"I did it…" the satisfied voice of Mikael resounded as he once again eyed the 'changelogs' of Ferocity Art Mark III.
Thud.
Mikael let himself collapse onto his back, landing directly on the grass as he closed his eyes, his expression as tired as it was satisfied, 'After six months… six fucking months of research, I finally did it! But it was so, so, so fucking tiring!'
He brought a weary hand to his head and began to mindlessly play with his messy black hair, "Especially modifying the Blood Ignition—argh!!!" he groaned in phantom pain.
'That was a pain in the ass! And let's not even start on how fucking impossible it was to modify the Blood Ignition from giving a purely physical boost to giving an all-around boost!'
'That was far harder than I expected, since it passed from something concrete like a physical enhancement, which is easily understandable, to a metaphysical boost that encompassed everything. Needless to say, the difficulty leapt multiple times, and I had seriously underestimated just how overpowered my Partial Enlightenment had been.'
His tired eyes opened as he took in the beautiful blue sky above him.
'I mean, it took me six months of pill-powered research, with my high comprehension and all the other advantages I had, and all that only managed to create a kind of "prototype."'
'A prototype that was based on Stage 1, trying to copy its metaphysical boost so that instead of boosting only my physical parameters it would boost everything, and that was only possible with Stage 1 itself acting as a kind of "guide," or else forget creating a prototype in 6 months—even 1, 2 or even 3 years probably wouldn't have been enough!'
As he put these thoughts in perspective Mikael realized more and more just how overpowered his Partial Enlightenment had been, and at the same time his satisfaction with his research results and the Ferocity Mark III also grew.
He of course knew this Mark III wasn't perfect, as there were a lot of things that weren't incredible—like the increased strain on the body, and the other upgrades he had added being pretty optional and not real game changers, but—
He had the 'prototype,' and that was the most important!
Howl.
The wind gently howled in Mikael's ears as he stayed lying on the ground with his eyes closed, simply relaxing and enjoying the peaceful moments in nature after his hard work.
Days slipped by in this fashion with Mikael being 100% inefficient and non productive, he didn't train even an iota during all these days, he either relaxed on his own or with the girls.
When he was with the girls what they did was varied, but one thing that happened pretty often was them going on dates, the context of the date depending on his and the girls' mood, but they were all interesting.
Today in particular was his date with Yulan…
***
Bai Yulan excitedly walked the streets of a large city located 'near' the Wandering Sword Sect as the couple made their way through the bustling city while Yulan held Mikael's arm, exuding an aura of happiness.
The two spent a peaceful time wandering through the city, laughing and talking together, occasionally tasting snacks from the food stalls on the side while at the same time enjoying the magnificent scenery and architecture all around them.
"Fresh grilled skewers! Straight from the fire!" a man bellowed somewhere ahead, his voice drowned out a heartbeat later by another vendor proclaiming the miraculous effects of a detoxifying pill.
Yulan giggled softly at the chaos, her grip on Mikael's arm tightening as her curious eyes roamed across the bustling street.
"Ooh, look at that!" she exclaimed, pointing at a large fountain, a masterful display of craftsmanship that stood as the street's centerpiece.
Mikael gave her an indulgent smile, "Let's take a closer look."
She tugged his arm, pulling him along eagerly, her eyes shining as they neared the magnificent cascade of water.
Meanwhile Mikael's gaze lingered for a moment on the beauty at his side, on the way the sunlight played across her twintails, coupled with her inherently innocent aura, which was only amplified by her joyous mood that gave her an almost angelic charm.
With a smile he let himself be pulled by the angelic beauty, the sound of rushing water mixing with her laughter as the two blended into the lively street.
It was a fleeting picture of serenity and warmth—yet, as they were enjoying their time together, their presence did not go unnoticed.
The extremely handsome man that was Mikael and the heavenly fairy that was Yulan by themselves would have already attracted some attention, but it was nothing compared to what their Taoist Robes did!
Their Taoist Robes signaled their status, him as a Core Disciple of the Wandering Sword Sect and her as a Core Disciple of the Stillwater Palace.
And that?
Attracted far more attention than beauty, because beauty was just that—beauty—while their status signaled real power, power over the life or death of all the nearby onlookers!
And this showed, because as Mikael and Yulan passed by, the voices of the merchants grew subdued, the same for other people who visibly grew more cautious, fearing to offend them…something that could directly lead to their demise depending on the temperament of both Core Disciples.
Yulan, as the airhead she was, didn't notice the sudden shift in atmosphere.
Which obviously wasn't the case with Mikael, as he instantly caught the difference but…he didn't care, not even in the slightest, about these onlookers' opinions, so he ignored the somewhat heavy atmosphere and simply continued with his date.
