However, the monk did not seem to have any intention of letting Gu Jiao stop.
"The third move," he said solemnly.
It seemed that ever since the monk started demonstrating the Red-Tasseled Spear, right up to now, watching her practice it, his aura had been somewhat different from what she had ever seen before.
The third move was an intricate one within the routine, featuring a deceptive feint that demanded high speed and great flexibility.
It was only because Gu Jiao had never ceased her relentless training since arriving in this world that she hadn’t ended up breaking her own back.
Finishing this move, Gu Jiao was slightly out of breath.
The monk looked at Gu Jiao with a touch of surprise: "You still have energy left?"
Gu Jiao completed all the moves in one breath, and by all, there were actually only five, but each successive one exponentially increased in difficulty.
The monk murmured, "This girl, I had originally planned for you to practice them in three separate sessions..."
Gu Jiao’s legs were weak, and she felt as if she could collapse at any moment, but she propped herself up with the Red-Tasseled Spear.
She raised a hand, wiping the sweat from her forehead, and panted, "Is there more?"
The monk hesitated for a moment: "There is more."
He paused, as if hesitating, as if making a significant decision, "Three moves."
Gu Jiao was exhausted, seeing stars, and did not notice the conflict in his expression. She handed the Red-Tasseled Spear to him: "Let me catch my breath, then you can start."
Otherwise, her vision was too blurred.
The monk, holding the Red-Tasseled Spear, stood in the open ground under the twilight sky. The evening breeze lifted his monk’s robe, fluttering it as he gazed into the heavens.
"I’m ready," Gu Jiao said.
The monk remained still.
Gu Jiao tilted her head, "Monk?"
The monk’s grasp on the Red-Tasseled Spear tightened: "Since you want to learn, I will teach you. But remember, you must not use this spear technique for evil, nor harm the innocent with it, or I will kill you myself."
Gu Jiao was sitting on the threshold, cradling her chin and watching him, "You’re being so serious all of a sudden, I’m not used to it."
The difficulties of the last three moves were incomparable to the first six. Gu Jiao could watch and understand them, but she still lacked the strength to perform them completely.
"Let’s practice up to this point for today," the monk said.
"Oh," Gu Jiao put away the Red-Tasseled Spear.
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