Practical Combat Training, Preparing for Graduation

After a two-hour Geography and Culture Class, Lin Lin had listened with great interest and still felt somewhat unsatisfied when it ended.

"All right, that concludes today's class. For the next twenty days, remember to come here on time every day for class."

"There will be a graduation exam then. If you fail to pass, you can sign up to retake the course and join this old man's next round of teaching. But when we cover repeated material, it will not be as interesting as hearing it for the first time. I still recommend that you listen carefully and review seriously so that you can pass in one go."

Before class ended, Cui Yuan reminded the dozen or so students below the platform.

Because Geography and Culture Class covered such extensive material, it actually required five more class sessions than Martial Arts Class.

Thinking about it, though, that was only normal. Martial Arts Class taught relatively basic, entry-level martial arts.

Once one learned how to practice them, the rest was merely a matter of proficiency and could be practiced independently.

Geography and Culture Class, however, not only had to be studied, but also required students to pass an assessment upon completing it. The difficulty rose sharply as a result.

Lin Lin left the classroom and went home for dinner.

At the dinner table, he brought up sparring practice with his mother, Zhang Fei. "Mother, I want to work on my practical combat ability lately. Do you have time to practice with me?"

Normally, disciples of Hundred Flowers Valley improved their practical combat abilities by sparring with Fellow disciples of similar skill. Not only was it easy to get injured this way, but progress was relatively slow.

However, if they sparred with a highly skilled elder, the elder's superior martial arts allowed them to hold back or attack as they pleased. They could also spot the junior's flaws in their techniques and provide targeted guidance, naturally allowing them to improve much faster.

Lin Lin had such resources at home, so of course he could use them directly.

Ordinary disciples who wanted such treatment had to pay a considerable price and owe favors before they could ask close fellow disciples, senior brothers, senior sisters, or elders to help feed them moves.

Zhang Fei did not give her son's request much thought and agreed immediately.

After dinner and a brief rest, mother and son took their swords and left the house, arriving at the small Martial Arts Arena outside their door.

"Little Lin, attack me however you like. Mother will only defend for now. Let me see your current level of swordsmanship."

Zhang Fei spoke.

Though her martial arts could not be considered peerless throughout the martial world, she was still an expert. Handling a beginner like Lin Lin's swordsmanship was no problem at all.

Lin Lin did as instructed and thrust his sword toward Zhang Fei.

Although his mother seemed brimming with confidence, Lin Lin began by probing cautiously.

He stabbed at Zhang Fei's arm, holding back thirty percent of both his strength and speed so that he could withdraw his move at any moment.

Once he realized that no matter how tricky his swordsmanship was, or how great his speed and power, she could easily handle it all, Lin Lin gradually let loose and combined his entire grasp of swordsmanship with his movement techniques.

Unfortunately, none of it had any effect. Zhang Fei easily blocked every attack.

This made Lin Lin consider changing his moves, searching for openings in Zhang Fei's defenses, and thinking of ways to increase his own offensive power.

Sword Intent surged, and the moves of the longsword in his hand became ever more unpredictable.

Unfortunately, Zhang Fei remained standing in the same spot from beginning to end, blocking his attacks. Lin Lin could not even force her to move half a step.

Lin Lin was not discouraged. He continued thinking and improving.

"Little Lin, Mother already has a general understanding of your swordsmanship. Next, I'll spar with you at a level just slightly above yours."

"From now on, you must treat killing me as your goal and use everything you have learned."

The moment she finished speaking, Zhang Fei's expression completely changed.

Her gentle, peaceful look disappeared, replaced by icy coldness as overwhelming killing intent spread outward.

The longsword in her hand moved. She no longer merely defended, but began to counterattack.

Enveloped by that intense killing intent, Lin Lin immediately felt his body stiffen, as though he had fallen into an ice pit. The sword thrusting toward him seemed to carry despair itself, making it impossible to resist.

However, the feeling lasted only a brief moment before Lin Lin reacted and activated his own Sword Intent to contend against it.

But by then, Zhang Fei's sword was already pointed at his brow.

"Rest for three minutes, then continue."

Zhang Fei spoke again in an icy voice, her killing intent following Lin Lin like a shadow and placing pressure upon him.

Lin Lin said nothing. Closing his eyes, he fully circulated his Inner Power Cultivation Method and Sword Intent, striving to resist the killing intent permeating the air around him and adapt to the sensation.

Three minutes later, the second battle began.

This time, Lin Lin lasted two moves before losing.

Then came the third battle.

Through each successive clash, Lin Lin gradually adapted to the killing intent emanating from his mother, Zhang Fei.

Gradually, he became able to fully display his strength during battle.

From losing in one move, to two moves, then three moves.

After every defeat, Lin Lin would review and reflect upon his own openings. Zhang Fei would also guide him, allowing him to improve continuously.

Later on, Lin Lin was able to remain on the defensive and hold out against Zhang Fei until his stamina and Inner Force were exhausted.

Under the pressure of this powerful external opponent, both Lin Lin's swordsmanship and movement techniques improved rapidly. Though he had not deliberately spent more time practicing, the trials and clashes of real combat caused his swordsmanship and movement techniques to advance even faster than before.

Later still, Lin Lin was even able to attempt counterattacks, to engage in head-on clashes, and even to try defeating his opponent.

By then, three months had passed.

"Mother, you lost."

Lin Lin pointed his sword at Zhang Fei's throat and spoke with confidence.

Repeated battles cultivated not only combat awareness, but also confidence in battle.

At that moment, Lin Lin had gained a complete grasp of his own level of martial arts.

"Yes, Mother lost."

Zhang Fei spoke with some satisfaction.

Over the past three months, she had gained an even deeper understanding of her child's talent for martial arts.

Almost every day, Lin Lin's Inner Power and swordsmanship improved by another step. This forced Zhang Fei to increase the strength she used in order to remain just slightly stronger than him.

Yet even so, Zhang Fei's ability to suppress Lin Lin weakened day by day. This was proof that, under the same level of Inner Power and swordsmanship, Lin Lin's combat strength was increasing with each passing day.

And not long ago, Zhang Fei had actually lost to Lin Lin.

For the final sword thrust, even from Zhang Fei's perspective, vastly superior to Lin Lin's in realm, she could no longer think of any way to evade it. Unless she used a much higher level of Inner Power to overwhelm him, there was no way to turn the tables.

So she calmly conceded defeat and acknowledged her son's growth.

"Then next, I can take the Elite Disciple assessment."

Lin Lin sheathed his longsword, let out a long breath, and smiled.

Over the past three months, Lin Lin had completed Geography and Culture Class, as well as the subsequent Herb and Poison Identification Class, along with their graduation exams.

About half a month earlier, he had also opened his thirty-sixth acupoint.

He had merely been so immersed in sparring with his mother, Zhang Fei, and improving his practical combat ability that he had not taken the promotion assessment for Elite Disciple.

Now that he had defeated his mother, Zhang Fei, whose martial arts had been restricted to a level slightly above his own, it meant that Lin Lin's practical combat ability was qualified at his current stage.