Rapid Progress

"..."

Jiang Qingzhu's palms, gripping the spear, trembled slightly as she suppressed the shock in her heart and instinctively activated her protective True Qi.

In an instant, surging True Qi erupted like a tide!

Immediately after, Jiang Qingzhu exhaled a breath of extreme cold. This True Qi rapidly condensed into layers of incredibly hard ice crystal barriers, forming a wall in front of her!

However, despite this layered, thick, and solid ice defense that appeared impenetrable.

Facing the fierce and peerlessly mighty dragon phantom, it seemed so fragile, as if it were made of paper, utterly incapable of resistance!

Crack! --

The harsh sounds of cracking ice exploded one after another!

In a flash, the spear shattered Jiang Qingzhu's True Qi defense. The black spear casually swept across her body.

Bang!

Ye Li slightly reined in his strength at the last moment, forcefully pulling back the black spear. Only a sharp gust of wind struck Jiang Qingzhu.

Her neat clothes were instantly torn apart for the most part, revealing large swathes of snow-white skin beneath.

Jiang Qingzhu was sent flying over ten zhang before she managed to stabilize herself, her breathing ragged.

Even though she looked somewhat disheveled, her eyes, as clear as a winter spring, shone even brighter!

From the Riding the Wind Dragon Classic that the other party had deliberately displayed, Jiang Qingzhu had successfully identified what she was lacking!

"..."

Jiang Qingzhu stood with her spear, silent, as if contemplating something.

The air fell into silence.

Ye Li propped his spear on the ground, tilting his head to look at her, not interrupting.

He had already demonstrated as much as possible regarding the nuances of this martial skill.

Whether she could gain insight depended on her talent.

"So that's how it is."

After a dozen seconds of silence, Jiang Qingzhu raised her spear again, assuming a stance.

Buzz! --

This time, a phantom dragon scale appeared on her silver spear!

"I succeeded!"

Jiang Qingzhu looked up at Ye Li in surprise, "I've finally reached the mastery level described in the book. You're truly amazing."

She felt like she had stumbled upon an incredible bargain. Breaking through a bottleneck that had troubled her for months in such a short time was something her elders could never achieve!

"..."

Ye Li smiled without speaking, his heart shattering into pieces.

Damn it, it took me twenty years to reach the Great Accomplishment level in this martial skill.

And you're telling me you broke through after just two exchanges?

"How long have you been practicing this martial skill?"

Ye Li suppressed the urge to cough up blood and asked casually.

If it wasn't too short, he might have been able to accept it.

"I started practicing as soon as I entered Second-Tier..."

"It's been almost half a year now," Jiang Qingzhu replied, lowering her head slightly in shame.

After speaking, she raised her head, a forced smile appearing on her cool, clear face:

"Before I met you, I always thought I was a genius."

Bloody hell, you say that as if you aren't a genius now.

If I had your talent, I would have already used Attribute Points to reach Third-Tier...

Ye Li adjusted his breathing and said calmly, "You are a genius, don't doubt that."

"How could that be? Compared to you, I..."

Jiang Qingzhu's voice faltered, and then an unprecedented look of dejection appeared on her face: "I'm just a mediocre person who was propped up by resources."

"...Then you should practice well," Ye Li sighed, giving up on explaining.

He then chuckled lightly:

"There's a saying in my hometown: a good teacher produces a brilliant student.

"Since you say I'm a genius, and now I'm teaching you, if you don't show some results, don't blame me for scolding you, okay?"

If he could break Jiang Qingzhu's composure by scolding her, he would get five hundred Malice Points. Ye Li remembered this clearly.

"...Okay."

Jiang Qingzhu's eyes gradually lit up at his words, a look of unprecedented admiration appearing on her face.

She had initially thought Ye Li was just a hot-headed brawler.

After getting to know him a little, she thought he was a genius with a sharp tongue.

But now, Jiang Qingzhu suddenly felt like she was seeing a legendary figure—someone with peerless talent who was also willing to help others—right before her eyes.

So amazing, he's truly amazing.

"Classmate Ye Li."

Jiang Qingzhu's delicate face was full of seriousness as she smiled and said, "Please, continue to whip me into shape from now on."

"...I can't believe you'd say something so embarrassing."

"E-embarrassing?"

Jiang Qingzhu looked at the large expanse of snow-white revealed on her body and asked with a slight blush.

This is my genuine feeling...

"Very embarrassing. Please stop saying it."

Ye Li let out a silent sigh, put his spear back, and turned to face the bright-eyed Jiang Qingzhu, chuckling lightly.

"Alright, that's enough for today."

Over the next two days, Jiang Qingzhu began to frequently visit the training rooms of Ye Li and herself.

And Ye Li kept his word. Whenever Jiang Qingzhu was slow to grasp something or her movements were sluggish, he immediately unleashed a torrent of abuse.

"Trash, you can't even understand this demonstration that a grade-schooler could grasp?"

"Jiang Qingzhu! My late grandmother could wield a spear better than you. What are you hesitating for?"

"Damn it, with your low talent, you're just a weakling who'll drive up the price of spirit rice in the High Martial World!"

"..."

Under this "meticulous guidance," Jiang Qingzhu shed quite a few tears, and Ye Li successfully harvested a large amount of Malice Points.

Even after maxing out the [Riding the Wind Dragon Classic], there were still points left over on his status panel.

[Current Malice Points: 7200]

He just needed Jiang Qingzhu to provide the Breathing Technique, and his combat capabilities would reach another level.

And under Ye Li's tutelage, Jiang Qingzhu's Riding the Wind Dragon Classic also progressed by leaps and bounds.

From just entering the 'Proficient' stage at the beginning to reaching the mid-stage of 'Proficient'.

According to Jiang Qingzhu's estimation, touching the 'Great Accomplishment' realm would take at most a month.

This was a level of progress she had never imagined before.

With the help of Ye Li, a genius with monstrous attainments in martial arts, it was like finding a compass that could pinpoint north and south in a vast desert.

She no longer had to worry about direction; she just needed to stride forward in the path he indicated.

It was worth mentioning that Jiang Qingzhu always entered the training room neatly dressed and left with her clothes in disarray.

This led to widespread rumors on campus, with many classmates secretly speculating about the reason.

There were even many unsavory rumors among them.

Jiang Qingzhu, however, paid them no mind.

In her eyes, besides Ye Li, the opinions of everyone else in Linhai First High School were irrelevant.

Ye Li's scolding was far more pleasant to her ears than the flattery and slander from others.