“Master, what’s the matter?” I asked in confusion.
Today was supposed to be my day off, given to me by Long Qingyang. Surely, he wouldn’t call me to the training base so late at night?
Long Qingyang’s calm voice came through. “In another week, your training will conclude. Tomorrow, I plan to give you the final assessment.”
“The final assessment?” I didn’t quite grasp the meaning behind his words.
“Yes,” Long Qingyang paused before continuing. “Tomorrow, you’ll fight the special forces one last time. If you can defeat all of them, you will pass.”
“Does passing mean you’re leaving, Master?” I felt a sudden pang in my chest. Though Long Qingyang’s 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. “I’ll stay for one more week to teach you more. But if you fail the assessment…”
Before he could finish, I interrupted with a grin. “Hey, don’t forget whose disciple I am! I’ll definitely pass, Master. You better prepare to teach me your secret techniques!”
“That’s the spirit. Get some rest.” Long Qingyang’s tone remained as calm as ever, and with that, he hung up.
The old man really didn’t 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. “Xia Tian, why are you doing such dangerous things? You scared me to death!”
“There are some things I must finish before I leave. If I don’t, I’ll never get another chance…” I sighed, the faces of Fatty and Zhang Yu flashing in my mind.
But soon, I would leave. Brothers… farewell.
“Let’s not talk about that!” I forced a smile and turned to Mei’er. “Mei’er, you’ve fully absorbed the medicinal effects of the Blood Ginseng King from last time, right? Do you want me to get another one?”
Mei’er shook her head. “Medicinal herbs are most effective the first time. After that, their potency diminishes. Eating another one now won’t break the seal on my fourth tail, so it’s better to save it.”
“Alright then…” I sighed in disappointment. I was eager for Mei’er to unseal her powers so she wouldn’t 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 didn’t 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 weren’t 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 energy—it wasn’t True Qi but the “Qi” 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 nervousness—hopefully, I wouldn’t end up flat on the ground.
It had been a while since I’d sparred with these soldiers. While I had improved, so had they.
“Master!” I bowed respectfully to Long Qingyang.
Long Qingyang puffed on his pipe and glanced at me. “Today is your final assessment after two months of training. If you can defeat these six retired special forces soldiers, you’ll pass.”
“I won’t let you down, Master!” I replied solemnly.
Long Qingyang smiled faintly. “All talk and no action means nothing. If you’re so confident, let’s begin now.”
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 wasn’t 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 remained—a 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 couldn’t outsmart them, I would overpower them. Let’s see whose body was tougher.
I disregarded the attacks landing on me, focusing on pummeling one soldier until he couldn’t 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, “Let’s have a real fight!”
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 couldn’t overpower their combined strength.
With my limbs restrained, I was utterly defenseless. One soldier stepped forward, smirking apologetically. “Sorry, buddy!”
Damn it! What’s with the apology?
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