After finishing the hotpot, it was already nine o'clock in the evening.
The heads of the various districts rushed back overnight without staying in Deep Blue City.
The only ones left were Li Shutong and the disciples he had just taken in, Han Zhan and Xia Youwei.
"Teacher, do you have a house in Deep Blue City as well?" On the way, Han Zhan asked somewhat incredulously.
Deep Blue City is not a major city, just an ordinary coastal city. Someone of Li Shutong's caliber wouldn't normally choose to settle in such a place.
Upon hearing Han Zhan's words, Li Shutong remained silent for a moment.
"Deep Blue City is my wife's hometown."
Li Shutong gave an answer that Han Zhan didn't expect.
"Then why didn't Mistress come back with you to visit? Is it the same as the wives of senior brothers and them, that she's also..."
"She died in battle."
Li Shutong walked a few steps ahead alone, and the moonlight stretched his shadow long.
Han Zhan and Xia Youwei were stunned, looking at each other in surprise.
"The world only knows that Li Shutong turned the tide and saved the entire Great Xia, a hero who killed the Three Great Insect Emperors. But who remembers her name?"
"Without her, there wouldn't have been anything for Li Shutong either."
The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat heavy, just as Han Zhan and Xia Youwei were at a loss for words,
suddenly, Li Shutong, who was walking in front, turned around and called out to him.
"Han Zhan."
"Teacher, I'm here!"
"Be kind to Youwei, and to the Contracted Spirits you will have in the future. They are not just Contracted Spirits or tools for battle; they are also flesh-and-blood humans, your other half."
Perhaps because his soul had traveled here, Han Zhan himself had never viewed Xia Youwei as a mere tool for battle.
But Li Shutong was unaware.
Although the creation of the Spirit Contract Technique alleviated the insect disaster, it also subtly influenced generations of people.
Thinking of this, Han Zhan nodded earnestly and firmly.
"Teacher, what was Mistress's name?"
"I want to know her name. As long as one person remembers, she hasn't been forgotten by the whole world!"
Li Shutong was taken aback.
Then, he chuckled wryly.
"You're really different from the others; some of the things you say are quite to my liking, like finely crafted words that can exaggerate and amplify certain emotions."
Teacher, the kind of thing you're talking about actually has a specific term, called 'chicken soup for the soul.'
Han Zhan silently added in his heart.
"Her name was Ling Mei."
Li Shutong raised his head and said.
"In that historic battle, I killed one Insect Emperor, while she fought desperately against two."
"If she were still alive, she would be more deserving of the honor of saving Great Xia than I am."
As Li Shutong spoke of this, he seemed to reminisce about the days of fighting side by side with Ling Mei.
"Rest assured, Teacher," Han Zhan suddenly said loudly, interrupting his train of thought.
"Hmm?" Li Shutong was puzzled.
"Teacher, I have a good suggestion: why don't you pass the honor of being Great Xia's hero to me? That way, you won't have any regrets."
Han Zhan's peculiar way of thinking nearly made Xia Youwei burst into laughter.
Li Shutong's face turned dark, and the bit of sadness he had managed to muster vanished without a trace.
"You rascal, you've got some nerve! Today, as your master, I'm going to give you some proper instruction!"
...
Deep Blue City, at a large single-family villa covering an extensive area.
This was once the residence of Li Shutong and Ling Mei, but after Ling Mei's passing, to avoid things triggering memories, Li Shutong hadn't lived here for a long time.
The villa's amenities were all still in place, with regular cleaning services.
It was already late at night.
Xia Youwei went back to her room to rest alone, and Han Zhan and Li Shutong went to the lawn outside the villa.
Spirit Contract Masters and their Contracted Spirits have two kinds of training methods: solo and dual training.
When it comes to Han Zhan, there may be a new kind called "multi-training" added in the future, but that's another story.
At this moment, Li Shutong had already changed into a workout outfit, and he prepared a set for Han Zhan as well.
"I suppose they somewhat hinted at it when we were having dinner."
"A hundred years ago, when Little Mei was still around, I was invincible as a Spirit Contract Master. But after that battle, Little Mei perished, and as a Spirit Contract Master, I lost my Contracted Spirit, which greatly diminished my combat power."
"So, it was from that time that I had an epiphany."
"A Spirit Contract Master cannot rely solely on the Contracted Spirit. Self-cultivation is one, to improve one's own strength, and two, to better protect one's Contracted Spirit."
This viewpoint of Li Shutong's was quite contrary to the universal beliefs and could not be accepted by most people.
Not everyone can attain the level of understanding Li Shutong achieved.
"Most people rely on Contracted Spirits for battles, making their fatality rate much higher than Spirit Contract Masters. For those who lose their original Contracted Spirit, they simply need to contract a new one; that's how most people think."
Upon hearing this, Han Zhan frowned.
He didn't like this way of thinking.
He also understood why Li Shutong had previously said not to treat Contracted Spirits as mere tools for battle.
"What I'm going to teach you today is a set of fist techniques. It's not my original creation; I stumbled upon it in some ruins when I was young."
"I have spent a hundred years comprehending it and can only execute it up to eighty percent. Among your senior brothers, the one with the best Martial Dao talent, Senior Brother Wei Qing, should be at fifty percent now."
"Don't feel pressured; learn as much as you can. Martial Dao has something to do with talent."
"You already have extraordinary talent as a Spirit Contract Master, so perhaps your Martial Dao talent is not outstanding. Heaven is always fair."
Li Shutong's buildup piqued Han Zhan's curiosity.
"Teacher, what is this fist technique called?"
"Eight Urgencies!"
With that, as he described the fist techniques, he clenched his fists and assumed a starting stance.
As Li Shutong assumed the stance, faint white energy began to surround his body, swirling like an otherworldly being.
Han Zhan imitated him, also assuming the stance.
"The Eight Urgent Fist Technique consists of eight locks, corresponding to eight hidden parts of the body. Each time a lock is unlocked, temporarily greater power can be obtained. Once all eight locks are unlocked, one will surpass their limits."
Li Shutong's explanation made Han Zhan's expression turn peculiar.
Sure enough, he then heard Li Shutong speak again: "The first lock of the Eight Urgent Fist Technique is Kai Ji!"
Boom!
As soon as Li Shutong's words fell, the white energy instantly enveloped him, transforming his once elder-like demeanor into something formidable.
"Mastering Kai Ji signifies the formal entry into the Eight Urgent Fist Technique. It took Wei Qing about six months, awakening to it through a life-and-death trial, to unlock Kai Ji, so what you need to do is intensify your physical training daily to strive..."
Li Shutong didn't finish his sentence.
Suddenly, there was another surge of energy behind him.
The same layer of white energy enveloped Han Zhan.
"Teacher, is this it?"