Princess Embroidered Jade could see it: that man had his own style. At first, he was just learning and imitating—there was even a moment when he looked exactly like he was using the "Falling Leaves, Flying Flowers" technique. But beneath all the surface tricks, she could see the backbone of his methods. He clearly had ideas of his own. After five throws, he had already absorbed and blended the techniques of ordinary throwing knives and "Falling Leaves, Flying Flowers" into his own approach—yet without losing his unique flair.
It was truly an incredible ability, but you couldn't exactly call it the No-Dust Mind State.
It's like someone who already knows how to ride a motorcycle; even if it's their first time on an electric scooter, they'll quickly figure it out. But that doesn't mean they're some kind of electric scooter genius.
But that's easy to fix—just switch it up! So you can ride a motorcycle, huh? No problem, let's see you drive a car. Can't drive a car? Try flying a plane. Can't fly a plane? Well then... go paint traditional Chinese art! There's gotta be something you've never touched before, and sooner or later we'll find out if you're really a quick learner.
So, under the remote guidance of Princess Embroidered Jade and Princess Flower Shifter, the real test began for our two candidates—or more accurately, for Fiona Fang's personal suffering saga.
At the same time, Night Lily and all the palace maids began their own tale of woe. Even though they were supposed to be the examiners, it felt more like they were the ones getting roasted over the coals. It's like having a Nobel Prize winner in your class—every teacher is on edge, tiptoeing around, and nobody knows just how many Nobel Prizes that student actually has.
Bottom line: in the test of sharp senses and quick reflexes, all the palace maids were utterly defeated. Whether it was spotting things or listening for sounds, they lost every round. No surprise there—even Fiona Fang knew his perception was off the charts. Princess Flower Shifter had seen him go toe-to-toe with the Golden Blade King, so she was well aware of his superhuman senses.
Next up was footwork, which is super important in real combat. With the big boss's approval, Night Lily brought out the good stuff: she used the official entry-level disciple footwork as the test. The rules were simple—two people face off, and whoever can touch the other's back first wins.
Fiona Fang, of course, was left dizzy and disoriented—by the end of the day, she felt like she was seeing illusions everywhere and had lost completely. But the palace maid teaching the footwork was just as dizzy and way more frustrated, because the fool kept effortlessly finding the weak spots in her moves. She couldn't even figure out how it happened, but she kept getting tapped on the back again and again. If this were a real fight, she'd have been dead a dozen times over.
Footwork round: total defeat.
Princess Flower Shifter was fine with this. In the thirty-odd exchanges with the Golden Blade King, even though she was mostly using her internal energy to guide the fool, it was clear he had a solid foundation and impressive footwork.
But the next test should stump the fool for sure—no way he's ever tried this before: medicine!
And the perfect patient for the test was still lying in bed: Rachel Luo, with the palace medical officer already performing acupuncture treatment.
"Miss Luo has been confined for a long time, so her blood and energy are blocked. We're using blood-pushing techniques and acupuncture to treat her," the medical officer explained. Then she asked, "So, how would you treat her?"
Rachel Luo's case wasn't complicated—the diagnosis was simple. It was just a matter of patience and precision; every step had to be followed exactly. She never expected these two to actually treat her—just coming up with a decent plan would be impressive enough. Following Princess Flower Shifter's orders, she even brought out a stack of medical texts for the fool: "Take these and study them. You can come see me anytime in the next three days."
But suddenly, the fool spoke up: "Your needles are wrong."
"Huh?" The medical officer was surprised, and a little amused. "What's wrong with them?" She'd followed the medical theory and reference books to the letter—how could it be wrong?
"Here." He suddenly reached out and pulled out a silver needle. The medical officer tried to stop him, but it was too late. He started rearranging the needles—pulling them out, sticking them back in—quick and steady. At first, the medical officer was totally lost; some of the needles weren't even on proper acupuncture points, and every time he stuck one in, it drew blood. It looked like he was just messing around.
But soon enough, Rachel Luo's face turned red, she clenched her teeth and looked dazed, clearly struggling to hold back something. After a moment, she couldn't help but cry out—not what you're thinking, just: "So itchy!"
"Itchy?" Itching is actually a good sign—it means the blood and energy are flowing. But she'd been working on this for ages and still hadn't fully cleared the blockage, so how did his wild poking get it done?
