The person who arrived was none other than Xiao Wu. She set the food box down on the table and looked at Tang San with some concern, but she didn't ask anything.
Although no one else knew about Tang San's condition over the past two days, she had been coming to bring him meals every day and had naturally witnessed it all, her heart filled with worry.
She had asked the Great Master several times, but each time he told her that Tang San had to figure things out for himself.
Even the Great Master hadn't expected that Tang San was in more danger than he had imagined.
Under the glow of the oil lamp, Xiao Wu's delicate features seemed even more radiant—those big, dark eyes, the long scorpion braid, and those impossibly long, beautiful legs. Even though she wore nothing more than the ordinary academy uniform, a fresh, natural aura seemed to constantly emanate from within her.
"Big brother, eat something first." Xiao Wu opened the food box and took out the dishes one by one—four dishes and a soup, plus several steamed buns. Quite a lavish spread, still piping hot.
This was precisely why Xiao Wu had hurried over so quickly earlier—she was afraid the food would get cold.
Tang San ruffled Xiao Wu's head, pulled a chair over, and sat down without any ceremony, diving into the meal with gusto. After two days of eating without tasting anything, now that the knot in his heart had been untied, his appetite returned in full force. He devoured everything before him as though a whirlwind had swept across the table.
Watching Tang San eat with such relish, Xiao Wu was momentarily stunned, then a smile quickly blossomed on her pretty face. After being together for so many years, how could she not pick up on the changes in Tang San's mood? Seeing that he had made it through the dangerous period, the tension in Xiao Wu's heart finally eased.
"Big brother, I have some good news for you. My Soul Power has already reached rank thirty-nine."
Tang San looked up in surprise, still chewing his food, and said with delight, "That fast? Then maybe by the time the finals come around, you'll be able to break through to rank forty too. Even if you can't, gaining another rank of Soul Power will still boost your strength by a good margin."
Xiao Wu smiled and shook her head. "Reaching rank forty during this tournament probably won't happen. After all, I'd have to break through a bottleneck. But it shouldn't be too far off either. I'll do my best—and you need to keep pushing yourself too! You can't blame yourself for that match. The truth is, our coordination with Tai Long and the others still needed work. Once the finals arrive and all seven of us—the Shrek Seven Devils—take the field together, the result will definitely be different. Every one of us will give you all the support you need. We've trained together for so long, been through so much together. The final championship will absolutely be ours."
In short order, Tang San had swept every last bit of food clean. He watched with a gentle smile as Xiao Wu tidied up the dishes with that quiet grace of hers, and for some reason, he found that right now he had absolutely no desire to think about cultivation.
"Big brother, we haven't sparred in a long time. Take a break for a while, and then how about we have a match? No Soul Skills and no Hidden Weapons allowed."
Seeing Xiao Wu's half-smiling, half-teasing expression, Tang San laughed. "You want to beat me up, don't you? Just say so. But even without Soul Skills, you might not necessarily be able to beat me now."
Back when they sparred without using Soul Skills or Hidden Weapons, Tang San had often lost to Xiao Wu. Her all-encompassing Soft Technique was simply too overwhelming.
Once she got hold of you, forget about opponents of the same level—even someone a full rank above her would be completely helpless. In terms of close-combat ability, among the Shrek Seven Devils, Xiao Wu was in no way inferior to Tang San, and was even a cut above Dai Mubai.
Xiao Wu pouted her little lips. "I don't believe it. My Soft Technique has improved recently, you know. It's been at least half a year or so since we last had a hand-to-hand spar, hasn't it?"
Tang San nodded. "About that long. Everyone's been focused on practicing team tactics these past six months."
Xiao Wu's Soft Technique had obvious strengths, but equally obvious weaknesses.
The biggest one was that she had to get in close. Against powerful Soul Masters, once they started unleashing Soul Skills, closing the distance was extremely difficult—even with her teleportation.
Take Huo Wu's Ring of Fire, for example. It could push opponents away from her at any moment, rendering Xiao Wu's Soft Technique completely ineffective.
Tang San and Xiao Wu had studied this point carefully before, but up until now they still hadn't found a perfect solution. While some degree of coordination between the two of them could address it, Xiao Wu's individual combat capability still hadn't seen any real improvement.
"Come on, let's try it now. Let me see just how much your close-combat skills have improved." Tang San said to Xiao Wu with a smile. He wasn't an ordinary person—although he had just eaten a fair amount, moving around a bit now wouldn't cause any problems.
The two of them stepped outside, faced each other, and shared a smile under the moonlight.