Isn't This Cloud Smoke Step?

Chen Lie found a private training room and walked straight in, showing no intention of acknowledging Lu Qingchan.

"Hey, Qingchan, why didn't that son of your father's comrade pay any attention to you this time? Was he putting on airs in front of you, playing hard to get, acting all cold and aloof?"

The pretty girl beside Lu Qingchan asked.

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

"Don't talk nonsense. How could he not have seen you? He clearly glanced over here!"

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

"Don't leave, don't leave. I'll stop, okay? I'm still counting on you to teach my little sister the Cloud Smoke Step. I contacted her just now, and she's on her way."

"Don't say things that are so easy to misunderstand in the future.

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

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

"Then... what do you think?"

"What can I think? I spend all day either training or practicing martial arts. Where would I find the time to think about that?

"Besides..."

Lu Qingchan thought for a moment but did not continue.

What she had wanted to say was that Chen Lie was so far from her ideal partner. How could she possibly be interested in him?

"Besides what? Oh, I get it. Looks like he just didn't appeal to you.

"Sigh... Well, that makes sense. 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 in our school."

"Enough. Change the subject."

Lu Qingchan stressed it again. In truth, she thought things were quite good this way. It made things easier for both of them.

Unlike before, when he would always come over to her as soon as they met, yet barely manage to say a few words. He would end up nervous, and she would feel uncomfortable too.

Before long, a girl around fourteen or fifteen arrived beside the training ground. She looked around, spotted Lu Qingchan and the other girl nearby, and immediately headed over.

"Sis? You told me to come over so urgently. Did you need something?"

"Xianyu, you're finally here. Your sister has brought you a surprise today, so you can't stay mad at me anymore, understand?"

"Me? Staying mad?"

Li Xianyu was instantly full of question marks.

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, but the moment she arrived, her sister Li Muge said something she could not understand.

Had she been sulking? When had that happened? Why did she not know about it herself?

"You still won't admit it? Wasn't it because I didn't agree when you asked me to teach you combat techniques that day?

"Your sister really couldn't make time that day. I know you've been learning the Cloud Smoke Step recently, so look—I specifically invited the person in the elite class who practices the Cloud Smoke Step best to teach you today.

"Don't underestimate her. She's already mastered the Cloud Smoke Step to the point where she can use it freely. Even the elite class instructor praises her endlessly. Teaching you will be more than easy for her."

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

"Xianyu, this is my classmate from the elite class, Lu Qingchan."

"Hello, Xianyu."

Lu Qingchan greeted Li Xianyu first.

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

Lu Qingchan nodded slightly. "Then let's begin. I only have this afternoon. First, show me your Cloud Smoke Step so I can see how far you've progressed. If I find any shortcomings, I'll point them out as you practice."

"Okay!"

Li Xianyu nodded heavily.

Li Muge had spoken too quickly just now. Li Xianyu had wanted to tell her sister that she did not actually need guidance, and that ordinary people could not guide her anyway.

But after thinking about it, Lu Qingchan had also cultivated the Cloud Smoke Step to the point of using it freely. It seemed nice to correct each other and exchange their experiences.

Once inside the training ground, Li Xianyu began to perform the Cloud Smoke Step.

Her footsteps were light and nimble, each step as agile and natural as drifting smoke and floating clouds.

Compared to a few days ago, her understanding of the footwork had deepened, and she had become even more proficient.

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

Li Xianyu's footwork flowed so smoothly and naturally. She had clearly cultivated the Cloud Smoke Step to an extremely high level. Even if she had not yet reached the level of using it freely, she was only a few days away from it. She was probably about evenly matched with Lu Qingchan.

Could she really teach her?

Before Lu Qingchan could finish being surprised, Li Xianyu's footwork suddenly changed.

Her body swayed, and several afterimages actually appeared behind her.

Li Xianyu spun around and, with light, swift steps, instantly arrived before Lu Qingchan and Li Muge.

