The entire morning was spent fighting back and forth with Fu Hua. It feels good to be able to "compete" on equal grounds. Crushing with overwhelming strength is good. Fighting on equal grounds is also good.
Well, scratch all of that.
So long as I fight with chances of winning, that's good enough. The only thing separating life and death battles and casual sparring is the willingness to fight.
Hum-!
I sensed my sword cultivation increase slightly. The affirmation of my beliefs strengthens my sword. This becomes more important now that I lost the boost from my Void Refinement Realm mental power. Ironically, it is my body and qi that progresses continuously.
I have a feeling they might catch up with my peak stage mental cultivation. Going from the peak of Purple Mansion Realm to the early stage of Golden Core Realm is a huge leap.
It can take a year to decades given the opportunities here.
I dare not to underestimate the honkai hacks anymore.
"What happened to Sin?"
I looked at Bronya. Her aura can easily attract attention. Part of it belongs to her youthfulness; the other from her unique charm.
The only problem with her is… she doesn't grow at all. We left her far behind.
"She bragged twice and got slapped in the face twice."
"...It sounds like her thing."
"She embarrassed herself in the face of fellow cultivators."
"..."
I could not help but compare Bronya to Seele. The latter already looks like her fifteen year old self. Kiana, Seele, and I left Bronya in terms of physical growth.
"Anyways, we might have two new visitors now and then."
"Understood. The Bronya will receive them well."
Just then, the white-haired Tuna popped out of nowhere.
"Bronya? I thought you were practicing today?"
"The Bronya finished it ahead of schedule. I have successfully mastered all of my techniques to the [Small Accomplishment] stage."
"..!"
Akin to a cat's tail being stepped on, Kiana jolted at her in surprise. She then redirected her surprised gaze to me.
"Bronya is different from you. She's smarter." I commented.
To be fair, Kiana is cheating with her Herrscher Core, hence her advanced masteries. Bronya had non yet she was able to do the same.
Kiana's qi cultivation technique is on the verge of the [Great Accomplishment] mastery. The rest of her techniques are still stuck at the [Small Accomplishment] mastery.
Fortunately, the effects of her qi cultivation technique can help her in this regard.
Her main cultivation technique's [Small Accomplishment] effect boosts one technique to the [Small Accomplishment] whenever one other technique reaches [Small Accomplishment]; a buy-one-take-one, per se.
The technique's [Great Accomplishment], however, opens up a mysterious space inside her. It is a simulation space that allows her to arbitrarily release spells at will. Kiana does not have to worry about consumption, thus being able to practice spells endlessly.
Its biggest effect lies in a "multiplier" that gives her insights out of nowhere. This multiplier is reliant on her mastered techniques. One [Small Accomplishment] technique boost it by 5% while one [Great Accomplishment] boosts it by 20%.
This stacks endlessly. The boost becomes stronger when her qi cultivation technique reaches higher masteries.
It is a bonafide protagonist-level cheat.
"I am smart too!"
"That's relative to ordinary people. We are cultivators, Kiana."
"Humph…"
An ominous foreboding feeling came to my mind.
Looking at her eyes and then her smile, there are 99.4% chances she is cooking something.
Worse…
I know what it is.
With one step, Kiana appeared on my side.
"I will be borrowing him for a bit!"
Kiana unscrupulously used her Herrscher Authority to teleport us away. The poor Bronya got baffled by this series of events.
I found myself in a random dark alleyway. The Tuna pushed my back against the concrete wall.
She acted like a bonafide hooligan about to take advantage of someone—me.
Her flawless hand touched my chest. Her double braids swayed, adding more to the mischievous look she is giving me. Her signature white-orange jacket became a witness to this crime.
Wordlessly, she bit onto my neck. The tip of her tongue brushed past my skin.
"Ow…"
"Hum. Aren't I smart?" She asked.
Kiana's playful eyes met mine.
I finally understood what she is up to. She led everything up to this point.
"You are too greedy."
"There's nothing wrong with it!" She replied. "It's like the old times."
I closed my eyes.
For a month, I was half-expectant and half-worried. Everything was still fine a week after her supposed confession.
Things changed in the second week.
Kiana wanted more alone time. It gradually affected our daily life—even our practice life wasn't spared. When I tried to rectify it by lessening the time of contact, Kiana became even more aggressive in our next meetings. That effect extended up to now.
If it wasn't for embarrassment and my good self-control, we might have done some unspeakable things by now.
I opened my eyes. Her teeth sank in my shoulder. The playfulness in her eyes changed to longing.
…
Where did my gullible Tuna go?
When it comes to pervertedness, her IQ goes off the charts.
A few minutes later, she was done playing around with my shoulder and neck. These hickeys can go away with a simple spell, but Kiana wanted to let it be during our time.
The passersby did not notice us. Our strong mental cultivation can make us non-existent in the eyes of mortals. It is not a simple light concealment. Our physical body can pass through the unknowing mortals.
Unfortunately, this weapon is used to find remote places for us to spend our time.
I combed her hair with my right hand. Every time I did so, I felt a jolt on her body. My left arm remained on her god-like waist. Every time I held it in my hands, it feels surreal... and satisfying. It makes me want to do some ungodly things... but I stayed at the head patting range for now.
Kiana likes head pats very much. I happily complied whenever she was busy biting me.
She retracted her head. She faced me directly. Without a blink, her lips went for mine.
Her bright blue eyes narrowed as her tongue went inside my mouth.
Due to her hastiness, the tip of her tongue slammed against the roof of my mouth. She froze in this awkward moment. Her face turned red as her chest heaved up and down. Her breathing turned faster as she broke out of our kiss. Thin silver lines connected us momentarily.
Seeing her vulnerable look, I did not hesitate to strike back.
"That happens when you eat hastily. Back when we ate those roast meat, you choked several times…"
"It's not the same as that!" She hesitated for a while and said, "You taste better than it."
"..."
My heart skipped a beat. I, a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, nearly had trouble breathing.
It is my turn to become flustered. All sorts of chaotic and wild thoughts entered my head.
Forget them, it's my time to teach her something.
It is my turn to initiate a kiss. Our lips met. Although surprised, Kiana cooperated by opening her mouth. The bottom of my tongue rested atop hers. Then, it swirled around her. It did not take long for the two of us to become entangled in this deep kiss.
Just then, a gaze landed on us.
Both of us got forcibly removed from this immersive state. We are hiding with Purple Mansion Realm capabilities. This shouldn't be possible, yet it happened. I can only attribute it to the honkai.
I followed the source of that gaze and saw an uninvited guest.
Bianka.
At this moment, her startled look is reflected in my eyes.