--- Chapter 3 ---
One day later.
Yu Clan's Courtyard.
A man in his mid-twenties stood before Yu Long. The man's complexion is tanner due to the blazing sun, with shortly cut black hair, sharp eyebrows, and a high nose.
He wore humble-looking attire, a loosely-cut dark blue robe, matching pants and shoes. Although he sported loose clothes, they couldn't hide his somewhat muscular build.
He looks handsome with an honest look and concealed valiant spirit, probably because he doesn't want to scare Yu Long off.
'Hmm, 5th Level of Nascent Profound Realm. Not too bad, but not good either.' Yu Long examined the Martial Arts Instructor.
He doesn't know how much his mother spends her money, but looking at this guy, she must pay him nicely.
"Greetings, my name is Yu Long. Introduce yourself, Teacher." Yu Long said with a smile.
The man was startled by Yu Long's well-spokenness. He expected the child to be quite spoiled if he came from a clan like this.
He coughed off his embarrassment and replied, "Hello, young master. My name is Hong Wuji."
"And I'm here to teach you about martial arts and build a strong foundation for your future cultivation."
"Okay, how old are you?" Yu Long asked instead.
"Eh, 25." Hong Wuji was confused.
"Cultivation Realm?"
"5th Level of Nascent Profound Realm."
"How many of your profound entrances opened?"
"Uh... Eleven..." Hong Wuji was overwhelmed by Yu Long's rapid and straightforward questions. He looked at this bizarre child, wondering what kind of mess he delved into.
Hearing the answers he wanted, Yu Long's eyes lit up slightly.
It seems Profound Sense from the Blue Glass Butterfly works wonderfully.
Yu Long currently observes Hong Wuji, precisely his inner part, and profound veins, and discovers a blue aura traveling inside.
This blue aura is profound energy.
It makes rotation inside the central veins and receives energy from the branches.
Yu Long guessed the level of cultivation based on Hong Wuji's energy purity.
Tapping his chin, Yu Long opened his mouth and asked again, "Teacher Hong, can you demonstrate your profound arts and skills?"
"And don't worry. I won't ask you impossible things like training me such things. I'm just curious how they work."
"..." Hong Wuji.
This kid is abnormal.
Still, Hong Wuji sighed and said, "Step back, young master."
Yu Long stepped a few meters back and used [Compound Eyes], [Thoughts Acceleration, and [Profound Sense] simultaneously.
The world seems to become brighter for Yu Long as Hong Wuji's movement becomes slower.
Hong Wuji entered a horse stance, and profound energy inside his body boiled, moving to his arms.
He drove his fist forward, creating a ripple in the air.
BAM!
"Blazing Tiger Fist!" He roared, causing a small shockwave with a flurry of the blaze.
"Oh!" Yu Long couldn't help but clap his hand. "Amazing, amazing. But why did you have to shout your attack's name?"
"Isn't that counterproductive if the enemy knows your move?"
"Or is it because shouting the attack's name enhances the move's potency?"
"Uh, uh...." Hong Wuji was dumbfounded once again.
Since shouting the name of profound skills seems normal, Hong Wuji never thought of it. After all, it was common sense in this world.
Yes, it doesn't really bring any benefit.
Maybe making it more glorious, but that doesn't seem a good point.
Yu Long's questions made Hong Wuji question his common sense.
"I don't know, young master..." In the end, Hong Wuji answered weakly.
"It's just an instinctual reaction."
Yu Long rolled his eyes and cursed, "Cultivation World and its questionable logic."
"Anyway..."
"Teacher Hong, what can you teach me?"
A few minutes ago, Hong Wuji would be confident in answering this question.
However, now? He couldn't help but solemnly stare at the golden-eyed child before him.
Those golden eyes seemingly pierced through his soul.
'Is he really seven years old?' This thought flashed in Hong Wuji's head.
Hong Wuji shook his head bitterly, "I'm not confident about teaching young master anymore, but I'll try my best to assist you."
"Oh?" Yu Long expected Hong Wuji to resign, but this was also good.
Hong Wuji's mentality is solid.
"Then, teach me more about the Blue Wind Empire." He laughed childishly.
"Someone who had adventure outside like Teacher Hong must have more information than a child in this backwater clan like me."
"Okay." Hong Wuji nodded in understanding.
...
Three weeks later, Hong Wuji trained in the Yu Clan's Courtyard, and Yu Long observed him silently.
Their teacher-student relationship is strange, but they definitely know more about each other now.
Yu Long's oddness never ceases to surprise Hong Wuji.
He's only seven years old and could display a degree of discipline. At six in the morning, he exercises and does several sets of basic punches, kicks, and many others.
Since a child is flexible, Yu Long's exercise is very beneficial to build a healthy body.
