Chapter 559 - 455: If You Want to Get By in Life, There Must Be Some Green on Your Head

’Is she trying to rob the cradle?!’

Gao Neng looked at Yi Qinglian before him, and suddenly got the feeling that someone was about to be cuckolded...

’Wait a second.’

’Wait, Yi Qinglian isn’t the one getting cheated on, is she?’

"Damn it! What is all this nonsense? No way!" Gao Neng shook his head, immediately banishing the chaotic thoughts from his mind.

"Do...?! You want to... do what?" Yi Qinglian had heard him, and her eyes went wide.

"Uh, I’m not doing anything! Okay... what I mean is... it’s so late. What could your mom and I possibly do together?" Gao Neng froze, then tried to explain. But after a moment’s thought, he realized how that sounded. "Wait... I didn’t mean anything else by that. I was just saying..."

"I believe you!" Yi Qinglian cut him off.

"..." Gao Neng.

’Why does that sound so weird?’

’Am I supposed to say, "Thank you for trusting me"?’

’But the thing is...’

’What the hell could your mom and I possibly *do*?!’

Just as Gao Neng was about to explain again, Yi Qinglian had already spun around and fled, vanishing into the night in the blink of an eye.

Leaving Gao Neng alone, his hair a mess in the north wind.

"Ah, what an unforgettable day," Gao Neng sighed. He glanced at a faint, shadowy figure in the distance before turning to walk toward Luna’s quarters.

He didn’t go into his military tent.

Because he knew it was empty.

’So why waste time going inside?’

Gao Neng was always decisive.

’If someone’s looking for me, then I’ll go *do* it... no, wait, I’ll go meet them!’

He turned around.

He picked up his pace to twice his normal walking speed.

A trail of footprints, varying in depth, was left in his wake. They shone bright and clear under the moonlight, like a string of pearls dropped into water.

"A top assassin travels a thousand miles without leaving a trace and treads on snow without making a mark. But you... leaving a trail of footprints like this when you walk? It’s an insult to the profession!" Luna’s voice suddenly rang out from behind Gao Neng.

"What assassin?" Gao Neng turned around.

Standing behind him was, of course, Luna.

But this Luna looked very minimalist. She wore only a form-fitting black Battle Garment, a seamless outfit without a single button.

It was perfectly smooth.

And therefore, all the more revealing of her curves.

Of course, that wasn’t the most important thing. What mattered most was the look in Luna’s eyes. It was filled with a kind of suppressed hope for the future.

It was a complicated expression.

At least, Gao Neng couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

Luna didn’t explain why she had summoned him. She simply answered his question. "An assassin is a king who walks in the shadows."

"..." Gao Neng.

’All right,’ Gao Neng thought. He was starting to get it.

’My ability to hide my energy signature has given Luna the wrong idea about me. And it looks like this misunderstanding is about to turn into some kind of lesson.’

’Is Luna trying to take me as her disciple?’

’But I’m already Li Tiannan’s disciple, and she knows that. Surely she wouldn’t try to poach his student, right?’

As the thought crossed his mind, he saw Luna walking toward him.

One step, then another.

And sure enough, she left no footprints on the ground.

It was as if...

...she were a ghost.

Her feet seemed to float above the ground.

"I heard you’ve studied some kind of Body Technique?" Luna spoke again.

"Yes."

"Show me."

"Alright." Gao Neng nodded.

His figure flashed.

He split into two images in front of Luna.

One on the left, one on the right.

Both lunged at Luna, hands shaped like claws.

"Two images. Not bad." Luna tilted her head back. Then, she multiplied into nine images of her own, each one striking a different pose.

Gao Neng subconsciously probed them with his Spiritual Power.

All nine images had the same energy signature. Barring any tricks, it seemed all nine could be considered Luna’s true body.

’But that doesn’t exactly follow the laws of science.’

WHAP!

Gao Neng felt a slap on his ass.

And then, just as quickly, Gao Neng’s two images and Luna’s nine vanished. Both of them were back in their original positions.

They were a little close.

But Luna clearly didn’t mind.

"See that? My Body Technique is better than yours. Want to learn it?" Luna’s style was clearly cut from the same cloth as Yi Qinglian’s—incredibly direct.

Although, there were some differences.

Yi Qinglian was direct, but still within the bounds of normalcy.

Luna’s methods, however, were far more eccentric.

She didn’t say a word before starting.

She just slapped his ass.

And then asked if he wanted to learn.

Gao Neng found it hard to refuse.

’Nine images!’

’Only an idiot would say no to that, right?’

Still, he had to show some restraint. "I mean, I want to, but I’m already Li Tiannan’s disciple. Wouldn’t it be wrong to learn someone else’s Body Technique?"

"Has Li Tiannan taught you a Body Technique?" Luna asked.

