Why do I have so many masters?

Since Xue Qinshuang was injured, there were still five days left until the Great Elder's birthday banquet.

The promised three days of opportunity had already ended.

In the subsequent days, Baili Feng sat daily on the bluestone by the cliffside, attempting to use the Swordsman's method of nurturing a sword to strengthen his connection with the Mo Blade. However, the Mo Blade was merely an ordinary weapon and naturally could not develop sentience or resonate with the Martial Artist. Yet gradually, a kind of Swordsmanship's sharp and upright character began to emerge between the young Military Family member's brows.

Gong Yu once watched him sitting there and watched for a full length of an incense stick.

He then ordered that the disciples of Qingfeng Edge temporarily could not come here to practice swordsmanship.

Tuoba Yue, however, just stayed in her room, practicing the mental methods of Inner Strength she had found in the Sutra Loft.

Although Qingfeng Edge was a Sword Sect, its mental methods of Inner Strength were also among the top choices in the entire Jianghu. However, the young girl did not choose those illustrious Divine Skills but opted for an Inner Strength that was not very strong but was not too demanding on talent.

Once mastered, one could use decaying wood as a sharp blade to break three thousand armors.

Inside the Sect Leader's study,

Gong Yu softly relayed the recent behaviors of Baili Feng and Tuoba Yue. Sect Leader Zhu Ling, with his left hand supporting his temple, put down his pen and laughed with great interest,

"One has a courageous temperament, and the other can restrain her desires, understanding the concept of contentment, as if walking on thin ice."
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"These two children are quite good."

"As long as they do not change their original intentions, they should be able to surpass the Third Rank of Longmen with their cultivation. But to advance further will depend on their opportunities."

Gong Yu nodded.

There are many martial artists in the world, yet few receive such an evaluation.

Those capable of reaching the Middle Third Rank can fly through the air. Anyone who reaches this rank must possess something extraordinary.

Baili Feng's achieving this step was within her expectations. From his departure from Fufeng Academy to the Bagua elusive array at the mountain base, it could be seen that although this young Military Family member was impetuous, he possessed a bit of the Military Family's brave and diligent temperament. However, Tuoba Yue's choices surprised her.

Zhu Ling's right hand lowered and then he asked,

"What about the child called Wang Anfeng, what has he been doing these days?"

Upon hearing this, Gong Yu recalled a bit before speaking about Wang Anfeng's activities.

Outside the Qingfeng Edge, Myriad Swords Mountain.

In front of the Sutra Loft.

A pile of pebbles were stacked together to form a stove-like shape, filled with some twigs and bitter firewood. Jiu Zizai casually flicked a Vigorous Qi flame, igniting it. Branches were inserted on both sides, each branch having a fork, and a rather large fish was skewered on these forks, secured atop them. Wang Anfeng sat on a greenstone by the stream, his eyes slightly bright and his lips slightly pursed.

The young man's demeanor was serious, composed and calm, much like a swordsman that is about to draw his sword.

With one hand, he turned the fish, and with the other, he flicked small porcelain bottles out of the pouch from his waist, sprinkling the powdered contents on the fish. As the flesh roasted by the flames slowly began to emit an extremely tempting aroma that pervaded the air.

Across from the young man sat an elderly man in ragged clothes, a woman in white, and a seven or eight-year-old little girl, all watching eagerly as the fish turned golden brown and aromatic.

Jiu Zizai swallowed his saliva hard.

Since discovering a few days ago that this youth also possessed extraordinary culinary skills, he had been sticking around here.

Lately, he had also found out that the youth could replace spices with medicinal herbs, creating dishes that not only had no medicinal toxins but also had a slight nourishing effect, making them easier to absorb than elixirs, and he grew even more amazed. His face showed a longing expression, yet his eyes remained clear.

Watching the youth's technique and how he sprinkled various herbs on the fish, he recalled what he had seen over the past few days.

It was over twenty different types of herbs.

And when Wang Anfeng handled them, he did not even glance at them, clearly very familiar with their medicinal properties.

It's normal for a Martial Artist to know some pharmacology, but Wang Anfeng not only understood pharmacology but also knew acupuncture. To say that he only had superficial knowledge like a common martial artist, Jiu Zizai absolutely did not believe.

Who was the reclusive master who taught this student?

The old man was puzzled in his heart.

"It's done."

The youth picked up the roasted fish, took a dagger from beside him, holding it upside down in his hand. Although he had not learned how to use this dagger, he had already seen the martial arts of the Bai Family in Copper Man Lane.

Initially, it was only Shaolin disciples, but somehow, many other sects' martial artists appeared.

Among them was a sect known for its expertise in daggers and whips, dressed in blue and purple, with a sinister temperament and masked use of poisons. Wang Anfeng had sparred with them countless times. Although he did not know the core force changes of their moves, he was highly familiar with their external actions.

Now holding the dagger, he looked quite skilled. With a flick of his hand, the dagger shimmered like a blooming peony, slicing the roasted fish neatly, each piece falling into the prepared plate.

Here, apart from him and Jiu Zizai, there were only the pair of senior and junior sisters in the Sutra Loft. One fish was not quite enough to fill them up, but it wasn't too little; everyone got a small half plate.

Jiu Zizai picked up a piece of roasted fish and popped it into his mouth, his eyes slightly squinted, feeling the crispness on the bite and the tenderness of the fish. Having traveled the world for decades, he didn't consider this fish the peak of flavor, but the unique cooking technique gave it a special taste.

