I wasn't able to get a long glimpse of Marana as they kept the door open only enough for a servant to bring some food to their prisoner, but the glimpse I caught was enough to show that the situation was even more complicated.

She looked in good condition, which was better than the alternative. More interestingly, I noticed she had been wearing a very distinct blue outfit, of the same style as the Crane Kick school. I didn't recognize the exact rank, but it was clearly not a disciple.

She was probably an instructor. Based on the System returns when she was helping me, her cultivation was somewhere between Intermediate and Advanced Skin Refinement. Though, that left the question of why the hell she was being guarded so tightly.

It was clear that she would fight during tomorrow's show. Why, I had no idea, but that was a question for the future. For now, she was safely locked in a cell, and kept comfortable. A problem, but at least, there was nothing I needed to do immediately.

I continued to sweep the floor for ten more minutes before slowly slinking away. As I left the Arena behind, I couldn't help but curse at the coincidences I had been facing … and wondering if they were actually coincidences.

I hadn't been someone to believe fate. Even when a freak injury derailed my life, I treated it as a mere coincidence more than anything.

But a change in perspective was not exactly an absurd stance. Not after I was thrown into a new world through a lightning bolt due to an irate divine being.

Ultimately, I shrugged. Whether it was coincidence, or it was something that was somehow the fault of the angry goddess — or whatever she was — that sent me here didn't matter that much, certainly not immediately. I needed to decide what to do with Marana first.

To be fair, while technically I owed her, that didn't mean I would actually risk my life for her. I would have left her there, but Elsana's presence complicated matters.

And, since they were putting some weight on tomorrow's show, I decided to play along a bit.

First, I returned to my home. Pearyin was already recovered from her breakthrough, and practicing her new moves. I watched her as she moved through the Muscle Reinforcement forms of the Forest Dance technique, her takedown moves incredibly smooth, like she had been practicing for months.

The improvement granted by her breakthrough was incredible.

It was not as incredible as how good she looked. She moved between moves, looking as graceful as a ballet dancer. I had already practiced the moves, and knew just how smoothly they connected, elevating it into something more than a random pick of several moves.

It looked fascinating when practiced by a beautiful woman, making it unfortunate that we lacked the time to celebrate.

Lost in her moves, she didn't notice my presence until I spoke. "You're extending your center of weight too much," I spoke. Rather than turning toward me, ready to engage, she jumped in fear.

"M-master," she said as I waved at her, self-conscious about her reaction. I didn't blame her for it. She might have had a martial arts cultivation that was strong enough to put her into the upper echelons of the city, but that didn't make her a competent fighter.

Luckily, I didn't need her to fight.

"Don't feel bad, you were focused on your training. How does your new realm feel."

"I-incredible," she stammered as she dragged her hand over the wall, which, despite applying no pressure, left a deep line, like she used a chisel.

Skin Refinement was an interesting realm. Muscle Reinforcement uses essence as some kind of super blood to power muscles above and beyond their usual limits. Meanwhile, Skin Refinement allowed the essence to imbue the surface of the body directly, increasing the defenses and delivering harder hits at the same time.

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If a Skin Refinement martial artist were to talk about their body being a weapon, they wouldn't be using metaphors.

Of course, in addition to that ability, there were passive improvements as well. Even without using any essence actively, they were still faster, stronger, and overall more perceptive. Altogether, a Skin Refinement realm artist could easily take down a dozen Peak Muscle Reinforcement artists at the same time.

The jump between tiers was no joke.

"Come at me," I said, making a gesture at her. For the first time since I arrived, I had the chance to spar. With everything going on, some practical experience would help despite my talent.

"A-are you sure, Master. I … I thought you were at the Muscle Reinforcement realm," she said.

I might have reacted to her words more negatively if she sounded smug just because she was in a higher realm, but she was just concerned. "I am, but don't worry about it," I said. "Just come at me with your full power," I said.

Pearyin attacked. Her inexperience was obvious as she rushed. Moreover, she clearly ignored my order to come at me with full strength, and instead used a simple Initiate stage move, thinking that the difference in strength and reaction speed would be enough to make a difference.

Admittedly, it might have made a difference … if I wasn't the one who designed those moves in the first place, and knew how to counter them easily. When she reached to grab my wrist, which would inevitably be followed by the most painless takedown I had taught her, I adjusted my arm slightly, took half a step forward, and used a throwing move.

I could have used the attack to slam her into the ground. No matter how fast and strong she was, there was very little she could do to change her trajectory while she didn't hold anything. Martial arts were amazing, but not to the point of flying unaided.

Instead, I threw her straight, which gave her plenty of time to recover so that rather than hitting the wall, she stepped gently against it. But, as she got her proper footing, she looked surprised at how it ended. "Come again. Limit yourself to Initiate moves, but use your full speed," I ordered, and she attacked again.

Her every attempt ended up in failure, but that only made her more enthusiastic. For some reason, seeing that her abilities were inferior helped her excitement rather than blunting her enthusiasm. My enhanced martial abilities proved useful once more, allowing me to fix every single mistake of hers.

We continued to spar.

I limited myself to Forest Dance. I trusted her, but only up to a point. For example, I had no idea what she would do if she was ordered by the city lord to speak. If it came to that, there was no harm in revealing that I was some kind of genius traveling for experience, and my reputation as a wastrel was just a cover.

Not only was it less threatening than a man who could invent a brand new martial technique school in a week, but also it implied that the support behind me was much bigger.

Naturally, that was the last choice, as once people believed that it was my real background, I would become a much bigger target. Even with my abilities, I didn't fancy trying to fight against an army.

And, if that story spread, there would be no System Rewards to make my life easier.

We practiced together until midnight, which helped Pearyin to get much better control of her abilities. Only when she started to use the Skin Refinement Realm moves, I was forced to defend aggressively.

It was a good exercise, which also taught me something important. Fighting across realms was even more difficult than I had first realized, which made me reconsider my decision not to break through, which would limit my benefits significantly.

Still, I persevered. I was still far faster than her, meaning I should be able to escape from anyone. And, as for fighting against the army directly, it was out of the question. Technically, I could do it if I pushed myself to reach the Connate Realm.

But the sudden appearance of an unknown Connate Realm martial artist would be a dangerous situation. It was like using an unidentified jet fighter flying above the city. It wouldn't matter if it killed gang members. It would still trigger a national emergency.

Something that needed to be avoided except as a last resort.

"It's time for more breakthroughs," I finally said.

"A-another breakthrough," she stammered in shock. "B-but, I'm already at the Skin Refinement realm."

"It's just Beginner Skin Refinement," I said. "Not to mention, with your lack of experience, I doubt you can win against another, so we're going to cheat," I said.

"I … I don't know what to say, Master," she said, looking shocked like I had just informed her that she won the lottery. Though, in a way, she did.

"Say nothing, then," I said, deliberately dismissive, hoping to reduce her enthusiasm somewhat. It didn't work. "You know the drill, lay on your back, and be ready for my help," I said.

Though, even as I walked away, I couldn't help but feel annoyed. Pearyin was even more beautiful after her multiple breakthroughs, and she was eager to thank me for everything she had received from me.

Unfortunately, with everything going on, a celebration was out of the question. Instead, I planned to spend the next hour sticking needles and feeding pills, rather than the fun alternatives.

We still had a lot of work to do.