The saying goes: the staff takes a month to see minor success, the saber a year, and the spear takes a lifetime to truly master. However, this does not imply the spear’s ultimate power surpasses others; any weapon, when wielded at its zenith, possesses equal might.

A faint smile touched Ye Chen’s lips. “I will first teach you two sets of techniques: the first is a movement skill, the second, a blade art!”

“Really?” Huang Lu sounded quite excited.

Ye Chen nodded slightly, his mind tracing the intricate movements of the Tianxiang Movement Technique. He meticulously imparted every detail and point of focus to Huang Lu, step by step.

With Ye Chen instructing him right beside him, Huang Lu learned rapidly. He grasped the profound yet simple principles Ye Chen conveyed with astonishing speed. Before long, the patterns and footwork of the Tianxiang Movement Technique were imprinted in his mind, ready for solitary practice later.

“This is incredible!”

Huang Lu moved through the courtyard, his burly frame surprisingly agile, like a dancing butterfly. Within a defined radius, the space became entirely his domain, allowing him movement dictated purely by his will.

“Back at the Academy, the combat technique instructor taught me a movement skill called Ru Feng Ling, but compared to this, it’s like comparing a bucket of water to the ocean. It’s miraculous—I can move this fast!” Huang Lu practiced ceaselessly, astonishment etched on his face, utterly absorbed.

Ye Chen smiled faintly. “Rest for a moment. Then, I will pass on several offensive striking methods and blade forms to you.”

“En!” Huang Lu halted his movements, nodding deeply, his reverence for Ye Chen palpable.

Subsequently, Ye Chen taught Huang Lu the Eight Trigrams Palm, the Tai Chi Fist, and the Xingyi Three-Stance Form—martial striking methods that were crystallized wisdom from ancient Huaxia civilization. Refined and distilled over centuries, these forms contained the leveraging and redirection of the Eight Trigrams Palm, the 'four ounces deflecting a thousand pounds' principle of Tai Chi, and the myriad transformations of Xingyi. Each was a classic among cultivation methods!

Yet, few individuals ever truly grasped and internalized their essence.

After roughly instructing him in these major boxing styles, Ye Chen imparted his most proficient blade art, the Wuji Saber. This technique was divided into three tiers, and even with Ye Chen’s current strength, he could only execute the second tier!

This saber art originated from an ancient martial civilization and was classified as a Commander-grade technique!

Given Huang Lu’s aptitude, it might take him eight years of diligent practice to merely brush against the threshold of the second tier, and achieving the first tier would demand at least two or three years!

Cultivation methods and combat skills required sustained, long-term refinement; there was no shortcut to mastery!

“Amazing!” Huang Lu stood in the courtyard, his body supple as he practiced the Tai Chi Fist, feeling an inexhaustible well of power coursing through him, leaving him deeply shaken.

“Brother Ye, these techniques are just too powerful!” Huang Lu was moved to tears, barely containing a full-blown cry.

Ye Chen smiled gently. “Techniques are static; the practitioner is living. Practice well, and remember what I said: maintain the Xingyi Three-Stance Form for two hours every day!” The Xingyi Three-Stance Form was the foundation and the very essence of the Xingyi Fist, one of many standing meditation methods.

Huang Lu nodded firmly. “I absolutely will!”

Ye Chen glanced at the time; the day had slipped away unnoticed. In another hour, dawn would break. He poured a glass of water and said to Huang Lu, “Go get something to eat, notify your father, and then I’ll take you into the jungle for training. It will likely take about three months.”

Huang Lu started, then beamed with sudden joy. “Really?”

Ye Chen nodded.

“Great!” Huang Lu instantly agreed, then darted out of the Academy. Before long, he returned with breakfast, handed it to Ye Chen, and immediately left again to ask for leave at home.

After Ye Chen finished his breakfast, Huang Lu rushed back, breathless. “I told him, and my dad agreed.”

Ye Chen stood up, wiping his mouth. “Let’s go.”

“En!” Huang Lu followed closely behind, his face alight with happiness. The two walked together to the Dean’s entrance. Along the way, Ye Chen explained a few things, and knowing he would be venturing out with the Dean for training made Huang Lu even more thrilled.

After waiting briefly at the door, Ye Chen saw the inner door open. Huang Zhong emerged, hands clasped behind his back. His aged figure stood rigidly straight, like a javelin. Seeing Ye Chen, a smile touched his lips. “You’re here bright and early?”

Ye Chen nodded slightly. “Dean, I intend to take Huang Lu with me.”

Huang Zhong glanced at Huang Lu beside him, his brow furrowing slightly. “Jungle life is harsh. Can you endure it?”

“I can!” Huang Lu declared instantly and decisively.

“Good!” Huang Zhong nodded with slight satisfaction. “Since you are both ready, let’s depart!”

Immediately, the three walked along a winding path, leaving the village and entering the largest forest on the island.

As far as the eye could see, distant mountains rolled endlessly, covered in towering trees that resembled surging waves—a truly magnificent sight.

Huang Lu gasped, his mouth wide open. “It’s the Nightmare Forest!”

Huang Zhong gave him a sidelong glance. “Are you afraid?”

