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--- Chapter 290 ---
"Where am I?" Xiao Yu gradually regained consciousness, finding herself lying on the bed and staring at a white ceiling that felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
"We're in your bedroom, Xiao Yu," said Xue Ni, who had been waiting after Xiao Tianbe left. "You fainted on our way to your clan."
Xiao Yu rubbed her forehead. "I fainted?"
Xue Ni laughed softly in return, "Yes! I was shocked when you collapsed so suddenly. Your brother brought us here, and your grandfather came with a physician. Thankfully, you're all right."
"Xiao Ning, Grandpa..." Xiao Yu sighed, recalling the events leading up to her fainting. Then she mumbled, "Xiao Yan, have you really lost your talent?"
Xue Ni took hold of Xiao Yu's left hand, clasping it gently. "Xiao Yu, your grandfather asked me to watch over you. After hearing about your clan's crisis, he knew you'd stubbornly look for the source of the problem, so I think you should approach it more calmly."
Xiao Yu frowned, feeling unhappy. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm not unreasonable. I understand that much."
"Even so, I still want to see this so-called genius from the Soaring Wind Dojo!"
"He must be quite impressive to defeat my cousin..." Xiao Yu instinctively mocked, still believing that Xiao Yan's talent was unrivaled.
'So what if Xiao Yan loses his talent? I believe he will break through this gloomy time and soar even higher in the future!'
'What the hell, she's not listening at all!' Xue Ni thought to herself, feeling speechless.
Xiao Yu's stubbornness had always been apparent, but she had never seen her this fixated. 'I seem to have underestimated the shadow Xiao Yan casts over her.'
Xue Ni then recalled Xiao Tianbe's words and shook her head helplessly at her best friend. 'Xiao Yu's grandpa is right. Xiao Yu, you really need to face some setbacks. It's terrible for me to think this way, but I can't let her continue like this forever.'
"Let's go, Xue Ni. I want to check out the Soaring Wind Dojo!" Xiao Yu exclaimed, springing out of bed and rushing out quickly.
'This girl...' Xue Ni couldn't help but twitch her mouth in disbelief.
As Xiao Yu and Xue Ni made their quick way to the Soaring Wind Dojo on the Primer Clan's Commercial Street, they coincidentally ran into Ruo Ling and a few elite outer students from Jia Nan Academy who headed there as well.
"Xiao Yu?"
"Teacher?"
They unexpectedly confronted each other at the front gate of the Soaring Wind Dojo, staring in surprise.
Ruo Ling frowned slightly before calmly asking, "What are you two doing here?"
"Aren't you supposed to be at Xiao Clan?"
"Teacher, I..." Xiao Yu started to make excuses, but Xue Ni suddenly placed a hand over her mouth.
Xue Ni cleared her throat. "Teacher Ling, Xiao Yu, and I were curious about the genius young man named Han Yuan, so we came to see his skills."
"We mean no disrespect. We only want to exchange ideas."
"Girl, when did you become so good at speaking nonsense?" Ruo Ling approached Xue Ni and pinched her ear sternly. "Do you think I'm a fool for not noticing your usual behavior? You must be hiding something from me on Xiao Yu's behalf."
"Ah, Teacher Ling, I didn't lie! Please spare my ear! It's going to fall off!" Xue Ni pleaded, struggling a little and shedding tears.
Xiao Yu watched this with a warm feeling in her heart, touched that her friend was willing to lie to protect her from trouble.
What Xiao Yu didn't realize was that Xue Ni was doing this to keep Ruo Ling from stopping them.
Sure enough, Ruo Ling caught on.
She released Xue Ni and turned her gaze back to Xiao Yu. "You're not here to challenge someone from the Soaring Wind Dojo just because your cousin lost to him years ago, right?"
Xiao Yu clenched her hands and replied. "I-I just want to see what kind of genius he really is."
"Hmm, very well. Follow me." Ruo Ling was not the type of teacher who indulged her students because she believed they needed to confront hardships to grow in this harsh world.
Today, she intended to show them the kind of 'hardship' that would change their lives forever.
"Hello, we are from the Jia Nan Academy," Ruo Ling approached the guard with a faint smile. "I'd like to talk with the esteemed Dojo Master."
