"Me?" Grey pointed at himself, looking exactly like a confused cat.
"Yes, Mr. Daniel. I have been waiting here for you this whole time. It is good that you finally arrived. We can now begin the training for the Zenith Sword Art," Lia said with a polite nod.
"Before we start, would you like me to transfer the fee of 5,000 Union Credits for five hours of guidance, exactly as you mentioned?"
"5,000 Union Credits?" Grey's expression changed instantly, shifting from blank confusion to a sharp, highly locked-in look.
Five thousand Union Credits.
The average monthly salary of a middle-class household was only around 400 Union Credits. With that much money, he could easily buy a normal car in this struggling economy.
He honestly wondered if this beautiful woman standing in front of him was playing some kind of elaborate prank. But looking at her luxurious, high-class getup, he seriously doubted it.
Then, it suddenly struck him. The girl had explicitly called him Instructor Daniel. It must be a massive misunderstanding. She had completely mistaken him for someone else, highly likely her actual hired instructor for the Zenith Sword Art.
Grey actually knew of the Zenith Sword Art. Back in Nova-5, it was the highly favored practice of wealthy young masters from prominent families. Most of the time, this specific sword art was the main talk of the class, often used as the ultimate benchmark to compare with other combat techniques.
It was notoriously difficult to cultivate, strictly requiring immense professional guidance and countless expensive resources to even grasp, let alone fully master.
But then, a wide grin slowly spread across Grey's face.
Did that concern him?
Not at all. He firmly believed he could comprehend the technique to the master level, or even the grandmaster level, with just a single glance.
After all, he possessed the Defier of Heavenly Logic. His entire existence was a literal walking cheat, perfectly capable of comprehending absolutely anything and everything. That inherently meant he could definitely guide the young lady standing right before him.
He was indeed once called Instructor Daniel back in the day.
'Sorry, Instructor Daniel. I will be stealing your wealthy student today.'
First come, first serve.
How truly unlucky for you.
Grey looked directly at Lia exactly like a greedy businessman who had just landed a massive, highly lucrative deal.
"Yes, Miss Lia," he said smoothly. "Please wire the money over. I absolutely guarantee you will be fully satisfied with my five hours of professional guidance."
Grey flashed a highly confident smile at Lia and quickly pulled out his phone, clearly showing her his bank details.
Lia nodded and subtly gestured to Albert, who stood completely silently behind her like a massive ghost.
Without a single word, Albert took out his own phone and swiftly completed the digital transaction.
[System: Ding! 5,000 Union Credits have been successfully transferred to your account from Sender: XXX.]
[System: Current Balance: 5,043.28 Union Credits.]
"Alright, Miss Lia. Let us begin." Grey spoke with a highly professional expression, wearing the exact same kind of look a shady car salesman would flash the moment they realized their naive customer was filthy rich.
"Yes," Lia nodded lightly. "I have already booked a top-tier training room for our practice. Please follow me, Instructor Daniel."
Grey nodded as if absolutely everything was completely natural and followed closely alongside Lia, with her imposing butler trailing silently behind them.
Together they smoothly made their way into the exclusive training room Lia had arranged.
From the very start, Grey could physically feel an extremely oppressive aura radiating from both Lia and the bald butler. There was absolutely no doubt they were highly powerful Evolvers.
What truly mattered to Grey was the cold, hard money.
He did not care if they were powerful Evolvers or not.
Besides, while actively training her, he could also safely observe the profound energy patterns hidden within Lia's elixir field.
To successfully cultivate the Zenith Sword Art, one had to either be a dedicated Martial Artist, a rare Bloodline Warrior, or a supreme Immortal Cultivator. Grey immediately ruled out the much lower-ranked evolutionary paths.
Someone as incredibly wealthy as Lia clearly came from a prominent cosmic family with a terrifyingly powerful bloodline. She most likely possessed a highly strong compatibility with ambient cosmic energy, or perhaps even with pure spiritual energy born of heavenly resonance. That was the specific kind utilized solely by Immortal Cultivators.
He absolutely could not miss this golden chance here.
When they finally reached the private room, Lia confidently stepped in first. Grey followed right after her, but when Albert naturally attempted to enter as well, Grey suddenly raised his hand to firmly stop him.
"Did you personally pay me to guide you in the Zenith Sword Art?" Grey asked Albert, his sharp tone heavily carrying the arrogant air of an experienced expert. "You can stay outside and keep strict watch. Do not let anyone disturb our session."
Of course, the actual truth was much simpler. He absolutely did not want this dangerous guy inside the room.
What if he accidentally slipped up and Albert quickly discovered he was just an ordinary, powerless mortal actively scamming his precious young lady?
Albert was most definitely an Evolver at the 2nd Rank or even the 3rd Rank. Only those at significantly higher ranks could constantly exude such a suffocating, oppressive presence. Compared to him, Grey did not physically feel much pressure from Lia, which firmly meant her silent butler was the truly strong one here. Grey could easily tell whether someone was a mere mortal or not, and this towering man was very far from ordinary.
Of course, he knew the dark truth. The sheer fact that he was currently scamming Lia would eventually be brutally exposed once the real Daniel Carter finally contacted her.
