My Arts Evolve When Perfected

The door was ajar. Everyone followed the sound and looked over. On the narrow street, a white-haired old man approached, dressed in a black jacket and wearing blue cloth shoes. His face was weathered, his hair white, and his eyebrows were long and distinguished. Though the corners of his eyes were webbed with wrinkles, his gaze held the piercing sharpness of a spear.

TAP. TAP. TAP.

His footsteps were audible, scattering the dust. His upright figure moved through the alley with the imposing momentum of a spear being thrust forward. A single glance was enough to tell he was no ordinary old man.

In fact, that face seemed to appear frequently in the news, and portraits in many places throughout Gao Yuan City resembled him...

"Grand General Luo!"

Niu Yao recognized him at a glance. He lowered his head and bowed, a layer of cold sweat coating his back. His hand felt as if it were clutching his own wildly-beating heart, which seemed to be giving off bursts of heat.

’Never mind how this old man, who had just led a group of Martial Arts Grandmasters on a rampage through the Twelve Great Halls these past few days, had suddenly appeared here. Just seeing him in person was enough to make one’s throat go dry.’

’He was the only active Grand General in the Northwest Province, a member of the Northwest Military Department’s committee, the honorary dean of Northwest Martial University’s Soldier Cultivation College, a Grandmaster among Martial Arts Grandmasters...’

’Damn it, there were so many titles I couldn’t even remember them all.’

Niu Yao swallowed hard, his face flushing red.

’I almost started criticizing the Soldier Cultivation Academy right in front of him. That would have been a real "honor"!’

"Elder Luo."

Shangguan Yue’s eyes also widened as she bowed respectfully to Luo Beixing, her small face filled with astonishment.

Jiang Qiu and Liu Zili stared at the newcomer. Hearing Niu Yao and Shangguan Yue speak, their pupils suddenly widened and their chests trembled. "Greetings, Grand General Luo."

Eighteen years ago, ten Demon Marshals had gathered in Gao Yuan City to besiege the Outer City. It was only thanks to this Grand General’s defense that the Outer City could be rebuilt; otherwise, this place would have become a ruin just like Kunlun City.

In Gao Yuan City, the name Luo Beixing was a household name. It was said there was even a statue of him at the west gate of the Outer City.

The legendary figure was now strolling into view. A hot flush spread through Jiang Qiu’s chest, and his breathing quickened.

"Good," Luo Beixing said, striding over the threshold. His spear-sharp gaze swept over the group, and he smiled. "No need to be so nervous. This old man is here to see Jiang Qiu."

Shangguan Yue, Niu Yao, and Liu Zili swallowed hard, their wide eyes fixing on Jiang Qiu as they held their breath.

"Grand General Luo, you were looking for me?"

Meeting Luo Beixing’s gaze, which could not hide its power, Jiang Qiu subconsciously puffed out his chest, clenched his sweaty fists, and raised his eyebrows, his heart filled with bewildered surprise.

"This old man has seen your scores from the college entrance exams, and I’ve also heard what happened at the Celestial Xin Hall from a few of the young survivors," Luo Beixing said with a nod, his voice resonant but not oppressive. "I hear your Spear Dao is unrivaled among your peers. How would you like it if I recommended you to be an old friend’s personal disciple?"

"Huh?!"

Shangguan Yue blinked, her pupils frozen in a stunned gaze.

Niu Yao snapped his head up in alarm, his face pale. A torrent of pent-up frustration burst from his chest. "Grand General Luo, to have... to have Dean Wu Hong take a new student as a personal disciple—that’s unprecedented!"

’The "old friend" Luo Beixing mentioned was most likely Dean Wu Hong of the Soldier Cultivation Academy. The dean’s few personal disciples were all already at the instructor level, with a status even higher than Niu Yao’s own master. And now he was recommending that the old man take a student who hadn’t even set foot in the provincial capital as a personal disciple?’

’Never in the history of Northwest Martial University had a dean taken a student as a disciple, not even department head-level instructors had ever accepted a new student as their personal disciple!’

’This... How could this be?!’

Niu Yao clenched his fists, his chest feeling as if it had been plunged into the depths of the sea.

’What right did Jiang Qiu have?’

"If it’s unprecedented, then now there will be a first. A young man’s will can be stubborn, but his thinking cannot."

Luo Beixing shot him a glance laden with authority. Niu Yao’s mouth snapped shut, and he lowered his head. "Your lesson is correct."

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.

Jiang Qiu’s heart hammered in his chest, his palms burning.

