Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

In the second battle, Ying Qin Pass was overrun by bandits.

He was completely bewildered. The person who had given him the "best advice" was Bing Ning's martial arts teacher. This person was dressed in a blue and white knight's outfit, had a slender figure, wore white gloves, had a knight's sword hanging at his waist, and had light blond hair. He looked to be about the same age as Jiu Yi.

This man's name is Simon Edward.

He jumped onto the stage, looked around, and finally looked at Qi Yao, his gaze locking onto Ying Qin Guan.

He bowed politely and smiled, "May I ask for your guidance?"

"Huh? Me?" Ying Qin Guan didn't expect to be targeted. He only appeared at the opening and closing ceremonies, so his presence should have been extremely low.

“Yes.” Simon smiled and said, “Besides my position as a martial arts instructor, I also have some minor tasks to perform… such as some interrogation work.”

From Simon's perspective, the meaning of this sentence was already very clear. He was in charge of interrogating Chu Hui and Qiu Fei, and he learned a vague piece of information from them: Ying Qin Guan's strength seemed to be extremely strong. Now that he had met him, he naturally wanted to learn a thing or two from him.

But Ying Qin Guan was a little confused, thinking, "Who are you? What does your interrogation work have to do with challenging me?"

However, he wouldn't voice these questions.

Because... it doesn't matter.

Whether there is a reason or not, it doesn't matter to Ying Qin Pass.

He's like a pawn in an RPG game who has the escape option removed, a soldier who has crossed the river and never thinks about retreating or running away.

"I don't know what you're talking about..."

Ying Qin Guan stood up and casually said:

"But it's okay, come on."

Chapter Fifty: You are surrounded by me.

When Ying Qin Guan and Simon entered the field, they received several times the cheers they had received before.

Clearly, the appearance of the two sides in a battle can also affect the audience's enthusiasm.

Those two men were already in their thirties or forties. Moreover, their cultivation methods were primarily focused on killing and physical combat, not on health and longevity, so there was no concept of them extending their lives or maintaining eternal youth. While they might have had some charisma, how could they compare to two handsome young men of prime age and already accomplished?

Simon didn't rush to get into a fighting stance. If it weren't for the critical situation or the possibility of someone interfering with the battle at any moment, martial artists usually have the habit of verbal sparring before the fight. Launching a sneak attack halfway through the verbal sparring is a sign of their martial virtue.

“I’ve inquired about you with Bingning,” Simon said with a smile. “Those two thieves were talking nonsense, so don’t take it seriously. You’ll have to find out for yourself. Rumor has it that you defeated the eldest daughter of the Warner family, Jifa, in one move?”

Scattered whispers of discussion arose from the surrounding area.

If Simon were to mention Ji Fa alone, perhaps no one would care, as the Seven Luminaries Imperial Academy is indeed world-renowned. But Ji Fa is merely one of the martial arts instructors. Among the thousands of teachers at the Seven Luminaries Imperial Academy, who in other countries would know her?

But adding Warner Bros. makes all the difference.

The Seven Stars have been established for less than two hundred years, and Warner is the founding Grand Duke. He enjoys a certain degree of fame all over the world. Anyone who has entered the Time-Space Killing Card Pool, unless they are a "9-year-old leaker" (meaning someone who misses out on the game), has more or less seen this legendary surname in political and historical books.

"Ah, yes, there was such a thing," Ying Qin Guan sighed. "That guy was really noisy."

Upon hearing this, Iris secretly cried out in dismay, but there was nothing she could do. She could only put her hand to her forehead, feeling some sympathy for Hime.

What started as a lighthearted joke within the Royal Academy about Aunt Warner being easily defeated by Teacher Ying has now escalated. From this point on, this incident is known to everyone from the Seven Luminaries Royal Academy to the City of Truth!

