"A jumping clown!"

On the discarded newspaper, a certain Master Liu, proclaiming himself a master of the 'Mian Zhang' (Cotton Palm), struck an exaggeratedly provocative pose. Coupled with the immense headline beneath it, the implication was perfectly clear.

"Perhaps this man is saying the same about my husband!"

Ye Wen paused to consider. Perhaps Hua Yi was right; many people probably viewed his recent actions as mere sensationalist posturing. Given the current state of the Guoshu (National Martial Arts) world, and his own youthful appearance, it wasn't strange that these people looked down on him. It was entirely possible this fellow was gathering friends, waiting for his return to China to deliver a sharp lesson.

This particular paper wasn't a domestic publication, but a special edition printed by a local Liverpool press. It was entirely due to his position as the Chinese chairman and the recent commotion that some local media outlets had begun focusing on Eastern news, even reprinting an article originally posted on Chinese online media.

Naturally, this was accompanied by commentary from local reporters, speculating along the lines of the Liverpool Chairman being challenged by a compatriot, leading to a decisive duel upon his return to China. There was also a distinct undertone of schadenfreude. These John Bulls were inherently xenophobic, and they had long been displeased that a Chinese man like Ye Wen had become the chairman of Liverpool. Now that Ye Wen appeared to be embroiled in a dispute with a fellow countryman, these John Bulls watched with cold amusement. Regardless of who ended up looking foolish, it presented an opportunity for them to celebrate.

"This newspaper has no good intentions either!"

Readjusting his posture, Ye Wen turned to Hua Yi. "Alright, let's get back to posing. The second half of the match is starting..."

Currently, posing on the stands of Liverpool's Anfield Stadium for photographers had become part of Ye Wen's duties. He prioritized this period because it coincided with the Chinese New Year back home. While nearly all other programs yielded way for the Spring Festival galas, football matches naturally commanded more attention. Thus...

He was certain that countless people were currently cursing him while watching him on television, but he didn't care. As for those who wished to publicly humiliate him? When he returned, it remained to be seen who would be slapping whose face.

Ye Wen hadn't practiced martial arts for years in vain, especially since he understood the application of Neijin (Internal Strength). Even without deploying his internal Jinqi (Internal Energy), he was vastly superior to those martial artists who could only endlessly temper their bones and sinews.

The martial arts Ye Wen practiced moved from external cultivation to refining the internal body, yet this internal refinement simultaneously tempered his physical frame and sinews, enabling practitioners to achieve twice the result with half the effort when practicing external techniques. Now, even an ordinary strike from him was incomparably stronger than those who couldn't even cultivate Neiqi (Internal Qi).

Returning from the stadium, Ye Wen was delighted to see another victory, as expected. However, he didn't speak to the team members, heading directly back to his residence by car.

Construction had already broken ground at the school site, and his return to China was officially on the agenda. Simultaneously, he needed to manage affairs for both the club and his school. The club was the source of his fame, and he couldn't abandon it before the school gained traction. This meant he would need to travel frequently back to Liverpool, so selling the property here was unnecessary.

"What about accommodation after returning to China?"

Ye Wen thought for a moment and decided to construct a high-end residential complex directly behind the school. This would not only elevate the standard of the student dormitories but also solve the housing issues for any teachers the school might recruit.

"Since the school is being built deep in the mountains, if we don't properly resolve these most basic living issues, it seems only the few of us will be responsible for all the teaching!"

Hua Yi immediately shook her head vigorously. "I don't want to do those things!"

Compared to Ning Ruxue, Hua Yi had a greater capacity for accepting this world. Perhaps owing to a past life of luxurious, pampered living, and now without the rigid structure of the Shu Mountain Sect influencing her, the little demoness was finally beginning to revert to her original temperament. In truth, Ye Wen preferred this version of Hua Yi; constantly trailing behind him like a slighted girl was tedious.

