The information was still insufficient. Even Bai Yan could not conduct any further analysis.
"Is there anything else you want to ask?" Fu Hua said.
"Oh, sorry, old friend. I got distracted. I have no more questions. Please go rest."
"Goodbye."
Fu Hua turned and left.
As the door closed behind her, she silently raised her hand and looked at the feather in it.
After returning from Singapore, Kiana had unexpectedly become diligent.
Everyone found it unbelievable. Theresa even checked from time to time whether her niece had a fever.
Bai Yan still gave Kiana extra lessons on a regular basis, from eight to ten every night.
Besides that, the entire Fifth Squad underwent intensive training.
Once ten o'clock passed, it was still time to see Jingliu.
Bai Yan discovered that Master Jingliu had changed. She had become extremely strict.
Probably because of the previous incident, she had directly raised the intensity of his training.
Every time he returned from Hyperdimensional Space, he was battered and bruised, then relied on the golden pendant's passive skill to speed up his recovery.
Medicine King's Compassion.
This thing was truly useful. Even after its three absolute heals had been used up, it could still accelerate the natural recovery of minor injuries to a certain extent.
Otto harmed people everywhere for his goals. Otto was bad.
Rochu bore the power of Abundance and healed the sick wherever he went. Rochu was good.
Of course, none of this effort went to waste. Bai Yan's strength continued to grow. After a few more months, he could already remain in Hyperdimensional Space for a full hour and twenty minutes.
Even his mindset had changed a little.
Night fell. After seeing off the sleepy Kiana, Bai Yan composed himself and prepared to enter Hyperdimensional Space for another beating.
The next moment, someone knocked on the door.
This time, it did not matter anymore. Even if Raiden Mei had come knocking, she was probably just here to talk.
She had already come by secretly more than a dozen times, leaving happily every time.
Naturally, Bai Yan did not provide such emotional massages for free.
"Mei's legs are really long... Tonight, I'll try her waist again..."
He opened the door. It was Bronya.
That was fine too. If he started cultivating her early, she would be even more astonishing in the future.
A smile inevitably appeared at the corner of Bai Yan's lips.
Bronya entered in her pajamas and closed the door.
She was not carrying Humo today.
"Big Sister Xiao Yan..."
They had failed to sleep together last time. She might want to take this opportunity to discuss something too.
Bai Yan had prepared a little trick in advance. Once Bronya lay down, he would knock the defenseless girl out and enter Hyperdimensional Space.
Rita had personally taught him this trick recently.
"Does Bronya have something on her mind?"
"..."
Having been seen through at a glance, Bronya fell silent for a moment.
She seemed unable to bring herself to say it.
So Bai Yan placed her on his lap and pinched her cheeks.
"Is it about saving Seele? Are you unwilling to say it because you see your Big Sister Xiao Yan as an outsider?"
"Mmph... no."
Bronya made muffled sounds but did not resist, allowing Bai Yan to do as he pleased.
Bai Yan stopped.
He wanted to save Seele too, and he would set out within this period.
Bronya would never let him go alone.
Only when he thought of that did he finally understand World Serpent's intentions.
Volume One: Master, Let's Keep Training
Bai Yan was widely known at Schicksal Headquarters, but his whereabouts were usually protected and ultimately unknown to outsiders.
Before joining the Intelligence Department, he had belonged to the Logistics Department, so his identity had never received any special handling. Anti-Entropy had put him on record long ago.
Therefore, World Serpent knew Bai Yan's background extremely well and even understood part of his personality.
So, once they confirmed that Bai Yan had obtained the Gem of Desire, they concluded that he would find a way to rescue Seele from the Sea of Quantum.
Then the other person in the Sea of Quantum would not be a problem either...
"Just who did World Serpent invite? How did their methods evolve into this?"
If he chose not to go, Seele would have to remain in the Sea of Quantum forever. If he went, their objective might be fulfilled even more perfectly than his own.
When the time came, both Anti-Entropy and World Serpent would be there on his side. That would truly be interesting.
Only after Bronya had fallen asleep did Bai Yan begin moving quietly, gently lighting a mosquito coil.
This mosquito coil was made from special materials, recommended by Rita and produced by Schicksal.
Bai Yan claimed it was aromatherapy for beauty sleep. Bronya did not suspect a thing, because it truly smelled soothing.
Bai Yan had prepared an antidote beforehand, so he would not fall asleep from inhaling it.
When he entered Hyperdimensional Space, Jingliu was already waiting for him with the Ice Sword in hand.
"Master, is this really necessary...?"
After so many years, Jingliu had rediscovered the feeling of being a strict teacher, and she had more than enough reason to do so.
