The forest greeted them with a low hum of insects and the rustling of leaves. The sun dipped, casting long shadows between the trees. The air was thick, grounded, alive. Luo He stopped at a clearing.
"Fifty meters," he said calmly, glancing around. "Clear everything." Jin Mulan blinked. "Everything?" "Everything." Fei didn't ask a single question. He stepped forward immediately, tightening his gauntlet. With a sharp breath, he drove his fist into the trunk of a thick tree.
Thud the bark cracked slightly. The trunk shuddered. But the tree stood. Fei pulled back, frowning faintly. Luo He didn't comment. "Your turn," he said, looking at Jin Mulan. She stepped forward, irritation already rising. Her hand lifted.
A flicker of flame formed then surged forward, licking against the bark. For a moment, fire danced across the surface.
Then it faded. Leaving nothing but dark soot. The tree stood as if nothing had happened. Silence. Luo He looked at both of them.
Then he sighed. "You two are mockingly weak." The words were flat. Not shouted.
Not emotional. Just truth. Jin Mulan's jaw tightened. Fei lowered his gaze slightly. Luo He stepped forward. Toward a massive tree thicker than the others, its roots deep, its trunk unmoving. His eyes shifted.
Red. Lightning flickered. Then it fell. Not as a strike. But as rain. Red lightning cascaded down, wrapping around the tree, tearing into it, splitting it from within.
The air cracked. The ground trembled.
And in under two minutes the tree didn't fall. It disappeared. Exploded into fragments, splinters scattering like dust.
Silence followed. Jin Mulan stared. Fei's grip tightened unconsciously. Luo He didn't even look back. Instead, he moved to another tree. His right arm shifted.
The black god suit formed over it dark, precise and gleaming with contained power.
He punched. Boom. A clean hole. Fist sized. Straight through the trunk. Then the armor vanished. He stepped back.
Punched again this time, he didn't even touch it. A burst of force struck mid-trunk.
The bark shattered outward.
The tree tilted then crashed, slamming into another tree beside it. Wood cracked. Branches snapped. The forest echoed. Luo He turned.
"You two are pathetic." No hesitation. No softness. "But," A pause. "If you feel that if you understand that" His eyes sharpened. "It means you have the will to improve." Jin Mulan met his gaze. Not backing down. Fei nodded slightly.
"Strength," Luo He continued, "comes from sacrifice." He stepped back toward the clearing. "So keep trying." He pointed lazily around them. "Clean it." A faint smirk appeared.
"And don't forget the shrubs." Jin Mulan stared at him. "You're serious." "Very."
He walked to a nearby tree and sat beneath it, leaning back casually. "I'll be here," he added.
"This is how martial masters look. They have this look about them." He said confidently. Then his expression shifted. Cold. Sharp. Eyes unmoving. A perfect imitation of a ruthless master.
Then he broke suddenly seeing Jin Mulan literally punching the tree out of shearer ftrasta but managed to only remove part of the bark. A grin. "Hey wife," he called lazily, "you suck..." Jin Mulan's head snapped toward him. Her glare could have burned through stone.
Luo He immediately straightened. Face cold again. Silent. Watching. Fei almost laughed but stopped himself. Hours passed. The forest darkened. Sweat built. Hands hurt. Progress was slow.
Painfully slow. By the end of the day
seven trees. Seven were down.
Luo He stared at the result. "I'm not an old master," he muttered. The two looked at him. "I'm not wasting my life watching you punch trees and breaking your hands." He stood up. "Tomorrow we do this differently."
The next day it was over in seconds. Luo He moved. His sword flashed. Blurred.
Trees fell before the sound reached them. Branches scattered. Logs stacked neatly. The clearing transformed. Jin Mulan blinked. Fei stared. "Right," Luo He said, sheathing his sword. "Now let's find servants to clean the rest." He turned. "Go rest." A faint smirk appeared. "Because soon I'm losing this mercy I've been showing you."
Later he found Xu Mun. The man stood among training soldiers, observing quietly. "So," Luo He said, walking up beside him, "how's the army?" Xu Mun didn't turn immediately. "They're improving," he said. "Not elite but stable." Xu Mun said. "That's enough," Luo He replied. "They don't need perfection. Just enough strength to cut, hold formation and not run." He glanced at the field.
