CHAPTER 52: MISSION

The sun had not yet risen on the horizon when Kyrian opened his eyes. His body was still full of energy.

Now he knew it was useless to stay put cultivating. The spirit stones had run out, leaving only one. If he wanted to advance as quickly as possible, he would have to hunt and obtain more resources.

Decided, Kyrian stood up, got dressed, and prepared to leave quickly. He walked to the door, but as soon as he opened it, he found Mu Yanyu there, her hand raised as if she were about to knock.

For an instant, she blushed, clearly caught by surprise. However, right after, she regained her composure.

"I... came looking for you. I received a mission from my family to hunt. I thought of inviting you."

Kyrian observed her in silence, his eyes calm.

"Coincidence. I will also go on a mission today. Accompany me to the mercenaries guild, I’ll take one from there." Kyrian replied, walking ahead.

Yanyu simply nodded, and the two left together.

On the street, they drew attention effortlessly. It wasn’t just because of their appearances but because of Kyrian’s unusual eyes. In fact, it seemed that cultivators paid even more attention to him than people in mortal cities.

He could see some surprised and others whispering, but they did not dare approach.

When they arrived at the mercenaries’ guild, Yanyu stopped at the entrance.

"I’ll wait here outside."

Kyrian then entered alone. The environment was full of voices, laughter, and a faint smell of beast blood.

As soon as he stepped through the door, the noise diminished. Gazes turned toward him, whispers arose immediately. But soon everything returned to normal.

At least, that was what it seemed. But Kyrian saw, from the corner of his eye, a small group. Unlike the others, who had been curious about him since yesterday when he registered, this group was watching him with greed and hostility.

Kyrian noticed but didn’t care. He walked to the counter.

The receptionist was the same one, with attentive eyes, recognizing him immediately.

"You... wait a moment."

She said, then bent down behind the counter, rummaged through some records, and then raised an object.

"Give me your iron plate."

Kyrian did so without saying anything. She then took the old plate and placed a new one before him. It was a bronze plate.

"The master of the mercenaries’ guild of Nebulous City has approved your rank promotion. Your strength is already far beyond the iron rank."

Kyrian frowned slightly but still accepted, dropping a drop of blood on the plate, recognizing it as his new identification.

"I’m looking for missions." He said directly.

The receptionist then pointed to a side wall. There, rows of scrolls were displayed. Kyrian approached, scanning all of them in just a few seconds until one caught his attention.

’Hunt Iron Insects.’

A beast with strength at the 6° stage of the Qi Accumulation realm. The reward depended on the number of carcasses hunted. And, if sufficient, the one who had issued the mission would forge a new weapon for free.

Kyrian was immediately interested in that. He still didn’t have a sword, and soon he would have to enter the Verdant Sword Sect. So this would solve it.

He brought the scroll to the receptionist. She looked at him in surprise.

She wanted to ask if he was sure, but after seeing that Kyrian showed no hesitation and remembering the strength he had displayed before, she simply registered the mission quickly.

Kyrian stored the scroll and then left.

"So? Which mission did you choose?" Yanyu asked, anxious.

He showed her the paper.

"Iron Insects? Do you know anything about them?" She widened her eyes while asking.

"No." Kyrian shook his head.

"They live in groups of at least ten. Alone, they’re not strong, but they’re fast and resilient." She explained seriously, with slight concern.

Kyrian nodded in understanding, but without worrying much. He would find a way later.

"And your mission?"

"A four-armed monkey. Also at the 6° stage of the Qi Accumulation realm." She replied.

Kyrian again didn’t know such a beast. Perhaps he should search for more bestiaries.

’Now I remembered. I ended up not reading the books Mu Yanyu brought... When we return, I’ll take a look.’

Without further delay, the two departed, leaving the city without complications.

And soon after leaving the city, another group left for the same reasons. To hunt their prey...

**************************************

The path through the forest was peaceful at first. A few beasts appeared, but they were far too weak to represent any danger.

Yanyu treated them as a warm-up, while Kyrian didn’t even bother to fight. He merely observed Yanyu from the corner of his eye, noting each movement of her sword.

After hours of walking, the sky was tinged orange, the sun setting behind the trees. The air began to grow colder, and the shadows lengthened.

