Douluo Dalu: 1st Cycle: Dancing Panda

"This girl?" The Headmaster was looking at the notes Karni made. "Ho, she seems to have hidden herself well. That's unusual."

"I explained it in the report as well." Karni pointed at the notes.

The Headmaster read on and started holding his head. "Insecurities… that might be a problem."

Karni nodded. "I am aware. That's why I told her that she could join the Special Class only if she beat Li Teng and Ke Shu in front of others."

"Hm. She would certainly need to use all of these abilties to succeed at that. Li Teng is not that much of a problem, but Ke Shu will be. It is a good way to give her confidence. I approve then. As long as she succeeds in this, she may join."

Karni smiled. "Well… She succeeded. With flying colours, I may add. I judged it important to be done in the moment."

"Oh? Teacher Val is more familiar with teaching than I expected."

"Just using Shrek as inspiration is all." Karni affirmed.

The Headmaster smiled. "That's good. I've heard of Teacher Wu's day as well. While she didn't find any talents suitable for Special Class, both of you are doing marvellously well. Word is spreading about you through the classes already."

"Yeah, well, we're both aware that we're young, so we knew we needed to make a bit of a scene. But I must add, I found it strange that the one talent I found in three different classes was the only one who stood out... and I barely managed to figure out that she was hiding her talents as well. Neither the first nor the fifth year had any special students." Karni had already taught for the whole day. He was just reporting now.

The Headmaster sighed. "It's unfortunate, but the city had turned against us the past year. Only families we were close to are still sending talents, like the Sword and the Shield families. But their current generation isn't the best either."

"The city turned against you?" Karni got suspicious. "Why?"

"The police has been claiming that we are using immoral methods to dope students, and other disgusting things. That that's why our students can get into Shrek."

"The police?" Karni thought. "Isn't that… Siduo and I went against them when we were ten. Why would they start spreading rumours now? Is this our fault?"

"I do not know." The Headmaster shook his head.

Karni sighed. "Whatever it is, it could only be because of us." Karni had an idea forming. "Headmaster. Siduo and I belong to Shrek Academy. Officially, we are already in the inner court. You could publicise it."

"I wouldn't dare. Shrek Academy has too good of a name to be connected to ours."

"That's just it. Shrek would never associate themselves with such an academy. And we can prove who we are not just by announcing it, but also by showcasing our power. Shrek would not deny our position."

Headmaster's eyes shined. "I see. I see. Yes, that might just work. No one dares pretend they are Shrek students in public. Shrek students being here alone could credit us."

"And we can also announce the history of the police. If Siduo and I do it, it should leave a mark. We were going to investigate them anyway." Karni shrugged. "Though it was to finish what we started. But if they're doing this, we might as well speed things up. We belong to the Tang Sect, we should be able to get an official investigation going."

"Can you get the sect to do that?" Headmaster was doubtful.

"We're both in the inner sect already. We should be able to."

Headmaster was left breathless. These kids have only been in Shrek for two years and they've already grown so much.

"I'll get into contact with some people in the local TV stations, I still have enough connections to make this a public event. 'Shrek Students came to teach in our school and wish to showcase their powers'. Yes, that sounds like a good title, hehehe. It should capture the local audience easily. Might even spread in some other cities." The Headmaster was clearly skilled at running these sorts of things—as well as maybe enjoying it a bit too much. The police was hard to go against, and now that he found this opportunity, his thoughts quickly reacted. Shrek's name should greatly alleviate the problem.

Karni smiled himself away. "I'll leave it to the Headmaster. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and introduce myself to the Special Class. Oh, do Xu An and Qin Ming know where to go?"

"The two kids you brought with you? Yeah, yeah. Everything is in order. They should know to come."

"Good. In that case, Headmaster, I shall take my leave."

"Go, go. I have stuff to do now too."

