Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

She smiled and said, "Okay, thank you for your comments, Teacher Mu. The woman agrees quite well; the theme of this painting is good. But perhaps you could consider raising the perspective slightly, so that the nameless swordswoman from Southern Qin doesn't occupy most of the picture. She should be a solitary figure, facing a vast expanse of dark weapons of war. This might better emphasize the theme of 'The wind howls, the Yi River is cold'..."

She smiled and turned on Mu Nandong's microphone again, "Well then, on a ten-point scale, please give your score first, Teacher Mu."

Despite being unable to play the villain because Nocturne stole his lines, Mu Nandong still had a stern face. "Judging only from the theme and the structure of the painting, I'd give it a barely passing grade, six points."

"The woman agrees with what Teacher Mu said... but I'll still give her an encouragement score. The nameless swordsman of Southern Qin symbolizes the ultimate resistance. However, since the time point was chosen before the war, it means he accepted that he was going to die. Overemphasizing his presence weakens the tragic grandeur of the fallen. These are indeed some points to deduct. We should pay more attention to this in the future."

"Okay, next up... is 'Red Crystal's' submission. Let's all take a look..."

..

..

..

Dozens of paintings in succession.

Nocturne seems to have unlocked the correct way to use Mu Nandong. Every time he finishes saying nice things and is about to say "but", she cuts off his microphone and takes over, pointing out the bad points in a relatively tactful way.

In fact, given their abilities, if they were only evaluating a painting, their conclusions would likely be the same: one would simply offer more positive feedback and the other would be more critical and point out its flaws. In any case, two such professional hosts are unnecessary.

But Nocturne, true to her reputation as a prankster, cleverly split the tasks between the two by cutting off their microphones, making Mu Nandong talk about the advantages while she talked about the disadvantages...

In this way, it became a situation where Mu Nandong, with his stern face, praised someone, while Ye Qu, with a smile, subtly pointed out their shortcomings. As a result, the onlookers saw different styles of commentary, and the person who submitted the article wasn't driven to despair by Mu Nandong's criticisms. It can be said that everyone was happy.

—Except for Ying Qin Guan, who was gender-bent, and Mu Nan Dong, who didn't get any hate.

Mu Nandong, however, was quite principled and probably had already reached some kind of agreement with Ye Qu. So even though his microphone was constantly being cut off, his expression remained unchanged. Ying Qin Guan, on the other hand, was getting impatient and desperately hoped that Shen Xin's work would be released soon to help him turn the tide.

Perhaps Ying Qinguan's intentions had been conveyed, for the sound of a nocturne began.

"Then the next one... is a submission from someone outside the school, hmm... Zhan Jue, a very interesting name, and it fits the theme of the painting very well. Please take a look."

Chapter Eight Battle of the Absolute

A new painting was projected onto the center of the stage.

Ying Qin Guan's spirits lifted, and he focused his attention on the direction.

The overall color scheme remains dark, a point of general consensus. Few people would make the colors too vibrant; at most, the clothes worn by the nameless swordsman from Southern Qin might be slightly more flamboyant, but that would be the limit.

But what this painting depicts is different from all the previous paintings.

The previous paintings, whether before the battle, during the standoff, during the battle, or after the battle, all highlighted the power of the nameless swordsman from Southern Qin.

His calm acceptance of death before the battle, his confidence in victory during the standoff, his bloody battle during the fight, or his roar to the sky after the battle—all of these are essentially praising the nameless swordsman of Southern Qin and telling him about his strength.

But this painting... is different.

The camera angle is extremely high, looking from a distance, showing a dark mass of fully armored soldiers surrounding a person.

Without a doubt, that was the nameless swordsman from Southern Qin, but his condition... was terrible.

He held a sword, but...

The sword is a broken sword, and the knife is a tattered knife.

Even if the Southern Qin had good swords and knives, how could they possibly compete with the most advanced alchemical armor of the era, which took nearly ten million pounds to forge into a single suit?

—And indeed it is true. Ying Qin Guan changed countless swords back then, and it was from the fingerprints left on those swords that the various countries determined that it was the same person who fought against Jue Tian Army.

But the problem isn't just with the swords; the biggest problem is with the people.

The nameless swordsman from Southern Qin stands in the very center of the image, covered in blood and riddled with wounds. Swords, beams of light, muskets, fists and feet... the frame doesn't use many shots, but the detail is so abundant it's breathtaking.

But the more details there are, the more the core of the painting is revealed.

The nameless swordsman from Southern Qin... is about to be defeated, about to die.

In fact, the whole world assumed that the nameless swordsman from Southern Qin was dead. No one thought he could survive that battle. In that kind of battle, even the God of War would only die. Kui also admitted, "I cannot match him, and I am sure to die." The Sword Saint even said that he would not be able to kill a few, let alone escape.

