The news from Lin Yin left Wang Zhan shocked for quite a while.
"Principal Shi wants to meet me? What could he possibly want with me?" Wang Zhan asked hurriedly.
Seeing Wang Zhan's cautiousness, Lin Yin smiled, "Don't worry. Principal Shi has trained countless strong fighters in his lifetime. If he wants to meet you, it's probably because he sees potential in you and wants to take you as his disciple."
"Take me as his disciple?" Wang Zhan wanted to ask more.
But Lin Yin just shook her head, "This is just my guess. You'll find out when you meet him tomorrow."
Upon hearing these words, Wang Zhan could only suppress his curiosity for now.
The drinking spree lasted until three o'clock in the morning. Only after Lin Yin, a Martial Master, showed clear signs of intoxication did the gathering finally disperse.
It was only then that Wang Zhan and Song Dongming finally understood why Lin Yin, a general, had come to their drinking party.
"Xin Xiaoyan is my niece, and that girl has always been disobedient since she was little," Lin Yin said with hazy, drunken eyes.
"You're only a few years older than me, why should I listen to you!" Xin Xiaoyan retorted stubbornly.
Watching Lin Yin and Xin Xiaoyan bantering as they left, Song Dongming turned to Wang Zhan.
"Are we leaving tomorrow?"
"Yeah, there's no need to hang around in Chang'an City now that the Beast Tide has ended," Wang Zhan nodded. "I'll meet with Principal Shi tomorrow morning, and in the afternoon we can head back to Chu State."
As soon as Wang Zhan finished speaking, he heard Song Dongming's snoring.
Martial Artists weren't supposed to be such lightweights, but even Wang Zhan was feeling exhausted at this point. For a full week, they had been engaged in intense fighting every day. After all, Martial Artists are not machines.
This guy is such a lightweight when it comes to drinking.
As his words trailed off, Wang Zhan also slipped into a drowsy sleep without realizing it.
「...」
First thing the next morning, Wang Zhan met Shi Jingtian at the Command Center.
Shi Jingtian still had his usual appearance of an emaciated old man with a goatee, his face always adorned with a peculiar, squinty smile.
Whenever Wang Zhan was scrutinized by Shi Jingtian's gaze, he couldn't shake the feeling that this Martial King had some ulterior motives. Just like a lecherous ghost spotting a pretty young girl.
After sending Lin Yin off, Shi Jingtian got straight to the point, "I've already reviewed your file. Eighteen years old, a level 8 Martial Artist, broke the Limit by over 40! And it's only been a few months since you advanced from Martial Student to Martial Artist! To describe you as unpolished jade or a great talent feels like an understatement for your Talent."
"Senior Shi, you flatter me," Wang Zhan felt a little uneasy at the praise.
He had dealt with Martial Kings before, but neither King Xing nor the King of Thunder had treated him like Shi Jingtian did.
No matter how talented I am, I'm still just a Martial Artist. How could I deserve such treatment from a Martial King? Wang Zhan thought.
Shi Jingtian soon revealed his true intentions, "Wang Zhan, you must have seen my fight with Cerberus yesterday, right? What do you think of my fist technique?"
Wang Zhan was utterly baffled.
During a battle between a Martial King and King-level beasts, I could barely see anything, let alone use my mental energy to probe their moves! The aftershocks from the battle between Shi Jingtian and Cerberus prevented most people from prying.
Shi Jingtian, old and astute, instantly saw Wang Zhan's predicament. He laughed, "Alright, I'll cut to the chase! Wang Zhan, will you become my disciple? I've dedicated my entire life to mastering ancient boxing methods and I've achieved some recognition. If you become my disciple, I can teach you all my insights into these ancient boxing methods."
"Ancient boxing methods?" Wang Zhan was intrigued.
Shi Jingtian nodded, "Yes, they are also classified as martial arts. However, unlike high-level martial arts, ancient boxing methods rely entirely on the martial artist themselves, making them a true method of combat."
"In other words, the power of ancient boxing methods has no upper limit! As long as your physical body is strong enough, ancient boxing methods can always allow you to exert the full power of your physical body! This is not something other martial arts can achieve!"
"For instance, the Eight Extremes Fist that I used yesterday is actually just a Profound-level martial art in humanity's arsenal. However, in my hands, it exhibits power no less than Heavenly-Level Martial Arts! That's because my physical body is strong enough!"
At this point, Shi Jingtian suddenly grabbed Wang Zhan's arm and squeezed it a couple of times. He then nodded in satisfaction, "Good, your physical strength is high. If you learn ancient boxing methods, you're bound to achieve great things."
Wang Zhan's expression was odd; he had a strong feeling that Shi Jingtian was trying to trick him.
"Principal Shi, I... I already have a master, and I am part of the Chu State Military Academy. I can't really enroll in the Chang'an Martial Arts Academy."
"No worries! If you agree, I'll go to the Chu State Military Academy and demand your transfer immediately!" Shi Jingtian waved his hand, not minding at all.
Wang Zhan was taken aback and fell silent. After a brief pause, he shook his head and declined, "I'm sorry, Principal Shi."
In fact, if Shi Jingtian hadn't exaggerated the ancient boxing methods so much, Wang Zhan might have considered his proposal. However, because Shi Jingtian's claims were so outrageous, Wang Zhan instinctively felt that this was a trap.
