“I guess I'm up next, huh?” He Wenqing chuckled.
“...” Xiucai nodded. He gave He a pat on the shoulder for good luck.
Out of the three of them, He Wenqing was probably the weakest in Xiucai’s opinion. He sucked at comprehension, his talent for cultivation was barely acceptable, and he wasn’t too good at using his head for important things. The only compliment Xiucai could give about him was that he had a strong body and was as stubborn as a farm animal. Xiucai didn’t think that He could win his match on his own.
“Don’t lose like I did or I'll make fun of you! One of us has to make our teacher look good.” Lin Shu was devouring a small hand-sized cake next to Muna devouring a pile of half-eaten cakes.
“Heh, I don’t plan to go out there and lose like you.” He Wenqing walked toward the stage. “But thanks anyway.” A black bead shined in his hand.
“Idiot thinks he sounds cool but he’s just going to go get his ass kicked...” Lin Shu grumbled with her mouth full.
“We won’t know until it's over.” Lei patted Lin Shu’s head. “For now, let’s cheer him on.”
“What do you think I was doing?” Lin Shu muttered back.
“Hmm. Maybe I should get some cute little Burning Angels soon...” Ying wondered.
“I don’t think we’re ready for responsibility like that yet.” Bing replied.
“Maybe.” Ying didn’t dismiss him like she usually would. If she had to watch over and teach some apprentices, she’d have less time to spend with Bing.
“I think you two should wait a few decades before deciding to teach the next generation.” Wan Qing added.
“What, why?” Ying felt like she was being insulted.
“Agreed.” Bing didn’t feel like he was ready to do anything like that yet. His goals were simple and not complex at all. Adding little disciples to watch over and teach would be so tiring.
“Imagine shaping a living being’s present and future to exactly what you desire or the opposite of that. That’s the responsibility that all teachers share everywhere.” Wan shared. “Their ideals, hopes, dreams, thoughts, actions. All are being molded and shaped by you as their teacher.”
“Just so we’re clear, you are not saying Hu Tao is more fit to be a teacher than I am, right?” Ying had to ask.
“...” Wan couldn’t answer this as easily as she thought. “Who knows?”
Wan thought about how unlike Hu Tao Runt turned out. While it hasn’t been long, it wasn’t like Runt was a little monster like Hu Tao or nearly as unruly as Hu Tao is. Runt was pretty cute to Wan Qing. In the way, you’d see a normal child. She kept her distance from him because he was Hu Tao’s student and may take on traits from him but so far, he was an angel in comparison to Hu Tao.
“That’s it. I’m getting my own little Burning Angel.” Ying decided, glaring at Runt’s back.
Runt shivered as he felt Ying’s eyes on him. He chose to not turn around or say anything and stare off into the sky. An action that Bing felt was most wise as Bing expressed his sympathy for him. Well, for him and the poor sap that Ying finds as an apprentice.
“We’ll teach a kid far better than Hu Tao ever could!” Ying heavily slapped Bing’s shoulder, nearly dislocating it.
“We?” Confusion attacked Bing’s brain from all sides. How did Ying choosing to teach someone turn into them both teaching someone? Bing understood they were both angels but he had his own branch of Wandering Angels to eventually take care of!
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
“What? You don’t wanna raise a pupil with me?” Ying’s eyes dared him to disagree.
“...” Bing felt wronged!
Lei Zhi warned him about questions like those from women. The right answer was to not answer at all and just smile. Considering Lei knew women, Bing did as he was instructed! In a way, Bing idolized Lei’s wisdom about women.
“Hmph! We’ll teach the best damn pupil out of all the angels!” Ying declared with pride after seeing Bing’s silly smile.
Bing’s heart let out a breath of relief after seeing Lei’s advice work but he still didn’t want to teach anyone. He’s just a Qi Gatherer! How could he be fit to teach anyone as he was now? He was still struggling along with his own cultivation technique. Bing’s barely comprehended the ways of the world and all of that junk! Didn’t it take decades of experience, knowledge, and exploring before one was fit to pass on knowledge to the next generation to raise them up?
“It won’t be as bad as your thinking.” Lei gently patted him on the shoulder with multiple other arms of different species. “It might even be fun, who knows?” He chuckled.
“I can only hope...” Bing sighed with a slight shiver, still slightly creeped out by the other creatures living inside Lei’s coat.
----------------------------------------
“Alright, Kuai! Let’s show them how a Peaceful Angel really does it!” He Wenqing shouted.
He Wenqing rose his farming hoe with one arm over his shoulder as a beautiful but confusing being hovered next to him.
“I have never seen a woman so beautiful...”
“What is that thing!? Why does she have a fishtail?!”
“Is it possible for love to transcend race?”
“I’ve never seen a spirit beast that resembled so closely to a human...”
Even the elders were speechless at seeing Kuai. With the upper body of an adult woman and the lower body of a whale, it was no surprise everyone was surprised to see her. The Golden Serpent Sect wasn’t near any large bodies of water like oceans. Creatures of the sea were mostly unknown to them. So, the sight of Kuai wasn’t one of impossibility but one of awe and disbelief. “So, there were also spirit beasts like this...”
Kuai only showed curiosity at why so many humans were staring at her with varying expressions. She gently blew into her silver flute and a soundless melody escaped from it as it flowed into He Wenqing’s body. To those sensitive to the flow of qi, they would be able to see He Wenqing’s qi raging like a furious river. The top of his robes burst into pieces and revealed his muscular-toned upper body.
“I have a spare sword if you need one...” Teammate A gave He a look.
“No need. I have no talent with the sword and found this hoe treats me best.” He Wenqing refused.
“Just don’t get knocked out too quickly, idiot.” Teammate B didn’t care either way.
The match started and the three of them charged toward their opponents who did the same. It was a straight-up 3v3. He Wenqing made the first impression by swinging his hoe into the stage and splitting it apart into multiple spiderweb cracks. Everyone, including his teammates, leaped from the stage when this happened. He Wenqing grinned as he swung his hoe multiple times at the airborne enemies, firing waves of hoe-shaped qi from the ground.
“Share some with them two, please.” He Wenqing told Kuai.
Kuai’s silent song changed tempo and Teammate A and Teammate B felt reenergized with qi. He Wenqing kept the enemies busy with his hoe and tossed parts of the stage at them while they were falling.
“Thanks!” Teammate A exclaimed, his sword glowing with fire.
“That spirit beast isn’t half bad...” Teammate B complimented with a look of greed reflected in his eyes. His entire body softly glowing with qi.
The two dropped to the ground and immediately sped off toward the distracted enemies deflecting, blocking, and trying to avoid He Wenqing’s attacks. After seeing them speed off ahead, He Wenqing stop attacking from a distance and joined their combined rush by running forward. His body radiating with sheer power and qi. A feat unusual for cultivators unless they were making their last stand.
The amount of qi that Wenqing was releasing was at maximum. No cultivator is able to go 100% at all times. At least, no normal cultivator can. It’s too much a drain on one’s qi reserves. Cultivators regulate how much power they’re using when fighting. If they use too much qi during a fight, their power decreases significantly. It also makes it easier for them to get killed. While additionally making it exponentially more difficult to escape if they need to save their lives and run.
It was a mystery for those without acute qi sensing abilities to how Wenqing was able to use so much power for so long. But those who did understood exactly how. Kuai’s flute was the key. Kuai’s flute turned sound into qi and qi into sound. She could control both spectrums of sound and qi with the flute as a medium. It wasn’t just Teammate B who looked at Kuai with a look of longing and desire. There were several cultivators wanting to take her for themselves, her flute, or both.