The guard got taken aback. Although he had witnessed the whole ordeal, he didn't expect Ruo Ling to come to him with a polite smile. After all, it was normal to see people acting arrogantly from time to time.
"Alright, wait a minute." The guard replied calmly, leaving Ruo Ling and others hanging as he went inside. Then, he returned, "You may go inside, the Dojo Master is waiting for you."
"Thank you, sir." Ruo Ling nodded, leading her students inside the Soaring Wind Dojo.
As soon as they stepped into the dojo, however, they immediately heard a loud shout. They saw a crowd of the outer disciples training on the tiled ground, throwing punches while keeping their feet firm on the floor.
'How coordinated...' Ruo Ling thought in surprise.
She knew being an outer disciple, especially in a backwater place like the Jia Ma Empire, meant one wouldn't receive much favor or training due to the lack of innate talents. Yet, from these outer disciples, she could tell their foundation is very solid.
Weirdly enough, the Soaring Wind Dojo doesn't seem to train them as a Dou Fighter, but simply as martial artists. To others, this doesn't seem to be impressive, but one must remember that the core of being a Dou Fighter isn't just cultivation, but also mastery of Dou Techniques.
'This dojo is ahead of others in terms of vision.' Ruo Ling added in her heart while one of the dojo's instructors came and greeted her.
"Hello, Teacher Ruo, my name is Yang Kun. I'd be the one leading you to the Dojo Master's office," said a friendly-looking man with a warm tone.
Ruo Ling responded in a similar tone, "Great, thank you, sir."
Yang Kun led them to the second floor of the Soaring Wind Dojo, and this time, they finally saw the inner disciple training. However, compared to the outer disciples, inner disciple training is more ruthless.
A group of youngsters is wielding wooden weapons. Then, they charge at each other with ferocity, and the sound of cluttering clothes echoes one after another before one green-haired young lady is the last standing with bruises and cuts all over her.
"That was intense..." Ruo Ling commented casually.
Yang Kun laughed softly, "Haha, they are cultivating our dojo's main Dou Technique, also known as Howling Wind Dances. This dou technique not only requires sharp fighting instinct, strong five senses, and perfect body coordination, but also a will to fight beyond the norm."
"A dou technique that specializes in dealing with a lot of enemies? That's rare," Ruo Ling nodded in understanding. "But is that young lady going to be fine?"
Yang Kun gave Ruo Ling a faint smile, "Don't worry, our dojo provides utmost care for its inner disciples."
"That girl is going to get treated soon."
"There, just look at it." He ended while pointing his finger at the sprawled disciples and the battered girl.
A tall and handsome young man in blue approached the green-haired girl and sighed, "You've really outdone yourself, Qing Lin."
"Look how messy you are."
"Hehe, if I hadn't done this, I wouldn't get stronger!" The green-haired girl pumped her small fist.
Under Ruo Ling's disbelieving gaze, the handsome young man reached for the girl's injured arm and healed her using a potent Water and Wood Dou Qi, healing it almost instantly.
Then, the young man healed the other inner disciples and then dragged the green-haired girl somewhere else.
"T-That is impossible..." Ruo Ling muttered in a daze.
'How could someone so young possess such terrifying control over Dou Qi, and more importantly, his Dou Qi's attributes are very pure Water and Wood Dou Qi! He's going to be an outstanding healer!'
As a healer herself, Ruo Ling felt her view on the world was changing upon witnessing this.
"Who is he?" Ruo Ling couldn't help but ask.
Yang Kun scratched his cheek, "Well, it's hard to explain, let's just meet the Dojo Master first."
Ruo Ling understood this and nodded, "Alright."
Yet, deep inside, Ruo Ling longed to see that handsome and talented young man again.
In fact, it's not just Ruo Ling who felt like this.
"Oh, my god!" Xue Ni shook her best friend's body. "Xiao Yu, did you see that hottie earlier? He's so damn handsome!"
"He is..." Xiao Yu was dazed, biting her lips. Even in the Jia Nan Academy, no one was as handsome as that dazzling young man earlier.
"But I am here for someone else!"
'Let me see just what kind of person you are, Han Yuan!'