Watching Hu Deqing's figure enter the library, the old man who seldom smiled at her was now standing with a friendly smile on the steps in front of the building, ready to greet her.
People are indeed different from one another, just as reality suggests.
Flower Shirong chuckled self-deprecatingly and walked towards the dormitory area.
She had been delayed for most of the day and still had no dinner arrangements.
Skipping one meal wasn't a big deal; she could consider it as a weight-loss opportunity. Touching her slim body with little flesh, she wondered if she could withstand the upcoming intensive training as someone so frail.
Since she had decided to gradually make herself stronger, Flower Shirong had already been contemplating the training plan for the next two years in her mind.
Martial arts were essential for self-defense and physical fitness, so she couldn't neglect her martial arts classes and had to attend them daily.
She couldn't ignore the courses on pharmaceuticals and refining either.
Hu Deqing was right about one thing. Even if she couldn't master it, having some knowledge about it wouldn't hurt. Who knows, maybe one day she could become an alchemist or a blacksmith?
With the idea that learning a bit more wouldn't do any harm, she decided to attend the introductory courses, but she would skip the advanced ones since she wouldn't understand them anyway!
It's important to have self-awareness.
The Mortal Cultivation Technique was a priority. She would practice it twice a day, morning and evening. Whether she could achieve exceptional results and walk the world as a prominent swordsman would depend on her efforts!
And then there was physical fitness. Is twenty kilometers a day too much?
Her legs were really hurting.
Well, she couldn't be too stingy when it came to her own well-being. She could spend a few more credits to buy some "Healing Ointment."
Hmm, credits... It would be better to gradually increase them. Her leg muscles needed an adaptation process.
Flower Shirong pondered while walking. As her thoughts gradually connected and the idea of strengthening herself through intensive training became clear, the small flame of her long-held dream of the Jianghu began to burn fiercely in her heart.
She looked up at the vast night sky, calming her excited emotions. There was a voice inside her, shouting continuously: "Nine Provinces Continent, here I come, Flower Shirong!"
When you think about it, take action. Strike while the iron is hot.
Since it was already nighttime, she decided to practice the Mortal Cultivation Technique.
Improving her own strength was the way of the king and the top priority. In this world where strength was respected, everything else was just empty talk without power.
The more Flower Shirong thought about it, the more excited she became. Right away, she headed towards the quiet room.
The so-called quiet room was a place for students to cultivate their hearts and minds in tranquility. It was built on the side of the school's back wall, adjacent to other courtyards such as the mentor's residence, medicinal garden, and talisman-making room.
The quiet room was a relatively large garden enclosed by a wall over ten feet high, separating it from the other courtyards.
Within the garden stood several buildings made of green bricks and stones, each with five floors. Each floor was divided into numerous small dark rooms, measuring about one square meter, just enough for one person to meditate.
Once the door was closed, it would isolate the noise from the outside, facilitating the rapid calming of the martial practitioners' minds. It was the ideal place for cultivating the heart method.
In contrast, near the north wall was the training ground, bustling throughout the day.
Flower Shirong hurriedly ran to the quiet room, but it still took her quite some time.
The school was indeed quite large.
Flower Shirong saw an old man sitting quietly in front of the quiet room's gate, seemingly dozing off. The soft light inside the room illuminated his face, revealing his advanced age and a face covered in wrinkles, showing the traces of worldly experience.
When he heard footsteps, the old man raised his head. His clouded eyes brightened, a glint of vitality appearing momentarily before fading away.
Seeing Flower Shirong approaching the gate, he reached out his hand and snorted coldly, "Give it to me!"
Flower Shirong took out her own badge from her bag. It was necessary to have it everywhere within the school. To put it simply, the badge was like a person's wallet, containing their identification and bank cards.
Apart from the dormitory and training ground, everywhere else in the school required the deduction of credits, even attending classes in the classrooms.
Flower Shirong infused a trace of inner energy into the badge, and her name and level appeared on it.
The badge only worked within the school. After leaving, it had to be returned. There was no need to worry about it being stolen. When inner energy was first infused, the badge automatically recorded all your information, making it unusable for others. After being retrieved, the school had a special method to erase all that information, making it ready for reuse.
It was truly miraculous!
The old man took a glance at it without saying a word. He took out his own badge and lightly pressed it against Flower Shirong's badge. With a "beep" sound, a number appeared on Flower Shirong's badge: Jia 3015.
The old man glanced at it and said calmly, "Go, room 3015 in Jia Building."
Flower Shirong took back her badge.
She knew that when she entered room 3015 in the Jia Building later, she would have to confirm with her badge, deduct the required credits, and only then could she enter the quiet room.
Despite the appearance of advanced technology, Flower Shirong knew that it wasn't technology. It was merely a formation inscribed into the badge.
Flower Shirong walked towards the Jia Building. At this moment, three young men emerged from a nearby floor, chatting and laughing. When they saw Flower Shirong, their faces lit up with surprise and joy.
The leader of the group took a step forward, blocking Flower Shirong's path.
As Flower Shirong looked at this tall and handsome young man with a sunny smile, she furrowed her brow.
She didn't recognize him, but judging from his attire, he was obviously from the Ling family.
Trouble was brewing!
The young man casually gazed at Flower Shirong with a relaxed expression and said, "Flower Shirong, aren't you supposed to be dead? Are we seeing a ghost?"
The young man on the right side laughed and said, "Yuhui, they say you can only see ghosts during the day. It's nighttime now, so I suppose this ghost must have more abilities."
Ling Yuhui?
