A little over half an hour later.
Qingshan City Police Department.
As soon as Ning Chuan got out of the car, he saw students from other high schools standing in an open space not far ahead. They had come to help the police search for the spy, and there were a great many of them-three or four hundred in all.
"That's why I wanted to sell the spy device."
Ning Chuan muttered under his breath.
With so many people acting together,
his chances of catching Zhao Weiping were too slim.
"You two go gather over there too."
Zhou Wei locked the car and said, "A police officer will lead you afterward."
Lu Mengyue raised her hand. "Officer Zhou, I'd like to go see Director Gu."
"Come with me."
Zhou Wei didn't refuse.
When the two entered a building, Wei Bohu immediately called out to Ning Chuan. He held out a hand and demanded, "Give it back!"
Ning Chuan frowned. "Give what back?"
"Stop playing dumb!"
Wei Bohu snorted. "The Hundred Beasts Nutrient Solution you snatched from Zhang Wensi belongs to me. I only left it with him for safekeeping."
Ning Chuan shook his head and said seriously, "First, the only thing I took from Zhang Wensi was the spy device.
Second, Zhang Wensi lost your stuff. Shouldn't you be looking for him?"
"No amount of arguing will do you any good!"
Wei Bohu said coldly.
Zhang Wensi wouldn't have dared lie to him.
Wei Bohu suddenly clenched his fist with a dull thud. "If you don't hand over the Hundred Beasts Nutrient Solution, you'll come to a miserable end!"
Ning Chuan looked at Wei Bohu in surprise. "Are you threatening me? At the police department?"
"Good, so you know to be afraid!"
"What can you do to me?"
"Cut the crap. Are you handing it over or not?"
A chill crept into the corners of Wei Bohu's mouth as he threatened, "I'd advise you to think before you speak!
Next Monday is the school's monthly exam.
With my background, all it takes is a word from me to put you in the same arena as me."
"Criminal! How could that not be criminal!"
Ning Chuan gave Wei Bohu a long look and walked away.
"Your days are looking more and more like jail time!"
Wei Bohu was stunned for a moment. When he came to his senses, his expression instantly darkened.
Ning Chuan had actually dared to make fun of him.
As he had originally imagined it, Ning Chuan would never have been able to withstand that combination of threats and intimidation.
"Ning Chuan, just you wait!"
Wei Bohu took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.
This wasn't the time to lose his temper.
Ning Chuan waited among the crowd, and before long, he saw Lu Mengyue come out of the building.
With her was a lean, middle-aged man in his thirties or forties. He wore a police uniform, and his eyes were sharp.
"Director Gu is here!"
Someone shouted.
The crowd instantly erupted.
After all, he was a Knight Class martial artist, and there were only a handful of those in all of Qingshan City.
Lu Mengyue jogged into the crowd and found Ning Chuan. With a wry smile, she said, "About the guidance, Uncle Gu agreed, but it won't be a private one-on-one session."
"That's more than good enough. Thanks for the effort!"
Ning Chuan smiled.
He hadn't cared all that much about the guidance in the first place.
"Students, welcome to the police department. On behalf of all the police officers in Qingshan City, I thank you for braving the danger and offering a helping hand in the search for the spy Zhao Weiping."
Gu Tianyu spoke with a smile.
His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
"You're too polite, Director Gu!"
"It's what we should do!"
Many students applauded vigorously.
Gu Tianyu held out a hand and motioned for quiet. "You are the most outstanding young people in Qingshan City, and I don't have much to teach you. I'll demonstrate Gale Step for you.
As the creator of this martial art, I do have a few insights into it."
The students were excited to hear this and quickly spread out, leaving Gu Tianyu room to demonstrate.
It was true that Gale Step was an E-rank martial art.
But it had its advantages too.
It consumed less energy.
No one could guarantee they would never run out of stamina.
At such a time, a low-rank martial art might turn the tables in a desperate situation.
Besides, martial arts were connected to one another.
Understanding one could help with others.
With a high level of mastery in a low-rank martial art, one could progress faster when learning a high-rank martial art of the same type.
"Whoosh!"
Gu Tianyu wasted no time and immediately executed Gale Step.
In an instant,
many students felt the wind rise!
"That Gale Step has reached a divine level!"
Ning Chuan's eyes filled with shock.
Gu Tianyu wasn't moving fast; he wasn't even as fast as Ning Chuan.
But Gu Tianyu's steps flowed seamlessly, without the slightest hitch.
Whether walking slowly or running fast, a person's foot always paused for a moment when it touched the ground. The only difference was how long.
But Gu Tianyu had no such pause.
His steps were smoother than melted chocolate.
It was as though he wasn't relying on a gale.
He himself was the gale!
"Gale Step has sensed the profound power of wind and entered a state of epiphany. Its cultivation speed has skyrocketed!"
"Progress increased by 40%!"
"Progress increased by 35%!"
"Gale Step has accumulated enough progress and reached the Minute Subtlety realm!"
The cold notification chimes sounded one after another.
At the same time,
a vast flood of insights poured into Ning Chuan's mind, leaving him somewhat dazed from the impact.
Without thinking, Ning Chuan walked into the open space and began executing Gale Step, helping his brain absorb the insights.
"Hmm?!"
Gu Tianyu caught sight of Ning Chuan out of the corner of his eye.
The next moment, a sharp light flashed in his eyes!
He could clearly sense that the young man's Gale Step was improving at an astonishing rate!
"What's up with that guy? Did he have an epiphany?"
The watching students noticed Ning Chuan too, and someone spoke with a laugh.
"Holy shit, that really is an epiphany!"
"What school's that badass from?!"
"Look at his uniform. He's from Qingshan No. 1 High School!"
"A key city school. No wonder he's so awesome!"
Lu Mengyue looked at Ning Chuan, a trace of disbelief appearing in her beautiful eyes.
When she had said Ning Chuan would have an epiphany before, she had only been teasing.
She had asked Uncle Gu to give him guidance in the hope that Ning Chuan would gain some insights.
She hadn't expected her words to come true!
Not far away,
Wei Bohu stood in the crowd, his expression ugly.
"Gale Step has accumulated enough progress and advanced to the expert realm!"
A notification chimed in Ning Chuan's mind.
Immediately afterward, Ning Chuan's understanding of Gale Step deepened once more.
His feet moved with ever-greater fluidity.
There were even signs that he was about to turn into a gale.
"He's still having an epiphany?!"
"His Gale Step doesn't feel much different from Director Gu's to me!"
"I'm dying of envy! I didn't sense a thing!"
Many students discussed it excitedly.
Gu Tianyu also stopped, watching Ning Chuan with a hint of approval.
As a Knight Class martial artist, he had a deep understanding of epiphanies.
They really couldn't be forced.
They depended on luck.
But the prerequisite for relying on luck was sufficiently high comprehension.
Lu Mengyue came closer and said quietly, "Uncle Gu, he's Ning Chuan, the one I told you about.
His Flash Thunder Slash also broke through three realms in succession after an epiphany, rising straight from the basic realm to Minute Subtlety!"
"He's only in his teens, and he's already had two epiphanies!"
A trace of astonishment rose in Gu Tianyu's heart.
This young man's comprehension of martial arts was frighteningly high!