Karni woke up on the fourth day in the wooden apartment. Since the whole school was visiting, the apartments and the hotels were quite full. Most of the big apartments were taken by groups of students. Up to six students were fit together in one apartment.
The teachers, however, stayed in the smaller rooms and were put in pairs. Both the students and the teachers were split into male and female groups. Though there were exceptions with teachers. There were a few wife and husband duos. There was even a father and daughter duo that stayed together. And of course, Karni and Siduo were also staying together.
Karni was surprised to find that the bed was empty when he looked around. The two slept together, though have yet to sleep together. He usually woke up first. Today, he was apparently last. He looked at the time. It was about the same time he usually woke up. That meant Siduo woke up early.
He went out of the room and into the kitchen-living-dining room. It was an all-purpose room. It was filled with the smell of morning cocoa.
"Morning, handsome." Siduo looked at him and gave him a cup of cocoa. She leaned over to his face and gave him a deep, morning kiss.
"Hm. You should wash your teeth. You have morning breath." Siduo chuckled.
"That's on you." Karni smiled. "I usually do wash my teeth before any kissing. But first, I'll drink this delicious cocoa."
"Mm. I prepared it just for you. Happy birthday. You'll get a proper gift later on. I just wanted to be the first to wish you."
"Thanks. I finally feel like I'm my past self again. My body is mostly the same."
"Hm. Though I doubt it was that toned." She caressed his muscles.
"Keep it in your pants, Sisi. I just reached eighteen and you're already getting thirsty?"
"Do you know how long I've been waiting? That need of just having you, but at the same time feeling the ick due to our reincarnation situation."
"You're not the only one…" Karni looked to her, wanting to kiss her but held back. He felt like that would be dangerous. He sipped on his cocoa instead.
He cleared his throat. "But yeah. I'm not exactly the same as I was. Ironically, I've been more mature than I ever was before… especially since I returned from Star Luo Continent. Actual experience really does make one mature more than just simple life."
"Is that self-praise?" Siduo chuckled. "Calling yourself more mature. Sure sounds mature."
Karni sipped the cocoa with a smile. "Sure, sure. You're right. But there really is a difference. I mean, you remember the kind of mess I was at the beginning. If I were to somehow be forced into a similar situation now, I doubt I'd be that shaken up."
"I mean, our bodies didn't help either." Siduo added. "But I see your point. Going through puberty multiple times is a nightmare. It's like you regress in intelligence."
"Ugh. Tell me about it."
"And I was so much hornier." Siduo added with a smile.
Karni stopped sipping on his cocoa. "Hm. That's up to debate. If anything, you're more and more open about your horniness."
"Thanks."
"Wasn't a compliment."
… … …
Karni walked into the pool area in his swim shorts.
"Alright class, today we're-"
"Happy Birthday!"
The class suddenly shouted and all of them activated their Soul Rings and abilities together.
The water rose and a giant wave went toward him, then picked him up. The wave stabilised and brought him in the air. Finally, he was thrown up into the sky, then caught. Then thrown again and caught again.
Karni felt like shedding tears. Look at those students of his. Cooperating in such a wonderful manner.
… … …
After a lot of the classes wished Karni happy birthday, it was time for the performances—the task assigned to the students last week. By now all of them had created a show, and now those shows would—hopefully—be performed wonderfully.
Among the mixture of excited and nervous students stood a few outliers. Siduo approached them while Karni started explaining the rules and did a small opening ceremony.
"Thanks for agreeing to this." Siduo said with a smile.
"No problem." A teen girl that looked to be in her sixteens answered. "Anything for my teachers. Besides. This will be a good opportunity to expand our plans."
"We won't be your teachers anymore in half a year." Siduo chuckled.
"Right. That's going to be weird." The girl chuckled as well.
"It's going to be hella weird." A haughty girl, a bit younger, added.
"Qiang Ruoye. I see you haven't changed. Found a boyfriend in these few years?" Siduo looked to the girl.
"She hasn't." The third, youngest and last member of this group said.
"Oi!"
The girls here were former alumni of the Special Class. Lan Meixiang, Qiang Ruoye and Xu An.
