'This guy... why doesn't he follow common sense?'
According to the process Soi Fon had envisioned, she would make the suggestion, and if Hasumi Ren agreed, she would reservedly state that she would arrange a time later.
After a polite farewell, she would return to meticulously plan a training schedule where they both were free, and officially inform him a few days later.
That was the logical sequence, and it would have provided enough time for her to mentally prepare herself.
But now, Hasumi Ren had skipped straight to the final step.
"I..."
Soi Fon opened her mouth, her brain working at high speed. She instinctively wanted to find an excuse to stall.
For instance, she could say she had squad duties to handle, needed to plan the training content, or simply wasn't in top form today...
But looking into Hasumi Ren's calm yet slightly expectant eyes, those excuses suddenly felt hollow.
She wasn't a good liar.
Moreover, the deep urge within her to verify her skills and break through her bottleneck was also stirring.
"There really aren't any squad duties today," Soi Fon finally said dryly, her voice a pitch lower than usual.
Simultaneously, she did a quick sweep of her surroundings. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice them.
"But aren't you being a bit too impatient? You seem even more eager than me..."
"Of course. Why postpone an opportunity to get stronger?"
Hasumi Ren spoke with sound logic, his gaze honest and open.
"Besides, don't you want to finish developing this ability as soon as possible?"
After hesitating several times, Soi Fon finally yielded to her obsession with becoming stronger and nodded in agreement.
"Fine. Follow me."
Led by Soi Fon, the two headed toward a relatively secluded training ground.
When they arrived, there were only a few regular members training spontaneously.
When someone noticed Soi Fon entering, they instinctively took a peek.
Soi Fon's hard work was well-known within the Punishment Force, and it wasn't uncommon for her to train late into the night, so they didn't pay much attention.
But when they noticed someone else following behind her, they suddenly reacted, their eyes widening in shock.
Although there were collective training sessions, no one had ever seen Soi Fon invite someone for private training.
'What is going on here...'
However, the two of them didn't notice the changing expressions of the distant trainees.
Soi Fon looked at Hasumi Ren, who was surveying the area, and explained.
"This is the training ground for the Commander's Direct Guard of the Punishment Force. There are fewer people here."
Actually, Hasumi Ren could tell as much. The debris scattered across the ground proved this wasn't a place for ordinary members to train.
[SYSTEM: Obtained Spiritual Power Shards x12, Spiritual Power EXP +120]
[SYSTEM: Obtained Hakuda Insights x25, Hakuda EXP +250]
[SYSTEM: Obtained Shunpo Insights x18, Shunpo EXP +180]
Hasumi Ren strolled around, briefly stretching his body and feeling the growing spiritual pressure within him.
His Spiritual Power was just one step away from breaking through to Level 7.
It looked like he would break through today.
At the same time, the body control provided by Level 5 Hakuda filled him with anticipation for the upcoming training.
Hasumi Ren turned to look at Soi Fon.
Her expression had returned to its usual coldness.
But if one looked closely, a trace of unnatural awkwardness could still be seen deep in her eyes.
Soi Fon walked to the center of the field and stood several meters away from Hasumi Ren.
She briefly loosened up her body, stretching her torso.
Her movements caused the fabric at her chest to tighten slightly, revealing the lines of the young woman's developing physique.
"Since we are exploring techniques, we will focus on Hakuda and try to integrate Kido-style spiritual pressure control."
"The focus isn't on winning or losing, but on feeling the flow and changes of spiritual pressure during the explosive movements of the limbs."
She paused, gradually settling into her training mindset.
"I won't deliberately suppress my spiritual pressure. You can attack or defend with all your might and share your feelings at any time."
"Understood."
Hasumi Ren nodded, his mind fully focused on the upcoming training.
"Then, let's begin."
The moment the words left her mouth, Soi Fon moved.
She lunged forward with a direct right punch, spiritual pressure swirling around her fist.
Hasumi Ren focused intently on the punch's trajectory and the flow of spiritual pressure, sliding to the side to block.
The moment their arms touched, he clearly felt the tension in Soi Fon's forearm muscles and the ripple of that unique spiritual pressure.
He also caught a very faint scent, distinct from the dusty smell of the training ground.
After the strike, Soi Fon didn't pull away immediately. Instead, she used the force of the collision to spin, throwing her left elbow at Hasumi Ren's ribs from a more tricky angle.
This turning motion caused her back to graze past Hasumi Ren's chest, the tips of her short hair lightly brushing against his jaw.
Hasumi Ren leaned back to avoid it, his attention entirely on the convergence point of the spiritual pressure in that elbow strike.
"This time, the spiritual pressure burst point in the elbow was further back than in the punch. Was that to coordinate with the force of the turn?"
"Yes."
Soi Fon's voice came from very close by. She had shifted to Hasumi Ren's side, and they were now standing almost shoulder to shoulder.
"But the transition isn't smooth enough. Can you feel the lag in the spiritual pressure movement?"
As she spoke, she tried again, this time with a low sweep followed by a high kick combo.
Hasumi Ren felt it while blocking. The moment the sweep was parried, Soi Fon's high kick arrived.
"Stop."
Hasumi Ren halted Soi Fon's movement.
To clearly see the full change in her leg's spiritual pressure, Hasumi Ren leaned in close to her calf.
He placed his left hand lightly on the outside of her calf to better perceive the coordination between muscle power and spiritual pressure surge.
This movement caused Soi Fon's body to visibly stiffen.
"Here."
Completely oblivious to the intimacy of the position, Hasumi Ren pointed to a specific spot on her calf.
"At the peak moment of the kick's power, the spiritual pressure dissipates slightly here. Is it because the flow is somewhat blocked at this junction..."
His finger traced along the side of Soi Fon's calf through her training uniform as he spoke.
Soi Fon suddenly retracted her leg and retreated, her movement so fast it kicked up a gust of wind.
After she stopped, her chest rose and fell almost imperceptibly. Her face remained expressionless, but her ears were tinged with a faint blush.
Hasumi Ren stared blankly, confused.
"Your observation is accurate."
Soi Fon looked away, trying to keep her voice steady.
"The spiritual pressure flow there is indeed a bit unstable."
Hasumi Ren didn't notice anything unusual at all. Instead, he was excited about finding the key to the problem.
"Want to try again?"
"Do it in slow motion this time so I can take a closer look."
Soi Fon stared at him for two seconds, seeing that his eyes were clear, honest, and full of focus.
The inexplicable panic in her heart subsided slightly, replaced by a hint of annoyance at herself.
'Am I being a bit too sensitive?'
"Alright, again."
Soi Fon took a deep breath and resumed her stance.
This time, she deliberately slowed down her kick.
Her slender leg traced a clear arc in the air, the fabric of her training pants tightening with the motion, outlining her powerful lines.
"Stop, right here."
Hasumi Ren leaned in very close, his gaze burning as he stared at every inch of the spiritual pressure glow flowing from her thigh to her calf.
Although his skill in Hakuda might not be as strong as Soi Fon's, his understanding of Kido far exceeded hers.
"When the spiritual pressure flows here, are you instinctively trying to use an entangling method? But Hakuda's power delivery is projectile-based. The two rhythms are clashing."
Hasumi Ren raised his hand and pressed lightly. The warmth of his palm transferred through the thin fabric of her training uniform.
Soi Fon froze in place once more.