"I don’t think... he has." Gao Neng thought for a moment. Li Tiannan really hadn’t taught him one; his current Body Technique was something he’d evolved with the Melon Rind System.

Besides, it hadn’t come from Li Tiannan in the first place. It was based on Gu Yi’s Ghost Step.

"Well, there you have it. He never taught you a Body Technique, so why can’t you learn one from someone else? Besides, I’m not saying I’ll be your master. You’ll just be... ’secretly learning’ from me while we spar. Even if Elder Li finds out, what can he do to you?" Luna reasoned patiently.

"That makes a lot of sense, Madam Lu!" Gao Neng immediately nodded.

It was, indeed, a very reasonable theory.

At least, he was convinced.

"Good. Then let me ask you, besides a Body Technique, has Elder Li taught you any killing arts?" Seeing Gao Neng nod, a satisfied expression appeared on Luna’s face.

"Killing arts? He’s taught me combat techniques. My saber style is..."

"I’m talking about the art of killing! Not combat techniques. Remember, I’m asking about killing arts, understand?" Luna cut him off.

"Understood! He hasn’t taught me any!" Gao Neng immediately nodded again.

"Mm, that’s right. He hasn’t taught you, so you can teach yourself. In a little while, you’re going to ’learn’ a set of killing arts from me. Got it?" Luna said.

"Got it." Gao Neng couldn’t find a single reason to refuse.

"Good. First, I’ll explain the essentials of the art of killing." With that, Luna pulled a secret manual from somewhere on her person and openly placed it right in front of Gao Neng. "Look... this manual contains my school’s ultimate killing art. It records our three strongest killing moves. If you can manage to ’secretly learn’ all three, I’m sure your power will reach a whole new level."

"Mhm!" Gao Neng nodded his head like a chicken pecking at grain.

"Now, let me explain the difference between a killing art and a combat art... First off, combat arts focus on unleashing the body’s power and attributes. Take your One Slash, for example. It’s incredibly powerful and has a fearsome presence, but it’s not quite suitable as a killing art."

"Unsuitable? But I’ve killed people with it."

"Heh, of course you have. You haven’t just killed people; you’ve even killed a Tier Nine alien. But haven’t you noticed something? Your One Slash is much more effective against weaker opponents. When you face someone stronger, if you can’t kill them with one slash, you have to use a second, then a third... Can you still call it ’One Slash’ then?" Luna smiled, guiding his train of thought.

"No, I guess you can’t call it One Slash anymore," Gao Neng said after a moment of silence, looking up.

"Right. But the three killing arts you’re about to ’secretly learn’ are different. These arts allow you to kill opponents above your own tier." Luna didn’t wait for him to respond and continued, "For instance, if you encountered a Tier Eight Early Stage opponent right now, you might be able to fight them, but could you guarantee a one-hit kill? Fine, let’s say you could. But what if they try to run the moment they see you? Could you still kill them?"

"Then, of course... I couldn’t," Gao Neng admitted after a moment’s thought.

"Exactly! But if you manage to ’secretly learn’ my killing arts, he won’t be able to run. Because by the time he sees you, he’ll already be dead!" Luna said with conviction.

"They’re that powerful?" Gao Neng’s heart raced with excitement.

"They’re more than just ’powerful.’ And I was only talking about an ordinary person. In other words, an ordinary person who learns these three killing moves can take down an enemy one tier above them. So what happens if the person learning them is anything but ordinary?"

"Two tiers higher?"

"Hahaha! Not just two tiers. Give you the right opportunity, and you can ignore tiers altogether!" As she spoke, her eyes filled with confidence.

"Ignore tiers?!" Gao Neng’s eyes lit up. He immediately looked back at Luna. "Then what if I tried to kill you, Madam Lu?"

"Huh? You brat, would you have the heart to kill your dear Madam Lu?" Luna shot him a glare.

"Heh, of course not," Gao Neng chuckled. His gaze then unconsciously fell upon the secret manual Luna had laid open before him.

The Art of Killing!

First Form: Moon Piercing.

Second Form: Shadow Dance.

Third Form: Netherworld.

"The greatest difference between the art of killing and combat techniques lies in what you pursue with your blade. Combat techniques are all about power. The art of killing is all about speed. Furthermore, combat techniques aim for explosive force, while the art of killing aims for a fatal blow! The two most important points of a killing art, therefore, are speed and precision. Of course, I’m not saying power is unimportant. On the contrary, explosive force is vital to the art of killing. It’s just that the *method* of explosion is different for each."

As Gao Neng looked at the manual, Luna added, "Take a look at my two daggers. They’re as thin as a cicada’s wing and can slice through the wind without making a sound. But when it comes to piercing power... in the entire Alliance, aside from the Strongest, I believe no one can surpass me."

"Piercing power that no one can surpass, aside from the Strongest?" Gao Neng’s gaze snapped to the two daggers in Luna’s hands. He couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. "Those are truly fine blades."