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"Young Master, who was that person just now?"

Otogirusu turned her mind back to the present, glanced at the youth, and replied in Far East tongue, "He is known as Fox Sleeper."

"Fox dens abandoned, hare tracks overgrown, all were once the grounds of song and dance... This is an old Zhuxia saying that describes the impermanence of the world's flourish and decline, and that man is a lunatic who wishes to plunge everything into chaos."

The youth seemed to understand but could only respond blankly, "...I see."

Otogirusu smiled and asked, "Taiping, has Xue Jun replied to me yet?"

He thought of what Fox Sleeper had just said, "You will meet him very soon."

Fox Sleeper's words were never wrong, so if he said so, then Xue Jing must have agreed to meet.

As expected, the youth named Taiping nodded and said,

"The Galaxy Club has responded, saying that Lord Jing will visit this afternoon."

Otogirusu's face showed anticipation: "Is that so? That's wonderful."

...

Around three in the afternoon, Xue Jing rode the suspension-style high-speed monorail and arrived at one of Yuan City's so-called wealthy districts, Area A3.

Following the address marked on his bracelet, he quickly found a sizeable dojo that featured a very Japanese style.

Xue Jing looked at the dojo's sign.

"Ruo Gong Dojo... this is the place."

"Let's go, let's go inside and see... Hmm? What's wrong?"

He turned his head to look at Miao Miao, seated squat on his shoulder, and asked in puzzlement.

At this moment, Miao Miao was all fluffed up as if electrified, looking much more puffed up than usual, with her two front paws extended with the gleaming silver Serpent Slayer Spearhead, which in the sunlight shone brightly and made Xue Jing's shoulder somewhat sore.

"I don't know... I smelled a strange scent, and then I became like this."

Miao Miao was also clueless, but she vigilantly scanned her surroundings.

"This feeling is the same as when we first entered Yuan City, on the airplane... I thought it was because we entered the territory of the Dragon Cult, but now it seems that's not the case."

She placed one front paw on Xue Jing's head and stood higher, ceaselessly searching through the crowd for something.

"Jing, there must be something strange here, or something strange was here just a moment ago, it's quite terrifying..."

Seeing this, Xue Jing reached out and stroked her head, smoothing down her bristled fur, and consoled her:

"Don't worry, I'm here."

At that moment, a youth standing at the entrance of the Ruo Gong Dojo saw Xue Jing and his eyes brightened, and he trotted over to him.

"...Are you Lord Jing?"

He asked in a slightly off-toned and awkward Chinese, bowing his head respectfully.

Xue Jing looked at him and nodded, replying, "Yes."

Hearing this, the youth gave him a bow and said, "I am Ruo Gong Taiping, Lord Jing can just call me Taiping, please follow me, our young master has been waiting for you for a long time..."

Ruo Gong Taiping made a gesture for Xue Jing to follow and then led the way ahead.

Xue Jing, petting Miao Miao, followed behind him, entering the grand gates of the Ruo Gong Dojo.

This dojo, not only Japanese in appearance but also in interior decoration, was adorned with sliding door rooms everywhere, a bamboo water feature named 'Startled Deer' in the garden, and a zigzag bridge, all conveying a Zen-like atmosphere that brought a serene tranquility to one's spirit.

As they walked, there were no other people in sight, and the entire dojo was silent to the point of being nearly desolate.

Following Ruo Gong Taiping, Xue Jing zigzagged down the solid wood corridor and quickly arrived in front of the largest room in the dojo.

Ruo Gong Taiping moved forward, knelt on the ground, and slowly pushed open the sliding door, bowing respectfully inside and announcing:

"Young Master, I have brought Lord Jing."

A voice from within the room, androgynous in its magnetic gentleness, answered, "Please come in."

Xue Jing stepped forward, removed his shoes, and walked into the room.

In the center of the immaculate room, where the floor almost shone, a figure knelt on the floor with their back to Xue Jing.

