Teasing "Guidance"

In the silent, compact Training Ground, light streamed in through the high windows, forming shafts of light where dust drifted slowly. The space was wide enough for Soul Masters to fight freely, yet only two figures faced each other now, creating a subtle atmosphere.

Huo Wu stood at one end of the grounds, already in a combat stance. Scorching Soul Power swirled around her, warping the air with heat. Her gaze was sharp as a blade, fixed firmly on the man opposite her, who still had both hands in his pockets and wore a lazy expression.

"Zhang Bufan, show your Martial Soul!" Huo Wu shouted, trying to maintain the "fairness" of the fight.

But Zhang Bufan shook his head, his smile languid. "I said I wouldn't use it, so I won't. Miss Huo Wu, please. Let me see whether your Flame is as... fiery and captivating as you are."

He deliberately slowed down for the last four words, delivering them with a hint of flirtatious teasing, causing the anger Huo Wu had only just suppressed to flare up again.

"Courting death!"

Huo Wu wasted no more words. Her delicate body moved like a burning Flame, charging toward Zhang Bufan in an instant! She was incredibly fast, her footwork nimble and refined—the exquisite movement technique of Blazing Fire Academy.

"First Soul Skill, Flame Meteor!"

She held two fingers together like a sword and pointed at Zhang Bufan. Several fist-sized crimson fireballs, condensed with intense heat, shot forth like meteors chasing the moon, sealing off the space to his left and right.

Faced with the swift attack, Zhang Bufan remained where he was. He did not even take his hands out of his pockets. Only when the fireballs were about to strike him did his body sway a few times with movements so slight they were almost impossible to detect.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several Flame Meteors skimmed past his clothes and the tips of his hair before blasting into the wall behind him with dull bangs, leaving scorched black marks. Yet they failed to touch even a corner of his clothing.

Huo Wu's Pupils contracted slightly. What bizarre footwork! Yet she did not let up. Using the momentum of her charge, she swung her long, jade-like leg in a whip kick at Zhang Bufan's waist and abdomen, carrying a scorching gust of wind.

"Second Soul Skill, Blazing Whip!"

Her leg seemed to be covered in a layer of flowing Flame. The temperature was astonishing, and the force behind it was enough to shatter stone.

This time, Zhang Bufan finally moved—he merely stepped back half a pace. That seemingly casual step was exquisite enough to let Huo Wu's certain strike sweep past him by a hair's breadth, the scorching wind from her kick ruffling the loose strands of hair before his forehead.

"You put too much force into the left side of your waist, causing your center of gravity to tip forward for zero point three seconds." Zhang Bufan's voice drifted lazily into her ear, carrying a hint of... lofty instruction? "A girl's waist needs to be steady, and her force needs to be clever. Relying on brute strength alone will only put you at a disadvantage."

Huo Wu gritted her teeth in fury, and her attacks grew increasingly fierce. Fists, palms, legs, and elbows, combined with low-level fire-type Soul Skills cast from time to time, poured down on Zhang Bufan like a violent storm. Crimson Soul Power flashed constantly throughout the Training Ground, and the temperature rose sharply.

Yet Zhang Bufan was like an incorporeal phantom, or a willow leaf drifting in the wind. At the last possible instant, he always avoided every attack with all manner of unbelievable angles and methods, completely at ease. His movements flowed like water and clouds, carrying an indescribable rhythm, as though he was not fighting at all but performing an elegant solo dance.

His hands remained in his pockets, and he barely moved from his small area, yet he always rendered all of Huo Wu's efforts futile.

Inner monologue: Mm, such long legs, such a slender waist, such beautiful movements... just a bit of a fiery temper. But that's fine. I can slowly train her... ah, no, slowly guide her.

Occasionally, he even offered "guidance" aloud:

"Drop your right shoulder a little. Yes, that will make your punch five percent faster."

"Ah, the Soul Power circulation route for that Dance of the Fire Snake move is a little sluggish. The third node can be smoother."

"Your footwork is getting messy. Watch your breathing rhythm. Soul Power doesn't explode just because you hold your breath."

"Your waist! I told you to pay attention to your waist! Twist it! Yes! Just like that! It not only looks better, it also lets you exert force more smoothly!"

Sometimes his words were serious, while other times they carried obvious teasing. Especially that last line about twisting her waist, combined with his appreciative gaze, made Huo Wu so embarrassed and furious that she wanted to die. Her attacks became even more frantic, but her unsettled state of mind only exposed more openings.

"Bastard! Take this seriously!" After failing to land a hit for so long, Huo Wu's mentality began to crumble. She panted heavily as she shouted. Such intense attacks had consumed a great deal of her Soul Power, and sweat had already formed on her forehead.

"I am taking it seriously." Zhang Bufan looked innocent. "I'm very seriously... admiring Miss Huo Wu's heroic bearing."

Comedic scene: Huo Wu's next series of chained kicks missed again. She used too much force and staggered upon landing, nearly tripping herself. Zhang Bufan appropriately reached out as though to steady her—without touching her—and asked with concern(?), "Be careful. The ground is slippery."

Huo Wu: "..." (This ground is cleaner than my face!)

She could see it clearly now. This man's strength was unfathomable; he was completely toying with her! Without using his Martial Soul, relying only on his footwork and vision, he had played her in the palm of his hand. This sense of helplessness made her feel more frustrated and furious than being defeated head-on.

Famous quote—pirated by Zhang Bufan: "You must understand that the highest realm of strength is not meeting force with force, but using four ounces to move a thousand pounds. When you understand your opponent well enough—even better than she understands her own Soul Skills and body—you can do this..." As he spoke, he casually turned aside once more, allowing the single-target attack Soul Skill Huo Wu had spent so long gathering to graze past him. "...make all her attacks into a magnificent performance."

Huo Wu trembled with rage and finally stopped holding back.

"Fourth Soul Skill, Blazing Heaven!"

With a sharp cry, the Soul Power around her surged out like an erupting volcano! Vast crimson clouds instantly gathered above the Training Ground, and the Fire Element in the air became incomparably violent! This was her strongest area-of-effect attack Soul Skill. It was immensely powerful, but its consumption was equally enormous. It had originally been her trump card for turning the tide in team battles, yet now she was using it against an "unarmed" opponent who had not used his Martial Soul.

Clearly, she no longer cared about any of that. She only wanted to force Zhang Bufan into immobility, or... make him pay for his arrogance!

A rain of fire filled the sky, descending upon Zhang Bufan from all directions like a judgment of the apocalypse, carrying an aura of destruction! The blazing heat made the air throughout the Training Ground seem as if it were about to ignite, while the walls and floor began to groan under the strain.

Faced with this terrifying attack, powerful enough to turn the entire Training Ground into a sea of fire, the teasing smile in Zhang Bufan's eyes finally faded into a trace of seriousness.

"Now this is a little interesting," he murmured.

Then, beneath Huo Wu's disbelieving gaze, not only did he fail to retreat, he instead... took a step forward into the rain of fire!