It's Both an Opportunity and a Test / The Reward for Hard Work

"Of course I understand."

Motoko understood what he meant.

Seya learned the Shinmeiryu from Tsuruko, but she is not Suyama Family and will not receive the core inheritance. The same goes for Kirino; even if she went to learn from Tsuruko during the summer vacation, she would not receive the true teachings.

Even if they received a few days of guidance from Li Shuhong, what they learned still couldn't compare to Motoko had inherited.

Unless... they can learn some amazing tricks from Li Shuhong.

But none of this is Shuya can interfere with; he can only give them a chance.

Section 613, page 571: Both an opportunity and a test

This practice continued until sunrise.

After letting them absorb the Purple Qi and cultivate on their own, Li Shuhong slipped away, saying he was going to party until nightfall and then come back.

After a night of training, Ayase and Kirino completely convinced.

As expected, comparisons are odious Shuya Ayase, Tsuruko, and Motoko, Ayase fully understood that people cannot be judged by the same standards.

Li Shuhong's age is no accident. He has a wealth of experience and has instructed countless martial artists in the past. He can see at a glance what's wrong with the two young girls Ayase and Kirino, and can accurately point out the solutions.

Even a genius like Shuya couldn't catch up with this level of experience.

Many times, when faced with Ayase's questions Shuya would think to himself, "Hey, how come you don't understand something so simple?" or "You're so stupid!" and then try his best to explain.

Li Shuhong, on the other hand, has an exceptional eye for detail and extensive experience in practical teaching, enabling him to pinpoint the truth in a single sentence.

Ayase's progress is visible to the naked eye, but what's even more impressive is that Kirino can now control about 60-70% of her ki.

When Motoko saw the results, she could only say that she was shocked for a whole year.

Shuya wasn't surprised; he had been taught by Li Shuhong before and knew how formidable he was.

Even with his current strength, Li Shuhong could still offer some pointers.

However, he wouldn't teach him. He made it clear that Shuya his apprentice, and he also found it troublesome.

Shuya saw Ayase, Kirino and Motoko absorbing Purple Qi with their eyes closed on the roof of the Unfinished Building, and joined them in their morning exercise after a long time.

After a while, he slowly opened his eyes.

As expected, his cultivation level didn't improve at all; it was purely a waste of time.

But I did feel a bit more refreshed.

"Ugh---"

"Comfortable!"

Ayase and Kirino stretched, Motoko exhaled softly; she hadn't made any progress either.

Okay, let's go eat.

I want to take a shower!

Ayase and Kirino were chatting as they headed downstairs.

Shuya asked in surprise, "Who said you could rest?"

Motoko looked puzzled and asked, "What kind of food?"

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

The two girls were stunned.

Motoko tilted her head and said, "You guys need to keep training."

"No, no, no, didn't we practice all night?"

Kirino asked incredulously.

Shuya shook his finger. "It's not that I've practiced all night, it's that I've only practiced all night. You guys don't think that's enough, do you?"

Ayase asked curiously, "Isn't that enough?"

"... How can you guys be so relaxed? I'm about to cry from how stupid you are."

Shuya sighed heavily, "If you can rest so soon, why would I ask you for leave? During the time my teacher is willing to teach you, you must work your butts off, understand? My teacher can see how hard you're trying!"

"What you need to do is try so hard that he is moved, only then will you have any hope of receiving his genuine guidance. Otherwise, my request will be in vain!"

Motoko, arms crossed, said, "Ayase, Kirino, since you can't figure it out, I'll speak for Inoue- kun. Why do you think the Spear God agreed to teach you so easily?"

Kirino scratched her head. "Wasn't it because senpai asked me to?"

Motoko shook her head. "This isn't something Inoue- kun can just ask for help on his own. Didn't you see he refused at first?"

"That's right... I remember you said something about being injured?"

Ayase recalled.

Motoko replied, "Well, I'm not too sure about the wound on your arm, but I did see Inoue- kun clutching his chest. That's a gunshot wound Inoue Takamagahara."

"Do you understand? Inoue -kun's teacher will come to teach you, not because Inoue- kun is his student, but because he owes Inoue -kun a favor."

"Back then Inoue helped him fulfill his wish to kill Amaterasu, which was a huge favor... Although teaching you won't offset such a huge favor, this kind of relationship shouldn't be used lightly."

Motoko is foolish, but not stupid; she can still see things clearly.

Ayase and Kirino were both stunned.

