Chapter 9

Shixue Man looked at her reflection in the mirror, her body, which she had always been proud of for its perfection, now marred by five faint finger marks on her left chest, standing out so prominently. Several days had passed, but the marks had not faded, indicating the force of the assault.

A murderous look appeared in her eyes. She did not want to recall the events of that day, but every time she saw the marks on her body while bathing, the anger in her heart became uncontrollable.

Today was the first day of school, and fortunately, the marks on her neck had already faded.

She put on her clothes, and her face regained its usual confidence.

Leaving the room, she found breakfast already laid out in the hall. Her grandfather, seeing her, smiled kindly and said, "Come and eat."

"Grandfather," she called sweetly and sat down beside him. Her mother had passed away when she was young, and her father was often busy with work, so her grandfather had raised her. Every morning, she would accompany the old man for breakfast.

A servant brought a steaming bowl of soup, which she usually had to practice, as it was specially prepared to replenish her energy and nourish her body.

She sipped the soup in small mouthfuls. The soup was made from precious ingredients and not only greatly benefited her practice but also tasted delicious. However, today, her mind was elsewhere.

The old man, who had raised her from a young age, knew her well and said gently, "What's wrong? Still thinking about the mishap that day?"

Her granddaughter's talent was unmatched in the family, and she had always been very sensible, without any of the arrogance of the wealthy. Instead, she was even more diligent and hardworking than ordinary people. Her talents and strength, displayed from a young age, even surpassed her father. She was seen as the next leader of the family, the pride of the entire clan, and all the elders doted on her.

The old man was deeply proud of his granddaughter, believing her to be perfect. The only thing that worried him was her pride, which was similar to her father's, and the fact that she had never experienced any setbacks.

However, the old man, with his rich life experience, knew that the world was full of hidden dragons and tigers, and there was always someone better. This setback was one such example.

When he saw the marks on his granddaughter's neck that day, he was shocked and then felt a lingering fear. If the attacker had used just a bit more force, his granddaughter would have been killed on the spot. From the initial fear, he soon noticed that his granddaughter's mood was not right.

It seemed that this setback was even greater than he had imagined.

To the old man, this setback was not a big deal, but he knew that for Shixue Man, who had always had a smooth life, it would take time to digest. On some level, he was grateful to the other party. In his view, experiencing a setback at Shixue Man's age was a valuable asset in life.

If the old man knew the true events, he would have torn Ai Hui to pieces.

"No," Shixue Man lowered her head and continued eating.

The old man, seeing her demeanor, couldn't help but smile. "Where do you think you went wrong?"

The old man, with his rich experience, knew that avoiding the problem was not a good choice for young people.

Shixue Man's spoon paused, and she was caught off guard by her grandfather's question. For three days, she had been immersed in shame and anger, thinking only of how to find and tear apart the despicable guy.

She was not stupid, but her anger had clouded her judgment. Now, with her grandfather's reminder, she immediately noticed the question she had overlooked.

"The opponent was very familiar with blind combat."

Shixue Man's expression became serious and focused, as the details of the battle flowed through her mind like a stream. This was the first time in three days that she recalled the battle without falling into anger.

The old man smiled silently, guiding her, "What else?"

"The opponent had rich combat experience, sharp reflexes, decisive and ruthless actions, and knew how to use his advantages." Once Shixue Man regained her composure, she immediately displayed her strong insight. "Now, thinking back, he must have detected my position immediately. I didn't, and I didn't even notice his movements. He was very skilled in blind combat, proficient in fighting in the dark. He chose close combat, which, upon reflection, is the best way to fight in the dark. So I was very passive, with no room to maneuver. Without room, many techniques and skills are useless. On the contrary, his strength could be fully utilized."

The old man listened carefully, knowing that at this moment, all he needed to do was listen.

"He deliberately made me struggle, accelerating my physical exhaustion, which was very sinister. It seemed that his energy was not very strong, and he did not use any energy throughout the fight, so I couldn't determine his level."

The old man responded, "To defeat you without using energy, the opponent must be quite strong."

"Very strong, and he probably wore a suppression bracelet like me." Shixue Man did not avoid the question. "When he locked me, I used the 'Fish Arch' technique, but I couldn't break free."

The old man showed a rare expression of surprise. "To resist your 'Fish Arch' without using energy? Is he old?"

The 'Fish Arch' is a technique for breaking free, mimicking the action of a fish arching its back to escape, with explosive power. The fact that the opponent could suppress the 'Fish Arch' without using energy surprised the old man.

