I just love your mature charm, Master

(To avoid having an underage male lead, his original age of 13 has been changed to 19. Sorry~)

Thirteen years later.

"Brother Chen, go easy on me! Don't use so much force!"

"If I don't, will you admit defeat?"

"Hmph! You don't know how to cherish a delicate flower at all!"

Qian Renxue climbed up from the ground and dusted herself off, still as haughty as she had been thirteen years ago.

Over those thirteen years, she had kept coming to train and spar with Chen Jue.

The more time passed, the more often she came.

Even while undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire, she sometimes sneaked back to spar with him.

That had stirred a different sort of feeling for Chen Jue within her.

Especially as his ten-out-of-ten good looks had fully blossomed over those thirteen years.

Every time, he sent Qian Renxue's imagination wandering.

Even when Chen Jue took liberties with her during their matches, Qian Renxue willingly accepted it.

"All right! I'll be gentler next time!" Chen Jue replied with a smile. Then he stepped closer and carefully brushed the dust from her clothes.

Just then, Bibi Dong stepped forward from the sidelines and approached them gracefully, her eyes filled with admiration.

"The progress you two have made in thirteen years is terrifying!"

"All the effort I put into training you wasn't wasted, especially you, my little disciple!"

"You've actually reached an astonishing level 48! And Xiao Xue isn't far behind, at level 47!"

Bibi Dong was unstinting in her praise of the two.

At those words, Qian Renxue's heart sank slightly, and a hint of displeasure crept into her expression.

She had always prided herself on her lofty standing. Others chased after her; she never chased after anyone.

She gave a soft huff and glanced casually at Chen Jue from the corner of her eye, a barely perceptible tangle of emotions lurking in her gaze.

She recalled how this fellow had always ended up straddling her during their previous matches.

One day, she would straddle Chen Jue and make him accept his defeat wholeheartedly.

Chen Jue, meanwhile, hugged Bibi Dong and breathed in her fragrance, smiling as he said, "Hehe, it's all because you taught me so well, Master!"

Deep down, however, Chen Jue still felt his level was far too low, though that was mainly because he had been laying the groundwork for his relationships.

He needed to earn some system rewards. Having Soul Power alone, without rewards, would not do.

After all, even the system's lowest rewards started with a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring!

Feeling the warmth of Chen Jue's body, Bibi Dong's eyes took on an unusual look.

It was a look that belonged to her as a woman.

She suppressed that strange feeling and gently stroked his head, the corners of her lips lifting.

Why did he still keep clinging to me when he was so grown up?

The older he gets, the clingier he becomes!

He seems to have the makings of a little lecher.

No, a handsome little lecher.

And he only keeps getting more handsome!

Sometimes, she could not help thinking...

But she always restrained herself.

And this little lecher had no shortage of appeal to other women, either.

Xiao Xue, Nana, and the other young ladies of the Spirit Hall, for instance.

The most alarming case was Nana, who was already utterly infatuated.

It was hardly surprising. Who could resist a man who had both strength and good looks?

If Xiao Xue were not so proud, she would probably have fallen for him too.

The Golden Generation watching from the sidelines were also shocked by Chen Jue's level 48.

They normally trained separately from Chen Jue and Qian Renxue. After all, different talents called for different teaching methods.

But Yan and Xie Yue strutted around every day as if they were the greatest under heaven.

That was why Bibi Dong had brought them here to watch.

To take the edge off their arrogance.

What happened next stunned Yan for the second time on the spot.

A bashful blush spread across Hu Liena's cheeks. Clutching a towel, she approached Chen Jue with light but slightly nervous steps and offered it to him, saying shyly, "Brother Chen, here's your towel. Wipe off your sweat."

The sight struck Yan's heart like a heavy hammer, filling him with a weight and despair unlike anything he had ever known.

His eyes bulged as though they could swallow the air around him, and his fists clenched.

What does that shy expression mean?

