"Bronya! Mei! Teacher Himeko!"
He called out to everyone he could think of, but there was no response.
"What's going on? Don't tell me nobody came back to the dorms during the break?"
Second by second, the sky had completely darkened.
Kiana had already fallen asleep, deeply asleep. Drool dripped from her mouth, soaking a patch of Bai Yan's collar.
"No choice."
Bai Yan forcibly stood up, letting Kiana hang from his body as he pulled out the Spiral Incense and swiftly lit it.
Following that strange sensation that seemed as though it would never fade, Bai Yan once again felt his body being drawn into some kind of space.
Stronger, but at What Cost?
This time, upon entering the Hyperdimensional Space, Bai Yan could clearly feel that the time he could remain there had increased.
He clenched his hands and felt full of strength, though he was a little weak.
Fortunately, Master Jingliu's lessons mainly focused on technique and would not be too intense.
Right, during today's practical training, all of his ability values...
They had clearly increased, and he had seen the numbers on the projection. Why had he not paid attention to them?
He rubbed his head, feeling like his mind was not working very well.
He slapped his face and fiercely reminded himself not to be assimilated by Kiana.
A pair of bare little feet stepped lightly across the clear water. Bai Yan did not notice them until their owner stood directly before him.
"Has your strength increased?"
Only then did Bai Yan look up at Jingliu. "It does feel that way."
He had a rough guess in mind. The amount of time he could stay in the Hyperdimensional Space might be tied to his own strength.
The first time he entered, he could stay for about fifteen minutes. Now, it had increased to twenty.
Jingliu stroked her snow-white chin and carefully examined Bai Yan.
Compared to the last time they met, the young man before her felt distinctly different.
Mm... hmm?
"Where are your earrings?"
Hearing Jingliu suddenly ask that, Bai Yan subconsciously touched his ears.
They were empty.
He suddenly remembered. "I took them off during training earlier."
Upon hearing that, Jingliu casually conjured an icy longsword and handed it to Bai Yan.
"Are we starting now?" Bai Yan immediately perked up without hesitation.
"Try thrusting your sword at me with all your strength. Go all out."
"Why?"
"A guess. Just stab at me. With your current strength, you cannot hurt me."
Given the gap between them, Jingliu could probably send Bai Yan to the ICU with a puff of air.
Bai Yan did not know what she was trying to test, but he figured he only needed to do as she said.
"Then be careful, Master—hah!"
A flash of cold light instantly reached Jingliu's chest, only to stop abruptly a foot before her.
She lightly pinched the blade between the tips of her index and middle fingers, gently shaking it as though testing its strength.
Then she nodded. "All right."
Next, she removed her own earrings, placed them in her palm, and held them out before Bai Yan.
"Put on my earrings and try again. Go all out again."
Bai Yan was puzzled and had no idea what she meant.
Whatever. Master Jingliu would not hurt him, so he might as well put them on.
The moment he put them on, Jingliu, who had been watching him, shifted her gaze slightly and nodded to herself.
Just as expected...
The next moment, Jingliu caught Bai Yan's sword again.
"Master, how was it?"
Jingliu took back the earrings Bai Yan had returned and put them back on. Only after pondering for a moment did she speak.
"You said you trained today. Did you not notice anything strange?"
"No. What was strange?"
"Fifty percent."
Jingliu raised a hand. "After you put on the earrings just now, your strength increased by roughly fifty percent. Did your companions not notice?"
His strength had increased?
Bai Yan was startled and carefully recalled the training session.
After a while, he became certain that he had not felt anything unusual at the time.
A certain scene from before suddenly surfaced from the depths of his memory.
Before he came to the Far East, Durandal had tried and failed to ambush him.
The increase probably had not been this great at the time, but she should have noticed the difference.
"Perhaps it was their first time fighting me, so they could not sense the difference... But Master, why is this happening?"
Slap, slap.
As Jingliu lightly tapped her right foot, the sound of water being struck rang out.
Only then did Bai Yan notice that Jingliu was not wearing shoes today.
"Perhaps it has something to do with this space," Jingliu continued, not noticing Bai Yan's strange gaze. "Or perhaps... you possess some special power. But it is not necessarily a bad thing."
