Chapter 3: A friendly spar

'Hm? That is...' Just as Feng Qin was lost in thought, Meng Liu saw, in a split second, the gem in the middle of his best friend's chest glow intensely.

He blinked his eyes for a moment, then rubbed them with his fingers, and stared straight at Feng Qin with wide dumbfounded eyes and muttered, "Dude, I think I just saw your gem glow."

"...Wait, what!?" Feng Qin froze for a moment before quickly reacting to see his spirit. Looking down at his oval shaped gem spirit, a mixed expression of glee and joy appeared on his face, and he examined it intently.

Minutes passed and seeing as there was no reaction coming from his spirit, Feng Qin's expression slowly fell until finally, he let out a depressed sigh and flopped back down on the ground.

"Ah, damn it. I was really..."

"Oh Qin, I–" Meng Liu spoke up but Feng Qin cut him off with a shake of his head.

"Don't worry about it Liu, I don't think you were lying to me. Plus, I've known you for so long now that I'm pretty sure I can tell when you're not lying." He lightly shrugged and smiled at the pretty boy.

Meng Liu opened his mouth to say something but the words were caught in his throat. Finally, he just shook his head and smiled back at his friend, "I really don't get you sometimes, Qin. How can you be so calm after I let your hopes go up and down like that?"

"...Honestly, it's probably because I don't have much expectations of my spirit." Feng Qin said with a resigned smile.

"What?"

"Liu, do you know what the potential and abilities a spirit master with a gem type spirit has?"

Meng Liu's eyebrow raised, his eyes widened, as he soon realized what Feng Qin was thinking about and why his expectations for his spirit was low.

Spirits aren't always the same with every spirit master, there are certain types. Examples are that one can have a knife spirit, another could have panther spirit, and one can even have a cookie spirit. It is common knowledge for every spirit master and some normal humans, that a martial spirit is special in their own way.

Types of martial spirits are generalized by three: weapon, animal, and food. And these three types of martial spirits correlate to certain cultivation systems that a spirit master chooses to be their path of cultivation.

And the gem type martial spirit is mostly known to follow the path of an auxiliary system or a defense system spirit master.

Throughout the history of spirit masters, well with what their teacher had taught them and their books, was that gem type martial spirits are typically known to enhance the power and/or abilities of other spirit masters and themselves. The latter case is mostly about enhancing their body's constitution.

There are cases of gem type spirit masters walking the paths of other cultivation systems like power assault and agility, but they are mostly because their gem type spirits are shaped to be some sort of a weapon; like a spear or a dagger, and even some having the power to manipulate the earth element and earthly gems.

But unlike other gem type spirit masters, Feng Qin had his embedded into his body and showed to have zero unnatural abilities so far.

Even the bottom trash plant type spirit, Blue Silver Grass, without any spirit rings couldn't be easily cut by normal sharp objects.

Although his martial spirit could likely be complete by getting a spirit ring, that would likely end with him walking the path of an auxiliary system spirit master. Feng Qin's goal was to reach the top of a spirit master — becoming the strongest all-around.

So how could he do that if he'll only amount to being a support person?

"..." Feng Qin stared at the sky with an expressionless face, his eyes looking dead.

'Qin...'

Meng Liu let out a sigh. He really couldn't bear to see his friend being like that. He didn't want to see his friend looking so, weak and dead inside.

It's been several months since he'd seen Feng Qin being so quiet and pitiful, even before he awakened his martial spirit. So seeing him looking like this wasn't really that much of a shock rather than a slight surprise. But still–

"Qin." Meng Liu said as he uncrossed his arms and advanced towards his friend.

He stood over Feng Qin with his arms by the side, his hands balled into fists, with narrowed eyes, he said with a commanding tone of voice, "Get up."

Feng Qin snapped out of his thoughts. He looked at his friend in confusion and surprise for his unexpected action. "Liu? What are you doing?"

"Get. Up." Meng Liu simply said, sounding more serious.

Feng Qin frowned, clearly displeased at what his friend was doing. He would have brushed him off, thinking it was just a joke, and just continued laying down on the ground for a while before going back to punching the hell out of the tree, but that serious look on his face proved otherwise.

"Fine. I don't know what you're planning, nor would I like it, but I'm curious."

Feng Qin got up from the ground, as he brushed off some dirt and grass from his body, he stood in front of Meng Liu and stared straight at his eyes.

"Oh trust me," As Meng Liu muttered, he turned around and walked away from Feng Qin for several meters before turning back around to face the latter and entered into a combat stance. "you're going to like it."

Feng Qin widened his eyes, "Liu, you're... No. No. There is just no way..."

"What? Afraid?"

"Afraid? Ah, duh!" Feng Qin threw his arms up in quiet disbelief. "Meng Liu, despite how you act and look on a daily basis, looking like some frail young prince from some cheesy story book or novel, but when in battle you fight like a freaking thug!"

