Chapter 304: The Calm Before the Battle

“Have you learned your lesson now? You must always remember not to underestimate anyone. You need to understand that there is always someone stronger out there. Besides, even when you face an opponent weaker than you, you can’t let your guard down. A lion uses its full strength even when hunting a rabbit, after all!”

“This disciple was wrong!”

Cailing’s apology was very sincere.

In truth, Chu Fan was very fond of these two disciples.

Wen Ang might have looked simple and honest, but he was no fool. In fact, his unassuming nature might have even been an instinctive disguise. ℯ

Cailing was far more clever and mischievous.

Chu Fan didn’t immediately check on their studies, instead chatting with them for a while.

Cailing was like a little songbird, chattering away nonstop. Wen Ang, on the other hand, only answered what Chu Fan asked and never said a word more.

But it was clear that he was happy inside whenever Chu Fan asked him a question.

Then, Chu Fan called Wen Ang aside. Unexpectedly, Cailing started acting like a little sycophant, sticking close to Bai Yun.

The two girls chatted away endlessly.

In terms of social awareness, Cailing was indeed much sharper than Wen Ang. This was one of the reasons Chu Fan had mischievously made her the senior disciple.

Meanwhile, Chu Fan took out the Dragon’s Roar Demon-Slaying Spear he had obtained after breaking its third layer of seals.

The shaft of the spear was ink-black, as if it could devour all light, yet it radiated a piercing chill.

The moment Wen Ang saw the spear, his expression changed completely. His usually calm, youthful face flushed red, like a young man seeing a peerless beauty for the first time.

“This is a Divine Spear, and I’m giving it to you.”

Hearing it was a Divine Spear, Wen Ang wanted to refuse—it was far too valuable. Yet he couldn’t bear to, and he stammered, at a loss for words.

“When an elder bestows a gift… what comes next?” Chu Fan said, glaring.

“…one must not refuse. This disciple thanks you, Master.”

“The spear’s shaft weighs 108,000 jin, but once you bond with it through blood, it will be much easier to lift. You’re already at the Golden Core Realm, so starting tomorrow, I want you to set the shaft’s weight to 10,000 jin. Every day, you will carry it and run one lap around Shuoyue City. Each time your Cultivation rises by one Tier, you will add another 1,000 jin to the weight,” Chu Fan instructed.

Wen Ang was practically bursting with excitement. How could he possibly refuse Chu Fan’s instructions?

Chu Fan took Wen Ang’s right hand and gently brushed his middle finger, causing a drop of blood to well up.

He let the drop of blood fall onto the tip of the spear.

As the Long Spear absorbed the drop of blood, its entire shaft flashed with a faint light.

The flash of black light made both Bai Yun and Cailing look over.

The Dragon’s Roar Demon-Slaying Spear had accepted its master.

Wen Ang gripped the Long Spear and tried to lift it, but to his surprise, it wouldn’t budge.

“Communicate with the spear using your mind. Tell it how much weight you can handle right now,” Chu Fan said from the side.

Wen Ang obediently did so.

When he tried again, he was indeed able to lift the spear.

He brandished the spear a few times with great effort and was already drenched in sweat.

‘This honest kid!’

Clearly, the boy had set the spear’s weight to exactly 10,000 jin, which was why he was struggling so much.

“Master, there’s a Spear Technique inside it,” Wen Ang said with a delighted surprise after setting the spear down.

“For today, just focus on getting used to this spear. Remember, it has a name. It’s called…”

“I know! It’s called the Dragon’s Roar Demon-Slaying Spear,” Wen Ang blurted out.

Chu Fan nodded.

“It’s getting dark. Go on and get used to it. Tomorrow morning, I will begin testing what you’ve learned over the past four years, and after that, I’ll start teaching you Martial Techniques. My test won’t just cover Cultivation, but also your knowledge of Confucianism. If you don’t pass, there will be punishment.”

Of course, Chu Fan’s words were meant for both Wen Ang and Cailing.