… … …

"Mm. I'm fine with that. We can have a proper fight, and I can see how you've grown. We haven't gone all out in a while." Siduo stretched after a long day as the two were walking to the training field where the Special Class should be located.

"I'm looking forward to it. How much did the Oasis Bottle help you, by the way?"

"Decently, but not as much. Turns out I've been adequately bringing out my own potential. Though my control of the Yin Yang Flames has gotten better."

"That thing you used against Wulin before I departed?"

Siduo made a wide smile. "Hehehe. You'll see."

"First that phoenix feather now this? I suppose I should have kept more secrets. You saw a good bunch of my new abilities already."

"Don't you pretend. You showed some new Soul Skills, sure, I don't believe that's all you gained."

Karni chuckled. "Busted."

They reached the field. The Special Class kids were already waiting. Three were hanging out together, while another three each stood on their own. The three on their own were Xu An, Qin Ming and Nan Genji. The other three were… Karni remembered the files he got.

The oldest was 14. She was going to be just young enough still to try the Shrek Exam by the end of the year. Lan Meixiang. Her Martial Soul was the Orchid Mantis. She was already a Soul Elder with Two Yellow and One Purple Soul Rings. The report they got from the school said that she was close to getting three Purple Soul Rings and should be nearing the Soul Ancestor rank.

"Big sister! They're here!" The girl in the middle pointed.

"Don't point at the new teachers." The only boy of the Special Class said unamused.

"Why not?" The girl responded back, seeming genuinely confused.

The two bickering were brother and sister. Born in the same year, they were both Soul Masters. They were 12 and nearing the Soul Elder rank. Ever since he found out their Martial Souls, Karni was not so sure about them having a Soul Fusion anymore. Their Martial Souls were completely different.

The older of the siblings by a month, the brother, had a Vector Scarf. He had control over Vectors. An interesting Martial Soul. One that required the kid to know some math as well. He was Qiang Enru. His sister on the other hand, had a plant type Martial Soul. One of the few plant types that were not of the control variety. She was an assault poison system with her Martial Soul being the Dead Apple Tree. She was Qiang Ruoye.

From his first impression, the younger sister was quite a chatterbox. Her brother and Lan Meixiang were both rolling their eyes as Qiang Ruoye was speculating about the new teachers perfectly in earshot.

The two walked up next to her as she kept on rambling on and on and on.

"Besides. If they're bothered by me looking they must be stupid-"

She stopped. "They're right behind m-"

"Don't." Karni raised his hand. "Just, don't finish that sentence please." He had to hold back his laughter. Another cliché right in the wild. He had to keep his face straight.

"Seniors." The three kids bowed. They still remembered Karni and Siduo from their time at Star Luo City Academy.

"You should address us as teachers from now on." Siduo said sternly, then smiled. "But hi. It's good to meet you all." She then looked at Lan Meixiang with approval. "Mm. So you did get into the Special Class. I remember watching one of the tournaments in my fifth year."

"Oh, yeah, now that you mention it." Karni was also familiar. The girl was the winner of one of the regular tournaments. It was just before they left for Star Luo Continent.

Lan Meixiang seemed blush. "I… I am honoured."

"Ay." Siduo waved her hands. "Relax. We can address each other casually, as long as all of you practice appropriately."

Karni looked to the other three. "Come now, have you guys introduced each other yet? These three will join you in the Special Class. Nan Genji introduce yourself first."

Nan Genji stepped up. "Hello. I am… was previously in the third-year class. I am Nan Genji, as Teacher Val said. My Martial Soul is… the Slug."

Lan Meixiang, as the leader of the Special Class group, questioned. "Like a poisonous slug? Oh, uhm, teacher, can I ask these questions?" She looked to Karni.

"Be my guest. You're going to be the leader, since you already seem to be one. It's right for you to get familiar with your squad. Though I should inform you that the other two are from Shrek City and are here as my personal students. They aren't officially part of Special Class."

