Chapter 57: Persuasion

After Chen Chuan left, someone came to meet Cheng Zitong, and they headed further into the training hall.

When Cheng Zitong entered the hall, he saw an old woman with her white hair tied up in a bun using a hairstick. She sat in a chair made of nanmu wood and had a female retainer standing behind her.

There was a pair of reading glasses on her nose, which gave her a kindly appearance. She also wore a red traditional dress with the right lapel over the left. In her hands she held a dark cane made of hophornbeam with its end shaped like a burl.

She appeared remarkably healthy. Her posture was straight, and she seemed full of life. From the contours of her face, it was clear that she was graceful and beautiful when she was young.

The moment she saw Cheng Zitong, she said languidly, “Xiao Cheng, it’s been a while since you came to visit me.”

“That’s because I was busy, Ms. Ni,” Cheng Zitong replied.

“We’re all busy. It’s not easy worrying about your mentee, is it?” Ni Xiaolin asked.

“It isn’t, but my mentee is good and doesn’t make me worry, so I don’t think teaching him is difficult,” Cheng Zitong answered.

“Looks like you’re really satisfied with him. I will have to meet him later,” Ni Xiaolin declared.

“That’s easy. Once the exam ends, I’ll bring him to you,” Cheng Zitong promised.

“Then, we might have to wait a while,” Ni Xiaolin said leisurely.

Cheng Zitong could tell that something was going on. He looked toward the door and asked in resignation, “Madam, what on earth are you trying to do this time?”

Ni Xiaolin patted the table. “Come. Sit with me and have some tea. Calm your mind.”

“...Fine.” Cheng Zitong sat down not too far away from her.

Ni Xiaolin smiled. “It’s just something between those youngsters. Let them have their fight. If they don’t, they won’t be able to call themselves youngsters anymore, will they? Besides, Xiao Qiu is there. You don’t have to worry.”

Cheng Zitong picked up the tea on the table and took a sip. It was refreshing, and the aroma stayed on his tongue. He nodded. “It’s good tea.” He met her gaze then and said, “Honestly, I’m not worried.”

“Looks like you’re confident in your student,” Ni Xiaolin remarked.

Cheng Zitong laughed at that. “By the way, where’s your mentee? Should I test them?”

Ni Xiaolin turned her head to the side, and the female retainer walked out. After a while, she brought a tiny male student. He looked quite nervous as he bowed to Cheng Zitong. “Hello, Mr. Cheng. I’m Feng Xiaoqi.”

Cheng Zitong recognized him, and his expression became resigned. “Seriously, Ms. Ni. You really can’t stand losing even a little, can you?”

This was Chen Chuan’s neighbor. Even if they weren’t close, they’d still be seeing each other often for the next three years. If Cheng Zitong wanted to take some petty revenge and ended up souring their relationship, his mentee would be the one to suffer. Ni Xiaolin was truly a cunning old vixen. Even if Cheng Zitong was seething, he could not vent his anger.

“I’ve suffered plenty of setbacks in my life. Wouldn’t you agree?” Ni Xiaolin said languidly.

Cheng Zitong did not dare to continue this topic, or else, his own father was going to be dragged into the conversation. He quickly said, “Are you ready? If you are, should we start?”

His second question was directed at Ni Xiaolin.

She giggled. “Let’s begin, then.”

***

Chen Chuan looked over the gathered crowd. One tall and handsome upperclassman stepped forward and extended a hand to him in a friendly gesture. “Hello, Chen Chuan. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Lu Fang, one of the vice presidents of the Aspiration Club. Oh, I should probably mention that Shu Han is also one of our members.”

Chen Chuan cast him a glance and immediately realized what was going on. He shook his hand, and Lu Fang gave him a friendly smile before turning to the side. “Let me introduce some of our members to you. This is Di Zhongren, a first-class sophomore of the Grappling Department.”

A tanned, sturdy boy with a buzz cut wearing a student uniform stepped forward and gave Chen Chuan a nod.

Lu Fang then pointed to a stocky, short boy. “This is Bi Yang, a first-class sophomore of the Takedown Department.”

