Just Shoot It

Today was another day for Kasha to return to the countryside for supplies.

The journey was peaceful, without any obstacles like last time.

There were no bandits either—the world had become much safer now. Even a girl like her dared to travel alone on a horse-drawn carriage along the rural path.

The laws of the Yalan Empire were strict, even dispatching knight orders to eradicate notorious outlaws... Knights granted titles were at least mid-tier warriors, so no bandit dared to cause trouble. Otherwise, they’d immediately become trophies hanging from a knight’s lance.

The royal family had even hired a group of fortune-telling witches who could divine the whereabouts of criminals... Such tales had long circulated among the people. Though no one knew if they were true, there was no doubt they served as a powerful deterrent to those with ill intentions.

With the war between demons and humans over, refugees dwindled, and life grew more prosperous. Few were desperate enough to turn to banditry.

On the surface, this era had indeed stabilized, establishing a new order.

And all of this was naturally the achievement of that great hero... The foundation of this order came from the hero’s notes.

Well... In truth, Xia Lun hadn’t left behind any notes, but Aina probably knew that.

"Mr. Joli, good morning! Are you heading to the woods to practice swordsmanship?"

As soon as Kasha arrived at the village entrance, she spotted Joli carrying an iron sword, clearly bound for the forest.

"Yes, little Kasha," Joli replied with a shy smile.

"Oh, come on, Mr. Joli! I’m not little anymore—I’ve already come of age!" Kasha pouted, proudly puffing out her ample chest. "I’m a grown woman now."

The handsome elf naturally attracted the admiration of many village girls.

"Ah... My apologies. In my memory, not long ago, you were still that little girl with a runny nose."

"That was ten years ago!" Kasha retorted, her face flushing red.

Joli scratched his head and, after exchanging a few more pleasantries with Kasha, disappeared into the woods without another glance.

Aunt Liyana had said she’d come back to drag him to the Elven Forest...

He had to improve his strength before then, or he’d embarrass himself in front of others again.

Joli’s mind wandered back to his duel with Xia Lun.

Xia Lun was truly incredible, effortlessly deflecting every one of his sword strikes.

If he ever got another chance to spar with him... Was there any way to break through his defense?

Joli closed his eyes, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

A few leaves drifted down from the trees, only to be shredded into dust by an unseen sword aura before they could touch him—though Joli himself seemed oblivious to it.

"Hah—"

Joli opened his eyes, a trace of resignation flickering in them.

No matter how he simulated it in his mind, he stood no chance against Xia Lun.

Xia Lun was simply too strong, flawless in every way... And Joli had noticed—Xia Lun had clearly held back, never launching an offensive. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have lasted more than a few exchanges.

He was still far, far behind.

Still, there was a small consolation: Xia Lun was Aunt Liyana’s teammate, undoubtedly a top-tier adventurer. Even if he couldn’t match him, being able to exchange blows meant he wasn’t too far off from the average adventurer, right?

Joli swallowed hard, then shook his head.

No, he couldn’t think like that. That was complacent... He had to keep aiming for the heights of someone like Xia Lun if he wanted to grow stronger.

Two wisps of air spiraled from his nostrils, swirling briefly in the forest before vanishing.

Joli began his training for the day.

Raising his sword high above his head, he brought it down in a straight, vertical slash.

The falling leaves in the air seemed to accelerate their descent as his blade descended.

But Joli’s focus was solely on his sword—he noticed none of this.

Had Xia Lun been here, he might have recognized that Joli’s training method was identical to his own.

Joli’s mind gradually emptied, his body melting like liquid, merging with the sword in his hands.

He loved this feeling—losing himself completely in sword practice... It was an escape from the harsh reality of his unremarkable life at his age.

"Whoosh—"

An arrow shot toward Joli from behind.

Joli turned, swung his sword—and the arrow split cleanly down the middle, from tip to fletching, into two perfectly even halves.

"Wh-Who’s there?" Joli tensed, startled by the sudden ambush.

Liyana’s figure slowly emerged from the trees.

"Oh, it’s you, Aunt Liyana... Really, must you tease me like this?" Joli relaxed upon seeing her, flashing his trademark shy smile.

Liyana’s expression was complicated. Tease? That arrow had been serious. Of course, she hadn’t aimed for his vitals—had he failed to block it, it would’ve grazed his arm.

Just as Xia Lun had said... This kid had grown frighteningly strong.

...

Rewind to a quarter-hour earlier.

"Xia Lun, is Joli really that strong now?" Liyana turned to ask Xia Lun inside the carriage.

The carriage door was open—after being smothered by Aina for so long, Xia Lun needed some fresh air.

"Liyana, this is the third time you’ve asked me that," Xia Lun sighed. "His swordsmanship has indeed reached the pinnacle."

"Really...? But I still can’t quite believe it," Liyana muttered. "In my memory, Joli was always clumsy at everything. Well-behaved and obedient, sure, but he always seemed a bit slow..."

"That sounds like an impression from centuries ago, Liyana... People change."

Xia Lun knew that better than anyone. It was hard to believe the passionate, lively Aina now was the same person from a thousand years ago.

Aina nuzzled gently against Xia Lun’s back.

"Fine, you’ve got a point."

"If you doubt Joli’s strength, why not test him yourself?" Xia Lun countered.

"Test him? How?" Liyana asked curiously.

"Simple. Shoot an arrow at him and see," Xia Lun replied calmly, though he coughed lightly to rein in Aina’s mischief behind him.

"Eh? Really?" Liyana frowned. "What if he gets hurt?"

"Hurt? Who’s hurt?"

As if triggered by the keyword, Mo Lini flipped a page in her book, and Musen popped out.

Liyana: "Not now. Go back."

"Okay." Musen retreated into the book.

Liyana turned back to Xia Lun. "Are you serious? You really think I should?"

Xia Lun remained unfazed. "Just shoot."