Lan Meixiang thought about it for a bit, then nodded. "Then, Nan Genji, if you please answer my previous question."

"Lose the 'please'." Siduo suddenly interrupted.

"Eh?" Lan Meixiang was confused.

"You'll be the leader from now on. Not just in name only. We're making you the leader. Act like one. Your squad is under your responsibility from now on. You give orders, you do not ask them to follow you. You make them follow you with your actions."

Lan Meixiang stood still. She did not expect things to get serious from the start. "I… Right." She straightened. "Nan Genji. Explain your Martial Soul."

The younger girl straightened as well. She was not familiar with Wu Siduo yet, so she took her words very seriously. "It's a defensive type. Slimy, rather than poisonous."

"Mm. Good. We need a defence type anyway." Lan Meixiang said, immediately falling into thought.

Nan Genji smiled widely, especially toward Karni. Karni was right. Power was what mattered here. Karni and Siduo were respected enough by the previous generation that Lan Meixiang did not doubt their judgement.

"Okay, next. You two. The guy." Lan Meixiang pointed to Qin Ming. Her tone had already changed.

Qin Ming stepped forward and just showed the tablet. He seemed to have already written his intro beforehand.

"My name is Qin Ming." It read. "My Martial Soul is the chalk. I am a 3-Star Mecha Designer. I am also a rank 27 Soul Grandmaster. I come from an orphanage. I am a summoner-type but also support type."

Karni was surprised as he read the message. He was not aware Qin Ming was a support type as well.

"I can imbue power into my drawings." It further read. "I can also imbue that same power into people, but I cannot do both at the same time. My current two abilities allow me to imbue strength and speed, as long as I draw onto another's body. And yes, I am mute." The boy was smiling behind the writing, but it was clear he was nervous.

Karni was interested. The boy likely discovered that ability in the past year. He remembered that Qin Ming did not have the ability to do that before. Karni giving him a big role likely gave him more opportunities to test things out.

"Hm. Your cultivation is a bit weak, but those abilities are quite good. By how much is the increase?" Lan Meixiang asked the 13-year-old.

Siduo smiled at Karni. Lan Meixiang did not take Karni's bait. Karni basically told her that the other two are not her responsibility, but she did not care. She still asked questions. It was a mark of an intelligent leader.

The boy erased what he wrote before and answered Lan Meixiang's question. "I can increase abilities by 20 percent on humans. Fictional things I draw gain strength based on how much Soul Power I input."

Lan Meixiang looked at Karni. "We should probably increase his cultivation."

Karni smiled. "Don't worry. I plan to."

The whole group suddenly felt a chill down their spine. Karni wore Mo Qing's smile.

"Teacher Val, your inner thoughts are leaking." Siduo coughed to the side, worsening the situation.

"Oops." Karni scratched his head. "Continue please."

Lan Meixiang gathered herself with some difficulty. What sort of plans did these two teachers have for them? "Right… Finally, girl."

Xu An stepped forward, a bit tense. "I am Xu An. My Martial Soul is the Harmonic Harp. I am a full support system. My support mostly affects the mind. It can act as a support as well by weakening enemies. I am a Soul Elder."

"You're a Soul Elder?" Lan Meixiang was surprised. Lan Meixiang was a Soul Elder, and she was 14. This girl was 11, likely 10. She was already a Soul Elder at this age! She was a prodigy. The two siblings were both at rank 29 and they were 12! She thought them as talented as herself. But then… this must be Shrek's influence.

Xu An looked proud. "Yes."

Karni coughed. "Lan Meixiang. What are yours and the other two's Spiritual Powers?"

Lan Meixiang answered without question. "I am stuck at the bottleneck of Spirit Sea realm."

"I am at 350 points." Answered Qiang Ruoye.

"I am at the bottleneck of Spirit Sea as well." Answered Qiang Enru. It made sense. The kid's Martial Soul likely worked similar to elemental types. His Spiritual Power had to be high.

