103: Ruolin's advice

Life at Canaan Academy was like a stone dropped into a deep pool; the arrival of Mo Yuhan and others caused Huang Jie Class Two, a placid pond, to ripple far beyond expectation.

This elegant pavilion, nestled among emerald bamboo and magnolia, became the center of the ripples, where the daily interactions of the young men and women, amidst their Dou Qi cultivation and alchemy research, quietly forged even closer bonds.

In the back mountains of Canaan Academy, the morning light faintly emerged, and a thin mist, like gauze, entwined itself among the ancient, verdant trees.

Birds chirped crisply, and dewdrops rolled on the blades of grass, reflecting fragmented golden light.

A secluded and open clearing in the forest, however, was now permeated with a chilling aura starkly different from the surrounding tranquility.

In the center of the clearing, two figures stood in opposition.

Mo Yuhan, clad in a dark blue training suit, though small in stature, stood as straight as a young pine.

He tightly gripped a brand-new ordinary iron longsword, its blade like autumn water, gleaming with cold light—the very sword Xiao Yu had given him.

His gaze was sharp, locked onto the front, his small body tensed, his aura released without reservation, stirring invisible ripples in the cool morning air.

Opposite him, Instructor Ruo Lin stood quietly.

Her sky-blue instructor's robe still outlined her mature, voluptuous curves; the astonishing fullness of her chest formed a breathtaking silhouette in the morning light, rising and falling slightly with her steady breaths, carrying a unique, undeniable richness of beauty characteristic of a mature woman.

However, the usual gentle, spring-like smile on her face was now completely gone.

In its place was a stillness that was almost icy.

Her eyes, which always held a tender, autumn-water-like softness, were now as sharp as an eagle's, scanning Mo Yuhan's every subtle movement, as if they could penetrate flesh and directly observe the trajectory of his Dou Qi circulation.

She specialized in the long whip, and thus held no sword in her hand, simply letting it hang at her side.

But a vast and boundless aura, like a slowly awakening deep-sea beast, silently diffused, instantly filling the entire forest clearing.

The air became thick and heavy, and an invisible pressure, like mercury flowing, seemed to permeate and squeeze every inch of Mo Yuhan's skin and every bone—this was the intimidating presence of a Great Dou Shi expert.

“Little Yuhan.”

Ruo Lin spoke, her voice no longer its usual gentle tone, but clear and cold like ice striking stone, carrying an undeniable authority, “Dou Qi cultivation, foundation is key; Dou Skills mastery, life and death depend on it.

Today, I shall teach you some combat techniques.”

As the last word fell, her sky-blue Dou Qi erupted around her.

It was not an attack, but like an invisible raging tide, it instantly constructed a vast, incredibly viscous pressure Domain, completely enveloping Mo Yuhan within it.

“Ugh!”

Mo Yuhan suddenly felt as if he had instantly shouldered a thousand-jin boulder; a Nine-Star Great Dou Shi Peak expert like Ruo Lin was incomparable to a waste like Jia Liejie.

The solid ground beneath his feet seemed to turn into a quagmire, his legs felt like they were filled with lead, and every movement became incredibly sluggish.

Even more terrifying, the omnipresent pressure frantically squeezed his meridians, attempting to disrupt the Dou Qi flowing within him.

This was pure realm suppression, overpowering with sheer force.

“This level of strength is not enough.”

Ruo Lin’s voice came coldly, like a judgment.

Fine beads of sweat instantly appeared on Mo Yuhan’s forehead; he stomped his foot, and his internal Dou Qi circulated wildly under the immense pressure, forcefully resisting the omnipresent viscous force.

The longsword in his hand emitted a clear hum, and the tip of the sword was difficult to lift, tracing a trajectory far less swift than usual, barely managing to assume the starting stance of Flowing Wind Sword—Wind Rising from Green Duckweed.

His movements were noticeably sluggish, having lost their usual agility.

“Too slow!”

Ruo Lin coldly rebuked, her figure unmoving, but the pervasive Domain pressure suddenly intensified! It was like an invisible giant wave crashing down.

Mo Yuhan felt his chest constrict, his blood and Qi churning, and the sword momentum he had just raised was almost crushed by brute force.

