Su Cheng shook her head, then nodded.
"I'm a little afraid of messing this up," she said in distress. "Things with time limits make me feel pressured. Usually, if you fail, you can just try again. But this requires specific environmental and weather conditions, so I can't just quickly start over. Not to mention, it will waste your time—"
"You don't need to feel that way. It's just better on a moonless night, and that's not exactly a rare phenomenon."
He gave a small smile. "And you don't need to worry. Although I've never taught anyone before, I promise I won't lose my temper just because you don't succeed right away."
Su Cheng looked up at him.
To think he actually dared to promise her such a thing.
It seemed he really did trust her quite a bit.
She believed them simply because of the original story, knowing they wouldn't easily harm her—
But regardless of others, the commander seemed to make friends based on intuition, which was quite interesting to think about.
"Focus."
The man squeezed her fingers.
Su Cheng hurriedly gathered her thoughts.
"Mhm, just like that. Then, breathe according to the rhythm I told you. At the same time, imagine a cluster of black flames in front of you. It's connected to you, and you are going to inhale it."
The following instructions were extremely detailed.
Su Cheng understood them perfectly and didn't even have a single question. Basically, anything she could think of, he had already covered.
She just needed to follow his instructions to the letter.
"If you can feel it ignite and burn within your body, remember to capture that sensation—"
Kai straightened up. "Then, go a step further to experience it, magnify it, and let it take over your sensory world. But maintain your rationality and ensure you are always aware of it."
Su Cheng began to sketch the relevant images in her mind, then tried to make them dynamic, endowing them with temperature and breath.
This was not easy either.
She tried hard to visualize the existence of that flame and the connection between it and herself, while simultaneously breathing to the rhythm he had specified.
"...What time is it?"
Su Cheng opened her eyes, wanting to check the sky outside.
But she only saw the windows blocked by heavy curtains.
Kai walked up to her, his tall and robust body blocking her line of sight, completely obscuring the curtains behind him.
"Don't rush," he said helplessly. "Even if we miss it, it doesn't matter. We can just continue tomorrow."
Su Cheng sighed. "What if there is a moon tomorrow?"
Kai thought for a moment. "...There doesn't have to be."
Su Cheng: "?"
He raised his hand and loosely covered her eyes, his palm almost touching her eyelashes.
"It's fine now, continue."
Su Cheng blinked, even able to feel the radiating warmth from his skin.
She silently closed her eyes and continued to immerse herself in her visualization.
At first, it was still a series of failures, and she would occasionally get distracted.
She didn't know how long had passed before she was finally able to coordinate her thoughts and physical actions, achieving the required state for the first time.
Then, she truly and distinctly felt a burning heat.
She could barely distinguish between imagination and reality, even thinking that perhaps it was just an illusion.
But whether it was real or fake, she subconsciously worked to strengthen that connection.
Until that cluster of flames completely ignited within her chest.
Like a stream of fire surging from her heart, with every beat, it was shot towards her limbs and bones, wrapping around her entire body along all her blood vessels.
"...Here."
The man's deep voice came from beside her ear, followed by a cool sensation on her forehead as smooth, strong fingers slid upward from between her brows.
"Then here."
His palm dropped down to grasp her hand, his thumb rolling over the thinnest skin at the center of her wrist, pressing heavily against her radial artery.
"And—"
Su Cheng could almost feel the shadow swaying in front of her, and the previously obscured candlelight fell back onto her eyelids.
She couldn't help but open her eyes, just in time to see the black-haired man squatting down.
He was so tall that even when squatting, he wasn't much lower than her seated form. Right now, he was clasping her ankle with one hand, or rather, using just two fingers.
The webbing of his hand rested against her ankle bone, his thumb and index finger forming a light circle that completely encompassed it, with the tips of his fingers even overlapping a bit.
The skin of his fingers was smooth and carried a chill, like the scales of a cold-blooded animal.
However, the touch of his bracer was rough, bringing a slight sting as it ground against her skin.
She subconsciously shifted her leg.
The young woman's ankle trembled slightly in the man's palm, like a captured fledgling. The winding veins on her bare instep looked like pale cyan chains.
Kai's hand paused for a moment. "...Relax."
His index finger slid along her shinbone, watching as the slender calf muscle involuntarily tensed, drawing out a beautiful curve.
Su Cheng remembered every spot he had touched and tried hard to control the fire in her body to circulate along the same route.
Forehead.
Right wrist.
Left foot.
Because of her sitting posture, connecting these three points formed an irregular triangle.
This process was still very troublesome.
Those flames, or rather battle aura, were not simple to control. A slight lapse in concentration would cause them to shatter and scatter to all parts of her body.
Not only did she need to devote all her attention to doing this, but she even had to fight against it.
She didn't know how long it took before she managed the first complete circulation.
Sweating profusely, Su Cheng opened her eyes, panting slightly from exhaustion.
It was dawn. The sky outside the window was tinged with a line of white, and the grayish-blue morning mist hung low, shrouding the lush flowering trees in the courtyard.