Karni looked at Xu An, who for some reason still wore a prideful face. Karni sighed. "Xu An. Are you thinking that your Spiritual Power is high for your age?"

"Is it not?" She looked confused. That's what they said right? The others were still in Spirit Connection realm as well. Sure, she had lower points, but she was two years younger than Qiang Enru and Qiang Ruoye. She wasn't far behind Qiang Ruoye either.

"You stubborn girl. If your Spiritual Cultivation progresses as it has until now, you'll at most reach Qiang Ruoye's level by the end of the year. Even if you focus on it. Do you think your Spiritual Power is easy to raise? How were you planning to raise it?"

"I… By playing the harp?" She wondered out loud.

Siduo couldn't help but audibly sigh on the side. The girl seemed hurt by that. "Xu An. If it were only that easy."

Karni explained. "Xu An. Qiang Enru's Martial Soul functions similarly to your own. It's not purely Spiritual, but it requires high Spiritual Power. If you had nurtured that aspect, you would have ended up at a similar power."

"What's the problem then-"

"Let me finish." Karni raised his hand. "You would have ended up at the same level… if you had nurtured that aspect from the beginning! If you continue as you are, the most you could do now is catch up to Qiang Ruoye's Spiritual Power."

The girl blinked once… then went pale. "Wait! Wait! Wait! Doesn't that mean I won't be able to take the exam! I have to reach Spirit Sea Realm till the end of the year!"

"Ay, finally connected the dots." Karni clasped his hands in almost genuine disappointment. The rest of the students were looking at the two a bit weird. But Karni didn't just want to say it to her. It wouldn't have had the same impact on the girl. She needed to connect the dots herself.

"Wait, teacher! Don't just sigh! Help me!" Xu An tugged on Karni.

Karni wasn't moved. He spun his fingers as if he was turning down the radio and silenced her. She continued to try to shout, but he looked at the rest. "Now that we're done with that. Siduo and I will have a quick discussion with each of you on how to help you grow best, as well as for how to have you grow overall. Our goal is not for you to get into Shrek. It's to get into Shrek and score above 90 points." Karni stared at them.

Siduo continued. "Not so long ago, 90 points was enough for one to enter the Inner Court directly. It was only with our generation that they changed that. I hope that convinces you with how difficult this will be. Now, to start with, I want the current Special Class and the newcomers to group up. Old against new. You guys need to realise the differences between proper nurture of your abilities and general education the schools offer. But it's also so we can best decide how to nurture you further. We will not be like Teacher Ye. We will nurture you with our own abilities. And while I want to say we will be nicer than Teacher Ye..." She only shrugged.

The three already in the Special Class looked worried at those words. Teacher Ye already tortured them with Gravity. What were these two going to do?

"Come now." Karni clapped a Sound that sobered them up. "Group up and start."

He looked at Xu An, who was still staring at him. "If you continue doing that, don't expect to get help from me."

The girl immediately let go and grouped into the team. Qin Ming, Xu An and Nan Genji in one and Qiang Enru, Qiang Ruoye and Lin Meixiang in the other.

Karni and Siduo looked at the group, then looked at one another. Karni sighed. "This won't do, huh."

Siduo nodded. "It really won't."

"Alright," Karni said normally, but emphasised his voice with Sound. "Change of plans. All of you group up. You'll be going against Siduo and I."

The groups looked at them with confusion again.

"Our bad." Siduo raised her hands. "But just the way you guys are standing, you guys won't get anything out of it. I mean, Xu An, Qin Ming and Nan Genji would lose even if they worked together."

"We can win!" Xu An took the most offence of that. But the other two seemed a bit hurt as well.

"Oh, can you now?" Siduo raised her eyebrows. "Fine. Prove it. If you lose, you guys will have to face us as a group."

Karni didn't wait for more. "Begin."

