Chapter 20: Evening Echoes, Morning Light

Li Wei stood under the ancient gingko tree by the Shrek Academy dorms, the air cool and silent after the evening rain. The dormitory windows glowed softly as the lights within dimmed, and calm silver moonlight spilled across the wet courtyard. In the quiet night, he could still hear faint laughter drifting from the hall. The group was close-knit, always joking and warm with each other, and Li Wei felt a pinch of something at the edge of his chest. They were strong and welcoming, and he realized with a strange tug in his heart that even he, though older in spirit than these youngsters, felt that subtle pull of adolescence stirring within him. Their easy companionship made him suddenly aware of a longing he had thought long forgotten.

He closed his eyes and let a memory drift into his mind: stories of his grandfather, Crocodile Douluo — usually kind and amiable — turning fierce and imposing, standing between evil spirit masters and frightened villagers. Li Wei recalled how that stern, crocodile-like Douluo had once stepped forward to shield defenseless people during one of his rare outings. His grandfather could not go out often, so it could be said that was one of the rare moments. At that time, Crocodile Douluo's eyes had blazed with protectiveness — the kind of courage and kindness Li Wei admired.

A trace of regret slid through his thoughts. He admitted to himself that he hadn't often been so brave or so selfless. But beneath that regret, a quiet realization grew: regret alone wouldn't change anything. He needed to become stronger, to look out for others as well as they did for each other. With determination settling in his chest, Li Wei opened his eyes to the moonlight once more.

Under the moonlit branches, he raised a hand and summoned a whirl of spirit energy. In a flash of colored light, a Diend Rider Card materialized in his palm, spinning gently on its own. Li Wei looked at the shiny card and let a small, rueful smile creep onto his face.

"You'd have laughed at this, wouldn't you, Kaito Daiki?" he whispered into the night.

Morning would come soon, and with it, a new start.

He straightened up under the canopy of the tree and started walking back toward his dormitory, the moon lighting a path before him as if welcoming the new version of himself.

---

Morning dawned clear and fresh. Sunshine filtered through the wet bamboo and gingko leaves, scattering golden light across the training yard. A few raindrops still clung to the branches, glittering like jewels.

Li Wei was already at work, stacking rough-hewn stone boulders into neat piles. Using a net, he bundled the stones together, making them heavier. Each lift and set of a heavy rock felt effortless under his training until it reached the point where it became hard to ignore, his spirit power humming through his muscles, bombarding them little by little to make them stronger — enough to toughen his body, but not enough to cause any permanent injuries. Drops of sweat slid down his temple as the morning birds began to sing. He felt focused and alive.

He remembered the odd manual he had received during his awakening — the vanished system's manual — written in strange symbols. In it, there was advice: combine spirit power with raw strength, focus on the fusion of body and soul. He did not fully understand the words, but he followed their essence instinctively.

The wooden gate behind the training yard creaked open with its usual sleepy groan. A yawning figure in pink pajamas shuffled in — Xiao Wu, still half-asleep and looking all the younger for it. Her hair was mussed, and she blinked at the sight of Li Wei sitting cross-legged in front of a stack of stones. Stretching exaggeratedly, she yawned dramatically.

"Li Wei," she drawled with a lazy grin, "who told you that sleeping was optional? I swear, you never take a break!"

It had been a few days since the last time they had posed that question in the cafeteria. Maybe something he said before had changed things, as their relationship seemed closer now.

Li Wei managed a small smile without slowing his exercises. "Morning, Xiao Wu," he said lightly. "I find training at sunrise… efficient."

Xiao Wu giggled. She crossed her arms and stuck out her hip.

"Sunrise, sunset — when I was a kid, my mom used to say, 'If the sun's up, you better be, too!'"

With a cheeky grin, she added, "Guess we had a different kind of mother."

Li Wei just shook his head, amusement playing in his eyes. Before he could respond, Xiao Wu hopped onto one of the boulders he'd already lifted, perching herself on top.

"There," she said proudly, beaming down at him. "I'm helping too!"

Li Wei let out a laugh at the absurdity. The extra weight did make the stone sag slightly under her, wobbling in his grip. He steadied it with both hands as he lowered himself down to the grass.

"You've added about fifty jin to it," he teased softly. "Try not to add any more, would you?"

Xiao Wu stuck out her tongue playfully. "I'm just making sure you've got a good challenge!" she called down. Her eyes sparkled, and a faint blush tinged her cheeks as she balanced on the stone.

After some time lifting it, Li Wei placed the heavy stone atop a nearby stump as if stacking a piece of lumber, while Xiao Wu jumped down from it. Sweat beaded at his brow despite the cool morning. He let the spirit energy flow out from his muscles, and the boulder still hummed faintly with residual energy for a moment before settling into place. Satisfied, he let himself smile — his muscles felt more tempered each day, stronger than the day before.

"Hey, all that training is making me hungry. Let's go eat something."

"Didn't you just sit on the boulder? How did it come to be that you're hungry from it?"

"Hey, this young lady has delicate skin, for your information. Hmph!"

She puffed her cheeks in mock indignation before adding with a playful pout, "I actually went to the canteen just before coming here, but breakfast wasn't ready yet."

"What about your brother, Tang San?"

"Well, my brother also trains at this time," she said with a helpless sigh. She knew her brother loved training in the early morning, but it always made her feel a little lonely. Her brother Tang San never taught her the techniques he used to train.

"Unless it's the end of the morning, he won't finish his training. Look there, up on the rooftop. There he is."

Sure enough, just as Xiao Wu said, Li Wei spotted Tang San sitting cross-legged on the rooftop of the dormitory. If he wasn't mistaken, Tang San was currently practicing the Purple Demon Eye technique from the Tang Sect.

A laughable thing, truly — a traitor to the sect using its secret technique so freely in the open, even daring to take the name "Tang Sect" as his own. He even wanted to kill Yu Xiaogang at the beginning. Really a hypocrite.