He let out a low growl, an unyielding sharpness erupting in his eyes, and recklessly poured Dou Qi into his legs, forcefully stabilizing his lower body, his wrist trembling violently as he gripped the sword hilt tightly, channeling the downward pouring pressure through the sword into the earth beneath his feet.

Hiss!

The sword tip pierced half an inch into the ground; he was rooted in place, but his face had already turned somewhat pale.

“Dou Qi circulation, condense it in the acupoints, release it from the slightest movement! Not brute force resistance!”

Ruo Lin’s voice, like an ice pick, precisely pierced Mo Yuhan’s eardrums, “Feel the pressure, adapt to the pressure.

Let your Dou Qi, under this heavy pressure, become faster, tougher, and more condensed! Again! Water Mandala!”

Mo Yuhan took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing his churning blood and Qi.

He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, there was a hint of realization in them.

He no longer tried to resist the entire Domain with brute force, but instead sank his mind into his body, striving to guide the surging Dou Qi to circulate faster in his meridians, attempting to concentrate his strength more densely at the tip of his sword.

“Hah!”

He struck with his sword again! This time, the speed was still not fast, but the trajectory of the sword tip carried a sense of profound solidity.

Wherever the sword tip passed, the viscous pressure seemed to be forcibly torn open with a tiny slit, emitting soft “hissing” sounds.

The sword wind roared, and although it lacked the usual ethereal swiftness, it gained a sense of desperate resolve and power! It was precisely the killing move of Flowing Wind Sword—Wind Sweeping Away Scattered Clouds!

The sword tip pointed directly at Ruo Lin!

A fleeting, extremely subtle hint of satisfaction finally crossed Ruo Lin's icy face.

She remained unmoving, but just as the condensed sword tip was about to reach her body, her right index finger, which had been hanging at her side, very casually, as if flicking away dust, lightly pointed forward.

Pop!

A soft sound, like a bubble bursting.

Where her fingertip pointed, space seemed to slightly twist.

An extremely condensed, almost invisible pale blue water line shot out, precisely striking the tip of Mo Yuhan's sword.

Clang—!

A clear, prolonged clang of metal striking metal rang out, far less explosive than when it collided with Xiao Yu before, yet it carried a bone-chilling coldness and a heavy force!

Mo Yuhan trembled violently.

A force that was extremely gentle yet overwhelmingly irresistible, like maggots clinging to bone, instantly transmitted along the sword to his arm, and then surged into his body.

The force was not a fierce impact, but like countless cold streams, frantically impacting, permeating, and disintegrating his condensed Dou Qi.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Mo Yuhan, in order to hone his sword techniques, naturally did not use Spirit Ability, and thus found it difficult to parry Ruo Lin's attacks.

“Condensed but impure, scattered but not gathered!”

Ruo Lin’s voice rang out again, still cold, but pointing out the key, “Similar in form but lacking in spirit! Continue!”

There was no time to breathe; an even heavier pressure descended once more.

Mo Yuhan swung his sword to meet it, sweat pouring like streams from his forehead and temples, soaking his dark blue training suit and outlining the slender yet surprisingly powerful contours of the young man.

Every sword swing, every parry, was accompanied by heavy breathing and violent muscle tremors.

Time flowed in the viscous pressure and constant collisions.

The sun gradually rose higher, piercing through the leaves and casting dappled light and shadow on the damp ground.

Ruo Lin remained like an iceberg, standing still, her eyes as sharp as knives, precisely pointing out every subtle flaw in Mo Yuhan's every movement and every instance of Dou Qi circulation.

Her guidance was ruthless, yet every word was a pearl of wisdom, directly hitting the crucial points.

“Left shoulder sinks half an inch, Dou Qi circulation is sluggish!”

“Footwork is unsteady, where is the root?”

“Sword intent, where is your sword intent? Where is the formlessness, the intangibility, the omnipresence of wind?!”

“Dou Qi eruption point is incorrect; scattered force is weak, condense it to a single point!”

It must be said that Ruo Lin’s level was truly worthy of her position as an instructor at Canaan Academy.