Chapter 12: Late Night Conversation
Lin Xiu had been waiting for an opportunity all along.
When he saw a Magic Beast breaking through the encirclement, he acted without hesitation.
Dou Qi circulated within his body, following the power path of the Dou Technique Mountain Breaker.
At this moment, Lin Xiu felt like an activated machine, his legs becoming powerful, his speed increasing.
Jumping high, his legs slammed down violently, as if a heavy iron hammer swung down on the head of the black spotted leopard.
He felt like kicking a hard stone, the force of the recoil causing his legs to feel numb.
"Fortunately, I didn't choose to use my palm or shoulder, otherwise I would definitely have been knocked away."
A hint of relief flashed through Lin Xiu's mind.
There is a big difference between First Rank Magic Beasts and ordinary wild beasts, not only in the fact that they can use Dou Qi, but also in their powerful physique.
Two figures dashed into the forest, seeing the black spotted leopard heavily crashing to the ground, one of them swung a streak of light.
The black spotted leopard shook violently, a long spear piercing through its skull, firmly pinning it to the ground.
As he landed on the ground, Lin Xiu's other leg went numb, he felt somewhat unstable, waving his hands as he fell backwards.
Feeling support behind him, Lin Xiu turned to see Mentor Ruo Lin holding him with both hands, her face filled with surprise.
Huo Lan landed in front of the black spotted leopard, pulling out the long spear, "Several of you joining forces couldn't stop a First Rank Magic Beast? Have your previous experiences all gone to waste?"
Under his angry gaze, Xiao Ning and the others lowered their heads in shame.
No one expected that despite the black spotted leopard's hind legs being injured, it could still burst out with extreme speed.
Turning to look at Lin Xiu, Huo Lan's angry expression disappeared, replaced by astonishment, "How did you do it?"
The black spotted leopard is a First Rank Magic Beast, its strength is not small, just now it was still in a sprinting state, with a strong momentum of its own.
Ordinary 1 Star Dou Practitioners would find it difficult to stop it head-on.
But Lin Xiu actually managed to knock it down from the air.
"I just kicked it like that," Lin Xiu demonstrated with his still somewhat numb leg.
Staring at his leg for two seconds, Huo Lan felt somewhat suspicious. He knew the power of Whip Kick very well. Could it be that he was truly a genius in Dou Technique cultivation?
With the appearance of the two mentors, the others quickly gathered around, while the other Magic Beasts were dealt with by those senior students.
Ruo Lin checked Lin Xiu and found no bone injuries, feeling both surprised and relieved.
"Thank you," Xiao Mei found Lin Xiu.
"Why is it you again?" Lin Xiu was surprised for a moment. "We're all classmates, don't take it to heart."
After saying that, Lin Xiu tiptoed and distanced himself from Xiao Mei.
Standing in place, Xiao Mei bit her lip, looking aggrieved, her eyes showing some confusion, not understanding why Lin Xiu always avoided her.
After a brief rest, Lin Xiu's leg returned to normal, except for occasional pricks of pain, which didn't affect his walking at all.
Before dark, everyone arrived at the border fortress of the Jia Ma Empire.
There was a resting area for Jia Nan Academy here, and when Lin Xiu and the others arrived, there were already quite a few people, all teams recruited from other cities.
After assigning the rooms for rest, Lin Xiu threw his luggage on the bed, went out to freshen up, and then went to eat.
"Lin Xiu, Mentor Huo Lan is asking for you." One of the students who shared the same room came back and glanced at Lin Xiu lying on the bed.
"Okay, did he say what it's about?" Lin Xiu asked while getting off the bed, but the other person shook his head.
Walking down the corridor, there were constant sounds of conversation coming from the rooms on both sides.
Tomorrow they would set off, officially heading to Jia Nan Academy. Many people were excited and looking forward to it, while others were exchanging stories about what happened on the way.
