Chapter 278: The Youngest Grandmaster! A Sweet, Accidental Kiss!
As Shen Anyu's silent countdown ended, a terrifying change occurred within the training circle.
Yang Luoluo's body began to emit crisp, crackling sounds like popcorn popping, audible even over her heavy breathing.
Crack! Pop!
Under the dual effects of the extreme physical exertion pushing her limits and the potent [Limit Break Powder] stimulating her potential, the bottleneck that had trapped her for over a year shattered.
Her chaotic, gaseous [Martial Dao Inner Qi] rapidly condensed, compressing under the pressure until it transformed into liquid, pure [Martial Dao True Essence]. It flowed through her meridians like mercury, washing away fatigue and filling her limbs with explosive power.
"Haha! I did it!"
Yang Luoluo's eyes snapped open, shining with a divine light.
"Luo Luo has broken through to the [Grandmaster Realm]!"
She was ecstatic, reaching the pinnacle of excitement. The threshold that had troubled her for so long was finally broken. She felt lighter, faster, stronger.
In the vast Yanxia nation, with its population of billions, there were only a handful of [Martial Arts Grandmasters] under the age of twenty. She had just joined the ranks of the supreme prodigies.
But in her excitement, Yang Luoluo didn't forget the test. In fact, the breakthrough only amplified her desire to complete it. The medicinal powder's side effect—the amplification of instinct—was hitting its peak.
"Catch him!"
With a roar of effort, she lunged forward. This time, her speed was twice as fast as before. She was a blur of motion, pouncing directly towards Shen Anyu.
She had a premonition that this time, she would definitely be able to touch the Senior.
And she was right.
Perhaps because he was surprised by her breakthrough, or perhaps because he allowed it, Shen Anyu didn't dodge this time.
Thud!
Yang Luoluo slammed into him with the force of a speeding car. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face in his chest.
"Gotcha!"
Under the immense momentum of a newly ascended [Grandmaster], even Shen Anyu lost his footing slightly. Both of them lifted off the ground, flying backward in a tangle of limbs.
Bang!
They landed on the padded floor behind them. Shen Anyu acted as a cushion, his back hitting the mat, with Yang Luoluo straddling him, pinning him down.
The position was... extremely ambiguous.
Yang Luoluo's sweat-soaked clothes clung to her like a second skin, and the friction of their bodies generated a searing heat. Her chest heaved against his, her heart beating in sync with his own.
"Senior! Luo Luo did it! Luo Luo touched you!"
Yang Luoluo's pretty face flushed with excitement and joy as she spoke repeatedly, her eyes sparkling like diamonds. She didn't realize the danger of her current posture.
Shen Anyu lay beneath her, not pushing her away. He reached up and gently removed the blindfold, revealing his deep, starry eyes.
He smiled, his voice husky and magnetic.
"Yes, you did it. And you did very well."
Yang Luoluo looked down at Shen Anyu's handsome, jade-like face. Up close, his features were even more perfect. His gentle, smiling eyes seemed to contain a whirlpool that threatened to suck her soul in.
"Senior..."
She didn't know why, but she felt her blood flow rapidly again. It wasn't the martial arts excitement this time; it was something else. Her heart pounded against her ribs, and an incredible, primal impulse surged from her lower abdomen, amplified by the lingering drug in her system.
She stared at his lips. They looked soft.
The next moment, as if possessed by a demon, Yang Luoluo lowered her head.
Chu~
Her soft, cherry-like lips lightly touched Shen Anyu's cheek. It was a fleeting contact, like a dragonfly skimming the water, but it sent an electric shock through both of them.
Silence.
The training ground went deathly quiet.
Yang Luoluo froze. Her brain finally caught up with her instincts.
"Ah!"
She scrambled backward, sitting on her heels, covering her mouth with both hands. Her face turned the color of a ripe tomato, steam practically rising from her head.
"Senior! I... I... I didn't do it on purpose!"