Shuya shrugged. "It's no big deal. I didn't need his help anyway, and I don't have anywhere else to use this favor, so I might as well use it this time. You guys don't need to worry about it... Hey, why do you guys look like you're about to cry?"

They were moved to tears.

"Whoa!"

"Senior!"

Two headbutts landed squarely on Shuya, and they rushed over and hugged him.

We will try our best!

"I will definitely not let my seniors down!"

With tears welling up in her eyes, Ayase said, "I will always love Shuya- senpai!"

With tears in her eyes Kirino cried out, "Senpai, I love you!"

"Get away! Don't come at me, you sweaty thing!"

Shuya pushed them away with disdain.

... Oh no, his clothes are all wet, making him feel very uncomfortable.

This reminded him of a certain five-headed Siberian Husky.

"Anyway, you guys practice hard. Motoko should probably be getting ready for school soon. I'll go back and play some games before I come back to see you."

After watching them cultivate all night, he was too lazy to go to school and decided to just go play instead.

Seeing this, Motoko nodded and said, "Then I'll go back and take a shower first, and I'll come see you after school."

Shuya said, "Go ahead."

After he finished speaking, he said to Ayase and the other two, "After you finish practicing, go to my hometown to rest. Someone will take care of your meals and cleaning. That's all."

After giving his instructions, he and Motoko went home separately, leaving them to practice on their own.

In fact, Shuya deliberately didn't stay behind to supervise them.

Ultimately, cultivation depends on self-discipline. He has given them such a great opportunity; if they cannot even practice diligently on their own, then there is no need for him to continue focusing on them.

If they manage to get away with it, his attitude towards them won't change, but he also won't want to seriously train them.

This is both an opportunity and a test.

He is not their parent, he won't always be there for them, pushing them along and making them practice hard.

It all depends on their own choices...

Shuya returned home quickly.

He glanced at the living room; the damage Kirino had caused yesterday had been repaired.

He then took a slow bath and went back to his room to sleep.

I didn't get up until several hours later, around 11 a. m.

Shuya plan to go watch them practice so soon; he just picked up his phone to see if anything had happened.

He found himself receiving a lot of messages.

For example, Yuigahama's concern Shizuka Hiratsuka's inquiries led to the Gorilla sending a bunch of messages asking why he wasn't in school.

He replied casually for a few minutes, then turned off his phone and leisurely played games at home, occasionally glancing at his subordinates' reports on Ayase and the others' training progress.

So far, they haven't been slacking off and are diligently practicing.

According to Shuya's estimation, if Kirino wants to satisfy Li Shuhong, she at least needs to control her temper before he teaches her again.

Shuya was also very curious whether she could pass this first hurdle.

Section 614, page 572: The fruits of hard work

Shuya didn't go to the Unfinished Building until he heard that Motoko had finished school.

"Hey, any progress?"

He leisurely ate his ice cream as he walked to a nearby open space.

Motoko was reading a novel nearby. Not far in front of her were Ayase practicing her swordsmanship and Kirino exercising.

"They've worked very hard. Well, it's about time for a break."

"Is everything ready?"

"Mmm, look over there."

Motoko pointed to an Unfinished Building where a hole on one floor had been patched up, and inside were two large barrels containing a large amount of medicinal herbs and wood.

This combination is not unfamiliar; it is the traditional art of taking a medicinal bath.

Shuya and Motoko also went through the medicinal bath stage back then, which is very beneficial for beginners like Kirino, but Ayase doesn't really need it.

But Kirino was a good match for him, there was no reason to ignore her, Shuya simply had his subordinates prepare an extra portion.

Anyway, he's not short of money, and he has plenty of medicinal herbs.

"Then I'll leave the rest to you. I'll be back in a bit."

Shuya greeted him.

They also need massages after the herbal baths, otherwise they can't withstand the high-intensity training.

Motoko is very familiar with these things; it's no problem to leave them to her.

Leave it to me.

"Great, you'll be busy these next few days. I'll show you my precious baby later."

"I... I... I don't want to watch!"

Motoko retorted excitedly, but Shuya had already slipped away without even speaking to Ayase and the others.

He walked so fast because he had a reservation later.

He just looked at his schedule again and felt that Saturday was a bit too rushed.

That day, I had to do voice-over work in the morning, film at noon, and broadcast IS live in the evening. I was busy all day long.

So he contacted Inoue Hikoo and asked if he could record the conversation beforehand. After giving Shuya a sarcastic scolding, Inoue Hikoo finally agreed.