Bai Yan withdrew his gaze, driving the image of her snow-white toes from his mind. Then he realized there was a very serious problem.
Putting on earrings increased his strength by fifty percent. What kind of causality-based talent was that?
After thinking for a moment, he felt he could not jump to conclusions so easily. What if the earrings were not the only prerequisite?
Bai Yan thought for a moment, then immediately ran behind the huge rock and hurriedly began taking off his skirt.
First came the skirt, then the stockings, followed by the top...
He only stopped when he was down to his underwear and camisole, then eagerly ran back to Jingliu.
"Master, let's test it again."
"..."
Jingliu was silent for a moment before nodding her agreement.
Some time later.
Bai Yan, dressed once more, leaned against the huge rock in despair and gazed up at the moon, whose reality he could not determine.
Jingliu walked over and patted his shoulder. "Doesn't this fit your wishes perfectly? Why take it so much to heart?"
"...When I encounter a powerful enemy I cannot defeat, am I supposed to instantly change into women's clothes in front of them, then fight a second round?"
The corners of Jingliu's lips curved upward, and rare amusement appeared in her eyes.
"As far as fighting enemies goes, this ability could certainly catch them by surprise."
"So I can make them laugh themselves to death?" Bai Yan rolled his eyes at his master and continued staring at the moon.
Jingliu could not help laughing.
Even after living for thousands of years, she had never personally witnessed such a scene.
"Still, it is ultimately a life-saving method. Shouldn't you give it an imposing name?"
Bai Yan was instantly speechless.
He really had not expected the Sword Master of Luofu to have the potential to be a comedian!
"Forget it, Master, forget it." Bai Yan shook his head and waved his hands.
"Hmm... The swordplay I taught you is called Luoshen Swordplay. Based on your performance during this time, you are indeed extremely compatible with it."
As if she had not heard his protest, Jingliu continued thinking to herself.
Luoshen Swordplay valued intent over form. Beyond its sixty-four foundational variations, the rest depended on the swordsman's own understanding of the sword.
During the days they had spent together, Jingliu had become increasingly certain that Bai Yan was an excellent prospect for swordsmanship.
Swordplay was merely a path. What was truly powerful was the swordsman's heart.
Jingliu gradually reined in her wandering thoughts and returned to the matter of naming it.
"How about calling it 'Luoshen Transformation'? You are male, yet to unleash your strength to the fullest, you must change your attire. The name is both fitting and concise."
Bai Yan turned his head and glared at Jingliu.
Jingliu restrained her smile and met his gaze.
After a long while, Bai Yan sighed. "Master, please stop making fun of me."
"Haha..."
Jingliu's cheerful laughter filled the Hyperdimensional Space.
Schicksal Headquarters.
Anna Saniate walked along with confusion in her heart, looking around in every direction.
Having been summoned by that S-rank Valkyrie, she could not help feeling uneasy.
At present, Schicksal had only two active S-rank Valkyries, and both were in the Immortal Blade squad.
With that lineup, if Schicksal were an empire built on Collapse Energy and Pre-Civilization technology, then this squad would be the emperor's imperial guard—the most trusted of the trusted.
Its captain, Durandal, was so strong that she drove everyone to despair. No one could ever hope to catch up to her in this lifetime.
For Valkyries, once they saw Durandal, all hope of reaching the pinnacle vanished.
The door slowly opened, and Anna felt as though her heart had skipped a beat.
The three people in the room all turned to look at her, their expressions somewhat unusual, as if they had just been discussing something.
Anna swallowed and forced herself to speak. "R-reporting! Snow Lotus Squad, Anna Saniate."
Durandal, Ragna, and Rita—this pressure was no small thing for her.
Rita nodded gently. "Please come in."
Anna silently entered the room, and the sound of discussion soon resumed.
Ragna said, "I think Anna would work. What do you think, little Bianca?"
"...Whatever."
"Really, whatever?"
"Of course!"
"Then Anna counts as one?"
"Don't look at me. The list is Teacher Ragna's responsibility."
"Sigh, I'm just worried you might be unhappy."
"I'm not..."
Rita came to Anna's side, handed her a document, and explained, "This operation was requested by the Bishop. It is not an official combat mission, but for now, it must remain confidential."
Before you continue