A Promising Young Man

As the swordsmanship instructor at Heavenly Vast Martial Arts Hall, Zuo Yi held a Level Three professional swordsmanship certificate.

This was the minimum requirement for becoming a swordsmanship instructor. According to the Daxia Martial Arts Alliance's regulations, fighters and swordsmen below Professional Level Three could not serve as instructors at martial arts halls.

So, after learning that Zuo Yi only held a Professional Level Three certificate, all the students who had enrolled alongside Sun Qiang were unwilling to study under him. They had even threatened to withdraw and demand refunds.

If Zuo Yi had held a Professional Level Nine certificate, things would have been entirely different.

Sun Qiang alone had stayed.

His reason for wanting to learn swordsmanship from Zuo Yi was actually rather amusing. He did not want to hang around Zhao Shaohui, who reminded him of the delinquents who used to bully him.

Moreover, Sun Qiang was not learning swordsmanship because he wanted to become a professional swordsman. He merely wanted to learn some self-defense skills and lose some weight while he was at it.

Yet after studying with Zuo Yi for a week, Little Qiang realized that he had struck it rich!

Although Zuo Yi had taught him very little—just a single movement over the past few days, followed by one sword technique today—and all of it was quite simple, he could genuinely feel the changes in himself.

Zuo Yi's true strength was definitely not limited to Professional Level Three!

That was why Sun Qiang envied Bao'er so much.

But envy was envy. Little Qiang remained as enthusiastic as ever about practicing swordsmanship. He swung his sword and performed Slash after Slash, quickly entering a state of complete absorption.

In truth, the little fatty had no need to envy Bao'er at all. He would never receive the treatment reserved for a biological daughter.

In fact, he was already incredibly lucky.

Even in the higher-dimensional Sadea World, only direct members of the royal families of the strongest empires were qualified to receive the instruction of a Saint-tier Knight.

In other words, Sun Qiang was now enjoying treatment fit for an imperial prince.

That level of luck was practically like spending two yuan and winning ten million—something that could only be encountered by chance!

Yet Zuo Yi did not spare even a fraction of his attention for the lucky little fatty. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to teaching Bao'er Faston Court Cross-Swordsmanship.

Faston Court Cross-Swordsmanship was a secret art passed down by the Faston Royal Family, and its highest level reached the Legendary Tier.

In other words, the pinnacle of this swordsmanship was enough to match a Legendary Knight. Its legacy stretched back a thousand years, having been tempered and refined by countless high-ranking experts of the royal family until it had reached a state of near perfection.

Zuo Yi had not mastered the supreme secret techniques of the Faston Cross Sword, but teaching Bao'er was more than within his abilities.

Though he had not spent much time studying this swordsmanship himself, his unmatched strength and extraordinary talent with the sword allowed him to tailor the foundational moves of the Faston Cross Sword for Bao'er with every gesture.

Zuo Yi silently activated his battle aura, gently enveloping Bao'er within it and helping her practice each move with flawless precision, without the slightest mistake.

Furthermore, this form of guided practice, from her movements and posture to the way she exerted force, perfectly suited the condition of her bones and muscles. It strengthened her body without causing the slightest adverse effect on her growth and development.

It sounded simple, but unless Zuo Yi's control over his own power had reached the pinnacle of perfection, it would have been impossible to achieve.

It was like dancing on a blade's edge, carving flowers into tofu, or engraving words on grains of rice—skill approaching the Dao, art touching the divine!

But to Bao'er, being held by Daddy as he guided her through sword practice was simply fun.

She waved the Dragonblood Cross Sword in her hand, chopping downward, slashing diagonally, sweeping sideways, thrusting straight ahead, cutting upward...

Without realizing it, she deeply imprinted the most basic moves of Faston Court Cross-Swordsmanship into her memory.

"Sweetheart, tired?"

After practicing for nearly half an hour, Zuo Yi stopped.

He released Bao'er, wiped the glistening beads of sweat from her forehead, and said tenderly, "We'll stop here for today. Drink some water and rest a little."

Bao'er was only four years old. Practicing for this long was already her limit; any more would be harmful to her body.

"Mm."

Bao'er nodded, her rosy little face brimming with excitement. "Daddy, practicing swordsmanship is so much fun!"

The little fatty, who was still toiling away in front of the sword dummy, felt like crying when he heard that.

Woof!

Taike appeared from somewhere with a towel in its mouth, delivering it to Bao'er while wagging its tail ingratiatingly.

