That same night.
Jiangnan Avenue, the Luo Residence.
In the study.
Luo Tianyi was playing go with his eldest son, Luo Nanxing.
Go.
Luo Nanxing lowered his head, his eyelids drooping, both hands resting on his knees as he breathed slowly.
He kept his posture very humble, but it was respect, not inferiority.
Luo Tianyi picked up a stone and slowly placed it down, smiling calmly. "Nanxing, you've been learning go for fifteen years now, haven't you?"
Only then did Luo Nanxing raise his head slightly and reply with a faint smile, "Fifteen years and three months."
Luo Tianyi nodded. "Not bad. Now, when you play, you lack nothing in bearing, Aura, or etiquette."
"What you lack is experience."
Luo Nanxing knew that his father wasn't referring to go, but to other matters.
"It's your turn." Luo Tianyi smiled.
Luo Nanxing placed a stone, purely on the defensive.
Luo Tianyi narrowed his eyes. "A steady style isn't a bad thing. By advancing steadily and securing each step, your foundation becomes solid."
"However, sometimes you need a little aggression as well."
"Especially when you reach the point where you have to fight your opponent for life and death. If you continue defending blindly while your opponent presses forward step by step, it's easy to throw yourself into confusion."
Luo Tianyi raised his head and said meaningfully, "That's how it is with people, and even more so with affairs."
Luo Nanxing moved back slightly and pressed his forehead to the floor. "Your son has learned his lesson."
A knock sounded at the door.
Luo Tianyi raised a hand.
Only then did Luo Nanxing sit up straight.
"Come in."
With Luo Tianyi's permission, the door opened, and the old butler who had served the Luo Family for many years entered.
"Master, Chen Kang'an has arrived."
Luo Nanxing wore a thoughtful expression.
Luo Tianyi said lightly, "Chen Kang'an? Who's that?"
Kneeling on the floor, Luo Nanxing replied, "The director of the Local Security Bureau in the Yongping district."
Luo Tianyi glanced at him and smiled in satisfaction.
He had deliberately tested his son just now.
People like them needed to remember every single person beneath them, no matter how many subordinates they had.
Only then could they handle matters with precision instead of making a mess.
Luo Tianyi picked up another stone. "What did Chen Kang'an come here for?"
The old butler answered, "He said that over the past two days, he came into contact with a student from Hundred Battles Academy, Luo Yan."
The hand that had been about to place the stone paused. Only then did Luo Tianyi set it down. "Interesting."
He looked at his son. "Go meet him. Handle it as you see fit."
"Yes." Luo Nanxing rose and left the study backward.
A moment later.
Luo Nanxing returned and said, "Chen Kang'an said that on Friday night, members of a giant beast smuggling group were caught in his district."
"To confuse people, they released a Giant Beast parasite, but it was killed by Luo Yan and his classmate, Zeng Shan."
"Afterward, members of the smuggling organization took a woman hostage, but someone silenced her."
"So far, they still haven't found the identity of that killer."
Luo Tianyi raised his head. "Did Chen Kang'an say anything else?"
Luo Nanxing shook his head. "No. He only said that he happened to be passing by, so he came to pay you a visit and tell us this news while he was here."
Luo Tianyi smiled. "A district director who knows his place. He's a clever man."
"How did you handle it?"
Luo Nanxing said respectfully, "I remembered what you said before, Father."
"You want to praise that Classmate Luo to death."
"So I took the liberty of asking Director Chen to step forward on our behalf, find a suitable time to present the two students with a banner, and award them work points."
Luo Tianyi pressed him. "How will you reward them?"
Luo Nanxing enunciated each word. "Classmate Luo gets one point. The other student gets one thousand."
Luo Tianyi nodded. "That will do."
"With a comparison, someone will inevitably become dissatisfied."
"And those from poor families will be even more jealous."
"Once people are jealous, our Classmate Luo won't have a peaceful life."
"But that isn't enough."
"We also need to find an opportunity to make him a celebrity and a sensation in Guangling."
"The kind of person whose name alone makes people want to kill him."
"Remember, dealing with Luo Yan is only incidental."
"Luo Yan is merely a tool, merely a lever."
"What we ultimately want to pry up is Di Zheng!"
Smack.
Luo Tianyi placed his stone, ending the game with one move.
Monday afternoon.
Training Hall.
The moment Luo Yan entered the hall through the doors, he saw Di Zheng.
He was wearing training clothes. His sharply defined face held no smile, but there was a trace of amusement in his eyes, like the clean, bright sunlight of autumn.
Di Zheng handed Luo Yan a book. "Old Wei gave this to you."
Luo Yan took it and looked at the cover. It was the Encyclopedia of Divine Treasures that Wei Fenghua had promised him back in the Forbidden Land.
Di Zheng said bluntly, "I came today to fulfill my promise."
"To teach you the Nether Gate Opening secret technique!"
Luo Yan's eyes lit up with anticipation.
Di Zheng first pointed out several acupoints on his body and explained the route of Primal Energy circulation. Then he explained, "Unlike Opening the Essence Gate, Nether Gate Opening won't increase your immediate combat strength."
"Nether means nothingness, and it also refers to darkness and profundity."
"During our daily activities, whether we're sitting or lying down, all the pores throughout our bodies remain open."
"When the pores are open, they naturally release an aura."
"Some giant beasts are extremely sensitive to aura."
"Nether Gate Opening allows us to restrain the aura throughout our bodies, but remember this: while using Nether Gate Opening, you can't breathe."
"The moment you breathe, the aura leaks out."
"However, with more practice, the length of time you can naturally hold that breath will increase."
"Besides, while using Nether Gate Opening, your aura will be compressed inside your body, and Primal Energy is no exception."
"As a result, your Primal Energy will enter a compressed state."
"When you end Nether Gate Opening and immediately switch to Opening the Essence Gate, that compressed Primal Energy will erupt."
"It will erupt far more powerfully than simply using Opening the Essence Gate."
"One thing to note."
"This will also cause you to consume more than you would by simply using Opening the Essence Gate."
"So you need to use it according to the situation."
Luo Yan listened until he forgot to breathe.
After steadying himself, he asked, "If the other soul wheels are opened in different orders, will they also combine to produce different effects?"
Di Zheng nodded with a cold expression. "That's right."
"In addition, secret techniques and Divine Treasures can also be used in combination, and sometimes they serve as the activation conditions for Combat Skills."
"For example, my Thunderclap: Flash requires Divine Treasure and Opening the Essence Gate to be combined before it can be activated."
"Going forward, you can study this area in greater depth and create your own unique Combat Skills or Mystic Arts."
Next.
Di Zheng patiently taught Luo Yan the essentials of the secret technique.
Thus, the entire afternoon passed.
"Come on, let's go eat."
To Luo Yan's surprise, Di Zheng didn't leave immediately after finishing the lesson this time.
Di Zheng patted him on the shoulder. "I haven't eaten food from the cafeteria in a long time. I've been missing it."
"However, I don't have any Credit Points, so you'll have to treat me."
The cafeteria was free for students enrolled at the academy, but outside guests needed to use Credit Points to purchase a meal.
Luo Yan naturally agreed.
Thus, the two of them headed to the cafeteria.
Before you continue