Looking at the three Thunder Sparrow corpses on the ground, Ning Chuan felt a little regret. This time, his Flash Thunder Slash had failed to achieve an epiphany and had shown no reaction at all.
Still, Ning Chuan had expected as much.
Thunder Sparrows were mortal beasts at heart, containing only an almost imperceptible trace of Thunder Beast blood. The fact that they had allowed Flash Thunder Slash to advance to the Minute Subtlety realm was already an unexpected delight.
It was no surprise that it could go no further.
What if it were a real Thunder Beast...
The thought flashed through Ning Chuan's mind, and he shook his head.
His martial path had only just begun. Powerful ferocious beasts like Thunder Beasts were still far beyond his reach.
The others had no idea what Ning Chuan was thinking. Seeing him shake his head after killing three Thunder Sparrows in an instant, their first impression was that he regretted how weak they were: the fight had ended before he could fully enjoy using Flash Thunder Slash.
"Now that's a real big shot!"
"His blade was way too fast! I'm at the fifth stage of awakening, and I couldn't follow its path at all!"
"The thunder was deep and powerful, concentrated into a single burst. What an incredible young man! That's the hallmark of Flash Thunder Slash at Minute Subtlety!"
"Why has someone with a B-rank martial art at the Minute Subtlety realm been unknown until now?"
"The college entrance exam is almost here. Plenty of those old schemers have stopped hiding. They want to be dark horses and pull off miracles!"
The training ground erupted in a clamor. Many people were shaken and discussing the matter heatedly.
Killing three Thunder Sparrows wasn't particularly difficult.
After all, they weren't true ferocious beasts.
The students ranked among the top few dozen in the senior year were all capable of it.
But when it came to a B-rank martial art at the Minute Subtlety realm, not even the teachers at the vast Qingshan No. 1 High School could muster more than a few, let alone the students.
Su Yun stared at Ning Chuan, the shock in her beautiful eyes deepening.
She knew perfectly well that only three days ago, Ning Chuan had applied to him for the martial imprint to inherit Flash Thunder Slash.
And now, he had actually reached Minute Subtlety!
"Ning Chuan, you killed three Thunder Sparrows in an instant! How the fuck did you do that?!"
Guo Renyu was so excited that he couldn't help swearing.
Without waiting for Ning Chuan to answer, he turned toward Ma Hai, who stood nearby, and called out, "Didn't you say Ning Chuan was only learning Flash Thunder Slash to draw attention and show off? If you've got what it takes, show us what you can do!"
Ma Hai's face instantly turned the color of pig's blood.
He didn't know what realm Ning Chuan had reached with Flash Thunder Slash, but judging by the speed of his blade, it certainly wasn't low.
The things he had said earlier really were ridiculous.
Having gained the upper hand, Guo Renyu showed no mercy and continued mocking him. "Is Ning Chuan qualified to talk about university now?
"With that B-rank martial art alone, a top university might even offer him a full scholarship!
"With eyesight like yours, I don't think you should bother applying to university.
"After graduation, come carry bricks at a construction site with me!"
"I..."
Ma Hai gritted his teeth in anger, but he had no way to refute him and simply turned around.
Ning Chuan gave Guo Renyu a kick and said irritably, "If I hadn't stepped in, you'd be dead. You got your life back for free, and the first thing you want to do is mock someone?"
"It's mostly because that guy Ma Hai talks so damn nasty."
Guo Renyu scratched his head and chuckled.
As they spoke, the principal came striding over with a group of school administrators.
"Student, don't you know eating is strictly forbidden on the training ground? That's one demerit, and you're responsible for cleaning the training ground for the rest of the month!"
Seeing that Guo Renyu was still holding a fried chicken drumstick, the principal flew into a rage and scolded him fiercely.
Guo Renyu's face fell.
The principal then turned to Ning Chuan. The stern expression vanished from his face, replaced by a radiant smile that stretched nearly to his ears. He clapped Ning Chuan firmly on the shoulder and said, "Well done!
"In the face of danger, you dared to draw your blade and fight back. You're truly worthy of being a student of Qingshan No. 1 High School.
"Rest assured, Qingshan No. 1 High School has always been generous to those who act bravely for a just cause!"
Nearby, a television station's camera was trained on them.
The principal gave Ning Chuan a meaningful look.
Ning Chuan immediately understood. With a solemn, righteous expression, he declared, "It's mainly thanks to the excellent teaching at Qingshan No. 1 High School, which gave me the ability and courage to put others before myself!"
The principal laughed heartily.
This student knew how to play along. He could give him a bigger reward.
Afterward, the principal had someone clear away the Thunder Sparrow corpses, and the rally continued.
But after what had happened, no one was in the mood to listen to inspirational speeches. Everyone was discussing Ning Chuan in low voices, hoping to learn more about him.
