"What!?"
Zhou Yuan's hand trembled.
Gu Han actually wanted him to continue using Dou Skill to strike him!?
"Your execution of the Dou Skill just now had many flaws," Gu Han calmly pointed out Zhou Yuan's shortcomings while offering suggestions for improvement. "Your wrist lifted too quickly, and your footwork lacked coordinated Dou Qi movement. Your divided attention on controlling the Qi Cyclone shows you haven't yet mastered the Cultivation Method to proficiency and can't apply it freely."
"He's actually... teaching me how to execute Dou Skill!?" Zhou Yuan felt utterly bewildered.
Junior Brother, get this straight - we're in the middle of the Outer Sect Disciple Competition right now. How is it reasonable for you to be instructing me like a Dou Grand Master or Dou Spirit Elder would, no, even more meticulously than them?
"Don't you want to become stronger?" Gu Han countered.
Zhou Yuan immediately cast aside his distracting thoughts and decided to try following Gu Han's instructions. Geniuses always did astonishing things - they wouldn't speak nonsense in public just to make themselves lose face.
"Like this, then like this."
Zhou Yuan adjusted according to Gu Han's guidance.
"Wrong. You should do this first, then this..."
Gu Han had somehow produced a thin wooden stick and was lightly tapping it against several of Zhou Yuan's acupoints and joints.
"Lift up, circulate, execute!"
Swish!
Zhou Yuan mobilized his Qi Cyclone to execute the Dou Skill, and four strands of Sword Qi shot out from the long sword in his hand.
"Four strands!" Zhou Yuan revealed an ecstatic expression. "I've achieved Great Completion in this Dou Skill!"
"Still early." Gu Han put away the thin stick and spoke indifferently. "Remember what I just pointed out and keep making adjustments. Only after ten days will this Dou Skill reach Great Completion. Then you should properly master the Cultivation Method - when combined with the Dou Skill after achieving Great Completion, the effect will be even better."
"Yes, thank you, Junior Brother Gu... no, Senior Brother Gu!" Zhou Yuan bowed solemnly, his expression excited.
He had trained hard with this Profound Rank Initial Dou Skill for three years, only reaching proficiency level without any further breakthrough. He never expected that after receiving some guidance from Gu Han today, he would have the opportunity to achieve Great Completion soon.
"Arbiter, I admit defeat."
After calling out to the referee, Zhou Yuan exchanged another greeting with Gu Han before jumping off the platform and leaving quickly. He needed to return and cultivate according to Gu Han's guidance to improve his strength as soon as possible.
"Feels good." The purple aura in Gu Han's eyes receded.
Instructing Cloud Mist Sect disciples wasn't something he did on a whim. This was one application of his Purple Qi Double Pupils that could deepen his mastery and improve his own proficiency with Dou Skills.
Doing this in public served two purposes: first, to build his reputation as someone who treated fellow disciples well, which aligned with his character of repaying kindness; second, to gain more experience and attract people to seek his guidance in the future, making it convenient for him to learn from them secretly.
Once he accumulated enough experience, he could create his own Dou Skills!
All the spectators: "..."
"Slap!"
Someone got slapped on the thigh.
"Why did you hit me?" The slapped person looked completely confused.
"Did it hurt?" The hitter asked.
"Of course it hurt." The slapped person said unhappily.
"Then we're not dreaming."
"If you wanted to know whether we're dreaming, why didn't you hit yourself?"
"I'm afraid of pain, and I already know I'm not dreaming."
"You..."
The spectators all felt complex emotions after witnessing the scene in the arena.
This was supposed to be the Outer Sect Disciple Competition, but you're treating it as a live teaching session.
The key point was that the teaching level was extraordinarily high - visibly excellent to everyone's eyes.
"This young fellow has some skill. He saw through his opponent's weakness in an extremely short time." Jia Xingtian's eyes held appreciation along with what seemed to be deeply concealed jealousy and wariness.
Such a peerless genius, and more importantly, one so loyal—why did he end up with the Cloud Mist Sect instead of the royal family?
"Perhaps..." Jia Xingtian suddenly felt his young granddaughter's suggestion might be worth considering.
