"For someone like me who runs a restaurant, I usually have to process huge amounts of ingredients. Zhao Family Restaurant only has me, so cutting them one by one would never be fast enough. During my long career of chopping vegetables, I mastered the technique of One Slash Three Thousand Cuts. In the time it takes an ordinary person to swing once, I can swing three thousand times."
As he explained, Zhao Bai wore a completely matter-of-fact expression.
There were so many things wrong with that sentence that Kiana repeatedly tried to speak, then stopped. Her face grew redder and redder, yet she did not say a single word. After a while, she took a deep breath and said:
"Can we stop talking about swordsmanship?"
The Car Crashed
Zhao Bai could not have asked for more than to stop talking about swordsmanship.
There was a Botanical Garden at Senba Academy, and it was also the place with the highest concentration of Honkai energy. Kiana marched ahead in a huff while Zhao Bai followed behind her with a helpless look on his face. Teasing the young lady naturally came at a price. He estimated that Kiana would not speak to him for the next half hour.
But only half an hour. Kiana's grudge timer could not possibly last any longer.
The closer they got, the denser the vines became. At first, they could still see sunlight. Fine thorns grew from the dark green vines, but eventually, everything turned utterly black, packed so tightly that not a trace of light remained.
Plants needed photosynthesis. With such density and such vigorous growth, it could only mean that this was no longer a plant.
Zhao Bai used his particle blade to carve out a path. The vines were sliced clean through from end to end. Their skin was as tough as whips, and instead of pale green sap, they bled light red blood after being cut. The severed vines writhed desperately like snakes, revolting to the extreme.
"Be careful. The thorns might be poisonous."
Watching the young lady swing her longsword like a baseball bat, Zhao Bai reminded her. Kiana's movements had no form at all; she relied entirely on brute strength. Apparently, this was the Kaslana family's inherited Knight's Power, though Zhao Bai could not make sense of it.
"Ha!"
"Kitchen swordsmanship... what did you call that move again?"
"Give it a rest. You haven't learned anything at all. With swordsmanship like yours, you could cut a cutting board in half while slicing sausage. Swordsmanship is about control. You need to make the blade appear wherever you want it, instead of swinging wildly without purpose."
Zhao Bai spoke earnestly, but Kiana seemed not to understand a thing and continued slashing around at random.
Strangely enough, despite her swordsmanship being a complete mess, Kiana did not let a single vine touch her. Not even the blood that sprayed out landed on her. Perhaps this was the Kaslana family's true inherited craft.
"Ah... I'm finally over it. Here, take your sword back. I'm done chopping!"
Kiana's arms were a little sore. Panting heavily, she returned the sword to Zhao Bai. So she had been using those vines to vent her frustration.
From the look of it, she really was no longer angry at all.
That kind of personality was truly rare in a girl. Zhao Bai took back the sword and immediately received a girl's embrace—fragrant and soft, carrying a faint scent of sweat. His feelings suddenly became rather complicated.
Just as Zhao Bai was considering whether he should give Kiana a ten-percent discount on meals from now on, an unexpected event interrupted his thoughts.
The impenetrable vines parted on their own, opening a distant, winding path that led directly to the Botanical Garden. Its intent was painfully obvious, like a malicious invitation. Zhao Bai and Kiana looked at each other and nodded at the same time.
With one thousand percent vigilance, they cautiously advanced toward the Botanical Garden.
The Botanical Garden was a greenhouse made of glass, used to cultivate rare plants. After so many years, the greenhouse glass had long been shattered by wind and rain. The few remaining panes let out mournful whines whenever the storm winds rose, as if weeping and lamenting.
At the center of the greenhouse, flowers bloomed in full splendor.
A rose two meters in diameter writhed rhythmically like an animal, as though it were breathing. Dark green vines curled around it as they moved, like guardian serpents. A flower blossoming amid ruins—the intense contrast only made it seem more delicate and beautiful.
Ultimate beauty was born from ultimate filth.
Before you continue