Chapter 10

Light and Darkness Reincarnation (10)

Upon hearing the news that the expansion of the Murong Academy was complete, the first to visit the academy was not Murong Jin or Murong He, but Pang Yizong.

He began to look around the interior of the academy with an excited expression, and the Murong Academy had changed so much that it was hard to recognize its former appearance.

All the old buildings had been demolished, and now a proper hall stood in their place.

Inside the hall, there were spacious rooms for the students to sleep, and on this floor, individual rooms were prepared for private use.

The area where the warehouse used to be had been converted into a restroom, and behind it, there was even a bathing facility to wash away the sweat.

"Wow... It really looks like a proper academy now..."

The last time he came, the stones in the training ground were all broken, but now the entire courtyard was paved with stones, and on one side, there was a private training ground that was hidden from outside view.

That said, the facilities of the Murong Academy were not particularly outstanding.

It had only just reached the level of a proper academy.

These days, academies were in a competitive era, and there were dozens of academies in Hebei with excellent facilities.

Just as Pang Yizong was carefully looking around, a familiar voice struck his ears.

"Hey, it's been a while. How did you know to come here before me?"

Hearing the voice, Pang Yizong quickly turned his head and bowed deeply, almost touching the ground.

"Grandfather! Are you well? I personally asked the workers to contact me as soon as the construction was finished."

"Yeah, yeah. You were in a hurry, weren't you? You wanted to start practicing so quickly?"

At Murong Jin's words, Pang Yizong's eyes widened, and he nodded vigorously.

In fact, the reason Pang Yizong rushed to the academy as soon as the construction was finished was because of the Wu Hu Duan Men Dao (Five Tigers Interrupting the Gate Saber).

Murong Jin, who decided to continue operating the academy here, offered Pang Yizong a single deal.

It was for Pang Yizong to become his disciple.

Even if Murong Jin didn't teach him the Wu Hu Duan Men Dao, this offer was like a stroke of luck for Pang Yizong.

After all, Murong Jin was Tian Di Ri Dao (Heaven and Earth Sun Saber) Pang Wu'e, his grandfather.

To become the disciple of the former number one in the world?

Any martial artist would sell their soul for such an opportunity.

Naturally, Pang Yizong performed the nine bows and became Murong Jin's disciple.

Murong Jin promised to teach him the Wu Hu Duan Men Dao and Wu Hu Duan Che Bu (Five Tigers Interrupting the Thorough Step) if he followed two rules.

One was to keep Murong Jin's secrets no matter what.

The other was to stay at the academy unless something major happened to the family.

"But about that title. When students start coming to the academy, it will be a problem if they call me 'Grandfather.' So, from now on, call me 'Master' informally."

"No, Grandfather... How can I call you, who is like the sky to me..."

Master (師父).

This term literally means teacher, but the lack of a respectful suffix often indicates a more casual relationship, usually with someone younger or closer.

It wasn't a strict rule, but more of an unspoken norm.

This implied a more relaxed relationship between teacher and student.

For Pang Yizong, this was unthinkable.

However, to avoid any major issues, it was necessary to establish the proper form of address.

"Don't worry. I'll treat you like a disciple from now on, informally. Like an eleven-year-old teacher would treat a disciple. Got it?"

At Murong Jin's suddenly more casual tone, Pang Yizong had no choice but to nod.

'Right. Grandfather Pang Wu'e wants to hide his identity. This is unavoidable.'

Taking a deep breath and preparing himself, Pang Yizong bravely spoke.

"Understood... Master. Is this okay?"

"Whoa, I didn't say to use informal language... Tsk, that's the problem with kids these days. If you give them a little freedom, they think they can do anything. In my time, when I was Pang Wu'e, ah?"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry! Since you told me to call you Master... I also prefer respectful language! It's much more comfortable!"

Realizing his mistake, Pang Yizong was met with a stern expression from Murong Jin, who had already turned and started walking away.

"Master! Sorry! I, I, I would never be so disrespectful..."

Hearing Pang Yizong's trembling voice from behind, Murong Jin chuckled and gestured to him.

"What are you doing? I'm moving, and you're not following. Today is the first day you'll start learning the Wu Hu Duan Men Dao."

* * *

The very next day after the construction of the Murong Academy was completed.

Normally, it would take more time to clean up and reopen the academy, but Murong Jin finished it all in just one day after the construction ended.

He hired people for the necessary time to clean up everything.

With thirty workers, the academy had changed significantly overnight.

The construction site was cleaned up, and the main hall was stocked with plenty of bedding and clothing for the students to sleep and change.

Of course, this massive workforce came at a significant cost, which Murong Jin covered by emptying Pang Yizong's pockets.

"The official documents to be sent to the government are already prepared... Father, did you go around yesterday?"

"Yes, I visited all the homes of the children who were previously registered."

"How many will come back... Did you distribute what I gave you?"

"This?"

In response to Murong Jin's question, Murong He pulled out a piece of paper.

The paper, which read "Murong Academy" in large letters, stated that they would no longer teach the Pang family's saber techniques but would instead teach stronger internal cultivation methods and external techniques.

It concluded with the phrase, "We will make your child a renowned martial artist."

Looking at the paper, Murong Jin nodded in satisfaction.

"Even after reading it again, it's a perfect flyer."

However, Murong He's face was not as bright.

