Ling Yu moved her left leg half a step forward and her right hand extended to the front. With the palm facing down, her stance was reminiscent of a sharp spear being jutted, ready to pierce whatever it was in her path!

Mighty and unstoppable!

"Spear Momentum Strike!" Meng Yue's eyes narrowed as she watched this from the side and remarked inwardly in a serious tone.

This was the starting moveset of an advanced martial arts involving the usage of a spear!

However, Ling Yu, being an expert that has reached the apex in martial arts long before she had become a senior teacher in the Jixue Knights Academy, need not a spear or a weapon to use, for she had already become the spear itself!

Whoosh!

With a jolt, her right hand bolted menacingly as she moved and pushed forward with a single dash using her right foot!

"Damn her! She is really serious!" Meng Yue almost felt like her heart would burst out from her nervousness at this moment.

She regretted bluffing to Ling Yu that she had taught Duan Li some advanced martial arts. Had it not been the case, Ling Yu would have only treated the spar halfheartedly!

Regardless however; from the perspective of Ling Yu, since Duan Li was taught by the tyrant herself, looking down on the other party would be a form of disrespect. Thus, she at least had to show some enthusiasm and treat it seriously.

Ring!

"As expected…" Duan Li said to himself as time began to slow down, enabling him to side step to the right just enough to avoid the attack.

Whoosh!

Ling Yu widened her eyes in astonishment!

"T-This... Supreme Instinct?!"

This was not the result that she had in mind!

She had expected that Duan Li would take the initiative to block and then counter, or dodge by leaping backwards. After all, that would be the normal reaction for any martial artists!

In fact, she was even quite worried on why Duan Li's reaction was a bit too slow, as if waiting for a beating to come to his nose. Thus, she was just about to stop her attack before it hit him.

However, to think that her attack was dodged by just a slight movement from the other party at the last second...

Such a thing was not normal!

Turning to look at Meng Yue from the corner of her eyes, she shuddered.

"She is truly a demon! To teach someone the Supreme Instinct... just what kind of deadly practice did she used on her own son?!" she couldn't help but to swallow her saliva when she thought of this.

With a shred of doubt still lingering on her mind, she decided to continue testing Duan Li. Perhaps what happened earlier was just pure luck.

Continuing her attack, she swept her right hand to the side where Duan Li was.

"Cleave of the Hundred Sabers? Is she insane?!" Meng Yue gritted her teeth in anger!

How could a senior teacher of the academy be so brutal, not to mention on an amateur?

After today, Meng Yue planned to send a letter to the principal of the academy to lodge a formal complaint against such brutality, while not being able to recall on how she too, had used such a move against her own son during their spar before.

Whoosh!

Duan Li abruptly disappeared from Ling Yu's attack trajectory!

"What?" She was startled but only for a fraction of a second before her eyes found Duan Li to be squatting down on the ground, looking at her calmly.

Hmph!

Ling Yu snorted, feeling as if she was being looked down on.

"Interesting! Let's see how long you can dodge then!"

She lifted one of her leg to do a reverse roundhouse kick. This movement was very fast and occurred in a fraction of a second, but to Duan Li whose world seemed to be as slow as a snail, he could see every movements that she made very clearly!

Now that he had all of the time in the world to look properly, he realized that Ling Yu was actually quite younger than he had expected.

"From the appearance of the skin on her face and hand, she should only be in her early thirties, a decade older than me at most..."

How did his mother became friends with someone of the younger generation?

Duan Li became curious.

After all, his mother was already over 40 years old!

"Does age seniority not matter in the academy at all?" he thought, but then decided to throw this matter to the back of his head for the moment.

All will be answered once he went there in the future.

...

"He had already dodged twelve of my strikes consecutively! Furthermore, his movements seems to match the speed of my attacks by a hair! Is this really Supreme Instinct? Where does he have the stamina to do this?" thought Ling Yu, totally in disbelief.

