“If I hadn’t used strength exceeding my current realm just now, I probably would have been trapped to death in that mist of yours.”
Bai Shuanglian looked at the dazed Ling Xiaoyou and explained with a light smile.
“Does that mean…”
Listening to Bai Shuanglian’s words, Ling Xiaoyou’s crimson eyes gradually widened, sparkling with joy and excitement.
“I won this battle!”
“That’s right. Congratulations, Xiaoyou. Your many days of special training and practical combat have finally yielded a victorious result.”
Bai Shuanglian walked to Ling Xiaoyou’s side and gently rubbed her small head.
Ling Xiaoyou was currently immersed in her happiness and didn’t mind Bai Shuanglian’s head rub at all.
She even smugly rubbed her head against Bai Shuanglian’s palm and said, “Heh heh heh, I told you I’m a genius! As long as I’m willing to train seriously, it’s not impossible to defeat even you, Bai Shuanglian!”
Saying that, Ling Xiaoyou raised her head again, looked at Bai Shuanglian, and asked, “By the way, Bai Shuanglian, after all this time of practical combat, do you understand which attribute I lack the most right now?”
Defeating Bai Shuang was great, but Ling Xiaoyou hadn’t forgotten the purpose of their daily combat sessions.
Well, actually, she had lost every single day, which made her focus entirely on wanting to defeat Bai Shuanglian—she really had forgotten.
But now that she had won, she naturally remembered her fundamental goal.
“?”
Bai Shuanglian tilted her head in confusion, seemingly thinking about what Ling Xiaoyou meant by “attributes.”
Only then did Ling Xiaoyou remember that Bai Shuanglian was the type of person who didn’t play games and didn’t know what attributes meant.
Even if she did, the attributes Ling Xiaoyou used were different from most games, so she had to explain it to her.
After considering her words for a moment, Ling Xiaoyou spoke up.
“It’s like dividing a person’s strength into four types of attributes. They are Strength, Speed, Spirit, and Constitution. Which area do you think I should focus my extra training on?”
After listening to Ling Xiaoyou’s explanation, Bai Shuanglian pondered for a while before asking, “Does Strength refer to the total amount of Spirit Power and things like physical power?”
“Exactly.”
Ling Xiaoyou nodded her small head and added, “Speed represents physical speed, reaction time, and so on. Spirit refers to willpower, divine sense, and the Dao heart. Constitution should be physical toughness, healing ability, and resistances.”
Ling Xiaoyou only gave a general explanation of these attributes.
After all, the System didn’t have clear explanations for them.
The various abilities represented by these attributes were guessed by Ling Xiaoyou herself after experiencing them firsthand.
She had to admit, System-chan was really unreliable in this regard.
If Ling Xiaoyou were someone who didn’t like playing games, just like Bai Shuanglian, wouldn’t she be unable to even figure out how to assign points after getting the System?!
‘What a useless System-chan, not considering her Host’s needs at all!’
After hearing Ling Xiaoyou’s explanation, Bai Shuanglian nodded understandingly.
After a moment of thought, she said, “You can start with Strength and Speed.”
She paused, looked at Ling Xiaoyou, and continued, “However, I think it’s best to develop comprehensively. None of these attributes can be neglected.”
Ling Xiaoyou was stunned, but Bai Shuanglian continued, “What truly determines a person’s strength is not her upper limit, but her lower limit under various conditions.”
After listening, Ling Xiaoyou nodded thoughtfully.
“The Bucket Theory. I’m aware of that.”
Ling Xiaoyou sighed and said helplessly, “But I want to develop comprehensively too! It’s just that I don’t have enough energy—and Happiness Points—to develop everything and fill in all my shortcomings! So for now, I can only focus on a few attributes that suit me best. At least I can play to my strengths and avoid my weaknesses for a while.”
Bai Shuanglian nodded, understanding Ling Xiaoyou’s thoughts.
“Then I still suggest you focus on Strength and Speed. I chose Strength because your Magic Arts consume too much Spirit Power. If you can improve in this area, you’ll be able to release your primary means of attack more freely.”
“Furthermore, if your total Spirit Power is large enough, you can pour more into your Magic Arts, making them more powerful. You won’t have to worry about Spirit Power consumption and split your spells into several steps anymore.”
Ling Xiaoyou nodded, agreeing with this idea.