After realizing what she had done, Yang Luoluo was at a loss. She waved her hands frantically, her eyes wide with panic. She hadn't expected herself to make such a presumptuous, bold move on her idol!
"But... but Senior, Luo Luo feels so hot... I don't know why, it just happened! My body moved on its own!"
Yang Luoluo felt like she had done something terribly wrong. Her little fingertips tapped together nervously, looking incredibly cute and pitiful.
Shen Anyu sat up, touching his cheek where she had kissed him. He was also a bit surprised.
Usually, the [Limit Break Powder] made women aggressive and lustful, transforming them into female leopards.
But Yang Luoluo merely gave him a shy peck on the cheek?
"It seems Yang Luoluo truly has a pure heart," Shen Anyu thought, his interest piqued even further. "A good child with a pure and innocent inner self. Rare."
But Shen Anyu liked nothing more than to take a pure white canvas and dye it into the color he desired. To corrupt the innocent was the greatest pleasure of a Villain.
Shen Anyu stood up and gently helped Yang Luoluo up. He dusted off her shoulder, his touch lingering.
"It's alright," he said with a forgiving smile. "You were just excited. I understand."
"You've passed the test. From now on, you are my little Disciple."
"A teacher is like a father," Shen Anyu quoted the old saying with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Such a small matter is merely a sign of a good relationship. It shows that Luo Luo is close to me. I don't mind."
Yang Luoluo nodded repeatedly, letting out a breath of relief. She chuckled adorably, her eyes curving into crescents.
"Exactly! Exactly! Senior... no, Master is right!"
She immediately straightened her posture and bowed formally.
"Master above! Disciple Yang Luoluo pays respects!"
Shen Anyu calmly accepted Yang Luoluo's bow. Then, he reached out and lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him.
"You've just broken through the [Martial Arts Grandmaster] threshold. Your foundation is unstable. You need to cultivate in seclusion for a while to solidify your realm."
"My Jiangjing Manor here is quite elegant and has excellent Feng Shui. You can stay here for a while. It will save you the hassle of returning to the Yang Family of Jiangnan and wasting precious time on the road."
Upon hearing this, although Yang Luoluo had a pure heart, her martial instincts—her "sixth sense"—were very keen.
She looked up at Shen Anyu and suddenly asked, her voice filled with awe:
"Master... did your test just now... was it actually designed to help me break through to Grandmaster?"
She realized it now. The specific constraints, the pressure, the duration... it was all calculated. She had been stuck at the threshold for over a year. Even with her talent, it would have taken months to break through naturally.
But this "test" of over an hour had allowed her to break through so smoothly.
It was a miracle. And Shen Anyu was the miracle worker.
Shen Anyu smiled and nodded modestly. "It was just a trivial method. Teaching according to the student's aptitude."
Yang Luoluo's bright, beautiful eyes were filled with unadulterated admiration and gratitude. She looked at Shen Anyu as if he were a god.
"Master, how is this a trivial method? It's truly amazing! You are a genius teacher!"
"Indeed, Luo Luo's decision to become your Disciple was the most correct one in my life! Master is so incredibly powerful!"
At this point, Yang Luoluo's face was full of sweet smiles.
She was so happy. She now had a good Master who was handsome, powerful, and kind.
When she told Liu Ruyan and her other Senior Sisters about this, she wondered how envious they would be.
"Second Senior Sister Liu Ruyan is so powerful, yet even at twenty-eight, she is only at [Grandmaster Realm - Peak]. I reached [Grandmaster] before twenty! I will definitely surpass them in the future!"
"Luo Luo," Shen Anyu interrupted her thoughts gently. "You should stay here a bit longer to stabilize your cultivation. First, go tell your family's Mo, so your family doesn't worry. I'll have a room prepared for you."
"Mm-hmm! Master's considerations are always so thorough! I love you, Master!"