It just doesn't make sense! Her pride as an expert was hurt!

Boom!

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Suddenly, her aura went on a qualitative change as it becomes sharper and somewhat more dangerous!

"Hmm? Her movements... had somehow became a little faster?" Duan Li noted.

He was still in the world where time had slowed down, but he could visibly tell that the strike was getting faster. Eventually, it reached a state where her strike would hit him in four seconds if he were to stand still!

However, to Duan Li, this was still very manageable, so he was able to dodge them yet again.

"Impossible! He is still able to dodge them even when I'm this fast?" Ling Yu finally lost her composure.

Boom!

Her aura was then released in full, displaying the true might that could overturn the seas, split the land and shatter the sky as if it was the force of nature itself!

The prowess of an expert cultivator!

"Impudent!"

But then, a roar full of anger and the aura of a cultivator many times stronger than what Ling Yu had released suddenly suffocated the latter, causing her to freeze on the spot and her face turned pale!

"Blargh!" Ling Yu spat out a mouthful of blood!

It was a shout from Meng Yue. Her face was wrathful and absolutely terrifying to look at! Even the night sky that was illuminated by the light ball from before didn't have an effect as if everything had turned dark, and the atmosphere became as cold as ice!

"That is enough! I'll kill you if you dare to go any further!" she said viciously. Her tone contained full of killing intent released unabated!

"I.. P-Please forgive my transgression sister! I've lost control of myself!" Ling Yu finally realized the situation she was in and quickly dropped on all four of her limbs.

If she did not, she will truly die without a doubt!

After all, there was a reason why Meng Yue was feared back then!

"To think that I have unconsciously used my spiritual Qi in a spar at the spur of a moment... I deserve punishment!"

She also realized that what she had done was simply unacceptable!

As an expert cultivator, not to mention a senior teacher, she should be able to control herself no matter the situation.

This is because the power of a cultivator when used, simply outmatch even the most powerful martial artists by a gap that could only be described like the space between the earth and the sky!

And the prowess of an expert cultivator like Ling Yu is undisputed, for her true strength could even rival natural disasters when displayed at full!

This means that, Duan Li had almost died!

Boom!

Meng Yue threw a fist from afar without moving from her spot, and Duan Li could only see her right hand move like a blur. But Ling Yu that was previously on the ground beside him somehow flew all the way to the open field beside their house from the impact. It was quite far too.

"Mother... please..." although Duan Li was not fully aware on the danger he had narrowly escaped from, he knew for sure that his mother was truly enraged about something. He had never seen his mother looking so wrathful that makes him scared down to his core!

"..." Meng Yue was silent, but Duan Li noticed that tears were falling down her cheeks.

She was truly worried, and for a moment there, she thought that she was about to lose her only son.

For those that were non the wiser, they wouldn't be able to comprehend the extent of that danger.

So what if her son has the ability to slow down time? Will it guarantee a win against an expert cultivator?

Against those that could flattened a mountain and dry up the ocean?

Even if Ling Yu did release her power accidentally, the fact remains that Duan Li was likely to die if she had not stopped her.

Duan Li approached his mother while forming a smile and was about to hug her in order to calm her down.

"Mother, I am okay now... see... eh?"

He suddenly found his vision turning dark.

Thud!

"My son!" Meng Yue rushed towards him, her face horrified and she felt that her world seems to have shattered at this moment.

Duan Li had fallen unconscious as he fell to the ground.

...

"Urgh!"

Duan Li opened his eyes slowly but was then startled when he woke up with all of the muscles in his body writhing in pain!

"Ouch!!" he yelped again.

Every time he tried to lift any part of his limbs, he would feel terrible pain assaulting his muscles. "Seems like... the ability does have its side-effects after all..." he sighed as he recalled the events that happened last night.

Turning his head to the left, he saw a familiar figure sleeping soundly beside his bed. There were still remnant of tears that was apparent below her eyes and cheeks. She even has eye bags now, looking like a panda.

