“Looks like your training plan will have to be changed. I originally thought I’d only let you go down the mountain to gain experience next year, but it seems you’ll be able to go down soon.”

“Master, can I really go down the mountain?” Samuel Bennett asked in surprise. This was definitely a huge surprise—after more than ten years, it was the first time his master had mentioned letting him leave the mountain.

“That’s right, but don’t get the wrong idea. It’s just going down the mountain, that’s all. You still have to come back to sleep at night. Going down during the day will also benefit your Lightness Skill, Treading Snow Without a Trace. You’ll have to run over a hundred li every day.”

Samuel Bennett didn’t care how far he had to run. Even if it was a thousand li, he’d be willing if it meant he could go down the mountain.

“So what will I mainly do after going down? There’s only one day’s time?”

“Well, I’ll tell you after I finish eating the roast meat. Hmm, what’s that smell? Hurry up! The meat’s burning.” With that, Franklin dashed over to the roasting meat, moving with incredible speed, even using his Treading Snow Without a Trace skill.

Samuel Bennett watched from the side and smiled.

Chapter 7: First Time Down the Mountain

Morning

A figure swept down the mountain.

Samuel Bennett was actually not moving very fast. This was his first time going down the mountain, and he felt incredibly relaxed. He wanted to take a good look at the scenery below and memorize the route, so he wouldn’t get lost and be unable to return at night—that would be a real joke.

After passing through the primeval forest, everything on the path through the woods felt so novel. He stopped to look at the stone-paved road and the steps, but after walking for a while, he realized everything he saw was more or less the same as what he’d seen as a child, and his interest gradually faded. His pace quickened as he walked, recalling Franklin’s instructions from the previous night.

“My disciple, over these twelve years, you’ve basically learned everything I should have taught you. The rest depends on your own cultivation and enlightenment. As for all kinds of books, you’ve read quite a few, and with your memory, I believe you can remember most of them. But it’s not enough to just be like this. Society today is unlike any era before—there’s no such thing as the jianghu anymore. If your martial arts are revealed in public, it will bring you unexpected trouble. The state and government might also take notice of you, and then it will be very difficult for you to accomplish anything in the future. So here, I’m setting your first rule for going down the mountain—absolutely do not reveal your advanced martial arts in front of others, especially your ability to sense your surroundings. Never tell anyone about that. This could be your way to stay alive in the future! If anyone finds out you have this skill, then based on my decades of experience in society, I can tell you—not only will forces from our country, but even foreign powers will try every means to recruit you. Although they might not want your life, it could make your days even lonelier than they are now on the mountain. Would you want that?” Franklin’s tone grew more and more stern.

“I will remember, Master. Never reveal internal strength, lightness skill, hidden weapons, or sensing skills in front of others. But can I use them in secret or after disguising myself?” Although Samuel Bennett knew his master was right, he also made a mental note: hiding himself was indeed his first rule. If everyone knew how amazing he was, what fun would there be? But what’s the point of learning martial arts if you can’t use them? So he tried to negotiate with his master.

“That’s acceptable, but you absolutely cannot use them frequently. And before using them, you must use the ‘Yijin One-Yuan Skill’ to sense your surroundings and ensure your safety. As for your disguise skills, I’m quite confident in you.” At this, Franklin smiled.

Here, it’s necessary to explain Samuel Bennett’s so-called disguise. In fact, this disguise could be considered a byproduct of his cultivation of the ‘Yijin One-Yuan Skill’: when he was practicing alone on the mountain, sometimes to train his control over his internal energy, he would let his qi flow freely throughout his body. When it reached his face, Samuel Bennett thought, the shape of the face is controlled by facial muscles. If he could change the strength of muscle control—make the long parts shorter, the curved parts straighter—he could become someone else. How fun!

With little entertainment on the mountain, he immediately tried it out, taking a mirror and experimenting on his face. At first, because he couldn’t control the strength well and there are dozens of muscles in the face, his face was a mess—one side higher, the other lower. But as he gradually mastered the control of his qi, his face began to look more and more normal. Eventually, one time when he saw his master coming up the mountain, he immediately changed his face to meet him, giving his master quite a scare, though he was recognized in the end.

After all, living together for over ten years, his master could recognize him at a glance by his footsteps, clothes, scent, figure, appearance, and eyes, but it was still a shock. Although it’s not very useful for close acquaintances, with training and by deliberately changing some habits, it should be enough for disguising himself outside. The only drawback is that he can’t maintain the altered face for very long. With his current fifth-level ‘Yijin One-Yuan Skill’, he can only hold it for about ten minutes. After all, it requires extremely fine control of qi, and if he’s not careful, the disguise will slip.