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In fact, there wasn't much scenery in the Outer Ring worth admiring.
Apart from windblown sand and the desert, there were only scattered cacti and some small animals and insects.
Before long, Arden and the other two returned to Blazewood.
Ah~~!
"That is..."
After parking the motorcycle, Arden saw Caesar training against a wooden post on the open ground not far away.
"Caesar, what are you doing?"
Belle walked over and asked curiously.
She saw that Caesar was only wearing a shirt and shorts, and the pair of large "papayas" on her chest trembled with each movement as sweat poured down her body.
Belle couldn't help but feel a little envious. She usually lacked exercise—hm, she was definitely not jealous of the "magnificence."
"Oh! You're here. I'm doing combat training. We often have small skirmishes around here. Without a strong body, it just won't do."
Caesar stopped striking the wooden post, turned around, and smiled at the three of them.
The Outer Ring had its own rules—basically, whoever had the bigger fists had the final say. Without strength, there was no territory. The Sons of Calydon earning their current turf was the result of real blade-to-blade fighting.
"Daoist Arden, you're a master from Yunkui Summit and also a hero who saved New Eridu. You must be very strong, right?"
Caesar looked at Arden with eagerness shining in her eyes.
"As a cultivator, what I'm best at is Dao techniques."
Arden spoke honestly, with a hint of humility. "However, when it comes to fists and kicks, I also know a bit... just a bit!"
If he sparred with Caesar using spells and talismans, it would be outright bullying—like a cultivator fighting a martial artist in a fantasy world. But if they used pure hand-to-hand combat, it would be fair to give it a try.
"I see. Hitting wooden posts all the time gets boring. How about we spar?"
Sure enough, after hearing Arden say this, Caesar immediately became excited. Just like her personality, everything she thought was written all over her face, impossible to hide.
"Daoist Arden, what weapon are you good at using?"
She had already fought enough with members of the Sons of Calydon. Now that a new expert had appeared, she was eager to see what "high-end" combat looked like.
"Well... a sword, I guess!"
As he spoke, Arden summoned the [Sword Embryo], which transformed into the Sword of Red Heaven amid a burst of light.
"A sword, huh? Same as my weapon. Though I also have a shield."
Caesar adjusted the short sword in her hand and raised her shield high. "As the leader of the Sons of Calydon, I have a duty to protect all the members."
After stating her belief, she brought the sword and shield together, then patted her full chest with her free hand.
Boing~ boing~ boing~
It immediately stirred up a stormy spectacle.
"..."
Yiji and Belle subconsciously pressed on their own chests, then looked at Caesar.
Ah~~!
Two deep sighs.
Another day of being defeated by comparison. Everyone was a girl—so why was the gap this huge?!
Yixuan Shifu didn't count, since she had developed for dozens more years, but Caesar was clearly about the same age.
Clang clang~!
Arden and Caesar began sparring.
"Hubby~~ you can do it!"
"Daoist Arden, I believe in you!"
For a certain reason, both Yiji and Belle unanimously cheered for Arden.
Caesar didn't mind. After all, they were acquaintances, while she had only known Yiji and Belle for a day.
She believed their relationship would improve quickly in the future.
...
"As expected of the hero who saved New Eridu. I lost."
Feeling the chill at her neck, Caesar decisively admitted defeat.
"No! I'm the one who lost."
Caesar's strength and endurance were both formidable. Although her combat technique was rough and unrefined, she placed great emphasis on real combat. Meanwhile, Arden preferred using Dao techniques in battle. Purely in terms of swordsmanship, he might not even be as proficient as when he first joined Yunkui Summit. Because of one careless move, he was nearly restrained by Caesar and only managed to turn the tide by forcefully using a flying sword.
Arden retracted the Sword of Red Heaven and ended the spar.
"A sword that can fly... that's really powerful. It's on a completely different level from ordinary swordsmanship."
Caesar sighed with emotion.
She had heard that Arden once split the Lemnian Hollow with spells. Now, he had defeated her with just a single flying sword technique. If he actually used spells, how strong would he be?!
"Uh..."
Caesar rubbed her temples with a headache. With her brainpower, she simply couldn't imagine it.
"Caesar, I've seen many enemies and strange beasts with bizarre abilities. Be more careful when you fight in the future."
Caesar had rich combat experience, but that also made her prone to falling into the trap of overreliance on experience. Just like earlier—if she had paid more attention to observation, she could have completely avoided the flying sword's sneak attack.
"Thank you for the advice!"
Caesar's humility carried a hint of confidence. "I just didn't expect it earlier. Normally, I have ways to deal with sneak attacks."
As she spoke, she exerted force with both hands. The muscles on the backs of her hands bulged, and a layer of golden light gradually appeared over her body.
"Mm!"
With a soft cry from Caesar, the golden light also enveloped Arden.
Arden opened his status panel in his mind and found that his attributes had been significantly enhanced.
"Oh my god, what is this?"
Belle stared dumbfounded at the scene. She suspected her eyes were playing tricks on her. A person being coated in a layer of golden film like a vehicle?
Moreover, under the outline of this golden film, Caesar's already outstanding figure became even more prominent.
Divine skill... this is a divine skill!
Arden also noticed the "side effects" of the golden film and cried out internally.
"My unique secret technique—Radiant Aegis. As long as I'm around, my partners won't get hurt."
Caesar's tone was full of pride. She relied on this unique technique to carve out her own territory in the Outer Ring. Otherwise, with so many experts around, why would they give the Sons of Calydon such respect?
"Is this something an ordinary person can do? Could Caesar also be a cultivator?"
Yiji asked Arden.
"Uh..."
Arden pondered for a moment. To be honest, he couldn't figure it out either.
"Probably... it's related to Ether energy?"
When in doubt, Ether mechanics!
That was all Arden could say. If you asked him, who was he supposed to ask?
First of all, this ability was definitely not Dao techniques, nor was it a spell from Yunkui Summit. Even if such a spell existed, it wasn't something someone whose head was full of muscles like Caesar could learn.
Secondly, Arden was already used to strange things.
Yixuan Shifu had taken spells to extreme levels. Anby could discharge electricity, Hoshimi Miyabi could slash with ice, Ju Fufu's claws could emit flames... and Arden himself could even use Dao techniques. If one really tried to analyze it seriously, the world of Zenless Zone Zero would have collapsed long ago.
"Hahaha, I don't even know how I learned this skill myself. Maybe it's because of the Outer Ring environment—what I eat is pretty mixed... Isn't there a saying that goes, you become what you eat?"
Caesar scratched her head and laughed loudly. She didn't know the principle behind Radiant Aegis either. While practicing, she learned it by accident.
"..."
Belle was utterly speechless.
You become what you eat?
If eating roasted lizard could grant "Radiant Aegis," she'd eat it every day—ten meals a day!
"Let me try it!"
Belle borrowed Arden's Sword of Red Heaven and gently slashed at Caesar's arm.
"Hmph hmph!"
Caesar put her hands on her hips, looking completely unconcerned.
Belle poked a few more times and felt like she was fighting against a rock. This skill was simply invincible—literally invincible.
As a high-level Proxy, Belle instinctively believed in science.
Science must be able to explain what was happening to Caesar. It was just that current science hadn't researched this area yet and couldn't explain it for now.
Mm-hmm, that must be it!
Belle firmly strengthened her belief in her heart.
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