''Hm...''

It was probably time to pay Shaolin a visit. Soon, not right at the moment.

Sitting on the Crimson Tower's rooftop, Kierra mused to herself. By this point, Cosmos had digested the majority of Emei's library. According to it, the things one could do with these cultivation methods were actually quite intriguing.

For Kierra, the more she learned about magic, the more she realized that it was more science than anything. Magic below a certain threshold had its absolute principles, and the more one comprehended them, the more they could thrive. Compared to that, qi-based magic was more of a wish machine. You wanted something magical; you willed it into existence. In a sense, it was more magical than Kierra's magic.

However, many of these cultivation methods required the user to master some form of martial arts or at least body arts.

Kierra, being the ultimate nerd wizard there was, didn't know a thing about moving her body. Sure, her body was mana-enhanced to the point of being stronger than that of most martial artists, but she didn't know how to utilize it properly.

In reality, she didn't need to. Her magic was more than enough, and even if she wanted to show some moves, she could easily copy the style of her ex, the Sword Empress. It was trivially easy for Kierra.

In any case, she also heard that Shaolin was martial arts-centric, so learning a move or two to appreciate them properly made sense.

For this, she would have to confide in someone who knew martial arts well.

Yu Chen was out of the question, so that left Tian Yun and Mie Xieren.

''Good.''

Finishing her ice cream, Kierra bid goodbye to the setting sun and jumped down. At this point, the two were still in the training area on the hundredth floor, as usual.

''Huh? Martial arts?'' Tian Yun, who had some sweat on her neck and face, tilted her head.

''Learning it is good, however...'' Mie Xieren rubbed her chin for a moment.

''There are top-tier methods that won't require any martial arts. They are pretty rare, though.'' Tian Yun continued. ''Ultimately, it depends on whether you have enough time to spare.''

''I agree on that, especially with Kierra.''

Kierra quickly fell into her mind palace.

At this point, she could go with the option of finding the non-martial arts methods, or she could just learn some moves. Each option had its own pros and cons, but Kierra ultimately went for the latter one.

''Teach me.'' She confidently declared.

A mere hour later, Kierra was completely wasted, panting out of her mind.

''Hah... Hah... Hah...''

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Kierra was now dressed in a black uniform, with her long hair tied into a ponytail and her iconic witch hat missing. She leaned against the wall, feeling the life being breathed back into her tattered body.

''Good job so far, Kierra.'' Tian Yun approached with a kind smile and a tower. Beside her was Mie Xieren, who nodded approvingly.

''Okay...''

According to these two, Kierra had to master the basics first, including stamina. She was forced to stop enhancing her body with mana and run around the track for twenty minutes straight.

It was like hell.

Kierra quietly wiped her body clean with water magic and bitterly bit her lower lip. The sight was similar to a kitten who had lost her meal to a raccoon.

''Well, well, that was the warmup.'' Tian Yun patted Kierra's shoulder. ''Let us move on to stretching.''

With that, Kierra began to stretch according to the two's instructions. They were worried that Kierra would hurt herself trying the more painful ones like leg split, yet the archwizard had easily done all of them.

''Your body is quite flexible.'' Mie Xieren commented.

''Of course.'' Kierra proudly snorted.

She had tried many obscure positions in bed before; of course, her body would be flexible!

After finishing this segment, the 'real' lesson began.

Alternatively, the two sect leaders taught Kierra some basic moves that every martial art used first. Kierra quickly and easily got used to punching and kicking, which further boosted her ego.

For footwork, Kierra excelled even more. She was a master of memorization, which gave her an edge in this field.

''You learn so fast, Kierra!'' Tian Yun exclaimed.

''It's usual.''

''Mhm. For now... let me demonstrate some moves, and then Mie Xieren will also do the same. You can choose which one you want to learn afterward.''

''Alright.''

As soon As Tian Yun got into her battle stance, the whole atmosphere around her changed. Instead of the bubbly woman Kierra had seen just seconds ago, there was a refined beauty standing tall and proud.

''Ha—!''

Tian Yun pulled her fist back before launching it forward. As she did that, golden-white qi wrapped around her arm before blasting forward. A gust of intense wind formed and bloomed like a flower, directly pounding the space in front of her.

''Try it for yourself. I'll help!''

Enthusiastically, Tian Yun came behind Kierra and grabbed her arms.

''When you move the body like this...''

As she kept teaching, her body unconsciously got closer to Kierra's. It was as if the shy woman the other day was no more. When she eventually realized it, her face burned hotter than the sun.

''Y-You get the gist...'' She retreated.

Kierra got serious for once and didn't tease her further. Instead, she focused on performing the move just now. Condensing her qi around her right arm, Kierra lightly punched forward, releasing the energy according to what Tian Yun had taught her.

With a satisfying 'boom—!', the flower smoothly bloomed, warming Kierra's heart.

''It is my turn this time.''

Mie Xieren stepped in and took a stance. She then began a series of moves that was weirdly akin to dancing. She combined both legs and arms into her performance, always spinning and delivering quick strikes. With each jab, the purple aura of the abbess followed her attack, leaving behind a vivid trail.

''This is the most efficient set of moves we have.'' Mie Xieren said. ''Let me guide you.''

Just like Tian Yun, Mie Xieren enthusiastically taught Kierra how to begin the combo. She grabbed Kierra's forearms and closed in, fixing the archwizard's posture. In the process, she inevitably grazed Kierra's bosom a bit, which made her nervous. Unlike the impure Tian Yun, Mie Xieren felt uneased because of the glowing heart inside Kierra's chest...

Well, it was a lie if Mie Xieren said she didn't enjoy the pudding-like soft and slightly damp boobs of Kierra.

''...''

The archwizard paid no mind to the obvious and started to move. This one proved to be much harder than what Tian Yun showed. Kierra did it quite awkwardly at first, but over time, she got used to it.

''Phew...''

Her forehead was sweating. Her heart was pounding.

This feeling of physical exhaustion... didn't seem so bad when she got to try cool moves like these. In fact, it was rewarding. If she had to compare it, it would be similar to when she cracked a magical conundrum.

Martial arts was quite fun.

After living for more than five centuries, Kierra had learned something new about herself.