Taking a Master? / Gift

Behind...!

The flowing air told Chen this, and just this one moment was enough.

Chixiao slashed behind him with a soft chant, but it still missed its target, remaining only an afterimage.

Feel it with your heart...

Chen felt a chill run down her spine, so she put all her strength into the scabbard and pulled back sharply, which resulted in her slamming into Senti's fist.

Although Chen was still forced back more than ten steps by the force of the collision, it was a significant improvement compared to before.

"What? This is pretty good, isn't it?" Senti couldn't help but reveal a wild smile. "Hahaha, this way I can give you a good beating!"

As the maniacal laughter subsided, his belt transformed into a long spear, piercing towards Chen with a whooshing sound as it cut through the air.

Longer strength against shorter strength, fight by closing in.

The essential words of the sword techniques surfaced in his mind.

Chen drew her sword to parry, but even with her control, Senti's strength was beyond her ability to withstand.

Using inertia to deform the spear, the rebound force combined with Senti's terrifying wrist strength caused Chen's arm to tremble. If this were outside, the hand holding the sword to block might have already cracked.

Once, twice, Senti slammed Chen to the ground like she was playing whack-a-mole. If they were outside, her legs would probably have been broken by the force of the impact.

However, her injuries can be healed instantly here.

This guy... isn't holding back at all! Chen gritted his teeth and struggled to withstand the blows of his spear.

Finally, she sidestepped and seized the moment when Senti had used his old strength but had not yet developed new strength. She forcefully deflected the spear, causing it to shift slightly.

In the instant he was thrown back, Chen rushed toward Senti with lightning speed.

However, Senti wouldn't let her get close so easily. She held the spear between her neck and swept it back at Chen's head, forcing her to dodge.

Chen had no choice but to unleash a powerful slash. If she didn't dodge and was hit head-on, she would instantly lose her fighting ability. Even if her body was immediately repaired, there would still be a momentary opening, which would be fatal.

Immediately following was an exaggeratedly powerful downward slash. Having dodged the sweeping attack by crouching, Chen had no choice but to jump to the side to avoid it.

With a loud bang, the ground was smashed into an enormous crater, and dust covered the gap between the two people.

"Look at you! Your forehand is weak, your backhand is feeble, your footwork is unsteady, and your movements are sluggish. You've never experienced a life-or-death fight; you hold back here and there when you actually fight."

"Next, I'll show you what a real fight is!" With that, Senti laughed wildly and threw out several shackles.

Without giving Chen a chance to catch her breath, Senti's spear transformed into a whip-sword and lashed out at her. She used Chixiao to block, but was entangled by the whip-sword.

The chains then slammed heavily onto her body, followed by a barrage of blows.

But Chen dared not let go. The chains pounded on her body and face like fists, causing her excruciating pain, which was instantly healed. She could only endure the pain and wrestle with Senti to prevent Chixiao from being pulled over in the tug-of-war.

However, Chen underestimated Senti's strength. She felt a tremendous force coming from the sword, and she and Chixiao were pulled over together. A dozen floating longswords appeared around Senti, glaring menacingly at Chen, who was flying over with the whip sword.

"Tsk tsk tsk, is that all? Even little Griseo could beat you!"

Chixiao: Night Rush

The second sword, used in conjunction with Chixiao's, deflected the flying sword. Upon reaching Senti's side, Chen dared not be negligent.

Chixiao: Shadow Sever.

As Chen unleashed his martial arts skills, a soaring dragon shadow suddenly appeared and chased after Senti alongside Chen.

One sword, two swords, three swords... twenty-eight swords.

Chen swung his sword faster and faster, but Senti simply maintained his usual effortless smile.

All that could be heard was the clang, clang, clang. Each strike was met with the sound of swords clashing, each time missing by just a centimeter, yet Senti always managed to block it.

As the attacks concluded, Senti's sword hilt struck Chen, who was suspended in mid-air, with pinpoint accuracy, sending Chen flying backward like a butterfly.

"Oh dear, these moves are all just fancy tricks, good to look at but useless."

Senti looked down at Chen with disdain, "Hurry, hurry, I still have a hundred, no, two hundred ways to beat you up that I haven't used yet."

However, before Chen could even land after flying out, Hua rushed out from a corner of the consciousness space and caught him, dissipating the force.

"You've done very well, take a rest, leave the rest to me..." Hua gently comforted the person in his arms before looking up at Senti and saying:

"Even if it's just venting, that's enough. The Senti."

