Battle arena

"Are you going out into the forest again?"

"Yes, I merely came back to stock up on food and buy a storage ring and a new formation."

"Fourth, continuing to battle those lone cultivators won't do you any good. In the last month you have mainly been relying on your element of surprise to win your battles, but once you enter the arena this element of surprise will only work the first few battles. After that, you will be easily beaten down."

Humph* "I haven't been in any serious danger yet, and every battle I couldn't win in the last month I managed to flee."

"No serious danger? That core formation cultivator who blasted both your legs off with his explosive king pangolin nearly managed to keep you from escaping. Or did you maybe forget three days ago when you had to use that bewildering formation I had you buy and set up at your camping spot? That formation was meant to be a last resort, yet it has already been used."

"What are you trying to say, old man?" Fang Qiu replied, clearly a bit annoyed at the doubts his master had in his ability to survive.

"You have been living in the forest for most your life, but the opponents you are up against are not wild beasts. You keep on being discovered due to you relying too much on your experience in hiding from beasts. And the constant ambushes make you too reliant on your element of surprise and your [star grasping hand] trump card.

Throughout the month only a very small amount of your battles have been you actually thinking and fighting like an archer. At this rate you will become a one trick pony, and if your one trick fails and you can't run it's game over.

From tomorrow onwards you will practice with me, it won't be fun but you will learn more every day than you have in the past month.

So drop your gear, go buy everything on this list. You will need it!"

"You damned old man, what the hell do I need one hundred jugs of wine for?!…..

______

A couple bruises and an unwilling shopping spree later…

"Old man, howcome I haven't seen my senior brothers and sister ever since arriving in the city?"

"Hahaha little fourth, your senior brothers and sister are all unique geniuses, and all geniuses have their own way of training and getting stronger. And above all getting resources!

They don't dare make a bet with me like you did, but compared to you they have their own ways of making money, which you don't. What you did with the bet was a very smart way of getting resources since you know you have no way of getting them otherwise with your current skillset, unless you want to be a healer all day long and earn maybe a couple hundred gold each day.

Your senior sister should be out in the wilds getting riches.

Your second senior brother might be blind but his core spirit helps him live like a normal cultivator, so knowing him he should be in the battle arena. In fact, he might be one of your opponents once you start attempting your hundred battles win streak.

As for your third senior brother….that disappointment should be you know where."

"Master, if I were to attempt the hundred battles now, how far do you think I would get? Fang Qiu asked with hopeful eyes.

"Hmmm considering you have been training and fighting outside the city almost daily in the last six weeks…and your unique trump cards of course, and we can't forget the limitless qi reserves…." Sticking up five fingers the old man continued.

"about five battles should do. If you are lucky, that is."

"WHAT? Only five?? Then how far would I be able to get if I trained with you for a couple months?"

"that's an easy one. Ninety-eight battles and you would lose the ninety-ninth." The old man replied full of confidence whilst stroking his beard.

"Why not one hundred? Are you not confident in your own teaching skills? Or is it that you are not confident in my talent and skills?"

"Your talent? You have merely been cultivating for less than a year. Growing up in the forest taught you valuable survival skills but it didn't teach you how to deal with humans. Most cultivators in the peak of the foundation realm are considered middle aged according to mortal standards. Even the geniuses from large clans and sects are at least a couple years older than you.

You might be clever and cunning but you are in no way comparable to those monsters who have been fighting life or death battles for years. And those cultivators will be your opponents after the fifty win streak mark. The only reason I am confident in making you stronger is because of your combination of three paths which allows for less weaknesses and my teaching skills as a divine spirit realm powerhouse. You will need a very solid base in order to beat years of experience and even then it will be difficult to win without being way more powerful than those experienced mercenaries, hunters and sect disciples.

As for why you will only reach ninety-eight maximum…that's because I won't teach you how to beat those final two."

"And why is that? Old man, didn't you say back on the eagle that you would help us with anything cultivation related?"

"Yes that is true, but I won't help you in learning how to beat those two since it would make it too easy for you to win our bet. And as for my second reason…the two final opponents are both powerful cultivators who can fight above their realm and reached one hundred wins in the arena last year at almost the same time.

They are known as the twin guardians of the battle arena and any foundation realm cultivator who wants to reach one hundred wins has to beat those two. I even witnessed them fight each other many times before. Truly a force to be reckoned with in the arena."

"Then why are you not willing to teach me how to beat them? I'm sure me winning would bring you lots of glory aswell so you can boast about it to steward Chen and the others. It's not like one thousand spirit stones is that much to you."

"That's where you're wrong, kiddo. The reason is very simple actually…

Why would I teach you how to beat your senior brothers?"