Castorice had also heard Yunli mention "Pingrong Opera" on their way over. It was a traditional opera of the Yaoqing Foxians, which relied on different facial masks to distinguish characters and their personalities, creating a certain barrier to entry for appreciation.

Fortunately, however, Pingrong Opera emphasized realistic and blood-pumping fight scenes, with dozens of actors flying through the air, engaging in gunfights, and brawling in ways that were thrilling to watch. Although Yunli knew of this opera, she had never had the time or opportunity to see it. Now that she heard Jiaoqiu was arranging for them to go, Yunli was quite looking forward to it.

Thus, Castorice and the others agreed to Jiaoqiu's suggestion, preparing to head to the Red Fox Theater to watch the opera. They would also take the opportunity to check on the situation on the Yaoqing Xianzhou.

Derick was set to become the next general of the Yaoqing Xianzhou; this was practically a foregone conclusion. Castorice and the others also wanted to get an early look at the place where they would be living for a long time.

As for Derick himself, he was preparing to go find Feixiao.

Derick followed Jiaoqiu to the training ground.

A genuine, bona fide training ground.

When Derick saw Feixiao in full battle attire, he realized his teacher hadn't summoned him just for that, but also for a combat spar.

"Derick, how is your grasp of your current power?" Feixiao asked him.

Hearing his teacher's words, Derick quickly summoned his long halberd, took a ready stance, and replied to Feixiao, "Teacher, you can rest assured. My current strength is more than enough."

"Boasting won't do. I'll have to verify your actual strength myself."

Feixiao hadn't even finished speaking before she stomped her feet on the ground and charged straight at Derick. As she closed the distance, she raised her weapon high and brought it crashing down on him.

Derick took a step back, gripped his long halberd with both hands, and held it horizontally above his head to block Feixiao's strike.

The two weapons collided, instantly kicking up a violent shockwave. An invisible wave of energy spread outwards, forcing Jiaoqiu, who was watching from the side, to retreat a considerable distance.

Seeing Jiaoqiu's reaction, Feixiao said to him, "Jiaoqiu, you still need more training. It's best you don't watch my spar with Derick from the sidelines."

With someone else present, they were worried about him getting hurt, so Feixiao and Derick couldn't go all out. Besides, after this martial arts spar, there was another session of "extra training" scheduled.

It was better to send him away now; otherwise, they'd have to find another excuse to get rid of him later.

"Alright." Hearing this, Jiaoqiu nodded helplessly and left.

Under the circumstances, the other Cloud Knights soldiers in the training ground also took their leave. Soon, only Derick and Feixiao remained.

With just the two of them left, Feixiao could unleash her full power. She gripped her weapon and split it apart, and the long-hafted weapon instantly became a pair of dual blades.

Derick also slapped his long halberd, which likewise split into its short spear and longsword components, and he met Feixiao's strike with his own.

With their weapons shortened, the two engaged in close-quarters combat. The shorter the weapon, the greater the risk; the attacks became incredibly thrilling and perilous up close. The slightest carelessness could lead to defeat and injury.

Especially since Derick and Feixiao were both powerful Emanators, their attack speed was something others in the universe couldn't possibly follow with the naked eye. Moreover, the force behind every single blow was pushed to its absolute maximum.

The attacks might have seemed unremarkable, but in truth, the power unleashed by each strike was enough to slice a planet in two.

Their attacks had no discernible forms or techniques; they could be described with a single word: "fast."

At the level of power Derick and Feixiao possessed, techniques and forms were almost meaningless.

A duel of martial arts between them boiled down to two things:

being able to track and block the opponent's attacks;

and launching attacks that the opponent couldn't block or reach.

The battle between Feixiao and Derick was a constant search for an opening in the other's defense. But both were rich in combat experience and nearly equal in strength, making it extremely difficult to find any flaw.

In the end, the first thing to give way was the training ground itself.

A battle between two Emanators was not something an artificial venue could withstand for long. As Derick and Feixiao's fight dragged on, the surrounding structures began to show signs of tearing apart.

Derick and Feixiao were only sparring; they had no intention of destroying the Yaoqing Xianzhou. Seeing this, the two of them quickly ceased their attacks.

