Chapter 113: A Deep Master-Apprentice Bond

In a villa within An City’s urban district.

What started as an ordinary day turned extraordinary with Duan Wenxuan’s arrival.

The residents of this area were primarily exceptional talents. These “special talents” referred to Transcendents discovered in An City. Once recruited by the special forces unit, they would be gifted a villa from this neighborhood.

Essentially, those living here were considered ‘key figures.’

For instance, after Jia Yingxiong’s parrot underwent its Divergence, his entire family moved into one of these villas. Naturally, they were more than willing to do so.

With the resurgence of spiritual energy, although basic law and order had been restored, everyone remained concerned about future spiritual tides. Additionally, obtaining food had become increasingly difficult. Living in this district provided significantly greater safety, with armed police patrols nearby, and daily allocated supplies of food. It was truly enviable for those unable to reside there.

Mao Qisheng, who initially preferred staying at home, eventually relented due to the superior internet speeds here. He then moved along with some close friends and relatives.

Among the numerous villas, one was designated for Liao Yangsu’s family.

During the first spiritual tide, thanks to Sunny Liao’s influence, his parents were able to enter the Ark. After the tide subsided, they didn’t return home but moved permanently into this area.

Sunny Liao’s parents couldn’t help feeling immensely proud. With their son now considered a key figure of national importance, they exuded confidence and subtle smugness when interacting with their former relatives, hardly able to conceal it.

On this day, after having lunch with his parents, Sunny Liao informed them that he was heading out for martial arts practice.

As soon as he stepped outside and turned the corner, Sunny Liao narrowly brushed past a young man wearing a white hoodie. He noticed the young man due to his strikingly handsome appearance and unique aura, reminiscent of a noble youth from a wuxia novel—a blend of elegance and carefree spirit without appearing reckless.

Graceful, confident, and imbued with a natural air of fearlessness yet not recklessness.

“Wait.”

Just as they parted, someone grabbed the back collar of Sunny Liao’s shirt.

Instinctively honed by years of martial arts training, Sunny Liao swiftly spun around with a side kick, simultaneously striking forward with both hands. His movements were exceptionally fluid, accompanied by a faint whistling sound through the air, indicating immense power and remarkable speed.

Liao Yangsu anticipated easily teaching this young man a lesson, but instead, his opponent swiftly dodged and tapped lightly on his chest. Suddenly, Liao Yangsu felt a tingling sensation throughout his body, rendering him immobile as if frozen in place.

What kind of martial art is this?!

Panicking, Liao Yangsu tried to circulate his inner strength, only to find it unusually sluggish, trapped within his dantian region.

Duan Wenxuan waved his hand with a smile, glancing amusingly at the nearby surveillance camera.

This area boasted exceptional security measures. Since Duan Wenxuan didn’t conceal his movements upon entering, Yang Kai must have undoubtedly detected him by now. The fact that no specialized armed personnel had arrived yet was proof enough.

“Look at you, why so aggressive?” Duan Wenxuan turned towards Liao Yangsu. “This is the Sunflower Pressure Point Technique. Considering Master Tang spent considerable resources sending you to ‘The Tramps’ universe, surely you know where this martial art originates?”

The Merkle Strike technique hailed from “The Tramps.” However, despite Bai Zhan Tang’s willingness to teach others in the past, things changed after people from the present world entered those realms. Eighteen-Li Town and Qi Xia Town became chaotic. In such times, Bai Zhan Tang grew cautious, ensuring he wouldn’t casually display his martial skills anymore.

Tan Yibai and his companions were unaware of the hidden talents lurking within Qi Xia Town’s inn. Even Sunny Liao’s knowledge was limited, mostly gleaned from Tang Tianlu mentioning an elderly artist. However, researching renowned figures and their signature martial arts in that world would have been relatively straightforward.

As expected, Sunny Liao looked stunned at Duan Wenxuan. Acquiring this martial art was no easy feat, given that the Sunflower Sect had disbanded, scattering its skilled practitioners far and wide, making it challenging to locate them for training.

