Volume One: Youth Enters the World Chapter Twenty: Slipping Out Quietly

Time flew by and evening arrived. They stopped sparring, exchanged smiles, and at that moment, Zhou Quan spoke to Fang Tian.

“Brother, why is it that every time you make a move, it’s as if you’re wielding a sword? Are you a sword cultivator?”

“I suppose so. The martial techniques I practice are all related to swordsmanship.”

“I see. That explains why you use two fingers to spar with me and always leave me on edge. When I see your fingers coming at me, I’m afraid you’ll accidentally poke my eyes out.”

Fang Tian smiled, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

“Why do I find that so hard to believe?”

“Whether you believe it or not is up to you.”

“Alright, I choose to trust you. But it’s getting late. We should head back and rest.”

“Yes, let’s.”

Fang Tian also felt it was time to return. They turned to the younger members of the Zhou family still on the training grounds and told them it was late and time to rest, to continue practicing tomorrow. Hearing this, the younger generation understood that it was indeed too late to continue training, so they stopped and went back.

With everyone gone, Fang Tian and Zhou Quan also left, each going their separate ways.

The mention of swordsmanship arose because Fang Tian had only ever trained in sword techniques. Whenever he wanted to learn something else, Old Tian would refuse, saying that too much greed would lead to poor mastery. So Fang Tian never learned anything else and only knew those three sword techniques. But in truth, their power was not weak, and Fang Tian felt they were sufficient. Since then, he had stopped asking Old Tian to teach him other martial skills.

Time passed swiftly; two or three days went by. Fang Tian had not left the Zhou household during this time. By day, he accompanied them at the training grounds, guiding their practice; by night, he immersed himself in studying spirit arrays in his quarters.

This tireless pursuit meant he had entirely forgotten about Zhou Xiaodie.

He now thoroughly understood second-grade spirit arrays—all that remained was to try them personally.

But there was a difficulty: how to leave the Zhou family unnoticed. This troubled him, as the Zhou family watched him day and night, fearful he might encounter members of the Chen family outside and meet with misfortune.

It left Fang Tian helpless, but knowing their concern was for his safety, he obediently stayed for several days. Still, lingering like this was not his style; he had his own matters to attend to and would not allow others to hinder him. He decided not to go out for now, planning to find an opportunity to slip away.

So, Fang Tian told them one morning that he would be focusing on his own training for the next few days and wouldn’t be at the training grounds, advising them to practice on their own.

Zhou Quan and the others didn’t question this, understanding that Fang Tian had spent the past few days guiding them and hadn’t practiced himself. They knew they couldn’t monopolize his time forever. After all, he needed to advance as well, so they felt a little regret but no resentment.

Seeing that his words had the intended effect, Fang Tian knew he had cleared this hurdle and could now seek a chance to work on his spirit arrays outside.

With matters settled, he returned to his quarters, pretending to seclude himself in cultivation, as if truly immersed in training, while in reality he sat at his desk, pondering how to leave.

He thought for a while, realizing it was impossible to go out during the day—what about at night?

Suddenly, the idea struck him. Nighttime would be perfect: when all was quiet and most people slept, he could slip out without anyone knowing. As a cultivator, he could easily go several days without sleep.

“Excellent, this could work,” Fang Tian murmured to himself.

“It’s still daytime, and there’s some time before night falls. I might as well enter the sword space and train. Watching them practice over the past few days has given me insights I should refine.”

With that, he focused his mind and entered the sword space, the sword appearing on the bed.

Within the sword space, Fang Tian appeared before Old Tian and said directly, “Old Tian, I’ve gained some understanding of martial arts lately. Would you practice with me?”

Old Tian smiled, “I’ve watched you guide them from within the sword these past few days. I was puzzled why you weren’t training yourself, as if you didn’t care. Now I see that’s not the case.”

“Old Tian, I did neglect my own cultivation a bit. Perhaps I’ve grown too fond of peaceful days, but I won’t let that continue. Please, spar with me.”

Old Tian nodded slowly in response, and Fang Tian wasted no time, immediately gathering his spiritual energy and launching an attack.

Time passed in the blink of an eye—by evening, Fang Tian had been cultivating in the sword space for some time, demonstrating all his recent insights to Old Tian.

As they sparred, Old Tian marvelled at Fang Tian’s comprehension of martial arts, praising him as a true prodigy. Yet Fang Tian was not complacent, but grew ever more diligent in his training.

His cultivation progressed steadily; though he had not broken through to a new realm, his spiritual energy increased, and, most importantly, his understanding of martial arts reached new heights.

When Fang Tian judged it was time, he left the sword space, preparing to use the cover of night to go to his chosen spot and draw spirit arrays.

At midnight, he opened his door and scanned his surroundings, noticing Zhou family members on night patrol. He quickly shut the door again, waited for them to leave, then reopened it, darted to a corner, gathered strength in his legs, and vaulted over the wall, landing outside.

He surveyed the area and saw no one, then swiftly made his way toward the outskirts of town, choosing only the deserted alleys that ordinary folk would not notice. His figure gradually faded into the night.

But as Fang Tian left the Zhou household, in a shadowy corner nearby, a figure emerged. The person watched Fang Tian’s departing silhouette, a faint smile at the corner of his lips, then melted back into the darkness.

Meanwhile, Fang Tian, unaware that his movements had already been noticed and that he was being watched, headed toward the place where he had previously drawn spirit arrays.

After a short while, he arrived. Seeing the open, empty ground around him, he felt satisfied with his choice of location. Without further delay, he began preparing to draw the spirit array.