Somewhere in a distant star system, a massive tree, which had just devoured all the natives of a planet, stood tall upon its surface.
In truth, it was not a simple tree but the infamous Emanator of Abundance—Shuhu.
"Rahu?"
Shuhu suddenly sensed that the connection with his pet had been severed, which meant that Rahu, the planet he had personally enlightened, was dead.
"Who killed my pet? It must be those bastards hogging the Traces of Abundance again."
In this universe, what he despised the most were the Xianzhou natives.
They had willingly sought Yaoshi for immortality and received the Traces of Abundance—Yaoshi's creations that countless followers of Abundance had never attained—yet after obtaining them, they turned their backs on their god and savior, running off to worship that Devilish Archer Author who harbored intense hatred toward Yaoshi.
But worst of all, they shamelessly still monopolized the Traces of Abundance and refused to let any other followers of Abundance use them.
Absolutely detestable!
They were nothing but shameless trash!
If they dared to kill his pet today, then tomorrow they would dare to kill him!
As Shuhu thought about it, the angrier he grew.
If not for the presence of the Arbiter-Generals on the Xianzhou Alliance's side, he would have already charged forward.
Last time, he had started a war, but because of those Arbiter-Generals, he had been defeated.
Now, he was recuperating and gathering strength for another war.
"Fine, I'll let you act arrogant a little longer. Once I've recovered, I'll attack the Luofu first and seize the Ambrosial Arbor. I'd like to see who can stop me then!"
Just like that, knowing his pet had died, Shuhu was truly furious, but he ultimately managed to hold it in.
Shuhu continued to the next planet, devouring its natives while gathering new followers of Abundance, preparing for the next war.
Ambrosial Arbor—he was determined to have it!
===
Xianzhou Cangcheng, Inner Sanctum, Jingliu's Residence.
As Lucian sent away those officials, he finally enjoyed some peace and quiet.
In the end, after tasting Jingliu's cooking as always, he sat in the courtyard, basking in the sunlight at his leisure, when suddenly...
"Master, it's three days already. I want to learn swordsmanship now, as you promised."
Jingliu, having changed into her training clothes, approached Lucian and brought out the sword left by her parents—it was three feet seven inches long, weighing over three kilograms.
Seeing her bring out a real sword, Lucian started to panic a little because he did not know any swordsmanship at all.
In fact, he had made an excuse to recuperate for three days and used those days to remember any swordsmanship from his original world to teach Jingliu, but sadly, it was in vain since he didn't know any swordsmanship at all.
It couldn't be helped.
In the past, he was not a swordsman or anything, and he merely watched some sword moves from movies, anime, games, and the like.
How could he teach someone swordsmanship?
However, since his image as a swordsman who could split a planet in two had already been established, he had to keep up the act.
"Alright, from today on, you'll swing your sword three thousand times a day, do one hundred push-ups, one hundred squats, and run twenty kilometers." Lucian instructed calmly, his expression solemn.
However, after hearing the training plan, Jingliu's beautiful eyes filled with confusion.
"Master, will that really work? Why do I feel like if I train like that, I'll lose my hair? Also, what sect or school do you belong to? What swordsmanship will you teach me?"
A barrage of questions came one after another from the confused Jingliu.
Lucian thought for a moment and decided to make something up.
"No sect or school." Lucian calmly shook his head, acting mysterious. "But the world calls me the Azure Sword Immortal."
In his eyes, when one traveled the world, one's reputation was whatever one claimed it to be.
Jingliu, upon hearing the name 'Sword Immortal,' instantly had her eyes light up.
No wonder her master could slice through a planet so easily—he was actually a sword immortal!
Seeing Jingliu truly fall for his nonsense, Lucian continued to put on a mysterious act.
"To kill in ten steps, leave without a trace for a thousand miles. Once the deed is done, brush off your robes and conceal both your fame and skill."
As Lucian spoke, a beam of sunlight coincidentally fell upon him, making him appear just like the protagonist of a fantasy tale, glowing with a halo!
Combined with the lines he recited, he could not have seemed more unfathomable!
In all her life, Jingliu had never seen anyone act this cool before—as a result, she was utterly awestruck.
At this moment, she could almost see a hero, sword in hand and wine jug at his side, stepping into legend with a single stride—free, elegant, and brimming with boundless spirit!
"Amazing! Master, please teach me your swordsmanship!"
Jingliu's eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open slightly—admiration and longing were written all over her face.
"You're my disciple, so of course I'll teach you." Lucian smiled and pointed to the old, worn wooden stake in the yard. "Alright, just practice as I said."
Jingliu nodded and, with a determined look, marched over to the stake and began swinging her sword at it.
===
Three thousand sword swings later, Jingliu felt her arms go numb, yet she still had push-ups left to do. Her breath came in shallow gasps, her muscles screaming for rest, but her willpower burned brighter than any fatigue.
A while later, after running twenty kilometers, she felt her legs turn to jelly, but she still had squats left.
