By the time Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er left Nie Li's room, the sky had gone completely dark. A few lanterns hung along the corridor in the City Lord's Mansion's back courtyard, their warm yellow light falling across the flagstones and stretching the pair's shadows long.
The night breeze blew in from beyond the courtyard wall, carrying the rustle of the old locust tree's leaves. It was considerably cooler than inside the room.
They followed the covered walkway outward, neither walking quickly. They had discussed plenty in the room: Spirit Gods, laws, the remnants of the Dark Guild, and those eyes of unknown origin watching from the shadows.
There was too much information to digest without time. Xiao Ning'er walked beside him, her fingers resting lightly on the short sword at her waist. Her steps were slower than usual, as though she were thinking something over.
When they reached a bend in the walkway, Shen Fei spoke first.
"Next, we need to improve our physical strength."
Xiao Ning'er turned to glance at him without stopping. "What's the fastest way to improve our physical strength?"
Shen Fei walked half a step ahead, his gaze sweeping over the swaying lantern at the end of the walkway. His tone was level. "Sparring. Fighting can greatly improve both physical strength and combat skills. But while we do it, we can't use any Soul Force. We have to rely purely on our bodies."
Xiao Ning'er's steps paused briefly when she heard this, then she nodded. After a moment's thought, she added, "If we rely purely on our bodies without using Soul Force, we won't be fighting any differently from ordinary people."
"Right," Shen Fei said. "We'll fight just like ordinary people. Spiritual Power, laws, Demon Spirits-we put all of them away and rely only on