Chapter 67

## Chapter 67. Top of the Class?

"......Sir, why are you doing this so early in the morning?"

"I did a lot of thinking last night."

The old man, Gong, sat upright and looked at me with a sharp gaze.

He was neatly dressed in white, his hair slicked back with oil, and he smelled of a pleasant fragrance, suggesting he had even bathed this early in the morning...

His gaze on me was truly burdensome.

I asked hesitantly, "......What did you think about?"

"I thought about the favor Mr. Bai did for me. At first, it was half a joke. Learning martial arts with grandsons my age—wasn't it a very amusing joke? But... you took my joke seriously. You even went so far as to do such things to your own body..."

"......Such things?"

"I'm sorry."

I wanted to ask what exactly he was sorry for, but the old man's expression, with his lips tightly pressed, was too solemn.

"I also made a resolve. I will respond to your sincerity. From now on, I will do my best to follow your guidance!"

"......Ah, yes. Thank you."

I don't know what kind of resolve he made last night, but at least he's determined to learn seriously.

"Showing respect by not revealing one's name to a teacher is also a matter of etiquette. My name is Gong Sunshou. I will sincerely learn from you, so for a month, please use informal language with me."

"......What?"

"Teacher. Please accept me."

Gong Sunshou stood up and tried to bow to me. I was startled and helped him up.

"Hey, why are you doing this?!"

"A teacher is like heaven. Please speak more casually..."

"Is that even possible?!"

To be told to use informal language with a sixty-five-year-old man...

If people found out, they would probably stone me for being a disrespectful brat.

"I can't use informal language; it makes me uncomfortable. Just continue as usual. And you, why aren't you stopping this?"

I looked at the shadowy figure in the corner of the room, the Black Shadow.

The woman, who had been scrutinizing me for any faults until yesterday, lowered her eyes like a guilty person when our gazes met.

"I also respect your words, sir."

"......I'm going to go mad. Why are you doing this too?"

Shaking my head, I looked back at Gong Sunshou.

"How can I use informal language with you just because I'm teaching you martial arts? Just continue as usual."

"Really, is that okay...?"

Ha. This mischievous old man. His smile suggested he had anticipated my reaction.

I glared at him, and he laughed awkwardly.

"Hehe. I wanted to show you how sincere I am. You can really use informal language with me for a month."

"Alright."

I understood why Gong Sunshou was treating me with such formality. Last night, I had extracted a lot of impurities from his body, which had accumulated over decades.

That alone was enough to make him consider me a benefactor.

'But it was also a great opportunity for me.'

I absorbed the impurities and medicinal energy from Gong Sunshou's body using the Reversing Heaven Technique. As a result, I raised the technique's level to 4-star this morning. If I absorbed the remaining energy in his body a few more times, I could achieve even higher levels.

This was mutual benefit, wasn't it?

However, Gong Sunshou didn't know this, which was why he treated me so respectfully.

'There's no need to tell him.'

I wasn't so tactless as to tell someone who considered me a savior, "I also benefited, so you don't need to be so grateful."

"Anyway, we'll start morning practice today. Let's go to the training ground."

"Yes! Teacher!"

"......Oh, come on."

After we arrived at the training ground, I asked Gong Sunshou to perform the qigong exercises he had done yesterday.

Swish, swish, swish!

"Hehehe! My body feels so light, as if it's flying!"

Gong, the old man, performed the qigong exercises at twice the speed of the previous day, his enthusiasm evident.

But wait... Isn't that too fast...?

I called out, worried.

"Sir! You'll hurt your back. Do it more slowly..."

But my warning came a step too late.

Crack!

With an ominous sound, Gong clutched his back and collapsed.

"Ouch, my back!"

"Sir!"

"Didn't I tell you to go slowly?!"

The Black Shadow and I rushed to check on Gong Sunshou's back.

Fortunately, it was just a slight strain. There was no damage to the bones.