That's right. Despite how he looks, Meng Liu is a person that no one should underestimate during combat spars, or your family jewels would be crushed.

Honor? Dignity? Shame? Meng Liu wouldn't care for such trivial things. He would use any method there is in a fight as long as he would get a win. From throwing dirt in a person's eyes to even 'accidentally' crush his opponent's ribs.

Why would he go to such lengths? In his words, 'I believe in the law of equivalent exchange. A fight is a fight, if someone takes me on seriously then I will return that gesture with everything that I got. I don't care whether their men, women, children, even an elderly. I will treat every fight seriously by my opponent's intent, I get back what I receive.'

Meng Liu snorted and raised both of his hands towards Feng Qin, "Is that an excuse? Feng Qin, I didn't know that you were this much of a coward."

Feng Qin twitched, a vein popping on his forehead. He clenched his balled up fists so much that veins started appearing and throbbing.

"You... what did you just say?"

Meng Liu tilted his head to the side, with a playful he said, "I said that you're a coward–"

Feng Qin didn't want to listen any further and immediately began running towards Meng Liu with his arms by the side, and then threw a punch towards his face.

But Meng Liu quickly blocked the punch with his right palm, grabbing it, he instantly counterattacked with a knee hitting the side of Feng Qin where his liver is, making him stumble and whimper in pain. Meng Liu didn't let this opportunity go and continued on throwing numerous jabs to Feng Qin's face.

Feng Qin, not wanting any further damage done to his face, quickly crossed his arms in front of him after he found his footing and took the punches of Meng Liu.

'Shit. I thought by attacking him first that it would've taken him by surprise, but it looks like it was wishful thinking. Liu is known as the best fighter and spirit master in our year after all, and proficient of the academy's fighting techniques. Attacking him head on was a stupid mistake. I should've gone for a feint first.' Feng Qin clicked his tongue as he stepped to the side, avoiding a high axe kick from Meng Liu. He continued on staying in the defensive and tried dodging all his attacks.

A couple into fighting Meng Liu seemed to have cooled down Feng Qin's anger, making him realize his mistake and quickly thought of a plan to start a counterattack against the former.

With a cold and calm face, Feng Qin immediately found a highly probable path to victory for him but it would only work if Meng Liu wouldn't use his spirit.

Let it be known, Meng Liu follows the control system path due to his martial spirit's ability to control his opponent, and that's before he had his spirit ring.

That's right. Meng Liu, age seven, is an official spirit master with a spirit power of rank 12 and walked the path of a control system spirit master. He was one of the rare cases of a child awakening a full innate spirit power.

In all accounts, Feng Qin should've already been defeated and knocked out on the ground. But it looks like Meng Liu was going easy at him and is only fighting with his limbs and martial arts.

'Meng Liu believes in the law of equivalent exchange, that means he would limit himself at the same level of strength as his opponent. A weird habit that he should get rid of in the future as that naive and innocent thinking would get him killed. After all, despite his fighting capabilities...' Feng Qin stopped in his tracks as Meng Liu got near him to punch his face again, however, the former's action made him take his arm back and change course towards his sternum.

"It's over, Qin." Meng Liu muttered as his fist cocked back, spirit power flooding into his arm, enough to knock a raging horse out, and went for an uppercut to end the fight.

But Feng Qin, in response, merely grinned, "Yeah, for you."

He uncrossed his arms, stacked both of his hands over his sternum, with almost all of his spirit power coursing through his hands, and with great endurance he blocked the punch of Meng Liu.

'It hurts. Why am I doing this...?' Feng Qin gritted his teeth, his hands numb and blood dripping out continuously, he was feeling so exhausted that he wanted to just drop out on the floor and sleep.

Yet, he didn't know why, but he felt like if he did that then the friendship he had with Meng Liu would be strained and that something inside of him would die.

'I hope you don't hate me for this, Liu.' Grabbing the arm of Meng Liu with both hands, Feng Qin pulled him over to him and, tilting his head back, he headbutted his surprised friend with all his strength.

"Ahhh!" Meng Liu cried out in pain, blood dripping out of his nose, dazed from the hit, he couldn't do anything as Feng Qin, with a war cry, tackled him to the ground and began pounding him with fists until he knocked him unconscious.

Feng Qin looked down on his friend, bloodied and bruised as he is, with panting breath he muttered, "Preaching about equivalent exchange... When you yourself have terrible physical defense and endurance than average spirit masters... Just what was the point of all...this..."

As his vision turned hazy, Feng Qin saw the corner of Meng Liu's lips curled and he too blacked out, not knowing the words that came out of his friend's mouth when he became conscious for a couple of minutes before returning to the sweet darkness of dreams.

"Glad to see you back in good spirits Qin, you owe me one..."

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