"The Seven Luminaries Imperial Academy shouldn't allow someone who's only interested in fame and fortune to become a martial arts instructor. That Lady Ji Fa must be quite strong." Simon's hand lightly rested on the hilt of his sword; he spoke skillfully. Although he didn't explicitly state Ying Qin Guan's strength, he had already offered a subtle compliment.

He smiled and said, "I have a feeling this will be a very meaningful battle."

Ying Qin Guan stared with dead fish eyes and muttered under his breath, "I'm the opposite."

Simon's smile faded, replaced by a serious expression. He gently pressed down on the hilt and slowly drew the knight's sword out.

"Born to see the moon, Simon Edward, please enlighten me."

"The Exquisite Sword of Illusion, Ying Qin Guan, please enlighten me."

In a formal encounter, once the name of your martial arts school is announced and you request instruction, there is no need for sneak attacks. Even if the opponent suddenly attacks during a verbal exchange, it is entirely in accordance with martial ethics.

Simon didn't rush to attack. He drew his ornately decorated, intricately embroidered sword, a weapon originally used in conjunction with a shield. However, with the rise of firearms, shields gradually became obsolete. It wasn't that shields capable of stopping bullets couldn't be made, but there was simply no need. The cost was too high, and the return too low. Besides, the role of a martial artist on the battlefield was no longer that of a warrior, but an assassin.

"The Illusory Time Exquisite Sword?" Simon repeated, then asked, "Where is your sword?"

Ying Qin Guan's spirits lifted. The phrase "You've come, I've come," which he had heard from storytellers when he was a child, had a great impact on his young mind. So much so that now when he heard such words, he suspected that someone was trying to match his lines with him to show off his trendiness. He immediately said in a deep voice, "The sword is in my heart."

However, the other party completely missed the point and thought that Ying Qin Guan was really saying that, so their expression became even more serious.

"Is the sword in my heart...?"

He took a step forward... but then suddenly stopped, looked up at the sky.

This scene would be impossible in a life-or-death battle, but it doesn't matter in a friendly match.

The sound of a propeller spinning wildly came from above. The group looked up and saw that it was a helicopter. Before they could start discussing, a man in a black trench coat suddenly jumped out of the helicopter, causing a series of gasps.

It crashed into the arena like a meteor, cracking the ground, but without making a loud noise or spreading any dust. It seems the arena at the Academy of Truth is indeed well-made; at least the dean won't get shot for this in the future.

Ying Qin Guan looked up.

Tall and imposing, with black and white dreadlocks, wearing a black trench coat, and the brass knuckles at his waist clanging together... it was Darius!

He appeared to be injured, with new bandages wrapped around his hand, and looked like he hadn't slept all night, with dark circles under his eyes, but he still came.

Few people dare to, and even fewer are qualified to, fly an armed helicopter into a place like the Academy of Truth, but Darius was one of them. He rushed back from the Great Mach Forest overnight.

“It seems…” Darius glanced at Ying Qin Guan and Simon, and said calmly, “I’ve come at the wrong time.”

“No.” Ying Qin Guan laughed. “You’ve come at just the right time.”

Simon wasn't stupid; although the conversation between the two was brief, he still managed to glean something from it.

He smiled and said, "It seems you two had an appointment before me. But what should I do? I don't want to give up this opportunity. After all, this kind of battle isn't fair to the person who will fight second..."

Of course, if these three are truly evenly matched, then after one battle, there's basically no chance of a second one.

As Simon spoke, his gaze fell on Darius's arm.

“Mr. Darius, you seem to be... a little injured, and it seems your mental state isn't very good either. Why don't you let me have the first chance to fight?”

Darius didn't answer Simon immediately. He reached up and removed the brass knuckles from his waist, then replied in a low voice, "Don't talk nonsense. Challenges can come at any time in this world. Your condition is no excuse..."

He clenched his fist, and crimson flames and golden lightning erupted simultaneously, like a thunderclap from nowhere, accompanied by a chorus of gasps of surprise. Clearly, the unique and dazzling special effects of the Demon Warrior had captivated the crowd.

