Chapter 11: The Path of Training
At that critical moment, Tian Meng yawned inside Ji Lin's sea of consciousness.
She looked lazy.
And calm in an infuriating way.
As though what was happening outside was not dangerous enough to awaken even the slightest worry in her eyes.
Then she opened her mouth.
And her voice came out full of displeasure.
Hmph! Who dares to touch my little brother? What insolence.
Go die.
In the very next moment, Tian Meng appeared beside Ji Lin at once.
Her index finger rose slowly at first.
Then fixed in Ma Xiaotao's direction.
At the tip of that finger, a terrifying cold gathered in a single instant.
A pure cold.
Sharp.
And silent to a frightening degree.
Then a wave of intense icy energy shot straight toward her.
Absolute Freeze.
In a single moment, violent winds howled.
And the temperature around them plummeted sharply.
Even the air itself seemed to freeze.
The flames that had been devouring Ma Xiaotao's body disappeared completely.
They were extinguished.
And vanished as though they had been wiped out of existence in one stroke.
Then Tian Meng's voice sounded again.
Filled with coldness.
And a trace of lazy arrogance.
You dare face me?
Even if you were a million years old, it would still be far too early.
But in the very next instant, her eyes changed slightly.
As though she had noticed something.
Or sensed another presence approaching.
Hm?
There is someone else coming?
A brief silence followed.
Then her sharpness suddenly faded.
And that lazy indifference returned to her tone.
Forget it.
I will let you live this time.
Then she returned to the sea of consciousness.
Inside the sea of consciousness,
Tian Meng looked at Ji Lin.
Her eyes were half-closed.
And that natural laziness still rested on her face, even after what she had just done.
All right, little brother.
Do not do that again.
This time, your powerful big sister saved you.
But next time, I might not be able to.
So do not do anything like this again.
After she finished speaking, she slowly turned away.
Then slipped into her blanket.
And sank back into sleep.
As though saving him a moment ago had been nothing more than something small and passing.
Ji Lin sighed.
And the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Then he muttered inwardly
She really is unbelievably lazy.
At that moment, Yan Shaozhe appeared.
And although his presence seemed calm on the surface, it carried a weight that made the atmosphere around him quiet down a little.
Then his eyes fell on Ji Lin and Wang Dong'er.
After a brief moment, he opened his mouth.
I am sorry for any harm that came to the two of you.
I am the director of the academy.
His voice came out low.
Steady.
But the urgency hidden beneath it was not hard to notice.
Then he continued.
Please forget everything you saw just now.
Otherwise, you will be expelled from the academy.
In the next moment, he took out a few items as compensation.
The movement was quick.
Direct.
As though he wanted to close this matter as quickly as possible.
I trust that you are both intelligent people.
Remember this well.
Forget everything you saw.
After he finished speaking, he picked up Ma Xiaotao and left.
With a speed that left behind nothing but a faint trace of pressure.
Silence fell over the place after that.
But that stillness was not relief.
It was the remains of chaos that had not fully settled yet.
Ji Lin let out a sigh.
And his chest was still tight from the aftermath of what had happened.
Then he lowered his eyes slightly.
And thought to himself,
I am still far too weak.
Even an accidental incident like this almost took my life.
That thought settled clearly in his mind.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Because it was no longer just a passing impression.
But a truth he had faced with his own body only moments ago.
Then he looked at Wang Dong'er.
She was unconscious.
And her body lay still on the ground.
So he bent slightly.
And reached his arms toward her.
Then lifted her carefully.
When she settled into his arms, he turned and carried her back to the dormitory.
His steps were slower this time.
Heavier.
Not because of exhaustion alone.
But because his mind was not calm at all.
There was only one thing turning inside it again and again.
One thing that had become clearer than ever before.
He had to learn.
And master all the techniques within the Forbidden Scroll.
And fully adapt to Itachi Uchiha's methods.
And completely master all of Itachi Uchiha's techniques.
This was no longer just an option.
Nor just a postponed thought.
After what happened today, it had become a real necessity.
A few minutes later, Ji Lin arrived at the dormitory.
Then he headed straight inside.
His steps were quiet.
But they were not light.
And when he reached the bed, he bent slightly.
And carefully placed Wang Dong'er on it.
She was still unconscious.
Her body was still.
And her breathing was light and steady.
Ji Lin looked at her for a brief second.
Then he raised his hand in a small motion.
And used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
In the next moment, smoke burst out before him.
Then a single clone of him appeared.
The clone stood quietly.
And looked at him directly.
As for Ji Lin, he let out a faint sigh.
Then turned around.
Before leaving, he opened his mouth.
Stay beside her.
And after she wakes up, explain the matter to her.
He finished speaking.
Then walked outside.
Heading toward where Mu En was.