Siduo chuckled at the girl's banter. They've gotten closer over the years of being together at Shrek. Then again, going through Shrek will always get people closer whether they want it or not.
"I am curious though. Where are the others? They're not into this whole design thing?"
"Performing thing, specifically." Lan Meixiang jumped in. "We've noticed a trend recently with the rise of the federation network. In a few years, it should be a big market for entertainment."
"Right. I agree that it's a good idea, but that doesn't answer my question."
Xu An answered. "Well, Qin Ming is helping us with designs, but he prefers to do most of his work behind closed doors together win Nan Genji. They've become a couple already."
"Not surprising. What about your brother, Ruoye?"
"Pha. He's only interested in fighting. He already has his reputation as the Battle Maniac. He would have been the President of the class if not for the fact he didn't want to deal with it."
"Oh, I heard about that." Siduo turned to Lan Meixiang. "I heard you're the Class President and Enru is Vice-President. Who is the other Vice-President?"
"What!? Teacher! Are you messing with me?" Qiang Ruoye pouted. "I am! You should know this! We're even known as the Twin Vices!"
Siduo blinked. "You… do know what a vice is… right?"
"Of course I do! I spread the nickname myself!"
Siduo looked to the other two girls. They nodded. She tried to hold back from laughing. In a weird way, it suited them. Especially Ruoye and the way she approached boys. Based on the conversation, that had yet to change.
"Well then. It seems like the show will begin soon."
"It's a shame you aren't letting us recruit more of them." Lan Meixiang complained. She was the leader of this whole up and rising entertainment project.
"We really can't let you do that. Shrek is far, and we've promised you resources. More people will mean more resources. It's not like this is some simple passion project. It's an investment."
"Hm. Fine. We'll take what we can get."
The reward for the winners was simple. They would get to join the alumni in Shrek regularly to grow a business. The entertainment business and performance business. It was a guaranteed success. Even Karni had said so. Apparently in the distant future, idols and singers would be huge on Douluo Dalu. Right now, that sort of entertainment had just started.
But the real reward was the cooperation with Shrek Students, of course. More than that, they promised funding. Funding for both the performance business, and personal cultivation.
The winners would be judged by the old couple, so the winner was bound to have to be a talent in creativity.
Karni announced on a small podium, after finishing explaining the rules. "With that, let the competition begin!"
He walked down, waving toward Siduo and the group, but didn't approach them. Instead, he walked toward a pair of people and sighed before he even got close. It was Teacher Ye and Teacher Yi. The two stood apart, a tense atmosphere between them.
"Teacher Ye, Teacher Yi." Karni nodded.
"Val Karni." The two said in unison, then stared at each other, sparks flying between them.
The atmosphere had been awkward but hopeful four days ago when they went out to eat. The next day, they were like this. No one knew what happened.
Karni stationed himself here solely because the teachers were all on one side, and if anyone could be the bridge that held the two points together between these two now, it would be him.
That being said, Karni had no clue what to do.
For now, at least, they were to focus on the performances of the students. It would be a very long day.
The order of the performances would be random. The first to come on the stage was a group of Advanced Academy students. All the academy students were having the competition together, but that did not mean it was unfair. The judges got the info on the teams, so they could judge their usage of abilities and how it tied into the performance.
The first of these academy students went the more boring route. They danced a bit and had one scene where they cooperated wonderfully to make an earthen castle greatly decorated with various abilities.
The judges' faces remained unamused however. This was a very unimpressive performance. The next group came quickly.
The competition went by decently fast. Everyone only had 5 minutes to perform. However, due to the amount of teams and students, it would last toward the end of the day.
Two hours in, it was Wu Jianyu's team turn. It included Wu Jianyu, Wang Chao, and a third girl that Karni and Siduo didn't know too well. A trio. It immediately showed to be one of the better performances. Jianyu controlled his electricity wonderfully to make it seem like lighting dancing. At the same time, Wang Chao's vines started spinning and waving in the air to form shapes. What connected everything was the Light Element Martial Soul of the third girl, making a great interconnected web of beauty.
Jianyu went onto the vines, and started dancing with them together. He jumped through loops, walked on stairs while swinging. Then Wang Chao joined him, and the two danced together. Just as the dance was ending, the Light started transforming, enhancing their dance. The Light Element girl controlled it well, while performing her own dance above them, moving around the tips of the vines.
