The next morning, before dawn, Luo Ge was already standing on the beach.
Waves crashed against the rocks, and the sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy smell, swept over him. He stood barefoot in the shallows, still brandishing his Elegant Dragon Sword.
He stood in the middle of the tide with his eyes closed and his breathing steady, like a statue.
As the first rays of dawn appeared on the horizon, he moved.
The Elegant Dragon Sword sliced through the morning mist, leaving a sharp arc in its wake.
The Water God Style strikes back decisively!
The blade left a trail of water in the air, and before the splashing seawater could land, it was swept up by the wind from his next sword strike, twisting into a swirling waterspout in mid-air.
With another slash, the waterspout exploded, sending countless fine water droplets shooting in all directions like hidden weapons.
A few drops landed on the distant rocks, making a hissing sound and leaving a faint white mark.
Luo Ge sheathed his sword, exhaled, and shook his head.
" The Water God Style has decent defense, but it's a pity its power is a bit lacking."
He muttered to himself and then assumed the starting stance for the next move.
Two heads peeked out from behind a rock not far away, one above the other.
"Did you see that...?"
Isolte lowered her voice, her eyes fixed on the figure, "Even the way he sweats is so handsome."
Nina rolled her eyes. "You dragged me out of bed so early just to watch him practice swordsmanship with you? No, I practiced until the wee hours last night!"
"Shh!"
"Keep your voice down!"
"We'll be discovered!"
Isolte quickly covered Nina's mouth, but it was too late.
Luo Ge's ears twitched slightly, and he glanced towards the reef, his brow furrowing.
But he said nothing and continued practicing the next move.
Isolte patted her chest, letting out a sigh of relief, "That was close..."
Nina forcefully pried her hands apart, her voice low and filled with clenched teeth. "What exactly do you want? Didn't we agree yesterday that I would only help you make connections? Why are you spying on me first thing this morning? What kind of matchmaking is this?"
"That's called understanding the target's daily routine." Isolte solemnly held up one finger. "The art of war says: 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.'"
"I need to know what he does and when he goes out each day in order to devise the perfect plan for a chance encounter."
"... You need military strategy to woo a man?" Nina felt her brain was starting to malfunction.
"Certainly."
Isolte's eyes gleamed. "My master said that pursuing what you want requires strategy; blindly charging forward is the stupidest thing to do."
Nina opened her mouth, wanting to say something in rebuttal, but then realized that it seemed to make some sense. She thought for a moment, then asked, "So how do you plan to bump into him?"
Isolte smiled mysteriously, "I've already planned it out."
"But what excuse should I use to approach him? It's so difficult."
That noon.
Luo Ge ate at the Sanctum's dining hall as usual.
He found a corner to sit down with his tray, and after taking a couple of bites of rice, someone else appeared in front of him.
May I sit here?
Isolte held the tray, smiling gently and gracefully, as if this were truly an ordinary, chance encounter.
Luo Ge glanced up at her, then nodded expressionlessly. "Whatever."
Isolte sat down opposite him, gracefully picked up a piece of dried fish, and then casually asked, "This morning I was taking a walk on the beach and saw someone practicing swordsmanship. Could that person have been you?"
Luo Ge lowered his head and ate his rice, giving a mumbled "hmm."
What a coincidence!
Isolte smiled, her eyes crinkling. "I often go for walks on the beach too, maybe we'll run into each other often in the future."
"Um."
Do you practice swordsmanship every morning?
"Um."
Are you still going tomorrow morning?
"Um."
Isolte's smile froze for a moment. All the topics she had tried so hard to bring up had been met with a single "hmm" from the other party.
Moreover, Luo Ge's eyes never left his plate from beginning to end.
But who is she?
She is the granddaughter of Water God Reida.
What's a little setback?
She took a deep breath, adjusted her strategy, and attacked from a different angle. "Um, are you free tomorrow?"
"No time!"
"I must continue my spiritual practice."
