Chapter 65: Mastery of Many Arts is Never a Burden

Six Rivers Academy.

Fang Xiao hurried to the instructors’ annex, and was immediately taken aback.

There, in the small courtyard, stood Lin Chong in a plain blue robe, a wine gourd in his hand.

The spear and staff instructor gazed, lost in thought, at the green vines trailing over the courtyard wall, as if caught in some deep reverie.

Fang Xiao instinctively swallowed hard.

Steeling himself, he stepped forward and bowed. “Instructor Lin, I apologize for being late today!”

Fang Xiao had never once arrived late to class.

Since coming to study at Six Rivers Academy, every morning after washing up and breakfast, he would rush to the academy at the fastest pace, rain or shine.

More often than not, Fang Xiao arrived even before the boarding students!

But today, he was late because he had gone to Gao Village to slay a demon.

Shame rose in his heart, and his face flushed red.

Lin Chong turned and smiled. “It’s all right. You’re already exceptionally diligent.”

In all his years as an instructor at Six Rivers Academy, Lin Chong had never seen a more hardworking martial student than Fang Xiao.

More importantly,

Fang Xiao’s talent for martial arts—especially his innate grasp of the spear—was unlike anything Lin Chong had encountered in his life!

By comparison, what did a single, rare tardiness matter?

Lin Chong was no rigid, pedantic old scholar!

But in the next instant,

his gaze sharpened.

The spear and staff instructor said in a low voice, “There’s a murderous aura on you.”

He could see that?

Fang Xiao was startled again.

He hastily recounted what had happened at Gao Village with the demon.

In truth, Fang Xiao owed much to the instructor before him.

Without Lin Chong’s patient guidance these past days—his personal sparring and supervision—Fang Xiao’s progress with the spear would not have been so swift.

He had also gained valuable real combat experience from Lin Chong.

Otherwise, facing that blue-faced boar demon today, victory would have been impossible!

Lin Chong listened and nodded. “So that’s how it was. There are countless demons in this world; sooner or later, you’ll encounter them. You must always be careful—never underestimate your foe.”

Fang Xiao asked curiously, “Instructor, aren’t you angry that I acted rashly?”

“Why would I blame you?” Lin Chong chuckled. “As martial artists, it is our duty to slay demons and protect the mortal realm—this is justice!”

“However, you must act within your limits. Don’t let recklessness cloud your judgment.”

“After all, preserving your life is more important!”

Fang Xiao nodded earnestly.

He took the instructor’s words to heart.

He felt there were many stories behind this teacher—like the old warriors from his village in years past.

But Lin Chong never spoke of them.

He only imparted the true essence of the Lin family spear to Fang Xiao.

“All right,” Lin Chong continued. “I’ll be away from the academy for a while—at least half a month. While I’m gone, you must practice and ponder the spear on your own. When I return, I’ll test you.”

Fang Xiao quickly cupped his fists. “I will do my utmost, instructor!”

“Good.” Lin Chong’s expression softened. “As the saying goes, it never hurts to know more skills. Besides the spear, you should also learn new techniques from other instructors. Don’t limit yourself to just one or two martial arts.”

Fists, palms, fingers, kicks, blades, spears, swords, halberds—

A martial artist with limited skills was easy prey for others.

Lin Chong had even considered saying that if Fang Xiao lacked funds, he could lend him some silver for now.

But then he remembered how, not long ago, Fang Xiao had handed him a thick stack of gold leaves.

So he swallowed the words.

“Yes, instructor!”

A thought struck Fang Xiao.

He remembered he had already paid the tuition for a technique he had never studied: the Soul-Stealing Phantom Whip.

Lin Chong’s words—“it never hurts to know more skills”—spoke directly to his heart!

“So be it,” Lin Chong said, reaching for the battered silver spear leaning against the wall, hanging the wine gourd from its tip.

With an old felt hat on his head, he slung the long spear over his shoulder and strode out of the courtyard.

“No need to see me off.”

Those were his last words before he disappeared from Fang Xiao’s view.

In truth, there was something he hadn’t told Fang Xiao—

That this trip was, in part, because of him.

Fang Xiao stood in place for a moment, then cupped his fists and bowed toward Lin Chong’s departing figure.

After Lin Chong left,

Fang Xiao suddenly lost all interest in practicing with the spear.

He felt oddly restless.

After a moment’s thought, he decided to leave the now-deserted annex as well.

After some inquiries,

Fang Xiao found the instructor in charge of teaching whip techniques.

“You are Fang Xiao?”

The whip instructor, Chen Feihuan, was a woman in her thirties or forties. She was unremarkable in appearance but moved with the agile bearing of a warrior, radiating a commanding presence.

She studied Fang Xiao, who had just come to report to her, with keen interest. “You paid your tuition more than a month ago—why have you only now come to study with me?”

Fang Xiao sensed no ill will from her at all.

So he answered honestly, “I was learning spear techniques from Instructor Lin Chong, and thought I’d come to you after mastering that.”

This was indeed his plan!

Chen Feihuan was surprised. “So you’ve already mastered Instructor Lin’s spear techniques?”

Even as she spoke, a few chuckles rang out in the classroom.

There were seven young women and one young man in the room—a total of eight students.

Each glanced at Fang Xiao with a mixture of curiosity, doubt, surprise, or indifference.

The lone boy, however,

looked at Fang Xiao with a trace of disdain!

“Yes.” Fang Xiao was rather baffled; he couldn’t see what was so funny.

“All right then.” Chen Feihuan clapped her hands and said to the other students, “Go practice in the training yard. I’ll be giving your new junior a lesson here.”

The young women all rose, bowed, and left.

Only the lone boy glared fiercely at Fang Xiao, as if he were some heinous criminal!

But Fang Xiao was no pushover.

Even a clay figurine has a spark of temper, after all.

He glared right back—want to settle this on the martial stage?

Six Rivers Academy had strict rules:

Students were absolutely forbidden from fighting in private.

If grudges had to be resolved, it must be done on the legal or martial stage under an instructor’s supervision.

Those who broke this rule would, at best, be expelled from the academy—at worst, have their dantian crippled!

Fang Xiao had no wish to break this rule,

But he was not afraid of a challenge!

Yet instead, the boy avoided Fang Xiao’s gaze and hurried out after the girls.

Coward!

Fang Xiao curled his lip in disdain.

He had nothing but contempt for such blustering, hollow types.

Especially ones with more problems than brains!

“Fang Xiao.”

Having watched all this unfold, Chen Feihuan suddenly spoke. “Instructor Lin said you’re a martial prodigy, exceptionally gifted with the spear. So why do you want to learn the whip as well?”

Chen Feihuan’s specialty was the soft whip.

While the soft whip was one of the classic eighteen weapons,

far more women than men studied it—as evidenced by her students’ gender ratio.

It was clear Fang Xiao wasn’t here to impress a sweetheart.

That, above all, was what piqued Chen Feihuan’s curiosity.