Not Cloud Smoke Steps?

Chen Lie found a private training room and walked straight in, completely ignoring Lu Qingchan.

"Sigh, Qingchan, why didn't your father's comrade's son ignore you this time? Is he putting on an act in front of you, playing hard to get, acting all cool?" a beautiful girl next to Lu Qingchan asked.

"I don't know, he probably didn't see me."

"Nonsense, how could he not see you? He clearly glanced this way!"

Lu Qingchan sighed, feeling weary. "If you say anything more, I'm leaving."

"Don't go, don't go, I won't say anything more. I'm still counting on you to guide my sister in Cloud Smoke Steps. I've already contacted her, and she's on her way."

"Don't say things like that again, it's easy to make people misunderstand. To tell you the truth, before, my dad took me to visit their home and actually told me to spend more time with him. I didn't quite understand at the time, so I just nodded. It was only later that I realized my dad was trying to set us up."

"So... what are your thoughts on that?"

"What can I think? I'm either exercising or practicing martial arts all day, when would I have time to think about that? Besides..." Lu Qingchan paused, not finishing her sentence. Actually, she wanted to say that Chen Lie was so different from the kind of person she envisioned as her ideal partner, how could she possibly develop feelings for him?

"Besides what? Oh, I get it. It seems he couldn't attract you. Sigh... that's understandable. You're so strong, and so beautiful, you definitely can't settle for someone worse than yourself. In that case, you probably don't need to consider anyone from our school."

"Alright, let's drop this topic." Lu Qingchan emphasized again. Actually, she thought, Chen Lie being like this was quite good; it kept things relaxed for both of them. It wasn't like before, when he'd always come up to her whenever they met, yet couldn't say much, making him nervous and her uncomfortable.

A moment later, a girl around fourteen or fifteen years old arrived near the training grounds. She looked around and, upon spotting Lu Qingchan and the other girl not far away, immediately walked over.

"Sister? You were in such a hurry to have me come over, is something up?"

"Yuyu, you're finally here! Today, your sister has a surprise for you. You can't be mad at me anymore, okay?"

"Me? Mad?" Li Xianyu's face was full of question marks. She was in class at school when she suddenly received a message from her sister, telling her to come to the martial arts hall immediately. She thought something had happened, but when she arrived, her sister Li Mugo said something she couldn't understand. Was she mad? When did she get mad? Why didn't she know?

"Still don't want to admit it? It's just because I didn't agree to teach you combat techniques that day, right? I really didn't have time that day. I know you've been learning Cloud Smoke Steps recently. Look, today I specifically invited the person who practices Cloud Smoke Steps best in the Elite Class to guide you. Don't underestimate her; her Cloud Smoke Steps have reached a level of mastery, even the Elite Class instructors praise her. She'll definitely be more than enough to guide you." As she spoke, Li Mugo introduced them. "Qingchan, this is my sister, Li Xianyu."

"Yuyu, this is my classmate from the Elite Class, Lu Qingchan."

"Hello, classmate Yuyu," Lu Qingchan greeted Li Xianyu first.

Li Xianyu quickly responded, "Hello, senior Lu."

Lu Qingchan nodded slightly and said, "Then let's begin. I only have this afternoon. First, show me your Cloud Smoke Steps so I can see your current level. If I find any shortcomings, I'll point them out."

"Okay!" Li Xianyu nodded heavily. Li Mugo had spoken too quickly earlier; she had wanted to tell her sister that she didn't actually need guidance and that most people couldn't guide her. But then she thought, Lu Qingchan had also cultivated Cloud Smoke Steps to a level of mastery, just like herself. Mutual correction and sharing experiences might be good.

Entering the training grounds, Li Xianyu began to perform Cloud Smoke Steps. Her steps were light and agile, as natural and graceful as drifting smoke and clouds. Compared to a few days ago, her understanding of the footwork had deepened, and she was more proficient.

Lu Qingchan, watching Li Xianyu's footwork from the perimeter of the training grounds, was astonished. Li Xianyu's footwork was so smooth and natural; it was clear she had cultivated Cloud Smoke Steps to a very high level. Even if she hadn't reached mastery, she was only a few days away, perhaps on par with herself. Could she really guide someone with such advanced footwork? Before Lu Qingchan could finish her surprise, Li Xianyu's footwork suddenly shifted. Her figure flickered, and several afterimages appeared behind her. Li Xianyu spun around and, with light and swift steps, instantly appeared before Lu Qingchan and Li Mugo.

She stopped in her tracks, and the several afterimages behind her merged back into her physical form one by one.

Having finished executing the footwork, Li Xianyu asked impatiently, "Senior Sister Lu, how was my Cloud Smoke Steps? Is there anything that needs correcting?"

However, at this moment, Lu Qingchan and Li Muge were already dumbfounded.

"You... you call this Cloud Smoke Steps?"

After a long while, Lu Qingchan suppressed the shock in her heart and asked.

