Is this the beauty of numerical monsters?

Let’s rewind the clock slightly.

Xǔ Tiānlí, midway through his sword practice, suddenly remembered that it was time to seek out his master for the next lesson.

Having mastered the basics of the blade technique, he had achieved the goal his master set for him.

It was now time to embark on the next phase of his training.

“By the way, where is Master?”

Only after quenching his thirst did Xǔ Tiānlí realize that Qín Yuè was nowhere to be found in the courtyard.

He then inquired among the other residents of the welfare institute.

The caregivers all claimed not to have seen her.

While they weren’t entirely clear on Qín Yuè’s identity, they harbored their suspicions.

Coupled with the aura of ‘do not approach’ she exuded, it led to minimal interaction between them.

Ultimately, Xǔ Tiānlí received some assistance from the children.

“Big Sister went outside earlier.”

“I think I even saw her looking a bit upset.”

‘Master is upset?’

Xǔ Tiānlí’s heart sank.

‘Who could have possibly displeased her?’ he wondered.

Another child raised a hand.

“I was playing ball outside just now and happened to overhear some of her words.”

“Something about ‘this won’t do,’ and ‘other secret manuals.'”

Xǔ Tiānlí’s brow furrowed, then his face blanched in alarm.

‘Could it be that Master is upset because of me again?’

‘But that can’t be right.’

‘I clearly mastered the blade technique as she requested, and she even kept her promise by making lunch.’

‘Surely she hasn’t regretted it and is secretly stewing in anger?’

‘Wait, it can’t be that simple.’

Xǔ Tiānlí’s mind began racing once more, pondering any details he might have overlooked.

A person as magnanimous as Qín Yuè wouldn’t get inexplicably angry over such a trivial matter.

Something far more significant must have happened to concern her.

‘Could it be that… I took too long to master the blade technique?’

The moment he voiced this thought, Xǔ Tiānlí became convinced of the truth.

‘Yes, that must be it.’

‘My talent is simply too poor.’

‘Even with the excellent secret manual Master specifically chose for me, my initial performance was still utterly dismal.’

Xǔ Tiānlí perfectly reconstructed Qín Yuè’s presumed thoughts, believing she must have had a psychological expectation for his progress.

Even if that expectation was already quite low, his actual performance had been worse than she could have imagined.

“Is Master thinking I might not be suited for this anymore, so she’s gone to find me another secret manual?” Xǔ Tiānlí gasped.

Yet, while they were enjoying lunch, Xǔ Tiānlí had seen a smile on her face.

‘Had she been harboring such thoughts since then?’

‘Despite my dreadful performance, she still kept her promise, deliberately concealing her displeasure to prevent me from noticing.’

With such a kind master, Xǔ Tiānlí couldn’t simply sit by.

He bolted out of the welfare institute.

This secret manual was something Qín Yuè had purchased at a great expense.

How could he, due to his poor talent, allow her to spend more?

He had to find his master first and make her listen to his explanation; perhaps there was still a chance.

He rushed to the Wufeng City martial arts hall at almost top speed, bursting to the front desk to state his identity and his desire to see Qín Yuè.

The receptionist was startled by his anxious demeanor and quickly called a colleague to confirm his identity.

Surveillance footage showed that he had indeed arrived with Qín Yuè, so they believed his claim of being a friend.

After obtaining Qín Yuè’s consent, the receptionist informed Xǔ Tiānlí of the meeting room’s location:

“It’s the fifth room after you turn left on the stairs…”

“Got it!”

Xǔ Tiānlí didn’t wait for her to finish before rushing off, the gust of wind he created nearly scattering the documents on the counter.

The receptionist quickly reached out to cover them.

Xǔ Tiānlí sprinted to the room, then paused at the door, adjusting his composure slightly before knocking and entering.

Upon entering, he immediately saw his master.

Though her expression wasn’t overtly surprised, she did raise her slender eyebrows at his arrival.

As for the person sitting opposite Qín Yuè, Xǔ Tiānlí found them somewhat familiar at first glance, but he didn’t dwell on it; the focus wasn’t on that individual.

“What are you doing here?” Mù Qīngyǔ’s expression turned exceptionally severe, her tone so sharp it seemed to cut, making the other two hold their breath.

However, Mù Qīngyǔ was the one truly holding her breath, silently repeating the same question:

‘This is bad.’

‘Xǔ Tiānlí has found me.’

‘Has he really discovered that the secret manual is unreliable?’

Seeing the sparkle in her student’s eyes, Mù Qīngyǔ secretly swallowed, continuously reassuring herself that the more critical the moment, the calmer she needed to appear.

Perhaps with her eloquence and Xǔ Tiānlí’s unique mind, this master-student relationship could still be salvaged.

Xǔ Tiānlí took a deep breath and walked up to her:

“Master, you don’t have to do this.”

“Why?”

“When did it become your place to order me around?”

Mù Qīngyǔ picked up her now-cool tea, her black-stockinged legs elegantly crossed.

She dared not face Xǔ Tiānlí directly, only stealing glances at him now and then.

Yet, it was precisely these glances that made Xǔ Tiānlí’s heart sink even deeper.

‘Such cold eyes.’

‘She’s truly furious.’

At the same time, Qiao Yíng, seated opposite, also picked up her cup of tea, silently sipping and daring not to utter a sound.

Fearing that Mù Qīngyǔ might turn her ire towards her, she instead scrutinized the young man who had suddenly burst in.

