Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

Luo Shuichuang rubbed his hands together, a smile on his face, and said, "I think..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ju Qiuming coldly interrupted.

"Western Empire, Polya."

Luo Shui naturally replied, "I wish you success in your mission. Goodbye!"

She ran off in a flash.

In the western part of the Empire, there's Polya... it barely qualifies as a city. The environment here is arguably the worst within the Seven Luminaries Empire, having been used to imprison prisoners of war in its early years. Due to the harsh conditions and arduous labor, 200,000 of the 400,000 prisoners died there, making it a notorious "ghost land" in the eyes of the people, rife with ghost stories and unusual races associated with ghosts. Luo Shui has heard of at least twenty of them...

Go there?!

No way! What are you two doing? One minute you're going to the Chaotic Province, the next you're going to Polya. Are you really students? Why don't you go to the core of the Black Dragon Capital and turn it upside down?

Terrified, Luo Shui ran as fast as she could.

Fu Feihan laughed it off, not caring at all.

He didn't believe in ghosts. Or rather, even if ghosts really existed, they were just a "special kind of alien race."

"By the way, I heard that the mission we took on in that chaotic province was taken by someone else. Senior Dong Qianlun told me about it." Fu Feihan was very puzzled. "If that's the case, why didn't they let us take it? Qiu Ming, do you have any ideas?"

".."

Ju Qiuming's eyes flickered, but he did not answer.

Chapter Sixty-Two: Entering Retirement Life Early

Bird's Nest, conference room.

The teachers from the Martial Arts Department gathered together once again.

It feels like the last time we got together like this was just yesterday. I guess we'll have to wait until next time to get together again.

Cough cough...

Closer to home.

Actually, it's because midterms are approaching, and it's time to assign midterm assignments. In theory, schools shouldn't assign assignments that students can't complete. But theory is just theory; in reality, some teachers still have to be assigned to help students complete their assignments.

Although both the Martial Arts and Magic departments have commissions for midterms and finals, the difficulty levels are not on the same level. Midterm commissions are basically "monster-fighting adventures" that can be completed in a short time but are somewhat dangerous, while final commissions are usually assigned some tedious tasks based on the nature of the major. For example, during the last final exam, some Martial Arts students were assigned to the Grand Arena.

Therefore, midterm assignments, especially those that require leaving the Seven Luminaries City, usually require a supervising teacher, while final assignments do not.

As before, Wu Changying said a few words briefly, and then distributed the materials.

Because there were few teachers in the martial arts department, they were selected "last." In other words, after the magic department had finished selecting their teachers, the martial arts department would fill any vacancies that arose.

Ying Qin Guan took the documents and glanced at them.

Unlike last time, when he had just arrived at the Imperial Academy and didn't have much money, he didn't even realize that he "didn't really need money," so he took the initiative to choose a more difficult task. But now he has assimilated with Jiu Yi, and Jiu Yi even collects cards, while Ying Qin Guan has no interest in spending money on card collecting and has become a lazy bum. Naturally, he has no interest in those tasks that require running around.

Ying Qin Guan glanced at it and unexpectedly found the information of Mu Nan Dong, Fu Fei Han and Ju Qiu Ming. They were going to the western part of the empire to collect a kind of plant.

He was a little curious. Did he really have to go there himself? Couldn't someone else go? Did he need some special technique to collect plants?

—He guessed half right. The plant's nickname is "I'll Die for You," and it's as delicate as the Princess and the Pea. It can't withstand anything except cold, so most people can't preserve it, and it's very particular about how it's harvested.

Ying Qin Guan was naturally uninterested in these tasks. He glanced at them and placed the documents on the table, becoming one of the seasoned veterans from the last midterm commission.

Several commissions are accepted one after another. In order to prevent conflicts between one's own commission and those of others, they are usually announced here. If there is a conflict, it is resolved privately, just like Ying Qin Guan and Ji Fa in the past.

Mu Nandong's request was eventually accepted by the gray-haired man—yes, the guy who created the tradition. Now this martial arts tradition has become a legend in the academy, and everyone is speculating about which bastard came up with this outrageous tradition.

After the meeting, Ying Qin Guan returned to the board game arcade. The owner told him that the designer would arrive that day and would spend some time discussing the design of the general cards with him.

When most ancient and modern martial arts characters are released, their skills are directly linked to their respective fighting styles. So sometimes, if you want to be a designer of survival cards... you yourself need to have a certain level of martial arts skill, at least you need to understand what those martial arts characters are talking about.

Ying Qin Guan pushed open the door of the board game arcade. Inside sat a black-haired woman with short, neat hair, talking to the owner. She seemed to be the designer sent by Time and Space Kill. Jiu Yi, perhaps having also received the news, felt that seeing Ying Qin Guan discussing card releases with someone else would upset him, so he left the board game arcade early.

Upon seeing Ying Qinguan, the boss chuckled and said, "The main character has arrived. You may proceed."

The black-haired woman turned around and smiled, "Hello, Mr. Ying."

