Chapter 95: Sunflower Phantom

Previously, whether it was the "Rich Woman's Pleasure Ball" or "Stare Someone Pregnant," although they seemed quite useless at first glance, a closer look revealed that, if used skillfully, they were no less than divine abilities.

However, this new item, no matter how he looked at it, seemed to have no discernible purpose.

It only made the opponent reply with "What are you looking at?", offering neither damage nor crowd control. It was simply a trash skill.

Suddenly, a thought struck him: could it be a taunt skill? One that, when used, easily provoked the opponent's anger? But he quickly dismissed this idea. After all, even without this skill, simply saying "What are you looking at?" was already extremely provocative.

What surprised him, however, was that this skill, unlike the previous ones, had no usage limits; it seemed to be usable indefinitely.

This thought somewhat balanced Zu An's feelings, but he was still certain that this skill was weaker than the previous ones, leaving him momentarily unsure whether to feel glad or disappointed.

He continued with the lottery draws, but nothing new or different appeared; it was either "Thank you for participating" or Vitality Fruits. This was within his expectations, as the probability of drawing two skills at once was almost negligible.

His third formation was previously one-third filled. This time, after consuming and refining all the Vitality Fruits he drew, the third formation was completely full. Now, he could clearly feel that he could barely summon "Great Wind" twice, whereas before, a single summon would almost deplete all his elemental energy.

It seemed that as his level increased, his elemental energy became more abundant, and the effects were quite noticeable.

Thinking of this, he became somewhat curious again, wondering what new skills would appear once all nine formations in this layer were filled. After all, the previous "Great Wind" was indeed miraculous, and that was just the effect of the first layer; subsequent abilities should be even more formidable, shouldn't they?

Of course, recalling that the rage points required for future upgrades were an astronomical figure, Zu An sighed. "Never mind," he thought, "let's not dwell on these things for now. The immediate priority is to prepare for the competition the day after tomorrow."

In truth, with his current abilities, facing Yuan Wendong in the arena, self-preservation should not be an issue. However, he recalled the beautiful principal's words: in this world, the strong grow stronger because only through strength can one acquire a continuous flow of resources. Therefore, constantly hiding one's capabilities was not advisable.

He also realized that relying on a platform as significant as the Chu family, it would truly be a pity not to fully utilize it. And to do so, he needed to make the Chu family acknowledge his worth.

Although his personality was somewhat roguish, he didn't find the Chu family's previous indifferent attitude towards him problematic. After all, the former Zu An was indeed a good-for-nothing. If he were a member of the Chu family, his attitude wouldn't have been much better.

On the contrary, not to mention his sister-in-law, even Chu Chuyan and his father-in-law, Chu Zhongtian, were actually quite decent to him. After all, their attitudes were based on the assumption that he was useless, and given that, their behavior was already commendable.

Only Qin Wanru was harsher towards him. "Humph," he thought, "if only I had known, I should have given your clothes to that pervert Ji Dengtu..."

Inspired by the beautiful principal's guidance, he also realized that he should demonstrate some value to the Chu family. Ideally, he would make them increasingly reliant on him, to the point where, even if Chu Chuyan was unwilling, they would actively send her to his bed...

Zu An couldn't help but chuckle foolishly. As he thought of the pleasant possibilities, he couldn't help but drool.

However, on second thought, he wasn't really confident about defeating Yuan Wendong. His opponent was, after all, a fifth-rank. He had witnessed Yuan Wendong controlling his weapons at school, an intimidating stance resembling "Myriad Swords Returning to the Origin." Pei Mianman had black flame protection that could melt his weapons, but if he went up against him, wouldn't he be riddled with holes?

Furthermore, in a public arena competition, he didn't want to reveal all his trump cards. Showing his worth was one thing, but exposing all his hidden abilities would be more loss than gain. He was still planning to scheme against others in the future.

The "lying low culture" so popular in his previous life truly made sense: "make a fortune in silence," and "a tree that stands out in the forest will be felled by the wind..."

After much deliberation, he could only focus his attention on the "Thirteen Forms of Elementary Swordplay" that Bai Susu had taught him today. Although this sword technique was quite useless to ordinary people, it seemed particularly suited to him. If mastered, it would be infinitely powerful. If he defeated Yuan Wendong using this swordplay, no one would suspect his true abilities, as it was a technique almost everyone in the academy knew.

At this thought, he became excited. He picked up the standard-issue sword provided by the academy and began to practice. Whether it was due to his current exceptional talent or some other reason, he found that the image of Bai Susu demonstrating the swordplay earlier that day was incredibly clear in his mind; every single move and form was distinctly remembered.

Initially, he was a bit clumsy, but after practicing a few times, he had already developed quite a proper form for the "Thirteen Forms of Elementary Swordplay."

“Oh, I didn't expect your comprehension to be so high. You've actually mastered the academy's 'Elementary Swordplay' in such a short time. The only thing lacking now is refinement.”

Just then, an eerie voice echoed.

Zu An was startled. He quickly turned to look in the direction of the voice and saw a trembling, hunched figure standing in the garden. Who else could it be but Old Man Mi?

“When did you arrive, senior?” Zu An asked with a harmless smile, though he was secretly on guard. He resolved to be more cautious in the future; if his trump cards were discovered, he would feel completely exposed.