As a final scene, their dance sped up, and Jianyu lunched himself into Wang Chao, sending electricity throughout the vines, making them glow. But he was supported by the Light Element, making him seem like going through a great tunnel of light, and becoming part of the vines. It made for a wonderful optical illusion as Jianyu vanished, hiding himself in the crowd. The vines formed a round shape, forming a ball of electricity and light in the middle and releasing itself in a beautiful manner. The final scene reminded the students of a similar scene in the older couple's performance.
They got quite a decent applause. It was definitely one of the better performances of the show until now.
Karni and Siduo glanced at each other, however, because there was something unexpected that happened in their eyes. Wang Chao was supposed to be able to only absorb Lightning… instead… did she absorb the Light Element just then as well?
They would have to investigate this after, but for now, the show had to go on.
In another hour, the competition took a break. Pee break and lunch for everyone. Most of the people were discussing the performances.
Karni was also chatting merrily with Siduo and Wu Jianyu and Wang Chao. Karni and Siduo were both praising Jianyu's performance.
Siduo and Karni shared a look. Siduo started. "Wang Chao… did you absorb the Light Element as well?"
"Hm? I think so? It was when it fused with Lightning." Wang Chao said without a second thought.
Karni shook his head. "Wang Chao. Elements don't look like that when fusing. They just overlapped each other. They were still two elements."
Siduo nodded. "Chao. We'll do some testing once we return from the trip. There is potential that your Durvillaea can absorb more than just Electricity. It could be that absorption is a general attribute of it."
"Chao! That's amazing!" Wu Jianyu shouted on the side. "Imagine the combinations that could happen after that!"
Wang Chao looked from one side on the other, not sure about it, feeling a bit timid. But Jianyu's excitedness did comfort here. She nodded gently. "Alright. We can try after the trip."
From the corner of Karni's eye, he noticed Teacher Ye approach Yi Lan with tension in her shoulders. She looked nervous.
"Teacher Wu, take care of things for a bit. I need to make sure everything goes smoothly over there."
"… Alright. Good luck." Siduo nodded.
Karni listened in on Teacher Ye and Teacher Yi Lan.
"Yi Lan… Teacher Yi. I… I really didn't know, please."
"Teacher Ye. No. Please, just… no."
A short conversation. Yi Lan walked away, leaving Teacher Ye standing there both sad and frustrated. The students surrounding them all quieted down. Everyone had been on edge around those two recently. They may not have heard the short conversation that they had, but they saw Teacher Yi walk away.
"Ugh. Enough of this."
Karni went to Yi Lan and made him stop. Then he called over Teacher Ye. She didn't want to come, so he stared at her until she did.
"Teacher Val, you shouldn't interfere. This is a private." Yi Lan started.
"Your private problems are making everyone around you uncomfortable. You are teachers, so act like ones. You're making the students uncomfortable. You know that it is not right for a teacher's problems to affect the students."
"Still." Teacher Ye supported Yi Lan.
"No." Karni said. "It's my birthday, and for the gift, you two will talk it out. Now. Let's move somewhere private."
The two looked at each other. Yi Lan turned to look at Karni, slowly following him. "Are you really-"
"Yep. I'm pulling out the birthday card. Now talk and listen to each other." Karni stopped in a side area, not intending to let the two go.
The two looked at each other, Yi Lan less enthusiastic than Teacher Ye. Teacher Ye took a big breath.
"Teacher Yi. I… I'm sorry. I moved things too fast; I tried to get you in the bed quickly and crossed a line. I… I thought you would want that and-"
"I did not want that." Yi Lan said firmly. "Teacher Ye. I do not respect people like that."
"I… Look. I've had past experiences, where the man was impatient, and because I wanted to take things slowly, he left me. I thought that this way I would for sure make you happy."
"And I told you no." Yi Lan's face sounded less sure after hearing that. It was a reason, but it still went against his beliefs.
"And I stopped when you said no. I know I should have asked before I started taking your clothes of, but I stopped as soon as you porotested." Teacher Ye now took a stand.
