Chen Fan now stood at the center of the training ground. Before him were four figures: Wang Yue, Kazuki, Sakura, and Aiko. After a week of intense training, each of them had achieved a level of power roughly equivalent to that of a Two-Star cultivator, or someone at the Foundation Building stage.
"Brother Chen, it's okay to use your real power, you know?" Kazuki said, his voice half teasing, half serious. Over the course of their week together, they had come to know each other fairly well, forming a sense of camaraderie through their shared training.
Still, Kazuki had never once seen Chen Fan get hit throughout all their sparring sessions. Despite being the one who fought the most, Chen Fan remained unscathed, unflinching, and seemingly untouchable. It made Kazuki respect—perhaps even admire—the man standing in front of him.
"Then force me to use it," Chen Fan replied calmly, stretching lightly as he faced them. Today, all four of them would be fighting him at once.
Not long ago, Chen Fan had defeated twenty knights in a row, each battle fought consecutively, and not a single trace of fatigue had shown on him even after that feat. The others had witnessed it themselves and still found it difficult to believe.
"Alright then… Don't blame me if you get hurt," Kazuki warned, stepping into his battle stance. Almost immediately, he felt a familiar power embrace him, surrounding his limbs and body with strength and agility. He cast a grateful glance toward Wang Yue—he recognized her support, her mana threads subtly enhancing him.
Aiko and Sakura also moved into position. Though they were still somewhat awkward around Chen Fan, their admiration for his strength was undeniable. Despite looking about their age, his power was on an entirely different level.
Kazuki launched the first strike, swinging his sword in a graceful arc. A slash of pure light shot toward Chen Fan. At this moment, Chen Fan had chosen to restrict himself to the peak of the Qi Refining stage—stage ten. Just last week, he had only needed to use the fifth stage of Qi Refining to spar with them. Their rapid growth was impressive, and he made a mental note of that, slightly surprised by their progress.
He sidestepped the incoming slash with casual ease. Even as Aiko appeared at his back with her blade already mid-swing, and Sakura's arrow zipped toward him from afar, Chen Fan remained calm. Around him, he could see ten different lines of mana—each a different color.
Dodging Aiko's attack, Chen Fan flicked his finger, summoning a small black disk mid-air to intercept Sakura's arrow. Another black disk formed silently behind Aiko. Unlike before, where he had to conjure the disks in his palm, he could now summon it within a five-meter radius of his body.
Sensing the threat behind her, Aiko quickly turned and slashed at the disk, breaking the arrow just in time—but the distraction left her vulnerable. Chen Fan moved in for a punch aimed at her face, but the air suddenly thickened. His hand met an invisible wall of resistance—Wang Yue's mana lines had intercepted his strike. A smile played on Chen Fan's lips.
Aiko immediately leaped back, putting distance between them. But Chen Fan sensed another presence closing in fast. Kazuki was charging toward him, his sword covered in a blazing white aura as he lunged to pierce Chen Fan's side. Calmly, Chen Fan summoned a black disk right at the tip of the sword and another just in front of Kazuki's face, forcing him to halt his attack at the last possible moment.
Seizing the chance, Chen Fan attempted a kick to Kazuki's stomach—only to have it intercepted again by Wang Yue's mana, which manifested in front of his foot like a shield.
Swosh.
A sound from above drew Chen Fan's eyes skyward. Dozens—no, hundreds—of arrows rained down from the sky like a deadly monsoon. Kazuki and Aiko were poised to counter his every movement, and to make matters worse, ropes of mana coiled around his body, restricting his movements. It was impossible to move, at least not conventionally. He could easily break free using his Annihilation Qi, but that would end the fight too quickly. He wanted a challenge.
Instead, Chen Fan focused. In rapid succession, he summoned black disks at the tips of five incoming arrows, redirecting each one into the path of another. The result was a chaotic web of colliding projectiles. By the time the storm of arrows hit the ground, they had all landed around him—none had touched him.
With the mana ropes unraveling from his limbs, Chen Fan straightened up and looked at the four people surrounding him. Their expressions were solemn, focused. If it weren't for his superior control and casting speed, that barrage could very well have been fatal.
