Inside her room, the alluring Saya sat in a meditative posture.
She was supposed to be cultivating but found it impossible to stabilize the chaotic thoughts swirling in her mind.
There was a sudden shift in attitude from the maids she had once considered friends.
'They had been trying to set me up from the beginning. Now that Young Master is awake, there's not much they can do.'
Her thoughts inevitably drifted to Caelum.
'Young Master…'
Memories of the previous night surfaced unbidden, causing her cheeks to flush with heat.
He didn't seem like a beginner at all.
'I wonder if we'll do it again today.'
The lewd thoughts embarrassed her, but they also served as a distraction from darker ruminations.
'I should've told him before… the truth. The fact that I've been marked by a devil.'
Fear gripped her heart as thoughts of abandonment and death filled her mind, making cultivation impossible.
"Ugh." With a frustrated groan, she rose from her meditative posture.
Walking to the only table in her small room, she picked up the well-worn book resting on it.
'The Charming Prince and the Little Maid.'
She sought escape from her grim reality in its pages. This wasn't her first time reading the story.
'Why is the maid so useless? The prince has to do everything for her?'
'Oh my god, she can't even walk straight!'
'…That was cute.'
Lost in the familiar story, Saya momentarily forgot her troubles. Then, a knock at the door snapped her back to reality.
"Saya! Young Master Caelum is calling for you!" A servant's voice carried through the door.
Saya's heart raced. She hurriedly hid the book and composed herself.
'I hope… he can fulfill my fantasies.'
The fantasy of staying alive.
* * *
Saya knocked on Caelum's door and called out softly, "Young Master, I'm here."
"Come in," Caelum replied from within.
She entered the room, carefully closing the door behind her.
"How was your cultivation session?" Caelum asked in a casual tone.
Saya hadn't expected the question and hesitated. Should she reveal her struggles or keep them to herself? A part of her yearned to confide in him, to trust that he would understand.
"…It was good, Young Master," she answered after a brief pause, her voice steady but her heart heavy.
Caelum studied her closely, his sharp gaze catching the subtle tension in her body. "Is something bothering you?"
"No!?" Saya's reply came out high-pitched, betraying her internal conflict.
Caelum didn't press her further, however. Instead, he smiled and asked, "Do you know why I called you?"
"Why?" Saya asked in a soft voice as she stole shy glances at him.
Caelum rose from his chair and approached her with measured steps. He gently lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.
"You didn't think that yesterday was a one-time thing, did you?"
For reasons she couldn't fully understand, those words filled Saya with a deep sense of satisfaction. She felt desired, wanted, and that pleased her immensely.
What followed was another passionate session of intimacy, longer and more intense than the night before. Caelum's enhanced physical stats allowed him greater stamina, and Saya found herself thoroughly enjoying the experience.
Hours later, when their energy was finally spent, Saya began to dress herself, preparing to return to her quarters.
Caelum, reclining against the bedframe, watched her with a faint smile. "Don't just wait outside my door tomorrow morning. You have my permission to enter."
"In fact, I want you to wake me up early," Caelum continued. "We'll do the same thing tomorrow that we did today. And we'll start early."
He leaned forward and kissed her gently, "Goodnight, Saya."
Caelum's Madness had receded entirely during their act, reaching zero.
* * *
The next morning…
The Sun had yet to rise, but Caelum was hard at work in one of the training areas of the Duke's Mansion.
Some distance away, on the floor, lay the two manuals he was training with: [Foundation of Thousand Cuts] and [Foundation of Thousand Punches].
Saya was with him, crossing swords under the dim light. She held back her Qi, focusing purely on technique, allowing Caelum to practice blocking, deflecting, and parrying—skills best honed with a partner.
The training session didn't last until Caelum physically tired himself out; he had work to do. After finishing an early breakfast that followed the practice, Caelum and Saya headed to the Estate's training grounds.
About an Hour Later…
'The pseudo-magical beasts are no longer cutting it.'
Caelum glanced at his system interface.
His physical stats had barely improved, and his cultivation, currently in the Bone Strengthening stage, had only reached 15%. This was after using [Devour] three full times.
Unacceptable. There was only one course of action.
"Saya, let's go inside the rift, shall we?"
Saya's eyes widened, a conflicted expression briefly flashing across her face.
Real magical beasts were vastly different from pseudo-magical beasts. But after yesterday's experience, she knew better than to question her Young Master.
Soon, the duo stood before a shimmering portal—the Training Grounds Rift.
The portal glowed with pale blue light. As Caelum approached, he noticed the surrounding temperature was slightly higher.
He turned to Saya. "So, we just head right in?"
"Yes," she replied. "We'll be teleported to the outer fringes of the Rift Space. This Rift's upper limit is at the Qi Condensation Realm. The outer regions will mostly have Qi Gathering realm beasts, but there are no guarantees. Stay cautious, Young Master."
Caelum nodded at Saya's briefing.
One after the other, they stepped into the rift.
The crossing was slightly disorienting. For a brief moment, Caelum felt all his senses block shut as he teleported.
Once inside, the first thing he noticed was the anomaly with the Sun—or rather, its absence. There was no Sun, yet the surroundings were fully illuminated, allowing him to see clearly.
Behind him, Saya emerged from the portal, taking in the view with an air of nostalgia.
"It has been a while since I last entered this place," she said, her voice tinged with wonder.
'Right… normally, the age limit is 20.'
Saya was only able to enter the training grounds thanks to Caelum.
"Where does this ambient light come from? From the stars?" Caelum asked, glancing up at the sky.
Saya looked at him blankly. She had never considered the question before. The people of this realm were certainly not Physics enthusiasts.
"Frankly, I don't know, Young Master."
"Hmm… is there no concept of day or night here? Is it always like this?" Caelum asked.
"No, that is not the case. When night falls outside, it becomes dark here as well. On that note, we should really avoid staying until then."
"Even I cannot confidently say that I can protect you from all the magical beasts of the dark, Young Master. They tend to have mysterious abilities."
Caelum's brows raised. "Even you would have trouble facing them, even at the Qi Condensation Realm?"
Saya shook her head.
"Although their attacks are mysterious, they won't be able to harm me as long as I cover myself with my Qi. The problem would be intercepting their attacks before they reach you, Young Master."
"Forgive me, but I don't trust myself enough to be able to do that," Saya added.
Caelum exclaimed in realization, "Ah! That is what you mean."
"Sure, we'll do as you say and only hunt in the mornings for now. As usual, I'll count on you for the scouting. We'll start with the relatively weak ones."
Saya nodded.
As they traversed through the Rift Space, Caelum couldn't help but think to himself, 'This place has a somewhat eerie feeling to it.'
The changes in elevation, combined with thick flora, made the terrain near the entrance challenging to navigate. Occasionally, muffled sounds could be heard—roars or even footsteps of beasts—but their exact direction was hard to pinpoint due to the dense vegetation.
The usage of Qi was essential for navigating this place. Caelum was probably the first person to step inside the Rift without even reaching the Qi Gathering Realm.
"We're almost there, Young Master."
Caelum's heart beat faster in anticipation of the encounter to come. Dao Techniques and Qi were similar to magic and mana from the fantasy stories he had read in his old world. Now, he was about to challenge a beast that could use Qi.
Adrenaline coursed through Caelum's veins even before the fight started.
"It's right ahead. Good luck, Young Master."
Saya's words sounded directly in Caelum's mind. She moved away to hide, ensuring her presence wouldn't interfere with his fight.
Caelum stepped forward into a clearing and laid eyes on his first magical beast target.