Homework, Homework, this was not Homework; this was torture. The mountain of Papers stag in front of each of them was seemingly endless, and it was te in the evening when Gale finished first, yawning and rubbing his burning eyes while deg that it was enough.
The following days deviated little from that. Homework and Training. Homework and Training. Tang Yi every damn muscle of her body as Tang San, who tinued coag her iaeiques, did not hold back the least. You o get stroo survive, alright, then do not expect mercy was his heartfelt belief. So he tortured herself, and she did as he said, not even putting up her usual pining tirades as she did another horse stance session, or felt her legs fall asleep as he forced her to meditate to find inner band suppress her inner demons. Well, her inner demons devised pns to pay her brother back tenfold once she was out of the proverbial woods.
Then, however, their days ged drastically with the Grandmaster as a formal Lecturer. No more mog side gnces from the other students, no more walking on side paths just to be left in peace; they could eveer their dorm room prematurely. Damian expio Tang Yin that they always waited a week until they returned; luckily, it rarely happehat they were remembered by the sed dorm mother or teachers. Lying low, they tinued eating in the dorm room with Tang San and Xiao Wu, the tter somehow ected to Ning Feng. The two of them exged clothes, and at some point, Yu Hua talked about new embroidery works and practical clothing for their travel through the forest.
At some point, even Ning Feng had to admit pouting heavily, that glittering, sparkling cute dresses, kitten heels, and a lot of pink were not prime material for walking in a jungle.
Gale started to be a mother heched over the three of them like a hawk and arranged a lot of stuff from nowhere. He dragged a few of his inal works, food boxes, roof clothing, suns, hand balsams, and ons out of some deep dorm er, and during this process, unholy cooperation formed.
Tang San joined in, and Damian jumped Gale's bandwagoually too, causing Yu Hua to make a dash for it, Xiao Wu to raise an audible protest, Tang Yin to hide iops, and finally, Nio take the brunt of their bined efforts.
Ihey were scary in a triple pack. O day, they went out smiling and armed for war aurned a few hours ter with a mountain of a heist. Rare things for their hiding pce behind the bed barrier, herbs, and a case full of rare materials and ons were carried right o the spirit testing orb and put to the other stuff that had Tang San staring in shock.
The following m they headed out; Damian and Gale woke up with the others and helped prepare, still sp pajamas. Yu Hua was now dressed in all bck with a few finely hand-embroidered white leaves that stylized a dragon and small metal s ed in yers like a belt. On each piece of was a small carving. It was one of Gale's inal works, a to bind his oppo by growing smaller and bigger using Yu Hua's spirit power.
Ning Feng was armed, but not with a on, but with a shield in the form of six small bracelets. Each could grow and form opaque shields she could yer over each other and freely move at her own will as long as she had spirit power. She had even fone all sparkles and wore a dark Pink embroidered teddy bear tunica, long bck boots, and fitting bck pants. Her teddy was on her back with half of their baggage inside like an rown bag.
As for Tang Yin and Tang San, they wore Ta style, bck pants, fortable shoes, and size too-big shirts with space for sleeve arrows and a vast number of hidden ons; the rest of their bined material was stored by Tang San inside his belt, he 24 moonlight bridges.
Instead of the numerous throwing ons like Tang San, Tang Yin wore strengthened leather with small iron scales c her knuckles, knees, and elbows, as well as a small bde in the form of a figurative hairpin in her ponytail. Like Yu Hua and Ning Feng, she wore her own Gale inal, a belt that hardened into a long, thin, ahly sharp bde.
"Ready to go?" She asked, and everyone nodded except fale and Damian, who were left behind and saw them leave with worry.
"D-don't w-worry ill be f-fine.", Ning Feng said and waved alongside the oodbye to the two remaining behind.
They walked up to the iron gate, where the Grandmaster had already waited. He had his hands closed behind him, and together they left with him expining what they o know if not already known.
"Ten-year spirit beasts have white rings, a hundred years old yellow, a thousand years old purple, the ten thousand ones bck, and a huhousand-years old red." He looked at them, "I know you know that, but I will repeat it. To gain a spirit ring, kill the spirit beast yourself; they will not surreheir life alone. Be careful and stay alert, especially you, Ning Feng; you are the physically weakest among us and a support spirit master; if you want to be a true asset, you o be able to watch out for yourself if we get into a fight were uards ot protect us you are the weakest link."
Following the sunlight gradually rising from the east, more and more people appeared. The Grandmaster stopped by a vegetable store, buying several kilos of radishes and st them half iang San's belt and Ning Fengs Teddy. Then, he rented a carriage, and they drove to Star Dou Forest's entrao meet their merary guild guards.
