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Chapter 228

As Ji Wuye strolled back to his courtyard, deep in thought and recalling the Sword Aura knowledge, his eyebrows raised as he couldn't help but notice many furtive glances cast his way.

“Mm… B-big Brother… c-can we ask your name?” His steps were interrupted by two young ladies garbed in pristine yellow martial robes that billowed gently in the crisp mountain breeze.

One had long, dark brown tresses cascading down her back like a shimmering waterfall. Despite her height of nearly six chi, she seemed to shrink under Ji Wuye's intense crimson gaze, cheeks flushing prettily as she dipped her head in embarrassment.

"Greetings, Fellow Martial Sisters," Ji Wuye's hands forming a respectful cupped salute. His eyes crinkled ever so slightly at the corners as he offered a warm smile.

The other maiden possessed an ethereal beauty with cascading raven locks and eyes that belied a serene calm beyond her years. Though her expression remained inscrutable, she too lowered her head in deference upon meeting Ji Wuye's piercing stare.

"Greetings, Fellow Martial Brother," she replied, her tone measured and composed compared to her flustered companion. "Please pardon my friend's impulsiveness. It's rare to see one as...ehm… good looking as yourself."

A soft chuckle rumbled from Ji Wuye's chest as he waved a dismissive hand. "No need for apologies."

As if drawn by an invisible force, a tide of onlookers surged forward, encircling Ji Wuye like bees to a blossoming flower patch.

"Oh heavens, have you ever seen such handsome and manly features?"

"Senior Brother, your radiant presence outshines the brilliance of the midday sun itself!"

"I...I think my heart just fluttered at the mere sight of him..."

The throng was comprised mostly of spellbound maidens whose eyes sparkled with unabashed admiration and longing.

Some furtively fanned their flushed cheeks, failing to maintain their typical airs of noble pride and decorum. Others brazenly voiced their infatuation, drawn to Ji Wuye like moths to a flame.

"Greetings, Fellow Martial Brother," one particularly bold disciple called out, her words tinged with hopefulness. "Might we have the honor of knowing your name?"

Another chimed in eagerly, "Senior Brother, if you're not otherwise occupied later, perhaps you would allow this unworthy one to bask in your sublime presence during practice?"

Not mentioning, the air was thick with the intoxicating blend of exotic floral perfumes as Ji Wuye found himself encircled by the admiring throng.

"Your hair is like shimmering strands of moonlit silver! How do you maintain such ethereal luster?" gushed one wide-eyed maiden, acting as if she might reach out to caress the flowing locks. However, she didn't dare and instead stroked her own hair to mimic what she had said.

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"I've never before witnessed eyes quite like yours," another murmured in an almost trance-like reverie. "They're so...mesmerizing. Like rubies set ablaze by the rising sun."

Ji Wuye's expression remained serene, though the corners of his mouth twitched ever so slightly in wry amusement at the situation unfolding around him.

"My name is Wuye, from the Ji family," he replied, crimson eyes sweeping over the starry-eyed maidens who now held their breaths in rapt anticipation. "Welcome to our sect. I hope you all enjoy your stay here."

His mellifluous tones only seemed to enrapture the young women further, emboldening their plaintive sighs and shameless appraisals of his ethereal handsome. However, not all were quite so enamored.

"Hmm, Ji Wuye? That Flower Boy? Well, it's quite obvious," a disdainful voice scoffed from the crowd's periphery.

A cluster of male disciples garbed in varying martial robes had arrived, their expressions twisted in undisguised jealousy as they appraised the scene before them.

"Just look at him," another sneered loud enough for all to hear. "Instead of grouping with strong, experienced martial artists, he's merely flaunting his handsome looks like some perfumed peacock. As expected of a useless Flower Boy."

"Ha! I bet he spends more time combing his hair than practicing his sword forms," a third chimed in, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Such a pretty face," another mocked, feigning a swoon. "I'm sure it'll be very useful when facing those bandits and Unorthodox!"

