Staring at the charred remains of the wooden stake on the ground, Chu Bai and Gu Qinghe were rooted to the spot, unable to move a single step.
Three hundred cents was a tempting offer, but one had to be alive to spend it.
A single blast from that Fire Bomb Technique, even if it didn’t kill you, would surely take off a layer of skin.
Seeing the two of them hesitate, the stern-faced instructor, Wuu Shang, snorted. "The Zhao Mansion has deep pockets," he said coolly. "Since we’ve hired you, we’ll take full responsibility. If anything truly goes wrong, your medical expenses will be covered."
Zhao Xing, standing to the side, was eager to test the insight he’d just gained and urged them impatiently, "My aim is better now, and I need live targets to practice my prediction. If you get hurt, in addition to covering all medical costs, the Zhao Mansion will compensate each of you an extra five taels of silver!"
Five taels!
The moment he heard the number, Gu Qinghe’s eyes went bloodshot.
Chu Bai’s heart also skipped a beat.
A hefty reward is sure to find a willing man.
In a world where a human life was treated like dirt, five taels of silver was enough to buy half of a poor man’s life.
"I’m in!" Gu Qinghe growled, gritting his teeth.
Chu Bai nodded as well. Fortune is sought in danger. Since they had come this far, there was no reason to back down.
Seeing this, Wuu Shang finally grabbed two round shields from a nearby rack and tossed them to the pair.
"Catch."
Chu Bai reached out and caught one.
The shield was about the size of a manhole cover, made from thick beast hide and coated in a layer of bluish-black mud. It was bone-chillingly cold to the touch and gave off a faint, fishy odor.
"This is Cold Pool Mud," Wuu Shang explained briefly. "It’s specially designed to counter Low Tier Fire Magic. As long as you time your blocks correctly with the shield or dodge in time, you’ll be safe."
With this layer of protection, the two felt a little more at ease.
Chu Bai swung the shield a few times. It was a little heavy, but for someone like him, who had spent years doing farm work, it was quite manageable.
"Are you ready?" Zhao Xing stood about ten paces away, his hands already beginning to form hand seals. "My Spiritual Qi is limited, so I can only fire seven or eight shots this round. We’ll set a rule: one shot every fifteen breaths. That should give you time to catch your breath and dodge."
"Begin!"
At Zhao Xing’s command, Chu Bai and Gu Qinghe quickly spread out.
"Take this! To the left!" Zhao Xing yelled, firelight gathering in his hand, even having the kindness to announce the direction of his attack.
Before the words were even out of his mouth, however, Wuu Shang cut him off sharply. "Shut up! Who told you to warn them? In a real battle to the death, will your enemy tell you where he’s going to strike? Focus completely! You must aim for a direct hit!"
Scolded by the Instructor, Zhao Xing didn’t dare to argue back and could only channel his Resentment into the Fireball in his hands.
"Go!"
The first Fire Bomb shot forth with a whistle, aimed straight at Chu Bai.
Though Chu Bai was nervous, he was now completely focused. The sliver of Pure Qi within his body began to circulate, heightening his five senses to their absolute peak.
In his vision, the high-speed Fireball was not untraceable; the surrounding heat waves and fluctuations of Spiritual Qi were clearly visible.
’Lean left!’
Acting on pure instinct, Chu Bai’s feet shifted, and his body abruptly leaned to the left.
WHOOSH—
The searing wave of heat grazed the collar of his clothes and slammed into the wall behind him, blasting a patch of it black.
’I dodged it!’
Chu Bai let out a long breath. Cold sweat had broken out on his forehead, but his eyes grew brighter.
Fifteen breaths later, the second Fire Bomb shot toward Gu Qinghe.
The kid’s Body Technique wasn’t as agile as Chu Bai’s, but he made up for it with a fierce streak. He performed a clumsy "lazy donkey roll" that, while pathetic-looking, allowed him to narrowly avoid the blast.
For the next few shots, Zhao Xing alternated his attacks between the two of them.
Wuu Shang stood to the side, continuously offering pointers: "Keep your wrist steadier! Predict his positioning! Don’t just stare at the person, look where he’s going to go next!"
While dodging, Chu Bai multitasked, committing every one of Wuu Shang’s pointers to memory.
