Awakening and Battle Arts

Feiluo glanced sideways to ascertain the newcomer’s identity. As soon as she recognized them, she immediately pursed her lips, resting her arms on the desk with her head cradled between them, turning away to present the person with the back of her head.

“Oh? Junior Sister Feiluo, why the sudden chill upon seeing me?” Yiwu’s boisterous voice boomed into Feiluo’s ears, causing her to instinctively shrink even further towards the opposite edge of her desk.

Observing Feiluo’s blatant refusal to engage, Yiwu mused for a moment before settling into the desk directly in front of Feiluo, then swiveling her body to face her. In this position, Feiluo could vaguely discern Yiwu’s outline.

“What is it, Senior Sister Yiwu?” Witnessing Yiwu’s tenacious resolve, Feiluo could only sigh, straightening her posture and turning her gaze towards the persistent senior. She had hoped to catch a bit more sleep, but it seemed that opportunity had now vanished.

“Oh, it’s nothing much, really. I’m simply curious as to why the Sect Master has decided to teach our class,” Yiwu declared. “And wasn’t the Sect Master just here to deliver your lunch, Junior Sister Feiluo?”

‘Why come to teach?’

‘It must be to supervise me, to ensure I don’t slack off during class.’

Feiluo grumbled internally, yet her expression remained placid as she merely stated, “Who can say? Perhaps it was simply a fleeting impulse.”

“…” At her words, Yiwu fell silent, her gaze fixed intently upon Feiluo for a considerable moment. Her eyes held a peculiar glint, as though she were encountering Feiluo for the very first time.

Feiluo’s skin crawled under the scrutiny, a profound sense of discomfort washing over her. She finally broke the silence, attempting to halt Yiwu’s strange gaze. “What is it? Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Ah? My apologies, my apologies.” Yiwu, startled by Feiluo’s words, momentarily froze before realizing the impropriety of her stare. She quickly clasped her hands together, offering a hasty apology.

“It’s fine, but Senior Sister Yiwu, why were you looking at me with such an expression just now? It truly felt as though you were meeting me for the very first time,” Feiluo inquired.

“Was my gaze truly like that?” Yiwu asked, her curiosity piqued.

Feiluo gave a firm nod.

“Ah, well, ahahaha…” Yiwu offered a sheepish chuckle, then explained, “It’s mainly because I sense a change in you, Junior Sister Feiluo, which is why my gaze was so unusual.”

‘I’ve changed?’

‘What exactly have I changed into?’

‘Have I transformed into a red-haired, golden-eyed loli?’

‘Well, that much is certainly true.’

Feiluo grumbled inwardly, her expression betraying nothing as she questioned Yiwu, “Where have I changed? I am demonstrably the same as I’ve always been.”

“It is not your outward appearance that has changed, but your inner self,” Yiwu stated.

Though her voice was not loud, her words resonated in Feiluo’s ears like a clap of thunder. Feiluo gasped, her small hand flying to cover her mouth, her eyes wide with utter disbelief.

‘Could it be that Senior Sister Yiwu has already discerned that I’ve awakened my past memories?’

‘Truly, one cannot judge a book by its cover. This seemingly guileless and boisterous Senior Sister Yiwu was, against all appearances, remarkably perceptive.’

‘This level of insight is truly terrifying; she absolutely cannot be allowed to remain.’

Even as Feiluo reeled from the shock of Yiwu’s sharp perception, Yiwu’s subsequent words were like a deluge of gasoline, ignited by a match, setting Feiluo’s heart ablaze with fury.

“Junior Sister Feiluo, whenever your Master was mentioned before, your eyes would sparkle with the light of a young girl in love. Now, while that light still lingers, it resembles that of a long-married wife—still loving her husband, perhaps, but undeniably weary.” Yiwu placed her hands on her hips, her face alight with an expression of profound pride, as if immensely satisfied with her own shrewd analysis.

Feiluo, however, was consumed by indignation.

‘What on earth does she mean by a young girl in love?!’

‘And what is this talk of a long-married wife?!’

‘This is nothing like me!’

‘And most crucially!’

