“It’s not something everyone can try. When I was three, my family invited an expert from Qihuang Valley to examine my bones. He said I was born with blocked meridians and couldn’t cultivate, otherwise I would have come long ago.”

　　Woman in Black was clearly a bit surprised—more surprised than when she heard that Ryan Bennett only came to seek a master at seventeen.

　　Although the path of cultivation is profound and mysterious, and those who achieve anything are few and far between, the threshold isn’t high. Even a stray dog by the roadside, if it stumbles upon the right opportunity, can achieve enlightenment—let alone a human.

　　It’s like archery: whether you can shoot accurately or not, as long as you’re willing to practice diligently, even the slowest person can learn to pick up a bow—unless you’re born disabled.

　　As Woman in Black thought of this, she asked:

　　“You were born a good-for-nothing?”

　　“……”

　　That was a particularly harsh thing to say.

　　Ryan Bennett blinked, not even sure how to respond.

　　Woman in Black also realized her words were impolite, and quickly added:

　　“In Qihuang Valley, that’s how we describe disciples who don’t work hard or can’t grasp the basics—please don’t take offense, brother. Hmm… Being born with blocked meridians is rare, but there’s no need to wallow in self-pity. Studying and earning honors can also bring glory to your family and lead to great achievements.”

　　Ryan Bennett patted the sword at his waist. “The world is so vast. Knowing there are masters out there, how could I be content to be a frog at the bottom of a well all my life?”

　　Woman in Black didn’t like that. “One shouldn’t aim too high. Cultivation isn’t all that meaningful. If you really went to Qihuang Valley, you wouldn’t think this way. But with your blocked meridians, you can’t go anyway. Take my advice: since ancient times, many have achieved greatness by turning from martial to scholarly pursuits. You’re still young—just go back and study.”

　　Ryan Bennett shook his head at this:

　　“I may not cultivate, but how could I give up martial arts? I’ve been practicing since I was three, a thousand sword strikes a day, for fourteen years now—over five million swings. There aren’t many in the martial world who can beat me.”

　　Hearing such arrogant words, Woman in Black frowned deeply:

　　“Little brother, don’t be so cocky. There’s no shortage of cultivators in the martial world. With your blocked meridians, no matter how hard you work, you’re just running into a dead end—at best, you’ll have brute strength. Human strength has its limits. How can you compete with cultivators who draw on the power of heaven and earth?”

　　Ryan Bennett turned his head, his gaze defiant:

　　“You may be advising me out of kindness, but I’ve never been afraid of anyone. Cultivators just borrow the might of heaven and earth to increase their killing power. Their foundations are mostly unstable—certainly not as solid as mine. If it really came down to life and death, I wouldn’t be the least bit afraid.”

　　What an arrogant kid!

　　Woman in Black had probably never met such a stubborn fool before. She gripped the hilt at her waist:

　　“Why don’t you give it a try?”

　　Ryan Bennett shook his head. “You draw your sword too slowly. You can’t beat me. I don’t bully people.”

　　?!

　　“Heh…”

　　Woman in Black was so exasperated she laughed:

　　“I’m older than you and have practiced no less than you. Do you really think that just because you’ve trained behind closed doors for a decade, you can look down on everyone?”

　　Ryan Bennett wasn’t being arrogant, just confident. From the way she drew her sword earlier, he knew there was nothing to worry about. He spread his hands and said:

　　“I just don’t want to shatter your sword heart.”

　　Woman in Black didn’t understand what he meant, but she could hear the contempt in his words. Her gaze turned cold:

　　“Draw your sword, or you won’t be able to draw it at all. I’m not saying you have to beat me—if you can last the time it takes to drink a cup of tea under my sword, I’ll give you whatever you want.”

　　Whatever he wanted?

　　Ryan Bennett’s mind stirred, and he was genuinely interested now. He looked up and down at the well-proportioned Woman in Black, smiling:

　　“I want to enter Qihuang Valley. Can you help with that?”

　　Pride flashed in Woman in Black’s eyes:

　　“If you can last a cup of tea, I’ll speak to my elders and get you admitted to Qihuang Valley, no exceptions. I keep my word.”

　　“Brother, don’t try to fool me.”

　　Woman in Black snorted lightly:

　　“You think everyone in the world talks nonsense like you?”

　　Ryan Bennett nodded. Anyway, he had nothing else to do right now. Whether it was true or not, it wouldn’t hurt to try.

　　“All right, I’ll play along.”

　　After stretching, Ryan Bennett stepped into the rain, stood on the bluestone street, and cupped his fists:

　　“Zuo Lingquan of Qinghe County, please give me your guidance.”

　　???

　　Ryan Bennett…

　　Why did that sound so familiar?

　　Woman in Black thought for a moment, her annoyed expression stiffening slightly. Then she lifted her oil-paper umbrella a bit, revealing crimson lips and a fair chin.

　　Ryan Bennett waited in the rain, noticing her odd reaction, and asked:

　　“Could it be you’ve heard of my name?”

　　“……”

　　So it was this guy—no wonder he was here.

　　Born with blocked meridians and still killed a fierce beast—what a joke…

　　Woman in Black didn’t answer, just snorted even more disdainfully, stood ten paces away from Ryan Bennett with her umbrella, and casually made up a name:

　　“Longtai of Donghua City, please give me your guidance.”

　　With that, both sides fell silent.

　　The rain was fine and dense, the long night tranquil.

　　Two figures stood on the ruined street, surrounded by broken walls and rubble, with no lights or fires nearby. The atmosphere gradually grew tense and foreboding.

　　Ryan Bennett was proud, but not conceited. Though his words were wild, his actions were anything but careless.