Several hours later, under Xu Ran's pushing and shoving, Xiaowu and Zhu Zhuqing evicted him from the dormitory.
However, Xu Ran left only after he had his fill.
After all, with Xu Ran's stubbornness akin to that of an ox, at such times, no matter how much Zhu Qing and Xiaowu disapproved or resisted, he would still do what needed to be done.
Xu Ran wasn't the type to be indecisive. When it came to crucial moments, he naturally wouldn't listen to the girls.
You can indulge them usually, but if the pants are off, you still bring this up?
By this time, night had deepened, and the sparkling starry sky cast a layer of silver frost over the earth. Even though it was late, under the bright moonlight, the surroundings were as clear as day.
With his arms wide open, Xu Ran stretched lazily.
Having just completed vigorous activity, he felt not the slightest bit sleepy now.
Under the starry night, the darkness felt as bright as day.
Clad in black, Xu Ran wielded the "Godslayer Sword," moving back and forth, the swordlight flickering.
It might have been an illusion, or perhaps due to the night, but Xu Ran's swordplay exuded a lonely pride, as though he were standing at the pinnacle, overlooking all beneath him. He appeared right in front of you, yet seemed to be on a distant lonely peak, the kind of ungraspable distance that could drive one mad.
As Xu Ran was fully engrossed in swinging the sword in his hand, a stunningly beautiful girl in a pale blue dress also arrived.
With light crystal earrings adorning her ears, her silky hair was plaited into fine braids hanging over her back. The delicate pale blue dress and a pair of tight white silk stockings perfectly wrapped her graceful figure. Although not voluptuous, the girl's refinement and the faint aura she emitted were enough to brighten one's eyes.
Ning Rongrong, the young mistress of the wealthy Seven Treasures Glaze Sect, possessed an air of nobility and spirit that neither Zhu Qing nor Xiaowu had.
This kind of noble air couldn't be feigned. It could be said that if Ning Rongrong were to dress up slightly, even if she went to Soto City, others would recognize her as a lady from a prominent family.
Ning Rongrong couldn't sleep either. Today, during the training session Xu Ran held, she had posed in front of him like someone who had lost her soul, and she even let Xu Ran manipulate her body.
What was happening to her?
Her feelings were rather complex. She had been spoiled and wilful since childhood, but always maintained her purity. As far as she could remember, besides her father and grandfathers, no other male had ever touched her body.
Yet today, she had let Xu Ran touch her cherished body thoroughly.
The key issue was, she wasn't the slightest bit angry. That was what troubled and depressed her.
She should have been very angry. So why did she not seem to mind Xu Ran's actions at all?
Even when Xu Ran touched her, she sneakily noticed Zhu Qing and Xiaowu had been watching her, and her heart felt a bizarre sense of thrill. That sensation caused her heart to race incredibly fast, a feeling of embarrassment yet excitement spread throughout her body, as if the afterglow had not yet faded.
As Ning Rongrong reflected, her delicate feet clad in blue crystal shoes kicked at the pebbles on the road.
"Is that, Xu Ran?" Ning Rongrong's beautiful eyes widened as the whooshing sound of cleaving through the air caught her attention.
By now, the night had deepened, and the surrounding sounds were filled with the intermittent chorus of insects, making the whooshing noise extremely noticeable.
Leaning against a tree, Ning Rongrong looked in Xu Ran's direction; at that moment, he was in perfect harmony with his swordsmanship, as if he had mastered the basics. Unaware of Ning Rongrong's presence, Xu Ran remained focused on his practice.
"Is this the real Xu Ran?" Ning Rongrong marveled at his extraordinary swordplay and elusive footwork. Xu Ran had always been exceedingly handsome, but during his sword dance, he exuded a special kind of heroic spirit. Not just Ning Rongrong, but even a man would feel inferior in his presence.
Moreover, Xu Ran's sword moves seemed unpatterned but were in fact meticulously precise. Almost every strike was exceedingly simple, including slashes, cuts, stabs, and flicks without any superfluous actions. Yet, when combined, these simple movements were astonishing.
"Fundamental Sword Technique: Hundred Interpretations" is a collection of basic sword moves summarized by swordsmen from a fantasy continent over tens of thousands of years, a mission reward that Xu Ran received last time when he set out to intercept Ah Yin. Understanding the principle that the Great Dao is Simple, Xu Ran knew that while these moves were basic, they served as the foundation for countless powerful sword techniques.
Mastering the basic sword techniques was akin to possessing myriad sword forms, something the System's Missy had told him. These techniques, equivalent to Xu Ran's self-created soul skill, gathered soul power within the sword. Releasing these refined moves would wield formidable lethality.
At least, in Xu Ran's opinion, having mastered these moves, he could easily defeat any opponent below the Soul King level without even needing to use his Soul Ring Soul Skill.
Some time passed, and with a fiery gaze, Xu Ran's figure leaped up lightly. His sword flashed in hand, and across the boulder opposite him, he left a terrifying sword mark, about five inches deep and six feet long.
It was not hard to imagine what would happen to a person struck by that sword. Even a Soul Master of the Soul King level would be bifurcated outright.
Ning Rongrong watched this scene in a daze, her eyes gradually softening.
Could this be Xu Ran's self-created soul skill?
Such a Xu Ran made her involuntarily think of Sword Grandpa from the Seven Treasures Glaze Sect far away.
Sword Grandpa also had a distinguished reputation on the Continent, and his Sword Martial Spirit, the Seven-Killing Sword, possessed a Killing Domain hardly inferior to the world's number one weapon spirit, the Hao Tian Hammer.
However, if Sword Grandpa knew that there was another sword genius like him on the Continent, he would probably be beside himself with joy, treasuring such a find.
She remembered that Sword Grandpa always had a regret; throughout his life, he never met a Sword Martial Spirit Soul Master as powerful as himself. He once said that some things could only be understood by another Titled Douluo of the Sword Martial Spirit.
Although Xu Ran had not yet become a Titled Douluo, she saw a reflection of Sword Grandpa in him. Even some things, she felt, Xu Ran understood more thoroughly than Sword Grandpa did.
Whether it was Xu Ran's carefree poetry through swordsmanship or the proud bearing of his dance with the sword in front of her, both possessed a unique temperament belonging to a swordsman.