"That was quick! I half expected your advancement to blow the roof off."

Zhou You let him check his pulse, smiling, "Yeah, it went smoother than I thought. I'm hungry, got anything to eat at home?"

"Of course. Grandpa hasn't cooked in the last two days with you in seclusion. The fridge is full. Come, I'll assist."

"Huh, I thought you'd offer to cook. Turns out I still have to do it myself."

"I can cook if you wish, as long as you can stomach it."

"No thanks." Zhou You willingly went to cook. Fortunately, Sha Qi had prepared most of the dishes, and soon, with the old man's help, a sumptuous feast was laid out.

The grandfather and grandson duo of the Sha family didn't eat much, watching in amazement as Zhou You devoured the meal as if he had an endless pit for a stomach.

After eating, Zhou You, brimming with energy, prompted Sha Qi for a spar. "We must have a proper match this time. I feel as if my energy is boundless."

"Just don't go too hard on me and leave me in pieces," Shao Qi jests, leading him to the military district's martial arts training ground, which is fully enclosed. Even if they destroyed everything inside, no noise would be heard outside.

Shao Qi has his own training room, equipped with the latest technology and retaining all his test records.

He has always wanted to bring Zhou You here for testing. If Zhou You's data from the Martial Arts Association gets leaked, it might shock the world.

"This place looks impressive," Zhou You comments after taking a look around.

"The martial arts center has a thousand training rooms, each of different levels. The knowledge you can access varies too. Come with me, I'll show you something cool."

Shao Qi brings Zhou You to a robot and commands, "Open the database."

"Understood. Please wait, verifying identity... S-class database is now open. Please choose the module you wish to view."

A vast virtual screen appears in front of Zhou You, divided into different modules: Secret Techniques Archive, Weaponry Archive, Mutated Beast Database, and so on.

"This is incredibly detailed," Zhou You remarks as he opens the Mutated Beast database, noting 68 new entries. The first entry is about the blue beetle.

He's familiar with the content, but he notices some texts highlighted in blue and red.

"Blue is for general viewing, and the red text is encrypted, shown according to one's clearance level."

"I see. The restricted content about the blue beetle discusses its ability to kill using psychic powers. The summary was done by... Lin Shuqing."

"Yes, he's the one. He's currently in charge of this project. The specimens you brought back are also with him."

Apart from the Mutated Beast database, Zhou You is particularly interested in the Secret Techniques Archive and the Weaponry Archive.

Shao Qi has access to the highest level, and almost the entire database is open to him, but not much of it is actually useful to him.

"When you have time, go through it. Sometimes, you don't need to practice directly, but rather, derive inspiration. For instance, this sword technique, the Sky-reaching Sword Technique, is A-level with 72 moves. I made some adjustments and expanded it to 108 moves. You can try it out later."

Eager to see, Zhou You says, "Let's see what weapons you have. Show me your Yong'an blade. I've never really examined it."

"Alright." Shao Qi doesn't always carry his blade with him. It's too famous, and he seldom relies on it now.

Zhou You tests the blade's balance, "It's indeed an exceptional blade. How did Master Fan willingly give this to you?"

"A great blade should be wielded by a hero. Don't I qualify?" Shao Qi refrains from mentioning that he'd forced Master Fan to make the blade. After that event, he became Fan's disciple, although few knew.

"Alright, let's see which is superior: your blade or my curved sword."

(I haven't seen the sun in two months! I'm about to get moldy!)

Chapter 219: The Duel (Part 2)

Shao Qi's blade technique is domineering. A single slash can split a small hill. In this, Zhou You falls short. Zhou You's curved blade emphasizes agility, perfect for sneak attacks. His inner strength is abundant, making him slightly faster than Shao Qi.

Each has their advantages. Once engaged, they are both fully immersed. The first hundred moves are for mutual probing, using about 80% of their strength. They're not worried about hurting each other. Their armors are top-notch, and their own defenses are beyond ordinary.

After the probing, both change their combat strategies. Shao Qi launches relentless, high-intensity attacks with unpredictable blade techniques. Yet, each strike seems to anticipate Zhou You's movements, effectively blocking his retreat paths.

Zhou You anticipated that he would opt for a swift strategy. Competing against a martial artist with such profound inner strength and speed, it's essential to achieve a quick victory. Otherwise, the advantage would increasingly shift in his opponent's favor.

However, Shao Qi revealed a previously unseen blade technique in front of him. Zhou You was unfamiliar with this form and couldn't predict the moves, forcing him to stay on the defensive. Shao Qi's dual curved blades seemed capable of defending from all angles, leaving no vulnerable points.

Shao Qi noticed this too. In terms of defense, if Zhou You claimed the second-best spot, nobody would dare call themselves the first.

Yet, aside from this tactic, there were no better strategies. As a result, they were in a stalemate for the next half hour. Neither could overpower the other, and they ended up damaging almost all the equipment in the training room.

This training room had three walls designed specifically for testing, crafted especially for Shao Qi. Each wall could withstand millions of pounds of force. Anyone present would observe data continuously updating on these walls, a result of the force exerted by their blades.

Seizing the right moment, Zhou You stepped back and sheathed his blade, addressing Shao Qi: "Let's switch our fighting method. At this rate, even if the training room collapses, we won't determine a victor."

"How do you propose we fight?" Shao Qi asked, sheathing his blade.