Watching Yang Luoluo skip joyfully towards the living room, her ponytail bouncing, exuding a youthful, healthy, and vibrant aura, Shen Anyu's smile remained, but his eyes deepened into an abyss.
"The more eager one is, the less one can rush."
"Slow simmering yields delicious results."
Although he currently felt a sense of urgency due to the threat of the [Infinite Flow Child of Destiny] and the need to quickly gather 10 million [Destiny Points] to upgrade the System, he knew that haste makes waste.
Yang Luoluo had several Senior Sisters. One was Liu Ruyan. There were others he hadn't investigated yet. This was a whole nest of [Destined Heroines].
To take them all out at once, he needed to use Yang Luoluo as the bait. A slow simmer was needed. If they weren't fully cooked, the taste wouldn't be optimal.
Shen Anyu glanced at the invisible screen floating in his retina.
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Yang Luoluo's favorability +10. Reward: Plundered +30,000 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Yang Luoluo's extreme gratitude and adoration. Reward: Plundered +9,999 Destiny Value!]
...
"Yang Luoluo's total favorability has reached seventy," Shen Anyu calculated. "I'll take her down completely during this period of 'secluded cultivation'."
"Also, I need to use her to quickly find out about her Senior Sisters and their corresponding Sons of Destiny! That is the real treasure trove."
Shen Anyu's expression was dark and calculating as he pondered his next move.
Beep, beep, beep!
At this moment, the notification sound for a high-priority encrypted message rang out from his pocket.
Shen Anyu casually took out his phone. His eyes narrowed slightly as he scanned the screen.
...
In the living room.
"Little Miss? What is this?"
Mo, who was waiting anxiously and drinking her fifth cup of tea, stood up instantly when she saw Yang Luoluo return.
Then, her jaw dropped.
She saw Yang Luoluo drenched in sweat, her face flushed red. Her clothes were soaked and clinging to her body, transparent enough to see the color of her sports bra, outlining her alluring figure for the world to see.
"Oh my god!"
Mo quickly grabbed a coat from the rack and rushed over to drape it over Yang Luoluo.
"Fortunately, even the chefs, gardeners, and servants in this Jiangjing Manor are all women," Mo muttered, looking around paranoidly. "Otherwise, the scene just now would have been a great loss to the Yang Family's reputation!"
"Little Miss, you've grown up! You need to pay attention to your image! You can't walk around like this!"
Watching Mo both scold her and drape the coat over her to prevent exposure, Yang Luoluo stuck out her tongue sheepishly.
However, she couldn't suppress her excitement. She grabbed Mo's hands, her eyes shining.
"Mo! Listen to me! I've broken through to [Martial Arts Grandmaster]!"
"What?"
Mo froze. Her eyes widened, thinking she had misheard due to stress.
"Grandmaster? You?"
After Yang Luoluo repeated it a few times and released a burst of [True Essence] to prove it, Mo finally collapsed back onto the sofa, filled with both shock and delight.
"Little Miss... you've broken through to [Martial Arts Grandmaster] so quickly? You're still a few months away from twenty!"
"Oh my heavens... the youngest female Grandmaster in Yanxia has been born! This is historic! If this news gets out, the entire martial arts world will quake!"
Yang Luoluo said with a giggle, "It's all Master's credit! Master called it a test, but in reality, he was using a secret technique to help me break through to Grandmaster! Master is too amazing..."
Listening to Yang Luoluo constantly mentioning her "Master," full of adoration and gratitude, Mo was also sincerely impressed. Her previous doubts vanished.
"Young Master Shen... truly has the ability of a god," Mo thought, feeling ashamed of her earlier suspicion. "He helped Little Miss soar to the sky in an afternoon. I was too narrow-minded."
Yang Luoluo, looking very clever and mischievous, pulled out her phone.
"I'm sure the Senior Sisters will be very surprised to hear this good news..." she chirped, dialing a number. "I'm going to make them jealous!"
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