# 462
Chapter 462 – Training Plan
Four-hundred-plus characters a page, thirty-six pages per copy, five copies in total… that’s over seventy-two thousand words!
All handwritten.
How did he even manage…
Lin Qiye finally understood what Zhou Ping had been doing after yesterday’s combat drill—he’d vanished to write this.
Lin Qiye pored over the document. It dissected his fighting style in detail, color-coded annotations crowding the margins.
“…Calm-headed in battle, adept at pressuring foes with varied abilities; clever combo flow, yet occasional misjudgments. Some moves over-elaborate, sacrificing offense.”
“…Saber-work upper-mid tier; draw speed good, but transitions between several variations lack fluency—e.g., the third cut…”
“…Dual-blade style more flexible than single-saber, synergizes well with Forbidden Ruins, yet footwork for stance-swaps can still be optimized…”
“…”
Half an hour later Lin Qiye finished the thick stack. Some flaws he’d sensed but hadn’t known how to fix; others he’d never noticed at all. The report convinced him his combat method was still raw.
“Based on each of you—and the forbidden artifacts you hold—I’ve drawn up individual plans.” Zhou Ping pulled more papers from a cardboard box and handed them out.
Lin Qiye accepted his and flipped through.
“Training has three parts. Part one: mental-power drills—everyone together. Part two: personalized training. Part three… you’ll find out.”
Lin Qiye’s plan detailed only the second part. His eyes danced across the page; his expression turned colorful.
“Spar with Jialan while she wields Celestial Gate?” He stared at Zhou Ping, who merely nodded.
“Your abilities are too mixed, their synergy not yet seamless. Fine for now, but higher realms will strain you. You just obtained White Slash; you need live combat to bond with the blade. Among us, only Jialan can pressure you.”
Lin Qiye pondered.
“And my task is… play tic-tac-toe while in Black King form?” Cao Yuan gaped.
“Black King mode is strong, but you fight on pure instinct—primitive. You must stay conscious inside that state. Tic-tac-toe is simple enough to coax your real mind awake, wrestling the Black King for control.”
“Then why am I the one playing tic-tac-toe with Crazy Cao?!” Baili Pangpang yelped. “I don’t need to fight myself!”
“Same issue as Lin Qiye: too many forbidden artifacts, need live practice,” Zhou Ping said evenly. “While Cao Yuan struggles for control, someone must draw the Black King’s aggro so his real self can resurface. You two are perfect sparring partners.”
“So when he’s sane we play chess, and when he loses it I become a punching bag?”
“Exactly.”
An Qingyu’s eyes lit up when he saw his plan.
Zhou Ping continued: “An Qingyu, you grow by dissecting Mystery corpses—possibility approaches infinity. Your sole assignment: dissection. I’ll supply the specimens.”
Having delivered every plan, Zhou Ping dragged the box away, checked his watch, and said, “Begin whenever you’re ready.” He strode to his room and slammed the door.
The five youths exchanged glances.
“Since Sword Saint arranged it, let’s start,” Lin Qiye said, turning to Jialan.
She nodded, drew the Celestial Gate spear from its case—then Baili Pangpang interrupted.
“Hold on!” he twitched. “Jialan, you two take it outside. Two jabs from Celestial Gate and this warehouse collapses.”
Lin Qiye agreed. “Good point. Let’s find somewhere empty—just us.”
Hearing “just us,” Jialan blinked, cheeks reddening. She followed meekly.
Once they left, An Qingyu commandeered a room for a lab, leaving only Baili Pangpang and Cao Yuan.
Baili drew a giant tic-tac-toe grid on the ground, fetched two twigs, tossed one to Cao Yuan, and sat.
“I’ll draw now…” Cao Yuan murmured.
“Sure…” Baili swallowed. “You can hold back, right?”
“I’ll try.”
Cao Yuan gripped his hilt, eased the blade half an inch free. Baleful black flames erupted; scarlet eyes opened. The pressure slammed into Baili.
“Uh, Lao Cao… my turn first?”
He scratched a circle in a corner.
“Your move.”
The Black-King Cao Yuan ignored the grid, staring fixedly at Baili, head cocked.
“Maybe you could put it—” Baili sweated, reaching to guide the next mark.
Crack!
The twig in Cao Yuan’s hand snapped. Grin widening, he raised his blade.
“Heh-heh-heh-heh…”
“…”
Baili’s face went white.
The next instant, earth-shaking thunder and jet-black light exploded across the warehouse floor.