by Fat Bread
"Little Xi, you have awakened your talent in sword skills?" Hua Huo smiled like the spring sunshine and summer fireworks; it was very bright and resplendent.
Nothing was more exciting than to walk on the path, linked together by the heart and practicing the same sword skills with her own lover.
Certainly, Yun Xi and herself were a pair of natural lovers and no one could separate them.
She firmly believed that someday Yun Xi would amaze the world.
At first, she was simply curious about him.
From the prosperous Western God's Domains, she came to a remote small village of the White Lotus Sword Domain; she knew no one here.
At this time, Yun Xi came to her and drew her attention. She couldn't overcome her feelings of wanting know more of his secrets.
As time passed, her curiosity turned into familiarity and closeness. She became his childhood sweetheart as they grew up together.
Every day, hour, minute, or second she and he stayed together, was a precious treasure which she never could replace.
Yun Xi didn't know her identity, didn't know where she was from, and didn't know the reason why she had to come here.
They were pure and innocent childhood sweethearts.
Hua Huo had seen too many dirty things and dark sides from childhood. The days she was in the village, the time she shared with Yun Xi, was her most precious gift and that could never be replaced.
Now, Yun Xi was waking up to his talents.
She was proud of him and felt happier than anyone.
This was her Yun Xi, her childhood sweetheart, the person who held her hands and grew up together with her.
"En. So I hope you can teach me sword skills." Referring to the talent about sword skills, Yun Xi felt ashamed.
If he did wake up his talent on sword skills as Hua Huo said, he wouldn't be like he was.
He took another secret glance and found that the completion of the seed had already grown to 17% and started to stabilize.
He felt he had understood Hua Huo's understanding about sword skills and the secret of Quicksilver Motion. Even the beginner skill - God's Sword Skill: Flying Sky Sword - which was within his sight, but beyond his reach; he also grasped little clues of.
All these were continuously absorbed by Yun Xi through the 17% processed seed.
The Star Loving System, did it mean... through Hua Huo and his sword practicing, Yun Xi vaguely grasped something.
"Again!" Hua Huo smiled sweetly and raised her wooden sword.
"Alright." Yun Xi also raised his wooden sword, filled with anticipation.
Again!
He didn't need any hints, Yun Xi heard Hua Huo's seed emit a pleasant hum.
This seed he got from Hua Huo was like a little life who was buried in the earth, hearing the sound of the coming spring. It tried its best to take root and sprout, wanting to break out from the soil.
With the dancing light of their two swords, Yun Xi once again clearly felt how the seed was growing in their pair exercise.
As he got more closer to Hua Huo, he had a higher closeness with her, and more invisible "lines" extended out from his body. His absorption of Hua Huo's talent grew faster along with his understanding of sword skills.
He finally understood that the seeds could be accelerated in this way.
No wonder the system said that Hua Huo's seed was easy to absorb and he had a very high affinity with it.
If he chose the sleeping beauty's seed at that time and had also found a way to get in contact with this powerful girl from nearby the village in the real world, he could also improve the pace of the seed's growth this way
Yun Xi imagined it for a second. He thought if so, maybe it wouldn't take him a hundred years to absorb the seed.
Of course, this was just his wishful imagination. Till now, he still didn't know a girl who had the abilities of "Vacuum Seal", "Cutting Blade", "Void Burst", and "Great Circulation", or who the sleeping beauty even was.
He was just the second generation successor of a bread shop. It was impossible to get in contact with such a warrior at the Hero Rank.
"Keep focus, Little Xi! Settle your mind as still as water, then you can reflect the Shadow of Swallows!"
Yun Xi just imagined the seed of the mysterious sleeping beauty, and Hua Huo's "Childhood Sweetheart's Jealous Radar" immediately launched!
At the same time, Yun Xi found the improving speed of the seed suddenly began to fall, which meant that the link between Hua Huo and himself had a serious failure.
"En, I know!"
Yun Xi immediately tried to forget the sleeping beauty, especially her little snow-white feet and soft pink lips, and began to focus on the practice.
Flying Swallow, First Strike! Second Strike! Third Strike!
The completion of the seed continued to rise: 18%, 19%, 20%!
After three continuous updated points, the acceleration of Hua Huo's seed finally stopped. It wasn't that the seed had problems, but simply because Yun Xi's body was unable to absorb any new sword skills from Hua Huo.
Yun Xi's 1st-ranked body has become the biggest cork to improve himself.
Hua Huo's seed gave Yun Xi power in the spiritual dimension but it wasn't directly enhancing his body.
"Well, that's all for today." Hua Huo seemingly had found that Yun Xi had reached his limit, so she decisively stopped their practice.
"Well done, Little Xi."
"I can assure you that you are the strongest 1st-ranked Swordsman in the village."
