I was about to leave the Na Lan residence when Cheng Long stopped me.
"Before you go, there is one final lesson I wish to impart to you." Master grinned. "I hadn't had any time to train you properly, but I hope you'll be able to learn this when going to Imperial Valley University. It should prove to be very useful once you master it."
"Eh?" I raised an eyebrow. "What are you going to teach me?"
"You'll see. Come with me."
Master stood up and proceeded to the courtyard of the Na Lan residence, gesturing for me to follow. I got up and obeyed, trudging to one end of the garden and dropping down at his instructions. Once he distanced himself, he spun around to face me. I also rose to my feet and faced him, but at his signal, I stayed where I was.
"Watch carefully."
"Understood." I nodded and watched as Master adopted a stance I had never seen before.
"This will be your last lesson before you leave for Imperial Valley University."
"Huh?"
Why the fuck did you have to make it sound so ominous? You're raising death flags, you know? Don't die on me later, old man!
"I'm only going to show you just once." Master looked at me sternly. "So watch very carefully, because I won't repeat them again."
"Okay, Master."
I watched as he scraped his foot against the concrete, a small wisp of qi rising from his polished, black leather shoes.
"I'll be teaching you five basic footwork techniques."
"Footwork techniques?" I repeated, puzzled. Now this was something I didn't see coming. I was half-expecting a summoning technique, but I guess this worked as well.
"That's right. To be proficient in any martial arts, whether it is swordsmanship or punching or even summoning techniques, you need a solid foundation in footwork before you begin." He glanced at my feet. "If I'm not mistaken, you've already been running ten kilometers everyday. That's excellent because it means you've already built up a firm base and shape your physical constitution for footwork. I think you will be ready for this."
Right. So there was a reason why Kai Li Si instructed me to do all those physical exercises daily. I swallowed and watched Cheng Long carefully, trying my best not to miss anything.
"The first one is 'Advance' (jin). It allows you to move forward quickly, and is usually use to close the gap between you and your opponent in an instant."
I frowned as I studied Master's movements, but he seemed like he was walking normally.
How is this any different from how he normally walks?
Then suddenly Master's feet turned into a blur, flickering and disappearing.
"Eh?"
My eyes widened, and the next thing I knew, Master was right in front of me.
The fuck?! He closed at least fifty meters in just a millisecond?!
My jaw dropping, I backed away on instinct. While I was flustered, trying to absorb what was going on, Master reached out and tapped my chest.
"This is 'jin'."
"Amazing…"
I pushed up my glasses as I marveled over the technique and ran through what I had just seen in my mind.
"And the second one is…"
"Huh?"
Master was sliding backward, his feet flickering into a blur again. In another millisecond, he was suddenly back where he started, fifty meters away from me.
"'Retreat' (tui). As it name implies, it is a technique used for retreating from your opponent."
Well, that was obvious. If there was a technique for advancing, then there must be a technique for retreating. I had expected that.
If Master was disappointed by my calm reaction, he didn't show it. Instead, he continued without missing a beat.
"And the third…"
Master disappeared completely from sight. I glanced around to make sure I wasn't seeing things, but he really wasn't there. I turned around, half-expecting to see him behind me, but I didn't manage to spot him.
"Oh, you're good."
I did sense movement behind me before I turned around, though. I didn't learn Heavenly Flow and Earthly Paths for nothing. And Master's voice spoke up from somewhere behind me.
"That's right. This is 'Evade' (duo), which allows you to evade your opponent's attacks and line of sight."
I continued turning around in an attempt to keep him in my sights, but Master casually kicked my feet out from beneath me, causing me to topple over.
"Whoa!"
I managed to throw out my hands and break my fall in time to prevent my face from meeting concrete. In a second I bounced back up to my feet, only to see Master's approving gaze.
"And this is the fourth technique…'Flow' (liu), which allows you to read and predict the flow of moment from your opponent. Used correctly, you can disrupt the flow and use it offensively."
"Cool."
I was still trying to do my best to digest what I was seeing, memorizing the techniques as best as I could.
"Take note that you can't simply use Flow however you want. You need to read your opponents' footwork well, and adjust accordingly, adapting your own footwork to the opponent's so that you can disrupt his flow and neutralize his techniques."
"Gotcha." I nodded as Master walked away. Without turning back, he continued speaking gravely.
"And finally…the last one."
I blinked, not sure if I was seeing a mirage or something. Slowly, one by one, copies of Master were splitting off from his original body, each one so vivid and solid that I couldn't tell them apart, couldn't distinguish which of the several Masters before me was real.
"Whoa?!"
There were five clones of Master casually standing in front of me, basking in the silvery moonlight that shone down on the courtyard.
"This is a secret technique that's the most advanced of the five. Using your qi, you can create illusions to confuse your opponent psychologically. It is called 'Shadow' (ying)."
"!!!"
How was I supposed to learn something like that?! This practically bordered on magic!
Then again, most martial arts – especially the elemental ones did.
"With a few months of practice, you should be able to pick up at least the first three pretty easily." Master smiled. "You already have quite the excellent foundation for using footwork techniques."
