IX

[System: Taking all of their stuff was a bit much, no?]

'If I'm going to offend the Burning Heaven Clan, might as well go all of the way. Besides… I have a Phoenix Clan to feed.'

[System: Taking your duties as 'Lord Phoenix God' seriously or are you just using it as an excuse?]

'Jiufang Yu isn't getting any weaker.' Rokas replied, his golden eyes shining a little more. 'I made a promise to myself… and I'm going to keep it.'

[System: Fair enough.]

After that, he pulled up to the local town and got his haircut. Usually, it would be his mother who'd cut his hair… which was a fact that he was too embarrassed to admit. Nevertheless, he didn't want to look like a well-dressed mountain dweller anymore. After a good ten minutes, he got a clean cut from one of the ladies, dropped a nice tip and went his way.

'Hmm… flowers would be nice.'

~

'System, how do I look?'

[System: You don't look like a hobo anymore.]

'Man, you're not giving me much confidence…'

[System: Correction, you look fabulous.]

'That's more like it.' Rokas smiled as he approached the Blue Wind Imperial Palace.

His walk attracted the eyes of the guards but they did not step in to stop him. He paced towards Cang Yue's section of the palace undisturbed. Once he reached the door, he looked at the guards.

"Pardon me." 

He walked past them and opened the door. Looking around inside, it wasn't long before he found Cang Yue meditating. She opened her eyes… and, upon seeing him, they widened in surprise.

"Long Ke…"

"Sorry for barging in like this… but I'm sure I can make up for it." Rokas managed a smile as he took out a bouquet of pink roses.

"... What about the Burning Heaven Clan?"

"I did a little humbling… nothing too drastic. They won't be looking out for revenge anytime soon, I'll say that much. Never mind them… they're in the past. I came here for you."

[System: Yoo, man's evolving into a romantic?]

'Shut up >_<'

"... I see." Cang Yue stood up and nodded slightly, deciding to take the bouquet of roses. She gave him a sweet smile after taking in the aroma. "Is this your way of confessing your love, junior brother?"

"I… well, not really." Rokas scratched his hair, looking away slightly. 'It sort of is… but not quite.'

"Haha." Cang Yue giggled rather cheerfully, turning away to place the flowers in a jar. "It wouldn't be the first time someone brought me flowers with those intentions in mind. Fen Juecheng would do it all the time… of course, I'd always have to kindly accept them given his status."

"Senior sister wouldn't happen to be afraid of me?" Rokas tilted his head. "I'd feel terrible if I was forcing anything onto you…"

"No, not at all. I'd gladly accept all of your gifts, Long Ke. You are… my benefactor, after all. My father's dream would be dead without you."

[Cang Yue (Lovers VI) Confidant Rank: 2 → 3]

"Your father's dream… is?"

"For the Blue Wind Imperial Family to place top one-hundred in the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament."

"I'm sure you'll be able to reach that goal now." Rokas smiled. "Although… I'd like to ask one thing from you."

"That being?"

"I have a hundred or so people who need a place to live. They're a nice, peaceful, bunch so they wouldn't cause much trouble. So… could you make some arrangements for them? I'd be grateful… truly."

"Certainly." Cang Yue nodded.

…

In a few days, Cang Yue helped Rokas settle down the Phoenix clansmen within a small town not too far from the Blue Wind Imperial City. He also asked for authority to rule over that said town just in case… and she granted him that also, placing him above the town's governor. After seeing the clansmen peacefully going about their days, Rokas felt reassured.

Afterwards, they returned to the Blue Wind Imperial Palace.

"Would you like to see the fastest way to grow stronger?" Rokas asked. "The Earth Profound Realm might not even be out of the question."

"... Really?"

"Mhm, give me your hand." 

"In marriage?" Cang Yue smiled a little, clearly teasing him.

"No… your actual hand." Rokas laughed.

'She's moving a bit mad by saying that.'

[System: The Princess is just securing her husband.]

'...'

She extended her hand and he gently grasped it, teleporting her into his Inner World. He, too, went inside to explain how everything worked.

"So… this is my Inner World. To put it simply, all of the resources I ever intake are stored here as profound energy reserves. That said, if you were to meditate here and take them in the rich air, you'd cultivate at a much greater rate."

"... I've never heard of such a thing." Cang Yue observed the world with a feeling of wonder. Then, the scarlet-haired loli caught her eye. "This… who is she?"

"My annoying little sister." Rokas shrugged.

"This princess… is not!" Jasmine refuted, shaking her head. "Listen, all you need to know is that my name is Jasmine and I'm that perverted fiend's master."

"Perverted fiend?" Cang Yue questioned, turning to Rokas.

"I… she's lying on my name." Rokas countered, blushing slightly. "I'm not a perverted fiend at all!"