After leaving the dormitory, Ji Lin quietly closed the door behind him.
Then he walked straight ahead.
His steps were steady.
And fast enough to show that he did not want to waste any time.
The courtyard was relatively quiet at that time.
And the air moved lightly between the buildings.
As he drew closer, his eyes fell on Mu En.
He was reclining on the rocking chair.
Swaying slowly.
His eyes half-closed.
As though the calm of the courtyard did not disturb him.
Nor wake him from that comfortable state.
Ji Lin walked straight toward him.
And when he stopped in front of him, he let out a faint sigh.
Then opened his mouth.
Mu En,
I want a suitable place for secluded training.
And you will accompany me.
Is there such a place in Shrek Academy or Sea God Pavilion?
Mu En opened his eyes fully.
Then slowly rose from the rocking chair.
And after straightening up, he bowed slightly.
Yes, Young Master.
There is such a place in Sea God Pavilion.
Do you want us to go there now?
Ji Lin fixed his gaze on him.
Then replied without hesitation.
Yes.
Let us go.
Mu En turned calmly.
Then moved forward.
And said nothing more.
Ji Lin followed him directly.
They left the courtyard.
Then walked through Shrek Academy without stopping.
The path was quiet.
And the air was slightly cool.
But Ji Lin did not pay attention to anything around him.
His eyes remained fixed ahead.
And his steps were steady.
Fast enough to show that he did not want to waste a single moment.
Mu En led the way until they reached Sea God Island.
Then continued toward Sea God Pavilion.
He did not stop outside.
And he did not head toward any open training ground.
He entered directly.
Ji Lin followed him in silence.
After they entered, they did not remain in the visible parts of Haishen Pavilion.
Mu En led Ji Lin farther inside.
Then downward.
The path there was quieter.
And more secluded.
Even the few sounds that had accompanied the academy disappeared completely.
After they descended deeper, Mu En finally stopped.
Then turned slightly toward him.
This is the place.
Ji Lin fixed his gaze ahead.
And what lay before him was an underground world beneath Sea God Pavilion.
A private and isolated place.
And it was not just a single room.
But an entire area prepared for meditation and private training.
There were one hundred and eight rooms within it.
Each room was arranged for a different environment.
And silent enough to cut off anyone who entered from everything around them.
A short moment of silence passed.
Then Mu En spoke again.
If you want a suitable place for secluded training, this is the most suitable one within Shrek.
No one will disturb you here.
And no interference from outside will reach you.
Ji Lin did not answer immediately.
He slowly let his gaze pass over the place before him.
The silence here was different.
Not the silence of an empty courtyard.
And not the silence of a deserted corridor.
But an enclosed silence.
Deep.
And heavy enough to make one notice it from the very first moment.
Then he said without hesitation:
Take me inside.
Mu En nodded.
Then stepped forward again.
A few moments later, he stopped in front of one of the rooms.
It was a sealed meditation room.
Isolated from everything outside.
Mu En opened it slowly.
Then stepped aside.
Ji Lin entered.
And the moment he crossed inside, he felt the atmosphere change at once.
The room was completely quiet.
Its space was about ten square meters.
Not excessively large.
And not so narrow as to feel suffocating.
It was as though it had been designed specifically to make all focus contract into a single point.
Ji Lin slowly raised his eyes.
Then fixed his gaze on the interior.
The light was dim.
And scattered through the room in a way that made the silence feel even heavier.
In the center, there was a meditation cushion.
Simple.
Steady.
As though it had been waiting for someone to sit on it for a very long time.
As for the walls and the ceiling, they bore strange and cold decorations.
Triangular bones.
And hanging skulls.
From the hollow sockets of their eyes came a faint yellow light.
Making the room feel even more isolated.
And more tightly closed in on itself.
Ji Lin's expression did not change.
But he understood at once that this place had not been prepared for comfort.
But for concentration.
And for completely severing the inside from the outside.
Mu En stood at the entrance.
Then said in a calm voice:
This is one of the rooms here.
Each room has its own special environment.
And all of them are suitable for deep meditation and secluded training.
If you choose this place, no one will interrupt you.
Ji Lin remained silent for a second.
Then stepped farther inside.
His steps were slow this time.
Not because of hesitation.
But because he was testing the place for himself.
Testing the air.
The silence.
And the weight of isolation hidden in every corner.
At last, he stopped before the cushion in the center.
Then turned slightly.
And looked at Mu En.
This place is enough.
Mu En lowered his head respectfully.
As you wish, Young Master.
Ji Lin did not reply at once.
He turned his gaze back to the room.
Then let out a faint breath.
And finally, his eyes settled completely.
Because this was exactly what he wanted.
A closed place.
An isolated place.
Quiet.
And far from everyone's eyes.
A place where he could begin without disturbance.