"I'll do my best." I cupped my hands and bowed my head. "It's all thanks to Master's training."
"I didn't actually train you," Cheng Long admitted. "I taught you some summoning techniques, which you have shown great affinity for. Excellent job with training your magic carp to use Devour the Heavens. He will definitely progress far in future. But until then, you will also have to work on training yourself. You can't always rely on your spirit beast."
"Understood."
"Good." Cheng Long turned away for a moment, gazing at the sky sadly. "The future of Divine Dragon Sect rests solely on your shoulders now."
Ugh…the pressure. Well, I didn't want to spend too much time thinking about that. So instead I closed my eyes and reviewed the footwork techniques, and then tried them out in reality. Moving my feet about, I attempted to replicate Master's movements, but only succeeded in making a fool out of myself.
"Ugh…how do I do it?"
"Patience and lots of practice." Master waved a hand to assure me. "Don't worry. This isn't something you can pick up from just one time."
"Yeah…but…isn't the trick located in how you direct qi toward your ankle and move it?"
"Hmm?" Master turned to stare at me. I raised my leg up and rotated my foot.
"I've been analyzing it, and it seems that I'm supposed to use my foot from the ankle down. So…kind of like this…"
I tried again, only to almost sprain my ankle.
"Gah!"
Falling over, I winced and clutched my foot, trying to endure the pain.
"Huh? Weird…I could have sworn that's how you moved…"
"…"
Master regarded me silently for a moment.
"Not bad. Your analysis is spot on. But you're missing one crucial link." He pointed at my foot. "You also need to match the circulation of qi in your ankle with your movements. You're doing that, but too roughly. Your foot is too tense, and that causes the qi to get clogged up in your muscles. Relax."
"Yes, sir."
I tried again. Master watched me, an almost grandfatherly expression on his face.
"Take your time to master it. It won't be easy to master it to peak perfection, but once you do attain that level for your footwork, then I'm pretty sure nobody in your generation will be able to touch you."
"Really?" I looked up at Master skeptically. "I don't mean to doubt you, but…that sounds quite outrageous."
"Yeah. I have no reason to lie to you."
Master turned away and returned to the Na Lan residence. I followed him dumbly, especially when he beckoned me over. He seemed to be searching for something and managed to produce it in short order. Picking up a sword, he tossed it to me and I caught it without thinking.
"This is…?"
I immediately recognized it as the sword he lent me when I fought Long Ao Tian.
"That's your sword. Think of it as a parting gift." Master sighed and turned back to me, his hands clasped behind his back. "I have seen your sword skills, and quite frankly, they are beyond anything I can teach you. Hopefully there will be an instructor at Imperial Valley University who can teach you swordsmanship. You seem to have some affinity with it."
"Thank you, Master. I've been practicing some sword techniques on my own for a while now, but I wasn't able to do much."
I stared at the sword in surprise, recognizing the dragon crest that had been carved into the hilt. There was also a dragon painted into the blade itself, which looked cool. Was this the heirloom of the Divine Dragon Sect?
"No, we have plenty of such swords. This isn't the only one."
As if he read my mind, Cheng Long chuckled and shook his head. He produced a second, identical sword out of nowhere. I could only gape at him.
Well, if this was the case, then I had no qualms accepting this sword. I needed a weapon anyway.
"Unfortunately, the Divine Dragon Sect isn't known for its swordsmanship. We are more of a summoning sect." Cheng Long sighed. "I myself am not an adept swordsman. I know a few sword techniques, but my repertoire is limited. I daresay, after seeing you fight Long Ao Tian, you're a better swordsman than I am."
"Not at all!" I protested, but Cheng Long was having none of it.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to teach you much regarding sword techniques. But as long as you remember the summoning techniques I taught you, as well as footwork, you should grow well."
Cheng Long then produced a new manual from his suit's blazer and passed it to me. I stared at it for a moment before recognizing it as a book for advanced summoning techniques.
"That concludes my final lesson to you." Master turned away. "All the secrets of the Divine Dragon Sect are contained in that manual. Protect them well, and master them."
I nodded dumbly, bearing a heavy heart. I never imagined that I would bear such a heavy burden upon my shoulders. When I first joined the Divine Dragon Sect, it was to grow stronger and learn extra techniques to supplement my limited Heaven and Earth Formula. How the hell did I end up being the only surviving disciple of the Divine Dragon Sect?
Also, what was with this death flag that Cheng Long was setting up? I couldn't help but feel a premonition. Was this the last time I would ever see him?
Master lowered his head to grin at me.
"But…you'll always be my disciple, so feel free to contact me anytime. If you ever need help, I'll offer it as best as I can…as part of my private affairs."
My eyes widened briefly, and I nodded. Feeling choked, I couldn't trust myself to speak, but I managed to force out the words I needed to.
"Thank you, Master."
"Nothing to thank me for, there's no need to be so reserved." Master waved at me dismissively. "Our relationship is much deeper than that."
His grin widened and he returned to the main manor of the Na Lan residence, his hand still held up high.
"Go and make big waves in Xing Hao Island. Let all the students there know that the Divine Dragon Sect is not to be trifled with!"