Chapter 9: Huan Xinyan

They're tracking me? Unexpectedly, even the reputable Starcom Consortium partakes in such shady acts.

Wu Yuan's brow furrowed in mild consternation.

How keen was his perception? Barely a month after waking up from his coma, he was already able to perform Internal Vision. This wasn't merely due to his strong mind, but also his spiritual sense, honed in his previous life. He could clearly tell that someone had been observing him for some time.

Wu Yuan casually quickened his pace and weaved through several secluded alleys. In a few swift movements, he disappeared without a trace.

"Where did he go?" A young man, unremarkable in appearance and dressed in inconspicuous clothing, rushed to catch up but found himself at a dead-end. He had no choice but to return and report his failure.

On the sixth floor of Starcom Consortium was a spacious room with elegant and minimalist decor. One wall of the room was occupied by a bookshelf filled with books.

"He lost him?" A middle-aged woman asked in a soft voice. She sat on a futon and was dressed in a silver robe.

"Yes. I had my people follow him, but it seems he noticed them early on and quickly shrugged them off." The man in a black robe shook his head, "He's not a simple customer. I misjudged him, thinking he was just a martial novice."

"Haha, someone who can shake off your men is no ordinary person." The woman in a silver robe softly said, "In theory, our Starcom Consortium only deals with the sales aspect, regardless of the customer's identity."

"A transaction of several hundred silver taels isn’t typically noteworthy, but the fact that he bought so many waste pills in one go is somewhat odd."

"Perhaps it's a group of bandits planning to expand their territory? Or a gang recruiting members untrained in martial arts?" The man in a black robe wondered aloud.

"Forget it." The woman in a silver robe waved her hand dismissively, "We'll leave this matter as it is. But if this customer visits us to buy more waste pills, notify me at once."

"Yes, Overseer." The man in a black robe acknowledged.

...

After losing the tracker, Wu Yuan quickly changed back into his original clothes in a quiet alley, discarding the luxurious garments he bought less than two hours ago. With a soft crackling of his joints, Wu Yuan returned to his original form.

I never thought that the mighty Starcom Consortium wouldn't even have a thousand low-grade body tempering pills.

Wu Yuan frowned. That was his only miscalculation.

I'll be spending the day at the martial academy, but it's not suitable for me to digest the body tempering pills there. Let's wait for nightfall.

Wu Yuan came to a decision.

Before long, he entered the martial academy from a side door, carrying a bundle on his back.

"Senior Brother!"

"It's Senior Brother Wu Yuan." Wu Yuan heard many voices calling his name as he walked by. As a famous disciple of the martial academy, his presence naturally drew attention. He made his way to the training tower deep within the martial academy.

The martial academy's practice rooms were divided into large communal rooms and small practice rooms. Every half a month, the academy held a minor tournament. Only the top thirty disciples were allocated small practice rooms to themselves, which were located within the training tower. Hence, it was very quiet here.

Two figures emerged from the main door.

"Brother Yuan!" a burly figure shouted in surprise. It was Wu Sheng.

"You're finally back, Instructor Huan has been looking for you. She's waiting in your practice room right now."

"Instructor Huan?" Wu Yuan paused for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Wu Sheng, Luo He, I'll go meet Instructor Huan first. I'll catch up with you later."

"Go ahead," the tall and thin teenager chuckled.

Wu Sheng was his childhood friend and practically his brother. Luo He was another good friend of his.

Soon, he arrived at the practice room entrance and pushed the door open. A figure clad in a purple robe appeared in Wu Yuan's view.

Her raven-black hair fell freely as she leaned by the window. Her fingers were long and slender, and her billowy robe did little to mask her delicate figure. She had the appearance of a woman in her early twenties, with a hint of naivety, yet a certain degree of icy aloofness.

"Instructor Huan," Wu Yuan gave a slight bow.

At twenty years old, Huan Xinyan was the youngest instructor in the county martial academy. She was extraordinarily powerful for her age, already an Adept expert. Rumor had it that she was a core disciple of the Cloudstride Sect. However, for reasons unknown, she was dispatched to the tiny Li City.

But to Wu Yuan, she was just his personal mentor. More precisely, she was the personal mentor of his body's predecessor. The county martial academy ruled that anyone who reached the level of an eighth-grade martial artist could select a personal mentor from the academy's instructors.

"Wu Yuan, the headmaster informed me that you will be withdrawing from this year's martial academy major tournament. Is that true?" Huan Xinyan asked sternly.

"Yes," Wu Yuan nodded. He didn't expect the headmaster to inform his personal mentor in the span of just one night.

"I disagree!" Huan Xinyan frowned.

"Instructor Huan, I was thinking..." Wu Yuan tried to explain.

"Don't give me those lofty justifications," Huan Xinyan cut him off sharply. "So that you can win first place in next year's major tournament of four provinces? Do you take me for a fool?"