"Derick, even if I go all out now, I can't guarantee I can defeat you," Feixiao said to him.

At this level, Feixiao had nothing more to say. All that was left was to figure out how to hand over the position of General of the Yaoqing Xianzhou to him.

Derick also broke into a proud smile.

Seeing him smile like that, Feixiao moved closer and reached out to pinch his cheek.

"What are you so smug about! Don't even mention that you haven't beaten me yet. Even if you can defeat me one day, you'll always be my student," Feixiao said as she started tearing at Derick's clothes.

Watching Feixiao's actions, Derick gave her a speechless look.

"Teacher, is tearing my clothes while you're talking something a teacher should be doing?"

"What's wrong with that! Isn't there a saying? 'To master the art, you have to sleep with the master.'" Feixiao said this with righteous confidence.

"Fine, Teacher, you have a point."

What else could Derick say to that? All he could do was agree.

...

In the time that followed, Derick and the others waited on the Yaoqing Xianzhou, preparing for their journey to Amphoreus.

First, the crew of the Astral Express arrived on the Yaoqing Xianzhou.

Derick didn't particularly need the help of the Express crew, but the Astral Express itself had run into a familiar problem, just like in the game. The train was low on power and couldn't make many more Warps.

Upon learning that Amphoreus, Derick's destination, was a place even Akivili, the Aeon of Trailblaze, had never reached, they realized that pioneering a path there would naturally replenish the train's power. Thus, after a discussion among the Astral Express crew, they decided to first rendezvous with Derick's group on the Yaoqing Xianzhou before heading to Amphoreus together.

After all, the Express crew currently lacked Emanator-level combat power, and it would be safer to travel with Derick and his companions.

Not long after the Astral Express arrived at the Yaoqing Xianzhou, the Stellaron Hunters also made their appearance.

As soon as Silver Wolf arrived, she ran off to find some games. Blade, however, sought out Derick.

He wasn't looking for another fight, nor was he asking Derick to kill him. Blade was, after all, the craftsman who had forged Derick's weapon, so naturally, he wanted to check on its condition.

Derick was also very happy to see Blade.

If Blade hadn't come to find him, he would have gone looking for Blade.

Although the long halberd in his hands seemed sturdy and effective enough, it was inevitably showing some strain after prolonged combat at the Emanator level. This was something Blade, the weapon's forger, hadn't anticipated.

It wasn't his fault for not foreseeing it.

After all, over countless Amber Eras, among the innumerable geniuses and powerhouses in the universe, only a handful could make the leap to become an Emanator.

Yet Derick had become one, and an exceedingly powerful one at that.

The weapon was in definite need of a proper adjustment.

It hadn't been adjusted back on the Zhuming Xianzhou because, although General Huaiyan's forging skills were superb, he wasn't the weapon's original creator. This kind of fine-tuning was best left to the one who forged it.

Blade didn't have any better materials on hand, so he could only make do by increasing the weapon's Toughness to prevent Derick from completely breaking it.

"Thanks,"

Derick said earnestly to Blade.

"It's what I ought to do," Blade said, his expression impassive. He paused for a moment, then continued, "But when are you all planning to depart?"

"Soon, probably. We're just waiting for one last group."

"Who else?"

"Madam Herta and Mr. Screwllum of the Genius Society. When it comes to researching the Imperial Scepter, they're the experts," Derick replied.

"Indeed."

Blade agreed with that.

Then, thinking about Firefly, Blade spoke up again. "Right, Derick, I'd like to ask you for a favor. It's about Firefly."

"Treating her is risky," Derick replied without immediately agreeing.

"Letting her condition continue to deteriorate is a constant danger. Rather than let her live with that risk, it's better to try something bold. Even if something goes wrong, then that is her fate."

Blade said to Derick.

Hearing Blade put it that way, Derick had nothing more to say.

"Alright. Before we leave, I'll give it a try."

"Mhm."

Blade nodded lightly.

Then, he handed the long halberd back to Derick.

"Give it a few swings. I want to see if there's anything else that needs adjusting."

"Okay."

Derick took the long halberd and began to swing it.