The new guys were thrown off guard, but the others weren't. They attacked immediately.

Soul Rings shined and were summoned. One Soul Elder and two Soul Grandmasters vs two Soul Elders and a single Soul Grandmaster. Yet the "weaker" side immediately dominated, despite having less rings in total.

The Orchid Mantis sped up, then sped up further, as the Vector Scarf shined its two rings. A push came to Lan Meixiang. Then her second Soul Ring activated, and she jumped, her legs turning pink-white and the shape of mantis legs.

In the next moment, she started falling, but it was unnatural. The vector scarf pointed the vector down. It wasn't a fall. It was an incoming crash. And the crash was sharp. Lan Meixiang's first Soul Ring shone, and her arms turned into dangerous yet beautiful scythes.

The new team finally got themselves together. Qin Ming stepped behind Nan Genji and drew a chalk symbol for strength on her as his first Soul Ring shone. Nan Genji felt strength flow through her as she activated her first and third Soul Ring. She at least knew her role as a defence type was to protect.

But it was then that Orchid Mantis suddenly moved sideways while falling, the vector pulling her to the right. Toward Xu An, who just started playing her Harp.

Xu An looked up. "Wow. So BEAUTIFUL!" She screamed, realising that the beautiful thing was trying to attack her. She barely dodged. But the Mantis was quick to kick her away with legs which moments before performed a might jump, making her hurl toward a tree by the end of the tree. It was a terrifyingly powerful kick.

At the same time, the group that originally tried to defend was bombarded. Multiple apples came at them, leaves stuck in the apples. The apples exploded.

Karni whistled as he Shifted with his Cosmic Instrument. Next to him appeared Qin Ming and Nan Genji. Siduo wasn't next to him anymore. No, she was on the other side of the field, glowing Black and White just dissipating from her body. She was holding Xu An.

"It was an effort for sure." Karni said to Nan Genji and Qin Ming.

Nan Genji looked a bit annoyed. "Teacher. I could have taken that."

"I know." Karni said. "But not the thing that came with it." He pointed.

"You might have a strong physical defence, but I doubt you can handle that poison. It's quite a well-known plant among Martial Souls. The Dead Apple Tree. All of its sap is poisonous. One of the deadliest around. Rashes form just by touching it." Karni shifted there, touched it, then Shifted back to the girl.

Qiang Ruoye screamed. "Teacher Val, be careful."

Karni showed his skin to Nan Genji. It was already getting red. "See?" Then he circulated his Soul Power and Bloodline. The poison stopped influencing him. It stopped attacking his body. He pricked his body and dispelled it through blood. "Even I have to be careful."

"How did you…" Qiang Ruoye ran close just in time to see what Karni did. "Even Teacher Ye had to use her Earth Armour to protect herself."

"Unique bloodline. Poison works by trying to spread itself, attacking parts of the body. If I use my Bloodline to think I'm just part of it, make it feel like there is nowhere to spread to, I can stop it and then go through the standard procedure of dispelling poison."

"You can just… neutralise poison?" The girl's eyes were wide.

"No, not neutralise it, just stop it. No matter how much I influence it I can't convince poison to go back to where it came from after all. Its not in nature of poisons to do so. So, I still have to use effort to pull it out. Hell, just keeping it from not spreading takes effort, just less effort then most people."

"Whew." The girl relaxed.

"What's that? My student is already thinking of poisoning me?" Karni looked at Qiang Ruoye.

"What? No, no. I would never!" She became nervous.

"The teacher is messing with you, sis." Her brother came along and said monotonously.

Karni smiled. "Hello there, control system. Excellent job."

"O-Oh. T-Thank you." The kid blushed. It could be said that to him, Karni had been a goal for a while. Both of them focused on invisible type of manipulation of the field. One that didn't necessarily appear catchy but was hidden and effective.

