CHAPTER 132: CHAPTER 132- TRAINING

Julian had been walking side by side with Sefi for a while when she finally spoke, her voice tinged with nervousness. "W-When can we start... master?"

Julian thought for a moment before answering, "Tomorrow. We’ll start training right away, the sooner, the better."

Sefi’s eyes lit up with determination. "Alright! I’ll do my best!"

Julian, still looking ahead, gave a faint smile. "That’s the spirit. And... you’re not plain at all, you know."

The moment those words reached her ears, Sefi’s cheeks turned crimson. She quickly averted her gaze, mumbling, "I... see..." Her voice trembled slightly, betraying her nerves.

After a small pause, she added softly, "Thank you..."

They continued down the quiet, moonlit street, their footsteps echoing faintly in the stillness of the night.

The next morning, training began in earnest.

On the far side of the field, Emma lunged at Veronica with a fierce punch, her voice brimming with excitement.

"Don’t get cocky just because you won duel!"

Veronica raised her arm and blocked the blow with ease.

"Hmph... if you think that was me at my best, you’re in for a surprise."

She shifted her stance in one smooth motion, twisting her body and aiming a swift kick at Emma’s right side. But Emma sidestepped just in time, grinning as she launched another flurry of punches.

Sefi, watching them from a short distance, couldn’t hide her amazement. "Wow... they’re so strong..."

Standing beside her, Julian glanced down at her and said with quiet confidence, "You’ll be like them too."

"Like them..." Sefi repeated under her breath. Then she straightened her back and gave a small nod. "Alright... please guide me, Master."

"Relax," Julian said, his tone calm but firm. "We’ll start with the basics. First, I need to see where your limits are."

He had Sefi stand in front of him. "Alright. Run to that tree and back, five times. I want to see your speed and stamina."

Sefi obeyed without hesitation, sprinting off. At first, her strides were strong, but by the fourth run her breathing grew ragged, and her pace slowed.

"Good," Julian said when she returned. "Now, push-ups. As many as you can."

Sefi dropped to the ground, her arms trembling after barely a dozen. She grit her teeth and kept going, sweat dripping down her forehead.

When she collapsed onto her knees, Julian crouched beside her. "Not bad. You’ve got decent endurance, but we’ll need to build your strength and control before we move on to your lightning."

Sefi nodded, panting heavily but smiling through her exhaustion. "Understood... Master."

Julian watched Sefi push herself through every drill with unyielding determination. She hardly complained, her focus locked on each task he gave her. That quiet perseverance drew a faint, approving smile from him.

"That’s enough for now," Julian finally said, his voice steady but warm. "Let’s take a break before we move on to the next set."

Sefi wiped the sweat from her brow, catching her breath. "Alright," she replied, her tone light but still tinged with effort.

While she rested, Julian moved over to train Emma and Veronica. The two women exchanged muttered grumbles under their breath, snippets like ’playing favorites’ and ’special treatment’ So cute.

Sefi’s gaze followed Julian as he worked. There was something about the way he guided them, calm, patient, never raising his voice, that made him seem endlessly reliable. With her, he had been careful not to push too far, always making sure she didn’t strain herself past her limit. The thought sent a gentle warmth through her chest.

But then reality whispered in. Julian already had... several women close to him. It was foolish to think he would ever look her way.

Even so, her mind drifted back to the words he had said to her the night before,

’You’re not plain at all.’

That single line replayed in her head, over and over, until her cheeks flushed a deep red.

’Why... why do I keep thinking about those words...’

Sefi pressed her lips together, embarrassed at how often Julian’s voice echoed in her mind. She glanced toward him from afar. His face was set in quiet concentration as he trained Emma and Veronica, his movements precise, his tone patient yet firm. The way he corrected their stances, demonstrating each technique with ease, only made him more magnetic in her eyes.

She quickly shook her head, as if trying to fling the thought away.

’Get a grip, Sefi. He already has plenty of women by his side.’

A sudden deep voice rumbled beside her resting spot. "Well, well... looks like you’ve been training hard."

Startled, Sefi turned to see the towering figure of the Dragon Heavenly leader standing there. Her breath caught, a mix of surprise and apprehension tightening in her chest.

Joe, the man in question, tilted his head with a curious grin. "Hey... are you one of his women?"

Sefi froze, her mind tripping over itself.

’What kind of question is that?!’

Her cheeks heated, partly from fear, partly from the mortifying implication. "N-No... I’m his student," she managed to stammer.

Joe’s laughter boomed. "Hah! So he has a student now? That makes me even more excited to challenge him. My muscles are getting rusty without a good fight!"

Joe strode away from Sefi, his massive frame cutting a path straight toward Julian, who was still in the middle of drilling Emma and Veronica.

"Hey, Lightning Guy!" Joe called out, his voice booming with enthusiasm. "I want a duel. Come on, fight me!"