As he swallowed, he saw Wang Anfeng smoothly sheathe the borrowed dagger and set it aside, his movements fierce and sharp. His brain flickered through several names.

Who exactly was it?

Ever since he learned that Wang Anfeng was not an Academy student but a keeper of books, he had shown a great interest in the young man's mentorship.

With such skill in martial arts, he absolutely didn't believe it came without a prestigious master's guidance.

Swordsmanship, medical skills, Inner Strength.

And that fierce Dagger Technique he had just seen, that sheathing motion alone suggested a viciously efficient Dagger Technique that could be both offensive and defensive.

Naturally, Wang Anfeng had no idea what the old man was thinking.

He was currently in Qingfeng Edge and couldn't return to Shaolin Temple, so these past few days, besides his daily Cultivation of Inner Strength, were rather relaxing. However, his mind often went back to the swordplay demonstrated by the Three Fools Sword, every time feeling as if he grasped something only to be bewildered once he actually picked up the sword, not knowing where to start.

That elusive sensation was truly frustrating.

Wang Anfeng stared at the roasted fish in his hand, recalling that feeling as his eyes showed a hint of confusion; the pieces of fish seemed like flashes of sword light to him, blocking out a small part of the world and, from this beginning, gradually evolving swordplay, growing more absent-minded as he absent-mindedly moved his chopsticks through the air.

Jiu Zizai rolled his eyes at the sight.

"Here we go again."

The chopsticks landed on his own plate, but grabbed nothing but air, a moment of deep thought having allowed him unconsciously to finish the roasted fish. The elder smacked his lips with a somewhat unsatisfied air, his gaze drifting towards the little girl and the woman next to him, both of whom defensively guarded their fish and pulled back slightly, their eyes wary.

Jiu Zizai awkwardly withdrew his gaze but looked back at Wang Anfeng and muttered.

"Kid, you're not eating either; it's going to get cold, and that would be a waste."

As he spoke, his chopstick moved towards the young man's plate with deceptive slowness that belied its swift intent.

His martial arts were exceedingly high, and though he came from a minor Sect and his skills were mostly ordinary martial arts, his prowess made even common techniques look spectacular. At his level of mastery, his martial arts were not confined to any Sect – a casual move could embody seven or eight martial styles.

This chopstick thrust hinted at the speed of the Yaksha Staff Technique's "Chasing Stars," and the peculiar intricacies resembled a mix of the "Pathetic Swords Return Home" technique – something Wang Anfeng awake would have difficulty avoiding.

He was clearly set on making a move on Wang Anfeng.

Yet just then, the younger man's chopstick, launching later yet arriving first, deflected Jiu Zizai's and naturally countered with a sword thrust aimed straight at the opening, eliciting a light exclamation of surprise from Jiu Zizai, whose eyes lit up as he saw that the young man's eyes were still dazed, seemingly still in a trance, yet his hand movements, substituting chopsticks for a sword, displayed a different kind of brilliance.

The elder tried several moves in quick succession, all blocked, though he hadn't used his real skills yet. But it was enough to make him take note. Despite his age, the joy of seeing such promise in a younger person made him laugh openly, now wielding his chopsticks as if they were a real weapon and using genuine skill.

Using spiritual power to command his weapon, he executed a move from the Nine-Bend Sword as unceasing flow while another stroke embodied the backbone of the Three Yin Centipede Spear's "Soul Hooking," utilizing the eighth technique of the Pan Mountain Sword Technique.

The fierce and immense moves performed together made him think Wang Anfeng would block them; but to his surprise, he easily knocked the chopsticks out of the young man's hand. During his brief moment of astonishment, he saw clarity return to Wang Anfeng's eyes, who looked at him innocently and laughed awkwardly:

"Well... they're going to get cold."

"When it's cold, it doesn't taste good. Time to eat, haha..."

...............…

Qingfeng Edge·Pill Pavilion.

Xue Qinshuang looked at the lunch brought to her side, feeling her world turning bleak.

White rice porridge with two strands of shiny green lettuce floating about, not a trace of oil to be seen, and beside it, a small round dish containing vinegar-pickled white, red, and green radish.

Her palms trembling slightly, the chopsticks fell onto the plate.

Outside, a Pill Pavilion disciple heard the noise and came in through the door, only to find the bed empty of the young girl, pausing briefly before rushing forward – just at that moment, a figure lightly descended from the ceiling, stretching gracefully and soundlessly.

In the instant of her landing, her finger reached out and gently tapped an acupuncture point on the disciple's neck, her Inner Strength in operation; the young girl, whose cultivation was at the Ninth Grade and whose foundational martial arts were based on Qingfeng Edge's secret Inner Strength, displayed no resistance, her eyes briefly dull as her body went limp and was caught in Xue Qinshuang's arms.

"Sorry..."

Xue Qinshuang whispered in the ear of the Pill Pavilion disciple, carefully placed the young girl back on the bed, and covered her with a blanket before leaping out the door with light steps, her brown eyes shining brightly.

Just as she stepped out, she saw Gong Yu, dressed in white, his expression cold.

"What are you planning to do?"

PS: Second update.

Thanks to the endless rewards from childhood friends, and to previous companions' generous rewards... I am currently trying to accumulate chapters; we'll make up for it in the future updates. Please be understanding (bows).