'This witch… is selling my whole bag!'

"Oh, would you like for me to elaborate on our first meeting?" Jasmine wondered. "How you were-"

"No, don't. It was totally unintentional." Rokas interrupted.

"You two really are like brother and sister." Cang Yue giggled. "It's rather sweet to have such a bond."

"... Hmph, he is nothing like my real brother." Jasmine scoffed, shaking her head.

'Damn right, mr Xisu was a baboon.'

"Well, feel free to meditate here for as long as you like." Rokas changed the subject, turning to Cang Yue. "Jasmine is usually just sleeping so she won't bother you all that much. Also… when you do feel like leaving, speak up and I'll take you out."

"Sounds good to me."

~

He had expected Ling Tianni to try and run his fade… but he never did, saving Rokas the effort of beating him up. Maybe he was smart enough not to fight a foreigner from a stronger nation. Or perhaps… his actions of just beating up all of the elders and crippling two ancestors did not constitute for a confrontation.

Within a month, Cang Yue broke all of Rokas' expectations and reached the Spirit Profound Realm. The Burning Heaven Clan's resources, extremely rich Inner World air that came from all of the crystals and confidant rank all contributed to Cang Yue's shocking cultivation speed. Within three months, she had reached the late stages of the Spirit Profound Realm! Within six months, the peak of the Earth Profound Realm!

Watching her cultivate so quickly, Rokas felt a little jealous. But… seeing the princess grow so quickly was somewhat satisfying too. He wondered if she'd defeat Xia Qingyue, even! Now that would be quite amusing to see.

During this time of training, Rokas would frequently share all of his favourite dishes with the princess and… soon enough, realise the feeling within his heart. It wasn't just infatuation… it was something much deeper than that.

Regarding his own training, Rokas mainly focused on improving his 'Energy Weapon'. After countless intensive profound energy control sessions, he evolved the skill thrice over. First, he was able to make sharper weapons such as spears and swords. Making such shapes and maintaining their sharpness was quite difficult at first, especially in the midst of a fight. However, he got the hang of it with practice. Then, he learned to create even more complicated weapons like bows and guns. This part required more bending and extra detailing in regards to the weapons. Especially bows, which would have to have their string bend otherwise the weapon wouldn't work.

After that… he practised to mass-produce said weapons, making use of his absolutely vast reserves.

Hence… 'Unlimited Energy Works F-C' was born.

Regarding his cultivation goals, he broke past the three thousand and five thousand hour goals. The rewards? The System decided to be a scammer and told him to find the Water Seed first! Rokas truly felt betrayed… and by his own system, no less? That was even more heartbreaking!

----------------

Name: Rokas / Long Ke

Alias: Perverted fiend, Lord Phoenix God, The Foreigner

Race: Demon

Identity: Supreme Genius From Another Nation

Age: 16 → 17

Timeline:1 year, 6 months, 2 weeks

Profound Strength: Sky Profound Realm VII → Sky Profound Realm X

----------------

[Stats]

Comprehension: C- → C+

Strength: C++

Endurance: C+

Agility: C+

Profound Energy Quantity: A-

Profound Energy Control:  D+ → C+

Luck: F-

----------------

[Confidants]

The System (World): 4

Jasmine (Fortune X): 3 → 4

Cang Yue (Lovers VI): 2 → 5

----------------

[Abilities]

Secret Ability: Consume

Special Ability: Inner World B++

Unlimited Energy Works F-C

Sigma Male Grindset B

Profound Handle B- (Orange)

A myriad of F-ranked profound skills.

Star Mortal's Broken Shadow D+

Heaven Burning Secret Arts D

'EVERYTHING!!!' F++++

Bloodline: Majestic Berserk Nine-Headed Flood Dragon A

----------------

'Only through diligence may the heavenly procrastinator grow'

Meditation/Comprehension Goal VII: Dedicate ten thousand hours towards cultivation (5454/10,000).

(Reward: The Goddess)

Dual-Cultivation Goal II: Kiss a girl

(Reward: Clothes Beam)

----------------

'Regarding the Goddess reward… you don't mean best girl, do you?'

[System: You'll have to see, won't you?]

'... I feel like you're going to trick me somehow.'

[System: No, no… the reward is THE Goddess.]

'... Right.'

Wishing to chill a bit right before the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament, Rokas went out on a vacation towards the coast of the Blue Wind Empire. As he flew over, he heard it… the rushing of the waves. The warm summer air, the gentle sand. However, unlike the beaches of Earth, there were no baddies to chat to. It was mostly empty!

Rokas took off his shirt and cut his pants so that they would resemble shorts more. Slowly, he descended and felt the seemingly cold water brush against his skin.

