12: Late night conversation

Lin Xiu had been waiting for an opportunity.

When he saw a Demonic Beast break through the encirclement, he attacked without hesitation.

Dou Qi circulated within his body, following the force exertion path of the Mountain Shatterer Fighting Skill.

At this moment, Lin Xiu felt as if he were an activated machine; his legs became powerful, and his speed increased.

Leaping high, his leg slammed down fiercely, like a fully swung iron hammer crashing heavily onto the black-spotted leopard's head.

He felt as if he had kicked a hard stone, and the force of the rebound left his leg numb.

"Fortunately, I didn't choose to use my palm or shoulder, otherwise I would definitely have been sent flying."

A hint of relief flashed in Lin Xiu's heart.

There was a significant difference between a First Rank Demonic Beast and an ordinary wild beast, not only in their ability to use Dou Qi but also in their powerful physiques.

Two figures sped through the forest, and upon seeing the black-spotted leopard crash heavily to the ground, one of them threw out a streak of light.

The black-spotted leopard's body trembled violently, and a long spear pierced through its head, pinning it firmly to the ground.

Landing on the ground, Lin Xiu's other leg was numb, making him a bit unsteady, and he waved his hands as he fell backward.

A supporting sensation came from behind him; Lin Xiu turned his head to see Instructor Ruo Lin holding him with both hands, a look of surprise on her face.

Huo Lan landed in front of the black-spotted leopard, pulled out his spear, and said, "You few people teamed up, and you still couldn't stop a First Rank Demonic Beast? Did all your previous training go to the dogs?"

Swept by his angry gaze, Xiao Ning and the others lowered their heads in shame.

No one expected the black-spotted leopard, despite its injured hind leg, to still be able to burst out with extreme speed.

Turning to look at Lin Xiu, the angry expression on Huo Lan's face disappeared, replaced by a hint of surprise, "How did you do that?"

The black-spotted leopard was a First Rank Demonic Beast; its strength would not be small, and it was still in a charging state just now, carrying an inherent momentum.

An ordinary one-star Fighter would find it very difficult to stop it head-on.

Yet, Lin Xiu had actually knocked it down from the air.

"I just kicked it like that," Lin Xiu demonstrated with his still somewhat numb leg.

Staring at his leg for two seconds, Huo Lan was somewhat suspicious; he knew from his own practice how powerful a Whip Kick was, so could he really be a Genius in Fighting Skills Cultivation?

With the appearance of the two instructors, the others quickly gathered around, and the remaining Demonic Beasts were dealt with by the senior students.

Ruo Lin checked Lin Xiu and, finding no bone damage, breathed a sigh of relief despite her surprise.

"Thank you," Xiao Mei found Lin Xiu.

"Why is it you again?" Lin Xiu was stunned for a moment, "We're all classmates, please don't take it to heart."

After speaking, Lin Xiu tiptoed away from Xiao Mei, creating distance.

Standing still, Xiao Mei bit her lip, her expression wronged, and a hint of confusion in her eyes, not understanding why Lin Xiu always avoided her.

After a short rest, Lin Xiu's leg returned to normal; apart from an occasional needle-like sting, it did not affect his walking at all.

Before dark, everyone arrived at the border fortress of the Gama Empire.

Canaan Academy had a rest area here, and when Lin Xiu and the others arrived, there were already many people, all teams returning from recruiting in other cities.

After being assigned their rooms, Lin Xiu threw his luggage onto the bed, went out to wash up, and then ate something.

"Lin Xiu, Instructor Huo Lan called for you," an academy member sharing the same room said, looking at Lin Xiu lying on the bed when he returned.

"Okay, did he say what it's about?" Lin Xiu asked as he got out of bed, and the other person shook his head.

Walking down the corridor, sounds of conversation constantly emanated from the rooms on both sides.

They would depart tomorrow, officially heading to Canaan Academy, and many were excited and expectant, while others discussed events that had occurred on the way.