Before long, the four remaining Elders of Celestial Heart Hall—all except those who had gone to Celestial Wave Lake—came to visit Chu Fan.

Among them was Cailing’s mother, Third Elder Ni Wanping.

Chu Fan knew that during his four-year absence, Ni Wanping and her husband had been responsible for teaching the two children. Although it was Ni Wanping’s duty as a mother to teach Cailing, Chu Fan was, after all, their master. It was inexcusable for him to have left for four years right after accepting them as his disciples.

Chu Fan expressed his gratitude to her.

He exchanged some pleasantries with them and instructed them not to tell anyone about his return for the time being. He even asked them to help him keep it a secret from the other members of Celestial Heart Hall.

He explained that he would be staying in this courtyard for an extended period, and that only the three of them should bring food for Wen Ang and Cailing.

Once the courtyard fell silent again, Chu Fan stood alone in the yard, gazing up at the sea of stars. His mind was occupied with how to deal with the bandits at Celestial Wave Lake.

At his current speed, by using Shrinking Inches combined with the Wind Thunder Escape Body Technique, he could easily cover ten thousand li in a single hour.

Therefore, reaching Celestial Wave Lake would only take him two or three hours.

Still, after some thought, he decided to first raise his Wind Thunder Escape Body Technique to the Second Layer Realm.

Then he would go to Celestial Wave Lake alone to scout out the situation.

Once Wind Thunder Escape reached the Second Layer Realm, his movements would be completely at his command. With Wind Thunder Escape at the Second Heaven, as long as he didn’t run into a Half-Saint or a more powerful enemy, almost no one would be able to catch him if he chose to flee.

Why hadn’t these bandits chosen some other place for their base? Why specifically Three Mountains Island at Celestial Wave Lake, the former stronghold of the Red Blood Mansion?

That was what puzzled Chu Fan the most.

‘Could these people be here to avenge the Red Blood Mansion? Or perhaps the Red Blood Mansion itself was merely a tentacle of some major power?’

‘If so, which major power is it?’

‘If an all-out war were to break out, could the Eastern Domain withstand the blow?’

But Ji Bufan hadn’t found any clues about any of this.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, before the sun was up, Wen Ang was already out of bed. After washing up and getting dressed, he shouldered the Dragon’s Roar Demon-Slaying Spear and ran outside.

Chu Fan couldn’t help but nod to himself. ‘The boy is very self-disciplined. I only told him once yesterday, and he didn’t even need a reminder today. He got up on time all on his own to carry out my instructions.’

‘In the future, this boy is sure to achieve great things.’

Not long after Wen Ang left, Cailing got up as well, with Bai Yun rising at almost the same moment.

“Master, my Junior Brother has gone to train. What am I supposed to practice? You haven’t told me yet!”

“Wen Ang’s run is over a hundred li, so it will probably take him more than an hour. In the meantime, why don’t you perform the Sword Technique your mother has taught you these past few years. Let me have a look.”

Upon hearing this, Cailing quickly drew her Sword and began her forms.

She performed the entire Sword Technique, and it was quite remarkable. Chu Fan couldn’t help but nod in admiration.

It certainly had its flaws, and quite a few at that, but she was only eleven years old, after all.

Moreover, she had genuinely comprehended the Sword Dao of the Sword Qi Like Wind Realm, even if she was only at the Early Stage.

It was clear the girl hadn’t slacked off at all during the past four years.

“The second move you just performed, the one with the upward flicking Sword Form—when you execute that flick, pull your left foot back by about half its length and angle the Sword’s edge down just a tiny bit. Try it again,” Chu Fan instructed.

Cailing did as he said, performing the second move again with his corrections. She was surprised to find that the power of the strike had increased noticeably.

“Master, you’re a genius! With such a tiny, subtle change, I feel like the move is so much stronger.”

“That’s why when you practice the sword, you can’t just blindly follow the manual. You need to gain your own comprehension and experiment. Nothing is set in stone. What’s important is to find what works best for you,” Chu Fan taught earnestly.