Even if she could gradually recover Spirit Power in a water-filled environment, it would be useless if she couldn’t release many spells instantaneously due to a low total Spirit Power capacity.
Being able to recover Spirit Power only gave her an advantage in a battle of attrition; it wouldn’t help when she needed to resolve a fight quickly.
“As for the other one, Speed, that’s already your natural strength.”
Saying that, Bai Shuanglian couldn’t help but chuckle softly, as if recalling the first time she met Ling Xiaoyou and their chase through the night sky.
Hearing Bai Shuanglian’s soft laughter, Ling Xiaoyou also recalled the scene back then.
Although that chase didn’t seem like much to her now, it had been very thrilling for her at the time.
Of course, the most “thrilling” part was what happened after Bai Shuanglian caught her.
Recalling that experience, Ling Xiaoyou’s face flushed slightly.
She rubbed her cheeks and used a cold stream of water to force her face to cool down.
‘We’re talking about serious business right now. What’s with the sudden blushing!’
“Many of your combat styles, Xiaoyou, are built upon your advantage in Speed. If your speed can’t keep up, your style will inevitably have to change. Instead of considering new, untested combat styles, it’s better to use the one you’re more familiar with.”
Bai Shuanglian explained her thoughts, and her reasoning resonated with Ling Xiaoyou.
She could only say that Bai Shuanglian was indeed Bai Shuanglian, the most outstanding disciple of the new generation in the Bai Family.
Her analysis was spot on!
“I understand. I’ll put more effort into these two aspects!”
Ling Xiaoyou nodded and said seriously.
Of course, while she said she would “put in effort,” she actually planned to just have the System assign points directly.
Improving attributes was much harder than learning Magic Arts!
It required either persistent training or rare treasures.
One required time, and the other required money.
Coincidentally, Ling Xiaoyou, who was about to participate in the Xuantian Martial Tournament, had neither.
She could only rely on her cheats!
Since the start of the Xuantian Martial Tournament was approaching, she couldn’t afford to keep saving her Happiness Points!
Seeing Ling Xiaoyou’s serious expression, Bai Shuanglian smiled slightly, reached out, and rubbed Ling Xiaoyou’s head again.
“Well, today’s final training session is officially over.”
Over?
So soon?
Although time indeed felt like it passed much faster when she was with Bai Shuang recently, it couldn’t have been that fast, right?
Ling Xiaoyou was startled and subconsciously looked at the sky, only to see the bright moon hanging high.
It looked like it was only around two or three in the morning, which was earlier than when their training usually ended.
She looked at Bai Shuang in confusion, her mouth slightly open, wanting to ask why training was ending now.
But before she could ask, Bai Shuanglian’s explanation reached her ears, leaving her stunned on the spot.
“Xiaoyou, you’re already able to defeat me. Your training has been very effective, so it’s time for me to return to my clan.”
Bai Shuanglian spoke with a light smile as she looked at Ling Xiaoyou’s dazed expression.
Her words sounded casual, but to Ling Xiaoyou, they felt like they had stirred up a thousand waves.
Returning to the clan?!
What did “returning” mean?
What did “clan” mean?
Perhaps because the sudden news was too much of a shock, Ling Xiaoyou’s mind went blank.
Like a broken machine, she struggled to process why Bai Shuanglian had to return to her clan.
Bai Shuanglian didn’t rush her; she just stood quietly to the side, waiting for Ling Xiaoyou to snap out of it.
‘Oh, I remember now.’
Bai Shuanglian was indeed the Miss of the Bai Family, and she had to go back to prepare for the Xuantian Martial Tournament.
After an unknown amount of time, Ling Xiaoyou finally recovered and remembered what Bai Shuanglian had mentioned before.
But even though she remembered, Ling Xiaoyou didn’t feel happy at all.
It meant that Bai Shuanglian was going to leave—leave this training field they shared, leave New Sea City, and leave Ling Xiaoyou.
Although she knew this day would come sooner or later, Ling Xiaoyou hadn’t thought about it.
It wasn’t that she forgot, but that she subconsciously didn’t want to think about things that would make her sad.
But even if she didn’t think about it, things would still happen, and this day would still come.
Even though Ling Xiaoyou once really didn’t want to see Bai Shuang and even wanted to never have contact with her again, at this moment, she desperately wanted Bai Shuanglian to stay.
She didn’t want her to leave.