"Thanks. Sorry for troubling you."
Now, it showed how big the gap was between a 3rd-ranked body and a 1st-ranked body. They used the same Swallow Strike dozens of times, but Hua Huo still kept on her normal pace. She wasn't even sweating!
However, Yun Xi was already sweating all over and almost used up all of his physical strength. Because he continuously used the Quicksilver Steps, his feet had twitched many times.
"Don't worry, take it easy. There's plenty of time." Hua Huo stretched out her hands and drew out her handkerchief, then gently wiped the sweat off from Yun Xi's forehead.
Aha, this is my childhood sweetheart.
Talented, but never relaxed; strong, but also gentle; simultaneously holding the advantage as an actively twintail girl and a madwill maiden.
If she wasn't that jealous, she would be more perfect.
Yun Xi sighed but didn't find that in the nearby woods, a pair of jealous eyes were looking steadfastly at this pair of lovers.
Chapter 21: Coming with Evil Intent
The early morning mist had dispersed as the golden sun stretched its rounded body and leapt over to the East horizon, emitting countless golden lights. Shining over all myriad things in the heavens and on earth.
"Little Xi, see you tomorrow!"
After continuously practicing the three strikes of the Flying Sky Swallow Sword Arts for more than a hundred times, Yun Xi couldn't even move his fingers anymore as he collapsed on the ground. Hua Huo cheerfully waved goodbye to him and ran all the way back to the village.
Shortly after, the only one remaining at the riverbank was a weak youth that had suffered torment from his childhood sweetheart. He looked at Mei'er dispiritedly, seemingly like a teenager who lived his life without love, while the golden retriever puppy was licking the juvenile's cheek.
"Hua Huo... is really too strong... I have... clearly said... I don't... want it..."
Completely exhausted and nearly experiencing an out-of-body experience, Yun Xi's hands and feet assumed a posture like a big sign. He didn't even have the strength to pick himself up.
Practicing sword arts with Hua Huo - a 1st Rank against a 3rd Rank - he really courted his own death.
Presumably, in Huo Huo eyes, even if there were a hundred Yun Xi, it would only take a few sword brushes to beat them.
The fact that she can be this patient and spend great efforts in helping an opponent, whom she could instantly kill, practicing sword skills with, was completely because t
hey had a relationship as childhood sweethearts.
"Mei'er, am I too weak?"
He was barely able to stretch out his hand to look at the vibrant sun from between his fingers. Yun Xi felt like he was a fish on a chopping block which suffered serious dehydration and would soon be hung up.
"Woof!" Mei'er looked around to confirm that nobody was here and ran all the way to Yun Xi's side to hold her small paw to his forehead.
At the next moment, a golden brilliance was emitted from Mei'er's paw as it slowly seeped into the Yun Xi's body, making it warm.
This was vitality power. Yun Xi easily recognized the kind of energy that was being injected into his body.
The golden spirit brought blessing and luck, the golden fur princess... Mei'er actually had it, far more than this. At present, just because Yun Xi was too weak and couldn't obtain more star force, he couldn't even say anything.
"Sigh... cough... thank you..." After getting Mei'er's treatment, Yun Xi suddenly felt that more than half of his physical strength had been restored.
Especially because of the continuous display of the Flying Sky Swallow's three consecutive strikes, it made his hands unceasingly twitch. As well as almost causing him to completely lose his senses to move and control his feet. The greater part of it now was cured by the golden light.
Although it was still quite far from his peak condition, but at least he was not in a salted fish-like state.
*Crash~bang!*
When Yun Xi was about to get up, a figure with a pale complexion slowly came out from the direction near the woods.
He looked like a drunkard with a deathly pale complexion. He had long messy hair and was clad in deep violet clothes embroidered with the Yin Yang symbols and the Eight Diagrams pattern on his chest.
He had been attentively watching Yun Xi practice swords with Hua Huo and looked at the flirting eyes between them the entire morning. He was finally unable to bear it any longer and showed himself.
"Ashen?" Yun Xi knew this youth, it could be said that the whole village knew him.
He was the village's second genius, the mayor family's young master.
Had it not been for the beyond common sense super genius - Hua Huo - then, he would have been regarded as the first genius in this small village.
Three years ago, he had passed the examination to the Celestial Palace and went to the Sword Blade Region, which caused quite a big disturbance in this small village.
After all, in this village, a person who had double talent like him was very rare. He was at the same time a Swordsman and a Taoist Priest.
Although his Swordsman and Priest rank was only at the 1st Rank, considering he was just 16 years old and could step feet in both areas, it made him this small village's first genius in the century.
It was similar when Hua Huo, who was a 16-year-old genius, was able to break the limit of the Mortal Grade. However, since she was not a native of this small village, Ashen, as the mayor's son, became the benchmark and the representative for the genius standard in this small village.
