Chapter 982: Tutor Han on Stage
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Having dinner with Ji Yanran, Han Sen informed her that he would be teaching students in archery.
At this, she frowned and said, "If you're going, that might be a problem."
"What problem?" Han Sen asked, not understanding how there could be a problem with Qin Xuan's simple proposition.
Ji Yanran smiled and answered, "Being a teacher will aid your reputation in the Special Security Team. And with this title, you can be a deeply respected member. But teachers usually hail from the Martial Hall, and you don't really fit in with that crowd."
Han Sen understood what she was implying. It wouldn't only be that he'd not fit in, he'd most likely be isolated.
Still, he had already thought of this and he was still adamant about tutoring. It was an exciting prospect he was keen to try. He was only a squad leader, so it would be good to achieve a higher rank in the team at large. It couldn't do any harm.
Besides, Qin Xuan most likely wanted him to gain a higher level in the team. And her plight was not something he could reject.
Han Sen spent most of his days practicing the Dongxuan Sutra and taking care of Bao'er and Zero. Such peaceful periods were a rare occurrence for him.
"Daddy, I want milk," Bao'er said, as she held the rabbit king in one arm, bottle in the other.
The rabbit king had tried to resist her hugs before, but Bao'er managed to make quick work of its shield and destroyed it in the blink of an eye.
To Bao'er, a seven-tier gene lock shield was as stalwart as a flimsy piece of paper.
But the rabbit king was very tame and it didn't feel the need to resist her. Unlike her actions with the bear, Bao'er didn't feel the need to torture the rabbit, either.
And speaking of the bear, it was extremely jealous of how the rabbit was treated. It kept wanting Bao'er to pay more loving attention to it, but a session or two of bullying was all it would get.
Once, when nobody was around, the bear attempted to kill the rabbit king. The rabbit was asleep at the time, but the shield was up, and when the bear attacked, it was unable to break it. It drove the bear insane.
Han Sen, at her request, provided her milk and prepared some food for the pets. Then he went to tend to his garden.
Aside from the dead orchid, everything else was growing very well.
"I wonder if that king tree will be able to grow again? I should return there sometime, dig it up and bring it back here. If the waterdrops prove successful in restoring it, I might be able to gain self geno points very quickly." Han Sen was getting giddy just thinking about it.
He knew high-tier plants would generally produce fruit only once, but it was worth a shot. And there was, of course, the prospect of it taking a very long time to grow, even if it could grow fruit again.
Those hurdles aside, the king tree occupied Han Sen's mind a lot. He wanted it badly.
But first, Han Sen knew he'd have to become stronger before he attempted a retrieval of the tree. Heaven knew what might transpire, if Yaksha still lived there.
When he was done in his garden, Han Sen went to check on the people in the eastern side of the shelter. They were doing well for themselves, spending their days hunting creatures and having a merry old time within the safety of the underground shelter.
After spending most of the day there, Han Sen decided to return to his home in the Alliance. He went on Skynet and visited a community that was exclusive to members of the Special Security Team.
There were many students there, all together in one area. When Han Sen entered, there was a teacher performing a lecture on stage. The students were all watching him.
Choosing to listen-in, Han Sen found himself a seat. He was good at fighting, but he wasn't a master of every combat profession. He understood how valuable it could be to learn and accept wisdom offered by others.
This teacher was discussing fist skills. The talk provided Han Sen many new ideas to try in the future. He learnt a lot.
The name of this teacher was Nangong Han, and he was an aged surpasser. He had unlocked four of his gene locks, which was rather high. Few people ever reached the number eight.
He was an old member of the team, and an accomplished teacher from the Martial Hall.
And that was where most teachers came from: the Martial Hall. Many of them were very elderly, and they had quite the reputation.
But this year, Han Sen would be a teacher. This made the others feel a little uncomfortable.
He was so young, and he was only a squad leader. He did not come from the Martial Hall, and he did not even have a formal title. They thought the Qin family was trying to weaken the integrity of the Martial Hall.
This was how Nangong Han viewed matters, as well. And when his eyes fell on Han Sen, he pulled them away quickly to pretend he had not noticed him.
"Fist skills are ripe with possibilities, but its general focuses are on speed, power, and dexterity. You have to be both faster and stronger than your opponent, if you seek victory. All this is not derived from pure muscle strength, however. There are many ways to hone your talents with the fist, but there are skills to make use of, also. A great focus is on reaction speeds, and without great reaction times, any skill you use is useless. Timing is of paramount importance."
Nangong Han then looked at Han Sen and said, "I am going to show you a few moves, driven by fist-geared skills. Perhaps Tutor Han can aid me in my demonstration?"
Han Sen froze, as suddenly, all the students turned to look at him. And then, many clapped.
Chapter 983: Attacking and Defending Practice
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Han Sen froze. He did not expect Nangong Han to ask him to perform something on stage alongside him. But with the eyes of every student now on him, he could hardly decline.
