Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

Nuoding City, Primary Spirit Master Academy.

A month passed quickly. During this time, Cheng Xiao trained diligently while practicing the skills brought by his first spirit ring.

Skills like dagger throwing, sprinting, and targeting vital points—these active abilities were fully mastered by Cheng Xiao. Initially, he had only felt familiar with them, but after frequent use, he grew more and more proficient.

When Cheng Xiao and Xiao Wu collected their second month's spirit master stipend and returned to the blacksmith shop, the two short swords he had commissioned were finally ready.

These two short swords had different shapes, but their blades bore intricate and exquisite patterns. The moment Cheng Xiao gripped them, he sensed that these were no ordinary weapons. They were heavy, but felt extremely comfortable in his hands.

"Boss, the feel is excellent, and the weight control is perfect," Cheng Xiao complimented as he waved the two short swords through the air, confirming their balance.

"Haha, little brother, you don't know how much effort it took to forge these two short swords," the blacksmith shop owner said with a laugh. "Fortunately, we had the help of a talented young blacksmith. Otherwise, it would've taken even longer to complete them."

"Young blacksmith?" Xiao Wu, standing beside Cheng Xiao, was slightly surprised. She asked, "Boss, is the young blacksmith you're talking about a student at Nuoding Academy? Is his name Tang San, and does he have extraordinary strength?"

Upon hearing this, the blacksmith owner slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Ah, I almost forgot! You're also students at Nuoding Academy."

"Yes, young lady, Tang San is the new blacksmith at our shop. Don't be fooled by his age—his forging skills surpass even us veteran blacksmiths. The two short swords in your hands were made with Tang San's help."

Hearing this, Cheng Xiao smiled and took out two gold soul coins, which he had just received, handing them to the blacksmith. "Boss, here are the two gold soul coins for this month. There are three months left, six gold soul coins in total."

"Alright." The blacksmith took the coins from Cheng Xiao, weighed them to confirm their authenticity, and then put them away.

"Boss, we'll be leaving now. I'll bring you next month's payment on time," Cheng Xiao said as he sheathed the two short swords and, out of habit, grabbed Xiao Wu's hand, preparing to leave.

However, just as Cheng Xiao and Xiao Wu were about to walk out, Tang San suddenly appeared. After exchanging a few words with the blacksmith, he quickly walked over to Cheng Xiao and Xiao Wu, speaking in a low voice, "Cheng Xiao, I didn't expect that those two short swords were designed by you. If possible, can we spar this afternoon in the academy's back mountain? I've been waiting for over a month."

After displaying his inhuman forging talent at the blacksmith shop, Tang San quickly got involved in the production of the two short swords, which had taken the entire blacksmith shop's effort. Initially, Tang San had been skeptical. They were just two short swords, so why was the entire shop working on them?

But once he started, he realized it wasn't that the forging was difficult; it was the attention to detail that slowed down the process. These intricate details were precisely what made the production so time-consuming.

However, for Tang San, this level of forging was easy, and with his help, the efficiency increased greatly.

When he learned that the customers requesting the swords were two children, Tang San's curiosity grew. So, when he saw Cheng Xiao come to pick up the swords today, the idea of sparring, which had been suppressed by his master, resurfaced.

"Let's do it," Cheng Xiao said calmly, pausing in his steps. "I've been meaning to test my current strength as well."

Tang San was delighted and responded, "Great, I'll be waiting for you this afternoon in the back mountain."

Cheng Xiao nodded slightly. "Alright."

After leaving the blacksmith shop, Cheng Xiao spent the afternoon walking around Nuoding City with Xiao Wu, buying some snacks. As evening approached, he finally made his way to the academy's back mountain.

...

Upon arriving at the back mountain, Cheng Xiao immediately saw Tang San standing under a large tree in the distance. It was clear that Tang San had been waiting for some time.

"You're here," Tang San said with some frustration as he saw Cheng Xiao arriving late. He had finished his work early just for this sparring session, but to his dismay, Cheng Xiao still showed up nearly an hour late! Fortunately, Cheng Xiao kept his word and didn't stand him up.

"Sorry, I spent a little too long shopping with Xiao Wu," Cheng Xiao explained.

Hearing this, Tang San nodded and walked forward slowly, releasing his spirit.

"Tang San, Spirit: Blue Silver Grass, Level 13 Control System Battle Spirit Master."

As soon as he finished speaking, a faint white light emanated from Tang San's body. With a wave of his right hand, blue silver grass spread from his feet, and a bright yellow spirit ring rose from beneath him, circling around his body.

"Cheng Xiao, Spirit: Shadow Soldier, Level 13 One-Ring Battle Spirit Master."

Facing Tang San, Cheng Xiao gripped the two newly forged short swords in his hands. As the sound of the swords being drawn rang out, Tang San's expression became serious.

Dash!

With a quiet murmur that only he could hear, Cheng Xiao's body seemed to turn into a gust of wind. His speed surged, and in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Tang San.

"Such speed!" Tang San's already serious expression grew more intense. He had thought Cheng Xiao would employ some tactics, but he hadn't expected such a direct charge. The speed was no less than his own Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.

Faced with Cheng Xiao's dual-sword attack, Tang San instinctively took several steps back to distance himself. At the same time, his first spirit ring flared up, and over a dozen thick strands of Blue Silver Grass shot up from beneath Cheng Xiao, trying to block his advance.

However, Cheng Xiao didn't care. His hands tightened around the daggers, veins bulging as the blades sliced through the Blue Silver Grass like lightning. Then, with another step forward, he slashed towards Tang San.

Seeing this, Tang San's pupils shrank slightly, and his five fingers spread open like claws. An invisible pulling force emanated from his hands.

This was the Tang Sect's secret technique, Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon.

Feeling the invisible force tugging at his body, Cheng Xiao decisively threw one of his daggers. The dagger flew at such speed that it seemed like a flash of silver light, reaching Tang San's chest in an instant.

Just as the sword was about to pierce Tang San's chest, his hands turned as white as jade, and a burst of cold air shot from his palms. He was attempting to catch the incoming sword with his bare hands.

In the next moment, a powerful force surged from the short sword, causing Tang San's expression to change. He was forced back ten steps before he could stabilize himself.

"What terrifying strength! This is comparable to the penetrating power of Tang Sect's hidden weapons." Tang San was shocked. He hadn't expected Cheng Xiao's thrown sword to carry such power. Could Cheng Xiao be the one with innate divine strength?

Luckily, Tang San's Mysterious Jade Hands had decent defensive capabilities, allowing him to block the attack. Otherwise, that strike would have pierced through him.

Tang San quickly realized that Cheng Xiao's attack style had no tactics—just one word: brute force!

Facing a brute, Tang San knew it was unwise to engage in close combat. Judging from the strength behind that sword throw, Cheng Xiao's physical power was greater than his own. Thus, Tang San decided to fight from a distance.

When it came to technique, Tang San wasn't afraid of anyone!