"Your strength and swordsmanship are both at an extremely critical stage of growth. If you slack off at a time like this, you will only regret it beyond measure in the end."
Hearing that, Bai Yan no longer dared to complain.
He would endure it. If this could bring about a qualitative leap in his strength, it would be worth it.
"Limited by the Hyperdimensional Space, this master can only do this much. Xiao Yan, while you are away from my side, remember to practice diligently without pause.
"Learning is like rowing upstream: if you do not advance, you fall back. Only after you get through this period can you enter a comparatively easier stage.
"The next stage will focus on comprehending the sword path. The requirements for techniques and mental methods will not be so strict."
Both Jingliu's expression and tone had shed their usual detached manner and become quite imposing.
That tone directly awakened some kind of PTSD Bai Yan had retained from his previous life.
Holding her sword, she lightly hooked a finger at him.
"Come. Let this master see how much your swordsmanship has improved lately."
Bai Yan steadied himself and gripped his sword.
Even if his opponent was Jingliu, he had to draw his sword without hesitation. That was what Jingliu had personally instructed after he had completely comprehended Luoshen Transformation.
A swordsman must know how to draw his sword.
Then Luoshen Swordplay unfolded in an instant.
A sky full of sword shadows descended at once, sealing off Jingliu's escape routes from every direction.
Seeing this, she nodded with some satisfaction, then abruptly restrained her expression and scrutinized everything with a stern face.
He could not be allowed to get cocky!
"Your sword moves are not precise enough! Still not good enough!"
"Your intentions are too obvious. Wouldn't that just let people block them for fun?"
"What are you hesitating over? Have you not memorized the mental method? At a time like this, you actually need to think about how to draw your sword?!"
While rebuking him, Jingliu casually deflected Bai Yan's attacks. Even as she handled him with ease, she did not forget to sharply criticize his swordsmanship.
Clang!
Though the sky was full of sword shadows, her eyes saw only Bai Yan himself.
Those seemingly dazzling traces were reduced in her eyes to only a few sparse moves.
The few moves he hid are quite good. His connection to the feints is still somewhat clumsy, but the foundation is already there...
Not bad. These strikes can already affect the five senses. I only wonder whether he can take this move one step further.
He has even applied that gem's ability. As expected, he has talent in battle as well.
The sword shadows completely enveloped Jingliu, yet they could not descend within three feet above her head, as though an invisible iron wall blocked everything and prevented Bai Yan from advancing an inch.
Looking closely, Jingliu had used her sword as a medium to slash down a patch of moonlight. She then drew that moonlight into her blade and slashed it out in an instant.
The moonlight became Jingliu's sword qi. After blocking Bai Yan's attacks one by one, it vanished completely.
Each strand of sword qi neutralized Bai Yan's power exactly, without wasting even the slightest bit.
Yet Jingliu moved with effortless grace. Though she had clearly swung only once, it was as if she had transformed into countless sword gleams.
Moreover, those sword gleams found Bai Yan's sword moves with perfect precision and actively dissolved them one by one.
It was as though every move Bai Yan made had been within Jingliu's expectations.
Bai Yan immediately refused to accept that!
You saw through my patterns? Then what about this?!
Suddenly, his offensive fiercely contracted, and the sword shadows filling the sky abruptly vanished.
A massive phantom of an ice sword suddenly appeared over Bai Yan's blade, shrinking from the instant it emerged.
In only three breaths, the ten-meter-tall greatsword condensed into a short sword.
Bai Yan held his sword and stepped on clear water as he thrust forward.
There was no light, no grand momentum, not even an exquisitely clever variation. It was simply one sword.
The smile at Jingliu's lips flashed away. She took a slight step to steady herself and raised her own sword against his.
Clang!
The sword light flashed and vanished.
Bai Yan fused the Authority of Wind, countless sword shadows, and the power of Luoshen Transformation into this move—One Sword Startling Swan.
Touch, sight, hearing, smell, taste—human senses were erased at that moment, and the world seemed to drift away.
Only consciousness remained. Only memory remained.
It was as though I did not exist in this world, and even memory was an illusion.
Or perhaps I was the entire world, because beyond me, there was nothing else.
Not that there was nothing else, but that I could not perceive the existence of anything else...
Clang!!
The illusion lasted only an instant before Jingliu had already broken free, and the heavy sensation of impact returned to his hand.
"Good!"
She finally voiced her praise, because in that instant, Bai Yan had truly almost won this exchange.
Even though her strength had been restricted to the same level as his.
The next moment, Bai Yan suffered a counterattack. After several strikes, he was immediately overwhelmed and could only retreat.
Before you continue