Although Luo Ge didn't know what tricks Isolte was up to, he still decisively shook his head and refused.
Isolte hadn't expected Luo Ge to reject her so decisively, but she didn't give up and continued trying to strike up a conversation, "I've been having some problems with my training lately. Could I ask you for some advice on swordsmanship?"
"That's right!"
"Isn't your master the Water God? Wouldn't it be better to ask her instead of me?"
"..."
After suffering several setbacks in a row, Isolte somewhat unpleasant.
When the boomerang of history strikes us.
She finally began to understand the feelings of those noble young men she had rejected in the past; it was indeed very painful.
Fortunately, Luo Ge wasn't truly heartless. He put down his plate and looked at Isolte: "Tell me, what exactly is the problem?"
Isolte quickly adjusted her mindset. "My master has already taught me everything she knows."
Isolte the fabric of her knees with her fingertips, a lingering sense of defeat weighing on her stern brows, her tone tinged with resentment and a hint of helplessness.
"However, so far, I have only mastered one of the secret techniques of the Water God Style. As Water Saint, I am already thoroughly familiar with the regular Water God Style swordsmanship."
"Only by mastering two different profound mysteries at the same time can I truly take this step to become the Water King." She looked up at Luo Ge, her gaze very serious.
"My master said I have great talent, but very little practical experience. In actual combat, if the opponent doesn't actively release killing intent, I'm easily deceived by their disguise."
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Isolte dejectedly, "I originally thought there weren't many people my age who could beat me, but I never imagined that heroes are as numerous as fish in a river."
"Just two days ago, when Nina and I were sparring..."
"You lost?"
"Yes, that's right."
Nina beat me.
"I really didn't expect you to lose to Nina?" Luo Ge, somewhat surprised.
In Luo Ge's view, Isolte's strength was clearly superior to Nina's. He had fought against both of them and was well aware of their combined strength.
Isolte, who was just one step away from winning the title of Water King, is clearly superior to Nina in terms of overall strength.
Furthermore, the Water God Style is relatively effective against the Sword God Style, so Luo Ge never expected that Isolte would lose.
Isolte paused for a moment, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "Well... that's the truth. Although the result is a bit embarrassing, I did lose to Nina."
" Nina has grown up so fast, it's incredible!" Luo Ge remarked with some emotion.
At that moment, Luo Ge also felt it deeply.
It turns out... while I was unknowingly cultivating myself, everyone around me was actually growing.
Isolte is growing and improving...
Nina is chasing after it too...
One is openly chasing after you, while the other is desperately chasing after you in a corner where you can't see it.
Luo Ge, intrigued by their fight, asked, "How did you lose?"
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Luo Ge added, "Well, I didn't mean to reopen old wounds. Tell me, maybe I can help you."
Isolte curled into a smile, "Very well, Sword King."
"Just call me Luo Ge, don't be so formal."
"Yes, Luo Ge."
Isolte nodded, then took a deep breath and said, "I couldn't sense a single trace of killing intent from Nina. Her swordplay was too fast; I couldn't see it at all."
"Ugh, this is such a headache."
"So you lost to Nina's Sword of Light." Luo Ge revealed a look of sudden realization.
"That's easy..."
"I'll teach you a trick called ' Light Reversal '."
" Light Reversal?"
"Huh, what's that?"
Isolte somewhat curious.
Luo Ge then began to explain to her, "This is specifically designed to counter the Sword God Style technique, ' Sword of Light.' The Sword of Light compresses Touki to unleash a slash at near-light speed, making it extremely difficult to dodge."
"As for the Light Reversal, it's about seizing that fleeting opening when the opponent swings their Sword of Light, before the blade reaches its maximum speed, and striking their wrist to neutralize the attack."
"It's said to be a technique from the Sword God Style, but I feel it's more like the Water God Style. However, this technique is a bit difficult. Do you want to learn it?"
"Mmm."
Isolte smiled sweetly. " Nina's trick is really working!"
That's wonderful.
She's one step closer to making her dream come true.