She had heard about Qín Yuè’s student from Féng Yè, and she also knew about Xǔ Tiānlí’s broken engagement.

To be honest, even if Qín Yuè hadn’t met a reclusive master here, Qiao Yíng would have followed her curiosity and gossipy nature to see the true identity of this internet sensation.

Xǔ Tiānlí didn’t notice Qiao Yíng’s gaze; he was replaying his master’s words in his mind over and over again.

After all, he was a man.

Even if he was a good-for-nothing, he still had a man’s responsibility.

He didn’t want to see his master worry herself sick for him, only to end up with a deeply disappointing result.

“Master, I’ve felt all your kindness towards me, but…”

‘Here it comes.’

‘Is there truly no escape?’

Mù Qīngyǔ’s hands trembled.

“I hope you can trust me more, or rather, have more patience with me.”

‘Huh?’

Mù Qīngyǔ finally looked him squarely in the eye, her golden gaze filled with utter confusion, clearly conveying: ‘What nonsense are you spouting, you brat?’

‘Success!’

‘Master seems to be having a change of heart!’

Xǔ Tiānlí’s lips curved into a slight smile before he quickly suppressed it, continuing in a serious tone:

“My talent is poor; that’s an unchangeable fact.”

“But Master, I will work hard from now on to never disappoint you again.”

‘No, why are you apologizing?’

Mù Qīngyǔ had reason to suspect that this boy was truly going mad, unable to distinguish reality.

His words made it sound as if Xǔ Tiānlí had already mastered the blade technique, but she was dissatisfied with the result and intended to abandon her student.

“Wait, has your blade technique progressed?”

Having spent some time with Xǔ Tiānlí, Mù Qīngyǔ could deduce a few clues.

“Uh, it’s still like this morning.”

“I can just barely unleash a little power.”

“A little power?”

‘In other words, he succeeded?!’

Had this not been the first time such a thing occurred, the cup in Mù Qīngyǔ’s hand would have already dropped.

‘That thing, which looked like it was written by a drunkard just to mess with people, actually worked?’

If anyone else had said this, Mù Qīngyǔ would never have believed it, but standing before her was Xǔ Tiānlí.

The Xǔ Tiānlí who ‘speedran’ the dungeon of life in five years!

“If you really want to prove yourself, why not try it out at a nearby training ground?”

Qiao Yíng spoke up at that moment, her gaze towards Xǔ Tiānlí no longer like someone observing a tiger in a zoo.

“Have you shown your master your results?”

“You’re right!”

These words not only struck a chord with Xǔ Tiānlí but also made Mù Qīngyǔ nod in agreement.

Qiao Yíng’s intervention wasn’t to help Xǔ Tiānlí or Mù Qīngyǔ, but rather to witness the results of Xǔ Tiānlí’s training for herself.

The three quickly arrived at the martial arts hall’s training ground.

After booking it, they waited to watch Xǔ Tiānlí perform.

Taking the standard wooden training sword Qiao Yíng tossed to him, Xǔ Tiānlí slowly walked to the center of the training ground.

‘If he couldn’t perform well, he wouldn’t be able to make Master change her mind.’

Xǔ Tiānlí took a deep breath, raised his sword, and began following the steps in his mind.

Crack!

Before he even struck, the ground beneath his feet already cracked, making Qiao Yíng’s eyes widen as her fingers tightly gripped the corner of her sunglasses.

‘Didn’t they say this person was a good-for-nothing?’

Watching the steadily rising aura from Xǔ Tiānlí, she’d be damned if she believed he was a good-for-nothing.

Qiao Yíng was two years older than Xǔ Tiānlí and a Tier-2 Spirit Wielder, but she felt completely outmatched by his aura.

As his entire qi surged to a sufficient height, Xǔ Tiānlí forcefully swung his sword forward.

With a thunderous roar, the entire training ground trembled.

Although the blade hadn’t touched any object, the wall in front of Xǔ Tiānlí was bombarded by a violent surge of airflow, leaving it riddled with cracks that even spread to the ceiling.

Qiao Yíng’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

‘If that strike landed on me, surviving would be a question.’

‘Is this the Return to the Void One-Strike Decapitation?’

‘Indeed, it’s a blade technique capable of unleashing terrifying blows.’

Before meeting Xǔ Tiānlí, Qiao Yíng had never witnessed the power of this blade technique.

Now, she was truly enlightened.

‘Didn’t they say that Mù Qīngyǔ of the Four Sacred Courts broke off her engagement with a good-for-nothing fiancé?’

‘How is this a good-for-nothing?!’

Qiao Yíng had always believed that her Tier-2 talent at twenty years old was exceptional enough to rank highly across the entire Sacred Dynasty Nation.

Xǔ Tiānlí, who seemed to have only recently stepped into the First-tier, could actually exhibit such terrifying power.

‘Could the so-called broken engagement just be a lovers’ spat?’

‘No, that can’t be it.’

Qiao Yíng looked at the reclusive master beside her.

She remained completely unmoved from beginning to end, as if such a scene was utterly unremarkable.

‘To be able to unearth such a treasure of a student, she truly lives up to her reputation as a master.’

Qiao Yíng’s lips curved into a smile, thinking to herself that she had indeed come to the right place.

Completely unaware that she was being stared at intently, Mù Qīngyǔ was still in a daze.

‘Is this the beauty of a ‘stats monster’?’