But the fool wasn't done yet—he started kneading Rachel Luo's limbs. Fiona Fang smacked him on the head and scolded, "Hey, you idiot, quit messing with girls!" But the medical officer stopped her, because she was starting to get it. The fool was tapping and pressing Rachel Luo's arms and legs—not with much force, but the technique wasn't really massage, more like martial arts moves. After just a few rounds, Rachel Luo was blushing, squirming, sweating, and barely holding it together.
Finally, when she couldn't take it anymore, Rachel Luo curled up, laughing uncontrollably like someone being tickled to death: "Hahaha, stop, stop touching me!" After a couple laughs, she suddenly exclaimed, "My hands and feet—they can move!" She turned to look for the fool, but all she saw was his calm figure walking away as everyone watched.
Fiona Fang was the first to snap out of it and ran up to smack him on the shoulder: "You idiot, you can actually heal people?"
"Nope," the fool replied honestly. "She just had blocked blood and energy, not a real illness." If it had been a different disease, he might've been helpless, but Rachel Luo's situation was right up his alley. When it comes to observing and guiding blood and energy, nothing beats Internal Martial Arts for speed and effectiveness.
"Then why didn't you help Rachel earlier?" Fiona Fang asked, suspicious. "Were you just waiting to watch the show?"
The fool was still honest: "No one asked me to."
"Uh..." Fiona Fang was at a loss for words.
Bottom line: another test, another fail.
This chapter's not over yet ^.^—click next page to keep reading!
That night, by the pond deep in the valley, the fool stood quietly. He watched the rippling water, lost in thought. "Blood and energy... internal energy..." He reached out, just like when he bathed before, and pressed his hand to the water. Ding—a crisp sound like ice cubes clinking, and ripples spread out. Inside the ring of ripples, the water was as smooth as a mirror, perfectly reflecting the starry sky above. But after a moment, the surface started to ripple and shake again.
He picked up his hand and shook his head. "Still don't get it."
Just then, a voice called out from afar: "Hey, fool! Fool!" Turning around, he saw Fiona Fang running over, waving her arms. "What are you doing here? I've been looking for you everywhere!"
The fool said nothing, just looked at her. Fiona Fang's gaze suddenly became evasive. She hesitated for a long moment before blurting out, "Um, your clothes—the ones the Golden Blade King ripped—I managed to fix them." She pulled something from behind her back: it was the kung fu outfit. The fool took it and saw it was now washed and mended. The stitches weren't all that neat, with loose threads sticking out here and there, but you could tell she'd put in a lot of effort.
"I'm not that good at sewing, so don't laugh at me!" Fiona Fang fiddled with the hem, eyes darting around, then snuck a peek at the fool. He gently stroked the kung fu outfit and suddenly gave her a smile. Like ice melting into spring water, it was silent but radiant—a real fool could never manage such a heartfelt, moving smile.
"Wh-what are you smiling at!" Fiona Fang's eyes widened and she swallowed nervously, like a cat with its fur on end. Then she blushed, spun around, and bolted, shouting as she ran, "Anyway, the Golden Blade King was actually here for me. You jumped out to stop him—I, I really appreciate it!"
Fiona Fang dashed off, way faster than when she was practicing footwork earlier. The fool didn't seem to get why she ran off; he blinked and shook his head, like someone trying to clear away sleepiness. When he opened his eyes, they were even brighter than before.
The next morning, the two princesses continued healing the fool with their internal energy. Once again, they became like statues of ice and jade, one in front and one behind, sandwiching him in the middle—if you want to put it crudely, the position stayed the same. And just like yesterday, the fool stared wide-eyed at Princess Embroidered Jade. Only he wasn't just looking at her face—he was scanning every inch of her, especially her chest and lower abdomen.
His gaze was like a nail, as if he could see right into her flesh. Princess Embroidered Jade was royalty and a top martial artist—she'd never experienced this before. She was usually cool and unflappable, but now she couldn't help frowning and withdrawing her energy.
Princess Flower Shifter poked her head out. "What's wrong, sis? Done so soon?"
"It's nothing." She didn't want to say more, or maybe didn't know what to say. But Princess Flower Shifter, who'd been by her side since childhood, just grinned and teased, "Is that big fool staring at you again?"
