Bedchamber.

“Ready?”

In the open space of the circular chamber, Bubai locked eyes with Xiao Lan standing squarely across from him, exuding an icy aura with her hand resting on the hilt of her sheathed sword.

Bubai channeled his Qi to his eyes, sharpening his senses. Raising his dagger, he ran his finger along its blade, taking in every detail of the battlefield with unprecedented clarity before declaring, "Ready.”

At his words, Xiao Lan’s stance dipped into a slight crouch, and Bubai immediately detected the telltale surge of Qi gathering at her foot-

Whoosh! In the blink of an eye, Xiao Lan closed the gap between them!

Shing! The unmistakable sound of steel leaving its sheath prompted Bubai’s dagger to instinctively snap up, just in time to- Clang!

So fast! And… so heavy!

Bubai’s eyes flicked over to the blade that was stopped a hair’s breath away from his neck. If he didn’t stop that with all his might, it would have decapitated him!

Honestly, if all her blows were as fierce as this one, then there would be no contest...

Fortunately, Xiao Lan’s subsequent strikes weren’t as fierce, but Bubai still acutely felt each blow was much, much heavier than in their previous practice sessions.

If not for his strengthened physique, perhaps he would have already been disarmed by the strange rhythm of her sword flow!

It seems Xiao Lan was no longer keeping her hand in this bout. So, it was bout time he kicked things up a notch.

Cling! Cling! Clang! Matching the intensity of her blows, Bubai’s eyes began searching back and forth over her body...

Pinpointing some openings, Bubai immediately abandoned any restraint and launched into a relentless offensive, unleashing a flurry of stabs and jabs, finally following up with a slash!

Cling! The blocked dagger slid off the blade, slipping into Bubai’s other hand waiting below. Catching his dagger, he seamlessly followed up with an upper cut! Clang!

The sword recoiled into the air from his blow, leaving the sword maiden’s body vulnerable! Taking advantage of the moment, his dagger pierced forward at her throat-

Xiao Lan took a step to the side, her neck evading the dagger by a hair’s breath! Her sword drew a semi-circle, coming around just in time to intercept the dagger chasing her neck!

Cling! Bubai let his dagger roll around her blade, his body dipping to the side, avoiding the sweeping counterattack from her sword and breaching her comfort zone, forcing her to retreat.

Like an extension of his will, the dagger fell back into his hands, and so did the rhythm of the battle!

Exploiting every opportunity, Bubai continued dishing out blows from the most unexpected angles!

Cling! Clang! Dang!

Facing Bubai’s tight offensive, Xiao Lan’s sword flowed in perfect harmony with her willowy frame, blocking, deflecting, and weaving around his every strike.

Yet, Bubai’s assault was like a game of chess, calculated to leave her little room to maneuver. Thus, she was forced to retreat step by step…

However, their battlefield was only so big!

Quickly, Xiao Lan was cornered against the chamber’s wall, having no more space to evade Bubai’s next strike!

Just when victory seemed within grasp for Bubai, Xiao Lan defied all expectations!

With a twist of her lithe body, she continued her retreat, stepping up the chamber's wall as if defying gravity itself!

Like a spider moving along its web, her feet adhered seamlessly to the vertical surface, rendering her wall walking eerily fluid!

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Clang! Cling! Cling!

Despite the unconventional terrain, Xiao Lan maintained her defensive stance, steadily parrying Bubai’s strikes.

At the same time, Bubai actually saw her free hand silently forming incantations, a chilling prelude to the impending onslaught!

Oh no, he still couldn’t stop her in the end!

Seeing the water droplets condensing in the air around Xiao Lan, Bubai quickly pulled away!

But in mere moments, the water droplets had already coalesced into small, sharp swords, all floating around Xiao Lan. With an icy intent, she uttered, "Water Style: Flying Swordfish."

Whoosh! Like a barrage of missiles, the swords of water shot forth, rotating through the air and closing in on Bubai like missiles!

Fortunately, thanks to his quick retreat, it gave him the crucial buffer to avoid the initial onset of the barrage!

Puff! Puff! Puff!

The first few projectiles crashed into the ground with explosive force, transforming into puddles of water upon impact!

But the remainder swerved in mid-air, chasing after their mark!

With split-second timing, Bubai contorted his body into a one-handed handstand, letting most of the swords whiz past him below!

Following a slight twist of his body, he watched three too-close-for-comfort water swords narrowly slipped in between his Y-shaped figure, whizzing past his armpits and in between his wide-open legs-

But his instincts blared a warning the next second!