’So that’s how it is... The moment the Fire Bomb Technique leaves the hand, its direction can be minutely adjusted with Divine Sense...’
’Spiritual Qi must build up in the meridians so that it can have speed upon release...’
This real-time instruction from a master, even though it wasn’t directed at him, was incredibly beneficial. The [Nourishing and Exquisite] Fate Chart on his panel seemed to grow faintly hot as it frantically absorbed and converted all this new knowledge.
After a round of seven or eight shots, Zhao Xing’s Spiritual Qi was depleted. He plopped down on the ground and began to meditate, performing Breath Regulation.
Chu Bai and Gu Qinghe were also exhausted, leaning against the wall and gasping for air. This feeling of constantly dancing on the edge of life and death was more draining than a full day of farm work.
"This money... is really hard to earn," Gu Qinghe said with a wry smile, wiping the black soot from his face.
"But it’s worth it," Chu Bai said, a sharp glint in his eyes as he watched Zhao Xing performing Breath Regulation in the distance. "Look at Young Master Zhao. After just these few shots, his aim is already much better than when he was shooting at the straw targets earlier."
An hour later, Zhao Xing finished his Breath Regulation and stood up, once again full of vigor.
"Again!"
This time, after Wuu Shang’s guidance and the previous round of live practice, Zhao Xing’s gaze was noticeably sharper.
"You again!"
Zhao Xing seemed to have fixated on Chu Bai, concentrating his entire barrage on him this round.
The first shot blocked his path to the left.
The second predicted his move to the right.
Chu Bai dodged and weaved, narrowly avoiding each shot, but he realized Zhao Xing was intentionally forcing his movements, herding him into a dead end.
’A little interesting...’
In truth, with his panel-enhanced Body Technique and perception far beyond that of an ordinary person, Chu Bai could have easily broken out of the encirclement.
But a new thought occurred to him, and he chose not to.
’If I keep dodging every shot, where will Young Master Zhao put his face? I’m a training partner. Isn’t the whole point to make sure he has a satisfying practice session?’
’Since you want to practice prediction and containment, I’ll play along.’
With this in mind, Chu Bai pretended to slip, revealing an opening and allowing himself to be forced into the corner.
"Good chance! Let’s see you run now!" Zhao Xing’s eyes lit up with joy as he unleashed the final Fire Bomb he had been charging.
This blow was unavoidable!
"Bring it on!"
Chu Bai let out a low shout. Instead of dodging, he planted his feet in a horse stance, held the shield in front of his chest with both hands, and frantically poured the faint trace of Spiritual Qi in his body into his arms.
BANG!
The crimson Fireball slammed viciously into the beast-hide shield and instantly exploded.
The Cold Pool Mud on the shield’s surface was instantly vaporized by the high temperature, turning into a great cloud of white steam.
The immense impact force traveled through the shield to his arms, making the webbing of his hands go numb. He felt as if he’d been hit by a savage bull, stumbling back five or six steps before his back slammed hard against the wall, finally bringing him to a stop.
"Cough, cough..."
Chu Bai emerged from the white steam, covered in dust and grime. He looked quite pathetic, but he hadn’t sustained any real injuries.
"I hit him! Haha! I actually hit him!"
Zhao Xing pumped his fist in excitement. The sense of accomplishment, like finally catching a slippery fish, sent a thrill through him that made his scalp tingle.
Wuu Shang, standing to the side, stroked his beard, his sharp eyes giving Chu Bai a long, meaningful look.
Others might not have seen it, but he had seen it clearly.
When Zhao Xing attacked, the fluctuation of Spiritual Qi was obvious. Given the boy’s reaction speed from earlier, he had every opportunity to dodge.
He had intentionally let himself be forced into a corner to take that hit head-on, both preserving Zhao Xing’s pride and completing the task of practicing a block.
’This boy... he’s a sharp one.’
Wuu Shang nodded to himself, his opinion of this perceptive boy from a poor background rising a notch.
"Not bad. You’ve improved this round," Wuu Shang said, offering rare praise to Zhao Xing. He then looked at Chu Bai. "You also did very well. Rest for a moment. Prepare for the next round."

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