Taking a break

Five months have passed since He Lei has joined the Mount Hua Sect. Not many changes have occurred in that time aside from the rise of the rebellious prodigy. While many call him a genius or shares his feats to others, He Lei would beg to differ on what happened.

On a perfectly normal day when the Sun shined brightly and clouds drifted slowly, He Lei was resting. Due to his nonstop training and his unhealthy schedule, his master hid his training equipment to force him on a mini vacation. Of course, he couldn't go outside the sect to have this break. That was why he was on the roof of his house, sleeping the morning away with the warmth of the morning. Unfortunately, fate had other plans.

A young girl with silky black hair and snowy white skin was quickly approaching He Lei's location. Unlike her emotionless face, her eyes were filled with nothing but rage. Coincidentally, she had heard about a disciple in the same generation as her that disrespected the one person she admired the most, her grandmother. As an elder, her grandmother couldn't quite do anything to him as someone above her can easily prevent her but she was different. She could challenge him and make him give the respect her family deserves. Her grandmother took care of her all by herself her entire life so someone like He Lei must be brought to justice.

Arriving at the location, she noticed how quiet and empty it was. Searching the area, she noticed familiar clothing and a young man dozing on the roof.

"Excuse me."

He Lei opened his eyes and went towards the voice. "What?" 'Just as I was about to go to sleep.'

"Do you know a person named He Lei? I have to speak to him."

'Me? What does she want from me? Wait...isn't that a mini Nak So-Wol? What is she doing here?' "I am He Lei. What business do you have with me?"

"You are He Lei? No wonder. Your crude language fits you."

'Wtf. What did I do to her? I talked like a normal person.' "Listen here, little girl. You can't go around insulting people as you wish to. Just because you're adorable doesn't mean you have the right to insult me."

"Don't flatter me." She frowned as her hand clenched. "If you say that I can't offend others as I wish to, then why were you rude to the elders when you met them? What did they do to you?"

'That's why she's here? Do these people have so much free time in their hands? Weren't you supposed to be the Plum Blossom Sword Phoenix or something? Go work for that title. Why pick fights with me over someone completely insignificant?' "It took you this long to come to get back your family's honor?" He Lei rolled his eyes. "How unfilial."

She rested her hand on her sword. "So you know what this is about?"

"I'm not stupid you midget." 'Ooh. That got to her. I spotted that small twitch of the fingers.' "You want to bring honor to the old hag by beating me under some sort of bet so that I give my respects if I lose. Did I miss anything?"

"No...wait. Did you just call her an ol-"

"Then explain why I should fight you. Besides, there are no witnesses to make sure I'll fulfill your promise in the first place." He crossed his arms. "What would happen if I win? What would I get?" Her mouth slightly opened in shock. "You didn't think it through did you? Typical I suppose."

Nak So-Wol glared at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He Lei snorted. "I'm saying that you're an idiot with the young master disease. Your arrogance, your lack of planning, your lack of control over your emotions...they all point to those of the useless second generation. Then again, I know that you are considered a genius of your own but perhaps that title has gone to your head." He Lei jumped down. "You should've done your research on me."

She unknowingly took a step back when he finished his sentence. Taking her sword out, he saw him entering the house and come back out a few seconds later. Nak So-Wol saw the items that he was putting on and was puzzled by it.

To answer her confusion, He Lei said, "I have to wear the battle gear, or I'll accidentally kill you. I don't want your stone face of a relative to hunt me down just yet. I ain't strong enough."

"You!" Her hands trembled in fury. "How dare you!"

She brought her sword down on him only for it to get blocked by the bracer on He Lei's left hand.

He Lei shook his head. "You're getting ahead of yourself. I haven't even said start." She backed away. "On three okay?" Nak So-Wol nodded. "Three."

Boom!

A loud sound spread through the area. The floor underneath Nak So-Wol cracked as He Lei returned the very same attack she did to him. Giving her no time to think, he pulled his sword away suddenly and kicked her in the stomach. Luckily for her, the sword she was using was a personal one that was made to be tougher and more durable. Otherwise, this would've ended a second sooner.

"It took one hit to beat you? That grandma is awful at teaching. When you return to her, tell her to go see her ancestors and be punished for not being a good teacher."

From the smoke, Nak So-Wol charged at He Lei with her best speed. In her wrathful state, she tried to strike him with random slashes and He Lei sighed. Stopping her sword with two fingers, he brought his other hand close to her forehead and flicked it.

Flying back a few inches, she shook her head to get rid of the remaining anger in her body and the new forming headache.

"How weak-willed are you to give in to anger like that? It's not fun for me if you lose your stamina that quickly. Give me a challenge girly or I'm going to leave."

"Fine," she replied, gritting her teeth.

Taking on one of the stances of the 14 Plum Blossom Sword Art, she waited. He Lei gave a small smile at her stance and chose to take the same stance. Her eyes widened in surprise momentarily before focusing on the task at hand.

They both moved out and their swords met each other. She was surprised that she didn't get blown away and disregarded it. Slash after slash; attacks after attacks. Both of them went at it for a few minutes. Due to their immense concentration, they never saw the growing crowd of elders, Yoo Jeong-Mok, and Joo Seo-Cheon.

Although He Lei was holding back a considerable amount of power, the magical feature of his weapon spirit prevented him from quitting his weak attacks. With his sword comprehension enhanced, an idea he once had was brought out.

