While Lin Chichi was gazing at the signboard, the tall girl was too looking at the neatly hung signboard. She tilted her head to the side, as if checking whether the signboard was hanging crooked or not. As the tall girl was finishing her leveling of the signboard, Lin Chichi’s attention remained on it. She vaguely felt that some alteration occurred at the spot where she was standing since the signboard had been hung, yet she couldn’t pinpoint what exactly had changed. Perhaps because she had encountered the "Enchantment’s" power before, she seemed to have a more acute perception of the energy flow underpinning the world. Could the owner of this "Martial Arts Hall," capable of driving such a flow of energy, be some hidden Higher Being dwelling among the common folk? Could it be a reclusive B-level? Was he like Brother Hao Yi, a follower of ’K’? While Lin Chichi was pondering, the tall girl, satisfied after several adjustments, clapped her hands and turned around. She looked at Lin Chichi beside her. "Shall we go inside?" Caught in her thoughts, Lin Chichi was startled, then came back to her senses and nodded, "Okay." Together, they walked through the open door. After entering, they arrived at a spacious courtyard paved with old, square stone bricks. It seemed that nobody had lived there for a long time, the bricks were dark in color and appeared somewhat damp. Fine moss covered parts of the bricks, and in the gaps, there were loose soil and incompletely pulled weeds visible. "The teacher asked me to follow the returning convoy yesterday to rent a courtyard. This place hasn’t been used in a long time," the tall girl said, as she reached out to close the door. Turning her head back to Lin Chichi, she explained softly, "I just finished cleaning when you arrived." "Are you going to set up a...?" Lin Chichi glanced over the empty courtyard and asked in a low voice, "A martial arts hall?" In the Western Lands and the Tia Empire, martial arts halls weren’t particularly rare, and Lin Chichi had seen many during her time doing fieldwork. "It’s a Martial Arts Hall." The tall girl corrected her as she stepped forward a few paces, arriving in front of Lin Chichi, and turned around, "The teacher said that a Martial Arts Hall is different from a martial arts hall. Ordinary martial arts halls pursue ’Skills,’ while Martial Arts Halls seek ’the Path.’" Her gaze landed on Lin Chichi’s somewhat childlike and baby-faced cheeks as she made a slight bowing gesture, "Let me formally introduce myself, my name is Elfia." The setting sun’s rosy light draped over the girl’s high ponytail and her wheat-colored, healthy skin, laying a wandering glow of rosiness upon her. "Hello, I’m Lin Chichi." Watching Elfia make a bowing gesture, Lin Chichi, somewhat perplexed, returned the gesture in kind. This scene, reminiscent of a classical martial arts drama, gave Lin Chichi a sense of time travel. "Shall we exchange a few moves?" Elfia looked at Lin Chichi in front of her, slightly lifted her hand with the palm facing upward, making an inviting gesture, "The teacher said that we could test your Strength to give you some understanding of Martial Arts." Lin Chichi was slightly startled as she looked at the tall girl in front of her. This girl named Elfia didn’t exude an aura similar to that of a transcendent, which meant that she was likely an ordinary person. And Lin Chichi was fully aware that, after the transformation by the "Enchantment," her body had become much stronger than an ordinary person, even reaching the level of a formidable Transcendent. A slightly excessive force in her movements might injure a normal person. She originally wanted to refuse outright, but hearing that this was the aforementioned teacher’s suggestion made her hesitant. She didn’t know who this teacher was, only that he was the one Brother Hao Yi had suggested for her. If she directly went against the teacher’s wish, she might be showing him disrespect. But was the girl in front of her really just an ordinary person? If Lin Chichi failed to control her Strength, could she end up hurting her? After a brief moment of thought, Lin Chichi looked at Elfia in front of her and slowly said, "My Strength might be quite formidable. I can’t control it well, so please be careful." Elfia nodded lightly. Seeing that the girl in front of her seemed ready, Lin Chichi took a deep breath, slightly raised her hands, crouched a bit, and fixated her gaze sharply. Dawn’s light was faintly shining, and an invisible aura of killing, as if emerging from a mountain of corpses and sea of blood, seemed to spread from the girl standing at the boundary of light and shadow. Although she wasn’t particularly skilled in combat, she did learn some basic knowledge at the Research Institute, and had been ’temporarily taught’ by ’Angel Sister’. Moreover, at the end of the day, she was one who had cut through the entire Floating Base and battled the Angel Evil Spirit. It was quite easy for her to deal with an ordinary person. All she had to think about was how to control her strength to avoid injuring the other party. And feeling the sharp aura emanating from Lin Chichi, Elfia’s gaze grew much more serious. People who have truly experienced killing give off a completely different vibe. "Be careful," Lin Chichi warned again, then leapt forward, throwing a punch at Elfia. Elfia tiptoed slightly, sidestepping her body, and while