Not Cloud Smoke Steps?

Chen Lie found a Personal Training Room and walked straight inside, showing no intention of acknowledging Lu Qingchan.

"Hey, Qingchan, why didn't your father's old comrade's son pay attention to you this time? Is he putting on an act in front of you, playing hard to get and pretending to be aloof?"

The pretty girl beside Lu Qingchan asked.

"I don't know. He probably didn't see me."

"Nonsense! How could he not have seen you? He clearly looked this way!"

Lu Qingchan let out a weary sigh. "If you keep talking about this, I'm leaving."

"Don't go, don't go! I'll stop, okay? I'm still counting on you to help my little sister with Cloud Smoke Steps. I already contacted her. She's on her way."

"Don't say things that could give people the wrong idea again.

"To tell you the truth, my dad took me along to visit their family before, and he actually told me to spend more time with him. I didn't really understand what he meant, so I nodded.

"Only later did I realize that my dad was trying to set us up."

"Then... how do you feel about it?"

"How am I supposed to feel? I spend all day either working out or practicing martial arts. Where would I find the time to think about that?

"Besides..."

Lu Qingchan thought for a moment, then left the rest unsaid.

What she really wanted to say was that Chen Lie was so far removed from her ideal partner that there was no way she could fall for him.

"Besides what? Oh, I get it. Looks like he hasn't managed to catch your eye.

"Sigh... that makes sense. You're so strong, and so pretty, too. Of course you wouldn't want someone who's inferior to you. In that case, you can probably rule out everyone at our school."

"All right, let's change the subject."

Lu Qingchan insisted again. In truth, she thought Chen Lie's current attitude was fine. It made things easier for both of them.

Unlike before, when he would come up to her every time they met, only to struggle to get a few words out. He ended up nervous, and she felt uncomfortable, too.

Before long, a girl of fourteen or fifteen arrived beside the training Drill Ground. She looked around, spotted Lu Qingchan and her companion nearby, and immediately walked over.

"Sis? Why did you ask me to come over so urgently? Did you need something?"

"Yuyu, you're finally here! I've brought you a surprise today, so you can't keep sulking at me anymore, all right?"

"Me? Sulking?"

Li Xianyu looked utterly baffled.

She had been in class at school when she suddenly received a message from her sister telling her to come to the Martial Arts Hall immediately. She had thought something had happened, only for her sister, Li Muge, to greet her with something she couldn't understand.

Had she been sulking? When? Why didn't she know about it herself?

"Still won't admit it? Isn't it because I turned you down when you asked me to help you with Combat Arts the other day?

"I really couldn't spare the time that day. I know you've been learning Cloud Smoke Steps lately, so look—I specially invited the best Cloud Smoke Steps practitioner in the Elite Class to help you today.

"Don't underestimate her. She's already reached the point where she can use Cloud Smoke Steps freely. Even the Elite Class instructor has nothing but praise for her. She'll have more than enough expertise to guide you."

As she spoke, Li Muge introduced them. "Qingchan, this is my little sister, Li Xianyu."

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

"Hello, Yuyu."

Lu Qingchan greeted Li Xianyu first.

Li Xianyu hurriedly replied, "Hello, Senior Lu."

Lu Qingchan nodded slightly and said, "Let's get started, then. I only have this afternoon. Show me your Cloud Smoke Steps first so I can see how far you've progressed. If I notice any shortcomings, I'll point them out from the sidelines."

"Okay!"

Li Xianyu nodded firmly.

Li Muge had spoken too quickly earlier. Li Xianyu had wanted to tell her sister that she didn't actually need guidance anymore, and that most people wouldn't be able to guide her anyway.

But after thinking it over, she decided that since Lu Qingchan had also reached the point of using Cloud Smoke Steps freely, exchanging pointers and sharing their experiences seemed like a good idea.

Once she entered the training Drill Ground, Li Xianyu began performing Cloud Smoke Steps.

She stepped lightly, her movements as nimble and natural as drifting smoke and floating clouds.

Compared with a few days earlier, her understanding of the footwork had deepened, and her movements had grown more practiced.

Watching Li Xianyu's footwork from the edge of the training Drill Ground, Lu Qingchan was immediately astonished.

Li Xianyu's movements were so smooth and natural that she had clearly attained an extremely high level in Cloud Smoke Steps. Even if she hadn't quite reached the point of using it freely, she was only a few days away. She was probably about on par with Lu Qingchan herself.

With footwork at such a high level, could she really offer Li Xianyu any guidance?

Before Lu Qingchan could get over her surprise, Li Xianyu's footwork suddenly changed.

Her figure swayed, and several illusory images actually appeared behind her.

