Backbone

Backbone

Whenever Sun Yuan thought of it, he would sigh endlessly.

In the past, whenever he saw certain old masters sighing and complaining about things like, "My disciple is too talented; there's no point in being a master," Sun Yuan would have rushed up and beaten those show-offs to death if he could have!

Could they be any more shameless? They'd just lucked into accepting a genius disciple, and suddenly they no longer knew Southeast from Northwest? Showing off every day, and they still had the nerve to sigh.

Why didn't they just die?

But now, he truly understood how those people had felt.

Because... Fang Che's level of talent far surpassed even the genius disciples those old fellows bragged about!

His lifetime of learning—saber arts, sword arts, fist arts, footwork, kicking techniques...

As long as he demonstrated something once, Fang Che could immediately replicate it.

After practicing three times, even by the standards of an old fellow like himself who had trained for decades, there was not the slightest flaw to be found.

He even vaguely felt that what his disciple had comprehended was more orthodox than his own...

Who was he supposed to reason with about that?

Even the more difficult coordination between cultivation methods, footwork, and saber arts required only three to five practice runs before Fang Che could wield them with complete proficiency.

Sun Yuan did not even need to correct him. After completing a set once, Fang Che would stand there and think for a moment. Then, when he performed it a second time, every minor flaw from before would already be corrected.

Sun Yuan felt that he, this master, was nothing more than a decoration.

He was completely useless.

Other masters could seize their disciples and give them a good scolding, then point out their shortcomings.

But he could not even see any shortcomings. He even found himself thinking, Should I learn from my disciple instead? Where was the dignity of a master? He had accepted a disciple for four days. On the first afternoon, he taught him a cultivation method, and before evening came, Fang Che had already cultivated Primal Spirit Energy according to it! He had even formed an energy vortex in his Dantian.

That evening, he taught him saber arts. Fang Che practiced each of the four famous saber techniques once. Before the Zi Hour had passed, Fang Che was already dancing with his saber, its cold gleam flashing.

Even the coordination of footwork and movement techniques for every saber set was flawless.

It turned the words Sun Yuan had said before—"I earned fame throughout the martial world and gained the title Saber King through this saber technique. I am now passing it on to you, so you must not take it lightly"—into a complete joke.

By the third day, Fang Che had wrung Sun Yuan's entire lifetime of skills dry.

Aside from lacking strength, his proficiency and correctness were already flawless, without a single fault to pick at.

But strength and combat experience were not matters of proficiency.

They required years upon years of training, the slow grinding work of water wearing through stone.

When Sun Yuan secretly returned to the sect this time, he went directly to the Elder Offering Courtyard.

This was the One Heart Sect's most secret place.

Every elder here was the sort who concealed their true identity outside.

Sun Yuan was one of its third-rank enshrined masters.

After entering, Sun Yuan went to apologize to several senior enshrined masters.

"Previously, I was wrong. I misunderstood you seniors, and I have come today specifically to apologize."

The few of them were puzzled.

Had this fellow taken the wrong medicine? Why had he suddenly come to apologize? When had he offended them? "Misunderstood what?"

"Before, I did not understand the situation. Today, I finally learned that true geniuses really do exist in this world."

Sun Yuan said, "When I previously heard you seniors speak of disciples being too talented, it truly made people uncomfortable. This junior did not understand, so I held quite a few grievances in my heart. But recently, this junior accepted a disciple myself, and only then did I understand that what you seniors said back then came from the depths of your hearts."

"???"

"Ah, it truly is difficult. This junior's lifetime of learning was emptied out in three days. He entered the cultivation method and formed an energy vortex in one day. As for martial techniques, he can perform them more flawlessly than I can after only an hour."

Sun Yuan sighed mournfully. "As his master, I feel no sense of accomplishment whatsoever. Sometimes, I even feel I ought to learn from my disciple... Only then did I understand how deeply heartfelt the melancholy of you seniors had been..."

As he spoke, he repeatedly shook his head, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, his face full of melancholy, speechlessness, and desolation.

The three first-rank enshrined masters looked at one another. "..."

They only felt a surge of fire abruptly rise within them.

So this brat had come to show off!

Their genius disciples required five or six days just to master a move set, and even then they could not achieve perfect form. When someone entered a cultivation method in half a month, they had thought it unprecedented in all ages.

And now, someone had appeared who could enter one in a single hour.

The three old fellows immediately gave fake smiles. "Is that so? Since you have so little sense of accomplishment and are so troubled by it, why not let him become my disciple instead?"

Sun Yuan froze, then gave an awkward laugh. "Then I won't trouble you seniors—"

"No trouble at all! We would be delighted to suffer in your place."

"No, no..."

"...Beat him!"

Sun Yuan escaped.

He fled in utter disarray.

Those old fellows had no sense of restraint whatsoever. Sun Yuan was somewhat weaker than them, and both his eye sockets were beaten black, while several great lumps swelled on his head.

Of course, his mouth was injured the worst.

It had completely turned into a pig's snout.

They were teaching him: remember, this is a mouth. Don't show off.

Showing off gets you beaten.

As a result, when he went to the Mission Hall to apply for a mission, everyone gathered around to stare at him.

"Tsk, did the enemies who wiped out his family come looking for him?"

"Probably stole someone's wife and got caught red-handed."

"..."

With a face full of black lines, Sun Yuan entered the inner hall to find the Sect Master.

"Sect Master, about that mission..."

