pair's granddaughter and grandfather had an awkward look in their eyes, as if they had much to speak but didn't have words to speak.
At the end, they just exchanged a look and decided to let nature take its course.
Looking at the exchange, Li Xueya had an odd look, thinking they were underestimating Lu Sheng too much.
'They will see it with their own eyes now anyway.' She thought, looking at the two children standing against each other.
All this exchange was watched by Lu Sheng, who couldn't help but think he seemed to have overlooked something.
He looked at Li Yao, just about to use the skill appraisal, but stopped himself just at the last moment.
After all, it has been decided to keep a surprise for each other; he can't cheat now, can he?
After all, the worst that can happen is a skill that ignores defense. What is there to worry about if she can't even touch him?
With that, he also took his stance.
"Ready, Lu Sheng?" the violet-eyed girl opposite to him spoke.
"Ready!"
Just as those words fell, two blinding lights shone, engulfing the whole arena in golden and silver radiance.
"Martial Spirit Possession: Deoxys!"
"Martial Spirit Possession: Heavenly Demon Body!"
Followed by the usual changes, Lu Sheng's body grew a few inches taller and began to bulk up slightly, then was encased in golden armor from his neck to his toes, resembling a fantasy knight with silver, metallic blue runic symbols along its surface, lending it a mystical appearance.
Silverish blue currents swirling around him, adding more to the special effects, his eyes shining with the same.
However, the transformation on the other side was no less dramatic.
Opposite to him, Li Yao also activated her martial spirit possession; her figure grew more mature, giving her a look of what she would look like a couple of years later.
Followed by a silver icy aura enveloping her body, even her expression became more icy with her eyes turning from violet to silver, appearing like an immortal fairy not belonging to this mortal world.
This transformation surprised Lu Sheng so much that he missed her martial spirit's name, even.
But the real surprise was what came next.
Within a flash, a silver blur approached him, appearing right in front of him in the next instant.
"Wha-!"
A delicate, small fist, right in front of his eyes.
Which he dodged by tilting his head to the right.
Swish!
Surprisingly, the delicate weak weak-looking fist created a sonic boom as it passed by his ears.
But that was only the beginning, as after the punch, a left hook swiftly followed, next came an uppercut, and then a whip kick.
Unsurprisingly, he dropped it all, but the strength really surprised him.
"Nearly as strong as me?"
Lu Sheng could not believe what he was seeing, shock evident in his voice.
Her strength was clearly on par with his, maybe even greater by a few percentage points.
It was through sheer skill that he was suppressing her.
After all, he was a cheat character to match him, even if only in sheer stats, which was not something someone normal could do.
He even questioned if that was even the original Li Yao.
But he again stopped himself from using appraisal almost instinctively.
'Let's defeat her first. I still want to see the spirit skill before deciding further.'
His eyes narrowed, now much more serious.
"Be careful, Yao Yao, I am coming now."
He said, looking at the little cold fairy who just gave a small nod of acknowledgement, no words escaping her mouth.
A second later, a golden blur came into being, joining the silver one to compare whose light was faster.