Volume One: The Path Begins Chapter 117: Lei Fan’s Guidance

After steadying his stance, Ye Junze continuously adjusted his breathing, calming the somewhat chaotic flow of energy caused by the recent battle.

After a period of calm, Ye Junze sat cross-legged on the ground, his hands resting casually on his knees, seemingly lost in thought—or perhaps simply resting without any particular thoughts.

He recalled the battle just fought. Overall, it hadn’t been very difficult, as such experiences were no rarity for him, so there was little sense of unfamiliarity. Although the Phantom possessed all of his skills, it likely lacked independent thinking, making it less agile in certain aspects. Thus, despite the Phantom’s constant analysis and adaptation of Ye Junze’s moves, it still struggled to respond effectively without his liveliness and flexibility.

Ye Junze couldn’t help but think to himself, “The control over the subtle aspects of spiritual energy was quite good just now.”

With that thought, a smile appeared on his face, for no matter what, this was a sign of growth.

Lost in contemplation, Ye Junze slowly spoke, “Speaking of which, after defeating the Phantom, this first stage the teacher mentioned should be over, right? How do I get out now?”

His gaze began to sweep the surroundings continuously.

However, after several rounds of looking, he found no sign that the room would open on its own.

“Could it be that I have to open it manually?” Ye Junze suddenly thought.

Shaking his head, he made up his mind and decided, “No matter, I’ll give it a try.”

With that, Ye Junze stood and walked toward the door.

Approaching it, he made no elaborate moves but simply reached out and pushed the door from the outside.

To his surprise, there was no resistance as he expected; instead, a wave of spiritual energy pulsed where his hands met the door.

Soon after, he easily pushed the door open.

Outside, Lei Fan seemed to sense something and came straight toward Ye Junze’s room, waiting there.

Thus, when Ye Junze stepped out, he immediately saw Lei Fan standing before him.

“Teacher Lei,” Ye Junze greeted promptly.

Lei Fan nodded and responded with a hum.

The two men stood awkwardly, gazing at each other, unsure of what to say.

Ye Junze wanted to break the silence but found no suitable words and reluctantly gave up.

Fortunately, Lei Fan was the first to speak.

“Are you Ye Junze?” Lei Fan asked.

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Ye Junze was somewhat surprised, not expecting Lei Fan to know his name, but he nodded in reply, “Yes, that’s me.”

Lei Fan smiled upon hearing this. “You did well just now.”

Ye Junze was curious how Lei Fan knew, but then realized the room was likely some kind of formation. It wasn’t surprising that Lei Fan could observe through it.

Before he could speak, Lei Fan waved his hand and added, “Though, there are still areas where you could improve.”

Hearing this, Ye Junze didn’t feel offended. Though he had noticed some flaws himself, there is truth in the saying that those involved are often blind to their own faults, while bystanders see clearly. As his teacher, viewing from an omniscient perspective, Lei Fan’s words surely carried weight.

Nodding slowly, Ye Junze replied humbly, “Please, Teacher Lei, guide me.”

Lei Fan saw his modest and unpretentious attitude and was quite pleased—not only in expression but also deep within.

He thought to himself, “No wonder the others speak so highly of this boy—modest, courteous, not arrogant. Very good, truly good.”

With that thought, Lei Fan waved his hand and said, “It’s not really teaching. This lesson is about identifying your shortcomings in practical combat so I can instruct you. Since you’ve come out, I’ll just say a few things. If you feel some points are off or have a different understanding, feel free to raise your doubts; we can discuss them together.”

Ye Junze looked surprised, not expecting Teacher Lei to be so strict yet considerate. He nodded and responded, “Understood, Teacher Lei.”

Lei Fan nodded and said directly, “For example, the move you used against the Phantom just now—if you lower the point of your elbow strike slightly and then flip your palm while striking the face, wouldn’t that be more effective?”

Ye Junze recalled the battle and pondered thoughtfully.

Lei Fan smiled slightly, watching him with satisfaction.

After a moment, Ye Junze realized that following Lei Fan’s suggestion would indeed maximize his force and be a more effective tactic against an opponent.

His eyes brightened with understanding, surprised at how helpful Lei Fan’s casual remark was—just a simple suggestion revealing flaws he hadn’t noticed before.

Looking up at Lei Fan with delight, he smiled and said, “That’s right; I thought about it just now, and it would definitely be better that way. Thank you for the guidance, Teacher Lei.”

Lei Fan waved his hand. “It’s nothing. You’d probably discover this after more battles anyway. I’m just giving you the concept early.”

Ye Junze grinned, half-joking, “Now that you’ve said that, I’m sure there are more things I’m doing wrong. I hope Teacher Lei won’t hold back.”

Lei Fan smiled in mock exasperation and said, “What kind of words are those! You think I’m hiding anything? Since you said that, I’ll tell you properly—just hope you don’t find me nagging.”

Ye Junze hurriedly waved his hands, smiling, “Of course not! I’m glad you’re helping me improve. I wouldn’t think it’s nagging at all.”

Lei Fan smiled and said, “Alright, alright. Looks like the others will take some time. Let me tell you a bit more then.”

Ye Junze was naturally delighted; opportunities to have someone willingly help identify one’s shortcomings were rare. Now that he had the chance, he intended to seize it fully.

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Without paying attention to what Ye Junze was thinking, Lei Fan continued slowly, “I saw you used a magical device during the fight, but your handling of it was rather crude.”

Ye Junze scratched his head awkwardly, realizing he had just been roughly smashing the small cauldron around, exactly as Lei Fan said—crude to say the least. In fact, he thought Lei Fan’s words were mild; from his own perspective, his use had been extremely rough.

After some thought, Ye Junze explained, “I haven’t learned any techniques for controlling devices, so I can only manipulate them by will using spiritual energy.”

Lei Fan nodded understandingly. “That makes sense. You’ll probably learn device control techniques later on, so I won’t dwell on it now. But I can teach you some basic methods so that you won’t just rely on brute force like now in future battles.”

Ye Junze’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Thank you very much, Teacher Lei.”

Lei Fan waved his hand, “No need to thank me. Seeing you all grow stronger quickly makes us teachers happy.”

Ye Junze nodded seriously, his face solemn. The deeper he understood Anze, the more he grasped the responsibilities and what was truly being protected. As fresh blood, they needed time to grow, and until then, the outside world’s dangers would be borne by teachers like Lei Fan. At least for now, these teachers were their guardians—perhaps even willing to sacrifice themselves to protect them. Such a thing was not impossible.

This thought made Ye Junze reflective.

Seeing this, Lei Fan thought he must be deep in thought. He waved his hand, signaling Ye Junze to return to the present.

Ye Junze immediately looked up, puzzled, toward Lei Fan.

Lei Fan smiled and said, “Alright, enough of the useless talk. Let me start teaching you.”

Ye Junze nodded earnestly, full of gratitude. “Thank you very much, Teacher Lei.”

Lei Fan waved it off and began explaining patiently once more.

Under Lei Fan’s guidance, Ye Junze pondered continuously, his eyes occasionally shining as if absorbing new knowledge.

Sometimes he would look confused, gazing at Lei Fan for clarification. Seeing this, Lei Fan would repeat his explanations more clearly and systematically.

Gradually, Ye Junze’s confusion faded, and he began to understand the meaning behind Lei Fan’s words.

With Lei Fan’s instruction, Ye Junze felt he had learned much, his eyes sparkling with enjoyment as he absorbed knowledge previously beyond his reach.

Time passed quietly in this process of patient teaching and eager learning.