"By the sea? Qin Fen sized up Lin Jia'er. 'If your current strength advances further, then you’ll need the ocean for your training. There’s absolutely no need for that right now.'"

Lin Jia'er's newly established confidence instantly crumbled. According to her experiments with the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, if practiced alone, even starting from day one required soaking in seawater; there was no other way! How could this man say...

"'Sit down,'" Qin Feng was genuinely exhausted. He placed a hand on Lin Jia'er's shoulder and suddenly exerted force, firmly pressing her down onto the ground.

Lin Jia'er felt a sudden oppressive force and immediately wanted to counterattack, but she discovered the downward pressure exceeded her imagination. Before she could even exert force, she was pinned to the ground.

Dragon-Elephant Strength? Lin Jia'er looked at Qin Fen in disbelief. This man, who had just been bragging wildly, actually practiced this free martial art?

"'Focus on the three gates...'"

Qin Fen didn't even look at Lin Jia'er. He raised a hand to cover his mouth, yawning heavily as he began to explain what he believed was the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra.

Lin Jia'er observed Qin Fen strangely. Never before had a man shown fatigue and yawned upon seeing her. Were they not all energetic and garrulous, afraid they wouldn't capture enough of her attention and regard? What was this man's background? He looked young, his boastful words carried a hint of a Grandmaster's flavor, yet he practiced the free martial art, the Dragon-Elephant Strength.

"'Did you remember it?'" Qin Fen yawned again. These days, he had to stay awake to deal with military training, endure special training arranged by Squad Leader Hao, and when he finally reached night for sleep, dreams wouldn't let him rest, compounded by a stamina-draining session in the God of War Arena. Even an iron body couldn't sustain this.

"'Ah?'" Lin Jia'er looked slightly shy, having been distracted while contemplating Qin Fen's identity.

"'Didn't remember? Then I'll say it again. It is admittedly a bit difficult.'"

Qin Fen spoke plainly, but it sounded different in Lin Jia'er's ears.

Was he subtly mocking me for being slow? Frowning slightly, Lin Jia'er’s inherent defiance flared up. She listened to Qin Fen’s explanation with more seriousness than usual, vowing to memorize it in one go.

"'Remembered this time?'"

"'I remembered!'"

Lin Jia'er provocatively raised an eyebrow, but this alluring gesture was completely overlooked by Qin Fen due to his drowsiness.

"'Now you can practice,'" Qin Fen sat on the ground, leaning against a large tree to recover his strength. "'Practice it once. If there are no issues, you can leave.'"

"'Can I really practice this?'" Lin Jia'er felt uncertain. This route was too complex; many meridians seemed entirely unnecessary in their prescribed pathways, yet they were included.

"'Not practicing?'" Qin Fen was secretly pleased. He made a show of standing up and said, "'Very well, I’ll leave first.'"

"'Wait!'"

Lin Jia'er anxiously spread her arms to block Qin Fen, having never encountered a man so impatient when facing a beautiful woman.

Qin Fen looked up, his gaze falling directly on Lin Jia’er’s heaving chest. The posture was somewhat awkward, so he plopped back down onto the ground. "'Practice, or not practice? I am truly tired, very exhausted.'"

Lin Jia'er glared at Qin Fen resentfully; he was the most ill-mannered man she had ever met.

Helplessly, faced with two choices—potential full paralysis versus a chance of passing—Lin Jia'er could only choose the latter.

"'I'll practice!'"

Lin Jia'er weakly sat down, habitually adopting the five-hearts-to-heaven posture used in the previous version of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra.

Qin Fen watched from the side, saying nothing further. This technique emphasized the internal circulation route; the practitioner could practice it even if they had the habit of running nude.

Lin Jia'er quickly immersed herself in Qin Fen’s version of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. The smooth flow she usually experienced was now extraordinarily difficult. Many meridians, which she couldn't fathom but assumed would be easy to navigate, now felt as hard to push as a thousand-pound boulder. Before long, sweat began to bead on her forehead.

Qin Fen checked the time, leaning against the tree trunk and initiating the circulation of the Resurrection Art. The efficacy of this technique was beginning to wane after continuous use.

Qin Fen sighed internally; the human body ultimately required sleep for adjustment. The Resurrection Art was more like an emergency supply.

After several major cycles, the Resurrection Art washed away some of the fatigue. Qin Fen quietly waited for Lin Jia’er to awaken, estimating she should be coming around about now.

Time ticked by. Before long, Qin Fen felt the body of Lin Jia’er sitting beside him suddenly relax, her crimson lips parting as she slowly exhaled a long breath.

The exhalation was quite prolonged, indicating that Lin Jia'er’s foundation was still quite solid.

Opening her eyes, Lin Jia’er raised an arm to wipe the sweat from her brow. Her gaze upon Qin Fen held more surprise, a hint of doubt, and a touch of speculation.

Lin Jia'er knew quality when she saw it. This version, which could be called the new Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, possessed greater power than the genuine article she had purchased from the Sacred Martial Hall.

The more she recognized the potential of this revised Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, the less she could believe that modifications pushing a high-level technique to an even higher plane could originate from a young man who had just graduated from high school.

In terms of breadth of knowledge, Lin Jia'er was far more experienced than Qin Fen. Due to her family background, she had encountered many truly famous masters and naturally understood that modifying a martial art—whether making it more intricate or simpler—was no easy feat.

Especially when making it more intricate while simultaneously enhancing the martial art's inherent quality—that was something that could not be accomplished overnight.

Even true martial arts masters, or Grandmasters, required extensive, deep contemplation before they could possibly reshape or innovate an entirely new martial art.

To receive instruction, hear it once, and then have it immediately demonstrated on the spot completely defied common sense!

Looking at the calm Qin Fen, Lin Jia'er kept asking herself: What kind of young man was this? He practiced the free martial art, the Dragon-Elephant Strength, yet the guidance he offered on other techniques was so earth-shattering. Did he have some hidden master backing him?

Qin Fen waited for a moment, realizing Lin Jia’er was just staring and not speaking. He had to break the silent deadlock again. "'Is there anything else? I am truly tired.'"

Tired again? Lin Jia'er began to suspect that the young man was deliberately teasing her, constantly claiming fatigue as an excuse to try and bring her into...

Considering this possibility, Lin Jia'er's assessment of Qin Fen dropped even lower.

"'This...'" Lin Jia'er stood up, brushing dust from her curved backside, looking at Qin Fen with hesitation and difficulty.

The new version of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra had been successfully revised, but only for one stage. Once she broke through this stage, she would hit a bottleneck in the next. What then?

The only solution was to ask Qin Fen for the complete cultivation method.