Chapter Six: The Challenge

Faced with the girl’s request, Jiang An smiled and said,
“This acupoint immobilization technique is no easy feat. You see, the art of sealing acupoints is about blocking the flow of qi and blood at a specific node in the body, but that node varies from person to person, at every moment, with each movement. In other words, to strike an acupoint, you must analyze a number of factors—gender, age, physique, timing, posture—and then, swiftly and precisely, hit the right spot. You can imagine, it’s no simple matter!”
Jiang An’s words fell like a bucket of cold water, dousing most people’s enthusiasm. Many had thought it would be easy to learn, something to show off, never realizing the intricacies involved. Yet, some remained resolute.
“That’s not a problem for me. I’m still very eager to learn. Please teach us, sir!” the freckled girl insisted stubbornly.
In fact, Jiang An’s explanation was mostly to intimidate the students. For cultivators, immobilizing someone’s acupoints was straightforward: they could simply use magical power to freeze them in place. For martial artists, it involved channeling inner qi to paralyze the opponent by striking their acupoints. Even Jiang An’s needle technique for sealing acupoints wasn’t all that difficult.
“If you truly wish to learn, then I’m happy to teach you. But we must start from the basics, step by step. Please return to your seats for now. Next, we will—”
Before Jiang An could finish, the bell signaling the end of class rang. For the first time, the students felt time had flown by in an instant. Before they could react, Jiang An said, “Class dismissed. See you next week!” and walked straight out the door.
Two girls panicked at the sight.
“Yan Yan, why are you in such a rush? It’s only the first class of the afternoon; lunch is still a while away.”
“That’s right, there’ll be plenty of food left.”
The stunningly beautiful girl was quickly packing her things, eager to dash out of the classroom, but her companion grabbed her arm, teasing her. The beautiful girl immediately glared with her large, lovely eyes, protesting, “Hmph, you make it sound like I’m just a glutton. I only want to ask the teacher a few questions. Let go, or he’ll be gone!”
With that, she shook off her friend’s hand and hurried to the classroom door. At that moment, her companions exchanged glances and quietly counted, “One, two…”
“Achoo!” As soon as she opened the door, the cold wind made her sneeze, and then she was gone.
“See? She never fails. With Tong’s constitution, she’s deathly afraid of the cold and eats so much! It’s really strange.”
“What’s even stranger is that no matter how much she eats, she never gains weight, and her skin is flawless—so smooth it could drip water.”
Seeing the beautiful girl get ahead, the freckled girl, who was a step behind, felt a bit regretful but decided she’d try next time.

Outside the door,
Jiang An emerged to find Zhang Xue and a balding middle-aged man waiting for him. The man’s eyes still held traces of astonishment; clearly, he’d witnessed Jiang An’s display in class.
“Professor Jiang, you truly live up to the dean’s recommendation! I’m deeply impressed!” the man said with a smile.
Jiang An recognized him as Deng Wenhua, the director of the medical school, whom he’d briefly met before class. Smiling back, Jiang An replied, “It’s just a minor trick, you flatter me.”
“When it comes to talented young people, I, Old Deng, never hold back my praise. We’ll have plenty of time to work together in the future, but I have another class now, so I won’t keep you. Oh, right—here’s my business card. If you need anything, call me anytime.” As Deng Wenhua spoke, he unzipped his coat and handed Jiang An a card from his pocket.

Jiang An’s eyes flickered as he casually remarked, “Your pendant is quite beautiful, and very tasteful.”
“Oh, this?” Deng Wenhua lifted the thumb-sized pendant around his neck, replying with some pride, “It’s not jade, but a rare stone you can’t find for sale. It actually has some health benefits—keeps you warm in winter and cool in summer. I’ve worn it for over two years.”
“It’s not for sale? I rather like it. I was thinking of getting one myself. I suppose it’s not a family heirloom?”
“If you truly like it, Professor Jiang, it’s possible to get one. This pendant is unique to one of the city’s leading martial arts schools—the Hongyi Dojo. If you place in their top ten among three thousand disciples, you’ll receive one. As for me, I’m their special consultant for health cultivation, and they respect me, so I was given one as well,” Deng Wenhua explained.
Jiang An nodded, not wanting to press further. He smiled, “Thank you, Director Deng. Please, go ahead with your business. I won’t keep you.”
“All right, Professor Jiang, Assistant Zhang, I’ll take my leave,” Deng Wenhua said, turning to depart. Jiang An then turned to see the stunning girl who had been waiting for him. He asked, “Do you need something?”
Zhang Xue glanced at the girl and couldn’t help but be captivated by her beauty. “You must be Tong Yi, a sophomore, right? No wonder you’re known as one of the most beautiful girls at Eastern University. You truly are stunning!”
“Hello, Senior Zhang, thank you for your compliment.” The exquisite Tong Yi smiled sweetly at Zhang Xue, her delicate nose tinged pink with cold, then nodded to Jiang An. “Professor Jiang, I’d like to ask you a few questions, if I may?”
“Go ahead.”
“It’s like this, Professor. I witnessed your incredible medical skills in class… Well, actually, I’m ill…” Tong Yi said, somewhat embarrassed.
You’re ill, of course I know that.
From the first glance, Jiang An, with his unparalleled experience, had seen through her problem—she was born with an extraordinarily rare Water Spirit Physique. For a cultivator, this constitution meant lightning progress in the right arts and limitless potential. But as a mortal, it was a curse; it gave Tong Yi an ethereal beauty and flawless skin, but also caused her to absorb yin energy. She never felt hot in summer, but suffered terribly from the cold in winter. Without cultivation methods to refine spiritual energy for the Water Spirit Physique, her body was forced to consume the tiny traces of spiritual energy found in food, leaving her constantly hungry and always craving to eat.
It was as if she harbored a beast inside her—a beast with its benefits, but one that needed constant feeding. The solution was simple: as soon as she began cultivating, all her problems would vanish. But would Jiang An carelessly bestow a priceless cultivation method on every pretty girl he met? Just because she was beautiful? Sorry, beauty alone wasn’t enough. In the immortal realm, he’d seen countless fairies surpassing her in looks.
“You’re ill—and?” Jiang An responded blandly.
“I wanted to ask if your acupuncture could remove the chill from my body? I’m so sensitive to the cold, ever since I was a baby. Every winter is unbearable. I’ve seen countless doctors, but nothing helps. But I believe you’re truly skilled, so could you please find time to help me? I beg you.” Tong Yi’s large, limpid eyes looked up at Jiang An, impossible for most to refuse. But Jiang An was unmoved and replied, “We’ll talk about it when there’s time.”
His perfunctory tone even took Zhang Xue by surprise. Tong Yi felt a bit disappointed, but with the next class about to start, she managed a smile and said, “All right, I won’t keep you. I have to get to class. I’ll find you later. Goodbye, Professor, goodbye, Senior.”
With a polite bow to Jiang An, she trotted away, resembling a moving plush toy.
“Professor Jiang, such a beautiful girl, and you turned her down so easily,” Zhang Xue said with a light laugh.
“She’s just a young girl. Maybe some other time. I have some business to attend to now, Assistant Zhang. You should get back to work as well. Thank you for your help today.”
Zhang Xue was a little exasperated. What a blockhead!
“All right, since you’re busy, I won’t keep you. Goodbye.” She left in annoyance.