"Teacher Ye, do you realise how much more powerful than me you are? How do you feel I felt when you went on me like that? You pushed me to the wall with your strength. Even if I wanted to, I cannot resist with my strength."
Karni was blushing on the side. This was eye opening but extremely embarrassing to listen to. However, he also understood that feeling. Forcing yourself on someone, whether man or woman, was never okay.
"I… I'm sorry. I never saw it like that… I… I felt like I was exposing myself instead. I've never had a relationship with a person who is in a lower realm than me, so it hadn't even crossed my mind… Teacher Yi. Yi Lan. I don't care about your strength. I… I fell for you, your passion for teaching, for children, for progress. I just suddenly found myself so in love."
Yi Lan was taken aback. There was blush on his face right now. Teacher Ye was still Teacher Ye. Straightforward and open.
"I admit. I've always felt a sense of insecurity regarding my powers but never allowed myself be pushed around. I am older than you by a few years, yet weaker. It's why I work so hard."
"But that's what I like!" Teacher Ye told him, her voice squealing for second.
Yi Lan raised up his hand, telling her to stop with a slight blush. "Please. I'm not finished…"
"Oh."
"Right. So… I am sorry too. I think I… I let my pride be hurt more than it should have been. Despite me being a Soul King, due to our Academy and the connections it had, I've found myself be looked down upon more often than respected. My research is not particularly useful for Soul Masters, but only for children and teaching in general, so… people have often dismissed it…. I… I really thought that your actions were telling me to just… enjoy it, because I don't have a choice."
Teacher Ye stared at Yi Lan. "That… I… I should have just done it the way I've always done it."
Karni couldn't help but thing aloud. "They both let their past influence their thinking… Oh. Oops. I think I can let you guys be now." He Shifted himself away.
The teachers looked at each other. Teacher Ye started. "So… Would you be willing to go to another date? A more… normal one."
"I… Yes. I would like that."
"Would you be willing to talk more about your research? Last time, I was already starting to think about how to implement it in my teaching, but then I got distracted by… well, you."
"Oh! Yes of course. Though I must admit, I'm surprised you're so interested in it, seeing how you teach the Special Class and all."
"Yes… Hm. How do I explain this." Teacher Ye thought. "I've always found it easy to push geniuses around and teach them in a way that would let them develop optimally. It's why my main job is still in the Advanced classes and less in the Intermediate Academy. I've seen so many geniuses rise, and gain strength with ease… even to me it came decently easy with the right teachers. But I've respected more when I saw teachers bring a student that was apparently weak and raised him to the level of geniuses. Those need different guidance, and I was never good at that. But you explained it so clearly. I found that really… attractive."
"Teacher Ye. Are you aware of how direct you are?" Yi Lan found himself at a loss for words.
"Please. Call me Ye'er. And yes. I am aware."
"Wait… I thought 'Ye' was your family name?"
"No." Teacher Ye chuckled. "My family name is Mo. It's just that my uncle was also a teacher when I first joined, and he helped me out a lot. To not confuse the students, I told them to call me Teacher Ye, and since my uncle left for Shrek, I haven't bothered changing the way they perceive me."
"So, you're Mo Ye'er."
"Indeed."
"In that case, Mo Ye'er, I would-"
"Just Ye'er."
"Erm."
"Just Ye'er."
"Fine." Yi Lan gave up with a smile. He had to admit, while he didn't like being pushed around, he liked this open and straightforward attitude of Mo Ye'er.
Karni returned to Siduo, wearing a smile. "Say. I could never call Teacher Ye, Mo Ye'er."
"Oh, tell me about it." Siduo nodded in complete agreement. They always called her Teacher Ye, and they wouldn't stop now. "I see you've solved the little problem."
"Yup. They just needed to open up some embarrassing truths about them. But I couldn't listen to it anymore after a while."
"You're lying. You listened to it all after you left didn't you. You're still listening."
Karni laughed. "Yes. Yes, I am. They're so cute. You wouldn't believe it."
"Well, you evil guy. Share the sound with me! This is so unfair! I wanna hear Teacher Ye's love story as well!"
Karni did as told, and the two giggled like little children as they invaded the privacy of their former teachers.
