"Is something wrong?" Lin Guanhuo set down the saber in his hand and asked, somewhat puzzled.
Shen Yifan was the first to come over. He was dressed in fine clothes.
He was clearly the son of a wealthy family.
Now that he had joined the Demon Suppressing Division, he was also the best among this year's apprentices. Wherever he went, a crowd of people followed him.
Shen Yifan came to stand in front of Lin Guanhuo.
His face still wore that same warm, humble expression. "I remember your name is Lin Guanhuo, right? Brother Lin, I saw you practicing Draw Sword all by yourself. Have you run into trouble cultivating the breathing technique?"
"We all joined as apprentices at the same time. In the future, we'll be comrades in arms at the Demon Suppressing Division. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask. Don't struggle with it all by yourself."
Though he said this, as Shen Yifan spoke,
he pretended to glance casually at Li Miaomiao beside him.
Seeing her look at him with admiration and adoration, Shen Yifan's smile grew even more pronounced.
Li Miaomiao was wearing a little qipao, and both her figure and her looks were top-notch. Just looking at her made Shen Yifan's heart itch.
Lin Guanhuo's brows furrowed slightly. He could naturally see that Shen Yifan was trying to step on him, a "weakling," to elevate his own status, while also building himself a fine reputation as someone who "helped the weak."
Well, well. He wanted to step on him to pick up girls.
In his previous life, Lin Guanhuo had seen plenty of people like this. They loved rubbing salt into other people's wounds, all while claiming it was "for your own good," before helping you from a lofty, superior position.
Too bad I'm a genius, and you're not. Lin Guanhuo sneered inwardly.
Still, he didn't call Shen Yifan out.
Instead, he put on a simple, sheepish expression and scratched his head. "Brother Shen is right. I'm too dull to grasp the mysteries of this breathing technique, so I can only practice Draw Sword to pass the time."
"Ah, I'm ashamed!" Lin Guanhuo sighed helplessly.
Hearing this, the smugness in Shen Yifan's eyes deepened.
Wasn't this the perfect chance for him to show off?
"Hey, you shouldn't put it that way."
"Talent may be inborn, but hard work matters too."
Putting on an "I'm only looking out for you" expression, Shen Yifan patted Lin Guanhuo on the shoulder.
Then he said, "Since you've joined the Demon Suppressing Division, you can't give up on yourself. If you lack talent, make up for it with hard work!"
"Come on, I'll teach you."
As he spoke, Shen Yifan began explaining loudly in front of the onlookers around them.
"Sink your qi to the dantian and focus your mind on the spiritual platform... The most important thing here is rhythm! Watch closely!"
"Actually, it's not hard to get started. The main thing is the rhythm of your breathing and mental method..."
As he spoke, Shen Yifan took a deep breath.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Three white vortices of qi suddenly formed in front of him.
They weren't large, but they were clearly visible, spinning without pause.
"See that?"
Shen Yifan pointed at the three vortices. "Only a genius can condense three. You don't need to compare yourself to me. If you can just barely condense one, that'll count as passing. Understand?"
Though he seemed to be helping Lin Guanhuo, the odd one out, Shen Yifan was really showing everyone his three vortices.
"I see! I understand now. Thank you, Brother Shen, for clearing things up for me." Lin Guanhuo nodded repeatedly, looking as though he'd been enlightened.
He even earnestly discussed the "flow of qi" with Shen Yifan for a few moments.
But Shen Yifan didn't believe Lin Guanhuo had actually understood. He thought Lin Guanhuo was just bragging; otherwise, he wouldn't have spent all these days in a corner practicing Draw Sword.
Still, Shen Yifan didn't care. He hadn't genuinely intended to help Lin Guanhuo in the first place.
After all that, the apprentices present couldn't stop praising Shen Yifan, and quite a few began coming over to ask him for guidance.
"Brother Shen is so kind. Even though someone's talent is poor, he's still willing to lower himself to help!"
"It's our good fortune to have joined the Demon Suppressing Division in the same cohort as Brother Shen!"
"Brother Shen, teach me too!"
