Chapter 56: Aptitude Testing

"Thanks for the match!"

At the entrance of the martial arts school, looking at the disciples who had gathered around to check on their master, Fang Can cupped his fists and said.

With that, Fang Can took out a two-hundred-liang silver note from his pocket: "This is to cover the damages and Master Jin's recuperation expenses for the past two days. Sorry to have disturbed you."

Having said this, Fang Can turned around and trotted away all the way, leaving the disciples staring blankly at their master, not knowing what to say.

"Was this guy really just here for a friendly spar?" a few disciples couldn't help muttering, before picking up the silver note left to the side. "He's actually a pretty good guy."

...

After simply loosening up his muscles and bones, Fang Can trotted all the way into the remote, secluded mountains to reflect on the gains of this battle.

This Master Jin was definitely the strongest opponent he had encountered outside of the four bodyguards of the Tiger Fiend Sect Master. The flaws in his combat techniques were pitifully few, but they did exist.

There were slight vulnerabilities hidden within those moves. Since Fang Can intended to thoroughly master and integrate all these techniques, he naturally needed to patch up those vulnerabilities along the way.

However, this battle had also sounded a wake-up call for Fang Can: while his stamina bar was massive, his Mind-Phase mana bar was far too short.

If he encountered a Mind-Phase master and failed to knock the opponent down before his mana bar ran out, he would be the one defeated.

To put it another way, if ten martial artists of Master Jin's caliber were to surround and attack him using the Mind-Phase simultaneously, it would take only a dozen seconds or so for his Mind-Phase to be completely depleted.

Following that, Fang Can would face a one-sided slaughter.

If this situation hadn't been discovered in advance through this sparring match and instead suddenly exposed during an ambush, he could have suffered a devastating loss.

*I need to materialize a technique similar to Occlumency,* Fang Can thought, frowning involuntarily.

After all, the Mind-Phase only affects the mind and does not act upon the physical body; it cannot even pick up a single needle or destroy a single cell.

That being the case, if he could completely seal off his mind and spirit as if he were an inanimate object, rendering his consciousness as solid as a stone, the Mind-Phase naturally wouldn't be able to affect him.

When fighting broke out under those conditions, it would be equivalent to everyone's Mind-Phase being disabled, forcing everyone to fight purely based on raw martial might.

For a moment, Fang Can found himself torn—he had a few too many skill trees he wanted to unlock.

Whether it was modifying the *Great Sun Indestructible Demonic Body* and the *Tiger-Subduing and Dragon-Taming Golden Body* or creating a technique like *Occlumency*, a vast amount of time would be required.

Of course, although it was troublesome now, once all these skills were maxed out, his power would practically make him peerless among those in the Mortal-Shedding realm.

*The path of martial arts is a long and arduous one...* Fang Can sighed, then froze, lowering his head to look at his own arms.

At this moment, the skin on his arms was stained a scarlet red due to congestion, and his vision remained veiled in what looked like a red mist.

"It seems I forgot to turn off the *Evil Tiger Body-Devouring Grand Technique*," Fang Can muttered speechlessly, raising his head to look at the sky.

The midday sunlight shone down upon him, and coupled with his second talent, [Unyielding Will], it continuously restored the wear and tear caused by the Evil Tiger Body-Devouring Grand Technique.

"Judging by... this rate of consumption, I should be able to sustain it for at least another half an hour," Fang Can thought with a calm mind.

And that wasn't even factoring in how his second talent's healing speed would continue to increase further as his health bar depleted.

Therefore... as long as his physical endurance could keep up, he could probably maintain this empowered state indefinitely.

"Phew..." Exhaling softly, Fang Can's eyes returned to normal, and his congested muscles faded back to a fair complexion, replaced only by a slight sense of hunger.

He gently stretched his muscles and bones.

He could clearly perceive that this cultivation technique, described as severely damaging to one's foundation, posed no real problem for him at the moment, as he was stacked with dual buffs.

"Spit." Gently expelling the stagnant scarlet blood from his body, Fang Can wiped the corner of his mouth and nodded in satisfaction.

Losing just a little bit of blood—what a negligible cost! He could heal simply by breathing. It seemed he could use this technique frequently from now on without any reservations.

Standing in place to rest and recover for a while, Fang Can strolled back along a minor path toward the Blazing Sun Martial Arts School.

Ye Yonglie had been waiting here for a long time. Seeing Fang Can return, he hurriedly stepped forward and said joyfully, "Master, congratulations on your victorious return."

"Prepare a table of food for me; I'm starving to death," Fang Can instructed, clutching his stomach.

"Naturally. I've already had the servants prepare it in advance; you just need to wait a moment," Ye Yonglie said respectfully.

Looking at Ye Yonglie, who was preparing to welcome him back with a banquet, Fang Can gradually grew accustomed to the man's devout demeanor.

"Tomorrow, pick out three more Mind-Phase martial artists for me. I want to continue fighting."

Having left behind these words, Fang Can turned around and left, heading toward Ye Qingshi's chambers.

Inside the room, the young girl was propping up her head, turning her profile toward him.

Against her flawless face hung soft, silk-like ink-black hair, and a few stray locks gently brushed against her fair cheeks, adding a touch of gentleness and elegance.

Sensinng the sound of the door opening, Ye Qingshi looked toward Fang Can with intense resentment in her eyes.

Having originally planned to run away, she was confronted with her father's stern gaze, and at that very moment, she knew she couldn't escape.

At the thought of being at the mercy of others today, the young girl gritted her pearls of teeth and glared at the boy. "Fang Can! I want to learn martial arts too. I don't want to be ordered around by you guys like a piece of merchandise anymore."

"You can't do it," Fang Can replied calmly. "Practicing martial arts is very bitter."

"I can definitely persevere!"

"Your talent is entirely spent on your face, and your so-called drive right now is just a temporary surge. In a couple of days, you'll start slacking off again."

Fang Can glanced at the young girl. A pretty face had very little correlation with intelligence, willpower, or comprehension; it was hard to find a second person as handsome and talented as himself.

"So give up," Fang Can said leisurely.

"Could it be that without talent, one truly cannot practice martial arts?" Ye Qingshi asked in disappointment.

"Not necessarily, but your talent is genuinely too poor—unprecedently poor." Fang Can shook his head helplessly.

Faced with Ye Qingshi's puzzled gaze, Fang Can slowly explained:

"That was just a little test earlier. I had no idea what your talent was like to begin with."

"Yet when I said your talent was poor, you didn't even believe in yourself; you actually believed that your talent was poor."

"You don't even believe in yourself—who else could you possibly believe in? With that kind of mindset, where you get hoodwinked so easily, you simply have no aptitude for martial arts."

"Practicing martial arts requires stubborn single-mindedness. Someone like you who easily falls for tricks and suffers from self-doubt could never achieve anything great."

"You were playing tricks on me just now!" Ye Qingshi widened her eyes.

"You fell for such a small trick, and you still claim your talent isn't poor? You lack subjective conviction entirely."

"No, I don't believe my talent is poor. Keep tricking me—I definitely won't be fooled this time," Ye Qingshi said with a determined look in her eyes.

"Do you think this is playing brain teasers? Can you take it back? Are you kidding me?"

Fang Can said speechlessly, "Hurry up and obediently come over and hug me, you idiot!"