October 10th, the training grounds.
"Remember, these flexible weapons often have a longer attack range than hard weapons, but their effective strike zone is smaller. Within a certain length, often only a portion of the rope's end can cause effective damage. You need to properly manage your distance from the enemy, anticipate their movements and thoughts. Always remember, an inch longer is an inch stronger, an inch shorter is an inch more dangerous."
Cha Zhu demonstrated and instructed while sparring with a staff.
After more than half a month of training, Mo Chuan's close combat skills had greatly improved, and his use of grappling hooks had become more adept. In their sparring matches, Mo Chuan could now hold his own against Cha Zhu, with the latter going easy on him.
Finally, Mo Chuan seized an opening, quickly retracted his grappling hook, discarded the chain entirely, and held the hook-sickle like a dagger, pointing it at the side of Cha Zhu's neck.
The tip of the hook was only a few centimeters from flesh and blood; Cha Zhu couldn't dodge.
Meanwhile, Cha Zhu's long staff was precisely positioned at Mo Chuan's dantian. With a slight push, he could force Mo Chuan to vomit his gall bladder.
They exchanged a knowing smile, tacitly retracted their weapons, and began to rest on the spot.
Cha Zhu looked at Mo Chuan with admiration in his eyes. He had not misjudged the boy; his close combat skills had improved so much in less than a month. More importantly, Mo Chuan had an excellent disposition, possessing patience, perseverance, insight, and goals. He was a rare talent.
He believed that with another six months of his guidance, Mo Chuan would undoubtedly become one of the top close combat masters at his level.
Mo Chuan, through system notifications, learned that he had proactively acquired two new skills: [Flexible Weapon Mastery] and [Combat Proficiency].
Mo Chuan was ecstatic. Although these skills were passive, their bonuses were genuinely substantial.
"Alright, from now on, you should continue practicing on your own. I won't be teaching you anything new until you return from the ruins. Trying to learn too much at once can be detrimental," Cha Zhu said, taking a sip of wine. "Remember to head to Training Ground Number 4 this afternoon to meet your other teammate and select your first temporary squad."
...
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Mo Chuan and Su Yueqing were waiting by the dormitory entrance, eating popsicles, for the new students to report.
There was no other way; Mo Chuan was the only one in the special class dormitory area who could help, and Su Yueqing had been roped in to help with the labor.
"Brother Chuan, who are we waiting for?" Su Yueqing asked, licking her popsicle and fanning herself—even though it was October, the lingering heat of autumn was still quite potent.
"Sister Lian said she'd be here around two..." Mo Chuan said, biting on his popsicle stick and carefully observing the distant road. After the recent training, Mo Chuan's senses had significantly improved.
After waiting for a while longer, Mo Chuan's ears finally caught the sound of a suitcase being dragged nearby.
"They're here," Mo Chuan said, rubbing Su Yueqing's white cowlick on her head. "Be polite later. Call them brother and sister often, don't let them dislike you."
"They'll dislike me?" Su Yueqing looked at Mo Chuan's oblivious expression with resentment.
*Rumble...*
As the sound grew closer, Mo Chuan began to make out the general figure of the approaching person—silver-grey long hair, tall and well-proportioned, with long, fair legs.
"Okay, Su Yueqing, this is a female classmate. Get ready to greet her..." Mo Chuan hadn't finished speaking when Su Yueqing, as if seeing something, instantly reverted to her original form, transforming into that short-legged white-furred little fox and running towards the newcomer.
"Huh!? What are you doing..." Mo Chuan's words trailed off as he too got a clear look at the newcomer's face—He Lanxin.
"Sister Lanxin!" Su Yueqing bumped into He Lanxin's embrace, nuzzling her chest. Her soft white fur and fluffy tail made He Lanxin cover her mouth and smile.
"Sister Lanxin... I didn't expect you to be the second one to report..." Mo Chuan rubbed the back of his head, his hand naturally reaching out to take He Lanxin's luggage, allowing her to pet Su Yueqing.
"I'm here to find some spirit ore in the ruins to cultivate, so I finished my training early," He Lanxin said with a smile. "By the way, I know Zhang Hanshan also attends school here, and Jingjing is at Longjing University next door. What about Sister Fei'er? Which swordsmanship academy did she go to?"
"Ten Thousand Swords Sect..." Mo Chuan clearly wanted to avoid this topic, so he interjected, "We need to go to Training Ground Number 4 later. Otherwise, it'll just be the two of us exploring the ruins."
He Lanxin nodded at this, holding Su Yueqing, and quickened her pace towards her dormitory.
...
After the three had settled their things and rested for a moment, they headed towards the training grounds.
Before long, Mo Chuan heard the boisterous clamor and cheers from the field in the distance. Mo Chuan thought about calling Zhang Hanshan to have him come out and pick them up, but the call went unanswered, so the three went directly in to find him.
"Alright!!! Our classmate Zhang Hanshan has achieved six consecutive victories! Are there any other students who wish to challenge him?"
As soon as they entered, the three were immediately drawn in by the exaggerated tone of the teacher on stage and the hosting style reminiscent of an underground boxing announcer. They looked from the aisle of the spectator stands and instantly spotted that massive, muscular figure radiating Buddhist light.
Looking at the web-like cracks on the stage and the scattered pieces of clothing, it seemed Zhang Hanshan had gone through a period of tough fighting.
"No one else?" the host teacher, wearing a rather flamboyant pink suit, asked mockingly, "When did students from our Longjing University become afraid? Adventures decided through hesitation and deliberation are not adventures at all!"
Saying this, the teacher raised his microphone, pulled out two throwing axes, and began juggling them, all while exclaiming, "Come on! Where is our courage?! Where is our confidence?! Being timid and indecisive is not something a psychic of our generation should do!"
"I will."
Everyone turned to look. A small figure stood at the entrance to the arena.