The black-haired, golden-eyed man was leaning against the bay window, engrossed in reading another book. His long legs couldn't fully stretch out, so they were half-bent.
Su Cheng blinked. "...Did I cultivate all night? Or longer?"
"Hmm?" Kai turned his head to look at her and said with a straight face, "It's actually a hundred years later now."
Su Cheng fell silent for two seconds. "I kind of wish that were true. After all, that would probably mean Camus had cured me—"
She felt the battle aura in her body for a moment, confirming its existence, but it was very, very faint, not as distinct as it had been during cultivation.
Let alone gathering it in one place for an explosive attack.
"That's normal," Kai said after hearing her feedback. He closed the book and stood up. "For now, just having the battle aura is enough."
She nodded. "So what should my next goal be?"
"Get familiar with it," he said simply. "As for exactly how to do that, you can explore it yourself. In essence, it is a part of you, you just haven't fully realized that yet."
Su Cheng: "?"
What happened to your lengthy lectures from just now?
Even the cheat-like old man teaching Lin Yun was much more serious than this.
Of course, different types of battle auras would indeed have their differences. Some inherently focused on self-comprehension, but this type of battle aura was usually not very easy to cultivate.
"By the way," Kai sat down next to her again. "You mentioned before that if you start fighting with some weirdo, we should stay far away. Why?"
Su Cheng sighed. It is not that I look down on your strength. Hmm, how should I put it? One of them is a vampire and the other is a blood mage, and you aren't a pure-blood human either. Who knows if those kinds of people will use this as an excuse to make a fuss? It would definitely bring trouble for you all. I usually do not refuse help from others, and I actually quite like taking advantage of situations, but if it might cause great harm to someone else, I am not too willing to do it—unless it is someone I hate.
She said a long string of words rapidly, even feeling her mouth go dry, and could not help but look around.
...Take it easy.
The man in front of her suddenly stood up and, with an agility that belied his stature, neatly poured her a glass of water.
Su Cheng took the glass, looking down to see a ring of water droplets on the side. Thank you—wait, did you wash the glass specifically for this?
When I felt you were about to wake up, Kai sat back down. I understand what you mean. Actually, I did not think you were looking down on me. Even if you really thought I lacked strength, it would not be a big deal.
A gentle smile appeared in his golden eyes. But regardless, I still want to thank you for your kindness.
Su Cheng coughed lightly, just about to say a few polite words.
Actually, he said softly, if we really do go up against the people from the Divine Judgment Tribunal...
Kai stopped speaking, seemingly lost in thought.
A few seconds later, a hint of bewilderment appeared in his bright golden eyes. ...I have lost a lot of my memories, so I do not know what would happen either.
Su Cheng: ???
Su Cheng: You mean, you do not even know who you are or what bloodline you have?
What kind of main character opening setting is this?
I know, Kai shook his head, I just forgot some details. For example, it is like knowing where your hometown is, but forgetting what you did there, or only remembering a part of it.
Su Cheng nodded, half-understanding.
Regardless, he smiled slightly, I still want to thank you. Take this as a token of my gratitude.
Saying so, he pulled out a black bracelet.
The chain looked like twisted segments of a spine, covered with a thin, crystal-like shell that gleamed with a dark red metallic luster in the morning light.
In the center were a few polygonal pyramids, looking bright and exquisite. When turned, the light flowed across them as if balls of fire were hidden inside.
The clasp consisted of two beast heads devouring each other, looking somewhat like lizards, or perhaps dragons.
It is so beautiful! Su Cheng inhaled sharply. But—I cannot accept this. I did not do anything at all, and you even taught me battle aura!
Kai leaned forward and placed the bracelet in front of her. Do you not like taking advantage of things? Anyway, if you accept this, I will not suffer any harm.
Su Cheng was left speechless by his words. ...I am afraid I will lose it.
He gave her a helpless look. This is an enchanted item for storage. It has a blood contract on it. As long as you trigger it with a drop of blood, you will always be able to sense its location.
This is spatial equipment?
Su Cheng was greatly astonished.
She knew such things existed in this world, but even Lin Yun had not managed to get his hands on one in the early stages, because this kind of equipment was very difficult to make. Many people could not buy it even if they had the money.
Only spatial mages among arcane mages had the ability to craft similar items.
But spatial mages were rare to begin with, and not every mage was proficient in artifact refining and willing to sell the items they made.
Su Cheng: ......This is too precious. Are you sure you want to give it to me?
Kai looked at her. I hope you can accept it, but I do not want to make things too difficult for you either.
Su Cheng naturally wanted it very much. Alright, I will accept it. By the way, you know I am a God's Favored, right? If there is anything you need me to do—
She took a deep breath. I can use that power to help you, as long as the consequences are something I can bear.
Kai gazed at her earnestly for a few seconds. I know that those risks are often equivalent to the value of the rewards. I will not let you do that kind of thing for me.
He curved his lips into a slight smile. Thank you, but there is no need to make such a promise to me again. Do not give the deity behind you any opportunity to hurt you.