Moreover, Wang Zhan didn't have any plans to leave Chu State in the near future. His mother and Wang Qi were both in Chu State, and most of his friends were also there. There was no reason for him to leave.
Hearing Wang Zhan's rejection, Shi Jingtian's face stiffened for a moment.
"Forget it, I won't force you." With that, Shi Jingtian reached into his pocket and took out an ancient book, handing it to Wang Zhan. "This is my guide to the Eight Extremes Fist. You can try practicing it when you have time. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to contact me, or come find me at the Chang'an Martial Arts Academy."
Shi Jingtian then gave Wang Zhan his contact number.
This time, Wang Zhan was rather overwhelmed by this unexpected favor.
"Senior Shi, is this... isn't this inappropriate?"
"No big deal. I see you have good Talent, just helping a bit," Shi Jingtian said nonchalantly. "In a few months, the Federal Martial Arts Tournament will take place. I will be attending as a judge. I hope you can get a good result! By the way, the prizes for this tournament, even I find them tempting. You should seize this opportunity."
After saying these words, Shi Jingtian waved Wang Zhan away.
Not long after Wang Zhan left, Lin Yin walked into the room.
"Principal Shi, still couldn't trick him?" Lin Yin asked with a smile.
Shi Jingtian's face visibly darkened. "What do you mean by 'trick'? The ancient boxing method has no successor; can't I find a disciple?"
"You definitely didn't tell Wang Zhan that the real power of the ancient boxing method can only be manifested after reaching the Martial General level, and it must be a Martial General who has broken the limit by more than 30%!"
"COUGH, COUGH." Shi Jingtian coughed twice, concealing his embarrassment.
Lin Yin laughed, "The ancient boxing method is indeed powerful, but it has much harsher prerequisites than other martial arts! Moreover, it requires cultivation from the Martial Artist Stage, and only takes effect when one becomes a Martial General! One should know, most martial artists never break through to Martial General in their lifetime."
Shi Jingtian sighed deeply. This was indeed the downside of the ancient boxing method; it relied on long-term accumulation for a powerful burst.
In his early years, his teacher had fooled him into enthusiastically practicing the ancient boxing method. As a result, until he reached the Martial General stage, he was just a Martial Artist with a high realm but extremely weak combat power.
Not only that, his original Talent was outstanding. If he had followed the usual path of a martial artist, he probably would have broken through to Martial King ten years ago.
But every gain has its loss. Shi Jingtian was able to decisively defeat Cerberus, a standout among King-level beasts, just after breaking through to Martial King, thanks to the power of the ancient boxing method.
"Sigh, it seems the inheritance of my ancient boxing method will have to be left to fate," Shi Jingtian said despondently.
If it weren't for the stringent conditions required to practice the ancient boxing method, with his status as a Martial King, how could he not find a suitable successor?
Shi Jingtian once blamed his teacher for deceiving him, but now he found himself unknowingly following his teacher's old path.
「...」
After seeing Shi Jingtian, Wang Zhan went to find Deng Chaofan.
Because of his low strength, Deng Chaofan had not participated in the battle and was only doing logistics work.
Wang Zhan gave him some beast cores collected from the battlefield. These were of no major use to Wang Zhan except for the money they could fetch, but for Deng Chaofan, they were valuable resources for cultivation.
After hearing that Deng Chaofan had gotten together with the girl he liked, Wang Zhan extended his sincere blessings.
Then, amid Deng Chaofan's curses, he left.
「...」
Besides this, Wang Zhan had originally planned to convert all his military merit into Mixed Essence Pills to take with him.
But when he arrived at the military's logistics department, he learned that military merit was universally accepted throughout the Federation, and he could exchange it in Chu State City.
In addition, Wang Zhan's military merit had been topped up to 100,000 points, under Lin Yin's instructions.
100,000 Military Merit Points was a huge sum. In return, Wang Zhan reciprocated by donating all his remaining high-level beast cores to the military. He wasn't at a loss anyway.
Having taken care of all these trivial matters, Wang Zhan finally joined up with Song Dongming to board the train back to Chu State City.
「...」
By the afternoon, the two had already arrived back in Chu State City.
Although the Academy was still on vacation, Wang Zhan and Song Dongming did not feel relaxed at all.
Having just experienced a Beast Tide, they were keenly aware of their own insignificance.
No matter how much attention they attracted in the Academy, it was all illusory; only real strength mattered.
So Wang Zhan, along with Song Dongming, made a quick trip home, greeted his mother, and then hurried off to the Academy.
By around four in the afternoon, the two had already arrived at the entrance of the Academy.
"We're finally back," Song Dongming sighed.
Although they had only been away for seven or eight days, it felt as if a lifetime had passed.
As soon as they entered the Academy, they received a message from Liu Zhenfeng.
On the top floor of the Academy's office building, the two met Liu Zhenfeng and Lv Zhenglong.
"You two, running off to Chang'an City to resist the Beast Tide without a word. Are you trying to get yourselves killed?" Liu Zhenfeng said with a dark face, his tone unfriendly.
But before Wang Zhan and Song Dongming could explain, Lv Zhenglong, who was next to him, laughed, "Alright, Old Liu, stop scaring them!"
"These two have brought great honor to our Chu State Military Academy this time!"
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