Chapter 153: A Beacon in the Chaos
"Huh? Now?" Ruru’s voice quavered, her delicate features creasing with disbelief. "Are you serious?... "
"Yes, Senior Sister," Lordi said, his tone unyielding, eyes blazing with determination. "This humble junior begs for your mentorship. Time’s running out—I can’t explain why in a short moment. Please, teach me the Spirit Swallowing Technique now. Look, Senior Sister, I don’t have many Spirit $tones, but I’ll trade Legendary Level Bone Tempering Pills for it."
Ruru shook her head, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks under his intense gaze. "Keep your pills," she said softly, her voice wavering with an unexpected warmth. "If I need them, I... I’ll buy them from Junior Sister Kim myself." Her lips twitched, almost a smile. "The Spirit Swallowing Technique wasn’t from the Pavilion of Myriad Arts—it came from a private task. Sect law doesn’t restrict sharing it."
As an Eighth-Layer elite of the Holy Abyss Pit Sect, Ruru was no stranger to squeezing Spirit $tones from juniors, her days of naive trust long buried in the demonic sect’s cutthroat world. She’d planned to charge Lordi a thousand spirit stones for this martial spell—standard practice for a technique of its caliber. But his earnest stare, those thick lashes framing a face carved with resolve, sent her heart racing for reasons she couldn’t grasp. The words tumbled out before she could stop them. "If... Lordi-kun... you want to learn it, I’ll teach you. For free."
She steadied herself, clearing her throat, her voice soft but confident, laced with a hint of warmth. "Um, okay... The Spirit Swallowing Technique sounds powerful, right? Stealing your rival’s spirit energy mid-fight—it’s the kind of move that feels invincible. But since you’re asking me—and you’re, like, super smart about this stuff—let me share some secrets I’ve learned. Just... don’t tell anyone I went this deep for you, okay?" She giggled nervously, then steadied herself, her fingers brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"First, the casting. It’s fragile, like balancing on a thread in a storm. You need a razor-sharp mind, no distractions. You seem like you’d be great at focusing, but even a stray thought or sudden dodge can break the spell. My tip? Practice in silence first—somewhere quiet, like the sect’s lotus pond at dawn. Drill the sequence until it’s muscle memory. Once you can hold it against a breeze or a chirping bird, try it in sparring. And, um..." She bit her lip, a shy smile flickering. "Maybe don’t practice where your girlfriend might see and worry."
A mechanical chime cut through Lordi’s mind, sharp and jarring.
~ Ding! *System Notification Chime*
[AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0]
> Detected external data.
> Analyzing...
> Pattern identified: [External Martial Spell]