As soon as He Bing finished speaking, Instructor Wu looked at him angrily and said, "Are you trying to lead your junior brother astray? How dare you suggest that he use a saber to fight a monster? If he really does use a saber to fight a monster one day, I'll be the first one to come after you."
When He Bing heard that, he said gloomily, "Was what I said not the truth? What should I do if I run into a monster then?"
"If either of you ever run into a monster, you should run away of course. Do you think you're a martial artist?"
Instructor Wu shook his head helplessly and said, "Life in the city has really spoiled you. You've forgotten how dangerous it is outside."
After that, he looked at Lu Heng and said earnestly, "Both of you, remember this. If you ever run into a monster, run as fast as you can to save your own lives."
"Dealing with monsters is the business of soldiers and martial artists. It has nothing to do with you."
He Bing asked in a low voice, "Instructor, what kind of strength does one need to deal with a monster?"
Lu Heng listened attentively as well when he heard this question asked.
He had wanted to ask this question, but since He Bing beat him to the punch, there was no need for him to ask.
"There are both strong and weak monsters out there. Only people who have undergone professional training can make a proper judgment. That's why I'm telling you to run as soon as you see a monster."
Instructor Wu explained patiently, "If you encounter a weak monster, you might still be able to fight it somewhat but, if you encounter a strong monster, you definitely won't even have the chance to draw your weapon."
"Also, you have to know that it's impossible for a weak monster to break into the city. A monster that can break through a city's layers of defense will be extraordinarily strong."
"Do you understand?" Instructor Wu asked.
Lu Heng and He Bing looked at each other, and then replied in unison, "Yes."
Instructor Wu's expression softened when he saw this, and he added, "Also, practice sabers are pretty much useless against monsters."
When Lu Heng heard this, he hurriedly asked, "Instructor, why is that?"
He Bing guessed, "Instructor, is it due to the poor quality of steel used to forge practice sabers?"
"That's right."
Instructor Wu glanced at He Bing, and nodded before saying, "The practice sabers are all forged using the most common steel, and they aren't forged well either. Even if you use one to chop wood, the blade will curl, so just try to imagine trying to cut a monster with one."
"Of course, it's not entirely untrue to say that it cannot be used against monsters."
"There are many types of monsters out there, and their abilities also vary greatly."
"Some monsters are very agile, while others are built like tanks."
"If you use the practice saber against the latter, you definitely won't be able to hurt it at all. However, if you use it on the former, there's still a chance that you'll be able to injure or kill the monster."
"Still, no matter what, the practice saber can't be compared to a real battle saber. Don't expect this thing to be of any use against monsters."
He Bing revealed a look of realization when he heard Instructor Wu's explanation.
Lu Heng felt somewhat disappointed. He had not expected the practice saber to be so bad.
Of course, no matter how bad the practice saber was, it was still a saber. It was better than nothing.
Thinking this, Lu Heng opened his mouth again and said, "Instructor, I've taken your words to heart, so can I take the saber out of the dojo?"
Instructor Wu once again hesitated. He was unsure as to whether to vouch for Lu Heng or not.
Putting aside the possible dangers of allowing him to carry it around, he was very willing to allow Lu Heng this privilege so that the latter could practice whenever he had time.
After all, judging from Lu Heng's current performance, he was indeed worthy of being cultivated.
Still, he was afraid that if something did happen, it would affect him.
Similar things had happened in all the big dojos in the city, and even right here at this dojo. Last year, in Dojo No. 9, an instructor was implicated due to the actions of a student who was permitted to carry a saber.
Seeing that Instructor Wu was struggling again, He Bing wanted to try to persuade him again.
However, considering that his words might have the opposite effect, He Bing decided to stay silent and wait.
On the other hand, Lu Hen was very nervous and anxious as he waited for Instructor Wu's decision.
After a full minute, Instructor Wu finally said, "I'll allow you to take the saber out of the dojo, but you have to bring it to me every morning for me to check."
He had finally thought it through. He Bing and Lu Heng's progress would greatly increase his chances of being promoted during the intermediate-grade instructor evaluation, so it was worth the risk.
"Thank you, instructor." Lu Heng was overjoyed and quickly thanked him.
"Follow me."
Instructor Wu walked past the two of them and strode toward the door.
He Bing and Lu Heng quickly followed.
After passing through the long corridor, the three of them arrived at the equipment room.
"Old Wu, what's up?"
When the manager in charge of managing the weapons saw Instructor Wu bringing two students over, he immediately guessed that something was up.
"Help me choose a saber. It needs to be a sharp one," Instructor Wu said.
When the manager heard this, he immediately understood Instructor Wu's purpose.
As expected, he was here to vouch for a student.
Instructors only needed to come here personally if they were vouching for students. Once the permit was issued, the student would then be allowed to take the weapon out of the dojo. For all other matters, instructors would only need to put in a request.
"You guys are lucky. A new batch of sabers just happened to arrive today."
As the manager spoke, he turned around and picked out a brand new saber from the room behind.
After bringing the saber to the counter, he handed it to He Bing and said, "Young man, here you go."
He Bing hurriedly pointed at Lu Heng and said, "It's not for me, it's for him."
The manager glanced at Lu Heng and immediately turned around to look at Instructor Wu and asked, "Didn't he just get a saber yesterday? Why is it him today as well?"
It had been Lu Heng's first time receiving a saber yesterday. Coupled with Lu Heng's good looks, the manager's memory of him was still fresh.
"I think quite highly of him," Instructor Wu explained.
"Okay." The manager handed the saber to Lu Heng and said, "Congratulations, young man."
Lu Heng quickly handed his blunt saber back to the manager and took the brand-new sharp one.
The manager put the blunt saber on the counter, bent down, and took out a stack of documents from under the counter. He said, "Read it, sign it, then put your fingerprint on it."
Without looking through the document, Instructor Wu directly turned to the last page, signing and fingerprinting it.
Seeing this, Lu Heng also followed suit in the assigned column.
After the manager put away the documents, he took out a fingerprint scanner and asked Instructor Wu and Lu Heng to put their fingers on it.
After the fingerprint scan was completed, the device began to creak and groan. Soon, a saber-carrying permit was printed.
After the official seal was stamped on, the manager handed the permit to Lu Heng and instructed, "Take good care of it. If you lose it, report it to me immediately."
"Okay!"
Lu Heng nodded while glancing at the permit repeatedly.
His heart was beating wildly. He had not expected this day to come so soon. It was like a dream.
He Bing looked at Lu Heng with envy. He had started training with the saber earlier, but Lu Heng had received his own saber earlier than he did.
"I'll head back to the office. You guys can make your own arrangements," Instructor Wu said as he turned to leave.
He Bing and Lu Heng also quickly left the equipment room.
When they reached the corridor, Lu Heng said, "Senior Brother He, thank you for helping me persuade the instructor."
"It's no big deal," He Bing quickly replied, "The coach was willing to vouch for you because he thinks highly of you. It had nothing to do with me."
After saying that, he sighed again. "Sigh, I don't know when I'll be able to have my own saber."