Lan Meixiang came back along with Wu Siduo. A weird scene appeared. Xu An was looking at Lan Meixiang with eyes full of love, the Orchid Mantis clearly made a great impression on her. But Lan Meixiang was looking with those same eyes at Siduo. "Teacher! How were you so fast? And those flames looked awesome!"

"Just so you know!" Karni yelled over. "Teacher Wu is mine."

"Teacher? What do you mean?" Lan Meixiang looked over.

Siduo answered. "He means he and I are dating."

"I knew it! Ruoye, I told you they were dating! I've been saying it since before they left!" Lan Meixiang looked at her younger friend. The leader had a surprising love for… love.

"Fine, fine. You were right." The girl grumbled.

"Eh, we weren't dating back then." Karni scratched his head.

"BUT!" Lan Meixiang said. "You guys liked each other, didn't you."

"True." Siduo shrugged. She got them there.

"I don't care about other's love life, Big Sis. I care about my own." Qiang Ruoye complained.

Siduo leaned down. "Oh? You got a row of boys after you?"

"As if." Her brother answered. "Her love life is challenging boys and everyone getting scared."

"Hey, I want someone who can beat me! Is that so hard to ask for?"

"Sis, out of all of us, you have the deadliest Martial Soul."

"So what? Teacher Val wasn't afraid of it. Teacher Ye also handled it!"

"One is about to become a Soul Sage, the other is a Soul King, and oh yeah, Teacher Val was meant to be one of the Shrek Seven Devils! He's the best of the best."

"Wait. How do you know that?" Karni raised his eyebrows.

"There's been a rumour."

"Hah. Teacher Val, your little stunt is spreading fast." Siduo smirked.

Karni shrugged. "It's better that way anyway. Alright, let's continue then. All of you against Sisi and I. You may use any means necessary. Including those Soul Tools." He looked at Qiang Ruoye.

The girl was shocked. "You saw that?"

"We both have excellent vision." Siduo said. "Nothing wrong with using Soul Tools. In fact, your usage is great. It complements your style best."

"Mm. Do think of getting a Soul Skill that might be capable of doing the same. I noticed you used both explosion and water?"

Qiang Ruoye nodded. "Water makes the poison more lethal."

"Huh. That's scary." Karni couldn't help but say. "Alright. Chop, chop. Get into positions. And a little bonus. We will not be using Soul Skills, but we will use Martial Souls. You should go all out and work together. It's your only chance at winning. Ah, and we won't use Battle Armour either."

"You have Battle Armour?" Nan Genji stared.

"We're Shrek Students. We can't graduate if we don't have Battle Armour." Siduo said nonchalantly.

"Shrek sounds strict." Xu An added.

"And you're gonna get into it." Karni said. "All of you. Remember. With flying colours at that. And if you don't…" Karni simply used Mo Qing's old trick. A smile.

The group got into position. Whatever Karni's expression was thinking of, it had to be bad.

"Now get in positions already." Siduo said, knowing that Karni had absolutely nothing in mind. He was faking it.

"Yes!" The group finally said in unison.

Karni and Siduo went to the other side of the field. "Ha. They're so interested in us." Siduo smiled.

"Of course they are." Karni said. "Begin!"

He summoned his Royal Bamboo Panda, and Siduo had to fight her instincts. Her boyfriend was so cute. Especially that fluff.

"Aye, woman. Eyes up there." Karni pointed up front. The Orchid Mantis was already in front of them.

Karni pulled out the Guardian, but in Dagger and Longsword form. He did not want to reveal the full extent of abilities to Siduo. Especially not the Greatsword form.

He banged the two together, and the Dagger and Longsword were instantly filled with Sound. He didn't need Soul Skills to do that.

And Siduo, likewise, didn't need such things. Her legs and arms lit up in Black and White flames. There were patterns now on them. White spirals inside Black flames. Black spirals inside White. The pattern spread over all of her limbs.