A thought crossed Flower Shirong's mind as she recalled some information about the more well-known members of the Ling family.
Ling Yuhui, 14 years old, senior student, at the first level of Martial Disciple realm.
To achieve the Martial Disciple realm at the age of fourteen meant having above-average aptitude!
It seemed that Flower Shirong wasn't completely useless either, as she had gathered quite a bit of information about certain individuals.
The three young men burst into laughter, carefree and uninhibited!
Flower Shirong calmed herself and pondered her strategy. With a cold tone, she said, "Get out of my way!"
Running away wasn't the first choice. If she were to run, wouldn't they chase after her with all their might? The only option was to face the difficulties head-on.
Though Flower Shirong's voice wasn't loud, it conveyed her determination: She would not be underestimated!
One of the young men looked as if he had heard something unimaginable, his expression strange.
"Am I hearing correctly? You want us to get out of the way? Flower Shirong, do you have the ability for that?"
For someone at the fourth level of Martial Disciple realm to order three individuals who were three realms above her to step aside, how could they not find it laughable?
The three of them laughed even louder, their eyes filled with mockery.
These three Ling family members were all senior students of the advanced department, dressed in the Ling family's standard white robes with golden trims. On their chests, there was a lotus flower seemingly blooming in the wind, and above the lotus flower, two small golden swords hung vertically.
Everyone in Yishui Town knew that these golden swords were symbols of power: one sword represented a hundred years, and two swords indicated that the Ling family had controlled Yishui Town for over two hundred years.
Flower Shirong had heard that the Ling family was not far from obtaining the third small golden sword, probably just a dozen or so years away.
These three individuals had ventured outside to avoid the conflicts between the families.
Among the three individuals, except for Ling Yuhui, who possessed the strength of the first level of the Martial Disciple realm, the other two did not leave any impression on Flower Shirong's memory. It seemed that their realms were not high enough to draw Flower Shirong's attention, so she hadn't collected information about them.
Even if she didn't pay much attention to them, their realms were much higher than Flower Shirong's; otherwise, she wouldn't have failed to discern their levels.
On the Nine Continents, it was difficult to judge someone's realm and strength solely based on the aura they emitted unless there was a difference of at least three realms. Clearly, these two individuals had reached at least the seventh level or higher of the Martial Disciple realm.
These two individuals were not ones that Flower Shirong could easily provoke.
"Is it really that funny?"
Flower Shirong's gaze turned cold as she stared at the young man to the left of Ling Yuhui.
"Of course..."
The young man continued to laugh heartily.
Another young man said, "Yuqing, stop wasting your breath on him! Doesn't he want to die? Let him taste death once again."
Ling Yuqing took a step forward, closing in on Flower Shirong.
"If you want to die, I'll grant your wish! You caused over thirty members of the Shao family to be punished and sent to the mines. We originally planned to settle the score with the Flower family after the young master of the Shao family returned. Since we've encountered you today, let me teach you a lesson and consider it avenging our punished brothers."
Flower Shirong took a step back, on high alert.
Just then, Ling Yuqing swiftly moved forward, throwing a punch at Flower Shirong.
There's a difference between sparring and fighting for real!
Sparring is when you break down the techniques and engage in training with controlled movements. It is highly choreographed and not very fast-paced. Fighting for real, on the other hand, is an actual battle where punches land on flesh.
Considering Flower Shirong's current situation, it would already be considered impressive if she could hold her own against someone of the same realm. In the face of an opponent much stronger than herself, she could only expect to take a beating.
Flower Shirong stared intently at Ling Yuqing's fist. In the moment he struck, she quickly stepped back, showing her agility.
However, Ling Yuqing's speed was beyond what Flower Shirong could imagine. Just as she stepped back, his fist was already in front of her. In a panicked state, Flower Shirong raised her arms to block.
In her state of panic and confusion, her mind went blank. She couldn't recall the counter techniques she would normally use when dismantling an opponent's moves.
Ling Yuqing had much more experience in facing opponents than Flower Shirong. Seeing her arms blocking his attack, he immediately retracted his fist and pivoted, delivering a powerful kick with his right leg.
"Aah!" A loud sound echoed as the kick landed squarely on Flower Shirong's chest.
Before Flower Shirong could even cry out, her body was sent flying, soaring through the air and crashing heavily into a flower bed a yard away.
With just one move, Flower Shirong had lost.
Ling Yuqing patted the hem of his pants and looked contentedly at Flower Shirong, who was struggling to get up from the flower bed, his arrogance becoming more evident.
Ling Yuhui sneered, "Flower Shirong, with your skills, we give you a chance to be round, yet you can't be flat; to be upright, yet you can't be biased. Having a tough attitude requires the capital to back it up."
Flower Shirong climbed to her feet, her chest throbbing with pain. Her qi and blood were in turmoil within her body, making her feel very uncomfortable. Several times, a sweet taste rose in her throat, as if she was about to vomit blood, but she forcibly swallowed it down.
After a while of catching her breath and feeling a little better, Flower Shirong lifted her gaze to the three individuals slowly approaching her.
The other young man laughed lightly, "Yuning, he still hasn't accepted defeat. Watch how I beat him until he is convinced!"
"Yuhui, don't go too far. Just teach him a lesson. Save it for when the young master returns, and let him deal with it personally."
Ling Yuhui readily agreed.
As for the punishment from the academy, the three of them didn't care at all. After all, they would be leaving in less than two years.
The young man called Ling Yuning stretched his body and stepped towards Flower Shirong with a relaxed expression, as if getting into a fight was an easy and casual matter.