‘Why am I the wife in this scenario? Do I truly seem like the submissive one?!’

‘I am clearly so assertive; I should be the husband! How could I possibly be some weak, submissive partner?!’

Feiluo’s fists clenched tightly, her eyes practically blazing with fury as she bellowed at Yiwu, who seemed poised to continue her commentary. “I am no mere young girl! I have simply awakened!”

Her furious outburst left Yiwu utterly dumbfounded.

No sooner had the words left her lips than Feiluo was assailed by regret. How could she have blurted out her most profound secret so carelessly? Yet, she couldn’t entirely fault herself; Yiwu’s words had simply been too infuriating.

Just as Feiluo racked her brain for a way to salvage the situation, Yiwu suddenly slapped her palm, a look of profound realization dawning on her face. “A rebellious phase!”

Feiluo: “…?”

Feiluo’s expression morphed into one of speechless frustration. She attempted to offer an explanation, but her words were abruptly cut short by the resonant toll of a bell.

“Dong! Dong! Dong!”

“Ah, class has begun! Junior Sister Feiluo, we’ll have to pause our chat. The teacher is entering.”

Gazing at the teacher, who had already stepped into the classroom, and at Yiwu, who had turned back to face the front, Feiluo opened her mouth to speak, only to snap it shut again as the teacher’s gaze swept across the entire room.

“Alas~” Ultimately, she could only release a resigned sigh and direct her attention towards the instructor.

“Alright, disciples, this session is for Battle Arts. Let us proceed to a different classroom.” The Battle Arts Teacher announced to all the disciples gathered within the classroom.

Having spoken, and without awaiting any reaction from the assembled disciples, she merely lifted a foot and gently stamped it upon the floor.

In that instant, a dazzling brilliance erupted, and space-time warped around them. Array runes shimmered, emitting faint glows in the air. Feiluo’s vision blurred, and it seemed as though countless interwoven scenes flickered before her eyes.

The very next moment, her vision snapped back to normal; all traces of the array runes and the spatial distortion had vanished without a trace.

Feiluo found that they had been transported to a vast plaza, immense enough to easily hold tens of thousands, yet currently occupied only by their single classroom of disciples.

While such a dramatic scene of spatial displacement would typically be astounding, for Feiluo, it had long become commonplace. Indeed, any disciple who had attended more than a few Battle Arts lessons would no longer find it startling. After all, experiencing this transition was a prerequisite for every Battle Arts class. No matter how awe-inspiring it might have been initially, they had long since grown numb to the spectacle.

Feiluo’s gaze swept across the expansive plaza, and in her mind, she involuntarily recalled the knowledge pertaining to this unique dimension. This space was, in essence, a pocket dimension, crafted by Moxi from a fragment of spatial essence, its very purpose being precisely what they were experiencing now. It was designed for use by disciples and teachers alike, for Battle Arts classes or any other curriculum demanding an expansive area.

Given its intended function, the space was naturally replete with various weapons, training dummies, and mannequins. Weapons, ranging from sabers, spears, and swords to halberds, axes, hooks, and forks, were scattered liberally, arrayed in a vast constellation around the perimeter, readily available for any disciple to select. Conversely, the training dummies and mannequins stood in several orderly rows, like unmoving sentinels, silently occupying a designated area along the periphery.

“Disciples, some of you may already find my forthcoming words tedious, yet I must reiterate them, again and again!” The Battle Arts Teacher clapped her hands sharply, instantly capturing the attention of everyone present, Feiluo included.

“While it is true that we are cultivators, and our primary methods of attack predominantly involve long-range techniques, martial skills and battle arts—these close-combat disciplines—must never, ever be neglected!”

“For the dynamics of battle are in constant flux! You can never truly predict what maneuver your opponent will employ next!”

“Perhaps they might abandon their intent to engage you in a long-range battle of spiritual energy attrition, choosing instead to close the distance and engage in melee combat.”

“Should you lack proficiency in close-quarters combat, or if your skills are severely deficient, you could very well face defeat, or even death, as a consequence!”

“Thus, we must never abandon our diligent cultivation of battle arts and martial skills!”