I Will Never Let You Down!

She recalled the swordplay Ji Ruo had used to fend off the final stone, the one that had changed direction and shattered, and suddenly felt something strange.

It was almost as if the fragments had deliberately rushed into Ji Ruo's blade.

Ji Ruo's swordplay was light and graceful, striking first and arriving first!

Precise, yet elegant!

The words suddenly sprang to Li Nannan's mind.

She found it absurd.

She was a dignified Qi Pulse Realm martial artist, yet a high school student had left her so stunned she couldn't speak!

What was more, not a trace of Sword Qi had leaked from Ji Ruo's swordplay. He had relied entirely on exquisite technique—in other words, his swordplay had only reached the First Glimpse of the Path!

The same went for Zhang Quan and Liu Neng behind her.

They wanted to learn it too, but were too embarrassed to ask.

Li Nannan pursed her lips and suddenly asked, "Ji Ruo, where did you learn this swordplay?"

"Learn it?" Ji Ruo chuckled. "Teacher, I came up with this swordplay myself~"

"Y-you came up with it yourself?!" Li Nannan was stunned all over again.

Liang Shixian hurriedly said, "Teacher, Ji Ruo really did create this swordplay himself. He's especially talented!"

The class monitor was looking out for Ji Ruo.

Ji Ruo was an orphan, and in every way, he was sure to have fewer resources than an ordinary student. But if he could win the Patrol Examiner's favor, or even be taught some Martial Techniques, that would be a good thing for him!

If that really happened, Liang Shixian wouldn't be jealous at all. He'd be sincerely happy for Ji Ruo!

If Ji Ruo knew what Liang Shixian was thinking, he would surely have marveled that Liang Shixian was the most responsible class monitor he had ever met.

Li Nannan murmured, "That's not just talent. You're a complete monster."

Ji Ruo grinned. "It's really nothing."

Li Nannan couldn't help asking, "Ji Ruo, could you tell your teacher how you came up with this swordplay? I'm not exaggerating when I say this is the most exquisite Martial Apprentice-level swordplay I've ever seen. It's hard to imagine a high school student creating it."

The process of creating a Martial Technique was a secret. As soon as Li Nannan had asked, she regretted it and hurriedly added, "Of course, if you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I won't pressure you."

Ji Ruo pretended to scratch his head sheepishly—he had long anticipated that someone might ask him something like this, and he had already prepared his explanation.

"It's not really a secret," Ji Ruo said. "When I was little, there was a jujube tree in front of my house. Every autumn, when the fruit ripened, my dad would take me climbing the tree to pick jujubes.

"Sometimes, my dad would kick the tree a few times, then use his footwork to gather all the jujubes that fell. Every now and then, he'd tease me by letting the falling jujubes hit me while he stood to the side and laughed."

Ji Ruo wasn't lying. The original owner's memories really did include something like that.

There really had been a jujube tree in front of the home he'd lived in before. Later, Ji Ruo's parents had died in battle, and young Ji Ruo hadn't been able to live on his own. The Department of Education had sent him to an orphanage to be raised, and when he started high school, they had given him a new house.

Liang Shixian knew the truth and was a little worried. "Ji Ruo..."

Ji Ruo gave a slight shake of his head. "Don't worry, class monitor. I'm fine.

"Anyway, that was when I created my swordplay. Back then, to dodge the falling jujubes, I observed them again and again and noticed certain patterns. Later, even after I went to the orphanage, I was still small and weak, and some naughty kids picked on me. Sometimes they'd throw stones at me to help me 'deepen my memory.'

"So I kept sorting through what I'd learned and refining it bit by bit, until I finally formed this swordplay.

"I named it the Nine Swords of Dugu: Arrow-Breaking Style."

Li Nannan was taken aback. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

She understood all too well what "later, after I went to the orphanage" and "some naughty kids picked on me" meant.

Ji Ruo was an orphan.

"It's all right, teacher." Ji Ruo smiled. "It's all in the past, isn't it? People have to look ahead! You can't live in the past forever."

Having accidentally reopened her student's old wounds, Li Nannan felt awkward. The mood grew uncomfortable at once.

Seeing this, Liang Shixian thought for a moment and changed the subject. "The Nine Swords of Dugu? Does that mean there are eight more forms like it?"

"Not for now."

Li Nannan was puzzled. "Then why..."

Ji Ruo smiled. "Don't you think 'Nine Swords of Dugu' sounds cool, teacher?"

Li Nannan: "..."

She cleared her throat. She was amazed by how talented Ji Ruo was, but she also felt that his ability to hold fast to his devotion to the Martial Dao, without becoming arrogant or restless despite everything he had gone through, was even more remarkable.

She couldn't help praising him. "Ji Ruo, you're the most outstanding student I've ever met. Honestly, if I'd gone through everything you have, I probably would have crumbled long ago. You're so much stronger than I am."

Ji Ruo grinned and was just about to offer a polite reply when he suddenly froze—

[Congratulations, little host! You've unlocked a stage-based special achievement: First Sincere Praise from an Elder!]

[Reward: Upgrade*1]

[Upgrade: Select one unlocked achievement to upgrade, enhancing the special effect attached to that achievement.]

[Current Stage: 1/10]

[Note: Your affirmation and sincere praise are my honor and the motivation that drives me to grow stronger.]

[Note: I will never let you down!]

Ji Ruo's smile suddenly stiffened, leaving Li Nannan and Liang Shixian momentarily bewildered.

Li Nannan thought she might have said something wrong by accident, and asked cautiously, "J-Ji Ruo, what's the matter? Did I say something wrong?"

Ji Ruo came back to himself, his delight unmistakable.

"No, no! How could you possibly say anything wrong, teacher? You didn't say a single thing wrong!"

"Then why did you just..."

"I'm happy! Teacher, could you praise me a few more times?"

"Huh?"

Li Nannan was a little dazed. She had never heard a request like that before—who asked people to praise them?

But looking at Ji Ruo's expectant expression, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to say, "Ji Ruo, you're a good kid."

Unlike Liang Shixian, who had always felt a metaphorical ache in his teeth, Li Nannan's teeth really did hurt. The toxins in her body had now been mostly broken down by her vital energy, and her numb body was gradually recovering. Two of her teeth had fallen out, and the anesthetic effect had worn off, so of course she was in pain.

What was more, after Ji Ruo's little performance, the sympathy and admiration she had just begun to feel for him suddenly wouldn't come together anymore.

Hearing this, Ji Ruo looked a little disappointed.

His stage-based achievement progress hadn't increased.

He had no idea whether it was because her praise hadn't been sincere, or because one elder could only give him a little progress.

"Thank you, teacher."

Ji Ruo said listlessly.

Li Nannan was even more bewildered.

What was with this kid? Why had he suddenly become so dispirited?

She couldn't figure it out.