Without giving even a moment to rest, Kazuki and Aiko lunged toward Chen Fan, engaging him in close combat without hesitation. From the corner of his eye, Chen Fan caught sight of Sakura preparing an attack. Her stance, the aura gathering around her—it was clear she was charging up something powerful. Yet, he made no move to stop her. He wanted to see it. He wanted to witness just how strong they could truly become when going all out.
He clashed directly with Kazuki and Aiko, their blades a flurry of coordinated strikes. Occasionally, threads of Wang Yue's mana would interfere with his movement—tightening around his limbs like invisible ropes or manifesting as shields to block his punches, giving Kazuki and Aiko brief openings. For a time, their battle settled into a stalemate, their teamwork managing to keep Chen Fan occupied.
Slash!
Kazuki swung his sword in an upward arc, from the ground toward the sky, only to suddenly reverse his grip and prepare for a heavy downward slash.
At the same moment, Aiko plunged her sword into the ground behind Kazuki. Within an instant, the blade reappeared behind him—her unique skill allowed her to extend and manipulate her weapon's length and direction with a degree of flexibility that could catch any opponent off guard.
Swosh.
Chen Fan's senses flared. A massive presence had appeared beside him. He turned just in time to see Sakura loosing an arrow aimed directly at him. Though it was only one, the sheer intensity of the energy it contained was enough to send a shiver down even his spine. Wang Yue, too, acted in that instant, forming a web-like prison of mana lines around him. The formation was precise, allowing just enough space for three simultaneous attacks to reach him while preventing any form of escape.
In response, Chen Fan summoned one of his black disks to intercept the arrow. But the moment it made contact, the arrow exploded into a rain of countless smaller arrows, rendering his disk ineffective.
He couldn't help but grin. Originally, he had planned to limit himself to the use of the black disks alone. But it seemed the situation had grown beyond that. Even so, his smile only grew wider.
Swosh.
In a blink, Chen Fan vanished from their sight.
Their eyes widened in shock.
The arrows struck the ground where he had stood, shattering the arena floor and sending cracks spiraling outward like lightning bolts. Kazuki and Aiko's attacks hit nothing but empty air.
Before either of them could process what had happened, Kazuki felt a presence surge up beneath him.
He had no time to react.
A clean punch struck his chin from below, launching him off the ground with brutal force. The world spun around him.
Chen Fan didn't stop. In the same fluid motion, he dashed toward Aiko. He could sense that Wang Yue had already reached her limit—the mana web was her final move. She had nothing left to support her allies.
It didn't take long. A decisive blow landed squarely on Aiko's abdomen, the strike so fast and precise she couldn't respond in time.
With two opponents down, Chen Fan now walked calmly toward the remaining two—Sakura and Wang Yue. A small smile curved his lips.
Sakura didn't hesitate. She raised her hand in surrender and stepped off the arena. She clearly had no intention of challenging him alone. She knew well enough that she stood no chance.
Wang Yue, meanwhile, was already on her knees, her entire body soaked in sweat. Her breathing was ragged, her face pale.
Chen Fan arrived in front of her and, without a word, scooped her up into a princess carry. This wasn't the first time. Every time she could no longer move from exhaustion, he carried her like this. At first, she had been overwhelmed with embarrassment. Now, though, it had become a familiar routine. She was only slightly flustered.
"That cheating Brother Chen," Kazuki's voice rang out as he and Aiko approached, both of them looking worse for wear and thoroughly dissatisfied.
"You never told us you had a trump card like that," Kazuki added, frustration clear in his tone.
"Heh," Chen Fan smirked, "Would you tell your enemy everything before a battle?"
Chen Fan let out a sigh, though there was a hint of admiration in his eyes. "Still… I admit it. That last move of yours caught me completely off guard. So it's your win."
Aiko, too, found herself smiling—just faintly. Despite the defeat, they had pushed Chen Fan far enough to make him use something new. That, in itself, felt like a victory.
If not for the priest's healing abilities, they would've been covered in bruises by now.