But did Grey care?
Once again, absolutely not at all.
In the end, what truly mattered was flawless customer satisfaction.
He firmly believed that with his Defier of Heavenly Logic, he was a vastly better teacher than this so-called Daniel Carter could ever hope to be.
By the time this paid session ended, he was highly determined to leave Lia so perfectly satisfied with his profound guidance that she would not even feel angry when she inevitably discovered the truth.
In fact, he would actively make sure she would definitely call for his specific services again.
Would it not be a direct slap in the face if he could not even do a highly basic thing like teaching, even while equipped with a heaven-defying comprehension cheat?
"Apologies for my butler's behavior," Lia said smoothly, bowing slightly toward Grey. "He was strictly instructed by my father to physically guard me at all times. But now that we are safely inside the Evolvers' Association, I have absolutely no need for heavy protection. After all, I have the powerful Master Daniel Carter right here with me."
She turned her sharp gaze toward Albert. After a brief, tense silence, the bald butler finally stepped back, obediently retreating to his post outside and firmly closing the heavy training room door behind them.
After Albert safely left, Grey looked around. The training room was incredibly spacious, featuring resting seats along the side and a premium vending machine with energy drinks in one corner. In the opposite corner, there was a massive rack of weapons, ranging from heavy maces to battle axes to sleek longswords. They were strictly of basic, unsharpened quality and could not really do much lethal damage, but they were absolutely perfect for safe training.
"Perfect. Let us start." Grey confidently clasped his hands behind his back, flawlessly imitating the arrogant posture of a seasoned expert.
"Yes," Lia replied softly. Then, without a single shred of hesitation, she began removing her loose t-shirt right in front of him.
Grey was immediately caught completely off guard.
'Wait, why is this rich girl suddenly stripping?!'
'Are we about to physically practice some kind of illicit dual cultivation technique?!'
But what he wildly expected never came to pass. Underneath, she wore a snug, high-performance sports bra and short, flexible training pants. The oversized t-shirt had simply been casually covering her proper combat attire.
With her designer sunglasses also securely set aside, Lia's natural beauty was finally revealed in full. Her long, flowing black hair with striking purple highlights was tied into a neat, practical ponytail, and a soft fringe perfectly framed her delicate face. Her deep purple eyes gleamed brightly, seemingly illuminating the training room itself.
Clad in fitted, premium sportswear that perfectly highlighted the striking proportions of her well-endowed figure, she looked nothing short of breathtaking. She was elegant, highly athletic, and undeniably alluring.
"Very well, let us properly start with the absolute basics. Start performing the Zenith Sword Art, and I will heavily guide you from there," Grey said completely casually as he sat down comfortably on the resting seat right beside the door of the training room.
He patiently waited for the martial show to begin so his cheat could instantly comprehend the technique and he could start formally teaching.
Lia took a long, deep breath, her delicate hands steadying firmly on the wooden hilt. She planted her feet exactly shoulder-width apart, smoothly lowering her center of gravity into a solid stance, and then respectfully raised the practice sword high above her head in a traditional salute to the heavens.
The very first strike came with a sharp, explosive step forward. The dull blade swept violently upward, cleanly carving a flawless arc as though attempting to physically split the clouds above. Without a single pause, she pivoted her flexible body and brought the heavy sword crashing back down, the blunt edge sharply whistling as it violently cut through the stagnant air.
She fluidly shifted her weight directly onto her back foot, forcefully thrusting the blade straight ahead. The piercing thrust flowed seamlessly into a smooth, calculated withdrawal. Her arms circled outward, swiftly turning the blade completely sideways before slashing across in a devastatingly wide, horizontal sweep.
Her profound footwork effortlessly carried her in a perfect half-circle, each single step highly measured and absolutely precise. The longsword followed her momentum, cleanly tracing glowing crescents in the air. First violently to the left, then sharply to the right, before she spun incredibly lightly and brought the blade around in a devastating, rising diagonal slash.
From that sharp diagonal, she instantly transitioned into a highly fluid overhead cut, both hands locked firmly on the hilt. She stepped in much closer, driving the practice blade forward in a brutal, piercing thrust. She then sharply twisted her wrists, flawlessly turning the forward thrust into a sweeping, absolute parry that completely cleared the defensive space right before her.
Finally, she exhaled softly, perfectly steadying her ragged breath, and gracefully ended the combat sequence with both hands tightly gripping the hilt as she formally drew the sword back to her side in a flawless finishing stance.
"How was it exactly, Instructor?" Lia slowly turned her glowing purple gaze directly toward Grey and asked respectfully.
However, entirely to her surprise, the esteemed instructor was now looking directly at her with a highly strange, dumbfounded expression permanently frozen on his face.
[System: Your comprehension defies the Heavens! By observing Lia perform the Zenith Sword Art, you have successfully comprehended the 'Great Zenith Sword Art'.]
[System: Your comprehension defies the Heavens! By observing Lia in combat, you have realized the heavenly workings and successfully gained profound insight into the 'Endless Potential Physique'.]
Grey: ???