Li Yan's Teachings

"Thank you, Professor!" Chen Guan said gratefully. Having a professional's guidance saved him a lot of trouble.

"It's nothing," Situ Ming waved his hand, continuing, "Also, regarding the matter of understanding the coffin we discussed last time, I've consulted some ancient texts over the past few days and have a theory."

Chen Guan's spirits lifted, and he listened attentively.

"Ten-thousand-year Black Iron possesses the ultimate insulating properties. Moreover, yours is a coffin. An ordinary person carrying it would only feel a bone-chilling cold, but you are different."

Situ Ming looked at Chen Guan. "Your spiritual power accompanies it. If it isn't the result of an awakened ability, then there's a lot more to it. You'll likely have to discover the truth yourself. The academy fully respects every student's privacy and won't pry. However, if you're ever willing to tell me, I'd be more than happy to help you figure it out."

"I understand."

He knew his own situation best. Chen Guan knew that his only ability was Toughness, which had absolutely nothing to do with the Black Iron Coffin. Even if he wanted to explain it, he wouldn't know how.

"Mm, take it step by step. Don't rush," Situ Ming nodded. He then began to instruct Chen Guan on exactly how to secure the spider silk lining and gave him a small bottle of biological adhesive.

The class ended in this constructive atmosphere.

After class, Chen Guan spent the entire afternoon in his dorm room, carefully cutting and pasting the spider silk lining.

Following Situ Ming's instructions, he laid down a thick, multi-layered cushioning structure at the bottom of the coffin, while applying a single layer to the side walls and the inner side of the lid, ensuring every piece was firmly attached and wouldn't shift.

Once everything was done, he carefully placed his original body back into the coffin. Lying on the soft and elastic spider silk lining, his body's posture seemed much more natural and comfortable.

Chen Guan gently pushed the coffin, simulating an impact. He felt that the transmitted vibrations were significantly reduced; the lining effectively absorbed most of the kinetic energy.

"You should be a bit more comfortable now," Chen Guan whispered to his slumbering original body. It wasn't entirely an act anymore; he felt like he was developing a bit of a split personality.

...

A new week began.

On Monday afternoon, before physical combat class, An Changqing sought out Chen Guan.

"Chen Guan, I've accepted a new team mission this time. It's Rank C."

An Changqing's expression was slightly more solemn than last time. "The objective is to clear out a pack of Shadow Wolves on the outskirts of Ash Canyon. Shadow Wolves are Tier 2 social mutated beasts. They are extremely fast, excel at stealth in the shadows, and hunt cooperatively. They are much harder to deal with than Rock Beetles. The mission requires us to at least kill the Alpha Wolf and disperse the pack. The rewards are also much more generous."

A Rank C mission, Tier 2 social mutated beasts, Shadow Wolves.

Tier 2 demonic beasts were much easier to handle than Tier 2 humans. After all, the standards for beasts and humans were not entirely the same. Though they were called Tier 2 Shadow Wolves, their individual strength was actually only equivalent to a Tier 1 Esper.

However, the difficulty was still noticeably higher.

"Is the team still just the three of us?" Chen Guan asked.

"Currently, yes. If you feel the pressure is too much, we can recruit another member, or we can give it up," An Changqing said frankly. "The mission departs the day after tomorrow. You have time to think about it."

An Changqing originally wanted to invite Long Ao. Unfortunately, given Long Ao's personality, being a lone wolf was more his style.

With his and Su Yuehe's strength, completing this mission wouldn't be difficult. As for Chen Guan's strength, An Changqing still couldn't quite gauge it.

He knew he couldn't move freely while carrying a Black Iron Coffin. Based on this point alone, even if Chen Guan's physical strength was inferior to Long Ao's, it wouldn't be by much.

Moreover, up to this point, Chen Guan had never revealed any spiritual energy, and he himself claimed to have none.

This unfamiliar classmate was not simple. This was the consensus between An Changqing and Su Yuehe, and he also wanted to see his classmate's true strength.

If his strength was truly as he suspected, then perhaps he could try inviting him to join that plan.

Chen Guan hardly hesitated. "I'm in."

Danger meant opportunity, and it also meant more popularity points.

Besides, his alt-account body wasn't afraid of death, and he also wanted to test out his newly acquired scythe.

A hint of anticipation flashed in An Changqing's eyes. "Alright, then we'll meet at the usual place at 8 a.m. the day after tomorrow. This time we need to go deep into the wilderness and might have to stay overnight, so prepare accordingly."

"Understood."

After seeing An Changqing off, an eager light flashed in Chen Guan's eyes.

With more than a day left before the mission departure, Chen Guan didn't waste any time. He poured all his free time into breaking in his new weapon.

After physical combat class, he was no longer in a hurry to leave the training hall, instead heading to the training room.

It was equipped with basic weapon racks, sandbags, and reaction targets, enough for him to get some practice in.

In Chen Guan's hands was a newly acquired black scythe, antique in design and gleaming with a dark luster.

He started with the most basic swings and slashes, gripping the long handle with both hands, feeling the scythe's center of gravity, and recalling the techniques that had flooded into his mind.

Planting his feet firmly, he generated power from his waist. The force rose from his heels, traveled up his spine, channeled through his shoulders and arms into the handle, and finally drove the curved blade to slice through the air.

Whoosh!

A low whistling sound echoed in the training room. His first swing was slightly stiff, and the power delivery was a bit sluggish, but the trajectory was stable, and the momentum was heavy and powerful.

Chen Guan didn't stop, repeating the most basic chops, slashes, upward strikes, and sweeps over and over again.

With every swing, he carefully analyzed the sensation of wielding the blade.

Sweat soon soaked his training uniform, and his muscles began to signal their soreness, but he paid it no mind. His Toughness ability gave him endurance and recovery far beyond ordinary people, and his beginner's knowledge of heavy weapon mastery rapidly integrated into his muscle memory through practice.

Gradually, his swinging motions became fluid.

The scythe was no longer an unfamiliar hunk of iron, but slowly became an extension of his arms. He began to attempt more complex combinations: a chop followed by a horizontal sweep, an upward strike linked to a diagonal slash, and even tried using the curved blade for hooking, catching, and locking techniques.

These movements demanded higher physical coordination and precise timing, and the failure rate was high, but he never tired of it.

"Your movements are too stiff, the power from your waist isn't continuous enough, and your wrists are too rigid." A cold, hard voice suddenly rang out from the doorway.

Chen Guan stopped what he was doing and looked back, only to see Li Yan standing at the entrance of the training room, arms crossed, watching him. He had no idea when the man had arrived.

"Instructor Li Yan," Chen Guan said, putting away his blade and standing at attention, panting slightly.

Li Yan walked in, his gaze sweeping over the scythe in Chen Guan's hands. A fleeting hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he didn't ask about the change in weapons. He was a teacher, not a detective; why bother meddling so much?

"A scythe. Long handle, curved blade. Heavy on chopping and slashing, while also capable of hooking and locking. You have enough strength, but you use it too clumsily," Li Yan said concisely. "Watch closely."

He walked over to the weapon rack and casually picked up a long-handled training battleaxe. Without seeming to prepare his stance, he simply took a casual step forward, and the battleaxe seemed to come alive, whistling as it chopped out with a fierce, vicious gale.

The movement was as fluid as breathing. The power erupted from the soles of his feet, passed through the twist of his waist and hips, and perfectly poured into the axe blade. The trajectory of the chop was tricky and highly efficient, even leaving a faint afterimage in the air.