"Yes," Shixue Man nodded seriously. "His killing intent was very intense. I intended to use the 'Fish Arch' to break free and remove the suppression bracelet, but I couldn't. He must be young; otherwise, he wouldn't have taken the job for 50,000."

Now, recalling the events, she couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration. As a girl, being locked up was a significant disadvantage, and her family had taught her the 'Fish Arch' technique when she was very young. She had spent a lot of time mastering it and understood its essence deeply.

The explosive power of the 'Fish Arch' was even difficult for her to control.

"To resist the 'Fish Arch' without using energy and being young, he must be a student." The old man's face was full of admiration. "It seems that this year's freshmen include a remarkable genius. I wonder whose child he is, and why there was no word about him."

"Grandfather, please help me investigate!" Shixue Man pleaded, shaking her grandfather's arm. "I can't just let this go; I want to face him in a fair fight."

The old man laughed heartily. "Alright, alright, if Shixue Man asks, I can't refuse."

Shixue Man's determination to avenge her humiliation was clear. The old man, who had experienced many ups and downs in life, knew his granddaughter's thoughts. He mused, "He could restrain you without using energy, so his strength is likely above yours. Be careful."

Shixue Man looked up, her eyes burning like two blazing flames. "Shixue Man will work hard!"

The old man was surprised; he had never seen such fierce determination in his granddaughter.

It seems that this failure has greatly affected Shixue Man, the old man thought with a smile.

Ai Hui, unaware of the trouble his 50,000 had caused, was attending a basic studies class.

Sunlight streamed through the windows of the study hall, landing on the desks and the floor, making even the floating dust seem lazy.

The study hall was mostly empty, with only six people seated. Few people needed to attend basic studies, as they would have been exposed to it at a young age, whether in the Old Land or the Five Elements Heaven.

Mr. Dong, standing on the platform, was animated and enthusiastic, describing the planning and execution of the Five Elements Heaven, the resources and manpower invested, and the unity of the various cultivation sects at the time. He spoke of how the Five Elements Heaven had become stable and was now attempting to infiltrate the wilderness, marking the end of the defensive phase and the beginning of a great counteroffensive.

Unlike the others, who were dozing off, Ai Hui listened with great interest. He had only been exposed to the Sword Canon before and knew little about the history of the Five Elements Heaven, mostly from the conversations of the energy cultivators in the wilderness.

Lecturing on history was Mr. Dong's greatest passion, and he spent most of his class time on it, dedicating little to the basics of cultivation.

What did this chaotic history have to do with them? The other students privately called it a "saliva class" and deeply resented such a waste of time. However, Mr. Dong was known for his bad temper, and if they skipped his class, he would not even look at them when they asked for help with cultivation.

What could they do, being complete beginners?

Students from the Five Elements Heaven, with their family backgrounds, went straight to advanced classes, while ordinary students took intermediate classes. Even students from the Old Land, who had practiced from a young age, had solid theoretical knowledge, though their strength was not as deep as that of the Five Elements Heaven students due to environmental factors.

Survival is the strongest motivation for change, and after a thousand years of development, the Five Elements energy had become deeply ingrained.

Students like Ai Hui, who started from the basics, were few and far between.

When under someone's roof, one must bow.

After a long, uninterrupted lecture, Mr. Dong finally turned to the topic of cultivation, and the other students' spirits lifted.

Mr. Dong's enthusiasm seemed to lie in teaching history, and he showed little interest in explaining energy cultivation, spending only half an hour on it before dismissing the class. Ai Hui was still savoring the content when he realized Mr. Dong had already left.

Unlike the others, who were complaining with long faces, Ai Hui felt a sense of enlightenment and joy.

He had spent three years in the wilderness, gaining rich experience and practical skills. He was trusted by the energy cultivators and even taught a few useful techniques by some of them.

However, the wilderness was full of danger, and no one would take the time to systematically teach a laborer how to cultivate in such an environment.

Over the three years, he had learned a lot, but it was all very practical and fragmented.

His theoretical knowledge was incomplete, but his practical experience was far more extensive than that of the other students. He was good at thinking, which was why he had managed to create the sword embryo seed. He spent countless hours pondering and reflecting on the simple, fragmented knowledge he had gained in the wilderness. Due to his weak foundation, his gains were limited, but he accumulated many questions.

Although Mr. Dong's lecture was short and only briefly touched on specific cultivation methods, it focused more on the theory of energy.

And this was precisely what Ai Hui lacked the most.

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