Chapter 787: A True Master Always Harbors the Heart of an Apprentice

In a place far, far away lay a forest, and within that forest stood range upon range of mountains.

Whoosh!

An incredibly fast figure leaped from one mountain range to another, then came to a halt atop the second range.

Soon another figure appeared behind, but compared to the first, this second one seemed rather clumsy, even swaying unsteadily as it stood on the peak.

Is this... a fat panda?

"Master! Wait for me, wait for me!"

"Hurry over; time waits for no one!"

"But Master, it's too far; I can't leap across in one jump."

"If you can't make it in one jump, can't you just take two?"

"..."

After being scolded by the Master, the panda felt deeply ashamed; gritting its teeth, it resolved to exert all its strength to complete the training.

"Ah!"

Boom!

It tried to leap over Gaoshan in a single bound like the Master, but the fat panda clearly lacked such ability, ultimately tumbling into the depression between the two mountain ridges.

"Ah!!!"

It was evident that the fat panda had suffered a painful fall.

Yet it did not give up, for the Master was waiting for it on the peak ahead.

The Master's time was limited; if it didn't hurry over, it would never be able to keep pace with the Master!

Thinking thus, the fat panda quickly scrambled to its feet, revealing the "CFA" emblem on its chest—the symbol of the Chinese National Football Team.

"Come on!"

The panda cheered itself on, charging from the mountain base all the way to the summit.

Although the panda was no ordinary creature, even it required twenty minutes to ascend such a towering mountain.

The good news was that the Master had not departed directly but stood atop the peak, back turned, waiting for it.

"Master, huff, huff, Master... I've made it up."

"Too slow."

The Master turned around.

It was a large cat standing upright.

Whoosh!

With a light leap covering thirty meters, the large cat landed directly before the panda: "Let's continue; we must return home before nightfall."

"Huff, huff, Master, could you let me rest a while? I'm about to collapse..."

"..."

Master Cat said nothing, merely gazing down with an air of superiority at the panda collapsed before him.

He sighed, then finally spoke.

"Ah Bao... you must understand that in this world we have countless natural enemies. Do you think that just because you defeated the desert camel and the python of the Southeast Asian forests, you are invincible? Do you know that far away in Africa there are lions, and in the north there are terrifying brown bears..."

"If you continue training like this, how will you survive when heavenly calamities strike and the world falls into chaos?"

"But... Master, Ah Bao doesn't understand. Doesn't Ah Bao have you? Neither the African lions nor the northern brown bears are a match for you, Master!"

Ah Bao stood up, looking at the Master with admiration, only to be slapped across the face by the Master the very next second.

Slap!

"Damn it, you useless thing!"

The Master knocked Ah Bao to the ground with one swipe: "I can protect you for a moment, but can I protect you for your entire life?"

"Master, but you are still young!"

Hearing this, the Master merely shook his head, stroking his feline whiskers: "Today is already my twenty-third birthday..."

"But Master, I am already over thirty years old; you are younger than me..."

"..."

The corner of the Master's mouth twitched: "You are a panda; I am a cat! How can those be the same? Thirty years is still young for you, but at twenty-three, I have already entered my twilight years!"

Having said this, the Master used his paw to groom his whiskers once more.

His whiskers had already turned completely white.

"Very well, Master. I understand."

Ah Bao stood up, his gaze becoming utterly resolute: "Then I will study diligently under the Master, so that someday I can defeat those African lions and northern brown bears!"

Just as they prepared to head toward the next mountain range, Ah Bao suddenly thought of something and asked: "Master, there is one thing I do not understand."

The Master ahead stopped, chewing gum, and turned back to look at Ah Bao: "What is it?"

"You have already claimed the pinnacle of the martial world three times and are unmatched under heaven; why do you still personally lead me in training? Surely you no longer need to train yourself?"

"..."

The Master remained silent, merely chewing his gum.

"Although I have reached the pinnacle of the martial world, that does not mean there are no creatures in this world superior to me. The ferocity of the lion and the strength of the brown bear are both examples for us to learn from."

He stroked his whiskers.

"Although I am already at the advanced age of twenty-three, as long as I can still take one step forward, I will never give up—never."

Wow...