The afternoon brought Practical Combat Class. Due to the conflict that morning, the other students had decided to shun Yan Zhen and prevent any classmates from sparring with him.
Delighted by the free time, Yan Zhen was just about to close his eyes and rest when Xiao Xinyan approached. In a timid voice, she said, “I’ll spar with you.”
“You sure about that?” Yan Zhen gave her a strange look. “I don’t really know how to hold back.”
“Don’t underestimate me,” Xiao Xinyan said stubbornly. “I’m only a Seven-Star Mystic Practitioner, but I’m not intimidated by Eight-Star ones.”
Yan Zhen nodded. “Alright then. I’ll try to go easy on you. If you get hurt, just yell for me to stop.”
A joyful smile crept onto Xiao Xinyan’s face at his agreement, but she quickly noticed the odd stares from those around them. Realizing her slip, she schooled her expression and snapped in a coquettish voice, “What are you all staring at? Go practice!”
With her stunning looks, solid talent, status as the Xiao Family’s Eldest Miss, and a big brother topping the Nine Stars Ranking as her backing, various advantages stacked in her favor. She carried an undeniable air of authority.
The other students hurriedly scattered, though their minds buzzed with confusion. Why did Xiao Xinyan seem so familiar with Yan Zhen? He’d only declared his challenge against Xiao Mie that very morning. Was she trying to use her beauty to probe his weaknesses?
As the two of them began their bout, more classmates turned their attention their way, equally baffled. Even Xiao Mie furrowed his brow.
Though they were only cousins, he and his cousin shared a fairly close relationship.
Xiao Mie knew her well. She wasn’t a bad person at heart, but her spoiled and sharp-tongued nature made her difficult to get along with—except for the few girls who clung to her. She’d even beaten up some boys who’d pursued him once.
So why was she being so… friendly with Yan Zhen, of all people—the one she should have clashed with?
Amid his doubts, Xiao Mie suddenly recalled how Yan Zhen had saved her from Xiao Shi’s grasp. And now, Xiao Xinyan was living with Mentor Yu Xuan… while that kid Yan Zhen was there too.
No way, right?
Xiao Mie’s brows knitted into a deep furrow. Yan Zhen was certainly exceptional, but he was already entangled with Mi Xue’er and the others in some unclear way. Xiao Mie certainly didn’t want his own sister getting mixed up in that mess.
That gave him yet another reason to face off against Yan Zhen.
After school, Yan Zhen hurried home and immediately entered the Crystal Stone Space. He explained the current situation to his Beautiful Female Master.
In order to defeat Xiao Mie in a month’s time, he’d have to set aside pill refining and talisman drawing for now and focus entirely on cultivating his mystic power and Mystic techniques.
Chen Xi had anticipated this and had no objections. She even offered him some advice.
As for mystic power, Yan Zhen had stockpiled plenty of Minor Yuan Pills—more than enough to push him to Seven-Star Mystic Practitioner within a month.
The real priority was his Mystic techniques.
Xiao Mie had suppressed his cultivation for over a year, so his command of mystic power and mastery of Mystic techniques far outstripped any other Nine-Star Mystic Practitioner.
When it came to mystic power, Yan Zhen possessed the Emperor Flame Technique, bolstered by his spiritual power. He was confident he wouldn’t fall short of any Mystic Practitioner.
Mystic techniques were his weak point, however.
At present, only his Tai Chi Shock and Eight Extremes Explosion were battle-worthy.
Qi Meridian Finger and Qi Vortex Technique were good only for bullying the weak or support roles.
His clan’s Flame Palm and Great Flame Palm were even less useful.
Ordinary Mystic techniques wouldn’t cut it against Xiao Mie. The best path was to further develop Tai Chi Shock and Eight Extremes Explosion.
According to the “script,” his Beautiful Female Master was supposed to suggest enhancing his physical strength to stably unleash the Three Heavy Strikes of Eight Extremes Explosion without injuring himself.
The quickest way to toughen his body in the short term? Taking beatings, followed by medicinal baths… and repeating the cycle.
But just now, his Beautiful Female Master had proposed mastering the second realm of Tai Chi Shock instead.
