I'm on the Ark, and I start out as Gretchen.

Using inertia to deform the spear, the rebound force combined with Xiao Shi's terrifying wrist strength caused Chen's arm to tremble. If this were outside, the hand holding the sword to block might have already cracked.

Once, twice, Xiao Shi slammed Chen to the ground like she was playing whack-a-mole. If they were outside, her legs would probably have been broken by the force of the impact.

However, her injuries can be healed instantly here.

This guy... he's not holding back at all. Chen gritted his teeth and struggled to keep up with the swinging of his spear.

Finally, she sidestepped and seized the moment when Xiao Shi had used his old strength and had not yet developed new strength. She forcefully deflected the spear, causing it to shift slightly.

In the instant he was thrown back, Chen rushed toward Xiao Shi with lightning speed.

However, Xiao Shi wouldn't let her get close so easily. She held the spear between her neck and swept it back at Chen's head, forcing her to dodge.

Chen had no choice but to swing her sword with great force. If she didn't dodge and was hit head-on, she would instantly lose her fighting ability. Even if her body was immediately repaired, there would still be a momentary opening, which would be fatal.

Immediately following was an exaggerated downward slash. Because he had dodged the sweeping attack by crouching, Chen had no choice but to jump to the side to avoid this move.

With a loud bang, the ground was smashed into an enormous crater, and dust covered the gap between the two people.

"Look at you, your forehand is weak, your backhand is powerless, your footwork is unsteady, and your movements are slow. You've never experienced a life-or-death fight, and when you fight, you hold back here and there."

"Next, I'll show you what a real battle is!" With that, Xiao Shi laughed wildly and threw out several shackles.

Without giving Chen a chance to catch her breath, Xiao Shi's spear transformed into a whip-sword and lashed out at her. She used Chi Xiao to block, but was entangled by the whip-sword.

The chains then slammed heavily onto her body, followed by a barrage of blows.

But Chen dared not let go. The chains pounded on her body and face like fists, causing her excruciating pain, which was instantly healed. She could only endure the pain and wrestle with Xiao Shi to prevent Chi Xiao from being pulled over in the tug-of-war.

However, Chen underestimated Xiao Shi's strength. She felt a tremendous force coming from the sword, and she and Chi Xiao were pulled away together. At the same time, more than a dozen floating longswords appeared around Xiao Shi, watching her intently.

The ground pointed to Chen, who was flying over with the whip and sword.

"Tsk tsk tsk, is that all? Even little Greta could beat you!"

Chixiao: Running at Night

The second sword, used in conjunction with Chi Xiao's, deflected the flying sword. Upon reaching Xiao Shi's side, Chen dared not be negligent.

Chixiao: Absolute Shadow.

As Chen unleashed his martial arts skills, a soaring dragon shadow suddenly appeared and chased after Xiao Shi alongside Chen.

One sword, two swords, three swords... twenty-eight swords.

Chen swung his sword faster and faster, but Xiao Shi simply maintained his usual effortless smile.

All that could be heard was the clang, clang, clang. Each strike was met with the sound of swords clashing, each time missing by just a centimeter, yet Xiao Shi always managed to block it.

As the attacks concluded, Xiao Shi's sword hilt struck Chen, who was suspended in mid-air, with pinpoint accuracy, sending Chen flying backward like a butterfly.

"Oh dear, these moves are all just fancy tricks, good to look at but useless."

Xiao Shi looked down at Chen with disdain, "Hurry, hurry, I still have a hundred, no, two hundred ways to beat you up that I haven't used yet."

However, before Chen could even land after flying out, Hua rushed out from a corner of the consciousness space and caught him, dissipating the force.

"You've done very well, take a rest, leave the rest to me..." Hua gently comforted the person in his arms before looking up at Xiao Shi and saying:

"Even if it's just venting, that's enough. Little one's making a fuss."

"Huh? You old fogey, are you serious? She angered me so much before, I held a grudge against her! And you're telling me to stop after just a few minutes?! No way, absolutely not!"