Hua Yi was overwhelmed by the variety of beautiful dresses and clothes. At first, she felt these garments were too revealing and only dared to wear them for Ye Wen in private. Later, seeing that the whole world dressed this way, she gradually grew accustomed to it. Of course, in the eyes of outsiders, she remained quite conservatively dressed; even the shortest skirt reached her knees. Skirts that were too short were reserved only for Ye Wen.

Now, next to Hua Yi's bedroom in their residence, a dedicated room had been set aside just to store her clothes and shoes. Some were bought by her, but a considerable number were chosen by Ye Wen—the purpose being self-evident. Hua Yi would happily accept the items and then indulge Ye Wen's various curiosities.

The form of address had also changed; she no longer called him 'Master.' To adapt to this society, in public, Hua Yi's designation was Ye Wen’s personal assistant. However, everyone assumed this impossibly beautiful woman was Ye Wen’s private possession. What they couldn't fathom was how Ye Wen managed to appease the wife back home while openly traveling with another woman?

In such settings, Hua Yi addressed Ye Wen as, 'Boss!'

Privately, there were no rules; it depended entirely on the situation, and she would call him whatever came to mind, even resorting to bizarre terms when they were being playful.

Neither of them found anything wrong with this. After all, the soundproofing in their villa was superb, so they didn't fear others overhearing. Moreover, Ye Wen finally got to try out the moves he had long wanted to attempt but never succeeded in executing.

The price paid was Hua Yi being left utterly limp in bed, needing a full day of recuperation before feeling slightly better. Afterward, Ning Ruxue, learning the details, glared at Ye Wen with a flushed face several times and refused his touch for many consecutive days. Coupled with Hua Yi's pitiful appearance, Ye Wen felt a pang of guilt, as if he had committed a great wrong.

"Is it necessary to treat me like this?"

He silently cried out his frustration, but no one paid him any heed. Feeling sullen, Ye Wen channeled his excess energy into teaching his disciple.

"Since you have mastered the Shoryuken (Rising Dragon Fist), next I will teach you..."

"Is it the Hadoken (Surge Fist)?" Tommy struck a pose, mimicking the preparatory stance for the Hadoken.

He was genuinely interested in the skills used by characters in video games; otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically chosen the Shoryuken when Ye Wen first began instructing him in martial arts.

"No!" Ye Wen had intended to teach him that move, but in his current foul mood, he simply didn't want to satisfy Tommy's expectation.

"Then what else?" Tommy changed his stance again, uttering, "Arisuku?"

A faint line of darkness seemed to appear on Ye Wen’s forehead as he shook his head again: If you want to learn that, I truly don't know how!

Tommy scratched his head, then punched forward with both fists held level: "Kame Hame Ha?"

Ye Wen raised a hand to stop Tommy’s guesses. "Enough, stop guessing wildly! I'm going to teach you a few palm techniques..."

The black disciple Tommy saw that none of his guesses were correct, and his eyes spun again. "Could it be that Master is going to teach me a different move?"

Saying that, Tommy grinned and approached Ye Wen: "Master, I wonder if you know this move?"

"Which move?"

Tommy then raised both hands above his head in a posture of grasping something (fictional/illusory), followed by a forward lunge, and finally, his large black hands began to flail wildly like a crazed monkey—at this moment, Ye Wen suspected Tommy was possessed by Brother Biao.

In fact, he recognized the stance Tommy was imitating from the first glance. However, regarding this, Ye Wen felt nothing but helplessness and a sigh, before delivering a sharp slap to the back of Tommy's head.

"Stop fooling around and study properly! If you master this set of palm techniques, it will benefit you for life!"

Immediately, Ye Wen demonstrated the Mian Zhang technique, which he himself had practiced to perfection. His speed was not fast; in fact, it appeared quite slow, intended so Tommy could observe more clearly.

