Alex forced the embarrassing encounter with Sylvia out of his mind and focused entirely on the heavy wooden sword in his hands.
He couldn't afford to be distracted again and bring another disaster upon himself.
He continued to perform the sword moves with full concentration, syncing his breathing perfectly with every swing and step.
Inhale the mana from the surrounding air... exhale and push it through the mana circuits to redistribute it all over the body. "Forward Step! Retreat Step!"
He moved smoothly across the hard floor, his body practically floating through the stances.
His Serpentine Musculature easily, allowing him to transition between attacks and defenses without losing a single ounce of momentum.
As he stepped into the final stance, the Side Guard and Deflect, he twisted his waist, bringing the wooden blade up in a perfect arc.
He let out a long, slow exhale, pushing the gathered mana deep into his lungs.
Suddenly, something clicked.
He felt an unexpected, cool sensation slowly flooding his entire body.
It wasn't the fiery, burning pain he experienced during the first few days of using the Ember-Leaf extract.
Instead, it was like a stream of ice-cold, refreshing water pouring directly into his veins.
The feeling wasn't overwhelmingly strong, but with his heavily mutated, hypersensitive body, he felt it with crystal clarity.
The cool energy moved slowly from his lungs through his chest, down his spine, and seeped deeply into his bones and tendons.
He closed his eyes, shivering slightly as the refreshing chill completely washed away the heavy fatigue and the dull, tender ache in his developing chest.
He could actually feel his body strengthening itself from the inside out.
It was obviously very slow, nothing like the sudden, explosive physical improvement he experienced after waking up from his Phase 2 shedding.
But it was a steady, gradual reinforcement.
His muscles were drinking in the mana, naturally weaving the physical conditioning of the sword forms with the Yin energy of his bloodline.
A bright blue screen popped up directly in his vision, interrupting his thoughts.
Alex hurriedly checked his attribute panel, his dark, liquid eyes scanning the new text glowing in the air.
[ Skill Acquired: Iron Body Foundation Art-Entry Level (1/100) (+)]
[ Skill Acquired: Flowing Spirit Sword Forms-Entry Level (1/100) (+)]
Alex stood perfectly still, his mouth dropping open slightly in pure shock.
"How long has it been?" he thought, his heart beating a little faster. "I didn't expect it to happen so fast."
It has only been four days since he began training with Sylvia.
The instructor had specifically warned the entire class that it would take up to three grueling months of constant practice and expensive medicine just to grasp the absolute basics and reach the Proficient level.
For Entry Level, it might take at least a week or more.
If he were still his old self, before his Naagin bloodline forcefully mutated him and improved his cultivation aptitude, it would have definitely taken him weeks to get started and months to reach Proficient level..
He would have struggled just to feel the mana, let alone guide it into his muscles properly.
"But now? Four days," Alex lowered his wooden sword, looking down at his slender, pale hands.
The skin was incredibly soft, looking far too delicate to wield a weapon, yet beneath that beautiful surface lay a terrifying, highly adaptable strength.
His body was basically acting like a sponge, that's soaking up everything he taught it at a monstrous speed.
A small, genuine smile broke across his flushed face.
"Damn it, hurrah!" Alex secretly celebrated to himself, wiping a bead of sweat from his chin. "Heheehe, I think I've become a little genius..."
His heart raced with pure excitement.
Getting the skills officially registered on his system panel was the hardest part.
Now that they were there, it's completely a different story from now on.
"Yes, yes damn it, now I can use the simulator to accelerate my practice speed to reach one-click upgrade level… hahaheehe!!" he cheered internally, struggling to keep a straight face.
With the [+] symbols hovering next to the newly acquired Iron Body Foundation Art and Flowing Spirit Sword Forms, he didn't need to spend months sweating in the training hall.
He could just dump his accumulated Source Power directly into them and cheat his way to mastery.
However, he forced himself to rein in his excitement.
He couldn't just stand in the middle of the training hall and suddenly power up, and he didn't know what might happen to his body after the simulation ended.
He plans to wait until today's session is officially over.
The moment Sylvia finally called for dismissal, Alex didn't waste a single second.
He hurriedly packed his things, practically jogging to the changing stall.
He quickly stripped off the damp t-shirt and the spandex shorts, shivering as the cool air hit his hyper-sensitive chest, and rushed to put on his old clothes to cover up the changes that happened to his body.
He rushed out of the Gene Association's private hall, desperate to get back to his own room so he could use the simulator in peace.
But just as he was about to rush out of the training grounds and into the main lobby, a shadowy figure abruptly stepped right into his path, completely blocking his escape.
As he was in a hurry, he couldn't stop himself and bumped into the person that stepped in front of him.
Fortunately, he didn't get hurt, when Alex looked up from under his hood to see who it was, his good mood instantly evaporated.
"Fuck you, you old man," Alex cursed instinctively, taking a quick step back.
It was the old pervert. The sloppy old man was standing right in the middle of the corridor, blocking the exit with a creepy, wide grin on his wrinkled face.
"Now, now, there's no need to be so hostile," the old man purred, raising a dirty, calloused hand as if trying to pat Alex's delicate shoulder.
"I noticed you've been working really hard in Instructor Sylvia's class. A pretty little thing like you shouldn't push yourself so hard."
Alex slapped the old man's hand away before it could even touch his hoodie.
His flawless face flushed red with absolute annoyance.
"Shit, I already told you that I'm not a girl!" Alex snapped, his voice tight.
"Hehehe... you're still at it, acting as a man?" The old man didn't look offended at all.
Instead, his grin only widened, his eyes greedily dragging up and down Alex's slender frame. "It's cute, really. But you don't have to pretend with me, sweetheart."
Alex got so mad that his vision literally tinted red, his muscles beneath his pale skin coiled tightly like a loaded spring.
He clenched his fist, fully intending to beat the shit out of this creepy old bastard, and let the Gene Association rules be damned.
Just as he shifted his weight to throw a punch.
BAM!
"Ahahaa..!" Alex blinked in shock as a sudden blur of motion bypassed him completely.
Someone else had acted before him. A long, powerful leg in dark leggings shot out from behind Alex, catching the old man squarely in the chest.
The impact was terrifying. The old man was launched backward like a cannonball.
He flew fifteen to twenty meters through the air, rolling two or three times mid-flight before he crashed violently right into his own security desk, sending papers flying everywhere.
Alex stood frozen, his jaw dropping.
He slowly turned his head to see Instructor Sylvia standing beside him, her leg slowly lowering from the devastating high kick.
Her blue eyes were still as cold as before, but what happened next defied his logic.
Instead of groaning in pain or clutching broken ribs, the old man quickly popped up from the wreckage of his desk.
He casually dusted off his messy clothes as if a high-speed collision with solid wood was nothing more than a light breeze.
He didn't look angry. In fact, he came running right back toward Sylvia, his face full of an absolutely shameless, lecherous look.
As if wanting to get another beating, while his old eyes were completely locked on to Sylvia's sexy curves and her large breasts.