Chapter 82: Cheating?
Clang-!
The sharp collision of their spears rang out across the already battered training hall as Klein stepped in.
His weapon slid along the length of Shui Yinran’s spear before snapping upward, forcing her to pivot slightly to redirect the force while maintaining her footing on the cracked ground beneath them.
Shui Yinran twisted her wrist and redirected his spear to the side before countering with a swift thrust to his shoulder.
But Klein shifted just enough for the blade to miss as he brought the shaft of his spear down to intercept her follow-up.
Clack-!
The weapons locked briefly before they separated again, both stepping back half a pace, only to close the distance once more in the next instant.
"By the way," Shui Yinran spoke mid-exchange as she swept her spear low, forcing Klein to lift his leg slightly to avoid it, "where is Master right now?"
Klein deflected her next thrust with a slight tilt of his spear, "I don’t know."
She frowned slightly and immediately pivoted into another strike, her spear arcing toward his neck with precision.
"You don’t know?" she pressed as Klein leaned back just enough for the blade to pass in front of him before he stepped in again, closing the gap.
"I said what I said," he replied simply, their weapons clashing once more with a sharp metallic ring as he pushed her spear away and forced a brief opening.
She clicked her tongue softly, clearly dissatisfied with the answer, but chose not to pursue it further for now.
"Then tell me this. How did it feel... entering the Boundary state during our match?"
He slid her spear aside and stepped back, creating a small gap between them as he rolled his wrist.
"...It felt normal."
Shui Yinran frowned slightly at that answer, "Normal? Do you even understand what-"
"I can enter it manually anyway."
HUH? Her spear halted mid-motion, just inches away from initiating the next strike as her eyes widened slightly.
"...What?"
The training hall fell silent.
"I said, I can enter Boundary whenever I want."
Shui Yinran just stared at him "This is no time for joke-"
Boundary Technique: Verdant Serpent
In that moment, Klein’s mind and body synchronized perfectly as his every muscle, nerve, and instinct aligned in a state of absolute clarity.
His muscles moved without hesitation.
Swoosh-!
Klein’s figure blurred.
The spear in his hand transformed into a streak of motion, leaving behind faint green-tinted afterimages that twisted and coiled like a living snake in an unpredictable pattern.
Shui Yinran’s pupils shrank, and her body reacted before her mind could fully comprehend it.
Her spear shot up defensively, positioning itself in the only place that felt correct against the incoming strike.
CLANG!
The collision rang out violently, and the force behind Klein’s strike surged through her weapon and into her arms like a coiled beast unraveling upon impact.
Her feet slid back.
The ground beneath her cracked as she was pushed several steps backward, her expression shifting instantly from irritation to shock as the vibrations traveled up her arms, numbing them for a split second.
’What... was that?’
’He added a technique into the boundary realm?’
She barely had time to think.
Because Klein didn’t stop.
The moment their weapons separated, his spear moved again.
It turned into a twisting, spiraling path, and the green afterimages overlapped and wove together in a pattern that was both beautiful and deadly.
Her eyes followed the motion without blinking, completely drawn into the elegance and precision of the technique unfolding before her.
"...Amazing," she whispered in a soft voice, stripped of arrogance and irritation, leaving behind only genuine admiration.
In the next instant, Klein’s spear stopped right in front of her face.
So close that she could feel the faint pressure of it against her skin, and the wind from its movement brushed past her hair, causing a few loose strands to sway gently across her cheek.
Silence filled the space between them.
Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say more, but for a moment, no words came out as her mind struggled to catch up with what she just witnessed.
Retracting the spear, he looked down at his palm ’I wanted to try ’Original Spear’ but it seems like my body is still too weak to utilize that technique.’
He did one move during their duel, which already took some toll on his body.
Original Spear is also a technique he created, but he never taught it to anyone, even to his close disciples... except one.
A faint sigh escaped his lips before he pushed it aside and reached into his pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper.
He extended the paper toward her.
"Here, buy me this."
She snapped out of her stupor and glanced at the paper.
"Hm?" She blinked once before stepping forward and taking the paper from his hand as she unfolded it and began reading through the contents.
"This..." she murmured, and her gaze sharpened as she read more carefully, clearly recognizing the structure behind the ingredients listed.
She glanced up at him briefly before looking back at the paper.
"Are you trying to create a potion or a pill?"
"These ingredients... they’re all focused on body strengthening."
Klein raised an eyebrow in amusement "You can tell?"
She gave a small nod, folding the paper again as she tapped it lightly against her palm.
"In our Yan Dynasty, people specialize in these kinds of things. Body strengthening pills, marrow refinement elixirs and bone tempering techniques... it’s not uncommon there."
A brief pause followed before she spoke, "Even I’ve used body-strengthening pills before."
Klein smiled faintly, ’Well... in my past life, I got this recipe from the Murim side.’
With a nod, he spoke "Well, buy these ingredients for me."
Mhm. Shui Yinran also nodded at first, still half-absorbed in the earlier shock as her mind lingered on the boundary state and the technique he just showed.
But just as she was about to fold the paper and agree...
She froze.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"...Wait."
She slowly raised her head "WAIT. WHY AM I BUYING THIS FOR YOU?"
"I AM NOT YOUR SERVANT."
"I am your master," he replied calmly before turning around as if the conversation is already over.
"You should at least do this much."
"NO!" she shot back immediately, taking a step forward, clearly refusing to let that slide.
"Why would I listen to you?! And what about the Boundary- hey- HEY, DON’T YOU DARE WALK AWAY!"
But Klein already started walking, completely ignoring her.
"Oi!" Shui Yinran’s voice echoed behind him as she hurried after him, irritation written all over her face. "We are not done talking!"
No response.
"KLEIN!"
Still nothing.
Her eye twitched again as she clenched the paper in her hand, glaring at his back.
"...This bastard..." she muttered under her breath, though instead of throwing the paper away, she kept it.
Then she scoffed lightly, shaking her head as she continued walking after him.
"...Tch. I’ll just buy it this once."
---
After leaving the training hall, Klein made his way back toward the top floor of the Spirit Division.
The corridor was mostly empty, with only the faint sound of wind brushing against the tall windows.
As he turned the corner, he saw her.
Eleanor De Valeria.
She was already standing there, her figure illuminated softly by the light filtering in from the windows behind her, her long hair swaying faintly as her gaze lifted to meet his the moment he appeared.
A gentle smile formed on her lips.
But her mind wasn’t gentle...
’FUCK YEAH!’
’When he came just now, I stood in an elegant pose as the wind brushed my hair, I must have looked so stylish and beautiful in front of him... Muhehehehehe.’
’Calm down, my heart, I am just going to have a little conversation with him. That’s all.’
’A-And maybe touch him a little.’
Without hesitation, she stepped forward, and her movements were graceful and composed as she closed the distance between them.
"Klein Faress. Your performance in the duel was splendid."
With that, she extended her hand towards him.
Klein looked at her hand for a brief moment before reaching out and taking it "Thank you, Saintess."
At that moment, a soft, flowing energy began to seep from her palm into his as it spread through his body like a gentle current.
Klein’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The sensation was unlike mana or intent.
It was... life itself.
A quiet, nurturing energy that flowed through his veins, easing the subtle strain left behind from earlier, brushing against his muscles and bones as if soothing them from within.
’I feel a lot better...’
His gaze narrowed slightly ’I wonder if I can recruit her into my [Party].’
As he was about to speak, suddenly the world stopped.
He turned his head and looked at the beautiful woman standing beside him "...Azara."
Looking at him, a cold glint passed through her eyes "Are you cheating on me?"
Klein: -_-’ What?
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