Meng Yue slept while sitting on the floor, using his bed as the pillow to lean over her head.

"I made mother worried about me again..." Duan Li said to himself, feeling guilty.

As if she could hear him, the tired looking face Meng Yue abruptly jolted up from her sleep as she stared at her son in a daze.

Seeing that expression from his mother, Duan Li jokingly said with a cheeky smile, "Mother… could it be that I... have become more handsome?"

"Aiyah!" he immediately regretted after and yelped. His mother had pinched him the side of his ribs.

...

"I've fed you a medicinal pill last night that would heal all of your damaged muscles, so you should be fully recovered by afternoon." Meng Yue explained after feeding Duan Li some porridge soup.

She then continued, "When you are fully recovered and are able to move again later, you should start packing your stuff as you will be attending the academy from tomorrow onward," her voice a little muted.

Hearing this, Duan Li grumbled a bit.

"But mother... my body still hurts a lot... can we postpone it to... say like, fifty years later?" He said, while making his face look like he was in deep pain.

"Sure, if you want to be beaten up everyday for fifty years from now on." his mother replied simply and with a cold smile.

"Please forget what I just said mother!" Duan Li quickly made a salute to her out of habit.

Hmph!

Meng Yue snorted and left the room.

"Mother, please come back and help me... I think I got a cramp in my armpit... "

...

Duan Li was really impressed to find out that he really did fully recover when afternoon came. He then stepped out of his room.

"Must've been quite an expensive medicinal pill." he thought to himself as he joined his mother on the table for lunch. His mother had cooked him some fried chicken.

"Sister Ling Yu had left to you the academy uniform and some books to get you started, take them and make sure to study a bit." Meng Yue pointed to the stack of books on the floor.

Hearing this, Duan Li nodded and then asked, "By the way mother, what happened to Senior teacher Ling Yu after last night?"

His mother was silent for a bit before answering, "She left after apologizing again and again. Don't ask anymore, I am still upset at her. But she will come tomorrow to fetch you."

Duan Li knew better than to continue this topic, so he nodded again and silently finished his food.

...

From the outside, the academy uniform appears to be quite normal. But, if one were to observe them carefully, they will realize that it was far from simple! Ripples of mysterious power could be felt from the material, making it tough, stretchy and extremely durable!

After all, as a student of the academy, they would have to do quite a lot of intense physical activities and some sparring at least. Thus, it wouldn't be beneficial for the academy's budget if they had to replace the students' uniform every now and then.

Looking at the pile of books that he had carried and put on his bed, Duan Li picked one as it had a big number '1' on it.

"I think I'm meant to read this one first..." Duan Li read the title.

'Foundation: Human Anatomy'.

Flip!

"There are about 206 bones in the body of human adults. Twenty-six can be found in the spine and vertebrae; eight in the cranium; fourteen in the face; twenty-six in the ribs and sternum; seventy in the upper body; and sixty-two in the lower extremities..."

Duan Li flipped to the next page.

"As for skeletal muscles, there are about 700 altogether, of which are divided into 300 major and 400 minor muscles. Both are then divided further into sub-categories..."

Flip!

"In order for a martial artists to be able to execute their techniques well, one must know how each limbs would function, what makes them move and what drives the force within it. Thus..."

...

After two hours, he finished flipping all the 86 pages. To his surprise, he managed to remember word by word that was written in that book as well as where each bones and skeletal muscles were located inside his body.

Duan Li felt that this was a bit strange. While he did love to read before, he could never memorize them like this.

Could it be that this is another ability from the mysterious pearl?

Closing his eyes, he tried to feel the bones and muscles inside his body as was depicted and illustrated in the book before.

Shing!

"Eh?" Duan Li was stumped and abruptly opened his eyes.

Then, he closed his eyes again.

Shing!

"T-This!"

...