“I've been here for a while,” Old Man Mi replied blandly. “I heard you're likely to face Yuan Wendong in the family competition?”

“That's right,” Zu An replied with a helpless expression. He was, after all, being used by the Chu family as the weakest horse against the opponent's strongest, a sacrificial pawn in their strategy.

“You plan to rely solely on this elementary swordplay to deal with Yuan Wendong?” Old Man Mi's beard trembled as he stared intently at him.

Zu An felt a bit uneasy. “Yes,” he said, “I don't know any other techniques.”

Old Man Mi snorted. “Practically everyone in the academy has a copy of this elementary swordplay; Yuan Wendong naturally learned it too. I hear he's already a fifth-rank. You using this elementary swordplay against him would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, wouldn't it?”

Zu An couldn't help but say, “But I heard the school teachers say that this swordplay isn't that useless. It's the foundation of all sword techniques, and true masters eventually simplify complex moves into something like this...”

“You actually believe the school teachers' bluffs about diligently studying swordplay?” Old Man Mi looked at him as if he were an idiot. “It's true that when cultivation reaches a certain level, sword techniques indeed return to simplicity, somewhat aligning with the principles of this elementary swordplay. But those masters rely on overwhelming speed and strength. For a rookie like you to use this swordplay against a master, you wouldn't even know how you died!”

Zu An gave an awkward smile. “Anyway, I'll probably be ranked last, so the chance of me even fighting isn't very high.”

Old Man Mi fell silent, then after a moment, he suddenly asked, “I heard you have a grudge with that Yuan fellow?”

Zu An couldn't help but glance at him. This old man usually never left the house, looking like a decrepit old gardener on the verge of death. Yet, it felt like he knew everything. “Uh, there was a minor conflict at the academy earlier,” Zu An admitted.

“A minor conflict?” Old Man Mi scoffed. “I heard he publicly declared he would cripple you.”

Zu An said grudgingly, “He lost to me last time; he's just venting his impotent rage.”

“Someone else helped you last time, but who will help you on the arena the day after tomorrow?” Old Man Mi rolled his eyes, a very intimidating sight. “I hear the Young Mistress is worried and plans to take you to provoke that Yuan fellow again tomorrow?”

“Yes... yes,” Zu An stammered, suddenly feeling chilled to the bone. This matter had only been discussed among a few of them during dinner. How did Old Man Mi know everything? Did he also know about his 'keyboard'?

“This is preposterous! Even if the Young Mistress dislikes you, she shouldn't just push you into a pit of fire like this,” Old Man Mi said, stamping his foot in anger.

Seeing his anger, Zu An's heart warmed. “Senior, don't worry. The Young Mistress is just employing the 'weakest horse against strongest' strategy. I'm ranked last, so I most likely won't need to actually fight.”

Old Man Mi shook his head. “This time is different. The Yuan family is well-prepared, and your chances of being called upon are not low. No, this is too risky. I'll teach you a movement technique. That way, if you truly encounter any danger in the arena, you'll at least be able to save your life.”

Zu An was startled at first, then said, moved, “Senior, you're truly so kind to me!” He inwardly chided himself: 'And here I was, still suspecting him. I really am ungrateful!'

Old Man Mi chuckled. “I have no hope left for myself in this life; I can only hope you'll fulfill my dying wish in the future. Naturally, I don't want to see you lose an arm or a leg before you've even grown up.”

(What a joke! You're the most suitable candidate I painstakingly chose. How could I let that Yuan Wendong cripple you and ruin my perfect plan?)

Zu An, unaware of this deeper meaning, was already overwhelmed with emotion. Since coming to this world, those who treated him well were few and far between, and Old Man Mi was definitely one of the best.

Old Man Mi cleared his throat and then said, “This movement technique is called 'Sunflower Phantom.' It requires very little elemental energy to activate, yet its agility is top-tier in this world. If one's aptitude is sufficient, minor mastery can be achieved in about half a year. Although time is a bit tight, for facing Yuan Wendong, it shouldn't be a major problem.”

Zu An was startled. “That's not right,” he said. “Since this movement technique is so powerful, why does it require so little elemental energy to activate? That doesn't make sense.”

Old Man Mi chuckled. “You needn't worry about me bluffing you. This movement technique is indeed top-tier. Although it consumes very little elemental energy, there's a major hurdle in cultivating it that most people cannot overcome. But for you...” He said, his gaze subconsciously flickering to Zu An's lower abdomen. “You don't have that hurdle. It's perfectly suited for your cultivation.”

Zu An blinked. "What did he mean by that?"

Old Man Mi cleared his throat and said, “Concentrate your mind. I will tell you the incantation for 'Sunflower Phantom,' as well as the elemental energy circulation routes and key points. Listen carefully...”

Roughly an hour later, watching Zu An's figure darting back and forth, left and right, in the courtyard, Old Man Mi was momentarily stunned. After a long while, he couldn't help but ask, “Have you studied 'Sunflower Phantom' before?”

Zu An shook his head, a bewildered expression on his face. “No.”

“Then how did you grasp it so quickly, even to the point of achieving minor mastery?” Old Man Mi asked, a puzzled expression on his face.

“Perhaps it's because I have good talent for martial arts?” Zu An said somewhat shyly.