Two days had passed since the duel.
Chi, Yu, and Lianhua sat around the dining table, warm light spilling over the dishes between them.
Lianhua's lips curved into a bright grin. "Alright, good news, everyone…" — she held up her hands with a dramatic ta-da! — "I got your systems back!"
Chi and Yu froze mid-bite, eyes widening in disbelief.
From beside Lianhua, two faint orbs of light flickered into being — familiar, glowing softly as if hesitant to appear.
"We… we're sorry," one voice said sheepishly.
The other followed quickly, "Yeah, we didn't mean to disappear like that. We just—"
Chi and Yu stared for a second, then both laughed — a real, unrestrained laugh that filled the quiet house.
"It's fine," Chi said, shaking his head. "Welcome back, partners."
Yu grinned wide. "You owe us an explanation, though. And maybe a few upgrades."
Both system orbs pulsed guiltily — and maybe just a little proudly.
The two systems began compensating for their mistakes — and for the duo's stunning performance in the duel.
Moments later, the room filled with shimmering light as items materialized one after another: glowing elixirs, intricate formation arrays, martial arts manuals bound in spirit-thread, and weapons humming faintly with suppressed power.
Chi and Yu blinked, frozen in place as the table almost overflowed.
"Uh…" Chi finally said, "is this… legal?"
Yu's eyes sparkled like a kid in a candy store. "Man, where were you hiding all this stuff?" he asked, grabbing one of the glowing manuals with excitement.
His system's voice sounded suspiciously proud.
"Classified information."
Chi, straight to the point as always, crossed his arms. His expression clearly showed that the so-called rewards weren't cutting it for him.
"So," he said flatly, "what were you guys doing?"
The two systems froze. "Umm… we… were… just updating?" one of them said, sounding unsure — even to itself.
"Updating?" Chi repeated, confused.
"Yes! Yes, we were updating," the other system quickly added. "It's, uh… similar to your cultivation. We just… lost track of time!"
Chi narrowed his eyes. "Alright. But next time, just tell us ahead when you two decide to 'update.'" His tone had the weight of someone used to being in charge.
"R-right, noted," the systems muttered.
"Alright then!" Yu clapped his hands together, clearly trying to change the topic. "Let's check out all these shiny new toys!"
And so, the two started training again. Days turned into months, and before they knew it, a whole year had passed, it was the first day of summer holidays Now in twelfth class, both Chi and Yu had top scores in their academy. Arin and Kael had gone off to top universities—barely scraping by, much to the juniors' amusement.
Even their birthdays had come and gone, and now the duo was begging for one thing they'd been denied for years.
"Dad, Mom, Uncle—please let us use swords now!" Chi pleaded dramatically, sitting on the floor with folded legs, fake tears rolling down his face.
"Yes! We're old enough, please, Masters!" Yu joined in, matching his friend's theatrics perfectly.
The three adults sat on the couch, watching the display. Both fathers tried their best to keep straight faces, savoring the rare moment of power they held over their children. Lianhua, however, looked deadly serious.
"No!" she snapped. "You two are barely twelve. You're not touching a sword—or any weapon—for that matter!"
"It's fine, Lianhua," Yuanhai said, trying to calm her. "We've already taught them techniques far more dangerous than a normal sword."
Chi's father chuckled. "Exactly. And besides, if they really wanted to, they could turn their own hands into weapons. Have you forgotten what age you first held a sword?"
Lianhua froze.
Chi's eyes widened with curiosity. "Wait—what age did Mom hold a weapon? Tell me!" he pressed eagerly.
Yuanhai smirked. "That was when she was—"
Lianhua quickly cut him off. "That was then! Now is different. They're still kids. You know full well what swords can do."
"Lianhua," Haoran said gently, "this time it's for their university exam. They I'll have to face beasts in that exam If a sword helps them survive, shouldn't they at least learn to use it properly?"
She frowned, torn, then sighed. "Ugh… Fine. But remember—you can be a qiweaver too"
"Yesss! We did it!"
All the boys—Yu, Chi, and their dads—cheered in unison, clapping each other's hands like they'd just taken down an S-rank beast.
"Alright, it's settled," Haoran said with a grin.
Lianhua rubbed her temples. "Call Loch tomorrow. He'll be the one teaching you two personally with me.
"Okay," the children replied in unison.
Buddy and Liora floated around little Lian, who laughed and tried to catch them with her small hands. The sight felt timeless—warm, peaceful, almost as if the world itself paused to watch.
Right now, Yu and Chi, along with their bonds, were at the eighth stage of Foundation Establishment, their energy slowly stabilizing toward a breakthrough.
Morning sunlight spilled across the backyard. Standing there, besides Chi, Yu, and Lianhua, was Loch, dressed in an attire unusually different for him.
The two kids ran along the training track—Loch's first order of the day. Their breathing grew heavier with each lap, but their strides never faltered.
"Don't you think he looks weirder than usual?" Yu muttered between gasps.
"It's just the clothes," Chi replied, panting lightly. "We've seen him in that one black robe for years. Anyone would look weird after that."
"Right… you think they can hear us?" Yu asked, glancing toward their masters.
"They probably can," Chi answered dryly.
The laps were finally done.
Chi and Yu stopped, panting, their shirts clinging with sweat. Before they could catch their breath, Lianhua stepped forward, holding two wooden swords.
"This," she said firmly, handing them over, "is your weapon for the months to come."
Loch crossed his arms, his gaze sharp but calm.
"Don't treat it like some external thing," he said. "Treat it as an extension of your body. From now on—" his tone dropped, almost too casually,
"—you'll eat, sleep, walk… even shit with this sword in your hand."
Both boys blinked, dumbfounded.
"Wait—what!?" Yu shouted, nearly dropping his sword.
Loch didn't even flinch. "You drop it, you start again. From day one."