As she squatted, her legs trembled beneath her at one point, but she quickly caught herself, forcing her body to stand tall once more.
Sweat streamed down her face, but she refused to wipe it away.
As Jingliu struggled through the grueling training, her eyes locked onto a distant point on the horizon. It wasn't just the physical challenge that drove her—it was the promise of something greater, something beyond the limits of her current state.
Now, she had a purpose—one that she was unwilling to let slip away.
Every drop of sweat, every aching muscle, was an investment in her future, and she wasn't about to waste it.
Seeing Jingliu already looking half dead yet still determined to continue, Lucian's gaze softened slightly as he observed her, but only for a moment before it became steady and unwavering—there was no pity in his eyes, only quiet approval.
Even though he didn't know any swordsmanship, he at least knew how to get one's body in shape, which was why he planned to get Jingliu's body in shape first.
At least he knew that, with a healthy and strong body, one could do anything.
===
As night came, Jingliu, having already finished her day's training, now lay limp in the bath.
'Will I really be as strong as Master if I keep this up?'
Jingliu pondered silently and tried to lift her arm, but it was too weak to move.
In fact, her whole body was now soft and powerless.
'If I could just lie here forever, that wouldn't be too bad...'
Jingliu suddenly felt her eyelids grow heavy—heavier and heavier—until she could no longer keep them open.
In the next moment, her eyes closed completely, and her mind drifted into a peaceful, quiet oblivion.
For a brief moment, there were no worries, no thoughts—just a gentle, endless calm.
Lucian, sitting alone in the courtyard and enjoying the cold breeze, waited for Jingliu, but even after a long wait, he still did not see her come out.
"Disciple?"
Lucian called out, but no one answered.
In the end, he stood up, entered the house, and went to Jingliu's room, but found no one inside.
'Is she still in the bathroom?'
Lucian pondered for a moment before walking toward the bathroom.
"Jingliu?"
He stood before the bathroom door, knocking and calling out, but there was no response from inside.
'Don't tell me she drowned in the tub?'
As this thought crossed his mind, Lucian no longer cared about manners and barged into the bathroom.
As soon as he entered, he saw Jingliu was indeed still in the bathroom, passed out inside the tub.
He quickly checked and confirmed that she was only asleep, yet no matter how much he called, she would not wake up.
"If it weren't for me, you'd have drowned in here today, my dear disciple..."
Lucian muttered helplessly, then created a white bandage with Godly Bandage and wrapped Jingliu up with it.
Of course, during the process, he inevitably caught sight of some 'VIP content.'
'Heh, with my lucky pervert trait, I can see VIP content anywhere I go, huh...'
Lucian couldn't help but roll his eyes at himself.
Now, what appeared before his eyes was a fair, smooth, and tender little body, with the only downside being that Jingliu was not fully developed yet—probably a B cup at best.
Nonetheless, from top to bottom, everything was delicate and attractive.
If it had been someone perverted, they would definitely have made a mistake, but as a true gentleman, Lucian only looked from afar and did nothing inappropriate.
In the end, after finishing bandaging Jingliu, Lucian immediately left the bathroom, knowing that the still-young Jingliu was easily embarrassed.
===
Not long after Lucian left, Jingliu finally woke up.
Even though she was confused about why she was wrapped in a bandage, as it came off, she surprisingly felt incredibly refreshed!
Now, her whole body was filled with strength, her eyes were bright, and she felt like she could swing her sword another three thousand times.
'Is this bandage... Master's doing?'
It was only natural for her to come to this conclusion.
Considering there were only two people in her house, her suddenly being bandaged could only have been her master's doing.
In other words, the exhaustion miraculously leaving her body must have been his help as well.
However...
'Does that mean... Master saw everything...'
Jingliu glanced at her own body, then quietly crouched in the tub, letting the bathwater cover her head.
Although she was well aware that this kind of thing should have been terribly improper, she could not bring herself to be angry with her master. In fact, rather than anger, what filled her mind now was how she was supposed to face him later.
===
In the end, Jingliu did not come out of the bathroom until midnight.
When she passed by the living room, intending to go to her room, she saw Lucian sitting on the couch, apparently waiting for her.
As soon as their gazes met, however, her face instantly turned red, and she hurriedly looked away, looking panicked.
A moment later, after exhaling a deep breath, she opened her mouth and spoke up.
"Thank you... for helping me recover..."
Jingliu's voice was as soft as a mosquito's, but luckily, Lucian's hearing was sharp enough to catch it clearly.
"Mm, if anything happens in the future, just come find me, okay?" Lucian responded with a gentle smile.
Seeing such a sudden, gentle smile, Jingliu was so startled that she turned and ran straight back to her room, diving under the blanket with her ears burning red.
'Damn... is that super shy girl really the Jingliu I know?'
Lucian could not help but wonder to himself as he thought of the original Jingliu in the game.
Needless to say, the eleven-year-old girl who ran away from him in embarrassment was nothing like the crazy, cold beauty he remembered.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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