Zongman, Rebirth of the Heaven-Defying Kirito

The afternoon training session was scheduled for the lawn near the cabin, at Asuna's insistence.

In her own words, "It's just practicing skills, not going into the forest to fight monsters. Isn't it better to practice nearby?"

Kirito verbally agreed.

But a pounding fear was in her heart: Could it be that Asuna had noticed that she had been lazy that morning?

The training area is only a few dozen meters away from the cabin. Standing at the window, you can see the training scene clearly, so there's no chance for me to slack off now.

He glanced at Asuna furtively and saw her smiling as she straightened Sachi's clothes, showing no sign of anything amiss.

But the more he did this, the more uncertain Kirito felt.

Oh no, this is directed at me!

"Master, what are we training for next?" Xiaoxing's voice interrupted Kirito's thoughts.

Holding her two swords, her eyes were full of anticipation. After the morning's success, she was eager to learn new skills.

Kirito snapped out of his daze and composed himself: "You can gradually master the basic techniques of dual-wielding. Next, let's continue learning new skills."

"Learn a new skill?" Xiaoxing's eyes lit up instantly.

Sure enough, new skills were more appealing to her than repeatedly practicing basic movements, since skills could quickly improve her strength.

Seeing Sachi's excited expression, Kirito took two steps forward: "Watch closely."

After speaking, he concentrated, and the black sword in his hand, the Elucidator, was gradually covered with a layer of light blue light.

The next second, Kirito suddenly exerted force with his wrist, and the longsword swept out horizontally, a blue arc of slashing energy bursting from the blade.

Unlike ordinary slashes, this slash remained suspended in the air for an extremely slow time, taking several seconds to gradually dissipate into the air.

Kirito explained, "This is 'Demon Sword Invasion,' which focuses on controlling the accumulation of energy on the sword and releasing the energy at the moment of the strike, giving the strike a longer duration."

"Master, I see it clearly now!" Xiao Xing said immediately, eager to try it out.

Kirito stepped aside, this time focusing intently.

He wanted to see how SAO and Brain Burst, two completely different systems, could achieve compatibility in Xiaoxing.

Sachi walked to the spot where Kirito had just stood, gripped her twin swords, closed her eyes, and tried to recall Kirito's movements.

Concentrate your mind, direct your energy to the sword, accumulate and release...

Sachi began practicing under Kirito's watchful eye.

Kirito nodded: He was very pleased to have such a dedicated disciple.

Little did he know that he was also being watched by Asuna.

Asuna nodded: Kirito was teaching her diligently, and she was very pleased.

Time passed slowly, and thirty minutes later, Xiaoxing was still practicing;

An hour later, Kirito stood to the side, already yawning;

Two hours later, Kirito began to miss the leisurely time he had spent sleeping in the tree that morning...

Just as he was about to fall asleep standing up, he suddenly heard Xiaoxing exclaim excitedly, "Master! I did it!"

Kirito jolted awake and immediately looked up.

Xiaoxing gripped the sword with both hands, while the afterimage behind her made a gesture of crossed sword blades.

Then, Xiaoxing unleashed a simultaneous strike with both swords: "Death Erosion!"

The phantom made the same movement.

Unlike Kirito who used a single-handed sword, the afterimage actually slashed out a cross in front of him, the strike clearly visible as it lingered in the air.

"What? You've learned it again?!" Kirito was utterly shocked.

Something's not right, this is really not right!

Kirito muttered to himself, "Two completely different systems. Not only can Sachi learn skills, but she can even learn them faster than she did this morning. This doesn't make any sense in a system."

"Master, how is it?" Xiaoxing leaned close to Kirito, tilting her head up with an expectant smile on her face.

Kirito subconsciously reached out and patted her head, his tone tinged with satisfaction: "Yes, you did very well. To be honest, your talent far exceeds my expectations."

He only realized what he had said after he finished.

Xiaoxing is only slightly shorter than Biaina, yet he still pats her head like a child.

It really does feel... kind of comfortable.

Just now, Xiaoxing acted like a kitten waiting for praise... Is that somewhat understandable?

At the same time, Asuna, who was looking out of the cabin window, witnessed this scene.

She squinted: "Is it just my imagination? It feels like the two of them... seem closer?"

"Next, I'll teach you an even more difficult skill, so be prepared," Kirito continued.

Both 'Sonic Impact' and 'Demon Sword Assault' belong to the SAO skill set and are very simple skills that every player can learn.

He wanted to see if Xiaoxing could learn original skills.

"I will try my best!" Xiaoxing nodded immediately, her eyes full of determination.

Kirito gripped his longsword tightly: "Watch closely!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he swung his longsword, and four phantoms shot out in four directions: front, back, left, and right. The phantoms were so fast that their trajectories were almost impossible to see.

Before Xiaoxing could react, she saw a 'shadow' that looked exactly like Kirito appear in front of her.

Curious, she reached out to touch it, but her palm passed right through the shadow, without any sense of solidity.

"What is this...?" she asked in surprise.

Kirito explained, "It's both four phantoms and a ranged attack, a very useful skill that can confuse the opponent."

Xiao Xing's eyes widened in amazement: "I understand! Master!"

You understand now?!

Kirito didn't disturb her any further and stood aside to watch her practice alone.

Time flies, the sun gradually sets, the sky changes from golden to orange-red, and then slowly darkens.

Three hours passed, and Kirito was filled with emotion.

Xiaoxing is so persistent; she didn't slack off at all for an entire afternoon.

In contrast, I'm always thinking about slacking off; I'm practically a lazy bum.

He even silently confessed to Asuna in his heart: I'm sorry, I shouldn't have always been thinking about lazy bums...

Seeing that it was getting late, Kirito had a reason: "Sachi, it's getting late, let's stop here for today and continue practicing tomorrow."

Unexpectedly, Xiaoxing shook her head: "Wait, Master, give me a few more minutes! I feel like I'm almost there, just a little bit more!"

Kirito stepped forward helplessly: "You're extremely tired right now. Maybe the feeling of 'almost succeeding' is just your body sending a false impression to your brain?"

But after taking only two steps, he froze on the spot.

Black energy particles began to emanate from Xiaoxing's body, and a familiar black phantom slowly appeared—it was Black Lotus!

Kirito was stunned for a moment: "...Are you serious?"

Xiaoxing kept her eyes tightly closed, completely unaware of the phantom behind her, as she was focused on controlling her energy.

This time, not only did the sword blades on the black phantom's hands glow purple, but the sword blades on its feet also emitted a purple light.

At first glance, the blades on all four limbs simultaneously gleamed.

"It's almost...it's going to come out!"