Wu Yuan felt his words caught in his throat. This Instructor Huan was really straightforward.

Ever since he regained consciousness one month ago, Wu Yuan hardly interacted with her. But from what he remembered, she had treated him fairly well. This was especially true when he first transmigrated over. During the few months he was disorientated, Huan Xinyan visited him twice just to bring over medicine for him.

Though the help she provided was minimal, such a dedicated instructor was hard to come by. After all, Wu Yuan was not exactly outstanding then, and personal mentors did not have true disciple-master relationships with their mentees. Therefore, Wu Yuan treated Huan Xinyan with great respect.

"Since recovering from your illness, your martial potential has been awakened and your strength has increased rapidly. You have the potential to take first place in the upcoming major tournament! If you enter the Cloud Martial Hall, it is not an exaggeration to say that you could become a fifth-grade or even fourth-grade martial artist in the future." Huan Xinyan continued, "This is not only for yourself, but also for the future strength of our sect."

Wu Yuan listened, unable to refute her words. In his memory, Instructor Huan felt a strong sense of loyalty to the sect, and genuinely hoped that the sect would prosper.

"Is it Xu Yuanhan? Did his father coerce you?" Huan Xinyan suddenly asked.

Wu Yuan's expression remained unchanged, but his heart quivered slightly. He remained silent.

"You dare not say?" Huan Xinyan frowned, "Wu Yuan, as a martial artist, you should have a resolute mind. If they are forcing you to give way to Xu Yuanhan, tell me. You are my first mentee, I will seek justice for you."

Huan Xinyan only joined the county martial academy a year ago.

"Instructor Huan is considerate, but it was my individual decision to withdraw, and has nothing to do with anyone else. I am only fourteen years old. I can still enter the Cloud Martial Hall next year," Wu Yuan said.

"Next year?" Huan Xinyan could no longer suppress her emotions, a trace of frustration entering her voice, "Entering the Cloud Martial Hall at fourteen versus at fifteen, do you not know what the difference is?"

"I understand. But this year, I can still train at the county martial academy all the same." Wu Yuan said calmly.

Huan Xinyan fell silent. She wasn't particularly skilled with words. If the situation weren't so regrettable or if Wu Yuan weren't her first mentee, she probably wouldn't have gotten involved at all.

"Forget it! If you do not wish to tell me, I won't press you. If you change your mind before the major tournament, you can always let me know." Huan Xinyan said quietly.

"Thank you, Instructor Huan." Wu Yuan said.

After watching as Huan Xinyan left the practice room and closed the door behind her, Wu Yuan sat cross-legged on the floor.

Just as I'd surmised, Instructor Huan is not merely a simple instructor of the martial academy; the rumors might indeed be true.

Instructors of the martial academy had to be Adepts at minimum. Hence, most of them were over 40 years old, with only a small number in their 30s.

A sixth-grade martial virtuoso in their twenties was already a rare sight. An Adept expert in their early twenties? Wu Yuan believed that even within the Cloudstride Sect, such individuals were highly valued, undoubtedly the cream of the crop among the young generation.

Yet she was sent to Li City? Was she ostracized? Or did she make a mistake? Or is this her way of experiencing the trials and tribulations of the world?

Several possibilities flashed through Wu Yuan’s mind.

Regardless of the situation, she should have a direct line of communication with the higher-ups of the sect.

The Cloudstride Sect, though called a sect, was essentially like a dynasty in this region of land. Generally speaking, who was most feared by the local authorities? Naturally, those who could 'contact the heavens'.

If I were indeed pressured to give up, I might actually take up Instructor Huan's offer to help. After all, the Cloudstride Sect places great importance on such matters.

Wu Yuan shook his head slightly.

Unfortunately, this was a path I chose willingly.

Once I enter the Cloud Martial Hall, I will not only be under surveillance but also restrained by the sect.

As a former martial arts Grandmaster, Wu Yuan was reluctant to chain himself down.

Moreover, General Xu has given me way too much. One must keep their word.

Wu Yuan gently closed his eyes. He controlled the muscles, tendons, and bones throughout his body, causing them to tremble slightly.

The practice of martial arts required balance. Strengthening one's body was not about exclusively undergoing intensive fist or sword training. By engaging one’s musculoskeletal system, and controlling them to vibrate in unison, one could also achieve the effect of Strength Training.

Naturally, the prerequisite for this was a high degree of bodily control. First and foremost, one had to be capable of Internal Vision.

...

Day turned to night.

On a deserted riverbank.

It's time to test the effects of these body tempering pills.

Wu Yuan looked at the handful of pills in his hand. Their sweet aroma was tainted with a faint fishy smell.

He opened his mouth and swallowed them all.

If any powerful martial artist witnessed this scene, they would have undoubtedly been left dumbfounded. After all, even for highly refined high-grade body tempering pills, not many would dare to ingest several of them all at once. Let alone low-grade body tempering pills, which could be branded as poison pills.