Chapter 813
Chapter 813 - 781 Thanks
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8 min read
Watching the "spark" in his hand burst again, Lu Ping’an sighed helplessly.
Some things had changed, yet others seemed perpetually the same.
Since Kun Ba’s time in this city and this world was limited, Lu Ping’an had naturally prioritized learning the Four Techniques with him during his days in Changping.
"Teacher seems to have been hurt in the last world and has been recuperating... uh, it seems like he gained something there and is now digesting it," Xia Qin said this with little confidence.
Although she was a disciple, this was just hearsay.
Lu Ping’an was already preparing for version 3.0, while Kun Ba was still reminiscing over the Silent Mountain Range World of version 1.0... It could be that Lu Ping’an was just lucky, but more so that High-order Professionals have a slower "pace," taking longer to delve deeply and spend more time and energy digesting.
"Very good, very good, you are indeed my disciple, and it looks like you have been working hard."
Just in these past few days, Xia Qin had successfully achieved her breakthrough and became a fourth-tier "Six Paths Sword Saint."
Kun Ba was in such a good mood that he even became more active in teaching... and Lu Ping’an took the opportunity to gather more lessons, making it a win-win situation.
Kun Ba expressed his surprise at the extent of Xia Qin’s effort after classes, continually saying that he had misjudged her, to the point that Xia Qin started to feel a bit embarrassed.
Then... the very next day, he went back to calling Xia Qin a blockhead.
The reason? To date, her progress in "Handcuff" was still zero, in the "still finding the feeling" stage, even though she was best suited for practicing this technique within the Protection system.
On the same day, Lu Ping’an finally completed a stable "Drawing silk" and attempted his first unsuccessful Handcuff.
"... Within two or three months, you should be able to master it completely. Heh, if only you were my disciple."
When he said this, he also gave an implicit look at Xia Qin with an innocent face, making his meaning quite clear.
"I’m really sorry for not being a genius..."
Xia Qin could only sigh helplessly and then continued "to practice more at home"... If only pure effort could overtake all the geniuses and monsters.
The problem was, given enough temptation, even those with powerful talents would work hard.
The fact was that those with outstanding talents received more external investment and spiritual feedback, only widening the gap further.
She silently glanced at Lu Ping’an, who was practising diligently, and then bowed her head to continue her own business.
She held no resentment... she actually knew her limits and that being able to become a Sword Saint’s disciple due to her "fortunate" talent was already a stroke of great luck.
Just as Kun Ba put it bluntly...
"When we met last time, I was surprised at your progress. Initially, I thought you would mature by the age of forty... Even after revising my estimate, I thought you’d barely break through to Decree-level in your late twenties, and mostly not even with a pure Sword Saint Profession, needing a few more years to make up for it. You keep breaking my expectations..."
In Xia Qin’s eyes, that was her potential future... if she hadn’t met Lu Ping’an.
She was actually quite grateful to the youth before her... although in all aspects, she was coming to feel less and less that this should be the behavior of a "child" who had just started university.
"... Try to preliminarily master the techniques of the hand and eye in these two months, with the teacher’s help, adjust the Talent Ability Sun Pattern’s ’Handcuff’, and if possible, slightly begin the cultivation for self-cultivation..."
Her plan was simple and direct, but highly executable, just follow through with the current conditions.
It had always been her habit, to fully use the resources at hand and accumulate and advance bit by bit.
"... I just need to do my best..."
Watching Lu Ping’an, who could now handle the "silk thread" with the flair of "pulling noodles," her pupils remained as calm as ever.
She knew she could probably only be considered "talented," someone lucky with particular skills in certain areas... uh, although it seemed she couldn’t even compare to some when it came to luck.
𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
Understanding her own mediocrity, accepting her own mediocrity... But even so, she continued to persevere, taking one step at a time.
"... Let those who shine take the spotlight."
She just quietly did her work, striving forward, advancing silently.
As the "Older Sister" and "Captain" of the team, she knew she wasn’t the strongest, and it was even possible for newcomers to surpass her, but for now, perhaps they needed her as their backbone, needed her to stand firm at the forefront.
She was needed for miscellaneous tasks, needed for communication with officials, and when necessary, she was the only one who could scold the overly frivolous Lu Ping’an... She was like a "housekeeper" who was too young, managing everything from fuel, rice, oil, and salt to soy sauce, vinegar, and tea.
Perhaps many people had not noticed, but her strength had never fallen behind, and this time, she was among the first to make a breakthrough.
She, as always, completed her cultivation, constantly maintaining her position at the forefront of the team. Some knew how much the "mediocre" her had sacrificed for this...
".....Sister Xia Qin."
However, after completing a day’s cultivation and returning to her quarters, she was stopped by Lu Ping’an.
Xia Qin was surprised as she received a simple little package.
It was a pair of leather boots, with blue and white patterns and adorned with a purple rose. The material on them was quite good... but that was about it; they weren’t even considered near pollutant level.
"...What is this? Cultivation props? Fireproof boots? Enchantment materials....."
Xia Qin was a bit confused and didn’t know what this meant.
Lu Ping’an couldn’t help but laugh disrespectfully. The little rascal pretended to cover his mouth as if trying to suppress it, but he was deliberately laughing out loud.
"Check out the tag on the back." Lu Ping’an pointed to the side of the boots, where the brand logo should be.
"Tag? Uh, isn’t it just handmade ’material’?"
Flipping it over, she finally found a somewhat familiar label on the back of the boots.
".....It seems familiar....." She racked her brains but always felt she was missing something.
Meanwhile, someone could no longer hold back.
"Haha, too funny, Sister Xia Qin, you’re really a woman? You don’t even remember the most fashionable women’s brand, and here I made Meow run around for so long to find something durable yet still pretty....Okay, okay, don’t hit me, don’t hit me."
Watching herself being lifted by the collar, ready to be punched by the blushing young woman, Lu Ping’an shook his head, smiling.
"A small gift, to congratulate you on becoming a fourth-tier professional. This promotion is quite important in a professional’s life, isn’t it? Besides..."
The boy’s playful gaze was directed downwards, and Xia Qin also looked down, only to realize that her standard leather shoes were unknowingly full of wrinkles and cracks... It was lucky that they were still alive.
".....Thank you, Sister Xia Qin, for everything up till now."
His words were simple but carried an unusual sincerity and seriousness.
He had seen it, the effort and persistence of a Mortal, as well as her kindness and dedication.
"Little rascal."
Xia Qin lowered her head for a moment, but when she raised it again, her smile returned.
She reached out her hand, intending to touch the boy’s head as before, or perhaps to knock on it in irritation.
But the next moment, she found that in the span of half a year, without realizing it, he had grown a lot taller.
Now, she needed to slightly raise her head to see that familiar smile and the still-pure eyes despite the changes.
In his eyes, it seemed as though he had nothing, yet at the same time everything.
"...Little rascal, you’re still ten years early."
So, she knocked hard on his head, causing Lu Ping’an to repeatedly cry out in pain.
Yet, he was still smiling from the corner of his mouth.
— End of Chapter 813 —