Chapter Fourteen: Master of Close Combat

Amory perked up as well, pricking his ears.
“The Heavenly Path,” Old Wei said, his face showing a mixture of nostalgia and confusion. “It’s a place full of dangers and opportunities.”
He glanced at Tang Tian and Amory, then shifted the topic. “But that’s still a long way off for you two. Let’s talk about something more practical right now.”
“Something more practical?” Tang Tian pursed his lips in dissatisfaction. “Hey, old man, you’re not trying to trick us into doing something shady again, are you?”
Amory looked shocked. “Tang the Basics, you saw through his scheme too?”
“That’s right!” Tang Tian looked quite pleased with himself and declared, “In front of a man as godlike as me, all monsters and demons show their true forms! With a personality as sly as his, why would he treat us to barbecue? When someone offers kindness for no reason, he must be up to no good!”
“Exactly! Up to no good!” Amory echoed, raising his voice.
Old Wei: “...”
“No need to deny it, old man. Since you’re our headmaster, well, anything is up for discussion.” Tang Tian gave him a knowing look.
“Right, ask for the sky, settle for the ground!” Amory added.
Old Wei was silent for a moment, then slapped his thigh suddenly. “You two really are geniuses! Nothing escapes your notice. Fine, I’ll lay it all out.”
The two sat motionless, eyes fixed on Old Wei.
He felt a bit pressured under their gaze and cleared his throat. “Well, just a few days ago, I checked the school’s merit points and realized they’re running low. You know if the school doesn’t have enough points, we lose our qualification. The Starwind Martial Meet is almost here. If you two participate and do well, our points should be enough. As the school’s geniuses, you can’t just watch the school decline, right?”
“Can’t you?” Tang Tian suddenly turned to Amory.
Amory looked puzzled. “Why not?”
Tang Tian withdrew his gaze, his face full of righteous indignation. “I can, too.”
Old Wei was momentarily speechless, then exploded, “As students of this school, how can you be so indifferent to its fate? Has your blood gone cold? Are you even men? You...”
The two squatted there, wide-eyed, innocent expressions on their faces, gazing at Old Wei with pure, unblemished eyes.
Seeing that this tactic failed, Old Wei gritted his teeth. “Fine, what are your terms?”
“Go ahead, Fly Cow!” Tang Tian waved with the air of a true leader.
Amory’s large, copper-bell eyes sparkled, his carrot-thick fingers gesticulating rapidly. “Points are hard to earn these days. Every student in the city can participate in the Starwind Martial Meet. Oh, just think of that brutal process, it’s outrageous! We’ll have to fight so many people...”
He rattled on, saliva flying, for a full three minutes before stopping.
Old Wei smiled. “Finished?”
Tang Tian and Amory exchanged a glance, a bad feeling rising in their hearts.
Old Wei spread his hands, looking completely shameless. “I forgot to mention, I’ve already signed you up.”
Tang Tian: “...”
Amory: “...”
As it turned out, a swindler was still no match for a scoundrel.
Having gained nothing, Tang Tian and Amory looked a bit deflated.
“A third-level cultivation method—boy, do you have any thoughts?” Old Wei turned to Tang Tian. “You’ve already reached the peak of the second level with your true force. Advancing to the third level soon is the right path!”
“A third-level cultivation method? Do you have any suggestions?” Tang Tian asked offhandedly.