However, in the end, he didn't choose the Sword Palace in the Sword God's Domain, of which almost all young geniuses would choose. Rather, he went to another big power instead that specialized in all kinds of Taoism techniques, The Celestial Palace.
At that time, because of this choice, he seemed to have had a big fight with his father.
"Yes, it is me, Yun Xi." Ashen fiercely stared at Yun Xi with a hateful and cynical expression that carried along with it a malicious intent that would make people shudder.
"Three years, I finally came back!"
"I've come back to marry the bride who I love."
"Your bride?" Yun Xi somewhat felt some kind of bad premonition.
He recalled that for a period of time before Hua Huo had yet to show her otherworldly talent and shock everyone, Ashen and Hua Huo were once called by the villagers as the twin stars.
For such an ordinary small village, to be able to step into this grade at this age was worthy enough to be great geniuses that should be recorded in the book.
Three years ago, when Ashen admitted himself to the Celestial Palace, countless people's hopes were entrusted to him. Even the mayor who had a big fight with him finally forgave his son.
The Celestial Palace was after all a colossus that had stood aloof in the Eastern God's Domain for thousands of years and had a Legend Rank powerhouse that surpassed the 6th Rank in command, just like The Sword Palace.
Looking at the scope of power globally, the Celestial Palace which specialized in Taoist techniques and the heavenly laws was on par with the Sword Palace; which specialized in the sword arts. But in the Sword God domain, The Celestial Palace's reputation and power could not be compared to the Sword Palace’s.
Whether it was the Sword Palace or the Celestial Palace, as long as one was accepted, in this small village, it was like a carp fish that leapt over the Dragon Gate
"Why would it be you? Hua Huo's insight is a bit too bad."
After three years, Ashen who just returned from The Celestial Palace stared tightly at Yun Xi with bloodshot eyes.
"A trivial baker boy, what qualifications do you have to be together with Hua Huo!"
"Hua Huo and I are destined by the heaven and earth to be a perfect match!"
Sure enough, now Yun Xi knew from where that chilly feeling behind his back came from.
Ashen, despite being hailed as this small village's second genius, had always been narrow-minded and was not a likable character.
Everyone just looked at his father, the mayor's face to then give him way. Regarding his conceited and arrogant attitude due to his achievements, they had always felt indignant but didn't dare to speak out.
Only Hua Huo, who moved to this small village later never gave him any face and even beat him many times to teach him a lesson.
Who would have thought that this treatment unexpectedly sparked Ashen's interest in Hua Huo before he took the test to get admitted into the Celestial Palace. Not the slightest opportunity was left out when he tried to pester Hua Huo. Although the results had always been a downright tragedy.
Only, Hua Huo disregarded him and didn't care whether he was the mayor's son or not. This small village's genius of the century beat him unmistakably to let him reflect on himself.
This situation continued until Ashen was finally admitted to the Celestial Palace and only ended after he left this small village.
Unexpectedly, three years later, Ashen came back...and it seems that he hadn't given up on Hua Huo.
"Three years ago, I knew that Hua Huo would be the most dazzling star and I would never be her opponent if we were to compare in talent for the sword arts."
"So I chose the Celestial Palace in order to obtain Hua Huo's heart with my strength!"
"Now, I'll make you know what real strength is!"
With bloodshot eyes, Ashen stretched out his fingers and blew a whistle.
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
From the other side of the river, a huge monster with a forest-like skin color marched with strength and speed that could make people tremble. Along with it came a gushing and suffocating pressure.
Chapter 22: To Kill
Rough and lumpy green skin, bigger than two Yun Xi together; even its legs were bigger than Yun Xi's. In addition to its swinging small tail, it had four gleamingly sharp teeth when it opened its mouth.
The green hippo!
Yun Xi finally understood what the monster that made him die again and again in the newbie trial was, and where that monster came from.
At first, he wondered how it even possible to have a 3rd-ranked green hippo monster around the village, since even a fox was rarely seen here.
So it was Ashen who brought it here.
"Ah ha ha ha ha, you see it? This is my strongest power, this what I got from the Celestial Palace!"
"The first ranked killer among all 3rd-ranked creatures - Homicidal Hippo! It is the strongest monster a 2nd Ran
k like me can control!"
After seeing Yun Xi's surprised expression, Ashen couldn't help but laugh. He looked at Yun Xi as if he was looking at a dead man.
"You won't see tomorrow's sun."
"I don't think so. I have an appointment tomorrow with Hua Huo in order to practice my sword skills. Ashen, I'm sorry but I will have to let you down." More or less, Ashen had reached the 2nd Rank and that was a little beyond Yun Xi's expectation.