Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

After bidding farewell to the Pavilion Master, Liu Xing followed Dongfang Qing out and was assigned to a courtyard adjacent to the young lady's. Personal guards weren't required to constantly be in the young lady's courtyard; they were only needed when leaving. In the Misty Rain Pavilion, there were plenty of guards, so Liu Xing's protection was naturally unnecessary. Then, Xiao Zi brought a change of clothes and dinner, and they finally settled down.

"I didn't expect to be able to enter the Misty Rain Pavilion so smoothly." Liu Xing felt like he was sleepwalking, but now that he calmed down and analyzed it, he found it was both unexpected and reasonable. Regarding identity, after the Pavilion Master personally tested the technique, he naturally knew that this was the authentic family heirloom, the Plum Blossom Sword Manual. Regarding motive, the demise of Plum Blossom Villa three years ago was well known to everyone, so it couldn't have been a self-torture tactic. Regarding strength, Liu Xing's current strength was comparable to that of a peak-level cultivator. With such accomplishments at such a young age, his future was limitless. Even the top sects would try their best to recruit him. As long as he survived, he would surely reach the Xiantian realm. Furthermore, so far, the Misty Rain Pavilion had barely paid anything for Liu Xing's stay, apart from providing him with accommodation and a nominal position. This deal was a sure win no matter how you looked at it.

Given Liu Xing's intelligence, it was naturally impossible for him to truly express gratitude and pledge his loyalty to the death. They were merely exploiting each other. His next plans were: first, diligently practicing the Ice and Water Technique to improve his skills; second, gaining more information to deepen his understanding of the world; and third, cultivating his own power. He could never forget his dream of dominating the martial arts world. However, he was still young, so many things didn't need to be rushed; he should take his time. Furthermore, he constantly reminded himself that there were always people better than others. Just because there were strange techniques like the Ice and Water Technique that enhanced perception, there were likely other strange techniques with special abilities. His knowledge was still limited, so he couldn't be arrogant or underestimate the enemy, or he would die without knowing how. With this in mind, he calmed down, closed his eyes, and began to meditate, practicing the techniques and diligently cultivating.

Liu Xing awoke from his trance at dawn, and he rose to practice swordplay in the courtyard. An hour later, the others had just woken up. He had approached Dongfang Qing today to ask how he could access the library. Without hesitation, Dongfang Qing offered him her badge, telling him to take it. Liu Xing was surprised by Dongfang Qing's complete lack of defense against him.

"Mr. Liu, don't be surprised. I trust you." Dongfang Qing covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Thank you very much, Miss." Liu Xing didn't act pretentiously. He thanked her and walked towards the library. In the next few days, he squatted in the library to read books every day. The Misty Rain Pavilion has been passed down for hundreds of years, and the collection of books is more than 100,000 volumes. Liu Xing swallowed them whole and read ten lines at a glance. He carefully memorized the things that he might need in the future, such as medicinal herbs, minerals, and materials, and quickly skimmed through the rest just to broaden his horizons. Liu Xing now has a new discovery: his memory has become stronger, and he can almost remember everything he sees. He knows that this must be another change brought about by the Ice Water Art. He has been accustomed to so many surprises. If someone is around him at this time, they will think they have seen a ghost. Liu Xing's reading speed is frightening. This is not just reading, it is simply flipping through the book, and he flips so fast that most people can't even read the words clearly before turning the page.

Xiao Zi has been unhappy recently. She can't find Liu Xing every day and thinks Liu Xing is hiding in the study and ignoring them. She hasn't heard Liu Xing playing the flute for a long time.

The Tian Wang leader arrived at Liu Xing's compound. Having not seen each other for half a month, the two brothers were delighted. Wang brought news: the Pavilion Master was preparing to attack the Wushui Gang and asked Liu Xing if he was interested in joining. Of course he was; he simply needed actual combat to improve his skills; he'd already suffered the consequences of working behind closed doors. He excitedly asked Wang when the action would begin and how he could participate. The Pavilion Master said they needed to spy on the enemy first, and once they had a firm grasp of the situation, they would wipe them out.

"I can go and spy on the enemy." Liu Xing said excitedly.

"It's very dangerous to spy on the enemy. You need to infiltrate the enemy and often you won't come back. Think about it carefully." Chief Wang reminded kindly.

"I'm young and it's not easy for me to be discovered." Liu Xing said again.

"This is an advantage for you, but you have not received professional training, so it is still too dangerous." Chief Wang shook his head and said seriously.

"How long will the training take?" Liu Xing knew he had no experience in reconnaissance. He only knew that scouts were the sharpest weapons in the army and had strong personal abilities. He took the opportunity to ask the leader for advice.

"With the teacher's hands-on instruction, you are expected to be able to act independently in five to ten years. This is what my master taught me." In order to dispel Liu Xing's idea of ​​overestimating his own abilities, Chief Wang began to tell him about the actual situation and cases of scouts.

The scouts' mission is to grasp important military intelligence such as the enemy's strength structure, troop deployment, and combat plans, to penetrate deep behind enemy lines to destroy logistical supplies, transportation, and military facilities, to carry out assassinations and other decapitation operations against enemy headquarters and senior officers, and to investigate the crime scene and use logical reasoning to determine the truth.

Scouts' skills require strong combat capabilities, at least to the point of being a skilled warrior. They must also be skilled in makeup, concealment, stealth, tracking, escaping, and assassination. They also need exceptional vision and hearing, strong observation skills, a good memory, and adaptability, along with exceptional endurance and resilience. They must also master interrogation and counter-interrogation, as well as reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance. They must also be able to make quick and accurate judgments, possessing a vast knowledge base, such as being able to judge martial arts skills through wounds and reconstruct scenes through clues. In short, scouts are a highly specialized branch of the military.

Liu Xing thought that with the uncanny power of the Ice and Water Art, this position was practically tailor-made for him. Of course, he wouldn't reveal this to Chief Wang. His only drawbacks were his inexperience and his lack of evasive skills. He could ask Brother Wang for advice. His evasive skills weren't something he could immediately master, but he would address them later. He then humbly sought advice from Brother Wang, and seeing his eagerness to learn, Brother Wang patiently explained. The day flew by, even lunch being eaten while they chatted. Brother Wang talked until his mouth was dry, but Liu Xing listened with rapt interest. Liu Xing was in high spirits, and Dayou dragged him through the night to fight, but Brother Wang couldn't bear it anymore and quickly found an excuse to leave. The next day, he asked someone to bring Liu Xing a book summarizing his experiences, but he didn't dare show up for fear of being pestered by Liu Xing. Touched, Liu Xing diligently studied the book, "A Collection of Experiences in Spying on the Enemy."

Now he finally had a clear understanding of the scout profession, and he fully grasped Brother Wang's experience. The next step was to hone his skills through practice. The Wushui Gang wasn't a second-rate sect, just a ragtag group of bandits. They probably didn't have any innate masters, so his life wouldn't be in danger. Rapid growth in personal strength required more combat, and to excel in the Misty Rain Pavilion, military exploits were essential.

Liu Xing first explained his intentions to Dongfang Qing, who was apprehensive but agreed. He then approached Dongfang Hao for the mission of spying on the enemy. Dongfang Hao praised his courage and even gave him a dagger for self-defense. Of course, given the importance of spying on the enemy, Dongfang Hao couldn't rely solely on Liu Xing and would naturally assign other scouts. Liu Xing was merely a minor move, a playful one, a playful display, so as not to discourage his enthusiasm. He then consulted Brother Wang to learn about the Wushui Gang's general situation and location, made some preparations, and then dove into the lake and swam away.