Kyrian stopped before a tree with a thick trunk. Its branches formed a natural shelter.

"We’ll spend the night here." He said, climbing with ease.

Yanyu followed him, sitting beside him. A little tired from the journey, after all, she was the only one who had fought so far.

Kyrian watched her from the side, and when he saw that she was at least somewhat better, he decided it was enough.

"It’s time."

"Time? For what?" She asked, confused.

"To train you."

Yanyu blinked, surprised, but upon immediately understanding, gripped her sword and leapt from the tree.

Kyrian also descended, stopping in front of Mu Yanyu, looking at her attentively. He had memorized all the movements she had made in every fight they had.

And he had completely analyzed them, also noticing her style against beasts during today’s walk in the forest.

He then began.

"Show me the first strike you made when we fought in the arena." He ordered, his voice clear and firm.

Yanyu, who had been waiting for this, took a deep breath. She composed herself and executed the movement. Her body spun quickly, the sword traced a wide and deceptive arc before cutting diagonally from an unexpected direction.

Kyrian observed in silence until she finished.

"The strengths are obvious." Kyrian began, in his direct tone and with an impassive expression.

"The abrupt change of direction in the middle of the spin is unpredictable for most. The initial speed of the movement is good. It would be effective against opponents who depend solely on brute force or who are too slow to react."

Yanyu felt slightly happy, with a touch of pride, after all, she had created this, and because of it, no one in her family could defeat her anymore.

But then Kyrian continued with a sharper voice.

"But the weaknesses are fatal." He pointed at her hip.

"The start of the spin completely opens your left flank. An opponent who reads your initial movement can launch a direct attack at your ribs before you gain strength."

Then he pointed at her feet.

"Your base during the spin is unstable. You raise the heel of your back foot too much, losing connection with the ground. If the strike is parried with force, you’ll lose balance."

And finally, his gaze fixed on the blade.

"The feint is exaggerated. You dedicate too much to your false movement, weakening the real strike. It’s like a slash made to look beautiful, not to kill."

Kyrian then assumed the basic stance. His feet were as firm as rocks while holding his spear. It wasn’t a sword, but Kyrian had already adapted it for himself.

"Efficiency is in economy of movement. Wasted movements are wasted energy and an opening for the enemy."

"The feint needs to be shorter, faster, and more direct. Less theater and more assassination."

"Do it again. But this time, a tighter spin, lower base, and the final cut must be the most direct and fastest cut you’ve ever made. Forget the beauty of the movement."

Yanyu, with the weaknesses of her creation exposed in such a raw way, clenched her teeth and obeyed. She executed the movement again, trying to implement his corrections. The spin was more restrained, and the strike drier.

"Better." Kyrian said without much enthusiasm.

"Now do it ten times perfectly without error. If you fail, start again from the first."

The night filled with the sound of Yanyu’s blade and Kyrian’s monotonous voice. Correcting each micro error.

"Heel on the ground."

"Elbow inward."

"Look where you will cut, not where you are spinning."

"Do it faster, it’s not a dance."

Sweat dripped down Yanyu’s face, her muscles burned. But she didn’t complain even once. After all, she had finally found a way to improve.

Kyrian had dismantled her technique and rebuilt it so that it would be stronger and, above all, deadlier.

Kyrian remembered Rurik’s teachings. And Wei Feng’s. While one focused on strength and technique, the other focused only on the best possible way to kill.

When Kyrian finally said "enough," Yanyu could barely raise her arms. But when she looked at her sword, she felt a different connection. More raw and more efficient.

"Let’s go. We’ll rest until tomorrow. After hunting what we came for, we’ll work on the left foot. It still drags and lags slightly during the movement." He said as he climbed the tree.

Yanyu only nodded, exhausted, but with her mind full of thoughts about everything Kyrian had pointed out. Reviewing each instruction. Now she was no longer just executing the technique, she was understanding it.

She sat beside Kyrian on the branch wide enough for two people. And in a short time, she simply fell asleep.

Kyrian held her body so she wouldn’t fall from the tree. Supporting her against the trunk and keeping watch.

His eyes were on the horizon, toward another tree at a great distance. But neither the distance nor the darkness hindered his vision. He was seeing.

’Six rats. When are you going to act?’