"The Wardance? I don't care about it, but that treasured sword awarded to the victor, I absolutely will..."

"Grumble—"

Yunli's stomach let out a timely growl.

"Yunli?"

General Huaiyan appeared behind Yunli at some point, looking kindly at the young girl who had been busy melting swords without rest.

"Are you hungry?"

"Mhm..." Yunli nodded, a little embarrassed.

"Go eat until you're full before coming back to melt swords." General Huaiyan patted her head.

"Mhm... but I want Berrypheasant Skewers..." Yunli mumbled softly, "Berrypheasant Skewers... Berrypheasant Skewers..."

"Soon, you'll be able to eat them when we get to Luofu."

——

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War.

(So, so cute!)

When he saw the young girl on the Celestial Screen puff out her cheeks, wanting Berrypheasant Skewers, Ishigami felt himself involuntarily hold his breath.

(N-no way... this is too much...)

Ishigami felt his cheeks burning. He subconsciously held his manga book higher, trying to hide his possibly flushed face. But his gaze was fixed on the Celestial Screen as if drawn by a magnet.

Just then, someone suddenly approached him from behind.

"Hey, hey, Ishigami-kun~"

Fujiwara Chika had somehow gotten close to him. She bent down and looked up at his face hidden behind the manga book, her eyes sparkling like Columbus discovering the New World.

"Don't you think Yunli is super—cute?"

Ishigami jolted backward like a startled cat, quickly closed the manga book in front of him, and forced his gaze away from Fujiwara-senpai's signature smiling face towards the cherry blossom tree outside the window: "W-what? No, I don't! I was just thinking about the demonic sword, I feel like a lot of ACG works have similar ones..."

"Eh~ Really?" The Secretary tilted her head, her smile growing brighter. "But your face is so red, like a ripe tomato~"

"It's because the weather is too hot!" Ishigami quickly defended himself, subconsciously touching his cheek with the back of his hand—it was indeed shockingly hot.

"Oh my~ It's even redder now~" The Secretary clapped her hands and laughed. "As expected, Ishigami-kun likes this cute type of girl! Let me guess, a bit of a tsundere personality, and preferably soft and fluffy..."

"Alright, Fujiwara-senpai, please stop saying things that bother me."

In the corner the two hadn't noticed, Miko was tightly gripping the document in her hand, the edges of the paper already wrinkled. The young girl's cheeks were slightly puffed out, and her lips were pursed into an upward curve.

(He actually likes this type? Ishigami... is truly hateful!)

——

"Uncle Yang, Himeko, Pom-Pom: Greetings. We are all doing well in Luofu, please don't worry. Is your journey going smoothly?"

"Recently, due to some fortunate coincidences, I became the disciple of two Cloud Knights swordsmen, following them to study swordsmanship. One is Little Brother Yanqing, whom we have met before, and the other is Yunli, the granddaughter of General Huaiyan of Zhuming."

"My two masters are very strict, making me deeply feel the hardship of practicing swordsmanship. I originally wanted to drag Xing into it, but she refused. Then I wanted to drag Dan Heng into it, but Master Yanqing refused."

"Despite this, I have never backed down from the hardship. In just a few weeks, my swordsmanship has advanced by leaps and bounds. Both masters praised me as a rare swordsmanship prodigy in the world, vying with each other to teach me using their respective methods."

"Now, under the careful guidance of my two masters, my swordsmanship has achieved initial success. When I return to the Astral Express, I must show you all a little something and make you look at me with new eyes!"

"March 7th, eagerly awaiting a reply."

As day and night cycled in the Realm Within, the time for the Wardance unknowingly drew near. Under the strict guidance of her two masters, March 7th practiced relentlessly, almost developing tennis elbow.

After a day of practice, Yanqing and Yunli also affirmed March 7th's progress.

"Miss March 7th's twin sword technique has achieved initial success. Even if she competes against others in the Wardance, she will certainly not be inferior."

March 7th's face quickly brightened, her previous fatigue swept away, replaced by excitement: "Could it be... I have a chance to defeat my two masters?"

——

Naruto.

"Heh, that little girl really dares to dream."

Senju Tobirama let out a short, scoffing laugh. "She only practiced for a few weeks and dares to challenge her two masters? Her Talent are indeed good, but her two masters are also one-in-a-million geniuses. She probably won't have a chance even if she practices for a few more years."

"Is that so?" Hashirama laughed heartily upon hearing this. "I actually find her idea very interesting. If you want to become stronger, of course you must try to challenge opponents who are 'impossible to defeat.' If you don't even dare to think about it... then becoming stronger is out of the question. In my opinion, if March 7th follows the Astral Express and travels through a few more worlds, she might gain the strength to defeat Yanqing and Yunli. The experience of the new worlds will also become part of her swordsmanship."

"Big Brother, your expectations for March 7th are far too high, aren't they? Even if she learns these swordsmanship techniques, she won't catch up to Xing and Dan Heng anytime soon. As for defeating Yanqing, heh..."

Tobirama shook his head helplessly. Ever since Big Brother was resurrected by Impure World Reincarnation, he always held extraordinary expectations for the people shown on the Celestial Screen. Although the so-called "Power of the Path" is indeed miraculous, swordsmanship is a skill that requires substantial time and practice to accumulate; there are no shortcuts.

However, that Xing who swings a baseball bat... she fights without any technique, her movements seem entirely instinctive, which is actually something to look forward to.

——

"Yunli and Yanqing shared a rare moment of unspoken understanding, exchanged smiles, and shook their heads in unison."

"What are you thinking? You've only been practicing for such a short time, how could that be possible?"

"Yanqing said leisurely from the side, "With Miss March 7th's natural Talent, if she is willing to put in a few more decades of hard work, defeating Yunli is not entirely impossible."

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!" Yunli glared at Yanqing, unconvinced.

"Decades... By then I'll be an old granny... No way, no way."

"Yunli couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "I didn't expect March 7th to become so proficient in just a few weeks. I finally understand the feeling my grandfather had when he always smiled contentedly while teaching me swordsmanship back then."

"Yanqing teased from the side, "That better be a contented smile."

"Get lost!"

Seeing her two masters constantly bickering, March 7th quickly mediated, "Hehe~ In the end, it's all thanks to the excellent teaching of my two masters!"

"Yanqing suggested that March 7th could try other Xianzhou weapons to get a feel for them. March 7th curiously asked, "Hmm... let me think... Among Xianzhou swords, which type is the strongest? Single sword, heavy sword, or flying sword?"

"There is no strongest sword, only a stronger swordsman." Yunli half-closed one eye, glancing sidelong at Yanqing: "Your Master Yanqing likes to wield multiple flying swords, but your Master Yunli only uses one sword, and didn't she still beat him until he screamed in the Alchemy Commission?"

"Yanqing retorted irritably, "First, I did not scream! Second, you are not my opponent at all! Third, how about we try right now to see who can beat whom until they scream?"

Seeing the two about to start arguing again, March 7th's mouth dropped open, and for a moment, she didn't know what to do. But just as the two were deadlocked, a soft laugh interrupted them.

Jiaoqiu walked leisurely through the main entrance, fanning himself. He had heard the two bickering from afar and asked curiously, "Tomorrow is the day the Wardance is held. Why aren't the two of you honing your own skills, but instead indulging in teaching here?"

"Ah, you are... that... uh, that... right! The pink-haired fox from Yaoqing!"

"Pfft..." March 7th couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh out loud.

"What are you laughing at? You're pink-haired too."