Mikael raised his hands placatingly, "My bad!" he declared with a sincere expression.
He then let the silence stretch for some seconds before continuing, "I was too absorbed in my training and didn't find the time to come see you, I planned to come soon but I didn't expect to stumble on you just as I came to see my Senior Sister, and—"
A glint passed in his eyes as his gaze moved to the brown-haired beauty, "Now that I think about it, why are you here, talking with my Senior Sister?"
Bai Yulan looked left and right with a guilty expression, "N-nothing, we were doing nothing! I can guarantee it!" she declared while shaking her hands before her.
"Ahh, I see, you were just doing nothing, right?"
"Exactly! Mikael understands me!" declared Yulan with a joyful smile, happy that he believed her. She patted her perky chest, 'That was close, he nearly discovered why I was here, I can't say that we are here to see him!' she thought in relief.
"But…" he took a small pause before continuing, "Yulan, how exactly do you do 'nothing'? I am curious…"
"T-this," she stammered but didn't continue, not knowing what to say.
'Oh no, I was discovered!' Yulan thought in horror before taking a deep breath to center herself.
'What should I say, what should I say, I can't expose the real reason or else I won't be a true femme fatale…' she thought hard while biting her lips before an idea lit up her eyes.
She leaned forward, glancing left and right with a conspiratorial look, and began speaking in a low conspiratorial tone, "Okay, you got me, in truth we are actually here because we have a super-duper mega secret mission to accomplish, but—"
She placed a finger before her mouth. "Keep it for yourself, it's a super secret mission!"
A flicker of amusement passed through Mikael as he mirrored her conspiratorial look and leaned forward. "I see, don't worry, I won't tell anybody—you can count on me!"
After that, Mikael and Yulan fell into a discussion about this 'super-duper secret mission,' which quickly drifted into other topics.
Meanwhile, Lian'er and Lifen were quietly watching, Lian'er's eyes fixed on Mikael with an intense glint and her face still faintly flushed, while Lifen—having recovered her composure after Mikael's… greeting—was now regarding her twin with a look of clear exasperation.
'Seriously, Yulan! Can't you see that he's obviously trying to change the subject, and you just jumped straight into it and—'
Her expression soured. 'And what's with this "super-duper secret mission"!? Even a kid could tell a more believable lie than that!'
"Ahhhh."
She turned her gaze from the scene, letting it drift toward the clouds above, 'What did I do to end up with a sister like Yulan?'
Yet, even as she complained inwardly, the faint smile tugging at her lips and the occasional glances she sent her sister made it clear that it wasn't truly what she felt in her heart.
It was in this fashion and on this note that the impromptu 'meeting' between Mikael and the girls continued, time flowing rapidly amidst conversation, laughter, and, of course, flirt and romance.
It wasn't until hours later, when the sun had long since fallen, that this 'meeting' finally drew to a close and everyone began to go their separate ways—or at least, that was what could have been expected, but Yulan enjoyed breaking convention, and she did so by saying:
"Lian'er, Mikael, my sister and I would need to stay in the Wandering Sword Sect for a couple of wee—months for our secret mission, can we do this?"
Mikael and Lian'er naturally had no objection, and with their status in the Sect it wasn't an issue to have the sisters remain for months if they wished.
Consequently, after a brief conversation, it was decided that both sisters would stay in the Sect to continue with their 'secret mission.'
Yulan, in particular, was adamant that this was the reason behind their stay, promising that there was absolutely no other reason for her decision, while Lifen, strangely, looked on with an embarrassed expression to her twin's great confusion.
It was also agreed that the sisters would reside on Swordheart Peak, more precisely in lodging situated right beside Hua Lianyu's residence.
This had been offered by Lian'er, and, as could be gathered from the conversation Mikael overheard upon his arrival, she had connected extremely well with Yulan—so well that they had almost instantly become friends—which was why it didn't bother her in the least to have her friend and her sister living right beside her home.
It was on this note that the meeting ended, with the three girls heading to another part of Swordheart Peak where Lian'er would show both of them their lodging, while Mikael left on his own—but not without giving a parting promise.
A parting promise that he would come see them often—a promise that, this time, he had no intention of forgetting and was determined to follow through!
The moment he left Swordheart Peak, Mikael didn't waste a second before heading to the Alchemy Hall.
There, the process was nearly identical to when he had bought the pills for his Qi Control Training; the only difference was that, this time, after selling another batch of Spiritual Herbs, Mikael purchased a different type of pill compared to what he had needed for his Qi Control.
Which was only natural, as he had decided his Qi Control was now high enough and that it was time to shift his training focus to something else—meaning the cultivation resources he required were different.
He shifted his attention to the fourth item on his list, which was: 4. Train and develop his newly awakened Precognition, but… not only!
The reason was that the 'cultivation plan' he had devised for his Precognition essentially consisted of him fighting against the girls to train his special ability, and, consequently, because of the way this training would proceed, he would also, in turn, be training the tenth item on his list.
A tenth item which was: 10. Battle experience training (focus on fighting cultivators rather than demonic beasts).
Training his combat experience against cultivators obviously wasn't the main goal, as could be seen from its position on his list of 'training priority,' with Precognition training being the main objective and far more beneficial for him, but—
If he could, at the same time and without further effort, also train in it, he certainly wouldn't say no; it would be killing two birds with one stone, and gaining 'free benefits' like that wasn't something he could refuse.
