"Yeah, sure… as if I'd ever let you forget, brat. You're my life's work," the Alrick muttered as he adjusted his stance. "Even the royal family wanted me to work for them, you know."
"Well done, Bo Lian."
A hand suddenly touched Lian's back.
He jumped forward on instinct, spinning around.
Bo stood there with a smug grin plastered across his face.
"Look at that. Your reflexes have gotten much sharper, haven't they?" He tipped his gourd back for another drink.
"Master Bo, I—"
"Dress up, brat," Bo cut him off. "We don't have time to fool around. It's time for you to learn how to use a sword properly. I see Guǐ Shā Shǒu has finally accepted you as its master."
He pointed to Lian's hand, where a faint sword-shaped symbol flickered briefly across his skin.
Lian blinked.
I didn't even realise that he had come back to me… His eyes drifted to Bo. Training from the Delightful Swordsman himself… I wonder what kind of skills I'll learn from him.
Thud.
A bundle of clothes smacked into his face.
"Put those on and come outside. I have something to discuss with Master Mi Lufeng," Bo said as he helped the Alrick to his feet. The two of them slowly exited the chamber.
Lian picked up the robe and put it on. Though slightly oversized, it hung comfortably over his body.
After tying the sash, he stood in the centre of the room and took a deep breath.
"I vow to become stronger. There's still so much I don't understand… and it's far too dangerous for the current me."
He exhaled slowly and walked out of the chamber.
Outside, Bo was leaning casually against a pillar, waiting for him.
"How does it feel to stand at the true starting point of martial arts? Quite freeing, isn't it?" Bo asked with a smug smile.
"Yes…" Lian replied, lowering his gaze slightly. "I understand now the massive difference between the realms."
"Good. Now come along and try to keep up."
Without another word, Bo stepped off the mountain.
Lian's eyes widened.
"Tch! he's gone just like that? No explanation?"
He leapt after him.
His steps were light against the stone as he descended the mountain slope, barely feeling the impact of each landing.
This isn't comparable at all… I'm reaching this speed without using any techniques…
Bo glanced back over his shoulder.
"Hahaha… look at him. He's completely enamoured with his own strength. Maybe I should increase the difficulty a little."
"Shit, he sped up!"
Lian narrowed his eyes and pushed himself faster.
Halfway down the mountain, Bo suddenly stepped into empty air.
For a split second, he vanished and reappeared on a distant hill.
"What the hell was that?!" Lian gasped.
He leapt into the air as well. Instinctively, frost Qi gathered beneath his feet, forming a temporary platform in midair.
He landed on it and kicked off again, propelling himself toward the hill.
By the time he arrived, Bo was already gone.
And this time, the distance to the next landing point was even farther.
Each jump stretched the gap wider than before.
"He's keeping up nicely… let's increase the difficulty again," Bo muttered.
He flicked his hand through the air.
"Let's see how you will manage this then."
The hill ahead of him exploded into fragments.
"What the hell is wrong with him? How am I supposed to reach the next point now?!" Lian growled.
"That's too far for my ice."
"Come on," Bo's voice echoed from afar. "Show me what you can do."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Bo stepped through the air as if walking on invisible stones. With every step, a faint ripple of Qi lingered behind his feet.
Lian's eyes sharpened.
Just like that old man… is this the Void Step?
He could barely sense it, but with each movement Bo made, the Dao of space seemed to expand and contract.
Could I do that as well…?
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Lian's heart began to pound violently in his chest.
You can't catch a tiger cub without entering the mountain… I have to try.
He pushed off the ground and leapt into the air.
"Tch, this brat! Is he trying to kill himself?" Bo stopped mid-step and turned to watch.
Thud!
Lian's foot touched empty space.
For a brief moment, the air beneath him distorted, and then it held.
He managed to push off it.
But the next step found nothing.
His foot slipped through the air, and he began to plummet toward the ground.
"Shit!"
Lian created another slab of ice beneath his feet and kicked off it. Then another. Then another.
By the time his momentum died, he had reached the next hill.
Bo's eyes widened slightly.
"He really did it… he actually mimicked the Void Step. Barely, but I could clearly feel the space distort beneath his feet."
An unfathomable glee washed over him.
In the next instant, Bo vanished and reappeared beside Lian, grabbing him by the collar before leaping off again. His speed was so terrifying that the air cracked behind them, and distant hills fractured as the shockwave passed.
"Brat… you are really something. You just broke into the Martial Sovereign realm, and you're already touching Dao. What kind of freak are you?" Bo grinned.
"Freak? What are you talking about?" Lian replied over the roaring wind. "Isn't the whole point of martial arts to understand the Dao?"
Bo glanced down at him.
"Well… yes. But it usually takes years to even sense a Dao. What you just did was not normal. I—"
He paused.
Learning the Dao is one thing, but his body performing the Dao, that's just madness, hehehe, things are getting interesting.
"Well, it doesn't matter. I'll test you properly when we get there anyway."
"Watch out!" Lian suddenly roared.
A massive mountain loomed ahead, and it looked as if Bo was about to crash straight into it.
Druppp!
They melted through it as if it were mist.
Lian felt a great Qi wash through him as they passed through the Mountain. It was like he was in the Ocean, and waves upon waves were crushing against him.