"Huh? You old fogey, are you serious? She angered me so much before, I held a grudge against her! And you're telling me to stop after just a few minutes?! No way, absolutely not!"

"At this point, she should have drawn her sword and fought me head-on. She wouldn't have died anyway!! Besides, she could have learned something from the fight!" Senti exploded in anger after hearing Hua's words, issuing a strong protest.

"..."

At this moment, Chen no longer cared about the exchange between Hua and the Herrscher of Reason. Even though she had been mentally prepared beforehand, she still couldn't help but fall into self-doubt.

This "sparring" was a huge blow to her, making her realize her own weakness and powerlessness. If it weren't for the fact that her injuries would heal instantly in this special space, she would have died long ago.

The exaggerated power and superb martial arts skills displayed by the Herrscher of Reason completely overwhelmed her, causing the confidence she had cultivated over the years to collapse at this moment.

"While there won't be any physical problems, Senti, the way you play will cause you psychological trauma..." Hua said with a helpless expression.

"Besides, this isn't the way to teach martial arts."

"Wait, teach me martial arts..."

Hearing Hua's words, Senti, who was still furious, suddenly seemed to realize something. His eyes lit up, and he looked at Chen, who was sitting sullenly in Hua's arms, and said:

"Look at you, you loser! You're so pathetic."

"However, in my opinion, you're not bad. All you have to do is shout three times, 'The great Herrscher of Reason is invincible,' and I'll teach you martial arts, how about that?"

"You should have realized it by now, even your uncle Wei Yenwu is no match for me!" With that, Senti looked at Chen, who was lost in his own thoughts, with a confident expression, waiting for his reply.

Ah, one puff is nothing compared to smoking every meal from now on! Become my disciple, and we'll have a sparring session every day! Hahaha, that's me for you!

However, while Senti's idea was beautiful, the reality was that Chen struggled to stand up, his face expressionless, and refused without hesitation:

"I regret to inform you that I refuse!"

"?"

P. S.: The battle scenes are too hard to write, and maybe I went a bit too far with the gacha pulls. Oh well, I can't revise them anymore. I'm so sleepy, everyone. I'm going back to sleep for a bit.

Chapter 136 Becoming an Apprentice?

"?"

"You... you actually rejected me! Why?!" Upon hearing Chen's answer, Senti was slightly stunned, then exclaimed incredulously.

"... No reason, I just don't want to." Looking at the person in front of him who had absolutely no sense of propriety, Chen let out a breath and said with a slight headache.

"???"

"Hey, I'm really strong!"

Unconvinced by Chen's explanation, Senti Shi spoke up again, somewhat unconvinced.

"I know..." Chen nodded slightly, then turned to look at Hua standing behind him before continuing, "I don't deny that, but I don't think you can teach a disciple well."

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly not be able to teach my apprentice well!" Chen's words only made Senti more indignant.

If Hua hadn't been standing beside her, she probably would have rushed up again and had another "sparring match" with Chen.

"..."

Chen looked at Senti, who was even more agitated because of his words, and stopped talking to her. Instead, he lowered his eyes and remained silent for a moment, as if he had suddenly made up his mind. Then he turned around to face the calm and collected girl behind him.

"Miss Hua, do you still accept apprentices?"

"...?"

Hearing Chen's sudden question, Hua's calm expression froze for a moment, and then a hint of doubt flashed in his blue eyes as he asked, "Officer Chen, why are you suddenly asking this?"

"!?"

Compared to Hua, who remained calm despite her confusion, Senti completely exploded. With her hand trembling slightly with anger, she pointed at Chen incredulously and said:

"You, you, you abandon someone as invincible as me to worship an old relic! You're utterly blind! You don't know what's good for you!"

"Ahem... I didn't mean to look down on you, it's just that I feel I get along better with Miss Hua." Noticing Senti's gaze that seemed to want to pierce through him, Chen coughed lightly and awkwardly turned his face away to explain.

To be honest, although he didn't show it on his face, Chen felt a considerable sense of fear towards the Herrscher of Reason behind him after this "sparring".

It would be abnormal not to feel fear after experiencing such a brutal battle... You have to understand that none of the injuries she suffered since childhood have been as numerous or severe as those she suffered in this strange space today.

Moreover, Chen dared to bet that if Miss Hua hadn't intervened in time, she might have been locked in a fierce battle with this guy in this space for a very long time and had been killed many times.

Now, when she recalls the insane smile and suffocating killing intent on Senti's face, her body still trembles slightly, and the places where she was injured and healed before are starting to ache again.

