Xue asked Dongfang Jiang about their next itinerary, so he told her about his and Pandana’s plans.
“Grey Tower? Master’s next destination is the Royal Capital…”
Xue was visibly disappointed—clearly, Dongfang Jiang’s next stop had little to do with her.
Dongfang Jiang reached out and patted Xue on the head.
She closed her eyes and silently enjoyed the gesture.
“But your ring’s location is too far from us. Given our current situation, it’s unrealistic.”
“That’s true. After all, Master and I are in different places—one in the south-central part of the kingdom, and the other in the far north…”
After hearing Dongfang Jiang’s reasoning, Xue fell into a long silence before speaking again, her voice tinged with reluctance.
Dongfang Jiang continued to soothe her by stroking her head.
Once her emotions had settled a little, he offered her reassurance.
“One day we’ll meet again… Until then, please wait for me.”
“I do believe in Master… but Master’s strength is far too weak…”
Xue glanced at Dongfang Jiang, who remained unfazed by her words.
She noted that whenever she made similar suggestions to her clan members, they would always fly into a rage.
“I’m really quite weak. That bothers me a lot too.”
Dongfang Jiang didn’t avoid the topic.
The reason was simple: expecting a 21st-century young man to possess such killing techniques was unreasonable.
“In that case, Master, please allow me to instruct you. If you stay like this, it will affect our future meeting.”
“Alright, then I’ll be in your care.”
Xue and Dongfang Jiang distanced themselves from each other.
She extended both hands, and a katana taller than herself appeared before her.
Xue didn’t grasp the katana; instead, she let it float around her.
She reached out nostalgically and gently stroked the blade.
“It’s been a long time. It’s my honor to fight alongside you again. This is a dream, so our attacks won’t harm each other. I won’t go easy on you, Master.”
“Then please teach me.”
The moment Dongfang Jiang finished speaking, Xue’s katana shot toward him in an attack.
He tried to sidestep, but Xue lightly raised her hand.
Instantly, several ice spikes erupted from the ground, piercing his calves.
The katana followed immediately.
And just like that, Xue made Dongfang Jiang cosplay as Gojo Satoru.
“Phew, I lost. You’re really amazing, Xue.”
After recovering, Dongfang Jiang dusted off his non-existent dirt and gave her a thumbs-up.
“…It’s ‘Master.'”
Dongfang Jiang knew what she wanted to say.
He scratched his chin sheepishly.
“Well, I’d never dealt with this kind of thing before today.”
“I see… That explains it.”
Learning that Dongfang Jiang knew nothing about combat, Xue understood the general direction she needed to take.
She paced back and forth, thinking about how to teach him to fight.
“Hmm, let’s start with the basics. Master’s body can store a vast amount of energy. Based on what I’ve seen, it’s seven times the total of mine and Sister Daogelas’s. But the most terrifying thing isn’t that—Master’s original storage capacity was only slightly more than mine before I fainted. Yet after coming into contact with Sister Pan’s and my energy, it increased exponentially.”
“Exponential increase, huh…”
It was the first time Dongfang Jiang learned that his body could hold so much energy.
He looked at Xue.
“What do I need to do?”
“Master, first try to control the energy…”
“Okay.”
Dongfang Jiang took a deep breath.
He felt the energy flowing through his body, then manipulated it to gather in his hands.
Images of Pandana and Xue flashed through his mind.
Everything went smoothly.
Under his guidance, he slowly began to harmonize the two types of energy.
But from Xue’s perspective, Dongfang Jiang’s energy suddenly turned into two distinct colors: dark green and deep blue.
“Damn, it’s out of control.”
Just as Xue was about to help him regulate the energy, Dongfang Jiang shouted loudly.
“I get it!”
With that shout, the erupting energy stabilized.
Dongfang Jiang shook his hand in satisfaction.
“Can we do it again, Xue?”
“Of course. Come on, Master. White and I won’t hold back.”
As soon as Xue finished speaking, she assumed a combat stance.
Dongfang Jiang channeled his energy, pouring a massive amount into the ground.
The earth turned into swamp, neutralizing Xue’s energy.
Xue’s katana still swung toward him, but Dongfang Jiang’s entire body turned a dark green and melted into the swamp.
“!?”
Instead of being shocked by his unbelievable learning ability, Xue’s face showed an expression of ‘No wonder he’s my Master.’
“That’s a great move, but…”
Xue concentrated all her energy into the index finger of her right hand, then lightly tapped the ground.
The swamp instantly froze into solid ice.
Just as she was about to pull Dongfang Jiang out from under the ice, she felt her energy being drained and couldn’t retract it.
She instinctively leaped up and tried to call White, but White didn’t fly toward her immediately.
“Impressive, Master.”
As Xue spoke, Dongfang Jiang appeared, holding White against her neck.
The battle ended with a narrow victory for him.
“Ah, I had a huge advantage this time. You’re my Guardian, so I could easily convert your energy.”
“I’m not surprised by that, Master.”
Xue beamed a radiant smile.
She had witnessed Dongfang Jiang, in a short time, teach himself how to convert Pandana’s energy and even replenish it.
“But there’s one thing I don’t understand. Why did White obey Master’s command?”
She couldn’t figure it out.
Dongfang Jiang didn’t answer; he simply reached out and gently stroked her head.
“That’s the answer.”
He converted all the collected energy into glacial energy, then steadily infused it into Xue’s body along with his own original energy.
‘So this system can actually do something good.’
That was the method the System had taught him: harmonize the energy he had gathered from Pandana and Xue with his own, then pour it all into Xue.
Xue suddenly remembered something she hadn’t explained to Dongfang Jiang and tried to pull away.
“Wait, Master… if you do this, you’ll…”
“I know… just a little lifespan. When you wake up to repay me, make sure to bring the Glacier Ring.”
Hearing his words, Xue’s attempts to dissuade him died on her lips.
Finally, she looked up and smiled sincerely at Dongfang Jiang.
“Then I’ll see you in the Royal Capital, Master.”