Because of this, he adjusted his purchases to include pills and other cultivation resources that would be most conducive to his dual training of Precognition and combat experience against cultivators.
Once that was done, Mikael didn't waste a moment before visiting each girl, one by one, to ask if they would be willing to help him in his training by sparring with him occasionally.
Both Lyra and Kiara accepted, with Kiara, in particular, seeming especially excited at the idea of spending 24/7 with her beloved darling~, and in the end it was Mikael who had to convince her not to spend too much time with him, as she couldn't neglect her own cultivation.
Obviously, Kiara wasn't exactly thrilled to hear that, as she far preferred being with her darling~ over solo cultivation, but she understood what needed to be done and reluctantly agreed to only spend a not-long-at-all period of the day passing time—she meant training—with Mikael.
Afterwards, Mikael visited the Bai sisters and Lian'er, and all three also accepted…
It could lead one to wonder why. After all, it would take away from their own cultivation time, and it certainly couldn't be related to the feelings they definitely didn't have toward Mikael or the nonexistent urge to spend some time with him, right?
It was on that note that, without further ado, Mikael's Precognition + Combat Experience Against Cultivators training began.
And it began in a rather surprising manner—it began with him… getting beaten up!?
Unfortunately for him, Mikael had earlier made some calculations and determined that the best way to train both his Precognition and, incidentally, his combat experience against cultivators…
…was to fight or spar while being overwhelmed by a 'superior' opponent and placed at a total disadvantage, for it was only then that the speed of his progress reached its maximum.
Because of this, Mikael 'didn't' have a choice and could only limit himself to varying degrees for each girl, but the result was always the same—whether the opponent was strong or weak, whether it was a 1vs1 or a 1vs3—the outcome never changed: he would be at a disadvantage and spend the entirety of the fight getting 'beaten up'!
Of course that wasn't because he was weak, it was simply because he restricted himself in order to learn at the fastest pace possible; otherwise, the result would have been… marginally different.
After all, despite his meager cultivation realm, Mikael was in truth a monster, and with his current battle process he could win against all of the girls.
Kiara and Lyra, both at the 1st layer of the Spiritual Foundation Realm, didn't need to be mentioned—though both were far stronger than their realm suggested, equivalent to the 4th or 5th layer, and even more if they used their other energies—he was still far stronger.
The same applied to Amelia, who wasn't present but was slightly stronger having recently reached the 2nd layer of the Spiritual Foundation Realm. The Bai sisters were stronger, both at the 6th layer of the Spiritual Foundation Realm, but against Mikael, it didn't change much.
The only one who could truly be considered a threat was his Senior Sister, Hua Lianyu, at the 1st layer of the Core Formation Realm, and being a genius, her true combat strength couldn't be measured by her realm—but even then—
If he needed to fight her seriously, the question wouldn't be whether he could win, but rather… how serious he would need to get and how injured he might be afterward!
Perhaps the results would have been different four months ago, but in that short span his battle power had taken a tremendous leap forward.
Sangrelia's reforged form and his new, incredibly precise Qi Control both granted him a significant boost to his combat power—a boost that was only amplified when both came together.
It was in this fashion that Mikael began his training, fighting against the girls nearly 24/7, but… in truth, he wasn't really training 100% of the time, as he gave himself and the alternating girls pauses.
During these pauses, he simply relaxed and spent time with them, doing various things—whether it be talking, enjoying a quiet moment together, or engaging in different activities depending on which girl was with him.
With Lyra, for example, it often meant sharing a reading session, whether they were reading the same book, reading side by side, or indulging in other similar moments.
For Kiara, it was… different; with her, it was often sex, her playing her harp, or her crazily muttering her favorite word—darling~—while cuddling with him…
Lian'er was far tamer, and when they spent time together it was often in the form of quiet moments surrounded by nature, or, on the opposite end, a vibrant expedition through the Sect filled with lively conversation—it could go from one extreme to the other.
Yulan… was Yulan; it was simply her being adorable when they were together, while with Lifen, they spent most of their time simply talking.
Some other things that happened were that they often went on dates through the Sect—it was called a date when with Lyra or Kiara, but an outing when it was with Lian'er, Yulan, or Lifen…
All in all, they spent good moments together; whether it was by growing closer or growing stronger, both happened in equal measure, with the girls falling under Mikael's charm more and more as time passed, but on Mikael's side, he wasn't indifferent to the girls either.
Especially Yulan!
Yulan, with her airheadedness and unintentional adorableness, was able to sneakily worm her way into his heart, amidst weird words, cute displays, 'confident' acting, and those moments when she played the 'femme fatale'—only for it to be ruined seconds later by something clumsy or an airheaded remark that shattered her allure.
It all came together and allowed her to steadily grow on him as they passed time beside and with each other.
But while things progressed on the romantic side they also progressed from a training perspective, in truth they progressed… well, nearly too well.
Author Note:
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Mikael use talk no jutsu on Yulan and it was extremely effective! The airhead get distracted and her sister is despairing…a normal day no?
Coupled with the conversation between Mikael with the girls we see the rapidly passing time and Mikael power, in truth even if the training he did may not have looked like much his combat power was rapidly growing and some of the results are beginning to show!
It's just that Mikael's training option of getting beaten up daily to get stronger are…questionable but everything to get more powerful no?
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