A Promising Young Man

As a swordsmanship instructor at the Heavenly Vast Martial Arts Hall, Zuo Yi held a Professional Rank Three 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 Rank Three were not allowed to teach at martial arts halls.

So, after learning that Zuo Yi only had a Professional Rank Three certificate, all the students who had enrolled alongside Sun Qiang had refused to study under him, even threatening to withdraw and demand refunds.

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

Sun Qiang was the only one who stayed.

His reason for wanting to learn swordsmanship from Zuo Yi was rather ridiculous. He did not want to hang around Zhao Shaohui, who reminded him of the delinquent boys who had bullied him.

Moreover, Sun Qiang was not learning the sword 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 under Zuo Yi for a week, little Qiang realized that he had struck gold!

Although Zuo Yi had taught him very little—just a single movement over the previous few days, then another sword technique today, all of it quite simple—he could genuinely feel the changes in himself.

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

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

But envy was envy. Little Qiang was still full of enthusiasm for sword practice. He swung his sword in 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 could never receive the treatment reserved for a biological daughter.

In fact, he was already extraordinarily fortunate.

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

In other words, Sun Qiang was currently receiving the treatment of an imperial prince.

His luck was about the same as spending two yuan and winning ten million—something one could only hope to stumble upon!

But Zuo Yi paid no attention to the fortunate little fatty. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to guiding Bao'er in 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 ultimate realm of this swordsmanship was enough to match a Legendary Knight. Its inheritance stretched back a thousand years, refined and perfected by countless high-ranking royal experts until it had reached a nearly flawless state.

Zuo Yi had not mastered the greatest secret technique of the Faston Cross Sword, but he had more than enough ability to teach Bao'er.

Though he had not spent much time studying this swordsmanship himself, his unmatched strength and Exalted-Rank talent for 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 incomparable precision, without the slightest mistake.

Furthermore, this form of guided practice was perfectly suited to her bones, muscles, movements, posture, and methods of exerting force. It strengthened her body without causing even the slightest harm to 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.

It was like dancing on a blade's edge, carving flowers into tofu, engraving letters onto grains of rice—his skill had approached the Dao, and his art had become divine!

Yet to Bao'er, being held by Daddy as he guided her 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...

Before she knew it, the most basic moves of Faston Court Cross-Swordsmanship had been deeply imprinted into her memory.

"Sweetheart, are you tired?"

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

He released Bao'er and reached out to wipe away the glistening beads of sweat on her forehead. "We'll stop here for today. Have some water and rest for a while."

Bao'er was only four years old. Practicing for that 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 had been working himself to the bone in front of the sword dummy, felt like crying when he heard that.

Woof!

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

The towel even looked quite clean.

"A-Tai is such a good boy!"

Bao'er patted his head, rewarding him 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 drenched in sweat. "You should take a break too."

The little fatty's dedication to learning was admirable, but swordsmanship could not be mastered overnight. Hard work and persistence were necessary, but 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 curry favor with Bao'er. "Junior sister, would you like some snacks? My mom made them. They're really tasty!"

The little fatty might have looked simple-minded, but he was clever inside. He knew that currying favor with Bao'er was far more effective than currying favor with Zuo Yi.

"Thank you, big 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, looking as though he were drooling with hunger.

The little fatty's eyes lit up. He immediately opened the lunchbox and displayed the delicious pastries inside. Looking at Taike, he asked, "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 could not win over Bao'er, so he could only settle for the next best thing and take the pet route.

Taike tilted his 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 on the food and snatching it, he turned around and returned to Bao'er's side, rubbing against her and wagging his tail coquettishly.

I want some! I want to eat!

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

A-Tai was good at everything except that he was far too greedy!

Taike lowered his head in grievance and lay on the ground dejectedly.

Even Bao'er could not bear the pitiful sight.

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

Sun Qiang was still quick-witted. He hurriedly offered up the lunchbox with both hands and said eagerly, "The weather is so hot. If these snacks aren't eaten, they'll spoil. That would be such a waste!"

Bao'er hesitated for a moment before asking, "Then why aren't you eating them?"

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

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

That was how little Qiang had been fed into becoming fat.

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

Unfortunately, Mama Qiang had still forced so many on him today.

Bao'er turned to look at Zuo Yi.

Zuo Yi nodded.

Only after receiving Daddy's permission did Bao'er take the lunchbox from Sun Qiang. "Thank you, big brother."

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

Sun Qiang grinned from ear to ear. This time, he had finally managed to flatter the right person. It had not been easy!

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

She placed it on a nearby stool, took out a crab roe bun, and handed it to Taike. "A-Tai, you can eat it."

Taike instantly sprang back to life. His eyes gleamed as he leaped up and snatched the crab roe bun from Bao'er's hand in one bite.

Arf!

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

The bun was too small. He had swallowed it whole without tasting much of anything, so he gazed eagerly at Bao'er.

Bao'er could do nothing about him and had no choice but to take out another one.

The pastries in the lunchbox rapidly disappeared like that, all of them soon wolfed down by Taike.

Then came the second tier, then the third.

All three tiers of pastries were gone.

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

She had no choice but to scold Taike again. "Look at you!"

Taike turned to Sun Qiang, his eyes flashing with menace. So what if I ate them all? Got a problem with that?

He was not going to give the little fatty a friendly look just because he had eaten a few boxes of his pastries!

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter!"

Sun Qiang shook his head like a rattle drum. "It's best that they're all gone. 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 pleased that he practically floated.

The first update is here. As usual, please vote.