"The mission is fine." The Sect Master's expression was somewhat strange. "The contribution points are fine too. But... isn't this showing off of yours a bit much?"

Sun Yuan said, "I..."

The Sect Master was speechless. "Sun Enshrinement, completing missions and bringing in fresh blood is a good thing. But... according to sect rules, elite disciples who pass the Five Elements Spirit Gu test must first be brought back to the sect for unified training before another master is chosen for them. You accepted a disciple without a word, and now you want to take advantage of the sect, fabricate reward points out of nothing for your disciple, and use public resources for private gain. This... seems rather against the rules, doesn't it?"

"Besides, has your disciple undergone our sect's doctrinal baptism?"

Sun Yuan blushed. "Times are different now... Besides, this really is a mission, isn't it?"

"Who said I wouldn't give you the mission? But several enshrined masters have very strong objections!"

The Sect Master narrowed his eyes and suddenly asked, "A sword technique, truly comprehended in one hour?"

Sun Yuan could not help feeling smug again. "Reporting to the Sect Master, to be honest, it was half an hour."

The Sect Master pondered, his gaze flickering. "Then that is rather unfortunate..."

Sun Yuan said, "???"

Then he suddenly understood and began wailing. "Sect Master, you can't steal the one I love!"

After a round of tugging and pulling.

The mission was successfully approved.

One hundred contribution points.

But it came with conditions.

"First place must be obtained."

"The reward points will be issued after the baptism."

"The three enshrined masters happen to have important matters to attend to around Southeast Path, and our sect also has some unfinished business there. This Sect Master must go take a look as well..."

Your important matters and unfinished business are my disciple, aren't they? Sun Yuan repeatedly agreed aloud while repeatedly cursing in his belly.

But there was nothing he could do.

At least he had secured the mission, so he hurried back in a miserable state.

He arrived just in time to hear his disciple loudly declaring that he wanted to sever all ties with him...

That feeling was truly complicated beyond words.

That night.

Fang Qianyi personally cooked and made a table full of delicious dishes. Mother and son enjoyed a fine meal together, celebrating her son's breakthrough into martial cultivation and his good fortune in meeting a famous master.

Although Fang Qianyi felt that her son seemed to have changed somewhat, she had always been carefree and did not sense anything unusual.

"My son has grown up. It's normal for him to have some thoughts and changes."

So that was how Fang Qianyi understood it.

Fang Che had been an orphan in his previous life, and in this life, he had lost his former self's memories. He was deeply content with the warmth of his current family and found an indescribable enjoyment in Fang Qianyi's motherly love and care.

Coupled with the lingering subtle influence of the previous owner of this body, Fang Che had thoroughly accepted the identity of "Fang Qianyi's son."

The meal was filled with joy and harmony.

Toward the end of the meal, when dessert was served, Fang Che simply mashed the three Heavenly Vein Vermillion Fruits into pulp and had Fang Qianyi drink it.

"These are fruits my master gave me. He said they're beneficial to cultivation."

Fang Che explained lightly, then brushed the matter aside.

Fang Che already understood this fruit very well. It truly had miraculous effects on improving one's aptitude. But only when paired with his Limitless True Scripture could that effect reach a peak beyond anyone's wildest dreams.

But his Limitless True Scripture was still far from the stage where he could help others circulate their cultivation.

Not to mention that Fang Qianyi was already a Martial Ancestor. For Fang Che's tiny amount of True Essence to influence Fang Qianyi's cultivation was simply a fantasy.

He could only let her absorb it herself.

Fang Qianyi had an open and forthright nature. Hearing that it was a gift from her son's master, she did not think twice before consuming it.

And along with it, she drank a cup of wine.

"Son, now that you've broken through and will soon be preparing for the martial academy examination, what do you think of that Master Liu at our door?"

Fang Qianyi asked casually.

Master Liu was the man who had always served as Su Yue's informant.

He could be called the Fang Family's mole.

Naturally, Fang Qianyi and the others in the Fang Family knew about Su Family's Su Yue approaching and influencing Fang Che. But more deeply, Fang Che and Su Yue had met while attending school, and the Fang Family could not extend their influence into the school.

After all, parents were truly beyond reach when it came to what friends their children made among classmates. They had absolutely no way to interfere.

Keeping Master Liu around was also a way to know what was going on in the heart.

Now that Fang Che seemed to understand something, Fang Qianyi naturally wanted to test him.

"Master Liu is quite a good person, but it's a pity."

Fang Che sighed and said, "I don't know how he offended my master that day, but my master actually broke his spine. He can only lie paralyzed for the rest of his life. What a misfortune."

As he spoke, he shook his head regretfully.

Fang Qianyi's eyes widened. "????"

What... what did that mean? Naturally, Fang Che had instigated this matter, but even Sun Yuan remained muddleheaded about it to this day. Much less Fang Qianyi, who had only just heard of it.

"Th-this..."

"Mom, don't worry. Uncle knows about this. I wanted to give Master Liu some silver, but he refused. Master Liu is a strong person. He will live on. And he will live very well."

Fang Che slightly raised his head, looking somewhat surprised. "Eat, Mom. Why are you frozen there?"

Fang Qianyi coughed, only feeling that her throat was a little dry. "How much did you give him?"

"One tael."

"Cough..."

Fang Qianyi nodded. "That really is quite a lot."

"It is quite a lot. It's a pity he refused it."

"He has backbone!"

"He truly does!"