Becoming a Deity from Planting the Bodhi Tree-Chapter 99 - 90 The Best Whetstone_2

Zhuang Butong fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Your martial arts skills are too poor. If it were a martial artist who had formed a Mid-grade Cultivation Body, as long as their martial arts were not too bad, you wouldn't stand a chance against them."

"Why else would I pay you?" Ji Jingqiu said earnestly.

Zhuang Butong lowered his head, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.

Just looking at his current state, it seems far from the "nearly insane" written in the mission briefing.

"One million, and that's an advance payment." Zhuang Butong paused before saying, "This price is very cheap, and I can teach more than just sword skills. At the same price range, you definitely won't find a teacher who doubles as a sparring partner like me elsewhere, if not for..."

He did not continue, but looked up firmly at Ji Jingqiu and declared seriously:

"If you accept, then we'll continue. Moreover, even if you regret it afterward, I won't return the money to you."

Ji Jingqiu first checked his terminal. Good, there was enough money.

He wondered if he could claim reimbursement from the Administration Bureau afterward.

If he couldn't get reimbursed by the Administration Bureau, he'd turn to the Star Group...

"Okay."

"Transfer the money. Which power do you belong to?"

"I'm currently with the Star Group."

Zhuang Butong nodded. So, he was a martial artist recruited by a corporation, no wonder he wasn't short on money.

After the money was paid, Zhuang Butong emotionlessly raised his sword and said:

"Your foundation is very weak. I'll teach you the most basic techniques for applying and diverting force first, hoping you can keep up with my pace."

Zhuang Butong's teaching style was extremely rough, evidently lacking teaching experience. He began with a demonstration straight away, and his explanations of the key points were a bit hazy.

However, after Ji Jingqiu practiced it once or twice, he got it - after all, it was the basics.

Without further ado, Zhuang Butong continued to teach more in-depth, until he felt Ji Jingqiu had sufficiently mastered the basics, and he blandly stated:

"The basics are not difficult, and you've almost got them down. The next step is sparring. Actual combat is the best way to grasp the techniques, and you don't have to worry about getting hurt. Just down the street is the hospital. As long as you have money, even a broken neck can be cured in a short time."

"Great!"

As Ji Jingqiu took up his stance, Zhuang Butong replicated his previous attack, thrusting the sword straight forward!

This time, Ji Jingqiu was able to deflect most of the vibrating force transmitted through the sword blade.

Zhuang Butong didn't speak, took a few steps back to adjust the distance, and plunged forward with a downward slash again, feeding Ji Jingqiu the sword technique.

After repeating this three times, Ji Jingqiu had fully mastered the technique of force deflection.

Zhuang Butong stepped back and instructed, "Next, you attack. Use the technique of applying force I taught you earlier."

Ji Jingqiu took a deep breath and thrust his sword straight forward.

With such repetition, Ji Jingqiu absorbed Zhuang Butong's experience at an astonishing speed, perfectly mastering the most basic moves of chopping, slashing, blocking, cutting, and shaking.

Then came the various basic sequences of combining moves.

Zhuang Butong was not a good teacher, but he was definitely a good sparring partner.

Whenever Ji Jingqiu could perfectly handle his offensive, or reverse it, Zhuang Butong always brought him new surprises, upgrading from simple combinations to more challenging sequences of connecting moves, pushing him to face new pressures and adversities.

This kind of adversity and pressure allowed him to directly feel his own progress.

Gradually, as Ji Jingqiu's progress became significant, a sense of seriousness appeared on Zhuang Butong's face.

As their swords clashed, Zhuang Butong lifted his blade slightly, vibrating to disrupt Ji Jingqiu's attack and caused his steps and breath to falter.

Just as Ji Jingqiu was about to ask why this move hadn't been taught before, he heard Zhuang Butong suddenly speak.

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"You... learn very quickly," Zhuang Butong said in a slowed tone, seriously adding, "I misjudged you; you are also a talented individual."

He tilted his head, pausing to weigh his words, then decided, "I will return five hundred thousand to you."

Ji Jingqiu looked up in perplexity.