She stopped, and the several afterimages behind her merged with her body one by one.

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

Yet at that moment, both Lu Qingchan and Li Muge were already dumbfounded.

"Y-You... this is the Cloud Smoke Step?"

Only after a long while did Lu Qingchan suppress the shock in her heart and ask.

"If this isn't the Cloud Smoke Step, then what is it?" Li Xianyu asked in return.

Li Muge came to her senses as well. "Xianyu, the first half of this footwork is exactly the same as the Cloud Smoke Step, but how could it possibly create afterimages?

"A C-rank martial art could never produce afterimages, no matter how far it was cultivated!"

Lu Qingchan nodded in agreement. "A martial art that can create afterimages is at least B-rank, and even then, it would have to be among the very best B-rank martial arts."

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

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

"Instructor Qu from our Elite Class 1 has cultivated the Cloud Smoke Step to perfection, yet he still cannot create afterimages. This feels like an advanced version of the Cloud Smoke Step."

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

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

"A senior? Someone from our school?"

Li Xianyu hummed in confirmation. "He's my classmate's older brother."

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

Lu Qingchan searched her memories desperately, but even after going through the top hundred elite student rankings, she could not find anyone who fit.

Anyone who could teach someone a B-rank martial art to the level of using it freely must have cultivated that martial art to perfection themselves.

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

"To teach you a B-rank martial art to the point where you could use it freely, even with hands-on instruction, would take at least two months, wouldn't it?"

Li Muge estimated inwardly that even two months might not be enough with hands-on instruction. It mainly depended on the student's talent.

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

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

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

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

"You?"

Li Muge could not help feeling indignant. As her older sister, did her words carry less weight in her little sister's heart than those of a stranger?

"Sorry, Sis. It's because Senior has done me such a huge favor. And he's so strong, yet he has no reputation at all in our school. He definitely doesn't want people to know about him.

"So I definitely can't reveal any information about him."

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

Li Muge shook her head.

Lu Qingchan said to Li Xianyu, "Although the footwork you practice resembles the Cloud Smoke Step, it isn't the same. And even if you were practicing the Cloud Smoke Step, your level is already no worse than mine. I can't teach you."

"Okay."

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

Li Muge felt extremely embarrassed by this misunderstanding and merely responded as she watched her sister leave.

"Qingchan, my sister said the person who taught her the footwork is from our school. Could he be from our Elite Class 1? Do you have anyone in mind?"

After her sister left, Li Muge asked Lu Qingchan.

"I don't know."

Lu Qingchan shook her head.

That was a B-rank martial art. Anyone who could cultivate a B-rank martial art to perfection would surely have an incredibly high blood energy value. Could their school really have someone like that?

Meanwhile, Chen Lie entered the private training room and immediately opened the packaging for the Blood Linglong.

A Blood Linglong slightly larger than his thumb appeared in Chen Lie's hand.

"The medicinal potency of a spiritual herb is considerable. Even if it's eaten raw, it needs to be divided into several doses."

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

Taking out one small piece, Chen Lie directly put it into his mouth.

The instant the Blood Linglong dissolved in his stomach, Chen Lie felt a tearing sensation in his abdomen.

He immediately began the third form of the Basic Body Tempering Art and started cultivating.

Faced with the tyrannical medicinal potency that boosted blood energy, the third form of the Basic Body Tempering Art was clearly too slow at refining it. Chen Lie then began practicing the fourth form of the Basic Body Tempering Art.

The fourth form of the Basic Body Tempering Art consisted of fifty-eight movements. Chen Lie performed them one after another, rapidly activating the circulation route of the blood energy within his body. His cells crazily devoured the medicinal power of the Blood Linglong.

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

Before long, the Blood Linglong's medicinal power was completely refined. Chen Lie stopped moving and swallowed another small piece of Blood Linglong. Before its medicinal power could even dissolve, Chen Lie began cultivating the fourth form of the Basic Body Tempering Art again.