Endure More Suffering

Within the confines of his room in the Newborn Hall of the Academy of Peace, Lin Xi stood before the open window, gazing at the night sky adorned with stars and the distant mountains. His silhouette twisted and stretched in accordance with established routines, bending low, twisting his waist, gliding, throwing elbows, striking, and drawing back his shoulders…

He resembled a leopard stretching lazily in the twilight, extending its limbs and flexing its claws, moving with deliberate grace.

This was the Twenty-Four Forms of Body Technique from Qingluan Academy. Though it appeared neither complex nor arcane, the instructors in the back mountains of Ailao Peak, humorously dubbed "Galactic Millions" by Dean Zhang, had conducted extensive research and concluded that ninety percent of instinctive reactions and movements in the chaos of battle stemmed from these very forms.

Among these movements, a few were designed to stretch the muscles and ligaments to their limits, enhancing the body's flexibility, agility, and explosive power.

Mastering these actions would naturally lead to instinctive responses in critical situations, enabling one to evade or attack with the precision of a conditioned reflex.

After performing the Twenty-Four Forms repeatedly for over ten times, sweat soaked through Lin Xi's clothing, steam rising from his body. Yet he did not pause to rest; instead, he practiced the peculiar postures taught by Luo Houyuan for a while longer, then retrieved a branch about a forearm's length from beside the stone bed, wielding it with fervor.

Clearly treating the branch as a sword, he executed strikes with it, tracing arcs in the air that seemed deliberate and fluid, harmonizing with the twists of his body and the movements of his arms and wrists. His speed was commendable, giving the impression that the "blade" danced gracefully through the air, devoid of any jarring interruptions.

Though some of his movements still appeared awkward, the sound of the branch slicing through the air indicated that his strikes had gained considerable swiftness.

After practicing for another ten minutes, Lin Xi finally ceased, his face glistening with sweat. Overcome with exhaustion, he collapsed onto the bed without bothering to wash up.

His time at the academy had been brief; it had only been four days since An Ke Yi had taught him these lethal techniques. During yesterday's martial arts class, Xu Shengmo, who had consistently shown him little kindness, had just introduced him to the Twenty-Four Forms. Compared to his frail physique upon arriving at the Four Seasons Slope for the grand examination, he now bore a more defined physique, with muscles beginning to form elegant curves, hinting at latent strength.

However, at that moment, his muscles were entirely consumed by soreness, particularly his hands, which felt as if they were filled with lactic acid—aching, heavy, and swollen, leaving him with the sensation of not wanting to move even a single finger after several long, deep breaths.

...

"It seems I must seek out Teacher Mu Qing tomorrow and see if I can procure a proper longsword; that should enhance my practice."

Finally catching his breath while lying on the bed, Lin Xi gazed at the starlit sky outside and muttered to himself.

"There truly isn't enough time…"

Having resolved to obtain a genuine longsword, Lin Xi sighed softly again, contemplating his plans to return to the Trial Valley the following day.

In recent days, aside from meditation and training, his mind had been consumed with thoughts of the Trial Valley, duels, and the spear formations. Yet, with the special training for Windwalkers and his commitment to practicing the Twenty-Four Forms and the lethal techniques taught by An Ke Yi, he found himself with little time to train in the valley.

He even had to sacrifice some of his meditation time.

The only aspect that offered him some satisfaction was that his cultivation seemed to have improved slightly; the flow of energy within his dantian felt more robust, and the lingering injuries on his body had finally healed.

"Not enough time… Yes… wasting time is still wasting time, but as the middle-aged man said, this roulette won't disappear just because I use it…"

Though he had intended to linger in bed a bit longer, suddenly, a spark of realization lit up in his eyes, compelling him to sit up.

"Return!"

Lin Xi boldly exclaimed those two words.

In an instant, the scenery around him transformed, and he found himself back ten minutes earlier, gripping the heavy branch once more.

Yet, as he looked at the branch in his hand, the pride and excitement that had initially filled him vanished, replaced by a frown as he lamented, "Enduring more suffering… is hardly a pleasant experience…"

...

As the sun hung low in the sky, casting its warm glow over the tranquil forest, Jiang Xiaoyi had been tirelessly searching the Trial Valley for days. He had painstakingly mapped out nearly three-quarters of its terrain but had yet to encounter the enigmatic black-armored "Silver Fox."

During these days, Jiang Xiaoyi's performance had fluctuated; he had recorded two five-star exits, yet yesterday, he had been ambushed by an opponent and knocked to the ground by a battle axe, rendering him unable to recover his strength for an extended period, resulting in the loss of his golden five-pointed badge.

With each passing day, more new students entered the Trial Valley, ensuring he would not lack for opponents.

Currently, Jiang Xiaoyi wielded a round shield and a nine-section whip, with a short sword strapped to his back.

Suddenly, he halted, hearing an unusual sound emanating from the forest to his right.

