[Restart Volume] Chapter 233: Let Master Teach You a Trick

"Autumn is in the air."

Mo Xing turned around to find Mr. Shen standing behind him, holding a broom.

"Mr. Shen?" Mo Xing frowned; the old man was always appearing out of thin air.

"Ahem, long time no see." Mr. Shen stroked his beard. "I heard you passed the freshman assessment?"

"Yeah," Mo Xing nodded. "Who did you hear that from?"

"Heh, not bad, young man. Only a few days and you’ve already learned how to fish for information?" Mr. Shen chuckled.

"Not at all, not at all." Mo Xing scratched his head.

"Ahem, I haven't stretched my limbs in a long time." Mr. Shen coughed suddenly. "How about we spar for a bit?"

"Let's not. I can't beat you anyway," Mo Xing shook his head and added, "Besides, I haven't eaten yet!"

"Oh? Then why didn't you go eat with that young girl just now? Refusing her and then refusing me?" Mr. Shen smiled.

"You! You were eavesdropping on our conversation!" Mo Xing said indignantly.

"How can you call it eavesdropping? I just happened to be passing by," Mr. Shen laughed. "Shall we spar? Regardless of the outcome, I can teach you a few tricks, including how to talk to girls."

"An old man like you knows about that?" Mo Xing asked skeptically.

"Of course. Let's find a more spacious place to spar; let me see how much you’ve improved over the last two days." Mr. Shen snapped his fingers sharply, and a gust of wind rose, forcing Mo Xing to close his eyes.

"Wh... what’s happening?" Mo Xing exclaimed. In the blink of an eye, Mr. Shen and he had teleported from the roadside to the lawn at the back of the mountain.

"Make your move!"

Mr. Shen gathered wind elemental energy in his hands, transforming it into an energy wave that blasted directly toward him!

"You're actually attacking?" Mo Xing cried in surprise, quickly sidestepping. The energy wave grazed his shoulder and struck the thick trunk of a nearby tree, shaking leaves loose and sending fruits bouncing on the ground like playful children.

"Draw your sword already!"

Mr. Shen launched another wave of wind elemental energy.

"Blue light revealed, like frost and snow."

Mo Xing sidestepped again, and while dodging the attack, he unleashed "God's Frostlessness." A low, dragon-like roar vibrated in his hand.

"A divine artifact," Mr. Shen whispered, a smile crossing his face, though Mo Xing did not notice.

"Blade of Frost!" Mo Xing released a row of sharp ice blades toward Mr. Shen.

"Your wind-up is too slow!"

Mr. Shen raised his broom and gave a slight flick; a cyan hurricane erupted, shattering the ice blades instantly as he teleported toward Mo Xing.

"Pillar of Frost!"

A circle of ice pillars dropped around Mo Xing. Mr. Shen lifted his broom and gave it a light wave—all the pillars shattered, and Mo Xing was blown away!

"Stop relying on elemental mage skills! You are a magic swordsman now!" Mr. Shen shouted, gathering wind energy in his hand for the next strike.

"Cold Water: Spiral Storm!"

Mo Xing spun his blade, flying toward another area.

"That skill is meant for containment, not for running away!"

A cyan wind kicked up as Mr. Shen teleported behind Mo Xing.

"This..."

Before Mo Xing could react, Mr. Shen swiped him away with the broom, sending him crashing onto the grass and into the dirt.

"If you don't know how to counterattack, you will always be led by the nose," Mr. Shen shook his head.

"Grasp of Cold Water!"

Mo Xing scrambled up, manifesting the water element into a giant claw that lunged at Mr. Shen.

"Your accuracy is terrible!"

Mr. Shen swiped his broom, twisting his body out of the way; the "Grasp of Cold Water" missed completely! A cyan hurricane followed, knocking Mo Xing to the ground once more.

"Don't you have any other moves? Something that can take an opponent by surprise?" Mr. Shen yawned, looking bored.

"It's not a question of moves; I really just can't beat you!" Mo Xing said with a bitter laugh.

"That's true. For you right now, there are only two outcomes in battle," Mr. Shen stroked his small beard and said meaningfully. "Either you bully others, or you get bullied."

"Isn't there a third option?" Mo Xing climbed up and scratched his head. "Like, two people fighting to the death, ending in a draw?"

"Of course there is!" Mr. Shen paused. "What is it called... let me think. It seems to be called—"

"Noobs pecking at each other!"

"..." Mo Xing was speechless.

"Didn't expect that, did you? An old man like me knowing trendy slang," Mr. Shen smiled.

"Certainly didn't," Mo Xing laughed bitterly. "You brought me here for more than just a workout, right?"

"Congratulations, you guessed it! Young man!" Mr. Shen smiled. "I want to teach you a move. Want to learn?"

"Of course I do."

Mo Xing replied. After all that, how could he refuse? As the saying goes, one can never have too many skills; if there was a new technique to learn that could improve his combat power, he was certainly willing!

"Alright." Mr. Shen nodded. "The move I'm teaching you today is called the Whirlwind Strike!"

