Lin Xing entered the garden once again, adopting the stance of the Taiqing Long Fist as he charged toward Commander Zhang.
Over and over again, he continuously charged, refining his Taiqing Long Fist while gaining experience from the mortal combat with Commander Zhang.
Under the pressure of an opponent far stronger than himself, Lin Xing felt his swordsmanship and combat experience accumulating at a rapid pace, each battle fought with all his strength leading him to a deeper understanding of many principles.
Until he was on the verge of mental exhaustion and his training effectiveness began to wane, his Taiqing Long Fist had already made significant progress.
Taiqing Long Fist (Level 2, 1.2%) → Taiqing Long Fist (Level 2, 27.9%)
Lin Xing thought to himself, "It's getting much slower to practice the second level of Taiqing Long Fist. This is as far as I can go for now. If I want to become stronger, the best way is to rest for a while, and then continue to train solo with Commander Zhang…"
At the same time, Lin Xing, after another instance of time reversal, entered the garden and stood before the Commander.
"Don't be nervous, the people of Jiang Family Village have long since worshipped..."
"From today on, you are my trusted aide..."
Commander Zhang looked at Lin Xing with admiration and asked, "For now, you will be in charge of guarding my mansion..."
Yet Lin Xing kept his gaze fixed on Commander Zhang, resolved to train solo with him every single day from then on.
He boldly proclaimed, "After hearing about the many deeds of the Commander, I wish to follow by your side day and night, ideally without taking a single step away."
Hearing Lin Xing's words, Commander Zhang laughed heartily, "It's rare to find such loyalty. Alright then, follow me from now on."
After being recruited as a trusted aide by Commander Zhang, Lin Xing first went to get a military uniform to change into and took the opportunity to drop off his backpack and doll in his room.
On his way, he briefly shared the intelligence he had gathered with Bai Yiyi.
Bai Yiyi deduced, "According to what you said, with his ability to overwhelm you in strength and speed, he has definitely surpassed the physical limits, and his roaring ability could be similar to the Lion Roar technique."
"It seems that Commander Zhang must have successfully enhanced at least one technique."
Lin Xing nodded thoughtfully, "Commander Zhang indeed possesses a combat force at the enhanced level, far stronger than my inherited level."
Refining techniques, understanding inheritance, enhancing skills... This was the training process known to Lin Xing.
Even with the understanding of soldier-level inheritance, traditional martial arts like various fist techniques, blade techniques, and swordsmanship remained purely physical skills.
Only by pushing these skills to their limits and enhancing them was it possible to give these martial arts an extraordinary and otherworldly effectiveness.
Otherwise, a normal roar, no matter how miraculous, could not possibly have left him dizzy and immobilized.
Moments later, when he returned to Commander Zhang's side, the Commander had already started working in his study, and Lin Xing stood guard outside the door with three other trusted aides.
Lin Xing stood by Commander Zhang's side for the entire day.
At first, he simply closed his eyes to recuperate in secret, but once he had regained some energy, he began to repeatedly attempt to assassinate Commander Zhang.
Most of the time, he would charge using the Taiqing Long Fist, but sometimes he would approach the Commander for a sneak attack, or even take advantage of moments when Commander Zhang was eating or using the restroom.
Through continual technique refinement, his understanding of Commander Zhang deepened.
He concluded silently, "The Commander is at his weakest when using the restroom, and due to his obsession with cleanliness, the 'fling filth' tactic is very effective."
"Perhaps I should make note of where all the outhouses are in this mansion so that I can find them within half a minute during any fight."
Through the day's repeated practice, Lin Xing incorporated these strategies for exploiting the enemy's mental weaknesses into his combat experience, enriching his experience in deadly duels.
Over the next three days, except for eating and sleeping, Lin Xing stayed by Commander Zhang's side relentlessly, maintaining his repeated assassination attempts.
His Taiqing Long Fist improved greatly in these three days, reaching the third level.
Taiqing Long Fist (Level 2, 27.9%) → Taiqing Long Fist (Level 3, 5.1%)
The progression of Taiqing Long Fist had also promoted the growth of his physical attributes.
Strength: 2.9→3.1 old man
Speed: 2.3→2.5 old man
Endurance: 2.9→3.1 old man
Feeling the enhanced body he had just gained, Lin Xing was very satisfied, but at the same time, he noticed that the pace at which his body was getting stronger had slowed down. The improvement this time from Taiqing Long Fist wasn't as significant as when he reached the first or second level.
"It seems the enhancement of physical attributes becomes more difficult as one progresses."
…
On the fourth day at noon, Lin Xing was still relentlessly attempting assassinations beside Commander Zhang.
Suddenly, a whooshing sound arose from behind him. Lin Xing had just turned his head when he barely caught a glimpse of a blurred figure flashing past behind him.
Then a loud explosion followed, and flames and intense pain came next.
When Lin Xing regained his senses, he found himself once again outside the study.
"What just happened?"
Lin Xing recalled his last memories before he died and thought to himself, "The first figure at the beginning, seemed to be Commander Zhang?"
Because he had died so quickly, Lin Xing couldn't understand what had happened, so he simply did nothing and continued waiting for death to come.
During the following time, he observed everyone who came in and out of the study.
But this time, because his attention was focused on the direction of the study, he turned around the moment something odd happened.
He saw Commander Zhang burst out of the study door like a bolt of lightning, his figure shooting off at high speed.
Inside the study, a servant with a broken neck lay on the ground, clutching a short stick with a burning fuse in his hand.
A curious glint flashed in Lin Xing's eyes, and then the short stick exploded with a bang. A shockwave swept over his body, taking his life with it.
As Lin Xing regained his senses once again, he was utterly astonished: "What was that thing just now? Explosives? Someone attempted to assassinate Commander Zhang with explosives? It's like a terrorist attack."
He thought about Commander Zhang's rapid departure and shook his head, thinking to himself, "It wasn't successful at all."
"Commander Zhang's alertness is too strong, and his movement technique is too fast. This attack was doomed to fail, which is lucky for me."
So, Lin Xing simply used this attack as an opportunity to trigger time reversal, completing his practice over and over again.
After another time reversal, when he felt somewhat fatigued, Lin Xing decided to take a rest.
After a long wait, Lin Xing finally saw the servant with the explosives approaching the study with a tray of refreshments.
He immediately stepped forward to stop him.
The servant hastily said, "This is refreshments prepared under the madam's orders, let me take it inside."
Commander Zhang's voice came from the study, "Let him in."
Lin Xing eyed the somewhat panicked expression and still barred his way, saying, "Are you trying to assassinate someone?"
The servant's face changed dramatically, he took out the dragon-shaped tube and yanked it. Accompanied by the hissing burning sound, he attempted to rush into the study.
The trusted aides and soldiers around them were so frightened that they scattered in panic.
In truth, with their skills, they might have been able to stop the servant and retreat unscathed, but the burning explosives were too terrifying. Almost no one present could make a calm judgment under such a threat.
However, there was one person who remained composed, calmly seizing the long tube. As if he had rehearsed it countless times, he extinguished the sparks on the dragon head with an air of tranquility.