Volume One: Entering the Path, Chapter 118: Charisma

As time passed, Lei Fan provided more and more instruction to Ye Junze. Ye Junze, like a greedy child, continuously absorbed the wealth of knowledge contained in Lei Fan’s teachings.

While the two of them were occupied with this, the first phase for the others was proceeding in an orderly fashion, and some appeared to be nearing completion of this stage. Suddenly, the doors to several rooms burst open. Sensing this, Lei Fan turned his head to look toward those rooms. Upon seeing that people had emerged, he withdrew his gaze and said to Ye Junze, "Very well, those are the problems identified for now. I have taught you everything I can; the rest will depend on your own slow realization."

Ye Junze nodded slowly and said with a sincere expression, "Thank you, Teacher Lei."

Lei Fan waved his hand and said, "Let’s skip the formalities. Why don't you take some time to reflect on what we just discussed? Please excuse me; I need to check on the others."

Ye Junze nodded in understanding and said with a smile, "Of course, I won't keep you any longer, Teacher Lei."

Lei Fan waved his hand again without saying anything else and walked toward the group that had just exited the rooms. Ye Junze watched him leave before turning his attention away. Thinking over all the points Lei Fan had just taught him, Ye Junze rubbed his temples. It felt like a daunting task to apply everything he had learned to real-world combat all at once. Fortunately, Ye Junze’s mindset was quite resilient.

"Forget it," he thought to himself. "Take it slow. It won't be long before I can use all of this skillfully." He shook his head and decided not to dwell on it any further.

With these thoughts tucked away, Ye Junze looked around. He saw that more and more people were emerging from the rooms, having evidently defeated their own phantoms. Among them, several gathered around Lei Fan, presumably seeking his guidance as well. Ye Junze’s gaze shifted continuously until he spotted a familiar figure in the crowd. After a brief moment of thought, he made up his mind, nodded, and stood up to head toward that person.

Within a few steps, he reached the individual, tapped him on the shoulder, and asked, "You're out too? How did it go?"

The person turned around and, upon seeing Ye Junze, exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, Ye Junze! It's you. I came out looking for you but couldn't find you; I thought you were still inside. When did you come out?"

The person was, of course, Li Ling. Ye Junze smiled and replied, "I was over there the whole time. There are so many people here now, it’s no wonder you didn’t see me."

Li Ling nodded thoughtfully. "True enough." He then waved his hand and continued, "Never mind that for now. How did you do? Was it smooth?"

Ye Junze nodded. "Not bad, not too difficult. How about you?"

"About the same. I feel like it went pretty smoothly," Li Ling said with a smile.

Ye Junze nodded. "That’s good." He looked at the crowd nearby and, struck by a thought, asked Li Ling, "They all seem to be getting guidance from Teacher Lei. Don't you want to go over and listen?"

Li Ling waved his hand. "No rush. I caught most of it already. I’ll just ask the teacher about a few specific problems later."

Seeing that Li Ling had his own plan, Ye Junze didn't press the matter and nodded in acknowledgment. Li Ling’s eyes darted around, and he asked, "Come to think of it, don't tell me you were the first one to come out of the rooms again?"

Ye Junze looked at Li Ling, surprised by the question, and felt a bit sheepish. He nodded awkwardly and replied, "Um, I suppose I was."

Hearing this, Li Ling couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration. "Sometimes I really wonder if you’re even human. Are you some kind of monster in a human body?"

Ye Junze laughed in exasperation. "What are you talking about? You're the monster."

Li Ling waved his hand dismissively. "I can't help but think that way. Look at you—you’ve only been in our Daoism Department for a short time, and yet every time something happens, you’re the first one to finish. It’s hard not to be suspicious."

Ye Junze replied helplessly, "Maybe I’m just lucky."

Li Ling clicked his tongue again. "Luck? If it happened once or twice, maybe. But for it to happen so many times in a row? That’s more than just 'good luck'."

Unexpectedly, Ye Junze nodded deeply. Then, with a hint of self-aggrandizement, he said, "Of course, it also has a lot to do with my formidable strength and brilliant wisdom."

"Well, after hearing that, I don't know about your strength, but your level of thick-skinnedness is definitely top-tier," Li Ling said, giving him a thumbs-up.

Ye Junze couldn't help but laugh, swatting away Li Ling’s thumb and retorting, "Go to hell."

Li Ling laughed, unbothered, then composed himself and said seriously, "Speaking of which, it's been a while. The others should be coming out soon, right?"

Ye Junze nodded. "I should think so. Yun Tianhan and the others aren't lacking in strength; they might just be struggling to find their footing because it's their first time facing this kind of challenge. But once they figure it out, they’ll pass quickly."

"You're right. This first phase really isn't that hard. To me, it’s barely an appetizer," Li Ling replied.

Ye Junze’s eyes lit up, and he teased, "Oh, I didn't realize our Young Master Li was so modest. As expected of someone from a wealthy family; your standards are much higher."

Li Ling waved his hands, retorting, "Go on, go on. I think you're the one holding back. You usually don't show off, but whenever it counts, you always surprise people."

Ye Junze wanted to argue, but upon reflection, he realized it was true. So, he put on an insufferable, smug expression and said, "True. Perhaps that is just one of the benefits of my powerful charisma."

Li Ling clicked his tongue, scrutinizing Ye Junze’s face as if looking for clues. "Ye Junze, why didn't I realize before that your skin was so thick? Your ability to spout nonsense with such a straight face is truly a talent. I concede."

Ye Junze waved his hand. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. How could I ever steal the spotlight from Young Master Li?"

Li Ling laughed, "Cut it out!"

Suddenly, a voice interrupted their banter. "Hey, Li Ling, Ye Junze, you're both here!"

The two turned toward the source of the sound and saw Fan Yan walking slowly toward them. They both waved in greeting. Once Fan Yan was close, Ye Junze smiled and asked, "Looks like you passed too. How do you feel?"

Fan Yan waved her hand immediately, panting heavily without regard for her image. "Don't ask, I'm exhausted." She looked as though she would have collapsed onto the ground right then and there if not for the people around them.

Li Ling said quickly, "Don't rush, take your time."

Fan Yan waved again. "It's fine. I was just unfamiliar with it at first and suffered a bit, but it got better once I adapted. Let me just catch my breath."

The two men exchanged a look. Li Ling turned and walked away, returning a moment later with a few cups of water. Handing one to Fan Yan, he said, "Drink. Don't worry, it's clean; I haven't touched it."

Fan Yan’s face flushed slightly, but she took the cup and drank greedily. After finishing it, she wiped her mouth and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, thank you. I feel much better now."

"There's more if you need it," Li Ling said, offering the cup again. Fan Yan didn't refuse, though she didn't drink immediately.

Looking at her, Li Ling couldn't help but say, "You're a girl, can't you save some energy? Why push yourself so hard?"

Fan Yan waved her hand. "You wouldn't understand." She didn't offer any further explanation.

Li Ling rubbed his nose in frustration, not knowing what to say, and looked at Ye Junze for help. Ye Junze gave him an even more helpless look and shrugged, as if to say, *Don't look at me, I don't understand either.*

Fortunately, another greeting broke the awkward silence.

"Ye Junze, Li Ling, oh, and Fan Yan! You're all out? See? What did I tell you!" A voice full of surprise reached them.

The three turned to see Lu Renjia and Yun Tianhan walking toward them together. Li Ling looked at the pair as they approached. "Oh? You two finally made it out. Good, we're all here now."

With a tacit understanding, they looked at each other and smiled, the joy in their laughter feeling almost tangible. Having spent only a few days together, they had already begun to treat each other like friends.