"Whirlwind Strike? Isn't that one of the standard magic swordsman skills?" Mo Xing asked, confused. Such a simple move was in every textbook; he could teach himself that. You just hold your sword, move, and spin to attack, and if timed right, you can even launch the opponent into the air.

"Yes, but the version I'm teaching you is an extended one!" Mr. Shen smiled.

Mr. Shen waved his right hand, gathering wind elements, and threw his broom directly out.

"Throwing your weapon?"

Mo Xing was stunned. Throwing your weapon in a fight? If it hits, great, but if it misses, aren't you just handing the advantage to your opponent? This was such a ridiculous extended version.

"Watch closely!"

Mr. Shen smiled, and the broom curved through the air, turning back around! It returned right into Mr. Shen's hand.

"Is... is this a boomerang?" Mo Xing asked.

"Similar principle," Mr. Shen nodded. "This is the correct way to use the Whirlwind Strike. The version you learn at the academy is too systematic."

"Let me try."

Mo Xing took "God's Frostlessness" and threw it forward. The blade flew toward the bushes on the other side.

"Return!"

The blade stopped in mid-air.

"Return!"

The blade remained frozen in place.

"Return!"

It still didn't move.

"Strange, what's going on?" Mo Xing scratched his head. "Why is it just stuck there?"

"Interesting," Mr. Shen stroked his beard, his body shivering slightly. "Practice more on your own. I have some business to attend to, so I'll be off."

"Wait? Mr. Shen, where are you going?" Mo Xing grabbed his sleeve and was suddenly startled. Through the fabric, Mr. Shen's arm didn't feel like the wrinkled skin of an old man; it felt strong and firm.

"I'll teach you more next time. I really have to go!"

Mr. Shen shook off Mo Xing's hand, a hurricane surged, and he vanished from sight.

Mo Xing wiped his sweat. Mr. Shen's voice had changed, and his skin and bones had shifted, making him appear younger—was that some kind of transformation technique? He was definitely not just a simple old man!

Who... who exactly was he?

"Meow!"

A cat's cry came from behind. Mo Xing turned around to see the small cat named Moonshadow running toward him.

"Little kitty? Why are you here?"

Mo Xing frowned.

"Meow meow meow!"

The kitten let out a startling cry, or more accurately, a signal of alarm.

"Oh my, why did little Moonshadow run all the way here?"

Mo Xing looked up and saw Senior Cai Hong running over as well.

"Senior!" Mo Xing greeted him.

"Junior, so it's you. I thought you looked familiar from a distance," Senior Cai Hong smiled, then his expression suddenly changed, and he roared:

"Watch out!"

Mo Xing turned around to find the "God's Frostlessness" flying back at him. At this critical moment, an orange shield manifested before him, blocking the attack, and the blade fell to the ground.

"What's going on?" Senior Cai Hong frowned. "This flying blade, and this orange shield?"

"I don't know either..." Mo Xing wiped his sweat as the shield began to dissipate.

"Meow~"

Little Moonshadow flicked its tail.

"This weapon was given to me by Teacher Tianqi. I was just trying to practice a new move, but the sword stayed stuck in the air, and then it suddenly flew back without warning," Mo Xing scratched his head. "As for the shield, I don't understand it either."

"I see," Senior Cai Hong nodded.

"Meow~"

Little Moonshadow cried out again.

"Could it be Moonshadow's skill?" Mo Xing pointed to the cat, guessing.

"That's possible. I heard from people in the shop that it isn't an ordinary pet, but a divine beast. Maybe the shield was its doing?" Senior Cai Hong realized.

"Was it... really you?" Mo Xing looked at Moonshadow.

"Meow~" Moonshadow nodded.

"It really is a divine cat!" Senior Cai Hong exclaimed.

...

Shenluo Royal Palace.

Instructor Conference Room.

Zhang Zhihao, dressed in formal attire, stood upright outside the door like a waiting messenger.

"Waited a long time," he said suddenly.

The last instructor came hurrying down the end of the corridor, and Zhang Zhihao bowed slightly.

"Please."

"O-okay," the instructor nodded.

Zhang Zhihao pushed the door open, and they walked in together. Inside, a long table was surrounded by people.

"Sorry, I'm late." The instructor wiped beads of sweat from her forehead.

Her name was Chen Musi, a Fifth-Stage Purple Cauldron rank, the only female instructor at the Sacred Sky Royal Academy to break into the top ten. She should have been a heroine among women, but she had a bad habit of being late. Of course, given her strength, no one dared to say much.

"It's fine, we just arrived too," said Long Lian, who spoke with a polite and humble tone, having entered the academy as a partner in the same year.

"Good."

Chen Musi found a seat, and Zhang Zhihao stood to the side. As a student in this instructor meeting, he couldn't sit as an equal, whether out of courtesy or the academy's unwritten rules.

"Everyone is here, so let's officially begin the meeting." At the head of the long table sat an aged figure; he was the headmaster of the Sacred Sky Royal Academy—Grant Char, the only person in the academy with strength at the Dark Gold rank.