Recently, the public class schedule at Flying Swallow Martial Arts Hall was adjusted as well.
Classes were moved from the evening to the morning, and the academy closed before dark, mainly to prevent incidents like the one with Du Men by having students stay too late.
This inevitably conflicted with the students' online classes. So, everywhere in the academy were students practicing punches with one hand while watching lectures—truly masters of both the pen and the sword!
Lu Chenzhou, however, wasn't one for dual-mind multitasking.
When it was time for class, he listened attentively. During breaks, he seized every chance to spar or train with Du Men, not wasting a single moment.
At some point, Ji Xuantong appeared in the training yard.
Everyone had always known the Lord was formidable, but had no clear sense of his power.
After the recent event, word spread from Du Men about the Lord's terrifying feats—smashing a lamp post inward with a single palm, cracking the pavement, leaping thirty meters in one bound. They were awestruck; it was simply superhuman.
Ji Xuantong clasped his hands behind his back and spoke:
"In response to the national call, the academy will soon conduct drills and public awareness on preventing Void Things. Please cooperate fully with us.
You don't need to panic. For now, the city-wide investigation is basically complete. Many Void Things have been eradicated, and the students and staff of Pingjiang Martial Arts University have also taken part in the Hunting Void campaign. Of course, some will have slipped through the net, but as long as you avoid remote or gloomy places, you'll be fine.
Ordinary, weaker Void Things only dare to target people who are alone. Where there are crowds, qi-blood forms a radiant field, creating what the ancients called "human energy."
Ordinary Void Things instinctively avoid such places.
Also, there's a pattern to the appearance of Void Things. Human negative emotions are a huge lure for lesser Void Things—rage, fear, resentment, greed, jealousy, lust, sorrow, and so on. During this special period, try to keep your emotions stable."
Du Men thought that made sense.
That night, he'd been emotionally unsteady himself.
In this regard, Lu Chenzhou was much better.
All this time knowing him, no one had ever seen him show much joy or sorrow. He was so calm it was abnormal, like nothing in the world had anything to do with him.
For people like that, ordinary Void Things never even got the chance to break in.
Ji Xuantong explained a lot about Void Thing lore, most of which was already on the Void Control Department's official website. But since Virtual Disasters were so rare, most people felt it would never happen to them and didn't really pay attention—just like fire drills.
Humans always realize the seriousness only after something goes wrong.
After Ji Xuantong finished, he let everyone ask questions freely. Most people asked what to do to escape if they ran into a Void Thing, but Lu Chenzhou suddenly said:
"Lord, you just said that those weak Void Things are troublesome because we lower-ranked martial artists can't touch them. Isn't there any way for us to make real contact and hurt them? With today's technology, surely the only way isn't just to rely on martial artists to kill Void Things…"
Everyone looked over at Lu Chenzhou.
So the Lord just wasted his time on that lecture?
Dude, if you see a Void Thing, just run to where there's lots of people.
Don't tell me you're thinking of fighting back?
Ji Xuantong stared at Lu Chenzhou and, after thinking for a moment, said:
"First off, before you become a Martial Artist, the best move if you encounter a Void Thing is to run—no argument! Of course, I understand your concern, Chenzhou. Sometimes it's just not possible to escape, and you have no choice but to fight back.
In that case, you need to explode your qi-blood as much as possible, get your spirit and energy to their peak—especially your presence! That sounds mysterious, but everyone has an invisible aura or magnetic field power in their body. If your presence is strong enough, this power has a chance of intimidating weak Void Things that act on instinct.
Whether it's physical power or True Qi, being able to affect Void Things does relate to this force. The gap between ordinary people and martial artists is that this power is too weak, so they can't form effective techniques—so the only thing you can do is unleash your presence.
That night, Du Men did pretty well.
The stress made him break out with strong presence, overcoming his fear, which slowed the rate at which the Void Thing invaded him and bought him time for me to arrive."
At this point, everyone looked at Du Men.
