Rapid Progress

"..."

Jiang Qingzhu's grip on her spear trembled slightly. She fought desperately to suppress the shock in her heart as she instinctively activated her protective true qi.

In an instant, surging true qi poured forth like a raging tide!

Immediately after, Jiang Qingzhu exhaled a breath of bone-piercing cold. The true qi swiftly condensed into layer upon layer of incomparably hard ice crystal barriers, stretched out before her!

Yet, although this thick and sturdy defense of overlapping ice layers looked as impregnable as a fortress.

Before that ferocious, unstoppable dragon phantom, it appeared utterly fragile—like paper mache, with no power to resist at all!

Crack!--

The piercing sounds of ice layers shattering erupted one after another!

In the blink of an eye, the spear destroyed Jiang Qingzhu's true qi defense, its pitch-black shaft casually sweeping against her body.

Bang!

At the last moment, Ye Li slightly held back his strength and forcibly pulled the black spear away. Only a sharp gust of force struck Jiang Qingzhu.

Her neat clothes were instantly torn apart by more than half, revealing wide swathes of snow-white skin beneath.

Jiang Qingzhu was sent flying more than ten yards before finally steadying herself and calming her ragged breathing.

Though she looked somewhat disheveled, her eyes, as clear as winter springs, grew brighter than ever!

From the Riding the Wind Dragon Classic that he had deliberately displayed, Jiang Qingzhu had successfully seen what she herself lacked!

"..."

Jiang Qingzhu stood with her spear in hand, saying nothing, as though deep in thought.

The air fell silent for a moment.

Ye Li planted his spear on the ground and tilted his head as he watched her, not speaking to interrupt.

He had already demonstrated the various key points of this martial skill as thoroughly as possible.

Whether she could gain any insight now depended on her talent.

"I see."

After more than ten seconds of silence, Jiang Qingzhu raised her spear again and assumed a stance.

Buzz!--

This time, a phantom dragon scale appeared on her silver-white spear as well!

"I did it!"

Jiang Qingzhu lifted her head in delight and looked at Ye Li. "I finally reached the proficient level described in the book. You're really incredible."

She felt as though she had picked up an enormous bargain. Breaking through a bottleneck that had troubled her for months in such a short time was something the elders in her family could never have accomplished!

"..."

Ye Li smiled without speaking, while his heart silently shattered into pieces.

Damn it, this martial skill took me twenty years to reach the mastery level.

We only exchanged two moves, and you're telling me you broke through?

"How long have you practiced this martial skill?"

Suppressing the mouthful of blood rising in his chest, Ye Li asked as though casually.

If it had not been too short, then he could still accept it.

"I started practicing it right after I entered Second-Tier..."

"As of today, it's been nearly half a year." Jiang Qingzhu lowered her head somewhat shamefully as she answered.

After saying that, she raised her head again, a forced smile appearing on her cool little face.

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

Bullshit. You say that as if you aren't a genius now.

If I had your talent, I'd have dumped points into Third-Tier ages ago...

Ye Li adjusted his breathing and calmly said, "You are a genius. There's no need to doubt that."

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

Jiang Qingzhu's voice caught. Then an unprecedentedly desolate expression appeared on her face. "I'm just an ordinary person piled up by resources."

"...Then train properly." Ye Li sighed and gave up on trying to explain.

He then chuckled.

"There's a saying in my hometown: a great teacher produces outstanding students.

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

As long as he scolded Jiang Qingzhu until she broke down, he would receive five hundred Malice Points. Ye Li still remembered that very clearly.

"...All right."

At those words, Jiang Qingzhu's eyes gradually lit up, and an unprecedented look of admiration appeared on her face.

At first, she had only taken Ye Li for the sort of person who loved fighting and violence.

After getting to know him a little better, she had thought him a genius with a sharp tongue.

But now, Jiang Qingzhu suddenly felt that one of those legendary figures blessed with peerless talent and willing to help others was standing right before her.

So amazing. He really is so amazing.

"Classmate Ye Li."

Jiang Qingzhu's exquisite face was filled with seriousness as she said with a smile, "Please do your best to spur me on from now on."

"...You really managed to say something that embarrassing."

"E-embarrassing?"

Jiang Qingzhu looked at the large expanse of pale skin exposed on her body and asked, her pretty face turning slightly red.

But that was clearly what I truly felt...

"Very embarrassing. Please don't say it again."

Ye Li silently exhaled, returned his spear to its place, then turned to Jiang Qingzhu, whose eyes shone brightly, and chuckled.

"Then that's enough for today."

Over the next two days, Jiang Qingzhu began frequently going back and forth between Ye Li's training room and her own.

Ye Li also kept his word. Whenever Jiang Qingzhu understood something a little too slowly or moved a little too sluggishly, he immediately began spewing flowery abuse.

"Trash! Even elementary school students can understand a demonstration like this, yet you're saying you can't make heads or tails of it?"

"Jiang Qingzhu! Even my dead grandmother handled a spear more nimbly than you! What the hell are you hesitating for?"

"Fuck, a useless mutt with garbage talent like you will only make spirit rice more expensive if you stay in the High Martial World!"

"..."

Under such "meticulous instruction," Jiang Qingzhu shed quite a few little pearls, while Ye Li successfully harvested a large amount of Malice Points.

After maxing out the [Riding the Wind Dragon Classic], there was still some left over on the panel.

[Current Malice Points: 7200]

He only needed Jiang Qingzhu to provide the Breathing Technique, and his practical combat ability would rise to another level.

Under Ye Li's instruction, Jiang Qingzhu's Riding the Wind Dragon Classic also advanced by leaps and bounds.

From having just entered the proficient level at the beginning, she later reached the middle stage of proficiency.

By Jiang Qingzhu's own judgment, touching the realm of mastery was no more than a month away.

This was progress she had never imagined before.

With Ye Li, a genius possessing monstrous attainments in martial skills, helping her, it was like obtaining a compass that pointed north and south in the middle of a vast desert.

She no longer had to worry about losing her direction. She only needed to stride forward along the path he pointed out.

It was worth mentioning that Jiang Qingzhu entered neatly dressed every time, and left with her clothes in disarray.

As a result, rumors spread throughout the school, and many students secretly speculated about the reason.

There were even plenty of ugly rumors among them.

Jiang Qingzhu paid none of it any mind.

In her eyes, at all of Linhai First High School, aside from Ye Li, everyone else's opinions were utterly irrelevant.

Even Ye Li's rebukes sounded far more pleasant than their flattery, slander, and malicious attacks.