Li Xianyu turned around and, with light, swift steps, arrived before Lu Qingchan and Li Muge in an instant.

She stopped, and the illusory images behind her merged back into her one by one.

Having finished the sequence, Li Xianyu eagerly asked, "Senior Lu, how is my Cloud Smoke Steps? Is there anything I need to correct?"

By then, however, Lu Qingchan and Li Muge were already dumbstruck.

"Y-you call that Cloud Smoke Steps?"

Only after a long moment did Lu Qingchan suppress her shock enough to ask.

"If it isn't Cloud Smoke Steps, what is it?" Li Xianyu asked in return.

Li Muge also recovered her senses. "Yuyu, the first half of that footwork is exactly the same as Cloud Smoke Steps, but how could it possibly create illusory images?

"No matter how far you take a C-Rank Martial Art, it can't possibly produce illusory images!"

Lu Qingchan nodded in agreement. "A martial art that can create illusory images has to be at least a B-Rank Martial Art, and one of the very best at that rank."

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

"We can't exactly say it isn't, because the outward form of your footwork is almost identical to Cloud Smoke Steps. But its core is different.

"Instructor Qu of our Elite Class 1 has already mastered Cloud Smoke Steps to perfection, and even he can't produce illusory images. This feels like an advanced version of Cloud Smoke Steps."

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

"A senior taught me," Li Xianyu answered truthfully.

"A senior? Someone from our school?"

Li Xianyu gave a quiet "Mm," then said, "He's one of my classmates' older brothers."

"A classmate's older brother? Our school has someone like that?"

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

Anyone capable of teaching someone to use a B-Rank Martial Art freely must have already mastered it to perfection himself.

"Why would your classmate's older brother teach you a B-Rank Martial Art?

"Even with hands-on instruction, wouldn't it take at least two months to teach you to use a B-Rank Martial Art freely?"

Li Muge made a quick estimate. Even with hands-on instruction, two months might not be enough. It mainly depended on the student's aptitude.

"What? I've actually been practicing a B-Rank Martial Art?"

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

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

Li Xianyu hurriedly shook her head. "I can't say. What if he doesn't want too many people to know about him?"

"You..."

Li Muge couldn't help feeling indignant. Did her words as an older sister really carry less weight with Li Xianyu than those of a stranger?

"Sorry, Sis. He's done so much for me, and despite being so strong, he isn't well known at our school. He must not want people to know about him.

"So I definitely can't reveal anything about him."

"Sigh, fine. I won't ask anymore!"

Li Muge shook her head.

Lu Qingchan said to Li Xianyu, "The footwork you practice is very similar to Cloud Smoke Steps, but it isn't the same. And even if you were practicing Cloud Smoke Steps, you're already no worse than me. I can't offer you any guidance."

"All right."

Li Xianyu nodded, then said to Li Muge, "Thanks, Sis. I really wasn't angry. I'm going back to class."

Li Muge was thoroughly embarrassed by the misunderstanding. She merely murmured a reply and let her sister leave.

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

After her sister left, Li Muge kept questioning Lu Qingchan as they walked.

"I don't know."

Lu Qingchan shook her head.

That was a B-Rank Martial Art. Anyone who could master one to perfection must have a frighteningly high blood qi value. Could someone like that really exist at their school?

Meanwhile, after entering the Personal Training Room, Chen Lie immediately opened the Blood Linglong's packaging.

He held a piece of Blood Linglong slightly larger than his thumb in his hand.

"The medicinal potency of a spiritual herb is considerable. Even if I eat it raw, I'll need to take it in several portions."

As he spoke, Chen Lie divided the Blood Linglong, which was a little bigger around than his thumb, into ten small pieces.

He picked up one small piece and put it straight into his mouth.

The moment the Blood Linglong dissolved in his stomach, Chen Lie felt a tearing pain there.

He immediately assumed the starting posture of the third form of the Basic Body Tempering Technique and began practicing.

Against the Blood Linglong's overpowering medicinal potency, the third form of the Basic Body Tempering Technique clearly processed it too slowly, so Chen Lie began practicing the fourth form instead.

The fourth form of the Basic Body Tempering Technique consisted of fifty-eight movements. Chen Lie performed them in sequence, rapidly activating the circulation of blood qi within him as his body's cells devoured the Blood Linglong's medicinal power.

The fourth form of the Basic Body Tempering Technique was more ferocious than the previous three, doubling the rate at which he absorbed energy.

Before long, the Blood Linglong's medicinal power was completely absorbed. Chen Lie stopped, swallowed another small piece, and began practicing the fourth form of the Basic Body Tempering Technique before its medicinal power could even disperse.