’To become the dean’s disciple right from the start, becoming a peer of the various instructors... This was undoubtedly a massive honor and opportunity, one that would bring with it a wealth of resources.’

’But it would inevitably be followed by endless doubt. I’m just a student who has just entered the Spirit Body Realm. What right do I have to become the dean’s personal disciple?’

"If you feel the pressure is too great, that’s fine too. The Soldier Cultivation Academy has many excellent masters. With your exam scores and Talent, you are qualified to study under any one of them."

Luo Beixing’s deep voice struck Jiang Qiu’s very soul like a great sledgehammer. The shockwaves rippled through him, making him clench his fists tighter.

’So what if the pressure is great? I may only be at the initial stage of the Spirit Body Realm now, but what about in one year? Three years? Five years?’

’Compared to the pressure of being targeted by Demon King [Chen], what does becoming a disciple even count for?’

’If I don’t seize every opportunity to grow stronger, I’ll be killed by the Demon Race eventually.’

Jiang Qiu looked directly into Luo Beixing’s prestigious eyes, his own cheeks burning numbly. "Grand General Luo, give me time, and I will prove myself worthy of the title of the dean’s personal disciple."

At that moment, Liu Zili’s eyes flickered. Shangguan Yue was stunned for a second, then broke into a knowing smile. Niu Yao was even more dumbfounded.

"Good. The audacity of youth, worthy of your high aspirations," Luo Beixing said, patting Jiang Qiu’s right shoulder. "To be able to lead several hundred students you didn’t know out of the pools of Celestial Xin Hall requires Talent, character, and willpower. You can’t lack any of them.

In this recent battle, this old man acquired a thousand catties of an unparalleled ore from a Demon King’s private collection. I have already entrusted it to a Casting Grandmaster to forge into a spear. When you enroll in the university, I will gift it to you."

’A gift of a weapon?!’

Jiang Qiu took a deep breath, the weight on his shoulders feeling heavy.

’An unparalleled ore from a Demon King’s private collection... that kind of thing probably doesn’t even exist in the outside world! It’s just like the Fire Marrow. The oldest advertised online is only ten thousand years old, but in the Celestial Xin Hall, they started at one hundred thousand years.’

’And he even asked a Casting Grandmaster to forge it... The favor was so huge it was priceless.’

’This is our very first meeting, and he’s already treating me like this. This debt of gratitude...’

GULP~

Niu Yao quietly swallowed, his nostrils flaring and his eyes bulging.

’Getting a Casting Grandmaster to take action meant the resulting weapon would undoubtedly be of the highest grade. And for Grand General Luo, who has lived for over a hundred years, to use the words "unparalleled ore"—that material must be far beyond the realm of normal ores, mustn’t it?!’

’Even first place in the college entrance exams shouldn’t get this kind of treatment!’

’What on earth did that kid do to be valued so highly?’

He gnashed his teeth in anger, Jiang Qiu’s reflection mirrored in his eyes.

’When you enroll and participate in the newcomer tournament, I’ll see just what you’re made of!’ 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"I have been here long enough," Luo Beixing said, letting out a shallow breath and raising his right hand, two fingers held together. "Before I leave, I will pass on a Cultivation Technique to you."

TAP.

His index and middle fingers lightly touched the center of Jiang Qiu’s brow. It was like a piece of jade dropping into water, sending out ripples of Spirit Charm.

As if drawn by some force, Jiang Qiu’s pupils slowly swirled, revealing golden patterns. His [Dragon Eye] had emerged. To his sight, the white-haired old man before him seemed like a humanoid black flame, his immense pressure contained entirely within his body.

Looking straight into the old man’s eyes, segment after segment of powerful, vigorous warnings leaped into his mind.

"’The Origin of Demon King [Chen] may come from the unfathomable Primordial Era. If you had not intercepted his path, causing his physical shell to become flawed and suffer backlash and a curse from the Great Dao, Kunlun City would have been the graveyard for many more soldiers.

But even so, he commands many methods not recorded in any scripture. In less than three years, the heavily wounded Northwest Demon Clan will rise again, perhaps even reaching a new peak.

This Soldier Cultivation Method is one I comprehended in my early years. I hope you can use your awakened [Talent Bloodline] and this method to create your own Martial Arts path, one that grows stronger with every battle.

I can sense the aura of a Flood Dragon about your body. You could go to Dongqi Lake and see if you can perform Refinement on the imprisoned soul of Zhu Li to bolster your own Martial Arts.

Alright, I have said all I need to. Young man, I will await the day of your Dragon Transformation.’"