If Yao Ye were to take him as her husband, they could develop him into one of their own.
But he couldn't make a rash decision—he needed to observe further.
"This young man has formidable soul power." Fa Ma, who was half a step away from becoming a Sixth-Rank Alchemist, possessed the strongest soul perception in the entire venue. He keenly noticed some details but kept his thoughts to himself without speaking up.
On the high platform, a faint smile appeared on Yun Shang's typically stern face. "This young man treats his fellow disciples quite well—he doesn't overwhelm them with absolute strength."
To identify the opponent's flaws in such a short time and offer guidance that allowed them to improve...
Gu Han was undoubtedly far stronger than his opponent.
"Flashy tricks," Yun Yun remarked indifferently.
Yun Leng thought: That's what you say, but try to hide the curve of your lips.
"Say, should we still compete?"Near the arena ten, the two contestants scheduled to compete next stared at each other wide-eyed."
Their strength was far inferior to Zhou Yuan's, so they definitely stood no chance against Gu Han.
"Of course we'll fight. We still need to compete for a spot in the top twenty," the other replied firmly. "But I think we can change our approach."
"Great minds think alike," the other smiled.
"Senior Brother Gu, please wait!" they called out in unison, cupping their fists in salute.
"If you want to concede, you still need to determine a winner first," Gu Han paused his departure.
"Could we challenge you together?" asked Lin Jin, the taller and thinner of the two.
"Together?" Gu Han looked puzzled. "Then which of you will advance to the top twenty?"
"That will be up to you, Senior Brother," Shi Lei, the burly young man, grinned sheepishly. "But we ask that you... could you give us some guidance?"
Don't ask what they were trying to do—they simply wanted to learn, to improve their strength like Zhou Yuan had. They desperately wanted to progress.
Gu Han: "..."
Although attracting Cloud Mist Sect disciples to seek his guidance and teaching was one of his goals, he hadn't expected the results to be so immediate.
He had actually overlooked the fact that Zhou Yuan was originally ranked tenth among the outer sect disciples—no weakling in the Cloud Mist Sect's outer sect.
Yet Zhou Yuan's sword techniques visibly improved after just a few words of guidance from him. Anyone who saw it would covet such an opportunity.
"Honored referee, is this permissible?" Gu Han properly inquired with the presiding referee.
The referee didn't know how to handle the situation either, so he looked toward the high platform.
"Granted," Yun Yun approved the matter, causing Yun Leng, who had been about to scold them for nonsense, to close his mouth.
"Fellow disciples, please." Gu Han raised one hand.
Lin Jin and Shi Lei exchanged glances, then immediately stepped onto the arena.
When the referee announced the start of the match, the two didn't hold back, unleashing their strongest Dou Skills.
A purple glint flashed in Gu Han's eyes as he effortlessly dodged their attacks using Serpentine Nine Steps, simultaneously using a thin rod to strike both of them.
"You're earth attribute—you need overwhelming force. Practice horse stance with extra weight on your legs so this palm strike can carry the feeling of a savage earth bear."
"You're metal attribute. As the saying goes, in all Dou Skills, only speed is unbreakable. You need to increase your speed, make your attacks sharper—only then can this sword technique achieve its effect."
"Like this..."
Under Gu Han's guidance, the power of Lin Jin and Shi Lei's Dou Skills visibly improved.
After receiving the final pointers, both were eager to leave and consolidate their gains.
Gu Han's lips twitched slightly as he spoke, "Don't you two want to hear who might make it into the top twenty?"
"Him, let him win." Lin Jin immediately said, "He has both defense and offense, slightly better than me."
"Bullshit, you're clearly stronger. Didn't you hear Brother Gu say my lower body stability is lacking?" Shi Lei retorted at once, "You're the stronger one, you should be in the top twenty."
All spectators: "..."
Gu Han expressionlessly stated, "The odds should favor Shi Lei slightly more."
"Great." Lin Jin patted Shi Lei's shoulder, "Work hard and climb a few more ranks."
With that, Lin Jin leaped off the platform and swiftly departed.
"Damn, you're so fast." Shi Lei gritted his teeth in frustration, "I didn't even have time to concede defeat."
All spectators: "..."
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "QueenTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!