… … …
"And with that, we will announce the winners." The older couple finally said, everyone was on the edge, but people have also already guessed the winner. The top ten people were announced.
Wu Jianyu's team ended up being fifth. There were many unique and amazing performances. Theirs got ratings more on sheer excellence of the performance but lost a bit in uniqueness. The key point was that they took some inspiration from the older couple, and that there was too much simple dancing. Though those were nitpicks, rather than actual criticisms.
"The winners…" The two couples let the air get tense. Everyone hated it, but everyone was also on edge. Tell us already. Karni could feel the atmosphere.
"Are the Squirrels of Destruction!"
Everyone burst into cheers, especially five girls, who named themselves the Squirrels of Destruction. An odd team name, but it suited their performance perfectly.
Karni and Siduo watched with a bit of pride. Two girls in the team were from the Special Class. Cao An, whose Martial Soul was the Great Stone; and Sun Ai, whose Martial Soul was the Black Squirrel. The other girls had some interesting Martial Souls as well.
One of them was only a Soul Master with a single Yellow Soul Ring, but her Martial Soul was unique in the way that it manipulated the atmosphere. Her first and only skill was called Twist. With that, she brought forth effects like Telekinesis, as well as manipulating light by affecting the air in the atmosphere. She affected the denseness of air. Twisted it.
The other was the younger cousin of Sun Ai. Her Martial Soul was also the Black Squirrel, but instead of being a summon type like Sun Ai's, it was a normal Beast Type Martial Soul.
The last of them had a Fire Spirit. She was a Soul Grandmaster with one White and one Yellow Soul Ring.
"With the results known, we would like to invite the winners to perform one final time." The older couple said, and everyone cheered again.
The five girls smiled and nodded. Now that the competition was over, they were much more relaxed.
The lights darkened and all the attention was on them. The girls went into position. The show started.
The water spiralled upward with Telekinesis, slow and steady, it then turned into steam with the help of the Fire Spirit. From it revealed a figure of a single Black Squirrel. Sun Ai's Martial Soul, which was a summon type. A stone rose on the other side, and opened up, revealing Sun Ai's cousin, with a Black Squirrel tail and ears.
The show started slow and mysterious. It was not just a show. It was a short story.
The two squirrels were befriended. Lights, tiny wisps of fire, controlled by denseness of air to create a warm atmosphere, met and danced, and fell in love. The dance wasn't a simple dance, the background was ever shifting to portray what was happening, forming all sorts of shapes.
The squirrels' dance got enveloped in stone. The stone cracked, started shining within the cracks, and exploded. All of its bits now flew around in the air. The scene changed suddenly and effectively.
Fire rained on the squirrels. Their love was forbidden, and the fire constantly tried to separate them, but they always found their way to each other.
However, at the final, they had to fight. Their arena was floating stones set on fire. Behind it all, an intimidating figure of a giant Stone Squirrel with fire in its eyes overlooked them with an evil grin.
The summoned Black Squirrel's eyes were on fire, to show that it was being controlled by the giant stone squirrel.
The squirrels fought, stones flying left and right. Giant scratches and tails flapping, fire exploding, disrupting the viewer's vision to act as scene changes.
But finally, the girl squirrel beat the summoned squirrel and brought it back to reason. Both squirrels appeared tired, and the stone squirrel looked like it was laughing, as if taunting. Cao An made the stone look incredibly animated.
The black squirrels joined hands, fire exploding within, the atmosphere tightening to give focus on the two, and they released a final attack against the stone squirrel. At the same time, the statue sent a giant palm at them. The fiery passion of the squirrels won, and the stone shattered, with the stones sent flying. Then the stone calmed and started returning, encircling the two squirrels, forming a giant heart of stone and fire around them.
It was a simple, straightforward story, but not many people tried to do a story. Many also failed to do it successfully or made it uninteresting in appearance. It was harder still to squeeze it all in five minutes.
The audience clapped, and the event came to an end.
After the celebration, Karni and Siduo brought Lan Meixiang, Qiang Ruoye and Xu An toward the winning girls and left them be. It was on their former students to successfully recruit the winners.
… … …
Since this was the last night the school would spending here, Karni and Siduo threw a party outside in the snow. It was in the little village centre that Karni and Siduo have visited before, just outside of the thermal baths.