"Son."

"Yes?"

"To be honest, I'm a little... no, very worried. In the past, the number of students was decent because I taught the Pang family's saber techniques."

"Don't worry. Who am I? I'm Murong Jin, who has cultivated internal energy even in the Gouyang Meridian. If I teach my martial arts, our academy will be the best in Hebei... no, the best in the world."

"Of course, I believe in our son. I believe, but..."

Murong He's worry.

And that worry soon became a reality.

"Why..."

The empty training ground of the Murong Academy.

It was well past the opening time.

Despite Murong He distributing many flyers throughout Jing Village, the training ground of the Murong Academy was empty.

"Why aren't people coming... This can't be happening?"

It wasn't that no one was there.

Pang Yizong.

Only he, who had become Murong Jin's disciple, was present.

Murong He quietly patted the shoulder of the dejected Murong Jin.

He had anticipated this to some extent.

The reason the Murong Academy had students in the first place was because they taught the Pang family's saber techniques.

Now that they had advertised that they would no longer teach those techniques, it was a foregone conclusion that no one would come.

Three hours passed, but no one visited the Murong Academy.

The sun was setting, and Pang Yizong had left, saying he had something to do.

"How can this be..."

On the opening day.

Zero students.

In the empty training ground, Murong Jin was alone, dejected.

His imagination and reality were so different.

He knew dozens of high-level martial arts and was confident he could teach them well.

But this was only known to Murong Jin.

He thought he had clearly conveyed this through the flyers, but in reality, no one knew.

After all, Murong Jin was a martial artist to the core.

He knew how to cultivate internal energy, wield a sword, and fight well, but he was a complete novice in other areas.

He was showing why one shouldn't start a business without proper planning.

The first day passed, and the next day,

Murong Jin, determined, made and distributed more flyers.

After all, once he started, he had to see it through, being the Light and Darkness Heavenly Kirin.

It was only the beginning, and yesterday was just the first day.

He believed it would get better.

Three days.

Four days.

A week passed.

Murong Jin was in the private training ground with Pang Yizong.

"Ugh..."

Pang Yizong was doing push-ups on the ground, with a heavy rock on his back, and Murong Jin sitting on top of the rock.

The reason Pang Yizong was training his basic physical strength instead of practicing the Wu Hu Duan Men Dao was all due to Murong Jin.

Murong Jin said that Pang Yizong's body was not yet prepared to learn the Wu Hu Duan Men Dao and had him focus on physical training for a week.

On the first day, it felt like he was going to die.

Just holding the heavy rock on his back was exhausting, and Murong Jin made him do push-ups.

Of course, it was possible.

If he used his internal energy, it wouldn't be that difficult.

But Murong Jin didn't let him use his internal energy.

Whenever Pang Yizong tried to use his internal energy, Murong Jin would notice and immediately tap his nose.

"You can't use internal energy to train your basic physical strength. If it's too heavy, how do you control it? That's part of your ability. It shows you're not ready."

As a result, Pang Yizong's nose was always red, and after training, it looked like he had drunk a lot of alcohol.

But after a week, Pang Yizong's nose was fine.

In just a week, he had made significant progress in his basic physical strength.

"Push!"

"Ten more."

"Ugh... One hundred!"

Despite the additional ten, Pang Yizong continued without complaint.

On the first night, he had even considered giving up.

He had to endure harsh physical training all day without even touching a saber.

But knowing Murong Jin was Pang Wu'e, he had no choice but to come back the next day and the day after that.

On the fourth day, he realized his body had changed.

Without using internal energy, his muscles were full of strength, and the rock on his back felt lighter.

As the rock became lighter, his trust in Murong Jin grew.

Seeing this, Murong Jin felt a sense of pride.

'This is the satisfaction of raising a disciple. He's worth the effort.'

In reality, a week of physical training wouldn't make a significant difference.

Pang Yizong's significant improvement was because he had never properly utilized his muscles before.

Growing up under the protection of a prestigious family, he had cultivated internal energy and relied on it more than his physical strength, maintaining his slender build.

But he was still a martial artist.

After a long time of practicing the Hun Yuan Pili Dao (Thunderbolt Saber), his muscles were already well-developed, and Murong Jin was just helping him use them.

As a result, Pang Yizong's body was slightly larger than before.

The hidden muscles began to show as they became more active.

"How is it?"

"Push... nine... What?"

At Murong Jin's sudden question, Pang Yizong stopped and turned his head.

"I mean my teaching. As your Master, is it not bad?"

"Yes, Master! Of course not!"

Pang Yizong's answer was sincere.

While the first-day Pang Yizong might not have believed it, the current Pang Yizong trusted Murong Jin so much that he almost worshipped him.

One might say he was making a fuss over being helped to use his existing muscles, but for Pang Yizong, who had always been self-conscious about his small build, seeing his body change every day was a profound experience.

"But why aren't students coming? Despite all the publicity... What's missing?"

At Murong Jin's words, Pang Yizong quickly closed his mouth and bent his arms.

It had been a week since the academy opened, but not a single person had registered.

This was a significant source of stress for Murong Jin, and Pang Yizong was well aware of it.

So he kept quiet.

He didn't want to say anything that might upset Murong Jin.

"Ah... We need more students to make money and survive. Hmm, is there a good way to attract them?"