Abruptly changing his stance to a non-battle form, He Lei stood in place and motioned Nak So-Wol to continue. Many attempted to figure out what he wanted to do and were baffled by the sudden change. Soon that confusion turned into astonishment as they witnessed a small miracle.

If the same people in the background were astounded with He Lei, then Nak So-Wol was beyond frustrated. Nothing was working. No matter what angle she tried or what move she used, everything was blocked. No. The more appropriate word would be parried. Every time he deflected a strike, there was a small moment that he had to finish her off and she understood that. Knowing that an enemy was playing with you was humiliating. That was why she dropped her sword and ended the battle.

"I give up."

He Lei clasped in hands. "You let me win."

'Let you win?!' "Thank you for your guidance."

"So what do I get now?"

She thought about it and reluctantly grabbed her sword. "You can have this."

He went to his thinking pose for drama. "Hmm...no. I want something better."

"What?"

"A kiss on the cheek." She blinked. Then she blinked again. "Too difficult?"

"N-no. It's just that I've never done such an intimate action with another boy before." By the end of her sentence, her volume reached an all-time low.

"Then allow me to be your first."

Due to his height, he had to bend down a little. He pointed at his right cheek. "Right here."

A little red filled her face. "Could you answer a question first? If you do so, I'll give you what you want."

"Sure." 'What is she going to ask?'

"Is...is that your natural hair color?"

"Of course it is." He Lei looked at her weirdly. "What kind of question is that?"

"It's just that I've never seen someone with yellow hair before. Even your eye color is bizarre."

Her statement helped him realize the point. "You don't know of any blond or green-eyed or blond green-eyed individuals?" She shook her head. "Is there any other hair and eye color aside from black?" Nak So-Wol shook her head once more. "Then I must be extremely noticeable huh?"

"Yes. So it is called blond? Not yellow?" She didn't get an answer as He Lei was in deep thought.

"Oh well." He shrugged as he looked back at her. "Did this small conversation give you ample time to make mental preparations?" She hesitantly nodded. Obviously, she wanted to deny that.

On her tiptoes, she gave He Lei a short kiss on the cheek and scurried off. He Lei chuckled to himself and put away his equipment before going to sleep for real this time. What was unknown to him was that a few disciples witnessed the female prodigy running away embarrassed and spread this matter. This spun into something more as most if not all fourth-generation disciples genuinely believe that He Lei was a genius. Some ignored the rumors and had plans for the next day to gain a reputation or expose him or both. There was no way a Nak So-Wol was defeated by a nobody.

Closing his eyes, He Lei reflected on his morning. 'She must be so embarrassed to do that. I love females in the cultivation world. They're either mature or very innocent. Only the married ones are a perfect mix of both. Should I settle here or should I try to go home...Nah. I don't have friends and my parents only see me as a tool to have bragging rights. The past seven years of independence have been the least stressful and non-toxic parts of my life. Now with Volcanic Age, I could quit worrying about school too! Combat and cultivation all the way! Woohoo!'

Around evening did Joo Seo-Cheon come back from his training to congratulate the sleeping He Lei and give him a little noogie. They both had a chat about He Lei's original sword art and Seo-Cheon warned him about using multiple martial arts.

As this was the fifth month since He Lei arrived in Volcanic Age, he remembered to collect his one High-level treasure along with his weekly and daily treasures. This time, he gained silver orbs, a black potion, and a banana? Yeah...this has been happening for a while. He Lei has been getting fruits for the Mid-level recently and it made no sense to him. On the plus side, his senses were surpassing old limits so he didn't complain about the fruit. Still though, waiting a week for bananas was disheartening.

Before this was apples that helped solidify his internal energy control to a certain degree. In the third month was orange juice that grew the ability to self-clean himself within his body to never get dirty. The second month bestowed him pineapples that lessened his need for sleep. As for the Plum Blossom fruit of the first month, it increased his affinity with Plum Blossom Arts in general, and thus, his effectiveness in each Plum Blossom Art and his comprehensive ability of it is boosted. That pretty much meant that against an equal opponent of the same art, He Lei will always prevail.

All of this, however, were the items he had to deal with for the Mid-level. For the High-level stuff, he obtained the orbs but with different colors. This month, he obtained the silver orb that completed his collection of the five types. Why he knew that there were only five types was due to the Low-level treasures he was granted. They were new potions that resonated with each respective orb.

Each potion had its color. They were red, blue, brown, silver, and green. He Lei hadn't figured out the link between the orbs and potions yet, but he understood that there was another connection between the colored orbs themselves due to how they vibrated when they were next to each other. In the first month, Delibird stopped giving him the white potion he usually drank. When he questioned it, He Lei was forced to deal with the lack of communication. That was why Delibird would only be asked yes or no questions where it will answer with a nod or a shake.

He learned that the white potion has lost its effect on his body and that he was ready for the next thing which was the colored potions. There was a rule to drinking them though. He can not under any circumstances drink them individually as apparently, it would harm him greatly. As a smart man, He Lei chose to not take that risk and patiently waited five days before consuming all of them in a certain order. Every time, it had to be red, brown, silver, blue, and green. Again, he trusted his spirit enough to listen to it. What bothered him the most was that he felt a change but couldn't discover it.

Now, because he got a black potion for the first time, he assumed that he was done with the previous potions for good. He Lei wondered what the new item will do for him.