She was hiding as well. Karni saw that all of her body was lit aflame when she was saving Xu An before. But he was saving Qin Ming and Nan Genji as well, so he didn't get a good look.

Both were being sneaky.

Xu An was yelling from behind. "Teacher Wu, I thought you said no Soul Skills?"

"It's not a Soul Skill." Siduo sped up, but it was only a single step. Karni heard tiny explosions from her flames. All points between patterns were exploding. That control was terrifying.

She appeared before Mantis and smashed her into the ground without any mercy. Scythes? They couldn't even touch her.

She appeared next to Karni again. "Right. Forgot you can't Shift right now." She grabbed him and threw him into the group of incoming Apples.

"Thanks honey!" Karni yelled. Karni's Relaxing Aura exploded toward Qiang Ruoye, and suddenly she forgot to let off the explosives. Karni passed right through, dodging the apples with ease while performing the Drunken Ghost Dance. He went below all of them, then raised back up.

Another apple was before him, but Siduo appeared right then. Sending it flying away faster than it could explode.

Karni came to Qiang Ruoye, only to not truly get close. The girl was being pulled back by vectors. In front of her appeared Nan Genji, her hand protecting her head.

Karni used the dagger, its blunt side hitting the back of her knees. "You cannot always be still." He said as the girl fell, failing to protect anything.

But then drawn chalk was there, surrounding him. Three nicely drawn pictures. Each of them filled with strength. They looked like stone golems. Quite detailed with shadows and overgrowth as well.

Karni wondered if the complexity made it stronger. As he was fighting the group, ideas of how to train them were already forming.

He slashed two chalk golems with ease with the Longsword while Siduo appeared next to him and punched the other on, obliterating it. She went after Qin Ming, who controlled these minions. Karni on the other hand finally finished off Ruoye and her poisonous exploding apples.

He turned toward Qiang Enru. The Vector Scarf. It was interesting that the scarf didn't seem to do anything. Karni wondered if it was due to the Spirit Soul or if it was more like Karni's Cosmic Instrument, where the shape was just a path to the element. Karni was half convinced that the Cosmic Instrument was a physical manifestation of Sound.

The Vector Scarf proved to be more than just a control system however. He was an agility system as well. The kid moved with such freedom it was terrifying. He knew exactly how to dodge, and how to control his body in an optimum manner. He used vectors on himself and read those of his opponents.

Karni even felt pushback at times, but it wasn't strong enough to really affect him. Sound was filled inside him, and vectors had a hard time affecting Karni. That being said, Karni could barely hit Qiang Enru.

He slapped the Dagger and the Longsword together, releasing an explosion of Sound.

The kid was knocked away, though he did mitigate the hit. But Siduo was on him and knocked him straight back into the ground.

It was over.

Siduo appeared next to Karni. She looked toward Xu An, who hadn't done anything. "Did you have to be so mean?"

"She needs to learn how helpless she can be." Karni walked over to Xu An.

"Teacher, you're a meanie." The girl almost cried. She tried to use her Soul Skills. She didn't expect Karni could block all three of them—no matter what she tried—without even using a single skill of his and focusing on the battle with the rest. She was just an afterthought.

"If your Spiritual Power was at Spirit Sea Realm, you might have been able to provide some support. But let this be a lesson as well. You will encounter people that counter you. Either like me, by specialising in the same thing as you and being stronger, or those almost immune to Sound. Water users especially. Water is like a giant hole. It can easily accept Sound."

The girl was holding back tears but nodded. She had pride, but she was stubborn. She knew of the bet she made, and she knew Karni would be hard on her. She had to accept this.

"However, you know, even water, when encountered, will someday become your strength." Karni added, before turning to the rest. He knew all to well how terrible water was for him, as well as how useful it could be if he could resonate with its waves. It was a double-edged sword when encountered.

"Alright then, that's that. Everybody, gather round. We'll be discussing how you'll refine your skills. Qin Ming, you first." Karni called out.