The derisive taunts carried clearly to Ji Wuye's ears, causing the surrounding female disciples to bristle protectively. One in particular rounded on the instigators, hands planted defiantly on her hips.

"Ssth! What vile drivel spews from your mouth, Brother Quan?" she demanded, glaring at the smirking young man. "Brother Ji, please forgive my Little Brother's foul tongue. I hope you do not take offense."

Another female disciple stepped forward, her eyes blazing with indignation. "You lot are just green with envy! Brother Ji's looks are a gift from the heavens, not a flaw to be mocked!"

"That's right!" a third chimed in. "And who says he can't be both handsome and skilled? Your narrow minds can't fathom such a possibility?"

The other ladies murmured in dismayed agreement, shamefaced that members of their own sect could behave so boorishly before an esteemed guest.

Harsh whispers were exchanged as the gender lines were starkly drawn - the men insistent on equating martial prowess with self-worth, while the women argued the folly of harboring jealousy towards Ji Wuye's remarkable handsomeness.

Throughout the rapidly escalating confrontation, Ji Wuye remained an island of calm indifference.

He paid no mind to the squabbling factions, nor the doe-eyed admirers so transparently vying for his favor. An inscrutable smile played about his lips as he simply...observed.

If his true martial prowess were revealed, the disdainful young men hurling insults would have fallen deathly silent, their scornful jeers replaced by looks of begrudging admiration.

'Just like how the original owner of Quick Adaptation was oblivious,' Ji Wuye mused inwardly.

He pondered why the original onwer of Quick Adaptation had never realized or mentioned Quick Adaptation's ability to radically enhance one's understanding of martial realm as well.

'It turns out they were simply unaware, or rather...' His internal contemplation trailed off as Ji Wuye smoothly cupped his hands and announced his departure with a polite incline of his head.

Disappointed pouts and longing sighs followed his exit, the enamored female disciples redirecting their ire towards the boorish assembly of young men who had so rudely disrupted the pleasant conversation with their boorish behavior.

...

image [https://i.ibb.co.com/TWNPK9L/Notif-1.webp]

Meanwhile, as Ji Wuye's unhurried strides carried him across the arched wooden bridge spanning the burbling creek below, his focus turned inward once more.

A shimmering pane materialized before his mind's eye, revealing the transparent status screen indicating his Heavenly Dragon Fusion Gongfa had advanced from the 2nd to 3rd stage - the Zone realm.

The original owner of Quick Adaptation had not possessed this complementary martial art, which meant the knowledge integration had never triggered.

'So one needs to have both Quick Adaptation and something akin to the Heavenly Dragon Fusion Gongfa,' Ji Wuye deduced, the rhythmic gurgling of the creek caressing his ears.

It was a simple requirement, yet one that highlighted the shift in mentalities sweeping across Jianghu.

With the existence of 'Skill' acquired from the Tower—granting even common people the ability to conjure and command power without first mastering the exacting martial arts—who would still invest the grueling time and resources to purchase esoteric martial arts of uncertain pedigree instead of learning a Skill?

Even those in the sect were enticed by this fact.

'But... for Quick Adaptation, I'm unsure if there's a rank requirement for Quick Adaptation to trigger the knowledge-gathering function,' Ji Wuye pondered.

As for why the Heavenly Dragon Fusion Gongfa's Zone stage manifested as the 3rd stage on the screen rather than the 5th stage, despite there being knowledge requirements for Sword Silk and Sword Star?

'Well, those techniques still belong within 5th realm, the realm of Sword Aura, the Resonance,' Ji Wuye thought as his footsteps led him back to his courtyard.

However, his crimson eyes narrowed to slits as Ji Wuye pushed open the wooden door, only to find two familiar figures awaiting him on the other side. Ye Yujin and Lin Fang.

"Welcome back, Young Master Ji," Ye Yujin said softly with a smile, as if she had been waiting for him for a long time. "I have been waiting for you."