Back Mountain
As Gu Yi ascended the mountainside, he looked at Zhu Zhuqing, who was still standing at the foot of the mountain, furrowing his brows slightly, unsure of what she wanted to do.
It didn't take long before he saw Zhu Zhuqing begin to cultivate her spirit power. He didn't bother her further.
Gu Yi continued to ponder techniques for integrating body strength. The existence of spirit power raised the ceiling of this world, but the understanding of the body was still at a very primitive stage. This included himself. It was all too primitive.
Even though he had created techniques like the Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound to integrate spirit power into the flesh and strengthen the body. However, control over the body still relied on spirit power. Just like now, he hadn't even fully developed what he already possessed.
In fact, there were some techniques in this world for manipulating power. Such as the Clear Sky Clan's Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer technique, but it was only the most basic manipulation and couldn't exist without the hammer technique.
What Gu Yi wanted to do now was to concentrate all the power of his body into one point and burst it out. This was somewhat in line with the legendary realm of Chinese martial arts, Fa Jin[1].
Compared to ordinary people, Gu Yi's current task was much simpler. In just one day, he had already integrated most of his strength into one point, with only a few key areas still unable to do so. The coordination between joints was still somewhat stiff, and the force couldn't be condensed together in time. Even though his progress was dozens or even hundreds of times faster than an ordinary person's, it was still very difficult to achieve Fa Jin in just one day.
After spending more than two hours on the back mountain, Gu Yi looked at the sky and decided to head back. Anything done couldn't be too hasty. If it couldn't be done today, it could be postponed until tomorrow. Forcing oneself had no benefit to comprehension.
On his way down the mountain, Gu Yi encountered Zhu Zhuqing again. When Zhu Zhuqing saw Gu Yi, she appeared somewhat embarrassed, after all, Gu Yi had taught her such precious techniques, and now she was bothering him. But thinking about her dim future, even if she was seen as insatiable, she had to do it.
"What do you want from me after waiting at the foot of the mountain for so long?" Gu Yi could feel Zhu Zhuqing's uneasiness and caution. Afraid of offending him. Although he could sense others' emotions, he still couldn't read minds and didn't know what Zhu Zhuqing was really thinking.
"Is there a problem with the technique? Just for this reason, you waited at the foot of the mountain for several hours?" Gu Yi looked at Zhu Zhuqing in confusion. Such things could be brought to him directly. As a teacher, answering doubts was his duty.
Zhu Zhuqing nodded.
Gu Yi looked at this fool, "In the future, just ask me directly if you have any questions. This is what a teacher should do and also my duty." Perhaps over the years, caution and prudence had become her survival mantra.
After getting Gu Yi's consent, Zhu Zhuqing finally felt relieved enough to ask the doubts that arose during her cultivation. After all, she was encountering this kind of technique for the first time, and it was naturally difficult to fully understand it in a short time.
Half an hour passed as Gu Yi explained the doubts Zhu Zhuqing had. Zhu Zhuqing looked at the changes in her surroundings and felt sorry for taking up so much of Gu Yi's time.
After Gu Yi left, Zhu Zhuqing watched his disappearing figure and more doubts arose in her heart.
Could it be that Gu Yi, he really liked her?
Zhu Zhuqing looked in the direction where Gu Yi had disappeared, lost in thought, and after a while, she slapped herself.
"What are you thinking, Zhu Zhuqing? How could a genius like Vice Dean possibly like you?" She was just a young lady from a family with no future, who could die at any moment. On the other hand, Gu Yi had a bright future, both in strength and knowledge, and was undoubtedly a genius.
The two were like lines that temporarily intersected, during which she could receive help from Gu Yi. When she graduated from this academy, she and him would be completely separated for two intersecting lines cannot meet again.
However, there was intense discussion among the girls. It was a big problem that Zhu Zhuqing hadn't returned to the dormitory late at night. At that time, it wasn't just Dai Mubai who noticed, but others as well.
Because of Gu Yi's influence, coupled with the fact that each person could have their own room in the dormitory, it not only allowed spirit masters to cultivate quietly but also enabled them to do things they didn't want others to see.
However, at the moment, Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu had gathered in Xiao Wu's room because her room was closer to Zhu Zhuqing's room, making it easier to hear any movements.
By dawn, the two finally heard Zhu Zhuqing returning, even though her return was very quiet, Xiao Wu still heard it.
"Rongrong, wake up, Zhuqing is back." Xiao Wu excitedly woke up the half-asleep Ning Rongrong, her eyes burning with gossip. They had long noticed the difference in Gu Yi's treatment of Zhu Zhuqing, even better than Oscar and Ma Hongjun, who had grown up together.
They didn't believe there wasn't a story behind it, especially since Zhu Zhuqing had followed Gu Yi and only just returned now. They weren't innocent little flowers, after all, and understood some things.
Men develop quickly on the Douluo Continent, and women develop just as quickly. Take Zhu Zhuqing, for example, this wasn't the figure a twelve-year-old girl could have. Her's figure was what only mature women could achieve, and crucially, because of her age, she had a baby face. This extremely mismatched appearance was the ultimate temptation for men.
Gu Yi usually appeared upright and moral, but how many men weren't lustful? At least they hadn't seen one.
Ning Rongrong had the most say in this matter, considering her father had many sons.
"Let's go, gossip squad, attack." Ning Rongrong shouted, her speed surprisingly faster than that of a agility system spirit master, arriving at the door first. Indeed, human potential was infinite.
The two of them pushed open the door when Zhu Zhuqing was closing it, shutting it like bullies and staring fiercely at the bewildered Zhu Zhuqing.
"Xiao Wu, Rongrong, what are you two doing?" Zhu Zhuqing looked at the two of them blankly, wondering why they had come to her room in the middle of the night.
"Tell the truth, what did you do during the time you disappeared?" Ning Rongrong stared at Zhu Zhuqing's lamp, seemingly unchanged, and her clothes weren't wrinkled. Xiao Wu also stared intently at Zhu Zhuqing, obviously very curious.
"What else could I do, I found a place to cultivate." Zhu Zhuqing answered truthfully, but her two good sisters didn't believe a word she said. Did she need to follow the vice dean to find a place to cultivate?
"Lies, you clearly followed Gu Yi, this lie is too clumsy. Are you having an affair with Gu Yi? I knew he wasn't a good person." Ning Rongrong's fear of Gu Yi had long dissipated when Sword Douluo had arrived. The presence of a Titled Douluo was indeed reassuring.
"Gu Yi is a good person, Rongrong, don't speak ill of him." Zhu Zhuqing instinctively retorted. But it revealed the cat's paw. After a series of "interrogations," the three girls ended up wrestling together.
(End of this chapter)
Glossary:
[1]Fa Jin- Fa Jin is a fundamental concept in Chinese martial arts, particularly those styles that emphasize internal energy cultivation and efficient body mechanics. Translated as "issuing power" or "explosive power," Fa Jin refers to the skill of generating and releasing force in a sudden, explosive manner.