Chapter 160: The Strange Madness

Zhang Zhenshan’s madness indeed had nothing to do with his martial arts techniques. The root cause lay in his dantian.

Due to a series of transformations, his dantian had altered the nature of the qi he had cultivated, irregularly causing conditions similar to martial arts deviation.

This kind of madness wasn’t particularly difficult to cure. Not even alchemy was required. It could be treated simply by collecting certain herbs and decocting them.

It seemed like an ordinary illness.

At first glance, that appeared to be the case. However, Li Tan, refusing to give up, reread the bamboo slips several times and discovered a previously overlooked detail.

Besides occurring naturally, this madness could also be deliberately induced in others by human intervention.

Li Tan immediately thought of those black-robed figures. It was highly likely that Zhang Zhenshan’s condition had been caused by them secretly. Their goal was clearly to kill Zhang Zhenshan without leaving any trace or raising suspicion.

Adding to this, Liu Yong had appeared here and had already become an inner sect disciple. Li Tan couldn’t help but feel anxious about their intentions.

The reason he had successfully prevented the black-robed figures’ plan back in Linjiang was largely due to his memories from his previous life. However, now those memories only provided him with clues about the upcoming ancestral tomb event over a month away. He had no knowledge of the black-robed figures or their motives.

Under such circumstances, one misstep could lead to total failure.

Nevertheless, even though the situation was dangerous, Li Tan had no intention of backing down.

After all, danger and opportunity always went hand in hand.

Time passed quickly until noon, when Qiu Jue and Xue Ying visited together.

After receiving permission to enter, both were particularly surprised, especially Xue Ying. Therefore, Li Tan had to repeat the explanation he had previously given to Qiu Jue in order to dispel her doubts.

They explained their purpose: in the afternoon, there would be a lecture by Elder Su, and all tasks were suspended.

Li Tan actually had little interest in wasting his time, but considering the need to maintain a low profile and not disappoint the two of them, he reluctantly agreed to attend.

Once the main topic was finished, Xue Ying and the others had not yet left when Qiu Jue curiously asked, “Although tasks are suspended during the lecture, is it really okay for you not to help in the kitchen?”

Xue Ying, showing concern, asked, “That cook didn’t do anything to you, right?”

“That cook is actually quite nice. He’s not some sadist like you might be imagining. Because of this afternoon’s lecture, he even specifically gave me the day off.”

Li Tan skillfully fabricated a lie on the spot.

To his relief, neither Qiu Jue nor Xue Ying showed any suspicion. Instead, they both simultaneously expressed that those senior disciples who spread rumors must have ulterior motives.

Was this trust?

Perhaps.

The three of them stayed together for a while, delaying their meal, and then headed together to Elder Su’s lecture venue.

The place was very spacious, with tables and chairs sufficient to accommodate over a hundred people. Probably because of the nature of the course, all attendees were new disciples. Although the room was filled, it still felt quite empty.

Originally, Li Tan was sitting together with Qiu Jue, but Xue Ying insisted on moving the pitiful-looking Qiu Jue to the front row and kept sneaking glances at Li Tan, who seemingly dozed with his eyes closed.

Soon, Elder Su arrived and immediately announced the topic of the lecture with his first sentence: “In this session, I will share with all of you matters concerning the Flying Wolf Sword Technique.”

The Flying Wolf Sword Technique was a sword method that all disciples of Tianlang Sect were required to cultivate, similar to a fundamental sword technique. Yesterday, in the package containing the sect rules, half of its content was related to this technique, specifically the first three forms of the Flying Wolf Sword Technique.

It was the first lecture, and it was related to martial skills, so everyone immediately became energetic and attentive. Only Li Tan yawned, appearing indifferent and clearly out of place, completely unaware of how obvious his behavior was.

Elder Su felt disrespected and somewhat angry. However, recalling Zhang Chenghuan’s instructions, he could only silently curse in his heart, “Disrespectful to elders.”

As for the other servant disciples, aside from Qiu Jue and Xue Ying, most were whispering about “pretty boy” related topics.

Seeing the atmosphere had become somewhat awkward, Xue Ying tugged at Li Tan’s sleeve and gestured with her eyes toward the surroundings.

Li Tan quickly understood and reluctantly pretended to pay attention.

Only then did Elder Su’s expression soften, and he officially began the lecture.

He spoke eloquently and fluently, but the newly initiated disciples were left completely confused, almost as if they had lost their sense of direction.

Who would teach a bunch of complete novices like this?

Old habits from his past life made Li Tan strongly desire to slap this show-off a few times and take over the lecture himself. However, considering this was the Tianlang Sect and his principle of maintaining a low profile, he restrained himself.

“The essence of the first form of the Flying Wolf Sword Technique can be summarized in one word: speed! Among all martial arts techniques, speed is unbeatable. As long as you are fast enough, no one can defeat you. The first form is called: Tianlang Descending from Heaven. You leap high into the air, gather your qi into the sword blade, and deliver a fatal blow to your enemy!”

Since when did a sword technique’s first form aim to deliver a fatal blow?

Li Tan found this increasingly strange. He flipped through the dusty sect rules he had been neglecting and finally couldn’t hold back any longer, directly standing up and shouting, “You’re wrong!”

“Tell me, where am I wrong?” Elder Su tightly furrowed his brows, his dissatisfaction clearly visible on his face. If not for considering Zhang Chenghuan’s connection, he probably would have exploded in anger like Zhou Zhi.

His lecture had been interrupted, drawing everyone’s attention to Li Tan. Almost unanimously, the disciples thought Li Tan was showing off and trying to appear superior.

“Trying to highlight his own greatness through such foolish actions.”

Even Xue Ying and Qiu Jue looked anxious.

Subconsciously, they also believed Li Tan was showing off.

Naturally, Li Tan didn’t care about their opinions at all. He stood up merely because he couldn’t bear to watch any longer.

Li Tan, with a disdainful expression, explained, “The first form of the Flying Wolf Sword Technique, Tianlang Descending from Heaven, begins with a sweeping sword movement. Then you leap. At this moment, due to the posture, the power in the sword blade isn’t particularly strong. The correct approach should be to block the enemy’s attack, retreat backward, and create distance between yourself and the enemy.”

Elder Su’s face immediately turned from green to purple, but he couldn’t really get angry.

Because upon careful thought, what Li Tan said was indeed correct. His claim about delivering a fatal blow was practically misleading students.

However, how could a teacher’s dignity be so easily discarded?

He coughed lightly twice and said, “That’s indeed a unique perspective. Everyone can also refer to it. Please sit down.”

This should have sufficed to brush the matter aside. Elder Su inexplicably felt relieved and continued lecturing, “The second form of the Flying Wolf Sword Technique is called the Starving Wolf Pouncing on Prey, and its function is…”

Elder Su continued speaking eloquently, and the disciples’ attention gradually shifted back to him.

However, another extremely harsh voice suddenly interrupted the lecture again.

“Absurd! How could the Starving Wolf Pouncing on Prey be used like this?”