"If this isn't Cloud Smoke Steps, then what is it?" Li Xianyu countered.

Li Muge also snapped back to reality and said, "Yuyu, the first half of this footwork is exactly the same as Cloud Smoke Steps, but how could it possibly manifest afterimages?

A C-rank martial art, even if pushed to its absolute limit, shouldn't be able to produce afterimages!"

Lu Qingchan nodded in agreement from the side, "Any martial art capable of manifesting afterimages is at least B-rank, and it would have to be among the very best of B-rank techniques."

Li Xianyu was also confused, "Then... does that mean the footwork I've been practicing these past few days isn't actually Cloud Smoke Steps?"

"It's not that it isn't, because the external form you displayed is almost identical to Cloud Smoke Steps, but the core is different.

Our Elite Class 1 instructor, Qu, has already mastered Cloud Smoke Steps to perfection, yet even he cannot manifest afterimages. It feels like an advanced version of the technique."

Lu Qingchan nodded at Li Muge's assessment and asked, "Where did you learn this footwork?"

"A senior taught it to me," Li Xianyu replied truthfully.

"A senior? Someone from our school?"

Li Xianyu hummed in affirmation, saying, "It's the older brother of one of my classmates."

"A classmate's brother? Does such a person exist in our school?"

Lu Qingchan searched her memory, but even after scouring the entire Elite Student Top 100 Ranking, she couldn't find anyone who fit the description.

To be able to teach someone a B-rank martial art to the point of effortless execution, the person themselves must have already mastered the technique to perfection.

"Why would your classmate's brother teach you a B-rank martial art?

To teach you a B-rank technique to the point of proficiency, even with hands-on instruction, would take at least two months, right?"

Li Muge estimated in her heart that even with hands-on guidance, two months might not be enough; it largely depended on the student's aptitude.

"What? I'm actually practicing a B-rank martial art?"

Li Xianyu was shocked; in her mind, Chen Lie became even more unfathomable.

"Yuyu, what is the name of the senior who taught you?" Li Muge asked.

Li Xianyu shook her head immediately, "I can't say. What if the senior doesn't want too many people to know?"

"You?"

Li Muge couldn't help but feel a surge of indignation. In her sister's heart, did she, as an older sister, really weigh less than a stranger?

"I'm sorry, sister, but the senior's kindness toward me is too great. Besides, his strength is so high, yet he keeps such a low profile in our school—he definitely doesn't want to be exposed.

So, I absolutely cannot leak his information."

"Sigh, forget it, I won't ask!"

Li Muge shook her head.

Lu Qingchan said to Li Xianyu, "Although the footwork you practice is very similar to Cloud Smoke Steps, it isn't it. Furthermore, even if you were practicing Cloud Smoke Steps, your level is already no lower than mine; I cannot offer you any guidance."

"Alright then."

Li Xianyu nodded, then said to Li Muge, "Thank you, sister. I wasn't actually angry. I'm going back to class now."

Li Muge felt incredibly awkward about the misunderstanding, so she just gave a nod and let her sister leave.

"Qingchan, my sister said the person who taught her the footwork is from our school. Could it be someone from our Elite Class 1? Do you have any idea?"

After her sister left, Li Muge asked Lu Qingchan the whole way.

"I don't know."

Lu Qingchan shook her head.

That was a B-rank martial art. To be able to cultivate a B-rank technique to the point of perfection, one's blood-qi value must be terrifyingly high. Could their school really harbor such an existence?

On the other side, Chen Lie entered the private training room and immediately unwrapped the Blood Linglong.

A piece of Blood Linglong, slightly larger than a thumb, was held in Chen Lie's hand.

"The medicinal potency of this spirit herb is not small. Even if it is to be consumed raw, it needs to be divided into several doses."

As he spoke, Chen Lie divided the Blood Linglong, which was a bit larger than a thumb, into ten small segments.

Taking one small segment, Chen Lie placed it directly into his mouth.

The moment the Blood Linglong dissolved in his stomach, Chen Lie felt a sensation of tearing in his gut.

He immediately initiated the third form of the Basic Body Tempering Technique and began to practice.

Facing the overbearing medicinal power of the blood-qi, the third form of the Basic Body Tempering Technique was clearly too slow to neutralize the energy, so Chen Lie began practicing the fourth form.

The fourth form of the Basic Body Tempering Technique consisted of fifty-eight movements. As Chen Lie performed them in sequence, the flow of blood-qi within his body was rapidly stimulated, and his cells began to frantically devour the medicinal power of the Blood Linglong.

The fourth form of the Basic Body Tempering Technique was even more violent than the previous three, doubling the speed at which he digested the energy.

Before long, the medicinal power of the Blood Linglong was completely digested. Chen Lie stopped his movements and swallowed another small segment of the Blood Linglong. Even before the medicinal power had fully dissolved, Chen Lie began practicing the fourth form of the Basic Body Tempering Technique once again.