Chapter 36 - Trial of Versatility
Time passed without anyone noticing; eight days were gone in a blink of an eye.
In these eight days, Qin Nan had remained in the insane state of repetition even during meal times, sleep, etc.
During the period, Qin Nan had only awakened once. This one time Qin Nan’s body could no longer continue to practice due to the extreme fatigue and collapsed.
However, the pause had lasted no longer than the time it took for an incense to burn.
As a result, Qin Nan’s Mystical Eight Steps had improved to thirty steps.
While he was executing it, it felt as though he had turned into a gust of strong wind which swept past the surroundings, making his position undetectable. People would be left speechless if they witnessed his incredible speed.
Due to Qin Nan being a natural born ‘Martial Addict’, Bai Heng was forced to be on tenterhooks in these eight days; he was worried that Qin Nan would ‘accidentally’ achieved the Greater Success Stage of Mystical Eight Steps.
Hence, only today did Bai Heng finally feel relieved, a smile appearing on his face.
It’s impossible for you to improve from thirty steps to eight steps in a day’s time, right?
In addition, when practicing an Ultimate Martial Skill, the later stages of training would be more difficult. It was impossible to improve without practicing continuously for a period of time.
Therefore, in Bai Heng’s mind, he assumed Qin Nan would surely lose the bet this time.
As for Xiao Qingxue, it did not matter if Qin Nan won or lost the bet.
Xiao Qingxue found her gaze focused on Qin Nan—while he immersed himself in practice during these eight days—for unknown reasons. She was attracted to a unique charm that Qin Nan exuded ever since he had fallen into his current ‘insane’ trance.
Qin Nan, who was moving around practicing his martial skill at the front, came to a sudden stop. He was breathing heavily, his body covered in sweat; he appeared to be extremely tired, but his eyes still flickered with excitement as he asked, “Which day is today? Where are we now?”
With a surprisingly good attitude, Bai Heng said with a laugh, “Today is the eighth day. We are not far from the Mystic Spirit Sect. We will arrive there around dusk tomorrow.”
“It’s the eighth day already,” Qin Nan let out a surprised expression and said, “It felt like only a brief moment.”
Xiao Qingxue chuckled, then snapped, “You went insane when you started practicing. How would you know how much time had passed?”
“Ugh…” Qin Nan was left speechless, not knowing how to deal with the ladylike attitude displayed by Xiao Qingxue.
It was Bai Heng beside them who thought of something , and smilingly said, “Brother Qin Nan, maybe we should stop practicing for the day? We should rest well tonight as we will be arriving at the Mystic Spirit Sect tomorrow. For the stake of one hundred Xiantian Pills, you can just give me fifty of them.”
The reason Bai Heng said this was because with Qin Nan being a natural born ‘Martial Addict’ in addition to having an eighth-grade Huang ranked Martial Spirit, it was not ideal to become enemies with him—hence, he decided to reduce the stake to fifty Xiantian Pills.
To an extent, Bai Heng was very proud of himself after finishing this sentence.
Reducing the stake to fifty Xiantian Pills just like that, even if you had any thoughts, you would not continue to hate me, right Qin Nan?
When he heard this, Qin Nan let out a gentle smile and said, “Brother Bai Heng, I don’t agree with your statement. Are you implying that I would lose the bet for sure?”
Bai Heng was stunned immediately, not knowing what to say.
Even at this time, you, Qin Nan, still think that you would not lose?
Although Bai Heng was frightened of Qin Nan, he did not feel pleasant at this time, but he forced a laugh and said, “If Brother Qin Nan does not think you have lost, feel free to continue practicing. I have never seen anyone achieve the Greater Success Stage of an Ultimate Martial Skill in nine days!”
The words were filled with a hidden sarcastic tone.
Qin Nan was not angry, but said with a smile, “I see. If that’s the case, I will make sure Brother Bai Heng can learn something new today.”
After saying this, Qin Nan shut his eyes and once again entered the state of ‘One with the Mind’ in less than five breaths. His body started to move around due to the execution of the Mystical Eight Steps.
Upon seeing this, Bai Heng’s face turned dull with a cold smirk.
I gave you my respect, but you rejected it!
He would like to see how Qin Nan planned to teach him something.
However, in the next moment, Bai Heng’s smirk was gone; Xiao Qingxue—who was not far away—had her attractive eyes opened wide too.
Behind Qin Nan—who was immersed in his ‘insane’ state—an enormous Martial Spirit stood in the air, like a dominating emperor looking down on the surroundings.
Did Qin Nan release his Martial Spirit? What was his intention of doing so?
An answer soon came to Bai Heng and Xiao Qingxuethe next second.
After the Divine Battle Spirit had risen, the aura emitted from Qin Nan had suddenly changed; it had a mystical feeling. In less than the time it took an incense stick to burn, his speed had doubled.
As both Bai Heng and Xiao Qingxue had sharp senses, they immediately saw the improvement on Qin Nan’s ‘Mystical Eight Steps’—which was reduced to twenty-five steps.
“What… What is happening?” Bai Heng’s mind went blank. He could not understand why this was happening.
Not only was Bai Heng unable to understand, Xiao Qingxue was also frowning her eyebrows in confusion.
As time passed quickly, after releasing the Divine Battle Spirit, Qin Nan felt his comprehension had multiplied by a few times. Most of the doubts he previously had were gone in that instant.