In reality, as his cultivation deepened, Ye Wen realized that this Mian Zhang was far from the shallow technique he initially understood. If practiced to its utmost, this palm art was a top-tier style combining hardness and softness, with speed and slowness obeying the will. Previously, he had relied only on variations in the movements for victory, overlooking the profound subtleties within the technique. Had he not spent these years with nothing else to do but focus intently on practicing martial arts, his power increasing substantially, he might still not have comprehended the deep intricacies of this palm art.

He then carefully reviewed his other martial arts and discovered that his understanding of many techniques was either flawed or overly one-sided. Although the secret manuals he summoned provided detailed methods of practice, the most exhaustive details concerned the internal cultivation manuals; the external techniques were less detailed, often requiring slow, personal comprehension.

After slowly completing the demonstration of the Mian Zhang, Tommy looked utterly listless.

"What? You don't understand?"

Tommy made a face of misery. "Master, is this martial arts? It's so slow; I can't see any power in it. If a strike like this lands on someone..." Tommy demonstrated a waving motion, but he put no force into the wave, as if casually swinging his arm, and the swing was gentle, barely moving his arm, touching someone as lightly as a mere brush.

"This is supposed to be martial arts?"

Ye Wen said sternly, "Who decreed that martial arts must always be straightforward, so fast they are invisible, and overwhelmingly imposing?" He walked over to a stone pillar, said, "Watch closely!" and then gently pressed his hand upward. The palm strike seemed like a mere light tap on the stone pillar, yet it produced a startling sound, likely louder than Tommy hitting the pillar with his full strength punch.

When Ye Wen withdrew his hand, a clear palm print remained etched on the stone pillar, a result of that single strike: "Even I have not fully grasped the profound subtleties of this palm art. Just know that the deeper your cultivation grows, the stronger its power will become. As of now, I haven't even seen the limit of this technique..."

Among the many skills he had mastered, quite a few increased in power as his cultivation deepened, but for those, he could vaguely perceive a ceiling, allowing him to roughly estimate the peak state. Only a few techniques remained enigmatic to him. Take this Mian Zhang, for instance; he even suspected it contained some of the ultimate principles of Taoism.

"It's a pity that although I've read numerous Taoist canons, my understanding is insufficient. I can't compare the two insights now!"

He looked back at Tommy, who was staring wide-eyed at the palm print on the pillar in disbelief. Tommy then tentatively tried a light tap himself, only to find that not only could he not leave a clear print, but he failed to even kill a small insect crawling on the stone.

"This... Master..." Seeing his own poor showing, Tommy looked somewhat embarrassed.

Ye Wen said nothing, merely adding, "This palm art is vast and profound, and you lack understanding of our nation's mystical theories. If you wish to learn it thoroughly, you must exert tremendous effort! For now, I will impart the forms and the techniques for generating force and change. How far you ultimately advance depends entirely on your personal dedication..."

Because many theories that sounded repetitive to Chinese ears meant nothing to foreigners, Tommy’s success in this art would entirely depend on whether he put his heart into diligent study and practice. After all, this technique wasn't truly mastered just by learning the forms and force generation techniques. It was vastly different from, say, Xu Xian’s 'Thirteen Cloud and Mist Forms of Ever-Changing Illusions,' which had a defined limit—any further practice only enhanced Xu Xian's personal strength; the technique had already reached its peak development. If Ye Wen taught Tommy a similar sword technique, perhaps the disciple would master it more easily.

However, Ye Wen's consideration was different. He wanted to know if Tommy was truly worth cultivating. If he was, Ye Wen would teach him diligently. If he lacked the necessary perseverance, then having run errands for him for so long, the martial arts taught were enough, and he would teach no more.

Ye Wen demonstrated the Mian Zhang forms several times, then patiently corrected Tommy stance by stance, slowly explaining the force generation for each movement and the potential variations. By the time these tasks were completed, several more months had passed.

During this period, Ye Wen managed to acquire another manual, titled Qi Xuan Zhan (Seven Revolving Slashes)! According to the manual, although it contained the word 'Slash,' it was a palm technique, yet it was not restricted to palm forms. A quick-witted person could execute its essence using kicks or other means. In other words, while Qi Xuan Zhan had established forms, it was not bound by their execution—it was a martial art emphasizing the intention behind the forms!