"At this point, she should have drawn her sword and fought me head-on. She wouldn't have died anyway!! And she could have learned something from the fight!" Xiao Shi was furious after hearing Hua's words and protested vehemently.

"..."

At this moment, Chen no longer cared about the exchange between Hua and the Law of Knowledge. Even though she had been mentally prepared beforehand, she still couldn't help but fall into self-doubt.

This "sparring" was a huge blow to her, making her realize her own weakness and powerlessness. If it weren't for the fact that her injuries would heal instantly in this special space, she would have died long ago.

The exaggerated power and superb martial arts skills displayed by the Herrscher of Knowledge completely overwhelmed her, causing the confidence she had cultivated over the years to collapse at this moment.

“Although there won’t be any physical problems, Xiao Shi, the way you play will cause you psychological trauma…” Hua said with a helpless expression.

"Besides, this isn't how you teach martial arts."

"Wait, teach martial arts..."

Hearing Hua's words, Xiao Shi, who was still fuming, suddenly seemed to realize something. His eyes lit up, and he looked at Chen, who was sitting sullenly in Hua's arms, and said:

"Look at you, you loser! You're so pathetic."

"However, in my opinion, you are barely considered a promising talent. All you have to do is shout three times, 'The great Herrscher of Knowledge is invincible,' and I will teach you martial arts, how about that?"

"You should have realized it by now, even your uncle Wei Yanwu is no match for me!" With that, Xiao Shi looked at Chen, who was lost in his own thoughts, with a confident expression, waiting for his reply.

Ah, one puff is nothing compared to smoking cigarettes every day from now on! Join my sect, and we'll have a sparring session every day! Hahaha, that's me for you!

However, while Xiao Shi's idea was beautiful, the reality was that Chen struggled to stand up, his face expressionless, and refused without hesitation:

"Forgive me for refusing!"

"?"

P.S.: The battle scenes are too hard to write, and maybe I went a bit too far with the gacha pulls. Oh well, I can't revise them anymore. I'm so sleepy, everyone, I'm going back to sleep for a bit.

Chapter 136 Becoming a Master?

"?"

"You, you actually rejected me! Why?!" Upon hearing Chen's answer, Xiao Shi was slightly stunned, and then exclaimed incredulously.

"...No reason, I just don't want to." Looking at the person in front of him who had absolutely no sense of propriety, Chen let out a breath and said with a headache.

"???"

"Hey, I'm really strong!"

Unconvinced by Chen's explanation, Xiao Shi spoke up again, somewhat unconvinced.

“I know…” Chen nodded slightly, then turned to look at Hua standing behind him before continuing, “I don’t deny that, but I don’t think you can teach a disciple well.”

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly not be able to teach my apprentice well!" Chen's words only made Xiao Shi more indignant.

If Hua hadn't been standing beside her, she probably would have rushed up again and had another "sparring" session with Chen.

"..."

Chen looked at Xiao Shi, who was even more agitated because of his words, and stopped talking to her. Instead, he lowered his eyes and remained silent for a moment, as if he had suddenly made up his mind. Then he turned around to face the calm and collected girl behind him.

"Miss Hua, do you still accept apprentices?"

"...?"

Hearing Chen's sudden words, Hua's calm expression froze, and then a hint of doubt flashed in his blue eyes as he asked, "Officer Chen, why the sudden change of heart?"

ask?"

"!?"

Compared to Hua, who remained calm despite her confusion, Xiao Shi completely exploded. With her hand trembling slightly with anger, she pointed at Chen incredulously and said:

"You, you, you abandon someone as invincible as me to worship an old relic! You're utterly blind! You don't know what's good for you!"

"Ahem... I didn't mean to look down on you, it's just that I feel I get along better with Miss Hua." Noticing Xiao Shi's gaze that seemed to want to pierce through him, Chen coughed lightly and awkwardly turned his face away to explain.

