“Master, whatâs the matter?” I asked in confusion.
Today was supposed to be my day off, given to me by Long Qingyang. Surely, he wouldnât call me to the training base so late at night?
Long Qingyangâs calm voice came through. âIn another week, your training will conclude. Tomorrow, I plan to give you the final assessment.â
âThe final assessment?â I didnât quite grasp the meaning behind his words.
âYes,â Long Qingyang paused before continuing. âTomorrow, youâll fight the special forces one last time. If you can defeat all of them, you will pass.â
âDoes passing mean youâre leaving, Master?â I felt a sudden pang in my chest. Though Long Qingyangâs training methods were odd and harsh, over the past two months, I had grown attached to the old man. Everything he did was for my benefit, after all.
Hearing him say this now, I felt no excitement about finishing my training. Instead, I felt a lump forming in my throat.
Long Qingyang was silent for a moment before speaking again. âIâll stay for one more week to teach you more. But if you fail the assessmentâŚâ
Before he could finish, I interrupted with a grin. âHey, donât forget whose disciple I am! Iâll definitely pass, Master. You better prepare to teach me your secret techniques!â
âThatâs the spirit. Get some rest.â Long Qingyangâs tone remained as calm as ever, and with that, he hung up.
The old man really didnât have a sentimental bone in his body. I had wanted to make the moment a bit more poetic.
The days of training were nearing their end. Soon, I would meet the person I was meant to protect, and the answers to my questions would finally be revealed.
It was also time to return and see the old man and my aunt. Once things were settled at Shenghua, I would head back. The old man must be missing me terribly by now.
Lost in thought, I soon found myself at my doorstep.
As I unlocked the door and entered the house, Mei’er appeared in her human form, looking at me with concern. âXia Tian, why are you doing such dangerous things? You scared me to death!â
âThere are some things I must finish before I leave. If I donât, Iâll never get another chanceâŚâ I sighed, the faces of Fatty and Zhang Yu flashing in my mind.
But soon, I would leave. Brothers⌠farewell.
âLetâs not talk about that!â I forced a smile and turned to Mei’er. âMei’er, youâve fully absorbed the medicinal effects of the Blood Ginseng King from last time, right? Do you want me to get another one?â
Mei’er shook her head. âMedicinal herbs are most effective the first time. After that, their potency diminishes. Eating another one now wonât break the seal on my fourth tail, so itâs better to save it.â
âAlright thenâŚâ I sighed in disappointment. I was eager for Mei’er to unseal her powers so she wouldnât have to hide from demon hunters and could appear openly.
I had wanted to ask about unlocking the Ren and Du meridians but suddenly remembered that Mei’er didnât know much about human cultivation techniques. I let the thought drop.
During my time training with Long Qingyang, I had come to understand that the Heaven-Earth-Mystery-Yellow levels werenât cultivation ranks but classifications for ancient martial arts.
Ancient martial arts, as the name implied, referred to combat techniques from ancient times. Unlike modern martial arts, which focused on self-cultivation and had little practical lethality, ancient martial arts were highly destructive. Modern martial arts like Tai Chi and Xingyi Boxing were more about health and discipline, preserving only the ethical principles of ancient martial arts.
Special forces primarily trained in combat techniques, but their other lethal skills were also categorized under ancient martial arts and ranked accordingly.
As for the iron sand Long Qingyang had thrown at me, wrapped in white energyâit wasnât True Qi but the âQiâ of ancient martial arts. Compared to the True Qi of cultivation, it was distinctly different.
After joking around with Mei’er for a bit, I collapsed into bed. The day had been exhausting, with shopping, planning, and abducting Feng Xinghua taking a toll on me.
***
Early the next morning, I headed to the training base with Secretary Liu.
Long Qingyang and six special forces soldiers were already there, waiting.
Each soldier stood straight, exuding an imposing aura. I felt a twinge of nervousnessâhopefully, I wouldnât end up flat on the ground.
It had been a while since Iâd sparred with these soldiers. While I had improved, so had they.
âMaster!â I bowed respectfully to Long Qingyang.
Long Qingyang puffed on his pipe and glanced at me. âToday is your final assessment after two months of training. If you can defeat these six retired special forces soldiers, youâll pass.â
âI wonât let you down, Master!â I replied solemnly.
Long Qingyang smiled faintly. âAll talk and no action means nothing. If youâre so confident, letâs begin now.â
The moment he finished speaking, the six soldiers rushed at me with astonishing speed.
I quickly retreated. Their individual combat skills were already exceptional, and now I had to face all six at once. Without using True Qi, I wasnât confident I could take them down.
Having fought them several times before, I was familiar with their combat styles. My strategy was to avoid direct confrontation, bide my time, and take them down one by one.
Using the pillars and training equipment in the base as obstacles, I relied on my speed to outmaneuver them. When the opportunity arose, I slipped behind one soldier, grabbed his neck, and threw him to the ground with all my strength, landing a punch to his chest.
The moment I succeeded, I retreated. The other soldiers had already surrounded me. If I got trapped, it would spell trouble.
Since this was just an assessment, there was no need to injure anyone. Once I knocked someone down, they were disqualified from continuing. With one soldier out, only five remainedâa slight relief.
I attempted the same strategy again, but the remaining soldiers had grown wary. They stuck together, leaving no openings for me to exploit.
With no other choice, I charged directly at them. It was six fists against my two, and I quickly found myself on the receiving end of a kick that sent me flying. Thankfully, my body was tough enough to endure it.
Ignoring the pain, I lunged at them again. If I couldnât outsmart them, I would overpower them. Letâs see whose body was tougher.
I disregarded the attacks landing on me, focusing on pummeling one soldier until he couldnât fight back. For every punch I threw, I received several in return, but my body held up.
The soldiers exchanged glances, seemingly coming to a silent agreement. After nodding to each other, they all charged at me simultaneously.
I smirked and shouted impulsively, âLetâs have a real fight!â
That brief moment of distraction cost me dearly. Instead of attacking, the soldiers grabbed my arms and legs. No matter how strong I was, I couldnât overpower their combined strength.
With my limbs restrained, I was utterly defenseless. One soldier stepped forward, smirking apologetically. âSorry, buddy!â
Damn it! Whatâs with the apology?
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