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Chapter 40: Growing Strong in Secret

Just as Ashura pondered his cultivation plan, Instructor Yuan Da suddenly pulled out his instructor badge and knocked it against the apprentice badge on Ashura’s chest.

Ashura stared in surprise at Yuan Da’s action and at the extra 8,000 credits that had appeared in his account.

Yuan Da gave his shy smile and said, “I am only a mid-level instructor; over the years all my credits have gone into magic research, and the 8,000 I have left are here, so take them and save up for a set of purple-grade martial techniques or magic tomes, I hope they help you.”

“Of course, because you are a dual mage-warrior, your cultivation path differs from the others; the coordination between your magic and martial techniques has to be honed through real combat, and the more life-and-death fights you survive, the faster you will improve.”

“Therefore the road ahead will be several times harsher for you than for the rest, and everything I am saying is still just conjecture that you must test and fight through yourself. I believe your strength will grow and your future will only get brighter.”

Ashura quietly looked at the plain-looking instructor in front of him, and after hearing these words his eyes grew moist; since fleeing with the family vendetta on his back, many people had helped and supported him.

Yet this instructor might be the one who most selflessly wanted him to become stronger.

Gazing at Yuan Da’s worn magic robe, Ashura realized the 8,000 credits were the instructor’s frugal savings over many years.

Still, the man handed it all over without reservation and asked for no return at all.

Ashura shook his head so the tears would not fall, returned a dazzling smile, and teased, “You rate me that highly, Old Yuan?”

Hearing the intimate form of address, Yuan Da froze, then shyly replied, “Only you believe in me, so I support you unconditionally.”

Ashura both wanted to laugh and cry at that answer; Old Yuan was truly a straight shooter.

He immediately stretched, stood up, and said solemnly, “Then, Old Yuan, begin my special training; I can’t wait to get stronger, so prepare to be the instructor of the future Magic-Martial Deity!”

Time flew, and six months passed in a blink; during those months Ashura still attended morning magic classes and honed his martial techniques on the training field.

In the afternoons he took exclusive training with Yuan Da, and at night he either pulled all-night meditation sessions or practiced inscribing magic runes in the dorm.

By now he could keep up with the magic lessons, and during sparring he was no longer completely suppressed by the two girls.

Because of him, Lan Yu and Magina also felt immense pressure and launched frantic special training of their own.

What they still did not know was that Ashura held back every time he sparred with them: first, because in friendly bouts he could not unleash full power without risking serious injury, and second, because he always remembered his father A Fengtian’s advice before departure… to stay low-key until he had fully grown and hide his sharp edges.

So he did not want too much attention, although in reality he was already a freshman at Martial Master stage 3 and Magician stage 3.

That stage level placed him among the very top of the freshman class.

It was also the bottleneck currently blocking newcomer-challenge champions Menlo and Dekeller, who were likewise on the verge of breaking through.

Among all freshmen no one had yet advanced to Grand Martial Master or Grand Magician, and Ashura was the only one to reach both Martial Master stage 3 and Magician stage 3.

Facing the red-haired girl swinging a horse-cutter sword at him with all her might, Ashura focused on Chasing Wind, Pursuing Thunder to evade.

Magina had already activated her family’s enhancing martial technique, Fighting Flame, or else she could not keep Ashura under pressure, and that scoundrel still took the chance to “accidentally” take liberties.

She was astonished by Ashura’s growth and secretly watched his matches with Lan Yu, yet apart from her speed advantage Lan Yu also had little way to deal with him.

The two girls still held powerful skills in reserve, but the boy’s progress had them feeling the heat, so they trained harder than ever and were both on the verge of a breakthrough as well.

Ashura was likewise very pleased with his own improvement, and he too had not gone all out; being a dual mage-warrior boosted his strength more than he had imagined, and he was deeply grateful for Instructor Yuan Da’s guidance.

Life lately was pleasant and relaxed, with the only hiccup being that after the thigh-grabbing incident Clara ignored him.

Not until inspiration struck and he bought the girl a 20-credit Flower Tea did Clara return to her former attitude, leaving him sighing that girls’ hearts were truly unfathomable.

He was now at the edge of a breakthrough himself and planned to ask Yuan Da how to proceed; the 8,000 credits from before plus his share of the campus-beauty photo cards had let him save 10,000 credits, enough for another purple-grade skill to help him advance.

In the afternoon Ashura arrived in Yuan Da’s classroom on time; Old Yuan was already waiting and could not be happier with his disciple.

Smart, talented, and extraordinarily hardworking, the boy’s cultivation had shot up in mere months, and the instructor saw in him the makings of a future powerhouse.

Ashura asked boisterously, “Old Yuan, I’m stuck at a bottleneck; what do you think I should do?”

Yuan Da pondered for a moment, as though making a decision, then gritted his teeth and told him, “I think it’s time to start the next phase of your training.”

Ashura’s eyes lit up, but Yuan Da’s next words left him dumbfounded.

Yuan Da said with difficulty, “As I told you before, only battle can truly temper your martial techniques, awaken your potential, and fuse your magic with your combat skills.”

“Therefore I believe your next training ground is not inside the academy but in the Beast Forest behind it.”

Ashura froze; everyone on the King’s Continent knew how terrifying the Beast Forest was… even Martial Saints dared not claim they could retreat unscathed from a beast tide.

The academies were built at the forest’s choke points precisely to guard the land.

Every day many adventurers and mercenary squads ventured into the Beast Forest to hunt beasts for resources and magic cores or to search for rare herbs and treasures.

Yet no one had ever gone there just to level up.

The deeper one went, the deadlier it became, and countless explorers never emerged from that perilous woodland.

At Ashura’s current level he could only wander around the outskirts, yet the poisonous insects, miasma, and bogs there could still take his life in an instant.

Looking into Yuan Da’s earnest yet pained eyes, Ashura let out a long breath.

Then he shrugged and said casually, “All right, let’s start the next phase.”

“Beasts in the Beast Forest… are they tasty?”

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