All three of them, Julian, Emma, and Veronica, turned at the sound. Their eyes immediately fell on Joe’s hulking figure as he approached.

"Tch. What a nuisance," Emma muttered under her breath, irritation flashing in her eyes.

Julian’s expression didn’t change, his gaze was cold and unwavering as he met Joe’s eyes. "What do you want here?" he asked, his tone sharp enough to cut through the air.

Joe grinned, completely ignoring the chill in Julian’s voice. "Come on, fight me. I need to get my body moving again."

"No," Julian replied flatly, already turning away. "I’m busy."

Without another glance, he resumed his training with Emma and Veronica, leaving Joe standing there with an eager grin that didn’t falter.

Joe let out a booming laugh. "Haha! What a cold man you are!" he said, brimming with excitement. Then, without warning, he shifted his stance, his massive frame coiling like a spring. "Come on, friend, fight me!"

Julian narrowed his eyes at the sudden, aggressive posture.

’Is this guy insane?’ he thought, raising his guard just in time to intercept Joe’s first punch.

The impact was heavy, enough to push Julian back several steps, his boots skidding against the ground. Emma and Veronica’s eyes widened at the sudden clash, both leaping aside to avoid being caught in the fray.

"Hey!" Veronica snapped, glaring at the intruder. "Don’t mess up our training, you damn dragon!"

But Joe didn’t even acknowledge her. His grin only grew wider as he kept pressing forward, hammering punch after punch at Julian’s guard.

Still holding his defensive stance, Julian’s voice cut through the tension, cold and demanding. "What’s the meaning of this?"

"Haha! You can block my punches? Impressive!" Joe roared in delight. "In that case, try taking this!"

His next strike came down with even more force, the air splitting from the sheer power behind it. Julian pivoted sharply to the side, letting the blow crash harmlessly past him, then retaliated in one fluid motion, driving a counterattack squarely into Joe’s midsection.

Joe barely flinched at Julian’s counter, as if the strike had bounced off solid steel. His grin didn’t fade, instead, he surged forward again, fists blurring.

A heavy punch came straight for Julian’s face, but Julian slipped to the side in a sharp pivot, feeling the wind of the blow graze his cheek. Without losing momentum, he drove his fist into Joe’s flank.

Joe’s reaction was instant, his massive hand clamped around Julian’s arm like an iron vice, muscles bulging as he tried to hurl Julian into the ground. But mid-air, Julian twisted his body with feline precision, breaking the throw’s angle.

In a fluid motion, Julian’s legs snapped upward, hooking around Joe’s thick neck in a chokehold. Joe only laughed and deliberately threw himself backward, aiming to crush Julian beneath his weight.

At the last split-second, Julian shifted again, rolling free as Joe slammed into the ground. He lashed out with a sharp kick aimed at Joe’s ribs, only for Joe to raise his forearm and block, the force pushing him a step back.

Joe’s eyes gleamed with wild excitement. "Hahaha! It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a thrilling duel!"

Joe lunged forward again, eyes blazing with unrestrained excitement. "Come on, Julian, entertain me more!"

Julian met his advance head-on, his stance tightening. "Seems you don’t know your place," he said coldly, his voice edged with steel. "Fine... I’ll kill you."

Joe’s massive frame surged as he drove a powerful punch straight for Julian’s chest. But Julian’s forearm shot up, absorbing the impact before it could land. In the same breath, he twisted his hips and fired a sharp jab aimed at Joe’s face.

Joe slipped aside at the last instant, only to realize too late that it was a feint. Julian’s leg whipped upward in a brutal arc, slamming into Joe’s side with a crack of impact.

But Joe didn’t even flinch. His grin widened. "Good hit," he said, almost approvingly.

Then, without warning, he unleashed a savage barrage. One heavy blow smashed into Julian’s guard, forcing him to skid backward across the dirt.

Joe didn’t let up for even a heartbeat. His massive frame surged forward again, fists cutting through the air with brutal speed. Julian stepped in to meet him, their attacks colliding mid-swing before both pushed forward at the same time.

Joe’s right hook came fast and heavy, but Julian dropped low at the last second, letting the punch sail overhead. From that crouched position, his fist shot upward into Joe’s abdomen with bone-rattling force. The impact made Joe grunt, his body folding slightly from the blow.

Yet even through the pain, Joe’s eyes blazed with battle fever. He swung downward in a hammering strike toward Julian, who was still beneath him. Julian’s forearm snapped up to block, and the ground beneath them cracked from the sheer force of their clash.

Joe seized that moment, driving another punch forward. This time, it connected. The blow slammed into Julian’s guard and pushed through, jolting him backward with enough force to send a tremor through his arms.

Julian steadied himself, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips. He hadn’t expected this muscle-bound dragon to actually land a strike that carried weight.

Joe caught that fleeting smile, and his own widened into a fierce grin. "Haha! So you’re enjoying this after all!" he roared, his voice brimming with excitement.