The waist-length high ponytail of sleek black hair, soft like a black waterfall, covered most of their back.

Even upon seeing the person in real life, with Xue Jing's powers of perception, he could not immediately discern whether the person in front was male or female.

This impression only deepened when Otogirusu turned around.

That beautiful face, unclear in gender and possessing both masculine features and the softness of femininity, bore a charm that transcended gender, making Xue Jing hesitate between addressing them as sir or miss.

"Xue Jun, it's been a long time."

Otogirusu stood up, a gentle smile spreading across his face.

He extended a hand, skin delicate to the extreme, not at all like that of someone who practiced martial arts, and began speaking in extremely fluent Chinese:

"I am Otogirusu... just call me Suzuka."

Xue Jing shook hands with him, and asked in confusion:

"What do you need from me? Do you want to fight me ahead of schedule?"

Faced with such direct words, Suzuka's eyes lit up:

"Xue Jun is indeed a man of temperament. Although that wasn't my intention in inviting you here, if Xue Jun is so inclined, why not... start right now?"

Anticipation laced Suzuka's tone.

"Start fighting five seconds after we meet?"

Xue Jing had come here for the express purpose of trying to get "The Blade That Never Dulls" ahead of time, so he had no objections.

He thought to himself, this Otogirusu is indeed as the rumors say, a martial arts fanatic.

"He is quite an interesting person."

Xue Jing smiled and said, "Then let's begin."

Miao Miao consciously jumped from Xue Jing's shoulder to the side, and crouched down.

Otogirusu glanced at her, his gaze lingering momentarily on the white gold tail ring on her tail, and then turned back to Xue Jing.

His face bore an enthusiastic and somewhat flirtatious smile as he spoke:

"Xue Jun... be careful."

As soon as the words fell, Xue Jing instinctively took a step back, leaning to the left.

An arm, shaped like a hand-sword, slashed through the space he had just dodged, utterly without warning.

"Swoosh—!!"

Transparent Sword Qi trailed from where the hand-sword had swept, slicing the sliding door behind Xue Jing in two, and continued flying unabated toward the front.

Just from this single exchange, Xue Jing immediately realized that the person before him was different from any enemy he had encountered before.

It wasn't a matter of strength... in terms of power, the Pureblood Dragon Breed and Jiao Hongyuan were both above Otogirusu.
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But they did not possess a certain quality that Otogirusu embodied.

"Pure, passionate, limitless potential..."

He was—enjoying himself.

Xue Jing was suddenly reminded of a saying.

'Those who practice hard can't beat those who like to practice.'

'Those who like to practice can't beat those who enjoy practicing.'

The sage says: those who know are not as good as those who like, those who like are not as good as those who enjoy.

The man before him was someone Xue Jing had never come across before, someone who enjoyed martial arts practice, who enjoyed fighting.

Even though he himself also liked martial arts practice and enjoyed fighting, his essence was still to achieve the things he could get through martial arts practice and fighting, not to treat the martial arts practice and fighting as the goal itself.

But the person before him was different; he really treated martial arts practice and fighting as the goal, enjoying the act itself in a simple and pure way.

"Interesting."

Xue Jing's eyes sparkled with amusement as he forcefully cut off and cast aside the utilitarian thought of 'defeat Otogirusu to obtain "The Blade That Never Dulls"' with his strong spirit and consciousness.

Facing such an opponent, he too felt a rare surge of interest in engaging in a pure fight.

Power coursed through him, True Dragon awakening, the sound of the dragon's chant echoing through the dojo.

"Thunder Flame Boiling Cauldron!"

The Unparalleled Fist roared out, carrying almost the force of a True Dragon, blasting a ring of air-waves toward Otogirusu.

Realizing the ferocity of the attack, Otogirusu's face showed delight as he immediately extended his right hand in a palm-up strike posture, and struck upward.

"Swift Style: Tan Tian Crush!"

...