Besides that, the secrets of the Mystical Eight Steps rose in his mind, as if he had already fully understood the martial skill.
Finally, Qin Nan’s body stopped, as an enlightened expression showed on his face and a sense of joy appeared in his heart.
“That’s it, that’s it. I understand now! The secret to Mystical Eight Steps was combining a hundred foot works into eight steps. These eight steps are in charge of eight different directions. Each direction has its own step…”
In that instant, Qin Nan had completely discovered the secrets of the Mystical Eight Steps.
His body instantly sprang forward, changing his movements rapidly between the eight different directions. Not only was he incredibly fast, he was also moving around like a phantom; it was difficult to predict his movements and identify his location.
Mystical Eight Steps—fully mastered!
“HAHAHA!” Qin Nan let out a loud laugh and came to a stop. He looked in the direction of Bai Heng and said, “How was that? Brother Bai Heng, have I taught you something new today?”
When he heard this, Bai Heng—who was not far away—finally collected his thoughts from the shock.
However, his eyes still regarded Qin Nan as a god.
Had Qin Nan actually done it?
Even a super genius with a tenth-grade Huang ranked Martial Spirit would not be able to master an Ultimate Martial Skill in nine days... but Qin Nan had done it?
What kind of monster was this guy?
Xiao Qingxue felt the same way, except she wasn’t as crazed as Bai Heng; she quickly recovered from the shock, and asked instantly, “Qin Nan, why is this happening? How come your comprehension skyrocketed after unleashing your Martial Spirit?”
“That’s because my Martial Spirit helps me to master Martial Skills.” Qin Nan smiled gently.
The fact was, in the beginning, Qin Nan had the same doubt; he was not sure if this was the case. However, when he was reading Tie San’s notes about the experiences that helped him master ‘One with the Sword’ with ease, he had reached a conclusion.
If it was not because of the Divine Battle Spirit, how did his comprehension improve so rapidly?
“I see.” Xiao Qingxue inhaled a deep breath, and said in a serious tone, “This Martial Spirit’s capabilities are extraordinary. You should spend more time on learning Martial Skills. With your talent and sufficient Martial Skills, it would not be impossible for you to invent some powerful Martial Skills yourself.”
Qin Nan raised his head slightly. He clearly knew this, even without Xiao Qingxue’s reminder.
Ever since he was young, he had an incredible passion for Martial Skills. Even before awakening his Martial Spirit, he had invented a Saber Skill. However, as he had not awoken his Martial Spirit and his cultivation was still weak, the skill was not powerful.
A moment later, Qin Nan stared at Bai Heng—who was still in shock—and smilingly said, “Brother Bai Heng, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my Martial Spirit, which let me take advantage of you. Therefore, you only need to give me fifty of the hundred Xiantian Pills.”
At this time, Bai Heng had recovered, but he did something unexpected after.
Bai Heng head shook like rolling waves and said instantly, “No—! Please no, no, no! I have to give one hundred Xiantian Pills. No, no, no, I’ll give two hundred Xiantian Pills— two hundred!”
Qin Nan and Xiao Qingxue were stunned after they heard these words.
What’s wrong with this Bai Heng? Why is he giving more Xiantian Pills?
Little did they know, Bai Heng was completely convinced into submission to Qin Nan.
In Bai Heng’s current mindset, he did not care about his loss anymore. There was only a single thought in his mind: to avoid opposing Qin Nan at all cost, even if it meant he would be his slave or subordinate—anything was better than being his enemy.
In other words, Qin Nan had become a most highly respected person in Bai Heng’s mind, with a hint of fear.
“That will not be necessary.” Qin Nan waved his hand and said firmly, “Fifty Xiantian Pills will do. It’s a lot for me even if it’s just fifty of them.”
Bai Heng nodded like a chick pecking at the ground, and immediately handed over the pills and said, “Yep, yep, yep… Young Master Qin Nan’s will is my will…”
No one noticed that Bai Heng had initially called Qin Nan ‘trash/waste,’ which then had turned into ‘Brother Qin Nan, Mr. Qin Nan’, and now it became ‘Young Master Qin Nan’.
Holding the jar of Xiantian Pills and feeling the amount of Qi enclosed within it, Qin Nan was unable to hide his excitement.
In that instant, Xiao Qingxue suddenly said, “Qin Nan, you did not let me down. You would definitely get a good ranking in the upcoming ‘Trial of Versatility’.
“Trial of Versatility?” Qin Nan’s face was filled with doubts.
Bai Heng instantly interrupted and said, “Young Master Qin Nan, the ‘Trial of Versatility’ is a trial between the newly recruited disciples of the Mystic Spirit Sect. The trial focuses on observing the temperament and talent of the disciples. It was held every three years previously. However, since we are recruiting disciples every two years, it is now held every two years.”
“The reward from the ‘Trial of Versatility’ is extremely beneficial.” Xiao Qingxue added.
“I see…” Qin Nan smiled and said, “If that’s so, I would be interested to see what kind of geniuses has the Mystic Spirit Sect recruited this time.”
Upon saying this, Qin Nan’s eyes were filled with a sense of eagerness, and a lust for battle.
Only the talented were recruited as disciples of the Mystic Spirit Sect. Who would be the strong and the weak when geniuses gathered at the trial?
For the remaining journey, the three no longer planned to waste any more time. As the second day’s dusk arrived, Qin Nan finally set his foot into the Mystic Spirit Sect.