To be honest, although he didn't show it on his face, Chen felt a considerable sense of fear towards the Herald of Knowledge behind him after this "sparring".

It would be abnormal not to feel fear after experiencing such a brutal battle... You have to understand that none of the injuries she suffered since childhood have been as numerous or severe as those she suffered in this strange space today.

Moreover, Chen dared to bet that if Miss Hua hadn't intervened in time, she might have been locked in a fierce battle with this guy in this space for a long time and been killed many times.

Now, when she recalls the insane smile and suffocating killing intent on Xiao Shi's face, her body still trembles uncontrollably, and the places where she was injured and healed before are starting to ache again.

"Fine, fine! You're not allowed to accept this old relic! If you dare to accept it, I'll... I'll break off all ties with you!" Seeing that she couldn't reason with Chen, Xiao Shi couldn't help but stomp her foot and then looked at Hua.

"Xiao Shi, don't rush, let me ask first." Hearing Xiao Shi's childish words, Hua's face showed a hint of helplessness, and he reached out his hand to comfort her gently.

After comforting her, Hua turned her gaze back to Chen, waiting for her answer.

"The reason I'm being so presumptuous is because Miss Hua, you are very strong and have a very calm personality. Also, Gretchen said that even the Herrscher of Knowledge's martial arts skills came from you, so..." Meeting Hua's gaze again, Chen carefully considered his words before speaking in a neither arrogant nor humble manner.

"I see. Miss Chen, would you mind telling me why you want to become my disciple or why you want to become stronger?" After hearing Chen's reasons, Hua's expression remained gentle as he asked again in a soft voice.

"A reason to become stronger...?"

Upon hearing this, Chen murmured softly, then with a firm look in his eyes, he gave his answer without hesitation, "I want to have enough power to protect the people and things I cherish. I am too weak right now!"

"Heh~ Guardianship, I accept your answer." Chen's reply made Hua's lips curl into a slight smile. "However, there's no need for me to become your apprentice. I've long since given up the idea of ​​being a teacher."

Before Chen could even feel disappointed, she continued, "If you just want to become stronger, I can teach you suitable martial arts, but how far you can go in the end depends on your own cultivation."

What do you think of this method?

“…Then thank you, Master Hua. I will do my best to repay this great kindness in the future.”

Chen, whose mood was fluctuating like a rollercoaster, was startled by Hua's question and then quickly responded.

Although it wasn't what she initially envisioned, she was still quite content with the current situation. After all, her main purpose in becoming an apprentice was singular: to become stronger and gain enough power to protect others.

"cough……"

Hua was taken aback by Chen's sudden address, then couldn't help but cough lightly, "There's no need for 'master,' you can just call me Hua. As for repaying, let's see how far you can go in the future."

"Yes!"

"..."

"You two really are completely ignoring me!" Xiao Shi raised an eyebrow and said irritably, looking at the two people in front of her who ignored her friendly conversation.

"Let's leave it at that for now. It will take some time to adapt the 'technique' to suit you. I will contact you in advance when it's ready."

Hua knew that if Xiao Shi waited any longer, it would be really hard to coax her later, so he dropped the pleasantries and walked towards Xiao Shi while talking to Chen.

"Okay." Upon hearing this, Chen nodded gently, without any objection.

"Oh, right, after you leave Xiaoshi's space, remember to spend less time with Gretchen and go back to rest early." After giving these instructions, Hua stopped looking at Chen and instead whispered to Xiaoshi, "Xiaoshi."

Xiao Shi, who understood what Hua meant, crossed his arms and scoffed somewhat unhappily. Although he was reluctant, he still raised his hand and snapped his fingers lightly.

"Snapped!"

As the crisp sound rang out in the space, before Chen could react, everything went black and his consciousness began to fall.

When she opened her eyes again, panting heavily, all she saw was the familiar restaurant and the cute blue-haired little girl sitting opposite her, looking at her with a worried expression.

"Are you alright, Sister Huijie?"