"It's been three months." Xu Mun nodded. "The armor you ordered?" "Arriving soon," Luo He said. "Be ready."
Then he turned. "Come."
They walked back to the forest. To the clearing. Xu Mun stopped. His eyes scanned the space. The precision.
The destruction. "You did this?" he asked quietly. "I want it cleaned," Luo He said. "No debris. No waste." Xu Mun nodded immediately. "My men will handle it."
On the way back Luo He spoke again.
"Your daughter how is she?" Xu Mun paused slightly. "She's changed." "How?" Luo He asked. A faint sigh.
"She admires you now." Luo He let out a short laugh. "Of course she does." Xu Mun glanced at him.
"She's serious." Luo He's expression flattened. "Which girl doesn't admire a prince?" he said calmly. A pause. "But how many deserves one?" Silence. Xu Mun didn't respond. Because he understood.
Luo He's gaze remained forward.
Unmoved. "I don't want someone who chases power over me as my wife." he added quietly. Not harsh. Just final. And with that the matter was closed.
Xu Mun walked beside him in silence, still thinking about what had just been said, when Luo He spoke again calm, almost casual, yet carrying weight.
"Still… your daughter is a brilliant mind."
Xu Mun's steps slowed slightly. "She has already surpassed you," Luo He continued, his gaze forward, unreadable, "at least in my eyes." That made Xu Mun glance at him sharply.
"She always was," he said quietly.
Luo He gave a faint, almost absent smile.
"Maybe I'll come play a game of chess with her," he added. "When I'm free sometime."
A pause.
"I'm curious how she thinks when she's not being watched." Xu Mun didn't reply.
But inwardly he understood. That wasn't a casual statement. That was interest.
And interest, from Luo He, was never simple.
By the time Luo He returned to the inner grounds, the evening had settled again. The air carried the scent of smoke from distant kitchens. The training field was quieter now, most having retired for the day. Jin Mulan stood alone near the edge of the courtyard. Practicing.
Her movements were sharper than before, but still restrained. Controlled but not yet complete. Luo He watched her for a moment before speaking. "I'm going to give you your reward." She stopped instantly and turned.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I haven't won yet." "I know," he said calmly, stepping closer. "I'm giving it to you before you do." That caught her off guard. "Why?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he reached behind him and brought something forward. A spear.
Black steel. But longer. Leaner. Deadlier.
It reflected almost no light, absorbing it instead, its surface smooth yet carrying a quiet, oppressive weight. He held it out to her. "If you don't have this," he said, "you'll lose." Silence. Jin Mulan stared at it. Then at him. "But with it " he continued, "you'll last longer."
A faint pause.
"More than two weeks. If you put in the effort." Her fingers slowly reached forward and wrapped around the shaft.
The moment she touched it, she felt it.
Balance. Weight. Control. It was perfect.
"For now," Luo He added, "it's a loan."
She looked up. "Use it well," he said. "And try to make it yours." Jin Mulan's grip tightened. Her earlier irritation, her frustration shifted. Focused. Luo He stepped slightly to the side, watching her hold it.
"A spear gives you reach," he explained. "Distance." He gestured lightly. "With your element, you're at a disadvantage up close as people won't get near you."
She nodded faintly. She already knew.
"Fire isn't meant to overwhelm instantly," he continued. "It wears people down."
His voice lowered slightly. "Heat builds. Pressure builds." "You win over time."
Jin Mulan looked at the spear again.
Understanding settling deeper. "So keep them away," Luo He said simply.
"And let them burn." She exhaled slowly. For the first time she could see it. A path.
A method. Not just power but how to use it. "I know you've used a spear before," Luo He added, his tone almost casual. "You just don't prefer it." She glanced at him. "I didn't need it." She said."But now you do." Luo He replied. A small pause.
"And what you don't know..." He stepped closer. "I'll teach you." A faint smirk.
"I'm just as good with a spear as I am with a sword." Jin Mulan looked at him for a long moment. Then a small smile formed. Rare. Genuine. "Then don't hold back," she said. Luo He kisses her on the lips, soft. "I never do." He said finally.