Ling Xiaoyou pursed her lips, looked at Bai Shuanglian, and asked, “Will you come back in the future?”
Her eyes were filled with hope, as if she wanted to hear the answer she was looking for.
But Bai Shuanglian’s answer made her lower her head.
“I’m not sure.”
Bai Shuanglian paused, then shook her head.
“The purpose of my coming to New Sea City was originally to complete the trial mission assigned by my clan. You probably know the situation in New Sea City by now; the Evil Spirits have been basically cleared out. The clan might not need me to stay here any longer.”
After saying that, Bai Shuanglian stopped for a moment, as if she wanted to continue.
But suddenly, a petite and soft body threw itself into her arms, accompanied by a voice with a slight nasal tone.
“What if… I don’t want you to leave?”
Bai Shuanglian was stunned.
She looked down at Ling Xiaoyou, who was hugging her, saw how she was trembling slightly in her arms, and felt the dampness on her chest.
For a moment, she was actually at a loss.
Just as Bai Shuanglian was frantically thinking about how to comfort Ling Xiaoyou, she felt the small head in her arms move.
She then saw Ling Xiaoyou look up at her.
Those beautiful crimson eyes were even redder now—not just the eyes, but her cheeks and the tip of her nose were all flushed.
“I want you to stay and accompany me, Bai Shuanglian.”
With a slight tremble in her voice, Ling Xiaoyou sniffled and looked at Bai Shuanglian.
Seeing Ling Xiaoyou’s adorable appearance, Bai Shuanglian was silent for a moment before asking with a smile, “Are you reluctant to let me go?”
“Yes! I’m reluctant to let you go! What’s wrong with that?!”
Hearing Bai Shuanglian’s words, Ling Xiaoyou’s already flushed face became even redder.
She originally wanted to find an excuse, but the thought of Bai Shuanglian leaving made her dismiss it immediately.
She looked at Bai Shuanglian and nodded her head, speaking seriously.
After saying that, she lowered her head again as if out of shyness and said in a very soft voice, “So, can you not leave?”
Looking at Ling Xiaoyou like this, Bai Shuanglian felt as if her heart had been soaked in a jar of sugar.
She couldn’t help but reveal a stunning smile, like a hundred flowers in bloom.
She gently rubbed Ling Xiaoyou’s small head and said, “Alright, alright. I’m definitely not going.”
Bai Shuanglian looked at Ling Xiaoyou with a flower-like smile and said, “You’re still here, so I won’t leave this place no matter what.”
Hearing this, Ling Xiaoyou’s eyes immediately lit up, and she looked at Bai Shuanglian in surprise.
“Besides, I’m not saying I’m leaving for good. I’m just going back to participate in the Xuantian Martial Tournament. We can meet there when the time comes.”
Bai Shuanglian smiled at the now happy Ling Xiaoyou and continued, “Even when the Xuantian Martial Tournament is over, I’ll follow you back.”
Hearing this, Ling Xiaoyou finally breathed a sigh of relief and became happy.
She shouted, “Yay!”
It wasn’t until then that Ling Xiaoyou realized how embarrassing her previous actions and words were.
At least for her, they were quite shameful!
Ling Xiaoyou let out a light cough and hurriedly let go of her hold on Bai Shuanglian.
She said somewhat stutteringly, “Don’t… don’t think too much! You’re… you’re just a person who helps me train!”
“Don’t… don’t you dare misunderstand!”
She waved her small hands, hurriedly explaining as if trying to hide something.
By the end of her explanation, she didn’t even know what she was explaining anymore.
“Oh~ is that so?”
Bai Shuanglian just looked at Ling Xiaoyou with a beaming smile.
After the latter finished speaking, she intentionally dragged out the end of her sentence as if teasing her.
Hearing Bai Shuanglian’s teasing tone, Ling Xiaoyou’s face turned completely red.
She lowered her head and hurriedly said, “In… anyway, that’s how it is!”
As she spoke, her figure gradually turned into mist and dissipated.
All that remained was one last embarrassed sentence: “See you next time!”
Looking at the spot where Ling Xiaoyou disappeared, Bai Shuanglian murmured, “Actually, even if you hadn’t asked me to stay, I would have stayed.”
“As long as I have you, no matter where it is, I will always stay by your side.”
After saying that, Bai Shuanglian chuckled softly, turned around, and left the area as well.