For a moment, the entire training room was silent.

Only the sound of Ji Jue's jaw dropping to the floor could be heard.

"Ah?"

He began to doubt his own ears.

"Did I not make myself clear?"

Old Zhang asked confusedly, "To run means to escape, in Empire's language, that's 'RUN!', and in Thousand Islands' Yizhou dialect, it's '逃げろ!'"

Seeing that he was about to explain further using various languages, Ji Jue quickly waved his hands, "No no no, I understand what running means, but I don't understand… why run?"

"Because we can't defeat them."

Old Zhang stated simply and straightforwardly, striking directly… and sinking Ji Jue's eager heart.

The Ember Chosen Ones, universally acknowledged as the worst in fights, wield powers that function primarily in production and creation. To put it plainly, they are not cut out for combat roles!

Although the others aren't exactly suited either, only the crowd specializes properly in murder and arson, but without a doubt, if there were to be a comparison and ranking, then the Embers would definitely be strong contenders for the bottom position!

Just after the Ether!

If talking about the path of Ether, someone would have sensed your murderous intent from 800 meters away, perhaps even getting a premonition the moment they got up in the morning, and finding themselves extremely unfortunate, they wouldn't even leave their house, right?

When encountering an enemy, Tian Yuan would say, "I'll crush him with telekinesis," White Deer would say, "I wait loaded for a surefire kill," Ruins would say you can't breach my defenses so I'll breach yours, Swirl is the cockroach that can't be killed, Mirror can transform and disguise at will, Heart Core can directly control the enemy… even the Ascension Series has "Soul Shock," a signature control power.

What do the Embers have?

To tell your opponent to wait a moment while you go fire up the Melting Furnace for a live alchemy performance?

Both the pickled vegetables and the corpses would be cold, brother!

The strength of an Ember Chosen One lies in the more convenient use of external objects to enhance their own power, but the drawback lies here too, after all, external objects are just that, and once an incident occurs abruptly, they would find themselves isolated and helpless.

Too reliant on environment and conditions, even if a craftsman's power is absolute within their workshop, once they leave, they can only be the weakest of the weak.

"Don't hesitate, unless you are in your own fully protected workshop, otherwise when outside, once you encounter an enemy, immediately run, create distance, call for reinforcements, and preserve yourself to the greatest extent!"

Old Zhang said sternly, repeating the reminder, "Once you are alone and unprepared when encountering an enemy, and if you can't immediately escape and run, then you can only wait for death!

Over the years, I have seen too many Ember Craftsmen killed in this way, it should be said that for those with abilities from the Ember lineage, this kind of ambush tactic is exactly right!"

There was no way around it.

Who allowed your own abilities plus the skills you excel at to lack any capability for sudden combat?

It was the same for Ji Jue.

The only advantage he had was that he had always stayed in Cliff City, where there was widespread access to mechanical equipment to borrow. But even in Cliff City, it was not safe.

Too many limitations.

It was still better to move next to the military base sooner rather than later; otherwise, once the south wind was too strong and created a blockage, Ji Jue could only wash his neck and wait for death.

"Of course, after reaching a high rank, the situation might not be the same as now.

High-ranking Ember Chosen Ones usually carry all sorts of equipment with them, from life-sustaining and escape tools to counterattacking or cursing… even the Chosen Ones of the crowd might flip over."

Old Zhang slowly continued, "And during the lower-rank period of the Ember Chosen Ones, the best defensive tool available to use is a gun!"

"Ah?" Ji Jue continued in a daze.

"A gun, GUN, firearms!"

Old Zhang again used three languages to teach, continuing: "Summoning, Transformation, Rebirth, Transcendence—From the origin stone stage of the Chosen One through to the late stages of the Transformation Rank, in fact, Chosen Ones are still mortal, unprotected, even the strongest Chosen One can die from a bullet to the head.

So, you must learn how to use a gun.

Leader Wen said your shooting is not bad, I won't waste words teaching you how to train, do you have it with you today?"

Ji Jue hesitated for a moment, looking towards the bag he had placed in the corner.

There indeed was one.

Even though he had returned Lu Feng's issued gun some time ago, during the period he held it, he had used his ability to cheat and improved his pistol shooting skills to a proficient and sharp level, which could be considered a specialty.

"Very good."

Old Zhang nodded with satisfaction, "So, our next training task is to help you develop the habit—during an encounter, how to draw and fire your gun in the shortest amount of time, empty the magazine, and simultaneously create distance to run!"

"Ah?!"

Ji Jue lost his voice again, dumbstruck.

Wait, man, oh, sir, are you even listening to yourself?

"Don't worry, this place is bulletproof, it won't harm anyone else. And with this caliber, unless it's an Alchemy Bullet, I can block it myself."

Old Zhang smiled as he disengaged the safety of the pistol, chambered a round, and handed it over with the grip reversed: "Next, we're going to simulate a scenario you might encounter in battle.

The moment I make a move, use the technique I just taught you to enhance muscle speed with spiritual quality, speeding up drawing and aiming. Meanwhile, reinforce your legs with the emblem of White Deer to boost your sprinting power, creating distance."

"But if you can't run fast enough, then I will just have to..."

Old Zhang paused subtly, his seemingly feeble hand tightened and a glint of pure gold emerged.

And on his wrinkled face, a meaningful smile silently appeared:

"Hehehehe."

In that moment, everything went black before Ji Jue's eyes.

With the bone-chilling cold and the old man's iron fist, accompanied by the sharp, eerie laughter, came rushing towards him!!!