As Rokas looked into the distant sea, he managed a smile… recalling how rarely he used to be able to visit such places. Within a single year, he'd seen mountain ranges, caves, waterfalls, towns, cities, villages and now even beaches.

This freedom to go wherever he wanted… it felt so magical.

He continued going deeper, swimming further into the waters. Tidal waves rushed against his body, making him chuckle as he easily endured them. If anything… it was pretty fun to 'fight' tidal waves.

"Can you… be any less childish?" Jasmine inquired.

"I'm enjoying myself after a year of hard work," Rokas replied as he floated on his back, chilling on the water. "For me, there's nothing quite like the beach. It's just… a vibe."

"A vibe?"

"You might understand eventually."

Rokas closed his eyes, relaxing completely.

…

Many hours later, he woke up and saw that it was almost sunset.

'I'm up for some BBQ, system. What about you?'

[System: I don't eat, dummy.]

'Jeez… it's just a saying. You know what I meant.'

[System: Leave some for your princess girlfriend.]

'... She's not my-'

[System: Yall be going out on dates and giving each other the looks. Now, according to my calculations and analysis, you are 102% into her with a 2% margin of error.]

'That's a really fancy way of saying 100%. But… we haven't even kissed yet, you feel me? We don't have that kind of relationship yet.'

[System: Yet.]

After that, he invited Cang Yue to eat with him. The System decided to be an ass and make him grill the BBQ himself, providing only the ingredients needed. Rokas, however, had plenty of experience. He used to do it with his father back in the days so it was rather easy, all things considered.

In actual fact, he enjoyed the grilling process. Meanwhile, Cang Yue helped him out from time to time and watched the sunset. Eventually… they ran out of small talk and vibed in silence. There was some kind of tension in the air… causing both of their hearts to skip a few beats.

"So… when the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament ends, will you return to your home?" Cang Yue wondered, taking a glance into his golden eyes.

"I have little love for my 'home'," Rokas replied, observing his pieces of lamb with care. "I was practically kicked out of it by my father because I wasn't good enough despite being his second and youngest son. As for my older brother… well, he wasn't the most loving either."

"What about your mother?"

"She… died giving birth to me," Rokas replied, sighing. "So I suppose the hatred was not without reason."

"That's… not your fault. You didn't choose to kill your mother when you came into the world. And besides… how are you not good enough? You're the most brilliant young man I've ever met."

"You… think so?" Rokas scratched his cheek, feeling it redden.

"Mhm…" Cang Yue nodded, smiling rather sweetly. "You're always working so hard to improve, sometimes at the detriment of other things. It's no wonder why you still don't have any women despite being so talented and handsome…"

"I have pretty high standards, you know." Rokas replied, flipping his lamb slices. "Besides… opening up to strangers used to be so difficult for me. I used to prefer being alone and away from others… but with you, I feel comfortable. Even if senior sister teases me, I never feel truly out of place. If anything… I…"

'Say it… I want to say it…'

"I… want to be closer with you." Rokas finished, taking a deep breath after he had confessed. 

"Long Ke…" Cang Yue slowly stood up to face him.

"You are kind, gentle and sweet… uhm, well… I'm not really good at these things but… I love you. I really do. If I had to choose between returning home or making a new one with you… I'd choose the latter without skipping a single beat. I… don't know if you feel the same… so-"

She stopped him from speaking further, placing her lips against his for an intimate kiss. She stayed there for a long moment before withdrawing and embracing him tightly.

[System: Clothes beam unlocked!!!]

[System: The next dual-cultivation goal is to finally have sexy time… let's go, champ!]

"... Even if you can be wild and unruly, you have a truly noble heart deep down. Those villagers you took in, they all spoke of your kindness and the lengths that you went to shelter them. If I chose to bring a man like that into the Blue Wind Imperial Family… I'm sure that royal father wouldn't hesitate to give his blessing."

"... You mean-?"

"I… want to marry you. Unless… you already have a wife that I don't know about?"

"No… senior sister is the only woman in my heart." Rokas shook his head. "I… would have no regrets sharing the rest of my life with you."

"... I feel the same." Cang Yue smiled, resting her head on his chest.

'Oh, right… the barbeque! I'm not trying to eat burnt crisp…!'

"Yue'er, give me a moment, alright?" Rokas gently pulled her away.

"Oh, right… forgive me."

"It's no big deal." Rokas chuckled. "Oh, looks like I was right on time."

Afterwards, he finished the barbeque and the System provided him with the rice to go with it. Rokas and Cang Yue shared another intimate moment as they ate together under the shining stars of the dark night. After they finished eating, Rokas decided to rest for a little while. Cang Yue joined him… placing her head against his shoulder. Seeing her at peace so close to him, he felt so… fulfilled.

This was everything he had ever wanted.

[Cang Yue (Lovers VI) Confidant Rank: 5 → 6]