Zhuang Butong spoke calmly, "The fee standards for mediocre and talented individuals differ. Teaching you has been hassle-free for me. It wasn't much different from a mere sparring session."

"What does 'talented' mean in the eyes of Senior Zhuang?" Ji Jingqiu inquired.

"Martial Wisdom." Zhuang Butong declared with rare emphasis, "Achievements like the Five Limits of a Heavenly Person merely set the lower bar. It's only Martial Wisdom that determines the upper limit of a Martial Artist!"

Ji Jingqiu nodded in understanding and then asked with curiosity, "May I know how much the person who left earlier paid?"

"He didn't pay with money." Zhuang Butong paused, speaking in a gloomy tone, "He paid with a favor, one that I owe. I owe...many favors."

"That's all for today. I'll send you the names of some Lower Rank Sword Skills through the terminal. You can search for them and learn on your own. Once you've mastered them all, you can come back to me. I will then help you advance further."

Having said that, Zhuang Butong, paying no attention to Ji Jingqiu, sheathed his sword, properly placed it back on the weapon rack, and after working on the terminal for a bit, Ji Jingqiu received a notification of a 500,000 deposit.

This person refunds money as easily as he says...

After everything was settled, Zhuang Butong returned to the center of the training area, sat down in a lotus position, and entered meditation again.

"Senior Zhuang, may I ask one last question?" Ji Jingqiu spoke softly. "What power did you imbue in your sword when you drew it, which made my blood and Qi calm down for an instant?"

Zhuang Butong, without opening his eyes, said indifferently, "That was the use of Heart Electricity. I can feel you have also begun developing Heart Electricity within your body. If your subsequent progress remains steady, I will teach you."

Ji Jingqiu thought to himself that it seemed his plan was viable; the initial encounter had left a lasting impression on the other.

Otherwise, Zhuang Butong would most likely not have answered his question just now, much less volunteered to teach him in the future.

Being recognized by a Martial Arts prodigy naturally meant being another Martial Arts prodigy!

He breathed out slowly and left.

Before stepping out of the training area, he couldn't help but look back.

In the run-down training area, this shabby middle-aged man seemed to live in a corner forgotten by time, as well as in his own world.

Was he still attempting to carve new peaks for the Federation Martial Arts?

...

...

In the conference room of the Star Division,

"We all understand what Manager Lou means, but we really cannot allocate new resources at the moment, unless you approve us to squeeze some from other Martial Artists," Luo Ben said with a troubled expression.

Lou Qinglan glanced at the stumbling block, knowing she couldn't agree to that; otherwise, even if the Martial Artists who lost resources wouldn't resent Ji Jingqiu, they would still hold grudges against her.

"Haha, when it comes to resources, if the division really tries, it can squeeze some out," Zhang Yaode chimed in from the side.

There was a sly look in Luo Ben's eyes—as expected, this old man was ready to challenge him through Lou Qinglan!

He was about to say something,

when Lou Qinglan suddenly opened a video.

In the video, Ge Hong scratched his head and said straightforwardly, "I've already vacated the training area. I've fought with Ji and fully admit my defeat. I suggest that those who aren't convinced should have a bout with Ji!"

Zhang Yaode couldn't help but laugh, "This Xiao Ge is still as straightforward as ever."

Seeing the video, Luo Ben felt secretly irritated.

He had shown goodwill to Ge Hong numerous times. Ge Hong's special privilege of enjoying the third private training area also had his contributions. Yet he had never expected that, right after this Lou person arrived, Ge turned and ran to the new master.

These Martial Artists are indeed wolves that can never be tamed!

Lou Qinglan spoke softly, "The resources that need to be squeezed, have to be squeezed out. We must ensure the treatment of the recruited Martial Artists is taken care of. If that's not enough, then the management can temporarily cover the costs. We're all doing this for the company, and I hope Mr. Zhang and Mr. Luo will take the lead."

Zhang Yaode touched his chubby face and smiled, "Of course, of course!"

Luo Ben's face twitched slightly, as he suppressed the urge to smash Zhang's disgusting grin.