dodging Lin Chichi’s fist, she gracefully raised her arm as if dancing, grabbing Lin Chichi’s wrist, and gently pulling forward. Lin Chichi, caught off guard by this sudden external force combined with the force of her own punch, lost control of her body and nearly fell to the ground. She surged forward a dozen meters before dissipating the force and unsteadily regaining her balance. She caught her breath, turned around, and looked back at the tall girl who stood under the dawn light and had barely moved. She had just now been almost unable to predict the movements of the girl before her. That light dodge, as if blending her body with nature itself, was flawless and natural. "Don’t hold back, little sister," Elfia said to Lin Chichi, who had steadied herself, as she raised her hand again and spoke softly. Lin Chichi gritted her teeth and straightened up. She could feel that Elfia’s strength was far inferior to her own, and she didn’t possess the aura of a Transcendent. "Then you better watch out." The girl raised her hands again, her body slightly crouched. She had been afraid of injuring Elfia just now and had deliberately held back some of her strength, but now it seemed unnecessary to do so. She suddenly accelerated, rushing towards Elfia’s position and chopping at Elfia’s chest with her palm. This time, Elfia also sidestepped to one side. But Lin Chichi, as if anticipatory, cut to the side with her right palm while her left fist aimed for Elfia’s abdomen. The changes in her attacks were quick, one after the other, and it seemed like Elfia could only fight head-on. Then Lin Chichi watched Elfia step back half a step as her hands smoothly slid through the air, catching her wrists from above and below, then using the force of Lin’s attack, Elfia spun her hands in a circle in midair. Lin Chichi felt completely out of control in that instant, her feet lifted off the ground, and she began to spin uncontrollably like a top. And as her body began to spin out of control, Elfia’s right hand swiftly seized the opportunity, reaching out to Lin’s neck. But those slender hands didn’t clasp Lin Chichi’s neck; instead, they grabbed her shoulder and, going with the motion, twirled her body in the air a few times to dispel the force, before gently placing the girl back on the ground and letting go. Lin Chichi’s feet hit the ground, stumbling a few steps as if on cotton, and it took her a while to regain her senses. Then she looked at Elfia in front of her and shook her head, "Are you a Transcendent?" "No," Elfia gently shook her head. "Then how can... How could an ordinary person defeat a Transcendent... Why can you..." Lin Chichi continued to shake her head, her eyes still filled with incredulous shock. If Elfia hadn’t changed tactics just now, Lin Chichi might have died there, even if Elfia had a dagger. Elfia opened her mouth, unsure what to say. She had practiced Martial Arts since she was young, but her academic performance really wasn’t good, and she didn’t know how to summarize the current situation. "Because, this is Martial Arts." Just then, a warm voice came from behind Lin Chichi. Hearing this voice, Elfia looked up, her gaze passing over Lin Chichi’s shoulder, excitedly toward the entrance of the courtyard, "Mister!" Hearing the words behind her, along with Elfia’s surprised cry, the still somewhat dizzy Lin Chichi quickly came to her senses. Hao Yi’s recommended person? She immediately turned her head back, looking behind her while swiftly introducing herself with a twinge of nervousness, "Hello, I’m the one Hao Yi brother referred, my name is..." Then, when she clearly saw the figure standing at the door, she froze completely. He Ao smiled as he watched Lin Chichi’s somewhat dumbfounded little face, continuing the conversation with a grin. Lin Chichi’s eyes widened, her face covered in question marks. He Ao shrugged nonchalantly, turning his head to look at the plaque nailed behind him on the wall, "This plaque isn’t bad." The glow of the sunset elongated the youth’s shadow, blending it seamlessly with the broad wooden board, standing between the characters for ’Martial’ and ’Arts.’ "No, but Minister He, you..." Lin Chichi felt as if her little head could only buzz with confusion. Strictly speaking, she and He Ao were both still in the same hospital this morning, and they had returned to the real world together on the Velora, so it wasn’t strange for He Ao to tell her they meet again. But her brain felt a bit overheated. She lifted her head again, taking another glance around the somewhat desolate courtyard she was in. The seclusion of the courtyard, with its decor, architecture, and the mysterious high-ponytailed young girl, all pointedly suggested to her that she had stumbled upon a secret organization with a significant background. And then, the ’leader’ of this organization was actually one of her direct superiors at the Research Institute? Or the widely recognized rising star of the entire Research Institute? While it seemed there were no issues—after all, the place didn’t claim to be a secret organization, and they even had their sign hanging out front— "This place is nice," While Lin Chichi felt on the verge of scratching her head raw, He Ao had already taken a thorough look around the courtyard, "It’s very quiet and spacious too." This was also his first time visiting this courtyard; all previous matters had been handled through