Karni and Siduo chatted merrily at one of the tables. The teachers mostly had their own side they hung at, and the students hung out everywhere else. The two of them were sitting with Yi Lan and Teacher Ye.
The two teachers had gotten closer during the day, but they were clearly taking things at a slower pace now. One which they were both comfortable with. That didn't stop Teacher Ye from being extremely direct in her show of affection, however.
The funny thing was that Yi Lan didn't seem bothered by it and fully enjoyed it. When he was direct, Teacher Ye constantly stumbled in her words. It was adorable, and Karni and Siduo had front seats to it.
Siduo suddenly stood up, and kissed Karni's cheek. "I'm going to retire first."
"Huh? Wait, Sisi. I'm coming with you then."
"No, no." Teacher Ye jumped in. "You stay; we have some presents for you. As thanks for earlier today."
"You heard the teach." Siduo smiled. "I'll be awake, don't worry. I just feel a bit tired."
"Oh. Okay." Karni couldn't exactly refuse gifts from Teacher Ye and Teacher Yi.
Siduo left, and Karni was left alone with the two teachers.
"Ah. Youth. They've grown up so well, both of them." Yi Lan smiled.
"They have. They're excellent teachers. But I have to say, out of all my students in the Special Class, they were the worst."
"Ugh. Yeah. They were hard to teach in the Junior Academy as well. Their first few days, they skipped the classes. And then later on, they just did whatever they wanted."
"Oh, we weren't that bad." Karni jumped in.
"Yes, you were." The two said in unison.
"Need I remind you how you picked a fight with the police?" Teacher Ye said.
"Or how you two picked a fight the second day of the school." Teacher Yi added.
"Okay, but if not for that fight, Li Tai and Yu Tian wouldn't have found the motivation to train as hard. And we actually helped people when picking a fight with the police." Karni defended their actions.
The two teachers ignored him. "Ugh. And whenever I taught things like math, they didn't pay any attention, yet somehow still got all the answers correct. It's a wonder they've become such successful people in research."
"Heh. It was so satisfying to see them suddenly be out of their element in their first expedition to the Spirit Ascension Platform. But then they ended up stealing the Soul Bone from there."
"To this day, the Spirit Pagoda complains to me about that, you know? 'Why didn't you recruit them?' They ask over and over again." Yi Lan sounded aggrieved.
"Tang Sect would never ask that." Teacher Ye winked to Teacher Yi.
"Hm, hm. Sure, sure. Agree to disagree."
Karni looked at them both, getting a weird feeling. Didn't they say they would give him gifts? That's why he stayed.
"And Tang Sect would also welcome researchers like you with happiness. They might even help you publish your studies on how to teach. A lot of your research could do good to all teachers in general, whether it be normal people or Soul Masters."
"Hm. But I like this job exactly because I can help children be less nervous when they awaken their Martial Souls."
"True, we cannot provide that." Teacher Ye said.
"You looked quite tired by the end of my turn." Karni coughed. "You didn't really make me comfortable when awakening my Martial Soul." He gave Yi Lan a side eye.
Yi Lan looked at Karni a bit surprised. "Hm. That might be true. I started the research after you two became my students. I tried to find out how to get you to Spirit Pagoda's side." He chuckled to himself. "Around that time, I was just starting to feel the limits of my talents. My Martial Soul was good for combat, yet I myself was not. And then you came along, and I ended up finding out a new world of raising kids. I genuinely hope to reform the school structure in the future. The way teachers approach teaching has not changed much for thousands of years. Only Soul Master education grew, and the use of technology was added, but normal people always stay behind. I may not have been born to fight, but I was definitely born to teach."
Karni fell silent for a bit. "I… don't think I ever saw you use your Martial Soul."
"Indeed. I have been avoiding using it whenever I could. It's a Silver Sword. Not very special in terms of abilities, but useful for… well, combating Evil Soul Masters. I had a good amount of expectations placed on me, but I was always slow when it came to fighting. That's how I ended up becoming a teacher. I ran. But somehow, I ended up finding geniuses just two years into my teaching career."
