Ling Xiao’s wounds had gradually healed. He already had healing medicine from the pharmacy hall, and with the Nine-Turn Golden Body Technique at its sixth turn offering strong recovery effects, ordinary injuries healed relatively easily.
So, he kept sparring with his martial soul clone in the training room.
Each clash deepened his understanding of that terrifying finger strike.
When this understanding reached a certain point, he stopped fighting, sat cross-legged, and began to comprehend the move.
After all, his goal wasn’t to counter it, but to learn it.
Though the blue-clad woman’s casual finger strike seemed profoundly mysterious, far surpassing the advanced martial techniques he’d studied.
Through this repeated practice, combined with the Mountain River Martial Soul’s analysis and simulation, plus Ling Xiao’s own exceptional talent, he made significant progress after a full night.
This significant progress was about ten percent of the blue-clad woman’s terrifying finger strike.
Even so, this move had reached the minor mastery level of a top-tier martial technique.
How terrifying would it be if fully mastered?
His heart surged with wild joy.
It seemed the injuries he’d taken today were absolutely worth it.
His body bore dozens of holes, big and small. Some had stopped bleeding, but the marks were still clear.
As for his clothes, they’d long been shredded beyond recognition.
But compared to his gains, that was trivial.
“You’re so powerful, might as well give you a name. Let’s call it Terrifying Finger.”
Ling Xiao didn’t overthink it. He chose this crude name simply because the move’s impression boiled down to two words, terror!
If so, what was wrong with calling it “Terrifying Finger”?
“I’ve grasped it well enough, time to test its power!”
He grinned oddly at the clone, “You’ve been bullying me this whole time, now it’s my turn to bully you. Stand still.”
Ling Xiao rubbed his hands with a smirk, then suddenly pointed.
A nearly invisible gang qi shot out like a blade.
“Pfft!”
A hole pierced the clone’s shoulder.
“Hahaha, as expected, incredible! Shame I’m not skilled enough yet. Next, you can move, even attack me, just don’t use that move.”
Hitting a stationary target wouldn’t show this move’s true terror.
The Terrifying Finger’s fearsomeness came from two aspects, its immense power, and its incredible speed!
After unleashing it over a dozen times, Ling Xiao noticed something.
Though it consumed gang qi, the drain was minimal.
That wasn’t necessarily good, energy conservation meant if it used little gang qi, it drew heavily from something else.
The Terrifying Finger consumed mostly soul force.
Ling Xiao could clearly feel his soul stir with each use.
With his current soul force, he could manage about ten uses of the ten-percent-power version.
“Looks like boosting soul force is the next priority. I wonder if the library’s third floor has any top-tier soul cultivation techniques, that’d be perfect.”
Eager, he couldn’t wait.
He stopped training, left the room, changed clothes, and headed for the library.
But as he stepped into the courtyard, he froze.
Someone was kneeling there.
A woman.
“Ling Yu, what are you doing?”
Ling Xiao frowned at the girl.
Ling Yu knelt, sobbing with tears streaking her face, a sight that might stir pity in others.
But not Ling Xiao.
He’d long given up on this woman.
If her past bullying of beggars like him was just childish mischief, abandoning him in his darkest hour had utterly disappointed him.
Good thing he hadn’t fallen for her, so it wasn’t heartbreak.
Just pure disappointment.
“Ling Xiao! I’ve seen my true heart. Back when you were a beggar, I already liked you. Bullying you was just because I liked you.”
Ling Yu looked at him, “Haven’t you heard? Hitting is affection, scolding is love.”
Ling Xiao felt a wave of nausea. He took a deep breath, “Let’s not dwell on the past. We’re done, I won’t hold a grudge for how you treated me, but we’re strangers now, forever.”
“Ling Xiao, won’t you give me a chance? I really, really like you. I only got with Ling Feng to provoke you, to push you to get stronger!”
She broke into tears again.
This woman was shameless.
Ling Xiao gave her a cold look, “I’ve said it, there’s no chance for us. Leave, stop saying things that make you look pathetic. If you stayed quietly with Ling Feng, I might’ve respected you a bit.”
Ling Yu collapsed to the ground.
During the elimination rounds, she’d plotted to kill Ling Xiao somehow.
But seeing him beat Ling Feifan in the finals, her heart fluttered.
She figured with her charm, she could win this naive boy back, make him grovel.
She was wrong.
Ling Xiao’s resolve crushed her hopes.
“Ling Xiao!”
“Junior Brother!”
Two voices called from the gate, instantly lifting Ling Xiao’s sour mood.
It was Ling Yihang and Ling Yixue.
Seeing Ling Yixue, Ling Yu seemed to realize something.
Outside the Ling family, she’d been a proud princess, everyone catering to her whims.
But here, she’d gone from a beautiful swan to an ignored ugly duckling.
So she fell, gave up effort, and relied on her looks to latch onto men, onto Ling Feng.
Yet Ling Yixue, another ugly duckling, took a different path.
She didn’t lean on anyone, didn’t curry favor. She worked hard, ignoring her beauty, her feminine allure.
That’s why their paths diverged so sharply.
Ling Yu became a parasite, her strength stagnating.
Ling Yixue grew stronger, her status rising, becoming a true swan through her own power.
Truth be told, Ling Yu’s talent wasn’t far behind Ling Yixue’s, evident from mastering a secret art like Soul Capture.
Had she worked as hard as Ling Yixue, she wouldn’t be in this state.
Pity.
Even now, she didn’t see her mistakes.
She just burned with jealousy, why could Ling Yixue earn Ling Xiao’s smile, his care, while she couldn’t?
Gritting her teeth, she ran out of Ling Xiao’s compound.
“That woman’s with Ling Feng, why’s she here?” Ling Yihang asked, puzzled.
“No big deal. What brings you two here now?” Ling Xiao didn’t even bother mentioning Ling Yu.
