Enduring many curious gazes, Ming Yu expertly navigated the stone-paved paths of St. Freya High School.
Although it had been more than half a year since he last set foot in this place, he had lived here for several months. Coupled with the fact that St. Freya's layout was not a maze, he was in no danger of getting lost.
Stopping in front of the training room door, Ming Yu didn't hesitate for long before his fingers rapped on the wooden door.
Soon, the closed door opened from the inside, revealing Fu Hua's usual serious face. Even her expression was perfectly calm, without a hint of surprise.
Ming Yu looked at this familiar face, sighed faintly in his heart, and took the initiative to speak, "Class Monitor, long time no see."
Since he had informed Fu Hua beforehand, her reaction was within his expectations.
Of course, even if Ming Yu had appeared suddenly, he wouldn't have been surprised by Fu Hua's calmness. If the Celestial actually showed surprise over something like this, he would be the one to be shocked.
Giving Ming Yu a slight nod, Fu Hua turned her head and spoke to someone inside the training room, "You continue practicing the way I told you. I'll be right back."
Following Fu Hua's gaze, Ming Yu noticed another black-haired girl in the training room. Fu Hua must have been instructing her just now.
Out of politeness, Ming Yu also gave this unfamiliar girl a friendly smile.
Due to her status and strength, students came to ask for Fu Hua's guidance almost every day, so Ming Yu was used to it. Back when he was still at St. Freya, he sometimes had to book an appointment just to spar with Fu Hua.
Faced with this uninvited guest who had interrupted her training, the black-haired girl could only return an awkward but polite smile and said meekly to Fu Hua, "I understand, Lady Class Monitor."
With her status as Class Monitor and substitute martial arts instructor, Fu Hua was a big sister figure at St. Freya. Even though she didn't care about it herself, her word was law here.
Moreover, the black-haired girl was in a weaker position, so naturally, she wouldn't question Fu Hua's decision.
Closing the door gently, Fu Hua led Ming Yu to another empty training room.
As soon as they came to a stop, Fu Hua's right hand suddenly clenched into a fist and shot straight toward Ming Yu's center.
The fist carried a biting wind. Although there was no killing intent, its momentum was formidable.
Seeing the enlarging fist, Ming Yu's eyes instantly lit up. But it was too late to counterattack; he had lost the initiative. So, Ming Yu simply shifted his feet slightly, quickly sidestepping to avoid the blow.
Although Fu Hua in her Accipiter battlesuit was just an ordinary A-rank Valkyrie, Ming Yu didn't think this punch would be ordinary either.
The fist grazed past Ming Yu's body, making a "swish" sound as it cut through the air, and the resulting gust of wind pressed Ming Yu's clothes tightly against his body.
Her first strike having missed, Fu Hua took half a step forward, and her other fist unhesitatingly smashed toward Ming Yu.
But after the initial surprise, Ming Yu had now reacted. Instead of retreating, his body moved forward, and his right fist swung out without holding back.
Bang!
The two fists of different sizes collided fiercely in mid-air. The Honkai Energy contained within them erupted, and a violent shockwave swept back their slightly drooping hair, revealing two pairs of calm eyes underneath.
Although there was a clear difference in the size of the two fists, they were evenly matched, with neither side giving an inch.
Ming Yu's dark eyes remained unchanged, clearly having anticipated this outcome. His left arm bent slightly, and an elbow strike went toward Fu Hua's shoulder.
Seeing Ming Yu's counterattack, Fu Hua felt a hint of admiration, but the expression on her face didn't change at all. Without retracting her already thrown right fist, she simply lifted her right leg lightly, perfectly intercepting the elbow strike.
Immediately after, Fu Hua's right leg continued forward through Ming Yu's temporarily wide-open center and kicked heavily into his chest.
Taking the kick head-on, Ming Yu's facial muscles couldn't help but twitch, and a muffled grunt escaped his throat.
Hearing the dull thud from his chest, Ming Yu sighed slightly.
Clearly, Fu Hua had no intention of holding back, displaying the standard level of an A-rank Valkyrie. If he hadn't just concentrated Honkai Energy in his chest, his ribs would have already been broken.
But even so, a dull pain still radiated from his chest, and the concentrated Honkai Energy showed faint signs of dissipating.
Looking at Fu Hua's impassive face, Ming Yu immediately made a decision. With a light push of his feet against the ground, his body shot backward with the force.
Executing a nimble backflip, Ming Yu placed his right hand lightly on the ground to support himself, and his whole body rapidly moved away from Fu Hua. As he landed, his left hand was already on the hilt of Sakura Fubuki. The crimson blade was halfway out of its sheath, its sharp edge glinting with a piercing cold light.
Seeing Ming Yu in a half-crouch with his spirit blade drawn, Fu Hua couldn't help but nod. A barely perceptible smile touched her serious face as she said calmly, "Let's stop here. I have a general idea of your strength now. It seems you haven't been slacking off these past six months."
In just a few seconds, Ming Yu had been able to respond to her attack without showing any signs of weakness, even thinking of trading blows to create distance, thus avoiding her proficient fist techniques and allowing him to use his own skilled swordsmanship.
To be able to achieve this much, Ming Yu had already completely met her expectations.
If the fight were to continue, she would have to bring out the Grips of Taixu. Faced with a weapon of Sakura Fubuki's caliber, combined with Ming Yu's current skill, she couldn't treat it lightly either.
After all, right now, she was just an ordinary A-rank Valkyrie.
But if it reached the point of using a Divine Key, it would deviate from the original intention of this fight.
Although Ming Yu using Sakura Fubuki was somewhat akin to bullying her for being unarmed, Ming Yu himself was not a specialist in the Inch-Heart Fist Technique. Playing to one's strengths and avoiding weaknesses was the wisdom of combat, and she would never have any objection to it.
If Ming Yu had really insisted on a close-quarters fistfight, she would have instead questioned his intelligence.
Hearing Fu Hua's words, Ming Yu showed a slightly proud smile.
Although these words contained little praise, for the demanding Fu Hua, such an evaluation was not easy to come by, and it was enough to prove his hard work over the past six months.
Even though Fu Hua, as an A-rank Valkyrie of the Far East Branch, often went to the base for various reasons during missions, she didn't have much time to guide Ming Yu. In the past six months, it had only been four or five times.
Even though each session pushed Ming Yu to exhaustion, fully draining every last bit of his energy, the infrequent number of sessions limited the help Fu Hua could provide in Ming Yu's growth.
And under such circumstances, Ming Yu was still able to achieve his current results, which showed the extent of his efforts.
Watching Ming Yu sheathe his weapon, Fu Hua spoke, "You didn't come here this time just to have a sparring session and show me your training progress, did you?"
Nodding bitterly, Ming Yu thought for a moment before slowly saying, "Do you still remember Chiyou?"