Elfia’s proxy. After the incident with the Mysterious Shadow, He Ao kept in touch with Elfia. But he had been too busy, attending one matter after another, and had no time to mentor Elfia. Elfia didn’t disturb him either. Instead, she practiced martial arts diligently in Rodan’s Martial Arts Hall and occasionally updated He Ao on her progress. It wasn’t until this time that He Ao thought of her and asked her to scout for a location in the Yika Republic. "I’m glad you’re satisfied, Mister." Elfia nodded earnestly. At this moment, the thoroughly perplexed Lin Chichi seemed to have given up trying to understand. She drew closer with a sigh, "Minister He, if you’d told me this was your turf before, I wouldn’t have fought with that sister." If she had known Elfia might be He Ao’s disciple, she would have conceded immediately, avoiding an embarrassing fight. "If you knew I was here, and you didn’t spar with Elfia, would the awe in your heart be for me, or for the Martial Arts?" He Ao shook his head with a smile and countered with a question. Lin Chichi was taken aback. By this time, He Ao had already walked past her and toward the inner chamber. Elfia, who had closed the courtyard door, turned and followed He Ao. Lin Chichi immediately chased after them, leaning in next to Elfia and asked quietly, "Sister, are you Minister He’s disciple?" Hearing this question, Elfia paused slightly, then shook her head, "No, Mister, he just gave me some advice." "Just gave some advice?!!" Lin Chichi’s eyes widened slightly. Just a few pointers and she’s this impressive? Is Minister He that formidable? No, besides domestic affairs, wisdom, and talent, has he also mastered skills in Martial Arts that no one knows about? Is he that freakish? Indeed, Brother Hao Yi’s friends are impressive! When the girl snapped back to reality, Elfia had already walked into the inner room, and she hurriedly followed. The furniture in the inner room was sparse, without a sofa, but only a few folding chairs. The living room had been tidied up by Elfia, and at that moment, He Ao was flipping out one of the folded chairs that were neatly stored in the corner. Elfia was helping on the side. Lin Chichi also scrambled over and carried a chair over. Elfia unfolded several chairs and then quickly went to the side to pour tea with the hot water she had boiled. He Ao sat down on a chair and raised his hand to indicate for Lin Chichi to sit next to him. Lin Chichi hesitated for a moment and then sat down. "After your bout with Elfia, how did you feel?" He Ao turned his head to look at Lin Chichi. Lin Chichi pondered for a moment and shook her head, "I can’t beat her." "You were introduced by ’Hao Yi’, and I think you should guess why he has sent you here. He has also discussed your situation with me," He Ao glanced at the increasingly dim twilight in the courtyard outside the door, "Then I’ll just ask you directly, would you like to learn Martial Arts from me?" The dispersing twilight filtered into the room, mixing with the bright lights, and the young man’s calm and gentle voice sounded like a bell questioning the soul, ringing in the girl’s ear. Time seemed to stand still at that moment, and Lin Chichi’s previously jumbled thoughts calmed entirely in an instant. Her chest rose and fell gently, listening to her own breath. She knew Brother Hao Yi could only give her one opportunity; whether she could seize it depended on herself. Taking a deep breath, she promptly rose from her seat and knelt before He Ao, "Please, teacher, accept me as your apprentice!" But she didn’t fully kneel down; a strong arm supported her, followed by He Ao’s chagrined voice, "You don’t need to kneel; we don’t do that here." Lin Chichi got up awkwardly and patted her skirt. She had watched Elfia’s ancient costume dramas and thought she had to go through the kneeling, kowtowing, and apprenticeship ritual they showed on TV. Watching the little girl who was too engrossed in the role, He Ao shook his head with a bitter smile. Still, there had to be some sort of ceremony. He lifted his head to see Elfia coming out with a tray of tea, raised his hand and pointed at the tea tray, and spoke slowly, "Offer me a cup of tea then." Lin Chichi immediately caught on and rushed to Elfia’s side, took a cup, and respectfully offered it to He Ao, "Please, teacher, instruct me." The ceremony was so simple, yet at the very foundation of the world, it seemed as if some invisible strength had been disturbed, causing slight ripples. He Ao looked at the twilight’s fading at the edge of the sky, took the cup of tea, and drank a sip, softly saying, "Good." The undulation in the world seemed to smooth over with this soft response, yet invisible ripples spread into even more distant realms. Elfia, standing by with the tea, eyes downcast, slightly lowered her head at this scene. At that moment, He Ao put the tea cup aside on a chair, lifted his head, and looked at the girl with a high ponytail, smiling, "Elfia, where’s your tea?" The girl was momentarily stunned, quickly raising her head as the dispersing twilight shone into her auburn pupils, reflecting a dazzling brilliance. She immediately placed the tray aside, picked up a cup of tea, and respectfully held it out to He Ao, "Please, teacher, instruct me." He Ao smiled as he accepted the cup of tea and took a sip. At that moment, the invisible ripples seemed to spread even farther away.