If it were Jiu Yi, seeing the opportunity to get a card right in front of him, he would definitely rush over and try to get it, hoping to become a ghost general. But Ying Qin Guan, a man who already had one... or perhaps two general cards, was naturally much more reserved, and said indifferently, "Hmm."

"Let's go outside and talk." The black-haired woman was quite bold; before she could even say two words, she was already ready to fight Ying Qin Guan. "For martial artists, nothing showcases the characteristics of their school of thought more than this."

Yes, for martial artists, nothing speaks louder than this: a person's character can be gleaned from their fists. Similarly, as a designer, you can't expect someone to say, "I'll just design something for you casually, regardless of whether it fits your style, as long as it's strong."

Strength may be temporary, but the classics of a style are timeless. Some styles have created new 'mechanics', such as lock skills, conversion skills, awakening skills, mission skills, and even a summoning mechanism like the Black Dragon Emperor. You can set it up arbitrarily, like Super Heroic Posture, which allows you to draw five cards in one turn. Is it strong? Yes, it is. But is it useful? Do people know what the characteristics of your style are? No.

Entering the card pool as a 'Martial Artist' means you'll naturally focus on a particular style... It mainly depends on your 'identity' when you enter the card pool.

Ying Qin Guan raised an eyebrow slightly, but he never refused, so he nodded slightly and said, "Okay."

The two headed to the nearest martial arts arena, and on the way, Ying Qin Guan learned the other person's name: Helen Lester.

“Of course I am no match for Mr. Ying.” Miss Lester was well aware of her own limitations. “This duel is not to confirm your strength, but to confirm the characteristics of your style. When the time comes, please be sure to show what makes your style different from others, such as the consciousness slash I have heard about before.”

—At the end of last semester, the Royal Academy invited Ying Qin Guan to start an experimental course on Consciousness Slash. This semester, it was officially launched. Before Ying Qin Guan fought Darius, this course was basically circulated within the Royal Academy. Later, Ying Qin Guan became famous in one battle, and some things were exposed, such as Ji Fa, who was also instantly killed, and Consciousness Slash.

As for Ying Qin Pass's background, there's no need to worry. If the Seven Luminaries Empire's carefully fabricated background can't even fool a bunch of media outlets, then I suggest the Seven Luminaries disintegrate on their own and stop making a fool of themselves here.

The magical skill "Consciousness Slash" has indeed attracted a lot of attention, and many people have speculated that Darius was hit by this move... Not entirely correct. The move Darius faced was even more domineering, and it was already a true transmission from the Ying Qin Guan school. The difference in power between the two is like the difference between the Type 05 Gun of Kindness and the Barrett.

“Alright.” Ying Qin Guan did not refuse.

Some cunning martial artists wouldn't fully reveal information about their fighting style, fearing retaliation. However, as times changed, this tendency gradually diminished...

If Ying Qin Guan were afraid of this, he wouldn't be Ying Qin Guan.

Chapter Sixty-Three: Rebellious Demons, Demi-humans

Everyone who has experienced Ying Qin's Consciousness Slash will involuntarily marvel at how such a usage could exist in the world... The word "usage" sounds strange and intriguing. But that's the official explanation; perhaps using the folk term "martial arts technique" would be more accurate.

Miss Lester has always been in a state of 'shaking my mother for a hundred years'.

Ying Qin Guan demonstrated two of the more distinctive moves from the "Illusory Time Exquisite Sword" to her.

The Illusory Time Exquisite Sword technique doesn't have any truly unique area-of-effect (AOE) killing moves. Although Ying Qin Guan knows a few AOE moves, they're unrelated to the main characteristics of this style; they're just prefixed with the Illusory Time Exquisite Sword technique. The key words for this martial art are 'illusion,' 'space-time distortion,' 'blind spots,' and 'attention diversion.'

Ying Qin Guan's first move was the Consciousness Slash, which probably doesn't need further introduction. Initially, this move was developed for entertainment, but it became more and more useful with repeated use. Ying Qin Guan subconsciously continued to refine the details of this move, and now it can probably even play a significant role in battles against powerful figures who have been granted godhood.

Secondly, there was the move that was originally used to deal with Darius. The designers from Time Kill were very interested in this move, and Ying Qin Guan practiced it a couple of times.

He calls this move "time-space cutting".

When a person's body and brain are out of sync, the body moves a second later while the brain remains a second earlier. This conflict between the two will almost certainly cause the martial artist's entire lower body, energy, and stance to collapse. And once these things collapse, the battle is usually over.

In fact, the most essential and powerful move in the Illusory Time Sword Technique is not the Time-Space Cutting, but the "Sword and Blade Absolute".

This move requires dual-wielding weapons and is essentially a one-on-one exclusive skill. It's not easy to control and has high requirements for distance and weapons. It involves throwing the weapon and combining it with time-space cutting, consciousness slash, and sneaking into blind spots to launch a surprise attack. The power is not high, there is almost no AoE, it is difficult to learn and difficult to use, and you will lose a weapon. It sounds like a useless move, but... it has one characteristic.

This move is virtually impossible to block or dodge.

