Combat Martial Arts, Ban Shu's Technical Flaws

"Xiao Ban! Are you alright?"

Just as Ban Shu was sent flying by Li Ling yet again, Bibi Dong's figure suddenly appeared, intercepting the space between the two.

Bibi Dong spread her arms, glaring at Li Ling with an unfriendly look: "Who are you? What are you trying to do to Xiao Ban?"

"I..."

Startled by Bibi Dong's sudden intervention, the fighting spirit Li Ling had ignited under Ban Shu's influence vanished instantly, reverting him to his usual timid and submissive self.

"I, I'm really not a bad person..."

Fearing the two might actually come to blows, Ban Shu hurriedly stood up, brushed off the dust, and signaled that he was unharmed: "Sister Dong'er, I'm fine."

He then pulled Li Ling in front of Bibi Dong: "Let me introduce you. This is Li Ling, Uncle Li's son. He's here to train with me."

"This is Bibi Dong, my older sister and also my junior fellow apprentice."

Hearing Ban Shu's explanation, Bibi Dong rolled her eyes at him, gave him a sharp flick to the forehead, and then offered an apologetic smile to Li Ling.

"Hello. I'm truly sorry about just now. Because of Xiao Ban, I spoke to you quite harshly. Please forgive me."

"It's alright."

Li Ling quickly waved his hands: "You only acted that way because you were worried about Xiao Ban's safety. I don't blame you; if it were me, I would have been worried too."

"Then that's settled."

Hearing this, Bibi Dong breathed a sigh of relief. She would have felt terrible if she had caused the other party any embarrassment.

Seeing the misunderstanding resolved, Ban Shu stepped forward and took each of them by the hand: "Alright, since the misunderstanding is cleared up, that makes us friends."

"It's getting late, and it's already time for a meal. Come on, let's go out to eat. My treat."

"How could I let you do that? I'll pay this time as an apology."

Bibi Dong waved her hands excitedly: "I know of a great restaurant in Spirit City. The food there is delicious—I'll take you both!"

"Sister Dong'er, you're sneaking out to play again, aren't you? Have you finished the practical training Teacher assigned?"

"Oh, don't worry about such trivial details. It's all the same whenever I get around to doing it."

"How could it be the same..."

"Oh, come on, let's go!"

Time flew by, and before they knew it, over a month had passed. On the training grounds, Ban Shu and Li Ling had begun a new round of combat.

On the field, Li Ling transformed into countless afterimages, flickering around Ban Shu in an attempt to confuse his senses and secure a victory in one strike.

Facing such a predicament, Ban Shu remained calm and composed. He slowly closed his eyes, focused his mind, and pushed his hearing to its limit, carefully listening for the vibrations of footsteps against the earth.

Relying on the all-attribute enhancement of his God-Demon Body, Ban Shu's five senses had been greatly improved. By temporarily abandoning his sight to focus solely on sound, his hearing became even sharper.

Thus, Ban Shu waited quietly for Li Ling to strike. Although Li Ling's speed seemed elusive, every attack had to come from a single direction; as long as he could track the approaching footsteps, he could counterattack.

Sure enough, seeing Ban Shu close his eyes, Li Ling decided the moment had arrived. He grabbed his long spear and lunged toward Ban Shu.

"Now!"

Ban Shu snapped his eyes open, stepped back sharply, and dodged the spear with a side-step. While Li Ling's momentum was spent, Ban Shu swung his painted halberd in a wide arc, delivering a fierce horizontal sweep.

Li Ling was no pushover. He forced his spear to change trajectory, blocking the crescent blade of the halberd and halting Ban Shu's attack.

The two locked in a test of strength for a moment, but Ban Shu, hindered by his stamina, was the first to falter. He exerted force to push Li Ling back and followed up with another sweep to block his advance.

Seeing this, Li Ling retreated a few steps, evaded the attack, and lowered his stance.

"Xiao Ban, your progress is truly fast."

Li Ling sheathed his spear and gave Ban Shu a thumbs-up: "In just one month, you've already managed to fight me to a draw."

"Not at all, it's because you're a good teacher, Brother Ling."

Ban Shu waved his hand with a smile: "Besides, you haven't even used your full strength."

"Hahaha, being too humble isn't always a good thing."

Li Ling stepped forward and handed a water bottle to Ban Shu: "To have such strength at only six years old—your future is limitless."

"Then I'll take your word for it."

Ban Shu unscrewed the cap, clinked his bottle against Li Ling's, and tilted his head back to drink.

Over the past month, Ban Shu and Li Ling had engaged in grueling training, never stopping until their soul power was completely exhausted.

Though it was exhausting, Ban Shu felt fulfilled; the feeling of growing stronger step by step was truly wonderful.

Although Bibi Dong often complained that Ban Shu was pushing himself too hard, she would always tenderly massage his muscles afterward to relieve his fatigue.

As for Li Ling, who possessed immense soul power but a timid personality, he had gradually become more outgoing under the guidance of the two "social butterflies," Bibi Dong and Ban Shu.

This brought great relief to Li Yan. His son was perfect in every way, but his personality desperately needed a change. Thanks to Ban Shu's timely help, he could finally rest easy and go on a honeymoon with his wife.

"By the way, Xiao Ban, is there something on your mind?"

As the two sat in their chairs to rest, Li Ling suddenly blurted out this sentence.

"Hm? Why would you say that?"

Ban Shu looked puzzled; had his usual behavior revealed something about his inner state? Besides, he didn't have anything weighing on his mind right now.

"Ah, no, it's just that I feel like whenever you use spear techniques, there's always a strange sensation."

Li Ling shook his head, frowning as he thought: "It's as if a child were wielding a giant hammer—it looks very difficult."

"Oh, you mean that."

Ban Shu reached out and summoned his Painted Halberd: "Actually, it's not just you; even I have felt this somewhat obscure state."

"After all, my weapon is quite different from a spear. Using spear techniques, I feel I cannot unleash the true power of my martial soul."

Ban Shu was also troubled by this. On this Douluo Continent, he couldn't find a single person to teach him how to wield a Painted Halberd. How exactly was he supposed to solve this problem?

"I see."

Li Ling nodded, then offered a suggestion: "Since that's the case, why don't you try using your own experience to develop a set of halberd techniques that suit you?"

"Develop them myself?"

Ban Shu looked at the Painted Halberd and nodded: "It seems that is the only way."

Some time passed, and Ban Shu began researching how to make his halberd techniques as fluid as an extension of his own arm, but he still lacked any real direction.

My research into technique is still insufficient. I should go and seek out more combat styles.

Ban Shu thought to himself.

At this moment, Bibi Dong found him: "Xiao Ban, Teacher is looking for us. Let's go quickly."

"Oh, I'm coming."

Ban Shu put aside his thoughts, stood up, and followed Bibi Dong toward the Pope Palace.

"Sister, did Teacher say what this is about?"

"Well..."

Bibi Dong thought for a moment: "I heard the knights nearby talking about a Wolf Bandit Hunt. It seems that's what it is."

"A Wolf Bandit Hunt? What on earth is that?"