He had thought the rumors of Hu Liena's secret crush on Chen Jue were false. Seeing this today nearly shattered his resolve and left him ready to sink into despair.

Nana can only be mine!

Once Chen Jue accepted her towel, Hu Liena became positively elated.

For Yan, that sight was a knife through the heart. He nearly spat blood on the spot.

It hurts~ It hurts so much!

Sigh.

Xie Yue sighed softly and reached out to pat Yan's back, trying to offer him a little comfort.

Had it been anyone else, he would have supported Yan's pursuit of his younger sister without hesitation.

But this was Chen Jue, the disciple His Holiness the Pope praised endlessly and took the greatest pride in.

To secure Chen Jue, she had even been willing to offend the Great Enshrined!

How could he dare help?

"It's only a towel. Hu Liena might just see him as an older brother!"

"After all, Chen Jue has looked after Hu Liena quite a bit over these thirteen years!"

He did not spell out the truth, fearing the lovestruck Yan would not be able to bear it.

But he seemed to have given Yan some inexplicable hope and confidence instead.

"Right! I still have a chance! There's still hope for me!"

Xie Yue: ?

I was only trying to comfort you. You actually believed it?

Standing beside Chen Jue, Qian Renxue watched the scene as an indescribable feeling welled up in her heart.

It felt as though something belonging to her was about to be stolen!

She did not know why she felt that way. Perhaps it was a woman's sixth sense.

Chen Jue took the towel, wiped off his sweat, and handed it back to Hu Liena.

Then he leaned close to her ear, blew a gentle breath against it, and said with a smile,

"Thanks, little fox! I'll come find you tonight so we can keep training!"

Hu Liena's face flushed bright red in an instant.

"I'll tell you something at lunch later!" she said before shyly running off.

Watching Chen Jue tease the girl he liked, Yan nearly exploded with rage.

He truly wanted to strangle Chen Jue, but unfortunately, he lacked the strength.

Watching the scene before her, Bibi Dong could not help sighing. "It's wonderful to be young! I really am getting old!"

Hearing that, Chen Jue hurried to reply.

"Who says so? I just love your mature charm, Master! Hehe!"

At noon, it was time for lunch.

Bibi Dong was too busy with other matters to join them.

And so, only the five of them sat facing one another over their simple meal.

Qian Renxue gently raised her slender, jade-like hands, elegantly picked up her chopsticks, and brought a meatball slowly to her mouth.

Yet her gaze kept drifting toward Chen Jue across from her. Her eyes seemed to hold a thousand words, but she still could not bring herself to speak.

Noticing her unusual behavior, Chen Jue set down his chopsticks, looked straight into her eyes, and asked gently,

"Xiao Xue, is there something you want to tell me?"

Qian Renxue nodded softly, a trace of unmistakable sorrow flashing through eyes as clear as autumn waters.

She sighed softly, her voice carrying a note of reluctance.

"I have to leave again."

She had spent every day with Brother Chen over these thirteen years.

It seemed she was starting to find it hard to be apart from Brother Chen!

Hearing this, Chen Jue reached out to take her hand and cautioned her, "You have to be careful! The slightest misstep could plunge you beyond all hope of recovery."

"Oh? From the sound of it, you know where I'm going?"

Qian Renxue tilted her head slightly, her playful expression revealing a touch of innocence, her exquisitely beautiful face full of puzzlement.

She did not remember ever telling him!

"Of course. I've always kept everything about you close to my heart!" Chen Jue said with a smile, the corners of his lips lifting.

Qian Renxue's little face instantly flushed. Those words, "always kept everything about you close to my heart," in particular made her heart flutter like a little deer running wild.

Especially when she looked at Chen Jue's handsome face, she found it even harder to hold herself back!

Then she lightly bit her lip and curled her hands slightly, as though she had made up her mind.

Immediately afterward, the corners of Qian Renxue's lips lifted into a sweet smile, and then...