After finishing dinner, Shen Long made his way back to his own residence. With his Master's advice, Shen Long had made some rough plans for the next few months. Shen Long was determined to change the Justice Department to protect his fellow disciples.
Shen Long was less worried about the duel between him and Zuo Qifeng now. If correctly used, it was actually a blessing in disguise. If Shen Long actually managed to win against him, he could immediately solve the problem of the Justice Department. Plus, Shen Long found out that it was impossible for one to die in the Arena, so his anxiety was eased off.
Daoist Fireblade told him some relevant information about the Justice Department. The corruption was all caused by Zuo Qifeng as he abused his power as a Challenger. Other Page-one Cultivators couldn't be bothered to stop him either, as it was none of their business. As long as Shen Long could eradicate his status as the Rank 15 Disciple, he could easily reform the Justice Department. Zuo Qifeng was like the big boss behind the scenes, as he was the backbone of the entire corruption issue.
What Shen Long needed currently was time. With his cultivation speed, he could easily catch up to Zuo Qifeng in the future. One had three months, after the challenge was officially issued, to prepare for the actual duel. The best scenario for Shen Long would be Zuo Qifeng deciding not to issue a challenge at all. And, when the time was right, Shen Long would take the initiative to request for one.
However, the chance of Zuo Qifeng letting Shen Long off was unlikely. Shen Long might be a personal disciple, but challenging and duels were still allowed. These were rules, written by Daoist Fireblade himself. No matter how much he favoured Shen Long, he would still have no choice but to fight if he was challenged.
Hence, Shen Long had to cultivate even harder for the next few months, especially for his footwork. Without mastering the proper footwork, he couldn't even cultivate the first level of [Melodies of Nine Sole Swords]. Hence, he re-adjusted his timetable for cultivation: three hours on Qi; one hour for body strengthening and basic sword arts; the rest on footwork alone.
He was progressing further and further on the Blackgold Track as each day passed. Shen Long was, however, still unsatisfied. It wasn't just the matter of techniques, but also his endurance and stamina. Maintaining total balance required his abs and legs to be constantly engaged. From this, it was obvious that Shen Long was still not up to standard, in terms of his footwork.
When one's movement was completely fluid, one shouldn't feel any soreness or exhaustion. Ultimately, the end goal of using proper footwork is to assimilate one's movement with their attack and defence. When one completely mastered the four key movements, their footwork would just be like walking to them.
Even though Shen Long spent hours and hours on his footwork for two whole weeks, he still couldn't master them all. There seemed to be something missing. When the movements were separated, he could execute them all flawlessly. However, linking and using them at the right time posed some challenge for him.
Just as Shen Long was about to go to the training ground like he usually did, he saw a letter in front of his door. Immediately, he knew this wasn't something good. He had lived in Daoist Fireblade's palace for roughly two months now, and yet he had never received a letter like this.
The letter was stamped with the word "Arena". Even though Shen Long had expected the challenge by Zuo Qifeng, he still appeared shocked and devastated upon seeing the actual letter.
"Dear Shen Long,
You have been challenged to a duel by Zuo Qifeng (Rank 15). As the receiver of the Challenge, you can decide the time of your duel, the only requirement being your battle must be hosted within the next three months. Failure to attend the duel would cause be counted as YOUR loss. You would lose all your Arena points [1000] and you would also be punished by the Supervisor Department for surrendering.
The Arena Battling System is set to improve the standards of the cultivators in this palace. This Ranking system provides disciples here with meaningful goals and competitions. It tests your skills and abilities, and a duel should benefit both parties. Winning and losing, ultimately, are not important; it is the participation that is. You can simply regain your Arena Points for participating in more matches or post challenges to other disciples.
Please drop by the Arena Hall and inform us of your preferred date of the duel within one week. Otherwise, the date would be chosen by the challenger instead. Good luck with your duel and wish you all the best.