"Tutor Nangong, how can I be of service?" Han Sen asked, as he ascended the stage.
Nangong Han smiled and answered, "Oh, do not worry. I am going to execute a few basic moves. It is your task to react to them as any other ordinary combatant would."
"Okay." Han Sen nodded.
"Tutor Han and I will now show you how to defend! The most important thing regarding defense is to never rest on your laurels. For a stalwart defense, you must consider everything you have ever learnt. And when confronting the attacks of another, you must pay specific heed to their center. Even demigods have to move when they cast a skill, and through keen observation, you can always tell where their movements will take them." After this, Nangong Han threw a punch in Han Sen's direction.
Qin Xuan and many others watched this intently. She, in particular, had believed there to be something amiss with Nangong Han's request for Han Sen to go on stage. But now, it was too late for her to do anything.
Upon seeing a fist suddenly hurtling towards Han Sen, Qin Xuan looked afraid.
Qin Xuan knew the people from Martial Hall were not fond of Han Sen, but this entire event had been set up by the Qin family. She believed the concerns and moaning of the elders from Martial Hall would simply remain as verbal complaints. She never thought that things would escalate to a full-blown fight. Things had already gotten off to a shaky start, it appeared.
Nangong's purpose, currently, was to humiliate Han Sen. He presented a facade of friendliness, and pretended to consider Han Sen as a colleague before the audience, but there was resentment inside Nangong Han. And embarrassing Han Sen on stage was his cloak-and-dagger outlet for this resentment.
He could have asked his personal assistant to help with the demonstrations, but he had it out for Han Sen, so he asked Han Sen to come up on stage and aid him in demonstrating defense.
If Han Sen did not block this sudden attack, Nangong Han would be able to point out his error. If this were to keep occurring, Han Sen's credibility would be undermined. Students would not regard him as highly, and they'd perhaps even favor a different tutor.
Under his guise of friendliness, Nangong Han cackled with evil delight.
That's not to say he was fooling everyone. Many people knew him and his true nature, including Qin Xuan. She knew him well, and she knew the punch he had thrown was not one of idle performance.
Nangong Han had been a surpasser for a few decades, and he had excelled in the technique of Shadow Punch. With his light element, it was difficult for his enemies to trace the path and velocity of his punches. Han Sen did not know the man, so he had come on stage without any measure of precaution or preparation.
The punch seemed ordinary, on the surface. But that was just a shadow of its true form. If Han Sen sought to block the simple trickster hit, he'd be hit by the real punch underneath.
What's more, Nangong Han had opened two more gene locks than Han Sen had. His fitness was far higher, as well.
"He really thinks this little of the Qin family? And that we're oblivious to what he is doing?" Qin Xuan's face looked ill, as she was fraught with worry for Han Sen's well being.
She believed she hadn't firmly asserted who was in charge of the entire event. She had to let the stuck-up people of Martial Hall know who was the boss to prevent this from becoming a common occurrence.
However, while Han Sen had come on stage without knowing much, he had detected slight hints of the hostility Nangong Han harbored for him.
Han Sen had been through much in the sanctuary, and he had encountered all manners of beasts. He could tell if a creature or spirit was hostile, so it was impossible for Nangong Han to completely hide his animosity.
Squinting his eyes, Han Sen quickly reached up and tried to block the incoming attack.
Nangong Han's eyes jumped with excitement as Han Sen reached out, and so he drove his punch with a quicker pace.
If Han Sen only blocked his shadow, the young pup would take a hit that would make him look like a fool.
Qin Xuan saw Han Sen move to deflect the shadow and knew things would quickly turn ill.
The tutors from Martial Hall saw this, too, and they all wore disturbing smiles of delight.
"The young man is in too much of a rush," one of the tutors said.
He did not speak his name, but everyone knew he was talking about Han Sen.
Pang!
Everyone leaned forward to witness what happened, and there they saw Han Sen. He had blocked Nangong Han's true fist.
"He didn't use Shadow Punch. Did I misjudge his intentions?" Qin Xuan and the others looked on in confusion.
Usually, that fist would have just been the shadow. But Han Sen had blocked the real fist.
They didn't believe Han Sen could have blocked the real punch, had Nangong Han used Shadow Punch.
Everyone thought the on-stage tutor was going to use Shadow Punch to make Han Sen look like a fool.
But strangely, Nangong Han's face did not look quite right. And immediately after, he threw another punch.
Everyone from Martial Hall frowned. Nangong Han's punches looked very simple, and it didn't seem as if he was using Shadow Punch at all.
"What is he doing? How can he expect to teach with such casual moves?" a tutor from the Martial Hall said.
Everyone thought Nangong Han was merely afraid of Han Sen and his connections, but Nangong Han started to look like a man who had been shocked by a disturbing revelation. It was as if something mortifying had happened to him.