Unfortunately not everybody had developed survival instincts, some were blinded by Yulan's beauty, too enthralled to notice the heavy atmosphere.
In a narrow alley not far from the street where Mikael and Yulan were passing stood two men, their rough clothing marked with the emblem of a Black Fang.
The symbol revealed their affiliation to the Black Fang Society, a local faction of low-level cultivators and mortal thugs who made their living by bullying both civilians and weaker cultivators in the city.
Gulp.
"What I wouldn't give to play with a beauty like this one," muttered a middle-aged man, his throat bobbing as he swallowed, lust burning in his gaze as it lingered on Yulan's heavenly features.
"Yeah…" nodded the younger man beside him, his eyes carrying the same hungry look as the one who had first spoken.
"We shou—" the middle-aged man who had begun to speak suddenly froze mid-sentence, the same for the younger man beside him.
For a moment it seemed like both men were frozen in time, but then—
Shhhhk!
Small lines appeared on both of their bodies, and then they multiplied, spreading until they covered every inch of them, and in the next instant—
Their bodies came apart!
Shredded into countless fine pieces as if an invisible blade had carved them apart, cutting them into thousands of small meat cubes.
These 'cubes' collided with the ground with a wet thud before either of the men could feel any pain or even understand what happened, they were already dead!
Out on the main street, life moved on as if nothing had occurred in that shadowed alley.
Yulan remained blissfully unaware of the silent killing having happened as she clung happily to Mikael's arms while the latter, fully aware of what had transpired behind them, walked on without caring.
A handsome young man in extremely luxurious clothing stepped onto the street with an entourage of people trailing behind him.
An entourage composed exclusively of men who looked very much like guards, while his arrogant expression seemed to scream, "I am better than thou!"
The handsome man, clearly a Young Master, moved forward with the casual confidence of one used to having the world kneel before him as the crowd parted instinctively.
The Young Master, his gaze heavy with lust, didn't even acknowledge Mikael, his attention entirely focused on the heavenly fairy that was Yulan, who remained oblivious to his approach as her eyes stayed fixed with childlike wonder on the fountain before her.
"Beauty—" he began, but like the thugs before him his words froze in his throat, his body locking in place for an instant before—
Shhhhk!
He was carved apart, shredded into thousands of neat pieces that rained to the ground with wet thuds.
"...."
A heavy silence blanketed the street as all the surrounding merchants, civilians, rogue cultivators and more froze as they witnessed the scene.
For the guards it was even worse, the instant they saw their Young Master fall before they could even react their faces drained of blood, their visages turning whiter than snow.
"YOUNG MASTER!"
Enraged and fearful cries burst out of their throats as their terrified eyes darted across the surroundings, desperately searching for the unseen killer, because they knew with absolute certainty that with him dead their own deaths would soon follow.
Their only chance of survival lay in finding and killing the Young Master's killer, and so their actions, fueled by despair, grew frantic, their eyes sweeping wildly through the crowd as they clung to the faint hope of survival.
One of the guards in particular locked his gaze on Mikael and Yulan, "IT'S YOU!" he roared, stepping forward, about to lunge at them, but—
Shhhhk!
All of the guards, whether it was the one rushing forward or the others still wildly scanning the crowd, followed in their Young Master's footsteps as thin lines spread across their bodies the next instant.
Before they could react they were cut down into thousands of pieces, creating a gory spectacle that stained the street red in a horrifying display of blood, organs, and shredded flesh, a nightmarish scene that sent shivers down the spines of those who witnessed it.
"Bleeegh!"
Several faint-hearted onlookers bent over, vomiting at the gruesome sight.
"Eh?" Yulan, who had been completely absorbed in admiring the beautiful fountain only moments ago, was pulled back to reality by the sudden commotion.
"What is happening?" she asked in confusion, her bright eyes leaving the fountain as her gaze turned toward the source of the disturbance.
Mikael's expression darkened at once, 'I can't let her see this… I won't let these trash ruin our date!'
Swish.
In a swift movement his arm coiled around her slim waist, pulling her closer as he shifted their position just enough to keep the bloody spectacle out of her line of sight, and then he leaned forward.
Muah.
Mikael gave her a small playful kiss.
"M-Mikael!" Yulan stammered out in embarrassment, her face reddening at having been kissed, even more so because it happened in public!
He answered her with a playful smile as he guided her away, and the shy beauty let herself be led without resistance, the previous commotion already forgotten…
Seeing that Yulan had been successfully distracted, Mikael let out a relieved sigh, 'Distraction successful!'
Author Note:
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A little action to change the rhythm of the last chapter that were more on the slice of life side, this is still a pretty slice of life but at least it's different from the surrounding chapters.
As for why the…horny bastards if I am polite were cut down, I really don't know why, it's a total mystery I am sure nobody knows….
———
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— End of Chapter —