Watching the two girls walk away, Jiang An gave a bitter, wry smile. He would rather face a hundred thousand war demons alone than get entangled with more women. It wasn’t that he disliked women or was shy—he had been hurt before. After sixteen hundred years alone, he simply wasn’t used to romance. Was he supposed to confess to others that, despite his status as a great immortal king among humans, he was still a virgin?
Shaking his head, Jiang An put these trivial matters out of his mind. What truly interested him now was the pendant around Director Deng’s neck. If he wasn’t mistaken, that was a “spirit stone shell.” In this world, spirit stones existed, and the so-called spirit stone shell was the surrounding rock encasing the spirit stone within an ore vein. For example, break open a basin-sized rock and you might find a spirit stone the size of a baby’s fist inside—the rest is the shell. It contained no spiritual energy, but did possess the property of staying warm in winter and cool in summer, making it exceedingly rare among mortals.
Where there was a spirit stone shell, there would be spirit stones. That was what Jiang An truly sought. Even if they were low-grade, they were far more efficient than meditation for cultivation—especially now, when his powers were greatly diminished. His treasure trove and all his magical tools were trapped in a spatial rift, inaccessible from Earth. At his peak, a single breath could absorb a million spirit stones.
Since it was still early and he had nothing else to do, Jiang An decided to set off immediately.
He hailed a taxi outside the campus, and in less than thirty minutes, arrived at the bustling Hongyi Dojo.
The dojo occupied an entire three-story building, decorated in lavish style. Jiang An looked up and saw it was a Taekwondo school from Korea. The place was packed, with a steady flow of people coming and going. Jiang An entered with the crowd.
Inside, a training hall the size of eight basketball courts stretched out before him, covered with mats and surrounded by various apparatus. Over two hundred people filled the hall, but rather than practicing, they were all gathered in one corner, around a small ring.
“Where’s Kim Jun-yi, that bastard? While I was gone, not only did you challenge my dojo, you injured four of my people! I’m here today to settle the score!”
A group of seven or eight men, clad in yellow uniforms bearing the “Wang Family Martial Arts Hall” insignia, stood menacingly at the forefront. The leader, a burly man, shouted loudly.
“Who are these thugs, making such a racket? No need for Master Kim to bother; I’ll handle you!”
Before the experts upstairs could come down, a tall, slender youth with dyed blond hair from the Hongyi Dojo leapt into the ring. Without further ado, he launched a kick at the burly man.
“Brother, this guy has a blue-red belt—he’s got some skill. Be careful!” someone from the Wang Family warned.
“Hmph!” The burly man, known as Second Brother, snorted coldly, raising his arm to block the kick, then stepped back, well aware that Taekwondo specialized in relentless kicking techniques.
Sure enough, the blond youth’s first attack missed, but he immediately followed up—front kicks, push kicks, hook kicks, spinning back kicks, single and double leg combinations, one after another. His moves were fast, fierce, and impressive.
“Brother Wu is amazing—he’s got his opponent on the back foot!”
“Only a year of practice, and he’s already this strong. No wonder the dojo made him an instructor. Taekwondo really is something.”
“He’s fighting beautifully!”
The Hongyi Dojo students cheered, proud of their choice.
But at that moment, the Wang Family’s Second Brother had already figured out his opponent’s style and strength. His eyes flashed, and as the blond youth was about to jump-kick, the burly man’s thick arm shot out, landing squarely on the youth’s chest. With a cry of pain, the youth was sent flying several meters, crashed to the floor, and, clutching his chest, suddenly couldn’t breathe and passed out.

(To be continued)