...

While Derick was testing his long halberd, Hyacine and Cipher were strolling through the Tianfeng Pavilion on the Yaoqing Xianzhou.

Located in the Guanghan Grotto-Heaven, the Tianfeng Pavilion was one of the Yaoging's most famous attractions. It was a memorial palace built to commemorate the previous Yaoging Dragon Sovereign, Lord Tianfeng, for destroying the Hundred-Armed Alley-Beast, and it stood as an artistic masterpiece of Yaoging Vidyadhara architecture.

Within the Tianfeng Pavilion, Vidyadhara Wind-Wielders had laid down Feather Paths, connecting sixteen floating islands. Even without any flight or levitation equipment, people could walk freely through the air.

Hyacine was a Golden Scion who possessed the Skyrend Coreflame, so she particularly enjoyed the sensation of walking on air.

As for Cipher, whose personality thrived on excitement and liveliness, she was even more thrilled by the Feather Paths.

Standing in the sky, Cipher cheered down at the world below a few times, then looked at the equally excited Hyacine beside her and patted her on the shoulder.

"Lady Cipher, what is it?" Hyacine asked.

"I've told you, don't call me Lady Cipher. I'm only a few years older than you. Just call me Feibao like everyone else." Cipher waved her hand dismissively, then asked Hyacine, "Yingzi, how much longer are you going to wait?"

"Wait? Wait for what?"

Hearing Cipher's question, Hyacine looked completely bewildered.

What does she mean by that!?

"About you and Derry, of course. We can't go all the way to Amphoreus and back, and when we see Sister Lingbao and Aya again, you're the only one who's still a virgin, can we?" Cipher said to Hyacine with a grin.

As soon as Cipher said this, Hyacine's entire face turned bright red.

"S-So what if I am?"

"Really? But I get the feeling you don't want it to be that way! When you see the rest of us being intimate with Derick, don't you feel anything?" Cipher leaned in and whispered into Hyacine's ear.

"Even if we succeed in saving Amphoreus, there's still a long road ahead to rebuild it. Once things get busy, if you miss your chance, it's really gone for good. And think about it, those of us who are involved with Derry are going back to the Yaoqing Xianzhou after Amphoreus is saved. What about you? What reason will you have to follow Derry over here?"

Cipher had seen Hyacine's silent affection for Derick, and she was more than happy to help things along between them. At the same time, as good friends, she wanted them to all stay together. So today, she took this opportunity to persuade Hyacine to make a move.

Hyacine lowered her head, speechless.

She did like Derick, of course, and she was willing to be with him.

But her personality made it difficult for her to take such initiative, and she usually suppressed those feelings.

But now that Cipher had pointed it out, if she didn't act, she might really miss her chance.

Hyacine weighed her own reservedness against her happiness and quickly made a decision.

"Lady Ciph— no, Feibao, please help me."

Hyacine said to Cipher.

Hearing Hyacine say this, Cipher broke into a smile.

"There we go, that's more like it." Cipher patted Hyacine's shoulder and said with a laugh, "I'll create an opportunity for you."

"Ah..."

Before Hyacine could even react, Cipher had already pulled out her phone and was messaging Derick.

"Hey, Derry, you there? What's up? I'm asking you on a date, of course. Tonight, I've already booked the best love hotel on the Yaoqing Xianzhou. We're going at it... what do you mean I'll be beaten quickly? You just wait. Just you wait, watch me get my revenge tonight."

After saying her piece, Cipher hung up.

Looking at the dumbfounded Hyacine beside her, Cipher waved her phone.

"There, it's all set up for you. The rest is up to you tonight. Also, that conversation I just had with Derry, don't you go remember—... actually, never mind, go ahead and remember it."

Cipher had originally intended to tell Hyacine to forget it.

But on second thought, given her playful and easily defeated nature, she'd probably end up teaming up with Yingzi sooner or later.

When that time came, she wouldn't be able to hide her lack of stamina from her anyway.

"Mhm, mhm..."

Hyacine nodded dazedly at Cipher's words.

...

That night,

Derick followed Cipher's message and arrived at the room she had booked in the love hotel.

______

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