Gu Yuan took a spherical object from Di Liu, his eyes filled with curiosity as he looked at the silver-white metal sphere in his hand.
Di Liu then took out a plain-looking black great bow from his storage ring.
"What happened to my formidable and imposing Chong Xuan Chi Lian?" Gu Yuan asked Di Liu with a confused gaze.
Di Liu smiled sheepishly, "That was the forging master's idea. It has nothing to do with me."
Alright, Gu Yuan could only accept the reality.
Gu Yuan picked up the unassuming great bow and pulled the bowstring. An unexpectedly strong resistance met his fingers. Gu Yuan raised an eyebrow, surprised by its power.
The muscles in his arm tensed, and a grating sound echoed. Gu Yuan finally had to exert all his strength to pull it open two-thirds of the way.
"I forgot to tell you, both these weapons have reached the sixth-tier level. Be careful not to use too much force and strain yourself," Di Liu reminded him.
Gu Yuan gently guided the bowstring back to its original position, choosing not to release it directly, which would damage the bow.
No wonder, with his current hundreds of thousands of jin of strength, he could only pull it two-thirds of the way. As for the sphere, Gu Yuan knew it was a variable weapon made from mixed blood gold, qiushui, and some other metals.
Putting the two items away, he led Di Liu to the reception room and poured him a cup of water, his solicitous demeanor making Di Liu chuckle helplessly.
"Alright, what do you want?" Di Liu asked, taking a sip of tea.
"Hehe, I just want to go to the border for some training," Gu Yuan said somewhat sheepishly. After all, he had been in the academy for a while, and he hadn't done much except for "fleecing the wool," which made him feel a bit embarrassed.
"Okay, what, wait, go to the border?!" Di Liu hadn't heard clearly at first, but as soon as he understood, he became anxious. The border was a place prone to beast tides. Although the mortality rate wasn't as high as before, the chance of life-threatening danger was still considerable.
First Martial Arts University had invested at least over a hundred million in Gu Yuan. Just learning the "Nine Heavens Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art" alone promised an immeasurable future.
"Teacher Di, please let me finish," Gu Yuan said, startled by Di Liu, who had suddenly stood up.
"I've learned so much now. If I don't put it into practice, if I don't experience the tempering of blood and fire, what's the use of learning so much? Don't you think so, Teacher Di?" Gu Yuan asked Di Liu seriously.
Di Liu looked at Gu Yuan's earnest and serious expression and knew he wasn't joking. He opened his mouth to say something but ultimately remained silent and sat back down with a sigh.
As a teacher at the academy, how could he not understand these principles? However, the number of students who died during training each year exceeded those killed by fierce beasts and demons after graduation.
But there was no choice. To improve in martial arts, one had to undergo combat, sublimate oneself in battle, and become stronger. This was the meaning of martial arts. If one only practiced in the rear, their combat power would not even be one-tenth of that of a martial artist who had emerged from the battlefield.
"Then are you sure you've thought this through, Gu Yuan? You know that this journey might mean you never return," Di Liu's voice was somewhat somber. He remembered many students who had bid him farewell with confidence, just like Gu Yuan, and some were only reported missing, with no bodies ever returned.
"I've thought it through, Teacher Di. If I don't go this time, then the meaning of me becoming a martial artist will cease to exist, and the gap between me and other geniuses will only widen." Gu Yuan's voice was very serious; this concerned the height he could reach in the future.
"Alright, since you've decided, I'll report it to the principal. You wait here," Di Liu finally compromised, deciding to ask the principal.
"Okay, Teacher Di, please go ahead. I'll wait here," Gu Yuan said with a smile.
Di Liu nodded, and his figure flickered, disappearing from the spot.
Meanwhile, in the principal's office, the principal was, as usual, sitting at his desk, looking at official documents.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in!" the principal said without looking up.
"Principal," Di Liu walked in, closed the door, and sat opposite the principal.
"What is it, Teacher Di?" the principal asked with a smile.
"Principal, Gu Yuan wants to go to the border for training," Di Liu said with a low tone.
"Sigh," the principal put down his documents and sighed softly.
"Teacher Di, every batch of students makes this choice. What can we do? This is our fate as martial artists. Even if you don't want them to sacrifice themselves during training, there's nothing you can do. If they can't undergo training, their title as geniuses becomes a joke, do you understand?" Ye Tianyuan said earnestly to Di Liu.
He had served as the principal of First Martial Arts University for so many years and had seen countless geniuses die. Among them were people he was very close to, such as a former disciple he had taken on as his apprentice before he even enrolled. However, he had met his untimely end in a beast tide. Over the years, he had come to terms with it and no longer tried to stop students from going on training missions, for this was the path of martial arts.
"Principal, don't I know that? But seeing them, at their prime, die in border training... after all these years, my heart still feels uneasy," Di Liu's emotions were somewhat breaking down. Many of his close students had lost their lives during training.
"My child, you are too attached," the principal sighed and said softly.
Di Liu remained silent, then quietly rose and left the principal's office. He had understood the principal's meaning.
After leaving the principal's office, Di Liu took out his communicator and sent Gu Yuan a message. The gist was that the principal had agreed to his choice to train at the border. However, this border must be one of the nine great passes of the world, Dà Lóng Pass, with which First Martial Arts University cooperated.
Ye Tianyuan watched Di Liu leave, picked up his documents, and began to write in silence. However, the knuckles of his right hand gripping the pen turned white from the force, indicating his inner turmoil.
The path of martial arts is not a path of severing emotions and desires, so how could one not be heartbroken?
But he experienced these events every year, and over time, his feelings had dulled.
Di Liu left the principal's small pavilion and returned to Gu Yuan's villa.
Gu Yuan led Di Liu to the sofa and poured him another cup of water. He noticed that Di Liu seemed a bit down but didn't know why and couldn't offer any comfort, so he gave up.
Di Liu took a deep breath and slowly said to Gu Yuan, "You can go to Dà Lóng Pass for training."
"But you must guarantee your own safety while training, understand?" Di Liu said sternly to Gu Yuan.
"Okay, I understand," Gu Yuan nodded seriously.
"Pack your things, let's go. I'll escort you to Dà Lóng Pass," Di Liu said, standing up.
Gu Yuan nodded and turned to pack his belongings.