"You're awesome, bro!"
"No wonder you're Senior Brother Du."
Du Men was a little embarrassed and chuckled.
"Honestly, I just remembered how, when I was a kid and scared walking in the dark, I'd yell a few times. I always felt that would scare the demons and ghosts behind me away."
Ji Xuantong chuckled:
"That's right—yelling to build your presence is a human instinct. Why do some martial artists like to shout or name their moves when fighting or killing? It's not just being childish or showing off—there's a real reason.
Doing this not only intimidates your enemy's spirit but also boosts your own presence and lets you focus, so you can reach your peak state quickly. Against Void Things we can't physically touch, it does have a restraining effect. Of course, these are all just secondary—if you get the chance, still, just run! Don't get cocky!"
Everyone had a sudden realization.
Qin Zheng looked proudly at Lu Chenzhou and laughed:
"Hahaha, I'm a genius! I knew reciting moves out loud was useful! And Chenzhou mocked me for being childish. He doesn't know there's actually great meaning behind what I do…"
Ji Xuantong shot him a glance.
"What I'm talking about can only buy you a little time before being invaded by a Void Thing. As for Chenzhou's question about technological means against Void Things—actually, there are some…"
As he spoke, he turned and went back to the Martial Arts Room, coming out with a horizontal saber.
About four feet long, shimmering with a divine radiance!
Du Men exclaimed:
"That's the saber the Lord used that night to kill the Void Thing—it was awesome! He slashed that Void Thing so hard it was running for its life. Is this some kind of high-tech weapon?"
Ji Xuantong drew the saber from its sheath.
A ghostly blue blade glimmered, light and shadow shifting.
"This is my saber, Yan Yun, forged from advanced c9 alloy. It's capable of injuring Void Things. This type of new cold weapon is the latest research result from the Void Control Department. You need legal certification to own one—otherwise, it's a crime!
Oh, and the official name for weapons like this is 'Void Blade.' Do you know why we call them that?" Ji Xuantong looked at everyone.
Du Men asked:
"Because they're blades that can cut Void Things?"
Ji Xuantong laughed:
"That's just one aspect. I told you, except for martial artists, there's only one other thing that can hurt Void Things."
The crowd's faces changed.
"Void Thing?"
Use magic to defeat magic—fight Voids with Voids!
Ji Xuantong nodded.
"Exactly. The blade's material also uses resources extracted by scientists from dead Void Thing remains. That's the real core of Void Blades being able to counter Void Things!
So the output of Void Blades isn't high.
And even when only a little Void Thing material is added, a Void Blade inevitably takes on the Void's mental radiation force field. Martial artists have strong willpower and can basically ignore these effects, but for normal people or lower-ranked martial artists with weak will, carrying one for too long… might get your mind polluted by radiation!"
After hearing this, everyone felt a wave of despair—fighting Void Things was way too troublesome. No wonder the country was paying such a heavy price to manage Virtual Disasters.
Personal power was like an ant trying to stop a cart. Legends had it that the Void Realm was a Sword of Damocles hanging over human civilization!
Lu Chenzhou was still unwilling to give up.
"Lord, how do you qualify to own a Void Blade?"
He wanted to master a weapon capable of fighting Void Things,
to protect himself and his parents.
Seeing how determined Lu Chenzhou was, Ji Xuantong said:
"When you reach the Fourth Rank in cultivation and pass the Su City Void Control Bureau's assessment, then it's just a matter of money—lowest price is hundreds of thousands."
Ji Xuantong cherished Yan Yun very much. He wanted to pass it down to Ji Feiyan as the Ji Family's ancestral treasure, refining it through generations—it might even become an Inheriting Divine Weapon.
When that day comes, the Ji Family will be a true Divine Weapon clan!
After witnessing the saber's power, Du Men couldn't help but ask:
"Sorry if it's rude, Lord, but… how much did your saber cost?"
Ji Xuantong sheathed the blade and walked away.
"Mine wasn't expensive—just ten million."