Do You Want to Learn Martial Arts Too?

Wind God Falcon Aunt had just opened her beak to say something when she suddenly turned her head and looked toward the mountaintop.

"Caw~ (Strange. Why are those guys suddenly looking for me?)"

She looked at Ji Ruo and said, "Caw~ (Stay here and watch the children for me. I'm going up to the mountaintop.)"

"Sure, sure. Go ahead, and be careful," Ji Ruo said with a beaming smile.

There was food and drink here, and he had just made a breakthrough. He was in a great mood, so watching a couple of kids was no problem~

Wind God Falcon Aunt beat her wings and shot into the sky. Her body swelled with the wind, and in the blink of an eye, she was blotting out the sun.

Ji Ruo smacked his lips. "So Auntie likes them big too."

The corner of Liang Shixian's mouth twitched. "...Ji Ruo, you're always so childish. When you suddenly make a dirty joke, it catches me off guard."

Ji Ruo looked surprised. "What dirty joke? Class Monitor, have you been secretly watching things teachers don't let students watch behind my back?"

"I..." Liang Shixian was momentarily at a loss for words.

Ji Ruo earnestly advised him, "Class Monitor, we're students right now. We should focus on our studies. I know you're curious, but this isn't the time to think about that."

Liang Shixian: "..."

Dabao and Erbao crowded around Ji Ruo, chattering excitedly at him.

"Caw, caw~ (So amazing, so amazing!)"

"Caw~ (It's on fire! It's so hot!)"

"Caw~ (I really want to learn!)"

Ji Ruo chuckled, about to turn them down, when a sudden idea struck him. "Dabao, Erbao, do you want to learn too?"

"Caw~ (We do!)"

"Caw, caw~ (Can we? Can we? Can we?)"

The two young Wind God Falcons were very excited.

But Liang Shixian hurriedly grabbed Ji Ruo and whispered, "Ji Ruo, have you lost your mind?! How can you teach martial arts to the Demon Race? Never mind whether they can learn it—you're aiding the enemy!"

Although Liang Shixian had already been [immersed] in his role, he could still tell right from wrong.

Surviving by becoming a chef for the Demon Race and teaching them martial arts were two different things.

The former was self-preservation. The latter was treason.

"Aiding the enemy?" Ji Ruo looked at Liang Shixian in surprise. "It's not that bad, is it? I'm not an idiot."

Ji Ruo looked at Dabao and Erbao and asked, "After you learn, will you become my enemies? Will you become enemies of humanity?"

"Caw~ (Of course not!)"

"Caw, caw~ (Your food is so delicious! We'd never be your enemies!)"

Ji Ruo grinned at Liang Shixian. "See? They won't."

Liang Shixian was furious. "Ji Ruo! No matter how careless you are, there has to be a limit!"

But Ji Ruo ignored Liang Shixian's attempts to pull him away and turned to Dabao and Erbao, his expression serious. "Since you want to learn, I'll teach you. But first, I have to make one thing clear.

"We humans place great importance on the teacher-student relationship. You can learn, but you have to become my disciples and learn to respect your teacher!"

The two little ones had only just been born. How could they know anything about respecting a teacher?

All they knew was that Ji Ruo was going to teach them some really cool martial arts!

"Caw, caw~ (We'll become your disciples! We'll become your disciples!)"

"Caw, caw, caw~ (I want to be your disciple too! Teach me, teach me!)"

Ji Ruo grinned. "Then let's sign a contract!"

"Caw~ (Okay, okay!)"

"Caw, caw~ (Sign the contract! Sign the contract!)"

Ji Ruo activated the [Contract] ability attached to his [Beast Tamer] title.

System assessment complete.

Both parties consented.

Ji Ruo was stronger than the two young Wind God Falcons—after all, the little ones had been born less than a day ago, while Ji Ruo had advanced to the Qi Pulse Realm, and his was an extreme Qi Pulse Realm breakthrough boosted by his innate talent.

The contract was signed successfully!

[Contract established!]

[Congratulations, young host! You have a new pet!]

[Click to view Pet Details.]

The two young Wind God Falcons seemed to understand instinctively. They lay down and knocked their heads against the ground three times in front of Ji Ruo. "Caw, caw! (Master, your disciples bow before you!)"

Liang Shixian: "?"

He was still furious—Ji Ruo had already broken through to the Qi Pulse Realm, and his strength was astonishing. Liang Shixian couldn't stop him.

He hadn't even finished getting angry when he suddenly saw the two Wind God Falcons actually kneel and bow!