Simon fell silent. Unlike Darius, he was of much higher birth. Although his martial arts skills were also considerable, their mindsets were somewhat different. However, he had received a high level of education, and he could immediately discern whether a statement was reasonable or not, and whether it should be heeded.

"Haha." Ying Qin Guan suddenly burst into laughter, saying, "Darius... I don't like you, but you said something good: Living in this world, you never know what challenges you'll face next. Sometimes, people simply don't have the right to refuse..."

"Say that you two come at me together... That sounds too impolite. And if you don't want to fight, I don't think I have any good ideas, so..."

He smiled casually:

"You two are now surrounded."

Chapter Fifty-One: It's Your Turn

"You're going to hit... both of us?"

After Ying Qin Guan finished speaking, the entire open-air arena fell into a brief silence. Simon finally broke the silence, looking at Ying Qin Guan and saying, "This is really not funny at all. Darius and I should be a little better than those two thieves."

Ying Qin Guan understood by now; Simon was probably referring to Chu Hui Qiu Fei as the thief, but he didn't care.

"Whether it's strong or not, we'll only know after we fight it."

Simon did not refuse again. He chuckled, then suppressed his smile and assumed a fighting stance.

"In that case, it would be impolite to refuse."

With one person agreeing, Ying Qin Guan looked at the other.

Darius.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone calm and even.

"It's a bit strange for a man to ask this question, but I'm curious... I initially thought you were here to fight me, but now it seems you just want to beat me up to vent your anger..."

Darius was extremely perceptive and sensed something from Ying Qin Guan's attitude and his choice of words.

Darius rose through the ranks step by step, relying mostly on force. But this intuition also played a significant role; those who climb from the bottom are always more perceptive.

His feeling was right.

The onlookers looked at each other in confusion, while Fu Feihan whispered to Iris to ask her something.

"Does Teacher Ying have a grudge against this guy?"

“Ah…” Iris recalled for a moment, then said meaningfully, “It’s hard to say.”

Darius calmly said, "Can you tell me why?"

Ying Qin Guan thought for a moment and said, "Does disliking someone need a reason?"

As soon as these words were spoken, hushed murmurs arose around them. If Ying Qin Guan had admitted it, then the nature of this battle was no longer so simple. But the onlookers didn't care; they just wanted to find some gossip to glean.

Darius countered, "Isn't it necessary?"

“Perhaps it is necessary…” Ying Qin Guan probably realized that his previous statement was untenable, so he changed his words, “but I don’t think it’s necessary to say it.”

"why?"

"Why..." Ying Qin Guan repeated Darius's question. He hated Darius's persistent and inquisitive nature the most, so he had to think for a while and give Darius a reasonable answer that he could accept.

"If you want to know why... it's probably like the conflict between humans and other races," Ying Qin said. "To put it bluntly, neither humans nor other races are wrong. But the two sides are locked in a life-or-death struggle. If you ask why humans want to fight against other races, there's not much to say... Of course, since things haven't gotten to that point between us, you won't die."

Ju Qiuming's pupils contracted as he looked up from the stands.

Darius's face darkened.

"Was it something that happened a few days ago...? What a strange guy."

He never thought about Mu Nandong's matter; he assumed that Ying Qin Guan had empathized with the alien race from a few days ago.

In fact, Ying Qin Guan's logic was that you insulted Mu Nan Dong. But theoretically, you weren't wrong in your insults, so I can't refute you, and I have nothing to say. Now that we have a chance to fight, let's fight then.

It's a less-than-pleasant misunderstanding, but... it doesn't really matter.

Darius thought so, but Ying Qin Guan seemed to have found his own logic and repeated with satisfaction, "I hate you, just as humans hate other races."

On the stands, Ju Qiuming pursed his lips.

".."

He remained silent, as always. It was unclear whether he preferred silence, was skilled at it, or simply had no other choice but to remain silent.