His old body couldn't handle the sudden, intense movements.

"Ha..."

Thinking about the long road ahead, I sighed and covered my face with my hand.

* * *

"Sir! Listen carefully. You were lucky this time. If you keep pushing yourself like this, something serious could happen. Got it? Do you understand?"

Gong Sunshou, with ointments plastered on his back, nodded dejectedly.

"I was wrong..."

"......"

I wanted to scold him more, but at least he recognized his mistake, so I decided to let it go.

It was still early in the morning.

In front of me were Gong Sunshou, the Black Shadow, and Wei Zhichuan, who had been summoned.

Xian Yuanjiang was practicing elsewhere on his own.

I looked at Gong Sunshou and Wei Zhichuan and said,

The two were this year's Qinglong Academy entrance examination peers.

"I'll explain the Qinglong Academy entrance examination before we start work. For convenience, I'll use informal language from now on, so please understand."

Gong Sunshou, who had been holding his aching back, reached out to the Black Shadow.

"Wait a moment. Black Shadow, get me a pen..."

"Sir, you're not feeling well. I'll write for you."

"......There's no need to write. It's not that much."

It's not like we're taking a written exam.

I pressed my temples, which were throbbing, and continued my explanation.

"First, the Qinglong Academy entrance examination is divided into practical and written sections."

"Hmm. I'm confident in the written section. I'll pass with top honors!"

"......The written section is less than half of the total score. It's a basic level test, so you don't need to worry about it."

"What?"

Gong Sunshou looked indignant at my words.

"What kind of ignorant swordsmen are you? A man who wants to achieve great things must be both literate and martial, with the talent to serve as a general and a minister. How can you lower the score for the written section? I will find the Qinglong Academy head and question this..."

"If you interrupt me one more time, I'll really kick you out."

"......I'm sorry."

Gong Sunshou flinched when I glared at him.

That old man didn't give me that impression at first... but the more I see him, the more he seems like a child.

I gave Gong Sunshou a stern look and resumed my explanation.

"The practical section consists of basic physical fitness, external skills, internal skills, and practical sparring. The first three are absolute evaluations, and if you don't meet the standards, you won't even get to the practical sparring. Any questions?"

Wei Zhichuan raised his hand like a model student and asked,

"Who will I be sparring with in the practical sparring?"

"You'll spar with a senior from the student council. The specific opponent will be decided by a draw on the day."

Honestly, I'm not worried about Wei Zhichuan at all.

He already had the ability to easily defeat Xian Yuanjiang, who was among the top students in the third year of Qinglong Academy.

Although there were some lingering effects from the aftermath of his cultivation, and there were issues when using internal skills... with time, he could overcome these problems.

Then, Gong Sunshou also raised his hand timidly.

"Can I ask a question?"

"......Go ahead."

"About the practical sparring. Do I have to defeat the senior to pass?"

"You don't necessarily have to win. Realistically, it's difficult for a freshman to defeat a senior. The key is to show an impressive performance."

"An impressive performance...?"

"Show the martial arts you've learned, your fighting sense, your will to win, and your potential."

"......"

Both of them were lost in thought at my words.

In fact, if you can defeat a student council member in the practical sparring, you're almost guaranteed to pass the practical section.

The student council members are among the strongest in Qinglong Academy.

"For now, that's the important part. We can discuss the details after work."

"Yes."

"I understand."

After that, I observed their martial arts for about half an hour.

It was already time to go to work, even though I had woken up at dawn.

I called Wei Zhichuan and gave him a serious warning.

"Zhichuan. Please take care of Sir while I'm away. He's a difficult peer, but he's still a peer from the entrance exam."

"Yes! I'll keep an eye on him, so don't worry!"

Gong Sunshou, who had been listening, pouted.

"I heard that. Calling me difficult is a bit much..."

"Sir, please only do the movements I taught you today. Don't push yourself and hurt your back again."

"Do you think I'm a child...? I can