Bi Yang gave him a bashful smile.

“This is Jing He, a first-class sophomore of the Sanshou Department.”

Chen Chuan looked over to see a lean, stern-looking student who gave him a fist-and-palm salute.

Lu Fang introduced every person one by one. They comprised various departments, but aside from the ones introduced in the beginning, the rest were all second-class sophomores or seniors.

Once Lu Fang finished introducing them all, Chen Chuan said, “I know all of your names now. May I know when my monthly exam will start?”

“You don’t have to be in such a hurry. Before that, could you spare some time to listen to us?” Lu Fang asked sincerely.

Chen Chuan stared intently at him before nodding. “Please, go on.”

“You’ve learned a breathing technique before entering the university, so with your talent, I’m pretty sure that you’ve already picked up a more advanced one in the month since you enrolled here. This means that your next step is to practice a refined force. May I know what refined force you picked?” Lu Fang said.

“The All-Encompassing Force,” Chen Chuan answered.

It was not as if he could not mention it. Refined forces were just a training method and a tool. The people themselves were the ones deciding how to use them. Besides, the university kept a record of what everyone chose, so if they wanted to know, they would find a way to find out.

“The All-Encompassing Force? What is that?” Most students had never heard about this refined force before and started talking among themselves.

Xiao Qiu looked at Chen Chuan in surprise.

Most of the members in the club were upperclassmen, so a few of them had heard of it. They explained it to the others.

In the beginning, they could not believe it, but after repeated confirmation, their gazes became filled with disbelief. They could not believe that Chen Chuan was wasting his talents on such a refined force.

One of them came forward and said indignantly, “Chen Chuan, why did you choose this? Did your mentor force you to? Don’t worry, you can pick another mentor after the month is up. If you can’t find a suitable mentor, we can introduce our mentors to you! I’m sure that you can learn a lot more from them!”

“That’s right. How could you choose something that’s practically useless? You’re just giving up on yourself here!” another said in great distress.

“It’s my business which refined force I practice. I don’t need anyone telling me what to do, and I hope that you will respect my choice. Also, Mr. Cheng is my mentor. I hope that you’ll stop with these baseless accusations toward him. Otherwise, there’s no need for us to continue with this conversation.” Chen Chuan glared at them.

Lu Fang motioned for the members to calm down and let him speak. He turned to Chen Chuan and said, “Chen Chuan, I understand what you’re thinking. It seems like you have a lot of confidence in yourself and believe that even if you pick the worst refined force, you can still become strong.

“It makes sense. Before you officially joined Martial Valor University, you defeated Zhong Wu all on your own. This must have given you a confidence boost. If I were in your shoes, I’d also think I’m unstoppable, but opponents during exams are different from the ones in the outside world. You should understand this. If you don’t...”

He sighed and said seriously, “We don’t want to do this, but we’ll try our best to help you understand. We’re not here to pick a fight. We just want you to know that you can’t survive on your own or with any random martial art in Martial Valor University. You need a refined force and a lot of help. This is something we’ve come to understand after a particularly brutal lesson.

“We’re not being alarmists. Please don’t think that we’re causing trouble for no reason. Even if you don’t pick a good refined force, a student like you, with your specialty and talent, will still attract enemies. Once that happens, you won’t be able to ward off people targeting you both openly and secretly all by yourself.

“It’s impossible for you to be able to train in peace. From the moment you stepped foot into Martial Valor University, you’ve caught a lot of attention. If you don’t make a choice, someone else will make it for you, and if you refuse to do it, you won’t achieve anything. That’s how all of us came to this point in our lives. None of us are an exception.”

“Are you done?” Chen Chuan asked.

Lu Fang was slightly taken aback, but after taking a look at the people behind him, he nodded. “I am.”

Chen Chuan looked at him and spoke slowly as he unbuttoned his coat. “You mentioned that you’d make me see sense, so I wanted to see it. Though after hearing what you said, I don’t think that you can convince me to change my mind.”

He threw away his coat and looked everyone in the eye. “But that’s okay. Based on the rules of the exam, I will persuade you that I’m fine with my choice.”