The nameless swordsman from Southern Qin slaughtered all 1,500 of them.

This is an unprecedented miracle.

In an ordinary army, let alone 99%, even if half of them die, if the military discipline is not strict, the entire army will probably be routed and deserters will be forced to flee. But even with strict military discipline, it is inevitable that morale will be low.

Only an army stripped of its personal emotions could achieve such an incredible record of 100% mortality.

This achievement was indeed remarkable, but because of it, no one believed he had survived.

A person ran 1,000 meters in two minutes and ten seconds. He was fast, but that was it, and that was it.

But if someone runs 100 kilometers in just 220 minutes, everyone's first thought would definitely be... his legs are ruined.

The principle is similar. If two powerful figures at the level of being enshrined as gods were to fight, such as the God of War versus the nameless swordsman from Southern Qin, then no matter who wins in the end, even if they win without taking any damage, everyone can accept and understand it, because when powerful figures like them fight, sometimes the outcome is decided in just one move.

However, if we're talking about a God of War versus Kui, the possibility of a "victory without injury" is almost zero. Kui represents the strongest physique on the continent, a true tank; he can't defeat anyone without taking damage, and you practically can't defeat him without injury either. And even more outrageous than Kui are the 1,500 fully armored warriors.

Running 1000 meters in 2 minutes and 10 seconds might not be very harmful to the body. But running 100 kilometers in 220 minutes, wouldn't it be harmful to the body?

impossible.

Even at roughly the same pace, some things can undergo a qualitative change as quantity increases.

Everyone subconsciously assumed that the nameless swordsman of Southern Qin was dead. But when they put pen to paper, they seemed to deliberately avoid this point. So far, all the nameless swordsmen of Southern Qin who have appeared seem to symbolize the word "power." Even the first painting depicting their heroic sacrifice emphasizes the swordsman of Southern Qin himself, rather than the power of the Black Dragon Empire's army.

Only this painting... it tells you clearly and plainly.

The nameless swordsman from Southern Qin is not invincible; he will be defeated, and there is a high probability that he will die.

Nocturne waved his folding fan and laughed, "What do you think, Teacher Mu?"

Mu Nandong said coldly, "Professional players bullying college students... This level of skill is more than enough to be the original artist for that company. Even if this painting were a legendary skin, no one could say anything. Composition and lighting are basics, and I guess you don't want to hear about them, so let's leave it at that. Let's talk about the details in this painting... This painting really can't be painted without some knowledge."

Mu Nandong, unusually, put away his stern expression and said, "First, there's the Jue Tian Army's full-coverage alchemical armor. Many students have drawn this. But... it's fair to say that most of them are just imagining things. Because they've never seen the Jue Tian Army's actual standard equipment, they can only draw a set according to their own ideas, or they don't give them the image, change the angle and distance, etc. If they can't see it, they don't need to draw it. These are all different approaches..."

"But I can say that the creator of this painting has actually observed the full-coverage alchemical armor of the Jue Tian Army up close. The alchemical armor he painted was not something he imagined at random, but was painted based on the real thing. Just the fact that he has come into contact with the Black Dragon Empire's alchemical armor is probably less than 10,000 people in the world. Among them, those who can paint and can paint to this level, including myself and Nocturne, are probably less than ten people. That's one point."

"Secondly, there are the swords and sabers in the hands of the nameless swordsman from Southern Qin. Upon close examination of the patterns on the hilts, these are weapons crafted by Longquan Studio, and they are from the same set. This set includes six weapons: a sword, a saber, a spear, a staff, a halberd, and a dagger. Longquan Studio named this set 'Zhan Jue' (Battle of the Absolute), and the submitter also used this as their pen name. As for the meaning of 'Zhan Jue' and its relationship to the theme of this painting... I should not need to elaborate. Although the nameless swordsman from Southern Qin could not possibly be using this set of swords and sabers, their presence here is quite intriguing."

"Thirdly, regarding the Black Dragon Empire's Jue Tian Army's reaction... Many of the previous depictions were quite outrageous. The Nameless Swordsman of Southern Qin displayed incredible power, causing the Jue Tian Army's killing machines to flee. Do you know what kind of army the Jue Tian Army is? They are emotionless weapons of war. Although the Black Dragon Empire is destined to be nailed to the pillar of shame, their army is indeed the strongest army in the world. Perhaps you wanted to elevate the Nameless Swordsman of Southern Qin by undermining the Jue Tian Army, but honestly... that's incredibly stupid."

"Then, fourthly, look at the turban the nameless swordsman is wearing. This is a custom from the Yizhou area of ​​Southern Qin, and it also fits historians' speculations about the nameless swordsman's origins. The way this turban is tied is very special, and its meaning is..."