The towel even looked quite clean.

"A-Tai, you're such a good boy!"

Bao'er patted its head, rewarding it with a head pat.

Zuo Yi brought Bao'er a cup of warm water and had her drink it to replenish her fluids.

Only then did Zuo Yi notice that Little Qiang was still sweating profusely. He told him, "You should take a break too."

The little fatty's dedication to learning was commendable, but swordsmanship could not be mastered overnight. Hard work and persistence were necessary, yet one could not exceed reasonable limits, or it would only damage the body.

Sun Qiang stopped, panting heavily. He wiped away his sweat, picked up his lunchbox, and tried to ingratiate himself with Bao'er. "Junior Sister, would you like some snacks? My mom made them, and they're really delicious!"

The little fatty might look slow-witted, but he was clever inside. He knew that currying favor with Bao'er was far more useful than currying favor with Zuo Yi.

"Thank you, Brother."

Bao'er politely declined. "I'm not hungry."

Sun Qiang scratched his head.

Then he saw Taike staring fixedly at the lunchbox in his hands, practically drooling.

An idea immediately occurred to the little fatty. He opened the lunchbox at once, displaying the delicious pastries inside, and asked Taike, "Do you want some?"

This fierce little white dog was not to be underestimated. He did not dare try to curry favor with Zuo Yi, and he had failed to win over Bao'er, so he could only settle for the next best thing and take the pet route.

Taike tilted its head and glanced at the little fatty, giving him a look that said, At least you know what's good for you.

Rather than pouncing straight in to snatch the food, it turned and returned to Bao'er's side, rubbing against her and wagging its tail coquettishly.

I want to eat it. I want it!

Bao'er put her hands on her hips and sternly said, "No being greedy!"

A-Tai was good in every way except that it was far too greedy!

Taike drooped its head in grievance and lay down on the floor dejectedly.

Its pitiful appearance made even Bao'er unable to bear it.

"It's fine, it's fine..."

Sun Qiang was quick-witted enough to immediately offer up the lunchbox with both hands. "The weather's so hot. If these snacks aren't eaten, they'll go bad. What a waste that would be!"

Bao'er hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Why aren't you eating them?"

Sun Qiang pulled a miserable face. "I need to lose weight."

Mama Qiang's snacks tasted wonderful and came in all kinds of varieties: crab roe buns, custard buns, red bean buns, crystal shrimp dumplings...

Little Qiang had been fed into becoming fat by these very snacks.

Now that he had resolved to lose weight, he naturally could not eat such high-calorie snacks anymore.

Yet Mama Qiang had still forcefully stuffed so many into his hands today.

Bao'er turned to look at Zuo Yi.

Zuo Yi nodded.

Only after getting Daddy's permission did Bao'er accept the lunchbox Sun Qiang offered her. "Thank you, Brother."

"You're welcome, you're welcome! Don't mention it!"

Sun Qiang grinned from ear to ear. He had finally managed to suck up successfully—what an ordeal!

The lunchbox Sun Qiang had brought was three tiers high and heavy enough that Bao'er could barely hold it.

She placed it on a stool beside her, then took out a crab roe bun and handed it to Taike. "A-Tai, go ahead and eat."

Taike immediately sprang back to life, jumping up with gleaming eyes and snatching the crab roe bun from Bao'er's hand in a single bite.

Chomp!

The crab roe bun disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The bun was too small. Taike swallowed it whole before it could even taste anything, then looked at Bao'er eagerly.

Bao'er had no way to deal with it and could only take out another piece.

The snacks in the lunchbox rapidly vanished like that, quickly devoured in their entirety by Taike.

Then came the second box, then the third.

All three boxes of snacks were gone.

Only at the end did Bao'er realize what had happened, and she felt terribly embarrassed. "Brother Sun Qiang, I'm sorry."

She had no choice but to criticize Taike again. "Just look at you!"

Taike turned to glare at Sun Qiang, its eyes flashing with threatening ferocity. So what if I ate it all? Got a problem with that?

It would not give the little fatty a friendly look just because it had eaten a few boxes of his snacks!

"It's fine, it's fine!"

Sun Qiang shook his head like a rattle drum. "It's best that they're all gone—really, the best!"

Zuo Yi could not help laughing. He patted the little fatty on the shoulder and said, "You're a promising young man."

Sun Qiang chuckled foolishly, feeling so light that he was practically floating.

First update delivered. As usual, please vote.