Old Huo suddenly realized that he had probably misunderstood Hu Gan before.
Just based on Lin Xiu's palm strike, it was definitely not something that Hu Gan's mere guidance could accomplish.
To master the Dou Technique to perfection, apart from practicing for a long time, understanding was even more crucial.
Comprehension!
This kind of thing could only be understood but not explained.
"How... how did you do it?" Hu Gan's emotions surged, causing him to stutter.
In terms of astonishment, no one could surpass Hu Gan.
Because Thundering Palm was personally taught by him to Lin Xiu. How long had it been since he imparted the Dou Technique to him?
"Huh? Headmaster, what do you mean? I don't know either. I just practiced, and when I felt it, I memorized it."
From the reactions of the two, anyone with a bit of sense could discern some clues.
Lin Xiu had always been intelligent, and naturally realized that something was amiss.
However, he had no choice. Just now, facing Xiao Long and the others, his intention was to increase the difficulty and gain more experience.
Yet, those two lacked sportsmanship, unexpectedly resorting to prolonging the fight.
Lin Xiu wanted to defeat them, but his realm's much weaker, so he could only do his best.
At this moment, Thundering Palm couldn't be kept hidden anymore.
He hadn't expected Hu Gan and Old Huo to secretly witness it.
"Young Lin Xiu, it seems you have a high talent in cultivating Dou Techniques," Old Huo's eyes flickered, as if he had thought of something.
Lin Xiu didn't know why Elder Huo suddenly mentioned this. He scratched his head, showing a modest expression. "Is this considered talent? Could it be just luck, stumbling upon it by accident?"
"Well, the way you put it, I do think that's a possibility," Old Huo suddenly turned serious, actually pondering deeply.
Hu Gan said irritably, "How many students in the Academy wish they could stumble upon such an opportunity?"
"Director, you might be mistaken. Perhaps Lin Xiu's Dou Qi and Dou Technique just happen to coincide perfectly,"
Old Huo shook his head. "I think you should give him another Black Rank Dou Technique to test it out."
Upon hearing Elder Huo's words, Lin Xiu's eyes lit up. He fixed his gaze on Hu Gan, feeling grateful for the divine assistance from the elder.
Although he didn't know why the elder was helping him, Lin Xiu didn't care. At worst, he could give him two White Carps in the evening.
Anyway, obtaining another Black Rank Dou Technique was a tremendous advantage.
"No need for verification. I believe in Lin Xiu; this is his talent."
However, Hu Gan waved his hand dismissively, turned, and walked away, leaving Elder Huo and Lin Xiu standing there dumbfounded.
"This guy..." Old Huo wanted to curse Hu Gan for a moment, but seeing Lin Xiu still present, he swallowed his words.
He followed Hu Gan and left the lakeside.
Originally losing the bet and being extorted for a Third Grade Pill by Hu Gan, Old Huo felt extremely frustrated.
Wanting to trick Hu Gan once, but this old guy was too clever, not falling for it at all.
For a moment, Old Huo forgot his purpose for this trip.
Standing alone by the lake, Lin Xiu's hair was tousled by the wind, looking a bit disheveled.
"Today was a big loss. If it weren't for those three guys, I would definitely have had a chance to snatch a Black Rank Dou Technique from the director's hands."
Lin Xiu blamed those three individuals for causing him to prematurely reveal his proficiency in Thundering Palm, making the director cautious.
"I'm done fishing. Let's go back and rest."
After battling with the three for a while, the experience gained was abundant, three to four times more than Lin Xiu practicing alone for the entire afternoon.
At this moment, Lin Xiu's Dou Qi was also nearly depleted, so he decided to give himself half a day off.
...
Returning to the dormitory, everyone was there. When they saw Lin Xiu coming in, their faces were full of surprise.
Among them, Xiao Ning was particularly resentful. This guy would eat something, leaving the entire dorm filled with the smell, and then he'd close the doors and windows, making him drool with envy.
"Brother Xiu, the fishing wasn't good today?" Lin Dun asked.
"It's not that. I just lost interest because someone ruined the mood. I don't feel like fishing anymore," Lin Xiu replied, lying down on the bed with his hands behind his head.