They both still remembered their very first day of training. Back then, Chen Fan hadn't even bothered holding back or playing fair. He didn't just spar with them—he beat the living hell out of them. Even the girls, Sakura and Aiko, weren't shown mercy. He had trained them as warriors, not as men or women.
Well… there was one exception.
Aiko's eyes drifted to Wang Yue, who had begun lightly bickering with Chen Fan. He responded with his usual smile—warm, unbothered, teasing.
Aiko glanced at Kazuki, who stood beside her, a proud and slightly smug expression on his face. She shook her head, a quiet sigh escaping her lips.
Kazuki noticed and tilted his head. "What's wrong?"
"Let's spar," Aiko said suddenly.
Chen Fan watched them from a distance, chuckling softly to himself as they made their way to another arena. Then, without another word, he carried Wang Yue toward their usual resting spot beside the pool.
Upon arriving, he sat down on one of the lounge chairs and gently placed Wang Yue on his lap, positioning her so that she sat between his legs, leaning back into him as he wrapped his arms around her. As always, he erected a wall behind them, shielding them from view. He never liked being watched during moments like this.
Wang Yue didn't resist. She sat obediently in front of him, her breath slowly calming. She could feel his warmth enveloping her, his chest against her back, his head resting on her shoulder.
At first, she had been deeply embarrassed whenever he did this. But now… it had become the place where she felt most at peace. His presence, his embrace—it calmed her heart and quieted her mind.
"Are you facing any problems?" Chen Fan's voice was soft, his lips close to her ear, causing a ticklish sensation to run down her spine.
"Why do you ask?" she murmured.
"Because for the past few days, your progress seems to have slowed down. Your control has definitely improved, but… the amount of power you're using hasn't increased. It's become stagnant."
Wang Yue's body tensed at his words, and the memory of what she had read in the book resurfaced vividly, causing a deep flush to rise to her cheeks. Despite her ability to manipulate mana in the air with impressive precision, it still took a heavy toll on her physical body and stamina. To control mana, she needed a solid foundation of strength—and more importantly, a certain degree of resistance to withstand the backlash from casting powerful spells. In her current state, if she attempted to unleash a high-level attack, her own body might collapse before the spell could even be completed. That was why she needed to enhance her physique as well.
But the method outlined in the book… it was too humiliating to even think about. She still hadn't gathered the courage to carry it out. She needed time to prepare herself—mentally and emotionally.
Noticing the troubled expression clouding Wang Yue's face, Chen Fan offered a soft, knowing smile.
"If you need help with anything… you can always tell me, alright?" he said gently.
Wang Yue looked up at him and nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips in response to his reassuring tone. Before she could say anything else, Chen Fan leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to her lips, catching her completely off guard and making her eyes widen slightly.
With a casual gesture, Chen Fan summoned food from his phone, preparing a small meal for them both. It had become something of a habit between them—sharing meals while watching films or videos on his phone. One of the perks of his modified device was its unique ability to automatically download and store every document and piece of media from Earth's internet. Since it ran on qi, memory limitations were a non-issue. As a result, he had full access to all the content from his original world, right in the palm of his hand. Of course, it only contained the content available before he was summoned to this world.
Wang Yue had been surprised when she first learned about this and immediately asked him to modify her phone the same way. He had promised he would, once they returned to their world.
Now, she quietly chewed the food he fed her, her eyes fixated on the phone screen in front of them. Chen Fan watched her with a soft gaze, occasionally tightening his arms around her waist or planting gentle kisses on her cheeks or lips, clearly enjoying these peaceful moments together.
They remained like that for a while, letting the warmth of each other's presence wash away the exhaustion from their earlier battle. When they finally returned to the training ground, their hearts felt lighter, their spirits refreshed.
Not long after, a knight clad in formal armor approached Chen Fan with an urgent expression. Bowing respectfully, he delivered a message.
"Sir Chen Fan, Lady Celestia has awakened. His Majesty the King requests your presence at the palace."
Chen Fan's eyes widened slightly in surprise. It had been a full week since Celestia fell unconscious, and he hadn't expected her to awaken now. Without delay, he turned to Wang Yue and quickly informed her of the news before heading straight toward the main palace.