Even Hong Wuji tried Yu Long's routine for two weeks and felt his foundation become firmer, making him ashamed.
Who is the student here?
Yu Long also showed extreme comprehension capacity as he could copy Hong Wuji's martial arts with a 'simple' glance. Of course, we don't include profound skills as Yu Long doesn't have a cultivation base yet.
Hong Wuji stopped and exhaled air from his chest.
He clenched his fist and felt the profound energy within his body show a sign of a breakthrough.
"Teacher Hong, can you help me with something?" Yu Long suddenly uttered.
"I'll try my best, young master." Hong Wuji answered instantly.
Yu Long smiled and continued, "Can you hunt profound beasts and give me the corpse? Even low-level ones are okay."
Hong Wuji was curious why Yu Long needed such a thing. Even then, he didn't question his request.
Profound Beasts are the term used for beasts that have the cultivation of Nascent Profound Realm. Profound beasts start their paths when entering this realm as they form cores.
These cores are called Profound Cores and are 'highly' sought after. They could make medicine and weapons with it.
The higher the rank of the profound cores, the more valuable they are.
Yu Long has experimented with insects and some small beasts near the Drifting River City. Theoretically, he could use [Kaiju Maker] on profound beasts, but he never tried as he doesn't have a target to do it.
He asked his mother once, but the latter rejected him. She probably thought he wanted a profound beast pet.
Such a dangerous creature, Yu Xin won't let it get close to her child.
If only she knew Yu Long's ability.
"Profound beasts..." Hong Wuji mumbled to himself.
"I think it's possible."
"Give me a few days, young master." He assured while patting his chest.
'A teacher? He's more like a lackey to me.' Yu Long gave Hong Wuji an innocent smile.
And just like that, Hong Wuji went out for five days.
Yu Long's life was like any other day until someone suddenly barged into his courtyard.
"Fourth Brother!"
It was his second eldest brother, another idiot.
Yu Long clicked his tongue in annoyance but hid it.
"Why are you coming uninvited, Second Brother?"
Yu Long's second brother is five years older than him. He's a chubby fellow with neatly cut black hair and yellow-colored eyes.
Unlike Yu Long's white and black robe, he likes to wear a bright yellow robe with a bold red sash.
His name is Yu Gong.
Yu Gong patted his belly and said, "I heard there would be a new dish in the Fragrance Restaurant. Elder Brother and Third Brother are busy with something else, so I thought of bringing you there instead."
"No, thanks." Yu Long walked away.
"Come on, just for this once!" Yu Gong hugged him from behind.
"What's good about reading books anyway? Trust me, this new dish will blow your mind!"
"Tsk, fine." Yu Long sighed in defeat. Maybe he should enjoy his childhood more.
"Hehe, you won't be disappointed~!" Yu Gong laughed loudly, making his belly jiggle.
Yu Gong and Yu Long went out, strolling on the main road of the Drifting River City.
They arrived at the Fragrance Restaurant and ordered the new item they had. It was a bowl of noodles with creamy white soup and a sprinkle of spices.
Yu Long picked up his chopsticks and slurped the noodle.
Savory flavor hit Yu Long's taste buds.
Since his sense of taste was 'more' enhanced thanks to [Kaiju Maker], he could tell the ingredients used for this bowl of noodles were fresh and high in quality.
Slurp~!
"T-This is not bad." He licked his lips and commented while looking at the empty bowl.
"Right!" Yu Gong finished his second bowl already.
Yu Long appreciates Yu Gong more now.
Maybe this brother of his isn't that idiot after all.
They ordered more bowls, and Yu Long successfully ate four servings himself. He could eat more, but he might get addicted.
On the other hand, the chubby second brother devoured thirteen bowls, talking about addiction.
They were walking on a lonely road, detouring from the main road.
Yu Long frowned slightly, sensing three people hiding in the shadows.
He was unfamiliar with these presences, guessing they were not from around here.
"Fourth Brother." Yu Gong shook him. "What do you think? I'm not lying, right?"
"Yes," Yu Long responded casually, which caused a grin to bloom on Yu Gong's face.
Yu Long is known as anti-social in the clan. Bringing him out like this can be considered an achievement for Yu Gong.
Yu Gong was about to say something when a black shadow suddenly ambushed him. His vision darkened as the last thing he saw was Yu Long's apathetic golden eyes.
...
Yu Long caught Yo Gong with one hand and stared at the unknown man in black. Then, he glanced at the bush on the right and the tree on the left, smiling lightly.
Their cultivations aren't even at Nascent Profound Realm.
Many scenarios ran in Yu Long's head, and he quickly guessed these guys' intentions.
"I don't know who you are, but..." He said indifferently.
"You have chosen the wrong person to kidnap."