Strength Grows

Fiora had been looking quite content all day, and after Cheng Ren and Wukong finished their duel, she asked him for advice on swordsmanship. ♟✎ 👻♪

I thought she had already broken through her bottleneck and was approaching the pinnacle of Martial Arts, but I didn't expect her to talk about a whole bunch of problems she had.

Cheng Ren nodded after listening and invited Fiora to stay at the Wuju Swordsmanship, because breaking through bottlenecks is not something that can be accomplished in a few words; it requires hands-on experience through sparring to truly understand it.

Fiora nodded gratefully and decided to stay there for the time being, returning to Demacia in a few days.

I didn't have anything else to do, so I stayed with them. It was a rare opportunity, and I felt it was worthwhile to improve myself. Talon shared the same thought.

For more than ten days, we had detailed discussions on swordsmanship, exchanged ideas on our respective problems and experiences, and practiced together on anything that was difficult to understand, always gaining something from the experience.

The time spent immersed in swordsmanship was fulfilling and enjoyable. Before I knew it, more than ten days had passed. I noticed the weather was getting warmer and realized that I had been at the Wuju Swordsmanship for almost a month.

That day, I had just finished sparring with Fiora and, unsurprisingly, lost to her again. A light drizzle was falling from the sky; it was the vibrant season in Ionia.

"Learning has no end; we should go now," I tried to remind her.

"Yes, it's almost been a month without us realizing it. We have to go back to Demacia to check on things." Fiora immediately understood what I meant.

"You go back first. I'll go to Beiquan to say hello to everyone and then come find you. There's still a little apprentice who needs looking after; it's really dereliction of duty." I suddenly thought of Taliyah.

"Alright, let's go say goodbye to Master Cheng Ren!"

Cheng Ren was chatting with Wukong and the others when he heard that Fiora and I were leaving. He was quite reluctant to see us go. Although we stayed to learn from each other, we were actually guiding each other and improving together. If we left now, there would definitely be less to learn from each other.

Talon, Wukong, and Yi plan to stay here. Things are relatively peaceful now, and there's not much difference between them being here and returning to Beiquan.

And so, after a brief farewell, Fiora and I left the Wuju Swordsmanship in the drizzle.

"Will Jergente challenge you again when you go back this time?"

"I still need to settle accounts with this guy. He hid his true identity from me and expressed his love in a crude way."

"Hahaha, he's in for a rough time. He was no match for you before, let alone now."

"Stop worrying about things in different places, you should look for Riven. And Sivir doesn't seem to be back yet, does she?"

"I do want to find Riven, but I have no clue where to start. As for Sivir, I don't want to go to her; it's better if we keep our distance."

"It's so wonderful to have choices in life, hahaha..." Fiora joked.

"You have the nerve to say that to me? Aren't you facing a difficult choice too?"

"Me? What good options do I have? I think Jergente is pretty good right now."

"Don't forget Garen, his feelings for you are obvious, right? And you're a good match, that's crucial."

"Come on, I don't like him. Although he's showing a bit of a different side now, he'll only ever have one lover: Demacia."

"Haha, I think Demacia is your mutual lover, and in that respect, he's more suitable than Jergente."

"Alright, Yasuo, let's not talk about this anymore. Right now, it seems the happiest time is spent focusing on honing our swordsmanship."

We chatted along the way and unknowingly arrived at Prexian. Fiora was passing through here on her way back to Demacia. After saying goodbye to her, I headed to the North Spring Temple.

It's been almost two months since I left. Under Janna's guidance, everyone at the Beiquan camp has improved a lot, especially the disciples of ancient sects like Yuan Feng, whose strength has risen to a whole new level.

Taliyah was very happy to see me back. She's been getting along well with people these past few days and knows our organization is called Light. She's now formally applying to join.

"Master, I heard you're the leader of the Light Organization? Can I join?"

"Of course you can, but you'll need to cultivate even harder in the future. As you can see, everyone here is a powerful expert."

"Definitely! This is my first lesson on the long path of cultivation!"

Apart from Taliyah, I didn't see Niko or Nidalee. After asking around, I learned that they had gone back to Vastaya Forest.

They are not used to living in crowded places, so they decided to gain experience in their own way. They will come to help whenever needed and will no longer live in seclusion in the forest like before.

Besides making an appearance as a leader, I also plan to talk to Janna about Mount Targon. I wonder if she knows anything about the Aspects.

Since arriving in Northspring, Janna has treated everyone with utmost care and responsibility, striving to unlock their potential and help them achieve a leap in power.

This made people admire this young and beautiful "Wind Sword Sect disciple" very much, and many people even came to get close to me and ask if she was single.

I smiled and gave them a positive answer, which excited them greatly, but I knew these people would eventually run into a wall.

Being able to receive guidance from the gods is already an immense blessing, and we shouldn't harbor any further greed. However, we can't blame them, since my junior sister concealed her true identity.

When I found Janna, she was instructing Yun Sang in his training. She took a great liking to this newly chosen Shepherd and gave him comprehensive guidance, from swordsmanship to Wind Element Strength.

"Why did you just get back Yasuo? Weren't the Vastaya in the south wiped out a long time ago?"

"I went to the Wuju Swordsmanship to learn swordsmanship, and before I knew it, so much time had passed."

"Everyone is improving very quickly and has found their own cultivation methods. I'll leave after I finish instructing Yun Sang."

"Leave? Where are you going?"

"Don't forget who I am. I don't belong here. Now that you have enough power to deal with the Vastaya, you no longer need my help."

"Well, I imagine people will be very sad to see us go, but thank you for your help. By the way, I came here today to ask you something."

"What?"

"Do you know about Aspects and angels...?"

I asked Janna if she knew about the two kinds of beings, the Aspects and the Angels. She nodded and told me that the Angels were created by the Divine Strength of the Soul of Shurima, while the Aspects were natural spirits from the vast expanse of time and space.

When she mentioned the Soul of Shurima, I was reminded of the Soul of Ionia. I'd been wanting to ask her about it for a while, but I was afraid she wouldn't tell me easily. If I don't ask now, I'll have even fewer chances in the future.

The result was disappointing, because Janna didn't know the true nature of the Soul of Ionia either, but her power, Ivern's power, and Kindred's power all came from it.

In addition to the Soul of Ionia, there are several other similar entities in Runeterra: the Soul of Valoran, the Soul of Shurima, and the Sea Soul.