On the training ground, the two walked side by side.
Duan Ming asked, "The principal even went to the airport. Why didn't you go?"
Du Qinggang walked with his hands behind his back, a pair of flip-flops on his feet. He let out a long breath and said, "I don't really like those sentimental scenes."
"Neither do I."
"Don't worry. If you die someday and they send you back, I won't come to receive you either."
"What a sweet mouth."
"Speaking of which, if you really do die someday, what should I bring when I visit your grave? You don't seem to smoke or drink. How about I make a couple of paper women and bring them to you?"
"Thanks, but no thanks. I'll live to a ripe old age. But if you die, I'll definitely buy a few cartons of good cigarettes to bring when I visit you."
"You've got a pretty sweet mouth too."
"Right back at you."
The two didn't talk like teacher and student, but more like friends trading insults.
Time passed.
Before they knew it, half a month had gone by.
On the training ground, the sounds of training rose and fell.
Training while maintaining a state of Qi was the best way to improve it.
During this time, Fang Cheng had grown even more hardworking than before.
He was a rich second-generation heir who could have sat back and enjoyed wealth and luxury, yet now he had only one thought in his mind: get stronger and join the Demon Suppression Army!
When others asked why he trained so desperately,
he answered that he didn't want to regret not having trained hard when he was on the verge of death someday.
Hard work naturally paid off.
By now, he could already wield the power of his second Divine Mark.
"Where's Duan Ming?"
After classes ended in the afternoon, no one could find Duan Ming.
"I don't know. He was just here."
In an open space behind the teaching building.
Clang!
Du Qinggang threw a saber onto the ground.
"When you manage to cut this apple in my hand with the saber, I'll give you all a break."
Duan Ming glanced at the steel saber on the ground, then at the red apple in Du Qinggang's hand.
He bent down, picked up the steel saber, and asked, "Are there any rules?"
"No. You'd better use your full strength." As Du Qinggang spoke, he took a bite of the apple and said indistinctly, "Don't worry, I won't fight back. I'll only dodge."
Duan Ming looked at the red apple in Du Qinggang's hand, a bite already missing from it, and said in a low voice, "All right."
He knew Du Qinggang wanted to help him improve his strength.
This was a private lesson for him.
A one-on-one lesson!
Under the blazing sun, a cool breeze swept past.
Duan Ming charged with his saber, slashing at the apple in Du Qinggang's hand.
"Too slow."
It was clearly a swift slash, yet Du Qinggang dodged so easily that he seemed not to lift a finger.
So fast!
A cold glint flashed in Duan Ming's eyes.
This guy is fast!
He swung several more times in succession.
Du Qinggang moved his body aside, evading Duan Ming's successive attacks with a few graceful twists.
All this time, Duan Ming had never seen the Slovenly King's true strength.
But judging by his current speed alone, the Slovenly King was strong!
He looked down at Du Qinggang's feet.
His face immediately darkened...
Fuck!
That's crushing!
By now, he had slashed at least eight or nine times.
Yet the Slovenly King hadn't moved so much as half a step, still standing in the same spot.
Duan Ming gathered Qi in his eyes and looked.
He could see a layer of white Qi enveloping Du Qinggang.
So strong!
This layer of Qi wasn't empowered by a Divine Mark!
Duan Ming frowned slightly.
Without using a Divine Mark, relying on the Qi around his body alone, Du Qinggang could actually move this fast!
He could be fairly certain that this guy was quite skilled.
"Your saber technique is strong. I admit that even I can't match you, but you have a fatal weakness: your body moves too slowly!"
"Even though your saber technique has reached a godlike level, there's always someone better. If you run into an enemy faster than you, you might be killed before you even draw your saber."
"Believe me, as long as you can cut the apple in my hand, your speed will improve greatly-and not just your movement, but your saber technique too!"
Duan Ming understood that.
He was very fast now.
But compared to how he had been in the dream, he might not even be one-tenth as fast.
Especially now that he had experienced Du Qinggang's movements.
Only then did he realize a person could move so quickly.
So quickly that the naked eye couldn't make it out at all.
And that was without using a Divine Mark.
If Du Qinggang used a Divine Mark, the man might already be behind him before he could react.
Half an hour passed.
Duan Ming had fully activated his Dual Divine Marks and was drenched in sweat, yet he still hadn't managed to cut the apple in Du Qinggang's hand.
All he had managed to do was make Du Qinggang move two steps to the side.
He knew it was impossible to cut the apple in Du Qinggang's hand anytime soon.
After using Qi continuously for half an hour, he could barely remain standing.
"You improved quickly. I thought you'd need at least half a day to make me move, but you managed it in half an hour."
The corner of Duan Ming's mouth twitched.
Was that supposed to be praise?
"That's enough for today. We'll continue at the same time tomorrow."
Du Qinggang left, munching on the apple as he went.
"Just how strong is this guy?"
Duan Ming murmured as he watched Du Qinggang walk away.
The next day, they were in the same place. The only difference was that Du Qinggang had brought a different apple.
This time, within the first three minutes, Duan Ming forced Du Qinggang to dodge to the side.
After twenty minutes, Du Qinggang had to start dodging to the side repeatedly.
On the third day, Duan Ming forced Du Qinggang to dodge to the side right from the start.
Within half an hour, he nearly struck the apple in Du Qinggang's hand twice.
On the fourth day, on the training ground.
Dong Kai complained from the side, "I heard we're not getting the weekend off again."
On the fifth day, Duan Ming nearly struck the apple four times within ten minutes.
On the sixth day, because Duan Ming had grown faster, Du Qinggang began using the power of his first Divine Mark.
The two of them looked like they were playing hide-and-seek in the open space.
On the seventh day, Duan Ming had almost struck the apple in Du Qinggang's hand.
But at the crucial moment, Du Qinggang suddenly switched hands, tossing the apple into his other hand.
"I have to say, you've gotten much faster than before, and your Qi has grown stronger too. If I don't start using the power of my second Divine Mark, you might be able to hit this apple in my hand tomorrow."
"Use your third Divine Mark too!"
"All right! You said it!"
Duan Ming didn't know whether Du Qinggang was hiding his strength.
If he wasn't,
then, assuming neither of them used their Divine Marks,
Du Qinggang's own Qi strength was at 10,000.
His was probably only 2,500.
Perhaps not even 2,500.
It wasn't that he was too weak, but that this man was too strong!
He was almost certain that this man alone could wipe out all the thousand-plus students from the first through fourth years at their school!
Though he would pay for it with his life too...
Strong... he's more than a little stronger...
He was probably among the very strongest Divine Power Masters with five Divine Marks.
That made sense.
This guy had been a Divine Power Master for at least twenty years.
As long as he wasn't an idiot, there was no way someone who had awakened five Divine Marks in twenty years could be weak.