After the Spirit Master and the Du Brothers are long gone, Xiao Hua spoke, "Brother Yuan, why did you let them leave? Knowing their personalities, the Du Brothers definitely won’t forgive you for what happened today, and they will surely come back even stronger for revenge one day."
"Xiao Hua is aware of Brother Yuan’s kind personality, and Brother Yuan only very recently became a Cultivator, so killing people might still be difficult for you, but there are people in this world that are better off dead. Because even if they no longer pose any threat to you, they will surely be a threat to someone else."
"The Cultivation world is a place where if you do not consume your enemies, they will eventually consume you instead. So you must become the one who consumes others, not the other way around."
Hearing Xiao Hua’s lecture, Yuan sighed, "I know that I may be naive, perhaps even a fool in your eyes, and that these people are only NPCs within a game, but I do not wish to kill another human being unless absolutely necessary, as I am afraid that it might affect my mind negatively, since there has already been a few times where I forgot that I am actually inside a video game, treating this world as though it’s the real world."
"..."
Xiao Hua listened to his words in silence. And although she only understood half of it, she knew what he was trying to say, and she said afterward, "Brother Yuan, what you have experienced today is barely the tip of the Cultivation world and very common in our world. There will be many more people like the Du Brothers out there, and there will even be people with far worse personalities. You will also encounter similar situations in the future, sometimes more than once in a single day. And unless you are strong — strong enough to handle any situation that comes your way, you will always be bullied by the strong and powerful ones."
A bitter smile appeared on Yuan’s face.
"I guess living life as a Cultivator isn’t as easy as I initially thought. I just hope that I won’t become someone without morals or someone who is apathetic to other peoples’ life like the Du Brothers."
"Don’t worry, Brother Yuan. If you ever walk astray in your Cultivation path or feel like you are becoming a different person, Xiao Hua will be there to help you return back to normal."
"Thank you, Xiao Hua. I will also try my best to familiarize myself with this new world and lifestyle as a Cultivator without being a burden for you."
"People will always change, but it’s how they change that truly matters. As long as Brother Yuan remains the kind brother that he is right now, it will be fine even if you change a little." Xiao Hua said to him.
"Hahaha... You are really like my little sister, who is actually more mature and intelligent than she appears." Yuan chuckled, feeling as though he could see Yu Rou in Xiao Hua’s shadow.
"Anyway, how’s Brother Yuan feeling? Were you injured during your fight with the Du Brothers?" Xiao Hua asked him sometime later.
"Besides having a few superficial scratches and feeling a little bit hungry again, I’m perfectly fine." He said with an energetic expression.
Xiao Hua nodded and continued to speak, "Brother Yuan’s experience and insight have increased significantly from the fight. If we continue at this rate, Brother Yuan should be prepared to fight monsters at the Spirit Warrior level in no time."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s continue training!" Yuan said with enthusiasm.
"Brother Yuan really likes to fight, huh?" Xiao Hua said with a smile.
"Of course, since I feel like I am actually alive when I fight. I also enjoy moving my body, swinging a sword around, and the thrill that comes from fighting." Yuan nodded.
The two of them began walking deeper into the wilderness shortly later, and Yuan would continue sharpening his sword skills while Xiao Hua assisted by locating all of the monsters for him.
After many hours of training with the sword, a notification appeared before Yuan.
«Your mastery with the sword has improved significantly»
«Your understanding of swords has reached a new level»
«You have met the criteria to learn ’Sword Aura’»
’Sword Aura...?’
Yuan raised his eyebrows at this new term.
"Xiao Hua, what’s Sword Aura?" He decided to ask the only expert available.
"Sword Aura?! Has Brother Yuan’s swordsmanship reached the level where he can already learn Sword Aura?!" Xiao Hua looked at him with a shocked face.
"I don’t even know what that is... But after listening to your tone, I’m guessing it’s something impressive?"
"Of course, it’s something impressive! Only true swordsmen can learn Sword Aura! And it’s not something one can learn just by training with a sword, as you can train with a sword for your entire life and not understand Sword Aura, whilst some people can do it within a few years of training! People with Sword Aura are also called Swordmasters! However, Brother Yuan has only trained with the sword for only a few days! If people learn of your talent, there will be countless Swordmasters who will beg you to become their disciple!" Xiao Hua said to him with excitement.
"You’re praising me too much, again... It’s making me blush..." Yuan said with a slightly rosy face.
"Then can you teach me how to use this Sword Aura?" he asked her a moment later.
Xiao Hua shook her head and said, "That’s not possible for Xiao Hua because she is not a Swordmaster, so she does not understand Sword Aura."
"I see... Then how do people normally learn Sword Aura?"
"Through training, Brother Yuan. Once you grasp the understanding of Sword Aura, it’s only a matter of time before you learn it. In fact, all Swordmasters will eventually learn Sword Aura as long as they keep training with the sword." Xiao Hua said.
"Then I don’t have to do anything special?"
Yuan asked, and Xiao Hua shook her head.
’I wonder how long it’ll take for me to learn Sword Aura...’ Yuan pondered to himself as he stared at the sword in his hand with a dazed expression.
’If the Du Brothers really decide to return for revenge, I will be ready for them, and I won’t let them escape a second time.’