“My surname is Duan; now you should understand.”

Sunny Liao paused, rapidly processing the information in his mind.

With the surname Duan, such presence, and effortless mastery of the Sunflower Pressure Point Technique, along with access to its corresponding cultivation method, it could only mean one thing—this person must be Duan Yuanhui!

Duan Yuanhui, who left the Duan family and constantly roamed between worlds. The young master had caused quite a stir, prompting relentless searches by the Duan clan. Even his own master occasionally asked Yang Kai about any news on Duan Yuanhui, yet he remained elusive without a trace.

Seeing Sunny Liao blink repeatedly, Duan Wenxuan smiled and swiftly lifted the pressure point lock, releasing him.

As the numbness dissipated from Liao Yangsu’s body, he still felt some lingering tightness in his chest, likely a residual effect of the Merkle Strike. Rubbing his chest, Liao Yangsu sighed, “Young Master Duan?”

To be honest, if asked to address someone as ‘young master’ or ‘princeling’ before, Liao Yangsu would have rolled his eyes. However, after training with Tang Tianlu for a long time, he inevitably absorbed some of Tang Tianlu’s mannerisms. While he held no deep loyalty towards the Duan family, he inadvertently showed more courtesy towards their sole heir.

His own master cared greatly for this young man and often acted like an old servant, so Liao Yangsu couldn’t bring himself to casually slap him on the shoulder either.

“Where is Master Tang? I heard that not only did he search for me but also stayed to take care of you, postponing his return to the small blessed land?”

It was indeed Duan Yuanhui speaking.

Liao Yangsu shook his head, somewhat admiring Yuanhui’s stubborn independence. If it were him, he’d undoubtedly seize the opportunity to practice the finest martial arts diligently at home—how idyllic!

“Not yet, but your master keeps mentioning you. It’s great that you’re here. Would you like to see him now?”

“Let’s go.” Duan Wenxuan exuded an air of youthful nobility, effortlessly stepping ahead of Sunny Liao, clearly accustomed to being above others.

Sunny Liao didn’t contest it, maintaining half a step behind as they followed.

Soon, Duan Wenxuan met Tang Tianlu. With his foundation rooted in the Eternal Spring Art, Tang Tianlu appeared robust and unyielding as ever.

“Young Master Duan!?!” Initially, Tang Tianlu stared in disbelief upon seeing Duan Wenxuan. Then, he rushed forward, grasped Duan Wenxuan’s hand, and exclaimed with excitement, “Where have you been all this time? Gongsun has been tirelessly searching for you, along with other members of the Duan family. Now with the resurgence of spiritual tides, nowhere is safe…”

Tang Tianlu’s genuine concern was evident; he cared deeply for both Sunny Liao, as his disciple and surrogate grandson, and the Duan family, showing unwavering loyalty. This was especially true towards Duan Yuanhui, the sole heir of the Duan clan.

Duan Wenxuan smiled warmly and naturally walked into the room, taking the seat of honor.

Well then, it seemed that Sunny Liao was relegated to serving tea duties.

After sipping his tea, Duan Wenxuan lightly tapped his index finger on the table, gaze shifting over to Sunny Liao. “I heard that Master Tang submitted a palm technique to the Duan family in exchange for allowing your disciple to train within our small blessed land?”

“Yes, and I hope Young Master Duan will permit this,” Tang Tianlu hastily responded.

The palm technique offered was indeed exceptional, more than sufficient to warrant Liao Yangsu’s entry for training. However, without Duan Yuanhui’s agreement, there would be no way forward.

Duan Yuanhui’s recent disappearance had served as a harsh lesson for the Duan family - essentially, he made it clear that if they didn’t approve installing internet at home, he wouldn’t return. What could they do? They were frantic with worry. He was their only heir; disciplining him severely wasn’t an option. Instead, they had no choice but to find him, bring him back, and gently coax him with persuasion.

The “small blessed land” referred to the war-torn world of Liyang City. However, in terms of martial arts progression, this world was akin to the twilight era of such skills. At this point in time, firearms were ascendant, and traditional martial arts were nearing obsolescence.