For the entire morning, noon, and afternoon, the direction of the training field echoed with piercing screams and shouts, mixed with enticing pleas for mercy and sobs that made Tong Hua bring a small stool to sit down and refuse to leave.

It felt so relieving! Although the initial error was his own...

But watching someone else's misfortune was really a joyful thing!

Even Wen Wen couldn't help but stop to listen for a while as she passed by.

"So intense."

She exclaimed, "Old Zhang hasn't had this much fun in a long time, has he?"

"Mmm."

In the hall, the dropout gamer An Ran nodded, "Because every time Sister Tong Hua trains, she cries, and then Old Zhang doesn't know what to do, um, tactics, so mean!"

"How is that mean? Knowing when to beg for mercy is a form of wisdom, isn't it?" Tong Hua glared, "And it really does hurt! I still have nightmares about that shoulder throw last time!"

Bang!

Amidst a scream, a figure burst through, smashing open the training room door, falling flat on the floor face down in the mud, and when he saw Wen Wen not far away, he was suddenly overjoyed.

"Sister Wen, save me, save me!" Ji Jue was in tears, "I have shed blood for the Northern Mountain District, I have established merits for the Security Bureau, I..."

"Hehehe, young man, our training isn't over yet, where are you going?"

The dry and skinny figure of an old man appeared behind him like a ghost, grinning weirdly with a hissing bullet clenched between his teeth, gently lifting Ji Jue by the collar in his still tender and kind tone:

"Don't worry, fighting is like this, it starts off scary, but later it won't hurt, and if you taste the sweetness, you'll become addicted.

Let me give you an injection first, after which all you'll think about is fighting. Once you're used to it, you might come back eagerly every week looking for me."

Snap!

The shaky door closed again.

Silence fell in the corridor.

Tong Hua and Wen Wen looked at each other, Tong Hua's cheeks flushing red.

"It seems like the plot inside is getting worse, Sister Wen..." She covered her hot nose tip, her smile becoming more and more twisted, "But I really like it!"

.

It wasn't until after five in the afternoon that the screams in the training field finally stopped.

To be precise, they had already run out of strength at three o'clock... But now, what replaced it was a hair-raising sound of bones rubbing.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

"Oooh—ease up, ease up," Ji Jue moaned weakly, "Too strong, can't handle it... oooh!"

As he spoke, the pair of calloused big hands that were on his neck squeezed tight, and suddenly twisted, a crisp sound echoed inside his skull.

—Crack!

As Old Zhang let go, Ji Jue collapsed on the floor like a puppet with cut strings, completely limp and drained of all energy.

But remarkably, after the excessively rough bone-setting that seemed to completely dismantle and then put him back together, followed by the massage that nearly twisted the skin off, Ji Jue felt an incredible relief.

It was as if his entire body was lighter by several pounds.

His whole body flushed red, constantly sweating.

The bruises and swelling were quickly fading, his legs that had slowly become numb and painful from long-term physical enhancement regained sensation, and his usually stiff back from hours of studying felt completely liberated, and the previously crunchy neck now moved smoothly beyond belief.

It was like a rebirth.

He even suspected Old Zhang secretly replaced the joints with D40 lubricant while he wasn't looking, otherwise how could it feel so silky smooth.

"Too much dampness is bad for health, young man. You should exercise more, education is important, but so is health!"

After finishing up, Old Zhang wiped the medicinal oil from his hands with a towel, grinning and asked, "How was my bone-setting massage?"

Ji Jue, lying on the floor, too content to speak, just raised his hand and gave a thumbs up.

Unbeatable!

Awesome!

Then, a business card was placed before his eyes, and he saw upon opening his eyes, 'Zhang's Massage'!

"Spent half my life fighting without much skill, but this massage technique is a family heirloom. Now that I've retired, the shop is run by my daughter and grandson. Remember to come by and support our business when you're free!"

"Absolutely!"

Without a second thought, Ji Jue blurted out, as the skill alone was legendary and he had to get a membership card and bring Lu Ma and others to experience it.

Yes, when I make some money!

Unfortunately, the need was just a stone's throw away, but making money was still far off…

Thinking about his credit card that only accumulated higher debts the more he paid it off in installments, he couldn't help but want to shed tears of a broken wallet.

His skills and abilities had modestly improved over the months, but the expenses were mounting, and they were destined to only increase. The financial hole was hard to plug, and it kept getting bigger.

He was so frustrated he even thought about asking the young bulls to bring their own drumsticks to work.

Not to mention water and electricity, he could barely afford the feed expenses!

Besides, his personal debts were still relatively small, with many large projects not yet accounted for.

Not to mention the student loans that once seemed mountainous but were now mere drizzles. Just adding up the alchemy tuition and material consumption fees that Professor Ye had fully covered would turn Ji Jue's debt into a monstrous write-off that would make any Cliff City Bank's loan officer want to hang themselves!

Life was tough.

Without any income, it truly wasn't going to work.

Recently, Sister Laila had been calling him non-stop, asking if he had time, if he wanted to take some private jobs, offering negotiable prices. But remembering the price list Lu Feng had given him, Ji Jue felt like he was selling his soul.

Maybe later... I'll give it a try?

He hesitated, unable to stop his sliding thoughts, and when he turned over, he saw the smiling face of Old Zhang under the incandescent light.

"Are you rested?"

Old Zhang stretched out his hand, "Want to try one last time?"

He said, "The real deal, simulated combat."

"Sure!"

Ji Jue gripped his hand firmly and stood up.

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