"Fine, fine! You're not allowed to accept this old relic! If you dare to accept it, I'll... I'll break off all ties with you!" Seeing that she couldn't reason with Chen, Senti couldn't help but stomp her foot and then looked at Hua.

"Senti, don't rush, let me ask first." Hearing Senti's childish words, Hua's face showed a hint of helplessness, and he reached out his hand to comfort her gently.

After comforting her, Hua turned her gaze back to Chen, awaiting her reply.

"The reason I'm being so presumptuous is because Miss Hua, you are very strong and have a very calm personality. Also, Griseo said that even the Herrscher of Reason's martial arts skills came from you, so..." Meeting Hua's gaze again, Chen carefully considered his words before speaking in a neither arrogant nor humble manner.

"I see. Then, Miss Chen, would you mind telling me why you want to become my disciple or why you want to become stronger?" After hearing Chen's reasons, Hua's expression remained gentle as he asked softly again.

"A reason to become stronger...?"

Upon hearing this, Chen murmured softly, then with a resolute look in his eyes, he stated his answer without hesitation, "I want to have enough power to protect the people and things I cherish. I am too weak right now!"

"Heh~ Guardianship, huh? I accept your answer." Chen's reply made Hua's lips curl into a slight smile. "However, there's no need for me to become your apprentice. I've long since given up the idea of being a teacher."

Before Chen could even feel disappointed, she continued, "If you simply want to become stronger, I can teach you suitable martial arts, but how far you go in the end depends on your own cultivation."

What do you think of this method?

"... Then thank you very much, Master Hua. I will definitely do my best to repay this great kindness in the future."

Chen, whose mood was fluctuating like a rollercoaster, was startled by Hua's question and then quickly responded.

Although it wasn't what she initially envisioned, she was still quite content with the current situation. After all, her main purpose in becoming an apprentice was simply to become stronger and gain enough power to protect others.

"Cough..."

Hua was taken aback by Chen's sudden address, then coughed lightly. "No need for 'master,' just call me Hua. As for repaying, let's see how far you can go in the future."

"Yes!"

"..."

"You two really are completely ignoring me!" Senti raised an eyebrow, looking at the two people in front of her who were ignoring her friendly conversation, and said irritably.

"Let's leave it at that for now. It will take some time to adapt the 'cultivation technique' to suit you. I'll contact you in advance when it's ready."

Hua knew that if Senti kept waiting any longer, it would be really difficult to coax her later, so he dropped the pleasantries and walked towards Senti while talking to Chen.

"Okay." Upon hearing this, Chen nodded gently, without any objection.

"Oh, right, after you leave Senti's space, remember to spend less time with Griseo and go back to rest early." After giving these instructions, Hua stopped looking at Chen and instead whispered to Senti, "Senti."

Senti understood what Hua meant, crossed his arms and scoffed somewhat unhappily. Although he looked reluctant, he still raised his hand and snapped his fingers lightly.

"Smack!"

As the crisp sound rang out in the space, before Chen could react, everything went black and his consciousness began to fall.

When she opened her eyes again, panting heavily, all she saw was the familiar restaurant and the cute blue-haired little girl sitting opposite her, looking at her with a worried expression.

"Are you alright, Sister Hui-chieh?"

"Phew—I'm fine, Griseo, don't worry." Chen exhaled a breath of stale air, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said.

If it weren't for the lingering, dull pain in Chen's body, or rather, her mind, she would have begun to doubt whether everything that had just happened was a dream...

P. S.: Ah, I made an appointment today, and I'm going to the hospital for a checkup tomorrow. I feel terrible.

Chapter 137 The Gift

"Hmm... Are you really alright? Senti seemed a little unhappy earlier..." Griseo said softly with some concern, looking at Chen who was wiping away cold sweat.

To be honest, the little girl had planned to attend this "sparring" in person, but to her surprise, her Senti was still sulking about what happened before and hadn't pulled her, the "little traitor," into the space. She could only observe remotely through telepathy.

"It's really nothing, the sparring is over, but... did that Herrscher of Reason come by just now?" Meeting Griseo's worried gaze, Chen gently shook her head, then put down her handkerchief and asked with some doubt.

"Ugh???)..."

Faced with Chen's question, Griseo thought for a moment, then began to recount with a serious expression, "In reality, no... but Senti refused to let me enter the consciousness space, saying I was a little traitor who was siding with outsiders... She seemed very angry at the time."