However, recent developments have brought martial arts back into prominence.

It’s quite straightforward, actually. Since Duan Wenxuan developed “The Tramps” world, he has gradually introduced some rudimentary inner strength techniques and crude versions of Zong Cheng’s Merkle Strike into the war-torn Liyang City setting.

Surprisingly, Liyang City, being not part of the present world, had not yet seen the complete decline of martial arts. They were merely at their final twilight moments. Compared to the current era, this world exhibited a more pronounced adaptability with martial arts, leading to a surge of innovations fueled by inner strength. Duan Wenxuan inadvertently breathed new life into it, reviving its vitality somewhat.

Now, in that world, martial arts coexist alongside firearms, suggesting a historical divergence from our timeline.

Liao Yangsu lacked dedicated sparring partners here, nor was there a thriving environment for martial arts inspiration and mutual growth. Combined with his average innate talent, this caused Tang Tianlu great concern. If Liao Yangsu could enter the Duan Clan’s small blessed land, things would significantly improve.

Duan Wenxuan likely understood the thoughts of this master-disciple pair, which prompted his swift arrival. He needed to address the situation; otherwise, prolonged silence from the Duan family might lead Tang Tianlu to harbor doubts.

Seeing Duan Wenxuan momentarily silent, Sunny Liao couldn’t resist speaking up, “Young Master Duan, I assure you, I won’t cause any trouble within the Duan Clan’s small blessed land. My only desire is to continually advance in the martial path; please grant me this opportunity.”

“No, no,” Duan Wenxuan waved his hand dismissively. “I’m not refusing you. The palm technique Master Tang presented is indeed top-notch, and it’s more than suitable for entry into the small blessed land.

However, there’s something else I’d like to mention. Did you know that Master Tang possesses only the first volume of the Eternal Spring Internal Arts? He had accumulated merit points over many years, enough to exchange for the second volume from the Duan family. But instead, he used them all to obtain information beneficial for your journey in ‘The Tramps’ world.

Given that Master Tang has likely mastered the first volume of the Eternal Spring Internal Arts, here’s my question: as his disciple, would you prefer to enter the small blessed land yourself or use these opportunities to exchange for the second volume of the Eternal Spring Inner Strength for Master Tang?”

Duan Wenxuan’s words carried deep meaning, followed by an intrigued gaze at the master-disciple pair.

Sunny Liao was taken aback, “Master?”

Tang Tianlu had never mentioned this to him. All Sunny Liao knew was what Tang Tianlu often said - that being old with no close relatives, having numerous merit points served little purpose, akin to wealth one cannot take beyond death… Sunny Liao believed this to be true until now…

Instantly, Liao Yangsu felt a lump form in his throat.

“Young Master Duan,” Liao Yangsu spoke after a moment, ignoring Tang Tianlu’s attempts to stop him, “I also have the corresponding mental cultivation technique for this palm art. Let me exchange it for the lower volume of the Eternal Spring Internal Arts.”

Liao Yangsu had initially withheld the mental cultivation technique as a safeguard; no one would willingly share their complete understanding with others. Thus, he hadn’t planned on revealing it. Tang Tianlu was aware of this and agreed, considering his disciple’s best interests.

However, he didn’t anticipate that Liao Yangsu would so readily offer the technique for his sake.

Witnessing the deep bond between master and disciple, even Duan Wenxuan was somewhat moved.

“Alright, take these too. The Duan family doesn’t lack such resources. I’m genuinely curious, Liao Yangsu, how far your average talent can go solely with this determination. Prepare yourself, tomorrow you’ll accompany Master Tang to the small blessed land.”

Liao Yangsu’s eyes widened incredulously as he looked at Duan Yuanhui.

Duan-gongzi maintained his carefree demeanor, but Liao Yangsu hastily bowed deeply, “Thank you very much. I will never forget the Duan family’s kindness.”

Duan Yuanhui casually waved his hand, appearing nonchalant about it all.