Following that friendly match, the master summoned him to his office for a private conversation. Binh An was well aware that his teacher would be discussing his performance. He had previously competed in a match and won first place, and his master had also summoned him to speak in this manner.

At that time, because the master wanted to reward him, but he also wanted to save his old face, for privacy, he had to call him into his office, where he had a lot of gifts and snacks brought from the nearby town especially for him. The two drank tea and talked about his disciple's excellent performance; he even complimented him nonstop while staring at the child who had finished all of the specialties he had purchased.

Binh An paused in front of the door for a moment, trying to hide his joy, then steadied his face and knocked solemnly on the door.

"Master, it's me, Binh An."

Inside, a very familiar sound resounded.

"Come in!"

Binh An smiled slightly, opened the door, and entered.

This room was still the same, extremely neat and tidy, with a long table in the middle, a shelf full of books, scrolls, and documents in the back, and images hanging on both sides of the wall, redrawing the beauty of the mountains here.

Binh An had visited this place countless times, but, as soon as he entered through the door, he noticed that the mood was off, a little different than usual.

His master was still sitting at the long table, not even looking up when he saw him approaching, his hand still intent on writing each stroke of ink as smooth as the dragon soaring and the phoenix dancing.

When he saw his master, he pushed his thoughts aside, walked up, and sat across from him, a table apart, just like before.

“What are you doing, Master? Can I watch?" He asked excitedly.

His master still refused to look at him, instead placing the pen on the pen holder and carefully reading what he had written on the paper. Binh An felt a bit lost and embarrassed.

"Do you require assistance? You must be exhausted from all of your work."

He was going to rise up to take up the pen when his master abruptly covered it with one hand and spoke to him in a cold tone.

"What exactly are you doing? It is impolite to randomly touch other people's personal belongings. I'm sure you're aware of the situation. This is something I would never fail to educate you. If others saw this, they would blame me for not teaching you the difference between right and wrong."

Binh An was dumbfounded; he had no idea his willingness to assist had turned into an insult to others, he instantly lowered his head to admit his error.

"I'm wrong. I will learn from my mistakes, and this will not happen again. I hope the Master isn't upset."

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When his master saw him like that, he simply sighed and murmured.

"I have to be strict with you; after all, you are an adult and cannot act recklessly."

"I know. Master only wants what is best for me. I see what you're saying."

Master appeared to have calmed down, since his child was likewise a very courteous person.

"I didn't call you here today to scold you. I'd like to speak with you about yesterday's match."

At this point, Binh An's face brightened up again, finally, he got to hear the words of praise he was looking for. Unexpectedly, instead of showering him with gifts, the master made a severe remark.

"After the match, I had a point of dissatisfaction that I'd like to bring to your attention so you can learn from it the next time you're in cultivation."

Binh An was surprised, because he thought that his master would congratulate him on breaking through to the second step of the Martial Art Secret. He did not think that his approach in Martial Art was unstable, it seemed that he was over subjective.

Binh An quickly clasped his hands and stated.

"Master, please teach me. I'll pay attention."

"I just saw that your sword swing and movements were poor. You were too hasty, rushed, fast, and fierce; your path was chaotic; you couldn't hold your composure; and you wasted too much of your energy unnecessarily, which might easily lead to disputes in the energy flows, affecting the translation process in the future."

"But, Master, my moves have always been the same; why bring them up now?" Binh An inquired.

"You dare to disagree with me. My suggestion is for you to improve as quickly as possible, not only did you refuse to acknowledge it, but you actively oppose it?"

"This disciple is wrong, and this disciple apologizes."

"I'm glad you understand. Listening is necessary for learning and growth; you may now depart."

Binh An remained motionless, as if he was waiting for something. When his master saw him like that, he spoke up.

"What are you still doing here? You should go take care of your own affairs!"

Binh An was immediately embarrassed, said farewell to his master, and returned to his chamber silently.

He had the impression that something was missing. He used to spend a long time in the master's office, going through all of his belongings. Even the master did not want his disciples to leave, frequently bringing him fruits and snacks to eat, then the two talked for a long hour; today, the conversation was far too short, to the point that Binh An felt dissatisfied and unwilling to leave.

He quickly awoke an unknown feeling of uneasiness, because his master usually agreed with him and rarely harshly scolded him, but why was his expression so serious and terrible just then?

Is it due to him that Master has become this way?

After some consideration, he pushed those negative ideas to the back of his mind; after all, his master had always pampered him; perhaps now, when he is no longer at the age for cuddling, the way Master treats him must be more strict than in the past.

He actually followed his master's advice the following time he fought because he didn't want to offend his master any longer. He kept his strength in check, trying to manage his movements so that he didn't go too extreme. However, he realized that this was exceedingly difficult for him; the longer the time passed, the more difficult it appeared for him to grasp and integrate the pure qi within himself.

He had never before found it so difficult to defeat an opponent. Despite maintaining his top record, today's friendly match was a severe setback for him in certain ways; he was exceedingly struggling and took much longer than normal to defeat his opponent.

His mood after the match was completely opposite that of his opponents. They believed they had advanced and could give him troubles, so they held each other's necks to celebrate, and as a result, he had never felt so self-deprecating and doubtful in his life.

He could not stand this.