Mu Nandong truly lived up to his reputation as a walking library, a scholar of unparalleled learning. The students below listened with repeated exclamations of amazement, and Fu Feihan was no exception. He nodded to himself, thinking that he had broadened his horizons, and then turned around, wanting to share his thoughts with someone.

"Teacher Mu is so amazing! It seems like she knows everything. Teacher Ying, what do you think...?"

He turned his head away.

Before I knew it, there was no one around me.

Chapter Nine: A true man dies when he should.

"If it weren't for research funding..."

In the dead of night, Mu Nandong, having finished a night of commentary, walked back to his teachers' dormitory.

He was indeed forced to work there. Nocturne promised to give him an advertisement and help him build connections, so he went there and worked for one night with that stern face.

"However, it's rare to find someone with that kind of skill who painted that picture..."

As he pondered these thoughts, he climbed the stairs... only to see a figure leaning against the door.

He paused for a moment, then walked over and said coldly, "Forgot your keys again? To be honest, I've never seen anyone make such a basic mistake in such a short period of time."

The other person looked up and said in a low voice, "Hmm...maybe I really have forgotten."

"Forgotten is forgotten, not forgotten is not forgotten. What is meant by 'perhaps'?" Mu Nandong opened the door for Ying Qin Guan and was about to leave when Ying Qin Guan's soft voice rang out.

"Mu Nandong...you said that a tragedy was about to happen, and someone might have had a chance to stop it. But he didn't seize the opportunity...isn't that a pity?"

Mu Nandong raised his eyes, his expression as cold as ever, his three-white eyes seeming to show no interest in anything in the world.

He noticed Ying Qin Guan's watch... he remembered it being from a few days ago. At least, Ying Qin Guan didn't have this watch before the student died in that martial arts arena, and then he got it.

"If you care about those who have died, then unfortunately, no matter how much you think about it, the past is the past. The dead cannot be brought back, but the future is still to come."

"I just think it's a real pity." Ying Qin Guan looked at Mu Nan Dong and said softly, "It's a very, very pity."

"If there were a chance to start over, 100 out of 100 people would choose to do it again. Because they all believe that they could do better if they could do it again. You may feel sorry for them, but it is meaningless. There are too many things in this world that are worth regretting, so many that you can't count them all."

Mu Nandong packed his things and was about to leave. "I'm sorry, I'm not a psychologist, so my help to you is quite limited. However, when it comes to moving on from painful past memories, I'm quite adept at it. Pain and hatred always drive me forward. But I see that you seem to have no hatred, only pain, so I suggest you..."

"Look ahead."

"Find those like-minded friends who may exist, and move towards the future step by step."

As Mu Nandong walked further and further away, his voice and his physical outline became less clear, eventually dissolving into the darkness at the end of the corridor.

Ying Qin Guan turned around, walked into the room, took out his key and school ID from his pocket, and placed them on the coffee table.

He picked up the travelogue of the nameless swordsman of Southern Qin from the bedside table and turned to one of the pages.

-

The two traveled together for many days, but Ji Li ultimately couldn't hide his identity... Perhaps he never really intended to hide it; this identity was irrelevant to him. He was simply Ji Li, upright and honest, with nothing to hide.

[After receiving Ji Li's confirmation, Feng Ruo was initially extremely shocked. But he quickly accepted it... Yes, with such strength, the injuries he sustained when he found him, and the incredibly coincidental timing, who else could it be but the nameless swordsman from Southern Qin?]

【only..】

"Brother Ji...I have a question."

【"you say."】

"I'm just curious... why didn't you intervene when the Black Dragon Empire launched a massive attack on Southern Qin, but instead waited until Southern Qin was completely destroyed before taking action? Was the situation unusual at the time?"

This is a long-standing mystery, and many people have discussed it for a long time... but no one has been able to find the answer.

Because no one really knows the truth.

So, what is the truth of the matter?

Ji Li fell silent... There were many speculations among the people about this matter, some positive and some negative.

Some people guessed correctly, but no one except him knows who they were.

He said, "Ruo'er, my dear girl... how long do you think it would take you to master my martial arts skills?"

Feng Ruo's face flushed slightly, and her voice was barely audible, "Feng Ruo is just a young girl, I've never practiced martial arts and don't know anything about these things, but Brother Ji's skills are superb... I suppose he must have started learning when he was very young."

Ji Li chuckled and said, "The Black Dragon Empire decided to attack Southern Qin. 1,500 Jue Tian soldiers, along with 3,000 elite 'logistics' troops, marched for twenty days and arrived at the border of Southern Qin. Thirteen days later... Southern Qin fell."