"Young Master Shen really is a gentleman..." Some female apprentices looked at him with admiration.
Shen Yifan appeared calm on the surface.
In truth, he was quite pleased with himself.
Night fell, and the Martial Arts Arena blazed with light.
"Fall in!"
At Instructor Zhou Cang's command, dozens of apprentices quickly formed ranks.
"A day has passed. Let me see your results."
Zhou Cang's gaze swept over the crowd. "Those who still haven't grasped the basics, step forward."
A wave of people stepped out.
More than twenty stood there, fully half the group.
Zhou Cang gave them a final warning. "I'll give you three days."
"If you still can't master the Demon Suppressing Breathing Technique within three days, then you simply aren't meant for the Demon Suppressing Division."
"The rest of you, demonstrate your vortices!"
At Zhou Cang's order, the remaining twenty or so began circulating the breathing technique.
Breathing rose and fell across the arena.
Most of them managed to condense only one vortex, which meant they'd grasped the basics.
Only a handful, including Zhao Ming, had condensed two, which was a decent result.
Unless something unexpected happened, they would also be the first batch of Division Servants.
"Not bad." Zhou Cang nodded, his gaze finally settling on Shen Yifan.
Shen Yifan had condensed three vortices, making him the only one among the apprentices present to do so.
A hint of approval flashed through Zhou Cang's eyes. "To condense three vortices in one day... At this rate, you may be able to push for four, or even five, within half a month!"
"Thank you for the praise, Instructor." Shen Yifan cupped his fists.
"Hm?"
Just then,
Zhou Cang noticed Lin Guanhuo standing with the others.
"Lin Guanhuo, have you mastered the breathing technique too?" Instructor Zhou Cang asked, frowning as he looked across at him.
Lin Guanhuo nodded.
At this, Shen Yifan, Li Miaomiao, and the others, who had been chatting and laughing, fell silent. Then, one by one, they turned to look at Lin Guanhuo.
Their gazes were full of doubt.
Clearly, they didn't believe Lin Guanhuo had really mastered it.
After all, Lin Guanhuo had practiced for less than a quarter of an hour before heading off to the corner to practice Draw Sword.
"Go ahead and demonstrate," Instructor Zhou Cang said without further ado.
The arena fell silent.
Lin Guanhuo took a step forward and closed his eyes.
His body even trembled slightly.
He looked as if he were struggling badly.
"Can he even do it?" One of the apprentices watching looked exasperated. Lin Guanhuo didn't look like someone who'd successfully mastered the technique at all.
Shen Yifan, Li Miaomiao, and the others frowned too, unsure what Lin Guanhuo was up to.
In their eyes, Lin Guanhuo looked utterly awkward and strained.
But...
Actually...
Lin Guanhuo was doing his best to hold back.
He didn't want to reveal all his vortices at once. After all, he'd only just joined the Demon Suppressing Division; it was better to keep a low profile.
At last!
Under everyone's gaze, a vortex suddenly appeared in front of Lin Guanhuo!
"This..."
Shen Yifan and the others were completely dumbfounded.
What was going on?
The apprentices looked from Lin Guanhuo to Shen Yifan and back again.
Could Shen Yifan's guidance really have worked that well?
Had Lin Guanhuo mastered the technique in such a short time?
Feeling everyone's eyes on him, even Shen Yifan himself was a little baffled.
When he'd given Lin Guanhuo pointers earlier, he hadn't put any effort into it at all. He'd only briefly explained the steps.
"Good. Since that's the case..." Instructor Zhou Cang had just begun to speak when—
An even more astonishing sight appeared!
Just as Lin Guanhuo condensed one vortex,
Whoosh!
With a faint rush of air, a second vortex formed!
And that wasn't all!
Then came the third!
The fourth!
The fifth!
Finally... even as everyone stared in complete bewilderment,
Lin Guanhuo condensed a sixth vortex in front of him, then stopped.
"Six..."
Lin Guanhuo felt a little helpless.
He'd originally planned to show only four or five.
He hadn't meant to let it slip...
Before you continue