Ning Chuan paid them little attention. After calming his joy over Flash Thunder Slash's advancement, he resumed his careful examination of the battered saber.
It was clearly covered in cracks and looked as though it would shatter completely if used to chop vegetables, yet it had withstood his high-speed swings and killed four Thunder Sparrows in succession.
"Huh?!"
Ning Chuan narrowed his eyes, realizing something was amiss.
The blood on the saber was gone!
He had clearly seen the blade stained completely red with the Thunder Sparrows' blood.
A few cracks have disappeared, and a notch in the edge has gotten much smaller.
The battered saber can repair itself by absorbing blood!
Ning Chuan's heart pounded.
This saber was even more extraordinary than he had imagined.
I won't sell it for now. It must have other unusual qualities that need further investigation. Besides, this saber is well suited for using Flash Thunder Slash.
Ning Chuan made up his mind.
Since I'm keeping it for myself, I should give it a name. It's no ordinary weapon, after all.
Ning Chuan thought for a moment.
A silver blade that drinks blood... I'll call it Silver Blood!
In the sunlight, the light reflected from the saber seemed to tremble slightly.
The rally ended shortly before noon.
"Come to my office for a chat."
Su Yun approached and called Ning Chuan over, her voice smooth as water.
Being called into a teacher's office usually meant trouble.
But Su Yun was an exception.
Even being scolded by a mature beauty like her would feel great.
Pairs of eyes nearby fixed on Ning Chuan, filled with envy, jealousy, resentment, and all manner of other emotions.
The boys who knew about Su Yun's agreement with Ning Chuan were particularly furious, their hair practically standing on end. They immediately put Ning Chuan at the top of Qingshan No. 1 High School's list of students who deserved to die.
"What are you standing there for? Follow her!"
Guo Renyu chuckled and pushed Ning Chuan forward.
Ten minutes later.
In the office.
Su Yun sat in a chair, her clothes stretched over her full curves, making her especially alluring.
She studied Ning Chuan carefully and asked, "Can you tell me what's going on with your Flash Thunder Slash?"
"I had an epiphany by accident while I was training hard in Flash Thunder Slash this morning.
"By the time it ended, I was only a thin membrane away from the Minute Subtlety realm.
"Just now, on the training ground, I was in a hurry to save Guo Renyu and used Flash Thunder Slash instinctively. I didn't expect to gain an insight and punch straight through that membrane, advancing to Minute Subtlety."
Ning Chuan spoke calmly, his expression unchanged.
Flash Thunder Slash had experienced an epiphany. Round it off, and didn't that mean he had experienced one?
He had killed the Thunder Sparrows entirely through his own hard work!
"An epiphany!"
Su Yun nodded gently. That matched her guess.
"You really are lucky!"
Su Yun couldn't help exclaiming.
An epiphany was a very special state, and aptitude did little to help one enter it.
In other words, it came down to luck.
Many geniuses went their entire lives without experiencing one.
After some thought, Su Yun cautioned him, "An epiphany is something you can encounter but cannot seek. To improve a martial art, you still have to rely on your own hard work, day and night. You mustn't pin your hopes on an epiphany. That's simply unrealistic."
"Understood!"
Ning Chuan grinned. "I don't forget to cultivate even when I'm asleep."
"Don't be cheeky. I'm not joking with you!"
A serious expression appeared on Su Yun's pretty face, and she said solemnly, "The hardest part of cultivating a martial art is perseverance!
"Keep it up for a day, a week, or a month, and anyone can grit their teeth and manage it.
"But what about longer than that?
"Doing the same thing over and over would bore anyone.
"It's especially torturous when you hit a bottleneck and see no progress after days of hard training.
"Many geniuses are stopped at this hurdle and never reach the heights they should have!"
Why does nobody believe me when I tell the truth?
Ning Chuan's smile didn't waver as he said honestly, "I'm different from them. Cultivating martial arts only makes me happy."
Su Yun sighed, assuming Ning Chuan was still caught up in the excitement of his epiphany and didn't realize how difficult it was to keep training day after day, year after year.
"Teacher Su, my Flash Thunder Slash has already reached Minute Subtlety."
Ning Chuan gave a soft cough and said, "Shouldn't you honor our agreement?"
Hearing this, Su Yun felt a stir of panic she couldn't quite control.
She took a deep breath and feigned composure. "Apart from that B-rank martial art, what else do you want? Go on!"
"Well... you know..."
Ning Chuan rubbed his hands together and smiled sheepishly.
Su Yun grew even more flustered.
As a teacher, she knew better than anyone what sort of thing a boy of seventeen or eighteen most wanted to do.
Su Yun felt a little regret. She shouldn't have spoken so definitively in the classroom earlier.