Even so, Ye Wen couldn't understand why he had summoned this particular technique. He vaguely recalled that its origin world wasn't particularly monstrous, meaning that while the technique was powerful in its source material, it ranked lower than the nonsensical and utterly unbelievable martial arts he had been summoning lately.

"Why is that?"

Ye Wen's ring had become increasingly unpredictable since its upgrade. Besides reliably providing the Heavenly Crystal needed for the Huntian Baojian (Cosmic Treasure Codex), his summons were entirely random and even more chaotic than before.

"If only my Meixia Dang (Rose Mist Slashing Wave) wasn't already mastered, this summon would have been completely wasted!"

With a wave of his right hand, a mass of crimson Chixia Yanyang Jinqi (Scarlet Cloud Solar Strength Energy) appeared in his palm—this was the true essence of Meixia Dang, resembling a ball of flame. Ye Wen swept his hand, dispersing the energy, but the residual warmth around him testified to the technique's formidable power.

"I have only superficially mastered this Meixia Dang. I wonder how powerful it will be when refined to the extreme!" Ye Wen grew increasingly satisfied with the Huntian Baojian but began worrying about the cultivation paths for the two women.

Ning Ruxue was now focused on cultivating the spark of divine thought in her brow and nurturing the sword energy (which had grown stronger). A mark resembling a small cyan lotus had appeared on her Yintang acupoint, looking like a beautiful forehead ornament, which often tempted Ye Wen to lean down and kiss it.

"Senior Brother, stop fooling around, be careful I release my sword!"

Every attempt by Ye Wen was rebuffed by Ning Ruxue's warning. He knew that Ning Ruxue wasn't joking; the point on her brow was delicate but also her greatest source of power. Ning Ruxue could now deploy the Cyan Lotus Sword even faster than Ye Wen—almost as soon as a thought formed, the sword shot out from her brow to attack, its speed so swift that Ye Wen had to concentrate fully just to parry it. If he insisted on kissing her and provoked his junior sister into unleashing the divine sword...

Although the Cyan Lotus Sword grew more miraculous, Ning Ruxue's cultivation outside of it remained the Xiantian Potou Wuxiang Jianqi (Innate Body-Breaking Formless Sword Qi). He truly didn't know what technique to give her next!

"God... oh, wait! Ring Brother! Give me another volume of Xiantian Potou Wuxiang Jianqi, but this time, let's get the Hong Kong comic book version, shall we?"

If he could obtain that exaggerated technique capable of mobilizing the primal energy of heaven and earth to form sword energy, Ning Ruxue wouldn't need to practice anything else; that single art could instantly annihilate everyone.

However, he didn't know when this wish might come true. Meanwhile, Hua Yi's Tianmo Gong (Heavenly Demon Art) had already reached its peak. Now, Ye Wen had to rely on the ball of crimson essence within his own body to help advance her cultivation. His own practice had stalled, and she lacked a technique like Ning Ruxue's that could constantly increase its power.

It was fortunate that he had obtained a pair of bracelet-like magical artifacts from Zhang Hengguang. This imitation 'Nebula Chain' possessed considerable power, and coupled with Hua Yi's own strength, her immediate safety was not a concern.

"Hua Yi!"

"Yes?"

"Master has been thinking these past few days. Perhaps you should start considering your future cultivation direction..."

Hua Yi smiled faintly, knowing Ye Wen was concerned for her. Feeling a sweet warmth, she replied, "I have been thinking about it! I'm starting to get some ideas! But there are several parts I don't quite understand!"

"Oh? Which parts are unclear? I can help you!" Looking down at Hua Yi, who was wearing a tight qipao, a wicked heat flared in Ye Wen. He lifted the hem of the skirt, which slit scandalously high, and said with a mischievous grin, "Let's discuss important matters while we handle some business!"