"Well, I for one would welcome your newfound knowledge." Mo Ye'er said. "With more kids like Karni and Siduo appearing, I've been finding myself lacking creativity with giving them a proper challenge."
"I… would be honoured to do so. Perhaps watching them might improve some of my old insecurities as well."
Karni's mind dozed off a bit. What was going on here exactly. Sure, this seemed like a nice breakthrough for the two of them, but it had nothing to do with him. He looked at the time. He really should go to Siduo. He stood up.
"Wait!" Teacher Ye said. She brought a bag from her storage ring. "This is a gift from Lan and I."
"It was a wonderful date, Ye'er." Yi Lan added.
"I know. That wine was just heavenly." Teacher Ye said, holding the bag in her hands, but not handing it over to Karni.
"Mm. And the reception was fantastic as well."
Karni looked at them weirdly. They're talking about unrelated things again. Are they just so in love or… "Are you two stalling?"
The two paused mid conversation and looked at him.
"Oops. Lan, seems like we got caught." Teacher Ye said. She handed Karni the gift.
"It is the best wine we could find. You two will like it." Yi Lan said and looked to Karni's watch. "Hmm. I think we stalled long enough. You two have fun."
Yi Lan and Teacher Ye stood up and went away. Karni was left alone, confused, with a bottle of wine inside the bag. What just happened?
He went back to his and Siduo's apartment.
He walked up the stairs to the second floor where they stayed, scanned a card that opened the door, and entered. He smelled flowers. A sweet and comfortable scent.
He looked at the room with a shock. He closed the doors quickly but silently. Red flowers decorated the whole place. On the floor, there was a trail of flowers.
He followed the trail to the bedroom. In it were candles. He instinctually coughed when he saw the scene.
Siduo was inside, laying on the bed sideways, facing toward the door with a rose in her mouth and tempting eyes.
She… was naked.
"Hey babe." She said softly, putting the rose out of her mouth. "You finally came."
Karni gulped and looked at her body. The curves, the shape, the softness. Her eyes, warm, staring at him. The room and the apartment warm, contrasting the cold he just left outside.
She stood up and wrapped her hands around him, then gave him a deep kiss. "We're eighteen. And… I can't really wait anymore. It's all I've been thinking about the whole day."
Karni breathed deeply. Touching her naked body was… incredibly arousing. His arms, couldn't help but go down during the hug, grabbing her buttocks.
"Before you enjoy me… I want to enjoy you too, you know?" She looked at him and pointed to his clothes. She opened his coat, then put it off and threw it on the floor. Then she undressed him clothe by clothe, leaving the underwear for last. She went to work.
But Karni couldn't take it much longer. He grabbed her, hugged her, kissed her, and fell on the bed with her. It was hot. Warm. Soft.
They twisted and turned on the bed first. Karni pleased her, and she pleased him. Then the moment came. Karni took all of her in. They've prepared the condoms. Subconsciously, he activated the Purple Demon Eyes. He wanted to remember this scene forever. He kissed her softly…
And the two became one.
It started slow and passionate. They adapted to each other. Then the pace quickened. And the breathing intensified.
They kissed everywhere. They touched everywhere. Softly and fiercely, depending on the mood.
Karni's heart was beating fast. The first time was awkward. Karni finished first, then he helped her finish as well. It was the most amazing feeling that he could satisfy her in various ways.
They laid naked for a few short minutes. Then they went at it again. This time it was less awkward, fiercer, wilder.
And when that ended, they moved. To the couch, out of the bedroom. In all sorts of positions.
They moved again and again. The table, the kitchen, the floor, even when they went to shower to clean up, they did it again. The sex that was awkward became amazing.
Siduo breathed deeply. "This is bad. I think I'll get addicted."
"Me too." The two continued long into the night, and into the early morning.
… … …
Karni walked out of the shower the second time today. It was early morning, time to cultivate the Purple Demon Eyes. He put on a robe and looked in the bedroom, where Siduo was laying with legs spread. It almost made him want to go again, when he saw her like that.
By the last few rounds, they were out of condoms. And they didn't really care. He finished where he shouldn't, the two fully connected. But they both wanted it. It was risky, and honestly, if something were to come out of that, they actually wouldn't mind as much.