In reality, for a martial artist, the "power" of a move isn't that important. Often, the problem isn't failing to kill, but rather failing to hit. This differs from video games, where the focus is usually on high critical hit rate, high critical damage, and high attack power. In reality, accuracy is paramount.

Because we are all mortal beings, and when a person is killed, they die!

There are no particularly powerful moves in the Void Time Exquisite Sword, and Ying Qin Guan's physical attributes are enough to make up for the lack of power in the moves. These moves only have one characteristic.

'Cannot be blocked' 'Cannot be dodged'

It's impossible to stop. Even if you know what Ying Qin Guan is going to do next, you can't stop him. It's like the most unreasonable scheme in the world. You know what the consequences will be, but you can't do anything about it. You can't counter it at all.

Lester sensed this, and even though Ying Qin Guan explained his attack route and slowed down, she still couldn't stop him.

"I think I understand... What an incredible style. I'll be staying at Seven Stars for a while and designing several versions of general cards. You can choose the one you like best then."

"Then, see you then."

..

Bird's Nest.

The gray-haired man got up early and stood here, waiting for Fu Feihan, Ju Qiuming, and Mu Nandong, the person who commissioned the mission.

He was filled with mixed emotions. Back then, he had established the tradition of the Martial Arts Department right here. Now, a semester had passed, and the tradition was almost becoming a reality. Many teachers who lacked professional ethics and martial arts skills had developed the habit of ambushing students, including himself, himself, and himself.

Back then, Ying Qin Guan's strength wasn't as widely known as it is now. His achievements were merely instantly killing Ji Fa without revealing his inner energy. Only he possessed the discerning eye to recognize his talent, and when Ying Qin Guan was about to kill him and take him away, he displayed remarkable quick wit, not only escaping but also establishing a fine tradition for the martial arts department.

It's a pity that those students are always muttering, "Which bastard started this tradition?" "Don't let me catch you, or I'll put a sack over your head and beat you up." "Except for Teacher Ying, he can't beat that gang up on." "You can't say that about Teacher Wu either, he's old, it's not a good influence." "Shouldn't we leave Aunt Ji Fa alone? She's still a woman." "Then who can we beat up?" "That gray-haired one, your homeroom teacher."

Grass!

The gray-haired man was utterly disdainful of this; these people had absolutely no sense of what it meant to be martial artists.

If we can't beat Ying Qin Pass, does that mean we shouldn't fight? What a joke! We have to fight even if we can't beat them!

What nonsense about old people and women! It's laughable! If you're a martial artist, there's no distinction between old and women. You have to fight the old and the women too. That's what makes you a true martial artist!

It's pitiful that I've made such a contribution to the Martial Arts Department, yet I can't tell the world. It's like wearing fine clothes in the dark—tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away...

The gray-haired man closed his eyes and sighed softly.

When he opened his eyes, he suddenly noticed a shadowy figure standing beside him. If the gray-haired man hadn't maintained his composure perfectly, he might have uttered a "Holy shit!"

The one with such a strong presence and stealthy ability... is none other than Ju Qiuming.

He was dressed in black, with a plain scarf around his neck. He stood tall and straight, his black, tousled hair partially obscuring his eyes, and black bandages wrapped around his hands.

Ju Qiuming...

The gray-haired man narrowed his eyes slightly.

In fact, after this mission, he received some intelligence from the Empire. The Empire had several guesses about Ju Qiuming's identity. Apart from some extremely low-probability possibilities, such as being a spy (Ju Qiuming was adopted as an infant, so being a spy is not a possibility), the main suspicion was that he was a member of a different race or the illegitimate son of some important figure.

The illegitimate child aspect is self-evident; it's easy to understand. Perhaps he's a royal son, born to be murdered. So he was sent outside the palace to be paid a sum of money. As for the foreign race... that's still under suspicion. But I think the possibility is low; Ju Qiuming's personality is very much like that of a rebellious ghost. But if he's a rebellious ghost, the recent trip to the City of Truth somewhat eliminates that possibility.

The Empire currently believes that Ju Qiuming is fine, but since these four are going out on a mission, it is still necessary to give them a slight reminder to avoid any accidents.

【"pity.."】

The gray-haired man thought to himself that currently, no country has developed anything that can directly identify the identity of a different race. The only way is to confirm this by the definition of a different race—that is, by being able to overcome reproductive barriers with the magical beasts of that lineage.

But such a thing is against human ethics and is a great insult. Once it's done, anyone with a normal sense of self-respect will basically break off all ties. Moreover, you have to determine what kind of alien race he is; you have to find that specific lineage of magical beast. And in the present world... many magical beasts have already been wiped out by humans.

Many scholars have offered speculations, suggesting that the demons and demi-humans infiltrated the upper echelons of humanity and secretly orchestrated the extermination of their own demonic beast lineage.

This view is widely accepted. Some scholars have reviewed historical records and found that when humans were massacring magical beasts, most alien races were clearly different from humans. The two alien races that were most similar to humans, the Oni and the Demi-humans, were not yet taken seriously.

Of course, endangered does not mean extinct. Currently, every country keeps a few of the last remaining demonic beasts of the Reverse Demon lineage as a last resort. However, there is really no way to deal with demi-humans.