Chapter 36: Old Master
Somewhere atop a mountain...
Ye Chen rested inside a shallow river while cold water flowed around his body.
His injuries had mostly healed already.
Even the scar over his eye had completely disappeared.
For the first time in days, his confidence had finally returned.
Beside the river sat an old man with long white hair and a blindfold wrapped around his eyes.
Despite being blind, his presence carried an invisible pressure that made the surrounding forest unnaturally quiet.
The old master let out a soft chuckle.
"I truly must say, disciple," he said calmly. "I was honestly shocked you came running back to the mountain so quickly after descending it."
He tilted his head slightly.
"So tell me... what exactly happened?"
The moment Ye Chen heard that question, his body visibly stiffened.
His expression darkened.
Memories of Shen Tian instantly flooded his mind.
Humiliation.
Pain.
Despair.
Ye Chen subconsciously clenched his fists so tightly his nails dug into his palms.
Then suddenly, he stood up from the river.
"Master!"
He bowed deeply toward the old man.
"Please teach this disciple your strongest fighting technique!"
The old master sighed helplessly after sensing his disciple’s emotional state.
At the same time...
He also sensed the horrifying condition of Ye Chen’s lower body.
The old master’s expression twitched slightly.
"...Good heavens."
Even he didn’t want to get involved with that mess.
Honestly, the damage was so severe it felt less like a human organ and more like a small octopus that had survived a natural disaster.
It was tragic.
The old master silently decided he would pretend not to notice.
"My strongest fighting technique?" he repeated thoughtfully. "I don’t really have one."
Ye Chen froze.
"...What?"
The old master calmly stroked his beard.
"However, I do possess medical techniques capable of paralyzing a person in a single breath."
Ye Chen’s eyes instantly widened.
"Are you serious!?"
He immediately straightened up from his bow.
"Master, please teach me!"
The old master remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly.
"...I suppose I can."
Then his expression became serious.
"But can you promise me something first?"
Ye Chen immediately nodded.
"Anything!"
"Do not abuse this technique," the old master warned calmly. "Medicine exists to heal people, not harm them."
Ye Chen’s eyes brightened with excitement.
"I swear to the heavens!"
"...Fine."
The old master ultimately chose to trust his disciple.
Soon enough, Ye Chen began learning the technique.
Or at least...
Trying to.
What followed was an absolute disaster.
"Focus your breathing," the old master instructed calmly.
"I AM!"
The next second, Ye Chen slipped on a wet rock and fell directly into the river face first.
SPLASH!
"...."
The old master silently stared at him.
A few minutes later...
"Control the flow of Qi through your fingers."
"I got it this time!"
CRACK!
Ye Chen immediately lost control and blasted himself backward into a tree.
"AGH!"
Then later...
"Move naturally with the flow of the body."
"I KNOW!"
Ye Chen confidently stepped forward before instantly tripping over a branch and rolling down a small hill.
"WHAT THE HELL!?"
Even Ye Chen himself was starting to lose his mind.
Everything kept going wrong.
Every single thing.
Nothing worked.
No matter what he tried, something would somehow mess up at the worst possible moment.
The old master stood there in complete confusion.
"...Strange."
In the past, Ye Chen had been a monstrous genius.
Techniques that normally took years to comprehend were learned by him within hours.
Sometimes even minutes.
Yet now...
His disciple suddenly looked clumsy.
Slow.
Almost unlucky.
The old master naturally had no way of knowing the truth.
Ye Chen’s fate value had already been slashed nearly in half by Shen Tian.
Without realizing it, the heavens themselves were no longer favoring him like before.
As a result, everything became harder.
Even learning techniques.
The old master stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Well... it seems you’ll need to train longer than expected."
Ye Chen immediately clicked his tongue in irritation.
"This won’t do!"
His expression darkened.
"Every second I spend up here is another second that bastard from the Shen Family is stealing my women!"
His fists clenched tightly.
"I can’t allow that!"
The old master let out a long sigh.
"Disciple, do not let women blind you," he said calmly. "Focus on your training."
"But, Master, I"
SMACK!
Before Ye Chen could finish speaking, a wooden stick suddenly smacked directly against his head.
"OW!"
Ye Chen immediately grabbed his forehead in pain.
"Shut up and focus!"
The old master no longer sounded calm and wise.
Instead, he sounded annoyed.
Very annoyed.
Even he had limits.
And he absolutely would not tolerate his disciple arguing back.
Ye Chen bit his lip in grievance before speaking again in a much quieter voice.
"...Can I at least put on clothes?"
Another cold gust of mountain wind blew past him.
Ye Chen shivered violently.
"It’s freezing..."
The old master immediately shook his head.
"No."
Ye Chen’s face darkened.
"...Why?"
"To master this technique, you must become one with the earth itself," the old master explained seriously. "You must feel nature directly against your body."
Another gust of freezing wind hit Ye Chen.
His entire body trembled.
The old master remained completely expressionless.
"So endure it."
Then he raised his stick again.
"Now stop whining and continue training!"
Ye Chen immediately cupped his hands.
"Yes, Master!"
Seeing his disciple suddenly start running, the old master’s expression immediately changed.
"God no! Don’t run!"
Ye Chen stopped mid-step before tilting his head in confusion.
"Huh?"
He looked back.
"Didn’t you always say I should stay quick on my feet during training?"
"I—I did..." the old master admitted.
Then his expression twitched slightly.
"But..."
The old master silently looked downward for half a second before immediately looking away again.
He truly did not want to witness that horrifying thing flopping around...
Some sights permanently scarred the soul.
"Just walk," the old master said firmly. "...Please."
Ye Chen looked confused but still obediently cupped his hands.
"Yes, Master!"
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(Author Note: IMPORTANT!)
JUNE SPECIAL EVENT!!!
If we can push Golden Tickets and Power Stones past 1,000, there’ll be a HUGE surprise for all readers at the end of the month!
Super Gifts will also help push us toward the goal as well!
Thank you all for the insane support!