“Deflecting force and countering with shock vigor—that’s merely the first realm of Tai Chi Shock. There is a second realm, called ‘Yin-Yang Vigor.'”
As Chen Xi spoke, she demonstrated. White light bloomed in her left hand while black radiance flickered in her right.
“Yang on the left, yin on the right. When both forces strike the target simultaneously, yin and yang rotate, giving rise to tai chi, which will disperse the opponent’s mystic power within their body.”
She traced circles with each hand. The moment black and white intertwined, her tender, jade-like palm pushed forward. The ambient mystic qi visibly dissipated into nothingness.
Yan Zhen watched in fascination. He never imagined Tai Chi Shock had such ingenuity—a true silencing skill. It would thoroughly disrupt an opponent’s mystic power flow, leaving them increasingly frustrated and unable to unleash their Mystic techniques.
It was a perfect counter to someone like Xiao Mie, who excelled in Mystic techniques.
Pair it with occasional pulls and controls from Qi Vortex Technique…
Ugh, that was nasty. Yan Zhen could already picture Xiao Mie, brimming with skill yet utterly unable to deploy it, raging in impotent fury.
Was he really going to take the sneaky, underhanded route?
No, that wasn’t right. He was meant for the bold, path of the brute-force warrior—one whose overwhelming power conquered all arts, shattering ten thousand laws with sheer might.
Only that way could he make Xiao Mie truly submit and turn him into one of his key allies once they reached Holy Land Academy.
“Master, that seems really tough. I probably can’t master it in such a short time. Isn’t there a simpler method? Like the second realm of Eight Extremes Explosion…”
Yan Zhen hinted furiously.
Chen Xi smiled leisurely. “The second realm of Eight Extremes Explosion births the ninth extreme vigor from within the eight heavies. You’d need at least the Mystic Master Realm to unleash it—far beyond you right now, Zhen’er. Tai Chi Shock, on the other hand, has no realm requirement. With sufficient comprehension, even a Mystic Disciple could bring it to mastery.”
Yan Zhen was dying of impatience. Why wouldn’t his Beautiful Female Master just mention ways to strengthen his body and stabilize the Three Heavy Strikes!?
Wait a minute—practicing Tai Chi Shock would also require taking hits. After the beatings, she’d naturally have him do a medicinal bath. Wouldn’t that kill two birds with one stone?
Was that her deeper intent!? Yan Zhen got it! The plot had deviated slightly, but the overall direction still matched expectations.
“I understand, Master. So, what exactly should I do?”
“Yin vigor and yang vigor are simply soft vigor and hard vigor—nothing mysterious there. The key is coordinating the heart method to deploy both forces simultaneously. First, you must learn to split your mind. Zhen’er, try drawing a circle with your left hand and a square with your right.”
Chen Xi made a lifting gesture with her jade hand, and a stone table rose before them.
Yan Zhen retrieved paper and a brush from his storage ring and placed them on the table. He began to sketch as he envisioned.
He’d expected a mess, but his first attempt was perfect: a precise circle on the left, square on the right.
Chen Xi nodded in satisfaction. “Your soul is strong, Zhen’er, and you’ve even awakened spiritual power. Achieving this much is no surprise. But this is only the beginning. In actual combat, your opponent won’t let you concentrate in peace, so the bare minimum is one mind handling three tasks—like this.”
With that, Chen Xi slipped behind him and wrapped her arms around Yan Zhen. The massive peaks beneath her black skirt pressed firmly against his back, deforming dramatically.
Yan Zhen’s body went rigid, his ears growing hot. Then he heard his Beautiful Female Master’s soft whisper in his ear: “In this position, Zhen’er, it must be hard to draw a square with your left hand and a circle with your right, yes?”
“Y-Yeah, it is.”
She was so fragrant and soft that she commanded all his attention. Circles and squares were the last things on his mind.
“But you can’t let your mind fixate too much on one thing, or you’ll never achieve true mind-splitting.” Chen Xi released him at just the right moment, her expression utterly composed. “Mastering the balance is the key to comprehending the second realm of Tai Chi Shock.”
