Chapter 31: Junior, You Scared Me
Holding the stance for the 'Dormant Dragon Technique,' Xue Jing remained perfectly still.
With each breath, countless hidden nodes within his body were being constantly stimulated. If one were to connect these nodes with a line, they would see a shape resembling a dormant dragon.
As time passed, Xue Jing felt his body grow hot and itchy, as if pierced by countless needles. His vital energy and blood coursed through him at high speed, producing a faint murmuring sound akin to a gentle stream.
After just half an hour, he was drenched in sweat, exhaling nearly scalding hot air from his mouth and nose.
The nodes inside his body not only itched and burned but gradually began to feel painfully swollen.
Unable to control his breathing, Xue Jing lost his stance and sank to the ground, panting heavily, as if his lungs were completely depleted of oxygen.
[You have completed a session of the Dormant Dragon Technique stance training, fitness experience +98.]
[You have completed a session of the Dormant Dragon Technique stance training, energy manipulation experience +89.]
Upon glancing at the panel, Xue Jing couldn't help but be delighted.
Just half an hour of training the Dormant Dragon Technique stance had earned him 98 fitness experience points and 89 energy manipulation experience points!
His efficiency surpassed gym workouts by double, and he gained energy manipulation experience simultaneously!
"Excellent, excellent! For your first attempt at the Dormant Dragon stance, you endured for so long. Just as I expected, you are uniquely suited for the Hidden Dragon Style," remarked Li Qi, seated in his wheelchair, with a tone of gleeful praise.
"Apart from you, the disciple with the greatest physical talent so far has been your Senior Brother Meng Boshang, who lasted twenty-three minutes on his first attempt."
"You surpassed him by a whole... ten minutes."
Xue Jing: ""
What did you say, ten what? Say that again.
"So, have you familiarized yourself with all the steps of the Dormant Dragon Technique?" Li Qi asked.
Xue Jing caught his breath for a moment, closed his eyes to think, and then nodded.
"I've remembered them all, thank you, Master."
The Dormant Dragon Technique has countless complex details. Just achieving the correct posture is challenging enough, let alone directing the internal strength and blood flow to stimulate the essential nodes, which is many times harder than the posture. Such a complex foundational skill, if practiced in the ordinary manner, would take an unimaginable amount of time to master.
But Li Qi, relying on his extraordinary control over internal force, simply shook Xue Jing’s hand slightly, putting him into the most standard Dormant Dragon stance, allowing Xue Jing to focus entirely on memorizing the steps. This method of teaching was simply a decisive force multiplier.
"Good. You have a healthy body and a sharp mind," Li Qi said, nodding with satisfaction.
After resting for a while, Xue Jing felt his breathing stabilize. Feeling rejuvenated, he asked, "Master, what should I learn next?"
Li Qi shook his head and said, "Martial arts should not be rushed. The Dormant Dragon Technique is extremely taxing on the body. Those lacking the talent suffer significant energy loss after just a few minutes. Even with your talent, you shouldn't overtrain at this early stage."
"I’ve already asked Zhu Shanying to prepare the 'Sleeping Dragon Balm.' Let her give you a massage later to help recover your body, and we can resume practice tomorrow."
Xue Jing hesitantly asked, "Ask Sister Zhu to help me with it?"
Thinking of that girl with a childish look... I wonder if she got hurt yesterday.
Li Qi waved his hand and said, "She volunteered to help you."
"Shanying, that child, is a year younger than you and possesses a rare, pure-hearted nature. Although she's technically your senior, there will inevitably be things she'll need your help with."
"Now that you've come under my tutelage, she finally has a peer her age to play with. Get along well, alright?"
Xue Jing nodded in agreement.
"Ahahaha, here comes the Sleepy Dragon Balm~"
As if waiting for this moment, a cheerful and youthful voice filled the doorway of the training room. Holding a fist-sized porcelain white bottle, Zhu Shanying walked in with a smile all over her childlike face, seemingly unaffected by her defeat to Xue Jing the previous day.
"Well then, you young ones have a good chat. I got up early today, so I need to catch some sleep..."
With a wave of his hand, Li Qi turned his wheelchair and exited the training room.
Once he left, Zhu Shanying turned her gaze to Xue Jing.
"Come now, junior brother, take off your shirt and sit over here."
Sitting on the floor in a squatting duck style, Zhu Shanying patted the ground, signaling Xue Jing to sit in front of her.
"..."
Xue Jing felt a bit uneasy, but he couldn't very well refuse, so he nodded, grabbing the hem of his T-shirt with both hands and lifting it, revealing a torso as flawlessly sculpted as if wrought by the gods.
"Wow."
Zhu Shanying exclaimed in admiration. "You're quite something, little junior brother."
"Sister Zhu, you're too kind." Xue Jing approached her, turned his back, and sat cross-legged in front of the young woman.
It wasn't long before Xue Jing felt the cool, soft, and slightly icy hands applying the ointment onto his back.
Wherever the ointment touched, it felt like the tingly burn of applying menthol oil.
In the ensuing silence, Xue Jing thought for a moment and then spoke up: "Sister, I'm really sorry about yesterday. You're not hurt, are you?"
Zhu Shanying paused her movements, then with a hint of amusement, replied, "Of course not."
"Though my body is fine, my heart's a little wounded."
The girl's fingers wandered over Xue Jing's back, suddenly finding a spot to press hard, sending a surge of force through him that made Xue Jing gasp sharply.
Zhu Shanying's voice, full of laughter, whispered in Xue Jing's ear, her breath like orchids. "Junior brother, don't be fooled by my looks; I can be really competitive."
Her fingers then twisted, forcefully scraping across Xue Jing's muscles.
“Stay still, okay? The Sleeping Dragon Ointment can only penetrate deep into your body if you don't move; that's how it works best.”
Xue Jing glanced at Zhu Shanying, who was smiling cheerfully, and quietly endured the massage that clearly bore a hint of playful revenge.
Before long, it was Zhu Shanying who couldn't hold her composure.
“...Well, aren't you going to say something?” she pouted.
With a low voice, Xue Jing replied, “Nothing much, as long as it makes you happy, Senior Sister.”
Zhu Shanying was momentarily speechless.
“Alright, it was my fault. I lost to you because I was careless, yet I still thought about getting back at you and used this opportunity to tease you...”
“Please don't be mad at me...” Zhu Shanying said with a tone full of grievance.
Xue Jing was at a loss for words.
Thinking it over, he gently said, “I'm not mad at you. It actually does hurt a bit, so my voice might have sounded a little tense.”
“Continue, Senior Sister, don't mind me.”
Seeing that he truly didn’t appear angry, Zhu Shanying breathed a sigh of relief and patted the burgeoning Leilei. "That's a relief, Junior, you really scared me..."
...