17th May, Lunar Year 9426
The Arena Department"
Shen Long immediately sent a spiritual message to his Master. Yes, a private one. He had finally learnt how to send and receive private spiritual messages. Shen Long rushed to the Arena to schedule his duel, as he didn't want to forget it. Three months already was a short period of time. He couldn't afford to have any less time, otherwise, he would definitely lose the battle.
After scheduling his PK, he rushed to the training ground to start his cultivation session without delay. With the pressure of time, he made more progress on his Qi Manual. Working his way through the hundreds of acupoints, he actually located all the remaining ones in one go. Now, it was just the matter of channelling Qi through it, and the Qi Pool to continue to expand.
Shen Long was sure that he would breakthrough to the Seventh Level of the Moonlight Script in a week's time. Although he could theoretically do so now, by forcefully cultivating it, it would significantly impact his future. As mentioned before, Saint Realm was extremely important as it materialized the Qi. Rushing to become an Early-Demigod was definitely not worth it.
After being completely exhausted, he took a small break before heading into his self-modified gym. As usual, he trained as hard as possible, but he quickly moved onto his footwork techniques. Shen Long needed to improve his movement technique urgently as he needed to start cultivating his sword manual. Plus, mastering the basics of footwork would already grant Shen Long much greater combat abilities.
As he continued to challenge the Blackgold Course, time was passing rapidly. It was already 4 pm, and as usual, Daoist Fireblade walked in, in his violet robes. Even though Shen Long told him everything, he didn't seem to be urgent or anxious like Shen Long. He walked in his normal pace as his face was serene.
"Master!! Master! Can you hurry up, please!? Aren't you worried about your disciple, me, losing the 1-on-1 duel? Please give some more tips on my footwork... My rate of improvement is way too slow... I know what to do at all times, but I can never execute them flawlessly... Please help me!" Shen Long urgently asked while Daoist Fireblade continued to walk at an extremely slow pace.
"MASTER! I'm SERIOUS! Can you at least pretend that you care?? Can you at least walk a bit faster???? My duel is in three month's time! I can't lose to that Zuo Qifeng guy. He's a bully who likes to abuse his authority. How can we allow that in here?! Master, you've got to help me out. As a Peak-Celestial Immortal, you must have some tricks for me to improve in my footwork right? I beg you. Teach me!!" Shen Long continued to ask as he walked towards Daoist Fireblade.
"Chill out, Long-er. When time is ripe, you will eventually master your footwork techniques. I can give you advice, but I won't teach you my own tips. Just like how you mastered your basic sword movements, you should do the same for the footwork. Only through repeated failure, you will understand footwork. If I just tell you now, surely you will be able to master it, almost immediately. But your understanding towards footwork will be less thorough. That's not worth it, Long-er. One thing I can tell you though is that you should be less tense. Just like how you trained with your sword. Immerse yourself in the training. Don't think of it as a chore, then eventually you will get the trick." Daoist Fireblade said as he sat on the wooden bench near the Blackgold Area.
Shen Long tried to calm himself down after hearing his Master's words. Daoist Fireblade was right, even before Shen Long received the letter, he didn't train with a clear, free mind. He only looked forward to improvements, but he never enjoyed the training process. Shen Long tried the Blackgold course once again, this time relaxing his entire body.
As he moved through pillars, he felt way more comfortable, compared to before. As he continued along the course, he even started picking up his pace. He was like the wind, and his control over his movements was much better. His face was peaceful and serene, unlike his usual self where his face was always tensed up.
Shen Long cut through the wind as he finally completed the course, for the first time. Daoist Fireblade was very impressed at Shen Long. Even though he didn't teach him how to overcome that final barrier, a few words were enough for Shen Long to breakthrough. Shen Long's talents for cultivation really couldn't be underestimated.
"Well, here you go. We can finally start cultivating the [Melodies of the Nine Sole Swords]. Before starting, read over the first page again, and memorize his words off by heart. Trust me. It would definitely help you. You have actually mastered the four key footwork techniques in two weeks. I'm really impressed. Winning the duel is no longer just a dream for you. Don't be complacent though! Keep working hard, or else... he would be able to completely dominate you in your fight." Daoist Fireblade complimented as he also read the manual once again.