An incense stick was planted in the grass at Yu's feet. Blue smoke rose straight upward, enclosed by an invisible wall of wind without the slightest deviation.
—The first wisp of smoke had just risen.
The dawn over the Star Dou Great Forest was torn apart by two figures.
One gray, one green, they crossed in midair, separated, then crossed again. Every collision sent a visible ring of ripples exploding through the air, bending the ancient trees below.
"Mm, looks good."
Long Jinyu tilted her head up at the two figures tangling and parting overhead. Her rosy lips curved into a faint smile.
"Jinyu, is this really all right?"
Yu landed beside the relaxed figure and raised a hand. Emerald light silently spread from her palm like a sheet of gauze unfurled by the wind, enveloping them within it.
Long Jinyu propped herself halfway up from the grass and gestured with her lips toward the green figure in the air. "She's been holding it in all the way here. Let her have some fun."
Yu smiled. "You really do know how to spoil her."
"Huh? Cough, cough, cough—"
"What if she gets carried away and can't hold back?"
Long Jinyu lay back down, her tone immediately softening. "Then Sister Yu can cover for us. You're here, after all."
Yu looked at her, her dragon tail quietly extending to brush lightly over the back of her hand.
—At that moment, the wind in the sky changed.
Another clash erupted in midair.
Mist Shadow retreated half a step and lowered her head to glance at her arm. Wind flowed between her fingers as she lightly clenched her fist. The feedback from her joints was smooth, and the energy circuits transmitted flawlessly—far better than all the simulation data she had run in the