The mentor's room was upstairs. Lin Xiu followed the steps up, stopped outside a room, and knocked on the door.
Huo Lan's voice sounded from inside the room. After getting permission from Huo Lan, Lin Xiu pushed the door open and closed it as indicated by Huo Lan.
"Teacher, you called for me," Lin Xiu walked to the table where Huo Lan was sitting.
Huo Lan gestured for Lin Xiu to sit down. "You've completely mastered the Whip Kick I taught you, right?"
Lin Xiu nodded.
"I've looked over your information. You used to be a servant of the Lin family in Te Lan City. From observing your practice of Splitting Wind Palm and Rhino Collision, it's evident that you hadn't previously been exposed to Dou Technique."
Under Huo Lan's gaze, Lin Xiu didn't understand why he was saying these things.
"These three Dou Techniques, I've noticed that you mastered them very quickly, faster than anyone else. Not only do you master them quickly, but you also seem to be able to unleash stronger attacks with them."
"Do you know that this is actually a kind of talent, a talent in Dou Techniques?"
With these words, Huo Lan was essentially confessing to Lin Xiu that he had been secretly observing him during this time.
"Teacher, the fast mastery might be related to the fact that I've been practicing more frequently than others. It shouldn't be considered talent," Lin Xiu tried to deflect with diligence.
Although the matter of the panel, the other party probably couldn't sense, bringing it up suddenly felt like there was some kind of need.
Huo Lan himself was a Dou Grandmaster. If he really had some idea about something on Lin Xiu's body, he had no capital to resist at all.
"I can understand that you haven't had exposure before. Once you're at Jia Nan Academy and practice more Dou Techniques, you'll understand later."
The principle of diligence compensating for clumsiness, Huo Lan understood, but this requires a lot of time, not like Lin Xiu who can quickly master Dou Techniques in a short time.
Lin Xiu listened quietly.
"I wanted to talk to you today about your future plans," Huo Lan began to get to the point.
Upon hearing his words, Lin Xiu sat up straight.
"You've wasted a lot of time at the Dou Disciple stage. After entering the Academy, you'll lag behind your peers by a lot."
"This problem, big as it may seem, is simple to solve. With a high-level Qi Method and some Pills, you can make up for the time you've wasted before."
Age affects breakthroughs in Dou Qi cultivation. It's not simply about enduring over time to continuously grow stronger.
Sometimes, the earlier you break through to a stronger realm, the fewer obstacles you'll face.
"Teacher, as a student of Jia Nan Academy, will the Academy provide a Qi Method?"
With a hint of surprise in his eyes, Lin Xiu hadn't expected Huo Lan to suddenly bring up matters related to cultivation.
"Of course, the Academy won't be stingy with Qi Methods. But, as you've spent time in the family, you should also understand that there's no such thing as a free lunch. This principle applies in the Academy as well. You newly enrolled students can receive a Qi Method after advancing to Dou Practitioner, but the highest level of Qi Method you can obtain is Black Rank Low Level."
A Black Rank Low Level Qi Method, which could be enough to ignite a conflict within a family, sounded like trash coming out of Huo Lan's mouth.
"Teacher, then how can one obtain a higher-level Qi Method?" Following up on his question, Lin Xiu noticed a hint of amusement in Huo Lan's eyes.
"Through mentors," Huo Lan smiled. He told Lin Xiu that each mentor could have several core students who could enjoy Black Rank Mid Level or High-level Qi Methods. Additionally, they would receive some cultivation resources every month.
"What does it take?" Lin Xiu calmly asked. He did need a High-level Qi Method, but if the price was too high, he would rather use a lower-ranked Qi Method.
"Every year, Outer Court Students will have a chance to participate in the Inner Court Assessment. I need you to get into the top five, and then help me retrieve something from the library."
Perhaps it was Lin Xiu's attitude that impressed him, as Huo Lan didn't bother to conceal his satisfaction with him.
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