“You’ve asked the right person!” Old Wei’s eyes shone with approval. “Ascending to the third level isn’t just about a cultivation method. More importantly, you need to define your development path. If you’re greedy for everything, you’ll only scatter your focus and accomplish nothing.”
Tang Tian was taken aback. “That actually makes sense.”
“You’ve spent so much time on basic martial skills. Honestly, you’ve missed the golden period.” Old Wei’s expression grew serious. “A person’s best five years are from twelve to seventeen. And you spent all those years on the basics. Many would say you wasted your time, but I think there are pros and cons.”
“Oh, go on, tell me!” Tang Tian perked up. For years, everyone had pitied or questioned him for his choice. This was the first time he’d heard someone say there were pros and cons.
“You devoted five whole years to the basics. Your foundation is rock solid, and very broad. This will help you greatly in future martial training—you’ll pick up other skills quickly. As long as you persist, you can make up for lost time. I have high hopes for you, boy!”
Tang Tian nodded without a trace of modesty. “Ha! Old man, you’ve got a good eye!”
Old Wei laughed heartily. “But your path is destined to be rough. You should be prepared.”
Tang Tian shook his head cheerfully. “In front of a godlike youth, any hardship is nothing!”
“Ambitious! I like an ambitious youngster!” Old Wei grinned. “Let’s talk about your development path. You’ve got great physical attributes, solid basics, quick reactions, a formidable aura, fierce and dominant. These are all your strengths. Do you know what they’re suited for?”
Tang Tian was absorbed, asking quickly, “Suited for what?”
“Close combat!” Old Wei pronounced, each word firm. “Close combat requires balanced physical skills, lightning-fast reactions, a ruthless aura, a fearless heart, and especially strong basics. Well? Doesn’t that sound appealing? A close-combat specialist—what a cool title!”
Tang Tian’s eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly. “I like that! I love fighting! Old man, I didn’t expect you to have a few tricks up your sleeve!”
“Heh, when you’re older, your woman will love that title, too!” Old Wei’s face grew sly.
“Chihui will like it too?” Tang Tian’s eyes shone.
“Of course,” Old Wei nearly choked on his saliva, coughing a few times. “But you’re still far from being a close-combat expert. To qualify, besides what you already have, you’ll need excellent agility skills to quickly close the distance. Without good footwork, you’re doomed.”
“Absolutely!” Tang Tian smacked his palm. “I must train my agility!”
“You’ll need a variety of unarmed skills. Remember, you’re a close-combat expert, not just a boxer. Fist techniques, palm strikes, finger strikes, joint locks—you need to master them all. Once you’re in close, you need enough tools to finish the fight fast.”
“Right! I need to train them all!”
“You need to further sharpen your reaction speed, so you can strike more quickly and accurately.”
“Exactly! I must improve!”
Old Wei said, “If you can do all this, you’ll be a qualified, maybe even outstanding, close-combat expert.”
Amory raised his hands high. “I want to be a close-combat expert too!”
Old Wei ignored him.
Tang Tian said nothing, but stared at Old Wei curiously.
Old Wei was startled by his gaze and rubbed his face. “Is there something on my face?”
“Qualified? Outstanding? I want to be a godlike close-combat expert!” Tang Tian replied as if it were obvious, then grew annoyed. “You look down on me! Hmph! Not cool at all!”
Old Wei caught on and burst out laughing. “Ambitious, but even a qualified close-combat expert needs to eat plenty of bitter hardship.”
“I’m not afraid of hardship,” Tang Tian shook his head, speaking earnestly.
A flash of light flickered in Old Wei’s eyes. “Heh, let’s get back to the cultivation method. Since you’ve chosen the close-combat path, I have a powerful soul general card here. But this cultivation method isn’t easy to master.”
“Is it really powerful?” Tang Tian asked, curiosity piqued.
“Very powerful!” Old Wei nodded.
“Then that’s the one!” Tang Tian’s eyes sparkled.

“It’s very hard to learn,” Old Wei reminded him.
“Don’t underestimate me!” Tang Tian glared.
“Heh, such spirit! I hope you don’t let this soul general card down.” Old Wei chuckled, taking out a card. “Here, don’t disgrace it.”
Tang Tian’s eyes swept over the soul general card and he froze. “A silver card?”
The silver card gleamed brightly, a white figure seated cross-legged upon it. Cold and hard to the touch, Tang Tian never expected Old Wei to offer him a silver card.
A third-level cultivation method silver card was worth more than he could imagine.
“Wow, old man, didn’t you say you only had one silver card?” Amory exclaimed as if he’d discovered a new continent. “You really are slippery! But since you’re giving it to Tang the Basics, I won’t argue. Looks amazing—hurry and cultivate!”
Yet, to Old Wei and Amory’s astonishment, Tang Tian shook his head and pushed the card back. “I can’t accept it.”
“You can’t?” Old Wei was taken aback. “Why not?”
“It’s too valuable,” Tang Tian replied calmly, raising his head. “I can’t accept something so precious.”
Old Wei looked at him in surprise, then suddenly smiled. “This soul general card isn’t a free gift. I have something I need you to do. If you can’t become a close-combat expert, I have no hope for my matter. What, are you afraid? Lacking confidence?”
Tang Tian glared at him. “Old man, who’s lacking confidence?”
With a smack, Tang Tian snatched the card. “I know you mean well. I will become a close-combat expert. Whatever it is, I’ll give it my all. Tell me, what do you want?”
Old Wei chuckled. “It’s no use telling you now. I’ll tell you once you’ve become a close-combat expert.”
“Fine!” Tang Tian nodded, raising his palm.
“What’s this for?” Old Wei looked baffled.
“A palm oath! Wow, old man, you’re so old-fashioned!” Tang Tian looked at him with disdain.
“You brat, don’t imitate adults. Do you even know what a palm oath means?” Old Wei shot back with an equal measure of scorn.
“Of course!” Tang Tian glared. “I swore a palm oath with Chihui!”
Smack!
The old and the young slapped their palms together with a resounding clap.
“Done!” Tang Tian said, satisfied.
“What a troublesome brat,” Old Wei muttered.
“Me too! Me too!” Amory squeezed in, hand outstretched, but was ignored.
“Now, let’s talk about this soul general card,” Old Wei’s expression suddenly grew serious. “I got this card years ago, but I was already past the third level, so I kept it. This soul general card is called Crane Vitality Formula—it’s an ancient cultivation method soul general card.”
“An ancient soul general card?”
Tang Tian and Amory were both visibly moved.

Peerless Tang Gate