A faint blush flashed across Princess Embroidered Jade's pretty face, and Princess Flower Shifter pounced on her like she'd discovered a new continent, teasing her nonstop. Then she looked at the fool, puzzled: "No-Dust Mind State is supposed to be free of worldly desires, so why is he like this?"
"No idea," Princess Embroidered Jade replied. The fool's gaze hadn't been the look you'd give a beauty, and showed no trace of lust or distraction. He was focused and puzzled, full of curious inquiry—like a top student stumped by a tough problem. And he only stared like that when she was healing him, never otherwise. It really baffled her.
Obviously, if that wasn't the case, Princess Embroidered Jade would've smacked him dead ages ago.
"Forget it, it's no big deal—let's keep going." Princess Embroidered Jade steadied herself. "So, how do you want to test today?"
"Palm techniques, boxing, swordplay—I brought out a bunch of good stuff."
Princess Embroidered Jade glanced at the fool and suddenly sighed, "But honestly, I don't think we'll ever figure it out."
A little while later, out on the training grounds, Night Lily took a deep breath and tried to steady her nerves.
Fiona Fang still looked full of energy, like yesterday's defeat hadn't fazed her at all. As her aunt, Night Lily smiled with relief. But the fool seemed different today—his gaze was clearer. Still expressionless, but somehow he seemed upgraded, like he'd gone from basic poker face to a high-level three-no expression. Instant coolness boost.
Facing this version of the fool, Night Lily felt nervous. She'd already realized yesterday that she was outmatched, but today felt even worse. Still, she had to press on, so she said, "Today's test is palm and fist techniques. Our school's palm technique is subtle, varied, light but not flimsy—one of the best out there. I'll demonstrate a set—watch closely!"
With that, Night Lily stepped up and performed a set of palm techniques. In a flash, Fiona Fang's jaw dropped—she had no idea how to keep track. Night Lily was middle-aged, but her figure was still fit, and her moves were like the most dazzling dance—soaring one moment, landing the next, her skirt swirling as her palms blossomed like flowers. It was truly a sight to behold.
It wasn't just her—even the palace maids watching were stunned. This palm technique wasn't your average move; it was called "Peachblossom Strike." Seventeen routes, each named after a different flower, and each route had endless variations—like infinite petals falling. To truly master it would take ten years, and you'd need forty or fifty years of internal energy to unleash its full power. For the palace maids, this was the best technique they could hope to learn.
Using this as a test... this isn't just recruiting disciples anymore. Even a once-in-a-century martial arts prodigy couldn't memorize all that!
Night Lily demonstrated for a full fifteen minutes before stopping—and that was just one route of the Peachblossom Strike. To show the whole thing would take an hour. "Alright, your turn. Remember, not a single mistake," she said, skipping the dazed Fiona Fang and focusing on the fool. After his recent surprises, she still didn't believe he could figure out the Peachblossom Strike—it was the most complicated set of palm techniques around.
Sure enough, the fool didn't move. He just stood there, thinking hard, then suddenly asked, "Why?"
The fool rarely asked questions, so Night Lily was caught off guard. "Why what?"
"Why do it this way?" the fool stared at her. "Why not a single mistake? Why so complicated?"
Night Lily chuckled, "It's for fighting, of course. This palm technique can counter almost any move—if you master it, you'll always have a way to deal with any enemy, and a way to break their moves." Beginners ask this all the time, so Night Lily wasn't surprised.
But the fool just shook his head. "No need."
"What did you say?"
"Your palm technique is pointless—doesn't need to be this complicated."
The palace maids erupted in shock at the fool's words. Night Lily was getting annoyed. This palm technique was the essence of palace martial arts, proven in real battles—how could it be pointless? She frowned, "Then show us a couple moves. Let me see how you'd break it!"
Fiona Fang saw things getting tense and quickly tugged the fool's sleeve, trying to shut him up. But the fool just shook his head: "Don't know any moves, don't know how to demonstrate."
Seeing his clueless look, the palace maids laughed again. Night Lily couldn't help but smile too—why take a fool so seriously? But then the fool stepped forward, calmly taking a stance, eyes shining: "Real combat."