I won't play with you, give up on that idea!

Under Li Nannan's expression of utter disbelief, the blood rice was gradually stir-fried into cooked rice by Ji Ruo using the Iron Sand Palm.

"Teacher, eat it while it's hot." Ji Ruo scooped up the blood rice and handed it to Li Nannan.

Though he was a bit hungry himself, and this was all the blood rice they had left, Ji Ruo knew clearly that giving it to her maximized their benefit.

Restoring a Qi Pulse Realm martial artist's strength was more important than anything else.

"Okay, thank you, Ji Ruo." Li Nannan said softly.

Come to think of it, escaping this predicament was all thanks to Ji Ruo.

As a Patrol Examiner, she had failed in her duty—she hadn't protected the examinees in her patrol area, and she didn't even know where that area was anymore.

She felt deeply ashamed.

But she still ate heartily, swallowing every last grain of the blood rice Ji Ruo had cooked with the Iron Sand Palm.

At this moment, the residual poison in Li Nannan's body hadn't been fully purged. Though she was hungry, her appetite wasn't strong.

On top of that, the blood rice hadn't been husked and was caked with mud, making its texture truly unpleasant.

But Li Nannan knew that to protect these students, she had to eat her fill and recover as quickly as possible.

So, suppressing her nausea and revulsion, she forced down all the blood rice.

A moment later, feeling the faint warmth rising in her stomach, the familiar sense of power gradually returning, and her paralyzed body rapidly recovering, Li Nannan quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Once she regained her strength, she would go out hunting—she couldn't keep relying on the students to find food, could she?

She was the teacher, after all!

"Teacher, are you thirsty? Want me to get you some water?" Ji Ruo asked.

Li Nannan shook her head slightly. The blood rice in her stomach was being refined quickly, and her qi and blood circulation was gradually returning to normal. In a few more hours, she could barely recover her combat power. And since Ji Ruo had given her the last of their blood rice, how could she bear to let him take care of her?

"Thank you, Ji Ruo, but there's no need. Teacher just needs a little rest. The toxins in my body have mostly been diluted by now."

"Alright, then get some rest, Teacher. I'll take a look around nearby."

"Be careful. Don't go too far."

Hearing this, Ji Ruo suddenly felt like a parent telling a kid to go play nearby.

"Got it, Teacher."

Ji Ruo turned and left the gully.

He didn't plan to go far, actually. He just wanted to find a new 'weapon'—the little stick he'd picked up earlier had broken, and he needed a replacement.

Liang Shixian glanced at Liu Neng, then said to Li Nannan, "Teacher, I'll go check on Ji Ruo."

"Mm. Ten Thousand Beast Mountain isn't very safe right now. You two be careful." Li Nannan had already begun circulating her qi and blood to speed up her recovery.

"Got it."

But before Liang Shixian could catch up to Ji Ruo, a startled cry came from outside the gully.

"Whoa!"

Liang Shixian's expression shifted. "What's wrong, Ji Ruo? What happened!"

As he spoke, he prepared to rush out.

Li Nannan also tensed up, ready to act.

But before she could move, Ji Ruo's excited voice came from outside the gully: "What a straight stick! Lucky me, I found another sword!"

Li Nannan: "???"

What stick? What sword?

Liang Shixian had just charged out when he saw Ji Ruo holding a perfectly straight little stick in one hand, admiring it. The look on his face made it seem like he was holding some rare treasure!

Liang Shixian stumbled, nearly falling, and couldn't help but snap, "Ji Ruo! Can you stop being so childish!"

"How is this childish?"

Ji Ruo happily swung the two little sticks. "Look how straight these sticks are! You don't see that every day! Hehe, watch my dual-blade style!"

The boy waved the sticks, mimicking some dual-blade techniques he'd seen in his past life, and tapped them toward Liang Shixian.

Of course, he used no real force—just messing around.

Liang Shixian knocked the sticks aside and frowned. "Cut it out, Ji Ruo. I know you like to play, but can you read the room a little?"

"Oh, come on, Class Rep, you're misunderstanding me."

Ji Ruo said pitifully, "I found these sticks for you, you know?"

"For me?" Liang Shixian was stunned for a moment, then seemed to realize something. His expression changed. "Ji Ruo! I'm not going to play stick-fighting with you. Give it up!"

"Hey, that's not what I meant." Ji Ruo handed him one of the sticks. "Class Rep, didn't you want to learn the Arrow-Breaking Style? Since we're waiting for Teacher to circulate her qi and blood to heal, we've got nothing to do. Perfect time for me to teach you properly."

Liang Shixian froze. "Now? Teach me?"

Though Ji Ruo had briefly explained the basic theory of the Arrow-Breaking Style to Liang Shixian before, martial techniques were never something you could learn just by hearing the theory.

You had to practice.

"Of course." Ji Ruo smiled. "We have time now, and there's no danger—why not teach? Besides, Teacher is here too. If I teach something wrong, she can help correct it!"

Li Nannan nodded. "Classmate Ji Ruo is right. We're safe for now, and I can give you some pointers on martial techniques."

In truth, it was more than just pointers. If Ji Ruo asked, she could even directly teach him some techniques.

No matter their respective statuses, a life-saving grace was a life-saving grace.

"This..." Liang Shixian looked at the small wooden stick Ji Ruo handed him, then instinctively glanced at Zhang Quan and Liu Neng, who were sitting behind Li Nannan. He hesitated.

It wasn't that he didn't want to learn—it was that this was Ji Ruo's self-created technique. Teaching it here would likely let Zhang Quan and Liu Neng pick it up too.

Liang Shixian wasn't stingy, but Liu Neng's earlier words had left a bad taste in his mouth. The so-called 'love me, love my dog' worked in reverse—he subconsciously disliked Zhang Quan as well, just because he was from the same school as Liu Neng.

Liang Shixian wanted to learn, but he didn't want Zhang Quan and Liu Neng to learn.

It rankled.

But Ji Ruo didn't care at all. He shoved the small wooden stick into Liang Shixian's hand. "A real man shouldn't be so fussy. Stop dragging your feet."

He knew exactly what Liang Shixian was worried about.

But he didn't care.

Sure, he found Liu Neng a bit annoying too, but it wasn't that Ji Ruo looked down on those two—they hadn't even fully grasped the basics taught at school. Even if he taught right in front of them, so what?

Could they learn it?

Ridiculous.

With that thought, Ji Ruo grinned. "Class monitor, remember what I told you before? The Nine Swords of Dugu: Arrow Breaking Form is a sword technique specifically designed to counter 'flying projectiles'..."

The corner of Liang Shixian's mouth twitched. Even though he'd heard it before, hearing Ji Ruo say 'flying projectiles' again left him speechless—Couldn't you just call them hidden weapons? You make it sound like a video game.

Ji Ruo continued, "This technique actually has no fixed sword forms. The core lies in 'Listen to the Wind and Discern Position' and 'prediction.'

Hearing-wise, Class Monitor, you shouldn't have any issues. The main thing is prediction.

In battle, you need to quickly assess the situation, use 'Listen to the Wind and Discern Position' to determine the order of the 'flying projectiles,' and then decide the sequence of your strikes.

At that point, your sword forms will develop a unique rhythm—or rather, a cadence. Once that happens, the technique is considered mastered."

Li Nannan, listening from the side, couldn't help but furrow her brows.