A surge of Qi instantly gushed forth from both his foot, propelling Bubai downward with explosive force, just in time to avoid the final, delayed water sword aimed at his third leg!

After breaking his fall with an ungraceful roll, Bubai bounced back to his feet and his eyes immediately darted to where the final water sword exploded against the edge of the black obsidian bed-block, sending a spray of black dust into the air.

Seeing the splashing water darkening from the stains of dust, Bubai looked over at Xiao Lan with wide eyes and couldn’t help but curse, “Oi, Xiao Lan, are you trying to end our lineage before it even begins?!”

Xiao Lan's response was a mask of icy coldness, as if she had entered a mode completely detached from the mortal world.

With her violet hair flowing with power, the sword maiden stood before him like an ethereal goddess of water, streams of water swirling and dancing around her in perfect harmony.

Okay. It seems Xiao Lan is finally serious today and willing to show a whole new chapter of her abilities.

This was no longer going to be as easy as before, but… this was exactly what he wanted!

Switching the dagger to his other hand, Bubai lunged forward! Swoosh!

Facing a cultivator with ranged attacks, he didn’t have the leisure to wait around! So, take the initiative to breach her defense!

In response to his assault, Xiao Lan’s skyward finger gun swept down like a sword. The streams of water responded to her command, weaving into a net to impede his path!

But Bubai was quick. A burst of true Qi encased his free hand, which left blurry afterimages in the air, delivering multiple strikes throughout the curtain of water-

The clash of Qi caused the streams of water to lose control, dispersing into a rain of water droplets!

Clang! Bubai’s dagger intercepted Xiao Lan’s quick follow-up sword thrust aimed at his throat.

Merlin’s beard, she was ruthless! Yet... the blue eyes of the goddess were like a whirlpool, and Bubai still couldn’t help but be drawn into it...

Xiao Lan took advantage of the opening, pressing her attack, her sword fluid as water itself, finally drawing blood-

The pain from the shallow cut awakened Bubai. His dagger twirled in his hand, deflecting the sword!

Clang! Clang! Clang! Their blades clashed, the sound ringing out in the chamber as Bubai’s wound healed at a visible pace.

Yet, neither combatant mentioned it, wholly focused on the fight.

Xiao Lan was certainly a master of her craft, her movements like poetry in motion. Adding on the interference from the tentacles of water, Bubai could only defend!

Ducking, dodging, and weaving, his agile physique barely kept him afloat as he sought to find an opening.

Splash. His foot stepped into a puddle of water, and his instincts blared-

Whoosh! A surge of water erupted from the small pool on the ground, its tentacles entangling his legs like icy chains! A restriction technique!

“One Sword Style…” The icy voice sent Bubai’s mind into overdrive.

Oom! Qi exploded from his legs, dispelling the water chains! Immediately, his strange footwork quickly pulled himself away from the symphony of steel and water-

“Water Dragon Shock.” Fwoosh! An arc of energy cut a trail through the shallow puddles of water, splashing up a wave!

The sword energy sliced through the air, and it took mere moments for it to encroach upon the limits of the chamber-

Crack! The innocent sandstone table was splintered in half like paper roughly torn apart!

Yet, the remnant energy still surged forward, crashing into the white jade wall before finally dispersing, leaving a shallow scratch and traces of water behind...

Wiping the water off his face, a spark of excitement danced in Bubai’s eyes, “Is that the legendary sword intent?”

Unfortunately… Xiao Lan’s reply was a denial, “Any genius mastering sword intent has long... been sent away to the Sword Gate. That is... only an application of… sword aura.”

“Oh.” Bubai was a bit disappointed.

Glancing over at the Xiao Lan who had finally left her goddess mode, now with her breath coming out in ragged gasps, he didn’t push further, “Xiao Lan, that’s enough training for today.”

Xiao Lan's lips formed a tight line for a moment before finally nodding. Her eyes scanned the wet floor, taking note of the scattered debris from her earlier strike. "I'll clean. Go."

Nice. Bubai has to say: It feels good to just output all he wants and not having to worry about cleaning up the mess after a training session!

The benefits of having a diligent, responsible home tutor!

Bubai walked over, embracing his cultivation secretary by her waist. “Thanks for your hard work, Xiao Lan. Rest well, you can slowly teach me next time.”

Staring into his eyes, Xiao Lan demurely inclined her head, “En. Listen to you.”

Bubai planted a quick kiss on her soft lips before pulling away, “Alright, I’m off. Take care.”

“En.”