IUD-CHAPTER 289 HOPE

"Aiya, that was quite exhilarating…"

In the midst of a chaotic training room, Cecily lay on the ground with a contented smile on her face.

"It's been a while since I've had such an enjoyable battle. Little Junior Brother, even though you're the most recent to enter the sect, your strength is impressive. If you had joined as a disciple at the same time as me, you might even be able to rival First Senior Brother now, don't you think?"

"Rival him?" Fang Li lay on the other side, pondering. "Is that all you think I can do?"

It's important to note that Fang Li had joined Fan Xinglou as a disciple less than two months ago.

In less than two months, he had already fought Cecily, Fan Xinglou's second disciple, to a draw. If he had joined Fan Xinglou's disciples at the same time as Cecily, the progress he could have made would have been even more evident.

However, even in this scenario, Cecily didn't say Fang Li could surpass Wu Xiaofei; she said he could only rival him.

"Is First Senior Brother really that strong?" Fang Li inquired with a surprised look on his face.

Fang Li had already experienced just how strong Cecily and Wu Hufeng were.

To put it bluntly, if Cecily and Wu Hufeng were students at any other academy, with their abilities, they could easily contend for the first-place ranking.

This pair of Senior Sister and Junior Brother, who had even participated in the Phoenix Festa, had exceptional teamwork, and the sum of their strengths was greater than their individual abilities.

However, even with all this, Cecily believed that they couldn't defeat Wu Xiaofei, even if they teamed up.

"It's not strange at all," Cecily replied casually. "Hufeng and I both became Master's disciples only three years ago, after Master arrived in Jie Long Seventh Institute."

After all, Fan Xinglou was only nine years old now and had entered Jie Long Seventh Institute at the age of six, claiming the first-place ranking in the sequence and starting to accept disciples.

So, Cecily and Wu Hufeng became Fan Xinglou's disciples just three years ago.

"But First Senior Brother had been practicing under Master even before Master came to Jie Long Seventh Institute," Cecily continued. "Master said that First Senior Brother is exceptionally talented, surpassing Hufeng in martial arts and me in Seisenjutsu. He excels in both areas and has practiced under Master's guidance for a long time, so you can imagine the breadth of his abilities."

This was not an exaggeration.

Although Fang Li hadn't met this First Senior Brother in person and hadn't experienced his strength firsthand, based on his knowledge of the original work, Fang Li knew that Wu Xiaofei had been Fan Xinglou's first disciple since childhood.

He was not only diligent but also exceptionally talented. Even if he hadn't practiced for ten years, he had certainly practiced for seven or eight.

Moreover, the East had a tradition of starting martial arts training in childhood to build a solid foundation.

Since Wu Xiaofei had been Fan Xinglou's disciple from a young age, he had undoubtedly established an unimaginably solid foundation. The growth of his strength was something one could easily imagine.

"In short, First Senior Brother is in a completely different league from us!" Cecily said with determination.

"My goal is to surpass First Senior Brother in Seisenjutsu one day, and maybe even, one day, the student surpasses the master, becoming even stronger than Master!"

This statement made Fang Li realize something once again.

His Senior Sister, despite her laziness and aversion to trouble, was indeed a martial artist at heart.

So, Fang Li smiled, got up from the ground, and walked over to Cecily. He extended his hand towards her.

"In that case, Junior Brother wishes Senior Sister all the best in making her dreams come true."

Upon hearing this, Cecily also smiled and reached out, shaking Fang Li's hand.

"You too, Little Junior Brother," Cecily said with a smile. "Don't forget, you're a genius even praised by Master. I hope that one day you can blaze a new path, approach Master from a different angle, and even surpass Master!"

After saying this, with Fang Li's help, Cecily got up from the ground. They exchanged a glance and both smiled.

…

"Hehe."

In the audience room, Fan Xinglou watched the space window floating in front of him. She observed the Senior Sister and Junior Brother duo, who seemed to have forged a new bond, with great joy.

In that laughter, there was satisfaction and a hint of eager anticipation.

"Indeed, this era is wonderful. With such outstanding talent, my choice to come to Jie Long Seventh Institute back then was the right one."

For Fan Xinglou, all the beauty in the world was fleeting; only one thing could hold her attention.

That was combat.

People had always believed that this world changed only when Invertia arrived, giving birth to Genestellars and the appearance of rookies.

In truth, this world had experienced numerous Invertia events in more ancient times, though not on the same scale as the current one.

Naturally, if Invertia had occurred before, it meant that the Mana brought by Invertia had existed in even earlier ages.

As a result, the emergence of Genestellars was inevitable.

In Fan Xinglou's era, Mana was extremely scarce.

Therefore, the birth of Genestellars was very difficult, and their numbers were pitifully low, insufficient to draw attention from human society.

Of course, Genestellars had existed since ancient times, and individuals with extraordinary powers couldn't help but display their abilities to the public.

People from the East referred to such beings as "Immortals."

People from the West called them "Mages."

Fan Xinglou was one of these individuals.

Through years of practice, she had eventually reached a point where she could truly be called an "Immortal." Even after a thousand years had passed, she continued to exist in the world.

Fan Xinglou had always yearned for a qualified opponent.

In such a situation, Fan Xinglou witnessed the unprecedented large-scale Invertia of the 20th century, as well as the massive birth of Genestellars.

"In this era, Mana is overflowing, and many talented individuals are born one after another. With proper training, they can satisfy me."

Passion burned in Fan Xinglou's eyes as she thought of this.

"Someday, the disciples under my wing will surely bring me complete satisfaction, won't they?"

For this reason, regardless of good or evil, Fan Xinglou taught Martial Arts without reservation, based solely on natural talent, aiming to make them stronger.

This included Fang Li.

"Why not give 'That' to him?" Fan Xinglou's voice faded away in the dimly lit audience room.

Only a pure and innocent smile remained on her youthful face.

...

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