The instructors' rooms were upstairs; Lin Xiu ascended the stairs, stopped outside a room, and knocked on the door.

Huo Lan's voice sounded from within the room; after receiving permission, Lin Xiu pushed the door open and closed it as Huo Lan indicated.

"Teacher, you called for me," Lin Xiu walked to the opposite side of the table where Huo Lan was sitting.

Huo Lan asked Lin Xiu to sit down, "The Whip Kick I taught you before, you've completely mastered it, haven't you?"

Lin Xiu nodded.

"I've looked at your information; you were once a Family servant of the Lin Family in Te Lan City. From your practice of Splitting Wind Palm and Rhino Mountain Strike, it's clear you hadn't come into contact with Fighting Skills before."

Under Huo Lan's gaze, Lin Xiu didn't understand why the other person was telling him these things.

"These three Fighting Skills, I've noticed you master them very quickly, faster than anyone else. Not only do you master them quickly, but you also seem to be able to use them to unleash stronger attacks."

"Do you know that this is actually a talent, a talent in Fighting Skills?"

With these words, Huo Lan was essentially confessing to Lin Xiu that he had been secretly observing him during this time.

"Teacher, mastering them quickly might be related to my frequent practice; it probably doesn't count as talent."

Lin Xiu used diligence as an excuse.

Although the other party certainly wouldn't detect the matter of the panel, bringing this up suddenly always felt like there was some kind of demand.

Huo Lan himself was a Great Fighter; if he truly had ideas about something on Lin Xiu, he would have no capital to resist at all.

"I can understand you not having been exposed to it before, but once you arrive at Canaan Academy, and you practice more Fighting Skills, you'll understand later."

Huo Lan understood the principle that diligence can compensate for lack of talent, but this required a lot of time, not the short amount of time Lin Xiu used to quickly master Fighting Skills.

Lin Xiu listened quietly.

"I called you here today to discuss your future plans," Huo Lan began to get to the point.

Hearing his words, Lin Xiu sat up straight.

"You wasted a lot of time in the Dou Qi stage; after entering the Academy, you will fall far behind your peers."

"This problem isn't big; it's very simple to solve. A high-Rank Cultivation Technique, combined with some Medicinal Pills, can help you catch up on the time you wasted before."

Age affects Breakthroughs; Dou Qi Cultivation is not simply a matter of enduring over time to continuously grow stronger.

Sometimes, the earlier one Breaks through to a stronger Realm, the smaller the obstacles become.

"Teacher, if I become a student of Canaan Academy, the Academy will provide Cultivation Techniques, right?"

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes; Lin Xiu hadn't expected Huo Lan to suddenly discuss Cultivation matters with him.

"Of course the Academy won't be stingy with Cultivation Techniques, but you've been in a Family, so you should also know that there's nothing free in this world.

This principle is the same in the Academy. After you newly enrolled students advance to a Dou Master, you can receive a Cultivation Technique, but the highest Rank of the Cultivation Technique will not exceed Mystic Low-Rank."

A Mystic Low-Rank Skill, enough for a Family to fight desperately over, sounded like trash coming from Huo Lan's mouth.

"Teacher, then how can I obtain higher-Rank Cultivation Techniques?" Following his words, Lin Xiu noticed a hint of a smile flash in Huo Lan's eyes.

"Through an instructor," Huo Lan smiled.

He told Lin Xiu that each instructor could have several core students, and these students could enjoy Mystic Intermediate or Advanced Cultivation Techniques.

In addition, they could also receive some Cultivation resources each month.

"What do I need to pay?" Lin Xiu calmly asked; he indeed needed Advanced Cultivation Techniques, but if the cost was too great, he would rather use low-Rank Cultivation Techniques.

"Every year, Outer Academy students will have one opportunity to participate in the Inner Academy assessment. I need you to get into the top five, and then retrieve an item for me from the Hidden Scripture Pavilion."

Perhaps it was the attitude Lin Xiu displayed, but Huo Lan made no attempt to conceal his satisfaction with him.