Without hesitation, he stealthily made his way toward the source of the noise.

In an instant, Jiang Xiaoyi felt as if struck by lightning, his entire being jolted.

The Silver Fox!

He spotted a figure wielding a longsword facing off against another with a staff. The emblem of the black armor on the swordsman's chest was unmistakably the Silver Fox insignia he had been waiting for days to see!

As Jiang Xiaoyi recognized the emblem, the swordsman and the staff-wielder charged at one another.

The black staff swept through the air with lethal precision.

The once ferocious advance of the "Silver Fox" suddenly faltered, the staff narrowly missing him as it swept past.

With a resounding clash, the longsword struck heavily against the staff that had just passed him, causing the staff-wielder to stagger, nearly losing his balance.

"Crack!"

Without a moment's hesitation, the Silver Fox delivered a powerful kick to the opponent's abdomen. As the student stumbled to the ground, the Silver Fox's longsword descended once more, striking with deadly intent at the nape of the fallen student!

Jiang Xiaoyi stood frozen in shock, his face beneath the silver mask instantly filled with disbelief.

How could this be possible!

He had not misjudged; the emblem on the chest of the black-armored swordsman was indeed that of the Silver Fox. Yet days ago, during their encounter, this opponent had displayed little skill in close combat aside from his remarkable archery. Now, he had dispatched his foe with astonishing efficiency.

On the battlefield, that single strike would have been sufficient to sever the opponent's head!

Had he been secretly honing his skills in the Trial Valley all this time?

Even if he had been training diligently, such rapid advancement in strength was improbable, and the execution of that lethal strike… sent a chill down Jiang Xiaoyi's spine.

"Hm?"

At that moment, Lin Xi, who had just claimed a golden five-pointed badge from the fallen opponent, noticed Jiang Xiaoyi's arrival.

The swordsman known as the Silver Fox was Lin Xi.

Having felt fully recovered and after practicing the speed-oriented lethal techniques taught by An Ke Yi, he had come to the Trial Valley today after completing his special training for Windwalkers.

The opponent he had just felled, marked with the White Crane emblem, was merely the first adversary he encountered.

Though he had successfully dispatched this opponent, upon seeing Jiang Xiaoyi emerge from the trees, his excitement was momentarily overshadowed by a frown of concern; he recognized Jiang Xiaoyi as the wielder of the black flower spear from their previous encounter.

The opponent bearing the rose emblem and claiming to be from the Artificer Department was evidently far more formidable than the one he had just defeated.

While he had wielded his longsword with the intent of striking, he still found it somewhat unwieldy. After all, the longsword was rigid and straight, in stark contrast to the naturally curved long knife.

The atmosphere grew tense, punctuated only by the heavy breaths of the fallen student.

"Once again, we meet. Today, it is quite fair; we are both four stars," Jiang Xiaoyi broke the silence, taking a deep breath as he advanced toward Lin Xi.

Though he found his opponent somewhat mysterious and peculiar, the opportunity to finally confront him was not to be missed.

Lin Xi stood resolute, his sword held horizontally before him, watching as Jiang Xiaoyi approached, noting the four golden five-pointed badges on his shoulder. A slight smile graced his lips as he replied, "Indeed, it is quite fair."

Jiang Xiaoyi remained silent, raising his shield before him, then suddenly accelerated, charging directly at Lin Xi.

His gaze was fixed on the longsword in Lin Xi's hand, yet Lin Xi smiled once more; while his right hand held the sword steady, his left swiftly emerged from behind, hurling a rock the size of a child's head!

"You!"

Jiang Xiaoyi froze, a chill running through him as he realized Lin Xi had learned from his previous tactics, having stealthily grabbed a rock while claiming the fallen student's badge!

In that moment of hesitation, as he instinctively raised his shield to block, Lin Xi lunged forward, his longsword slicing through the air along the edge of Jiang Xiaoyi's shield!

With a sharp clang, Jiang Xiaoyi's nine-section whip swung down to meet Lin Xi's longsword, creating a shower of sparks.

However, what left Jiang Xiaoyi breathless and wide-eyed was that before he could execute a second move with his whip, Lin Xi's sword had already leaped toward him with an unmatchable speed, striking his chest.

"Crack!"

Jiang Xiaoyi leaned back, the blow merely unbalancing him rather than incapacitating him, but Lin Xi's figure had already vanished from his sight!

Lin Xi had appeared at his side, delivering two swift strikes to the space between his right arm and neck!

A wave of intense dizziness and pain overwhelmed Jiang Xiaoyi, sending him crashing to the ground, his shield and whip slipping from his grasp.

"How is this possible…? How can his strikes be so fluid, so rapid? Has he been hiding his strength all along?"

Gasping in agony, Jiang Xiaoyi watched as Lin Xi, with an apologetic expression, removed a golden five-pointed badge from himself and, after sheathing his longsword, took up the short knife strapped to his back before departing. This was the singular thought that consumed him.