Dare You Be Harder on Yourself?

Sword Dao Institute.

After Lin Ping'an was defeated by Cao Youqian, he locked himself in the courtyard every day and drank alcohol all day long.

In less than half a month, Lin Ping'an became extremely depressed.

When the lackeys who had previously followed him saw Lin Ping'an in this state, they all left him.

This was followed by all sorts of rumors.

Many people say that Lin Ping'an has become a complete cripple and will never be able to pick up a sword again in his life.

His Daoist heart has been completely shattered.

These rumors naturally did not escape the ears of the Sword Martial King.

As the head of the academy, and also Lin Ping'an's master.

Sword Martial King naturally didn't want to see his disciple continue to be so dejected.

So he decided to go and see what Lin Ping'an had become.

Clang!

Sword Martial King kicked open Lin Ping'an's door, revealing a scene of utter chaos.

The room was filled with the smell of alcohol mixed with various other odors, causing Sword Martial King to frown slightly.

Lin Ping'an heard someone open the door from inside the room, and only glanced at the doorway subconsciously.

He was slightly taken aback when he saw who it was.

He thought someone had come to his door to cause trouble.

Unexpectedly, the person who came was actually his master.

Thinking of this, a self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips.

How could I have forgotten this master? As long as I am still his disciple, no one from the Sword Dao Institute will bother me.

However, judging from my master's appearance, it seems he has come to expel me from the sect.

That's fine, let me go back to my old life.

"Disciple bows..."

Before Lin Ping'an could finish speaking, he felt his body completely out of control. The next second, he felt himself falling from the sky.

With a splash, he fell into the pond in the yard.

The elders who accompanied Sword Martial King were all taken aback when they saw this scene, and their eyes were filled with a hint of doubt.

What exactly is the sect leader up to this time? Didn't he come here to expel Lin Ping'an from the sect?

Wow...

Lin Ping'an choked on the pool water, then sat in the pool, staring blankly at Sword Martial King, his mind a complete blank.

Upon seeing Lin Ping'an's condition, Sword Martial King immediately stepped forward and forcefully pushed Lin Ping'an's head into the pool.

It took a while before they managed to pull Lin Ping'an out.

Wow...

Lin Ping'an spat out another mouthful of water, then gasped for breath.

Sword Martial King simply stared into Lin Ping'an's eyes, and seeing that his gaze did not change at all, he continued to push him into the pool.

After turning it over and over several times.

Lin Ping'an's eyes gradually turned angry.

In his view, he didn't care whether his master would cripple him or expel him from the sect.

But what is this? Is it humiliation?

"Good."

Sword Martial King looked at the anger in Lin Ping'an's eyes and said:

"You've sobered up a bit more, kid. We can have a proper talk now."

???

Lin Ping'an was completely bewildered; he had no idea what his cheap master meant.

Sword Martial King waved to his followers.

After bowing, everyone left.

"Your disciple is dull-witted and humbly requests your guidance, Master."

Lin Ping'an wasn't stupid; he could clearly see that his master hadn't given up on him.

"Snort!"

Sword Martial King sneered, "You think you can just give up because of one failure?"

Lin Ping'an said, "Master, I just don't understand why I was better than you before..."

He vented all the frustration in his heart in one go.

"Snort!"

Sword Martial King snorted coldly, "It seems you haven't realized where you went wrong."

"Please enlighten me, Master."

Lin Ping'an looked extremely modest.

"Because you're not ruthless enough, not ruthless enough to yourself, and even less ruthless to your enemies. The Seven Kills Sword Art is simply a pearl covered in dust in your hands."

Sword Martial King paused for a moment and continued, "Cao Youqian was not as good as you before, but he dared to Body Tempering in fire and break his limits in the Thousand-Year Cold Pool. In addition, he also has a Pill King Ancestor. It is perfectly normal for you to lose to him."

But that's all in the past. Now you have my support, Master, and your future resources will be no less than Cao Youqian's.

Now, I'm asking you, do you dare to be even tougher on yourself?

Upon hearing this, Lin Ping'an's eyes gleamed with intense fighting spirit.

"I'm willing to do anything to become stronger."

"Very good."

Sword Martial King said, "The reason you are not as good as Cao Youqian and Xiao Chen is that you have not comprehended your own exclusive Sword Intent, especially the Seven Kills Sword Intent."

To comprehend the Seven Kills Sword Intent, one must undergo countless battles.

Only when your killing intent is strong enough will your swordsmanship be powerful enough. If you are willing to walk the path of slaughter, you can come to me within three days.

Splash!

Lin Ping'an leaped out of the pool and knelt before the Sword Martial King: "This disciple is willing to walk the path of slaughter and cultivate the Sword of Slaughter!"

"Good!"

Sword Martial King, a happy smile spreading across his face.

Miscellaneous Dao Institute.

Xiao Chen stayed for a few days and was preparing to say goodbye to Chu Feng.

Looking at Xiao Chen, who was growing stronger day by day, Chu Feng asked with a smile, "When do you plan to come back this time you've gone down the mountain?"

Xiao Chen said, "I will return to the Dao-Seeking Academy a year from now, when my three-year agreement with Qin Rou is fulfilled."

Mentioning Qin Rou's name ignited a fierce fighting spirit in Xiao Chen's eyes.

This woman is the last thorn in his heart. Only by defeating her can he remove that thorn and Perfection of Sword Intent.

Chu Feng patted him on the shoulder and said, "I won't say more, just remember to prepare a few disguises when you're out and about."

???

Xiao Chen looked completely bewildered. "What does 'Master's pseudonym' mean?"

Chu Feng said, "Now that you've gained fame, you're bound to encounter all sorts of troubles. Why not change your identity and go about your business under a different name? This would be quite beneficial to your cultivation path."

Xiao Chen nodded thoughtfully, "This disciple has learned a lot. This time, when I go down the mountain, I will not act under the title of Chief of the Miscellaneous Dao Institute Dao-Seeking Academy."

"Go."

Chu Feng smiled as he saw Xiao Chen off.

Cao Youqian, standing to the side, also spoke up, "Master, this disciple also plans to go down the mountain to continue cultivating and comprehend the Fist Intent as soon as possible."

Chu Feng laughed and said, "You're probably scared of Little Chen, aren't you?"

These days, Xiao Chen would give Cao Youqian some pointers every day, and Cao Youqian would get beaten up badly every time.

Cao Youqian scratched his head and said, "Master, how could you try to sow discord between me and my senior brother? What we were doing was called communication."

Seeing him like this, even Qin Qin couldn't help but smile.

"Okay, okay, you're having a friendly exchange."

After giving a perfunctory reply, Chu Feng said, "I won't say much more to you, kid. Just focus on your cultivation. Fight if you can win, run if you can't."

"Um."

Cao Youqian responded and turned to descend the mountain.

Chu Feng then turned his gaze to his youngest apprentice, a charming smile appearing on his face.

Seeing her master's smile, Qin Qin didn't know why, but a sentence suddenly flashed through her mind—Master, don't come any closer!

Just then, Chu Feng spoke up, "Qin'er, shouldn't you set a small goal for yourself?"