With a beaming smile, Ji Ruo helped the two young Wind God Falcons to their feet. "Good disciples! Hahahaha!"

Once the Master-Servant Contract was signed, the only thing the two little ones felt toward Ji Ruo was affection—affection that would never change.

They couldn't disobey the contract.

In the little ones' minds, the word "Master" meant the same thing as "owner" in Rosie's vocabulary. The only difference was what they called him.

That way, Ji Ruo wouldn't have to worry about Wind God Falcon Aunt coming back to settle the score with him.

Ji Ruo looked at Liang Shixian and smiled. "See, Class Monitor? The contract's signed. No problem now."

"What do you mean, 'no problem'?!" Liang Shixian almost spat blood. What good was a verbal contract?

Even a written contract wasn't reliable!

The Demon Race wouldn't keep some damn contract!

For the record, powers like contracts didn't exist in this world. And even if they did, they weren't powers humans could control—they belonged to demons.

Ji Ruo ignored Liang Shixian and immediately began teaching the two little ones martial arts.

Wind God Falcons were incredibly powerful demons. From birth, they were as strong as humans who had just broken through to the Qi Pulse Realm—though, of course, only an ordinary, initial Qi Pulse Realm.

Their feathers were supple yet rigid, and razor-sharp.

Ji Ruo thought about it and decided that the two little ones would probably be better suited to practicing saber techniques—their wings curved like blades, so they looked well suited to the style.

"How about I teach you a saber technique?"

"Caw~ (What's a saber technique?)"

"Caw, caw~ (Can it make fire? Can it make fire?)"

"It can't make fire, but..." Ji Ruo looked around, then snapped off a branch that looked just right. Wind God Falcon's Nest was huge, but it was built from branches, and deadwood of all kinds lay scattered everywhere.

He held the branch like a saber, drew it to his waist, lowered his stance, and inhaled.

"Breathe—"

The sudden sound of his breath seemed to hush even the howling gale high above.

The Baihui Acupoint atop Ji Ruo's head pulsed with his breathing, drawing in a vast amount of Spirit Qi and temporarily holding it inside him.

His lungs filled, and the Spirit Qi spread throughout his body along with the air he inhaled.

Dense arcs of electricity suddenly danced across Ji Ruo's body.

"Thunder Breathing, First Form—"

The wooden stick at his waist was enveloped in lightning, and Ji Ruo's body shot forward!

"Thunderclap and Flash!"

Whoosh—!

Liang Shixian was stunned.

For that instant, he had felt as if he'd truly seen a dazzling bolt of lightning flash past!

Before, Ji Ruo's "Thunderclap and Flash" had simply been fast. But after breaking through to the Qi Pulse Realm, Ji Ruo seemed to have become a bolt of lightning himself!

Though he held nothing but a wooden stick, the dead branches along his path were burned away by the heat!

Was this Ji Ruo's talent?!

Was this what they called Dual Mastery of Blade and Sword?!

It was terrifyingly powerful!

Dabao and Erbao were also left gaping. A moment later, they came to their senses and excitedly hopped around Ji Ruo.

"Caw, caw~ (Master, Master, teach us that!)"

"Caw, caw~ (That one, that one!)"

To them, that move was way cooler than Palm Fire Sand Palm!

"Sure." Ji Ruo smiled faintly. "We'll start with breathing."

With that, Ji Ruo began teaching the two birds his self-created "Total Concentration Breathing."

Liang Shixian opened his mouth, but said nothing. He could only sigh.

He figured that since Ji Ruo was determined to teach them, he'd help keep it secret. If the news got out, then once the Martial Exam was over and they returned to Great Xia, Ji Ruo would become a target for everyone.

After a while, Ji Ruo finished explaining the technique and demonstrated it himself.

The two young Wind God Falcons listened very attentively. Ji Ruo hadn't expected much—after all, humans had fought Demon Monsters for so many years, and he'd never heard of a single one learning human martial techniques!

But to his surprise, the little ones' talent was absurdly good. They'd barely started, and they'd already reached First Glimpse of the Path!

The two little ones excitedly cawed as they used Total Concentration Breathing. Breezes swirled around their wings as fine arcs of electricity clung to them. They careened around the Nest, sparks flying everywhere, having the time of their lives.

Ji Ruo pursed his lips, looked at Liang Shixian, and couldn't help asking, "Class Monitor, have you reached First Glimpse of the Path?"

Liang Shixian said gloomily, "...No."

Ji Ruo clicked his tongue and sighed. "Then you're really not much good, Class Monitor. You're not even as good as a bird."

Liang Shixian: "..."

I swear, you're insulting me on purpose!