You could see the faces of Xue Zhen and Liang Huo growing angry and confused. Liang Huo, raising his voice more than usual, asked, "What do you mean, leaving the sect?"
Zhang Yan thought to himself, As I expected, they won't let me go so easily.
"I mean, I want to visit a few cities and gain more experience in martial arts," Zhang Yan explained.
Xue Zhen cleared his throat. "That's what we had in mind as well. Before declaring you the Holy Son of our sect, you need some experience dealing with people."
Liang Huo nodded. "Yes, all your life, you’ve focused solely on martial arts. You’ve barely needed social skills. Why don’t you lead the new batch of disciples? You can gain some experience while traveling and observing the world."
Zhang Yan groaned inwardly. Oh no, they’re going to assign me a troublesome task.
Before he could respond, Elder Zhen suddenly pushed him out of the main hall. "Since you want to leave the sect and gain experience, go take care of the new batch of disciples and quell the rebellion on the east side of our sect’s territory. We recently learned that there are some nefarious bandits running wild there."
The door to the main hall slammed shut behind him. Zhang Yan stood there, dumbfounded. This is not what I had in mind.
He sighed and decided to walk back to his room and sleep some more. Tomorrow’s problem… I’ll leave it for tomorrow.
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Later That Evening...
After waking up, Zhang Yan decided to walk around the sect and learn more about its customs. As he wandered, he marveled at the sheer size of the Mystic Sect. It was massive. He saw the new batch of disciples performing their evening exercises. One of the younger disciples, a 16-year-old named Qin Tao, noticed him and rushed over.
"Senior Brother Zhang! I’m your biggest fan! Can you show me some sword techniques so I can learn and become like you?" Qin Tao said excitedly.
Zhang Yan raised an eyebrow. "Do you know me?"
"Who doesn’t know you, Senior Brother? Stop joking!" Qin Tao replied with a grin.
Zhang Yan sighed. "I mean, do you know what techniques I use and what sword art I practice?"
"Of course! How could I be called your biggest fan if I didn’t know the basics?" Qin Tao said confidently.
Zhang Yan narrowed his eyes. "Hmm… Can you tell me those basics?"
Qin Tao’s face lit up with understanding. "Ah, Senior Brother is testing me to see if I’m really your fan."
He continued eagerly, "Senior Brother, you practice Mystic Cloud, which makes your feet so light that you can step on clouds! As for your sword technique, you practice Unseen Phantom Slash, which lets you cut down enemies before they even have time to draw their sword. You’ve mastered so many techniques! Do you want me to name them all?"
Zhang Yan was a bit surprised. "What’s your name, Junior Brother?"
"My name is Qin Tao," the young disciple said, still grinning.
Zhang Yan waved him off. "Go back to your practice. I have some matters to attend to."
Zhang Yan then decided to head to the library to figure out exactly which techniques he had cultivated. Since my predecessor was called a genius, and this body belongs to that genius, maybe I can relearn everything. It might make my life a bit easier.
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For the next week, Zhang Yan focused on training and getting used to his new body. Procrastination won’t solve my problems. Since there was no room in his quarters to practice, he walked out and decided to practice in his courtyard—though, as he would later realize, that was a mistake.
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The Next Day...
On the second day of his practice, while Zhang Yan was familiarizing himself with the Mystic Cloud footwork, the new batch of disciples gathered to watch.
One of the girls in the group said, "Look! It’s true—Senior Brother is teaching us techniques!"
Another male disciple added, "He even looks just like us noobs who just started learning."
A third disciple chimed in, "How terrifying is his control over his power? He can look more stupid than us while learning!"
Zhang Yan couldn’t help but speak up. "I can hear you guys. What do you mean by 'noob' and 'looking more stupid'? I’m genuinely trying to learn here. Who spread these rumors? I thought my room was in a secluded part of the mountain so I could practice in peace. It must have been that girl, Yang Mei."
One of the disciples explained, "Didn’t I tell you guys? I just asked Senior Brother to teach me some moves, and he immediately went to the library and picked up the book he had already mastered, just so he could teach us."
Zhang Yan, hearing them whisper, thought to himself, So it was you, Qin Tao, who spread those rumors. Just wait. You have such a grand name, but all you do is gossip.
He decided to ignore the new batch of disciples and focused on familiarizing himself with the technique he was supposed to have mastered. Well, I can also use this as an excuse to relearn everything.
After a week of practice, he found that perhaps due to his body’s muscle memory, he was quickly picking up the Mystic Cloud footwork.
Even though I’m not at the level of my previous self, this should be enough to escape if I ever find myself in a dangerous situation.
Whoosh! Whoosh! The new disciples could only see the afterimages of Senior Brother Zhang, as he moved at incredible speed, practicing the Mystic Cloud footwork.
A new disciple asked, "Why is Senior Brother moving so fast? How are we supposed to learn if we can’t even see how he’s moving?"
The crowd around them seemed noticeably larger, with some older disciples hanging around as well.
Another disciple added, "Maybe it’s because Senior Brother is a genius and thinks we can learn just like him. It’s hard to fathom the mind of a genius."
A female disciple said, "Can’t you see? It’s because of those older Senior Brothers. He’s trying to teach all of us."
"Well, whatever the reason," another disciple said, "We should just be happy. We’ve learned so much this week just by watching Senior Brother Zhang."
"Yeah, we could see where we made mistakes as Senior Brother practiced," another added.
Zhang Yan stopped his practice and smiled to himself. Perfect. I should be faster than a horse now.
"Alright, guys, training is over. Don’t waste your time coming here tomorrow," he said, before walking away, clearly disappointed with the situation.
Qin Tao spoke up, "What are you guys disappointed about? Senior Brother decided to stop his training just to teach us for a whole week. Do you know how much a genius could learn in a week? I tell you, if not for teaching you guys, Senior Brother would have already reached the peak of First-rate Warrior."
The disciples nodded knowingly after hearing what Qin Tao said.
Zhang Yan, walking away, muttered under his breath, Yeah, yeah, praise me some more. All it will do is shorten my life. What would I do if I can’t progress like I used to? Qin Tao, even though you mean well, I’m going to deal with you for causing this trouble.
After practicing and eating some food, Zhang Yan made his way toward the Mission Hall. An elder was handling paperwork there.
"Elder Ming, the Sect Leader ordered me to quell the rebellion and take the new disciples for some experience," Zhang Yan said.
Yang Ming looked up, smiling. "You finally came. I’ve been waiting for you. Take a look at this name sheet. These are the disciples you’ll be looking after."
Zhang Yan glanced at the list and paused when he saw Yang Mei’s name. "Elder, why is Yang Mei’s name on this list? She’s not a new disciple."
Yang Ming chuckled. "That lass has been pestering me. As soon as she heard you were going out, she insisted on joining you."
Yang Mei was Yang Ming’s granddaughter. Zhang Yan sighed. Of course, you’d fulfill your granddaughter’s wish. What about me? I want to leave the sect, but now I have to babysit a bunch of teenagers.
"Elder Yang, can you add someone to this list?" Zhang Yan asked.
Yang Ming raised an eyebrow. "Is there really someone you fancy in the new batch of disciples?"
"Yes, please add Qin Tao. He’s a talented lad. I want to teach him a lesson."
Zhang Yan grinned. "Haha, I’ll teach him a lesson he’ll never forget."
"You’re finally acting like a proper senior brother," Yang Ming said. "Don’t worry, I’ll inform the new kid. Be ready tomorrow."