"What's wrong?" Lin Dun stood up. "Brother Xiu, who bothered you? Next time, just call me. Even if I can't beat them, I'll bite off a piece of their flesh with my teeth."
Looking at Lin Dun, still wrapped in bandages, Lin Xiu thought to himself that being able to talk about biting with his teeth showed some self-awareness.
After all, in terms of strength, Lin Xiu was the strongest in the entire dormitory.
If even Lin Xiu felt troubled, then Lin Dun rushing up would just be walking into a trap.
"No need, I've already dealt with them," Lin Xiu gestured for him to sit down and rest.
Seeing that Lin Xiu didn't want to talk about it, Lin Dun stopped asking further.
Xiao Ning and the others were curious. Who could have upset Lin Xiu?
"Could it be sister? No way, sister is no match for Lin Xiu," Xiao Ning thought, feeling much happier seeing Lin Xiu in a bad mood.
Lying on the bed, Lin Xiu studied the panel and didn't pay attention to the reactions of the others.
It had been nearly half a month since he joined the Academy, with a week spent away midway, but it hadn't hindered Lin Xiu's practice of Dou Techniques.
Now, aside from high-level Dou Techniques like Thundering Palm, Mountain Breaker, and Energize, Lin Xiu had mastered nearly thirty Yellow Rank Low-Level Dou Techniques.
There were some low-level Dou Techniques with strict entry requirements that Lin Xiu hadn't practiced.
For instance, Dou Techniques with peculiar demands like self-castration for success or the requirement to go insane to achieve mastery.
They are clearly Yellow Rank Low-Level Dou Techniques that no one would give a second glance if thrown on the ground, yet their cultivation requirements are outrageously high.
Among them, Lin Xiu even noticed that some were labeled with notes claiming the potential for future upgrades and evolution of the Dou Technique.
"Do they really think Inferno Castration is some great technique? Evolution? If anything, it's de-evolution."
Lin Xiu felt that the creators of these Dou Techniques, their mental status needed further investigation.
"Taking away the weird ones, there are about ten Dou Techniques left. In roughly another four days, I'll have mastered them all. It's time to find a new place."
Initially, Lin Xiu chose fishing not just for the Task Points rewards from Elder Huo but to have a peaceful spot by the lake where no one would disturb his Dou Technique practice.
Now, with more and more people interested in White Carp, staying by the lake has become less appealing.
Another reason prompting Lin Xiu's decision to leave the lakeside is that for Dou Techniques to gain ample experience, real combat always proves to be the fastest route.
Once Lin Xiu masters all the Dou Techniques, he'll be close to obtaining his own weapon.
This way, his attack power will increase, and engaging with Magic Beasts outside can indeed be put on the agenda.
"Actually, the most important reason is staying at the Academy. There's no way to explain the speed of my realm advancement."
Lin Xiu sighed inwardly. Sometimes, rapid improvement in strength can also be troublesome.
After using the essence blood of the Water Tiger Beast, he broke through the Aptitude limit.
In one go, Lin Xiu directly raised his Aptitude to 20, stopping only when he couldn't add anymore.
There's no help for it; with many Attribute Points, one can afford to be extravagant.
Breaking through to 20 in Aptitude brings about effects such as denser Dou Qi and increased capacity in the Dantian.
Moreover, the speed of strength improvement is like riding a rocket, shooting up rapidly.
Originally, he gained 8 points of realm experience per half an hour of cultivation. Now, it's doubled to 16 points each time.
Lin Xiu needs 400 points of realm experience to break through to a 4 Star Dou Practitioner, and with full dedication to cultivation, he can achieve it in half a day.
Every two to three days advancing a minor realm might seem reasonable in novels, but Hu Gan and Elder Huo would surely suspect something.
Therefore, Lin Xiu plans to intermittently disappear from their sight for a while.
If questioned, he can use fortunate encounters as an explanation.
"Lin Xiu!"
Just as he was pondering, a sudden low shout interrupted Lin Xiu's thoughts.
"Bai Shan?"
Before he could even sit up from the bed, Lin Xiu heard Xiao Ning's urgent and angry roar.
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