Huang Lu shook his head, his eyes alight with brilliance. “Excited! This is fantastic!”

A trace of a smile appeared on Huang Zhong’s lips. “Worthy of being Little Shan’s child. Not bad. Let’s go!” He took the lead, guiding Ye Chen and Huang Lu deep into the great forest. The silent trees enveloped the three figures, like the mouth of a demon swallowing them whole…

Inside the forest, the light was dim, the atmosphere silent, permeated by a sense of foreboding gloom.

Huang Zhong proceeded as if nothing were unusual. After a short walk, the dense green canopy parted, revealing a clear lake to the trio. The surface shimmered, and it would have been breathtakingly beautiful if the lingering rays of the setting sun had caught it.

“Let’s set up camp here!” Huang Zhong walked to an open space not far from the lake, looking at the two young men. “Did you bring tents?”

Ye Chen shook his head. Huang Lu paused for a moment, then flushed crimson. “No, we didn’t.”

Huang Zhong rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Two green kids with zero wilderness survival experience. Well, now you get to sleep on the ground.”

Huang Lu offered an embarrassed chuckle.

Ye Chen asked, “How will the training proceed?”

Huang Zhong casually found a clean spot and sat down, speaking lazily. “It’s simple. Though you possess powerful strength, your wilderness survival skills are abysmal. Therefore, every day, you must hunt monsters with your own hands! Additionally, you will both do ten thousand push-ups and sit-ups daily!”

Ye Chen nodded, offering no objection.

“Little Lu, you hunt monsters nearby; your strength isn't quite enough yet.” Huang Zhong looked at Ye Chen. “You will hunt further afield. I will guide you for the first three days. After that, you’ll be hunting on your own.”

“Understood,” Huang Lu replied respectfully.

“Let’s go!” Huang Zhong rose, leading the two towards the more dangerous zones in the distance. His gaze became focused and solemn, and his movements through the jungle were light and practiced.

This was Huang Lu’s first time hunting outdoors, and he felt a mix of excitement and tension, following cautiously behind Huang Zhong. Ye Chen walked calmly, his movements appearing effortless but executed with subtle intent, blurring the tracks he left to obscure their path from any pursuing monsters.

Suddenly, Huang Zhong stopped, lowering his body slightly. He pointed at a vine hanging from a distant tree toward the two behind him, speaking in a low voice. “That is a Mottled Poison Python, a Rank Two monster. Who wants it?”

Huang Lu’s face lit up with surprise; he hadn't expected a viper to blend so perfectly with a vine. His voice tinged with excitement. “I’ll take it!” He immediately drew his battle saber from his back and cautiously approached the python, a mixture of tension and eagerness on his face.

“Hiss!”

The previously motionless viper suddenly uncoiled and lunged toward Huang Lu. Startled, the young man hastily swung his saber wildly, hacking in a panic. In that critical moment, every saber technique and movement skill he had learned vanished from his mind.

The fight ended quickly.

Huang Lu hacked the viper to death in a frenzy.

Huang Zhong looked down at the mess of the slain serpent. He sighed, somewhat speechless. “That was reckless. If that monster hadn't been two ranks below you, you would be dead right now.”

Huang Lu hung his head in shame, nodding repeatedly.

Huang Zhong knew he couldn't rush things. After speaking a few words of caution, he led them onward. Not long after, they spotted an insectoid beast clinging to the trunk of a large tree in the distance. He turned to Huang Lu. “This Green Flesh Worm is a Rank One monster. You take this one.”

Huang Lu nodded firmly, preparing to advance.

Ye Chen suddenly spoke up. “Let me handle it.”

Huang Zhong glanced at him, frowning. “This monster is too low-level; it won't train you.”

Ye Chen’s gaze flickered toward the grass in front of the tree where the worm rested. “There is a much stronger monster lurking there. That Green Flesh Worm is just a distraction.”

“What?”

Hearing this, both Huang Zhong and Huang Lu started, staring intently at the base of the large tree, yet they could see nothing amiss.

Ye Chen paid them no more mind. A six-legged creature was concealed there, snake-like, its camouflage superb, but Ye Chen channeled his strength into his eyes and instantly perceived wisps of vital energy rising from that area.

As Ye Chen advanced, drawing closer to the patch of grass, the vegetation suddenly trembled. Immediately following, a hideous, six-legged lizard covered in bumps, baring its teeth, lunged at Ye Chen from the grass.

“Six-Legged Lizard!” Huang Zhong exclaimed in shock. This was a Rank Eight monster, which, despite its rank, was notorious for its stealth. Even many Rank Nine and Ten experts had been ambushed and killed by this creature!

The thought sent a cold sweat down his spine, replaced by a wave of lingering terror.

At that instant……………

Luo!

Ye Chen moved like a phantom, his hand snapping out like a claw, striking the Six-Legged Lizard precisely under its jaw. The immense force lifted the creature’s entire lower mandible upward. Simultaneously, his other hand sliced down like a blade across the lizard’s neck, accompanied by a sharp sound of shattering bone.

The Six-Legged Lizard tilted its head back limply and fell.

Instant kill! H