Karni could barely walk. Siduo laying on the bed like that was actually also because she could barely walk. She was resting. They even used their powers during sex. They were spent.
He went outside and breathed in the cold air. Fresh air. Shit, the apartment likely stank like hell. He compared the smells, and he was right. He immediately opened the window, then grabbed a blanket. By that time, he heard that Siduo had moved to the shower. Yet again, he was tempted to just join her but decided to keep his horny brain in check.
He went outside to cultivate Purple Demon Eyes, the snow fell outside with surprising rage, but the purple clouds at the horizon were still crystal clear.
He heard the balcony door open, and Siduo joined him under the blanked, like him, she only had a simple warm coat on, but nothing else.
The two cultivated in silence and their worlds, both of their worlds were actively changing during the cultivation.
When they finished cultivating, Karni hugged Siduo and couldn't help but caress her buttocks, and then went to fondle her breasts, simply enjoying the feeling.
"You know…" He started.
Siduo nodded. "I know. Me too."
She moved under the blanket, and in a split second, she was on top of him, looking him deep into his eyes.
The world was clearer to him and to her. Their minds connected. Their Purple Demon Eyes had progressed. It was like a long-time block of their minds had been set free today. They did not need to hold back anymore.
Siduo moaned slightly as the two connected again, but this time, the connection was deeper. On a spiritual level. It was like their eyes were inseparable, the Purple Demon Eyes shined in both of their eyes.
In the cold snow, under the blanket, their connection went on for another few rounds.
It was only after another hour that they stopped. Siduo was cleaning herself down there with Soul Power. "You know, we might have to set a schedule for ourselves, or we'll have too much sex."
Karni was leaning into her, as she was on him. "Yeah. As much as I hate to admit it, you might be right. The fact we've both been adults trapped and holding back might cause a genuine addiction. But hey, at least we both progressed, eh? How does the Detailed Realm feel?"
"It's amazing." She smiled. "I've never practiced Tang Sect techniques before. I didn't know you could see so much all the time. No wonder you were hard to fight against… how does Mustard Seed Realm feel?"
"Amazing." Karni nodded. "It's not just my vision, but perception that increased. I can see the veins of the leaves on that tree 300 metres away. I can connect to your mind so seamlessly now. And the control is incredible."
Siduo nodded. "I will have to work harder on my Purple Demon Eyes from now on. If I knew how useful it was, I'd have been more diligent- OH SHIT!"
She suddenly stood up, naked, because her cloak was long gone after their sex under the blanket, and rushed inside without worrying about that. It was snowing outside anyway. No one could see her.
She came out again, now with another cloak, and a wrapped gift.
Karni chuckled. "Honestly, a part of me thought that the sex was the gift."
Siduo blushed. "Of course it's not! That would be too arrogant even for me. I was going to give it yesterday, but well… we got into it and all that. Here."
Karni grabbed the gift. He could not guess what it was, and he didn't want to cheat with his Purple Demon Eyes.
He unwrapped the gift and was positively surprised. It was an instrument. A keyboard.
"Put your Cosmic Instrument into it." Siduo pointed to a section.
He did so, and his eyes shined. "Wait. You used the Martial Soul fusion technology of weapons?"
"That, andddd…" She came close and pressed a button that looked like a guitar.
The keyboard started transforming and became a guitar, his Cosmic Instrument still attached to it.
"Holy shit." Karni couldn't help but exclaim.
"And." Siduo pressed a third button. Drums.
It transformed into drums, but smaller ones that were mostly mechanical and not true drums. "I struggled with this form a bit, but they sound like the drums you used to play a lot. There are functions to adapt the Sound as you want if you don't like how it sounds."
Karni tried it out a bit. It really was easy to fiddle with. There were so many options. It was clear she consulted professionals for this.
"And there are four more spots. You can adapt more instruments if you want it to. It can't really use your Soul Rings, because there's no way to fit them, but… I know you couldn't play instruments and… I felt like I wanted to fulfil that wish for you."
"Oh, Sisi." Karni genuinely felt like crying for a bit. He stood up and hugged her tightly.
The two hugged for a long time, and soon, both of them were grabbing each other's asses.
"So… another round?" Siduo asked.
"Last one." Karni answered.
It was not the last one.