PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

At dawn, the first thing on the agenda for Claire and the rest was a meeting with Fei Long and Xiauyue. They had come to some kind of agreement and plan for them. On an occasion that was quite a rarity for the Astrid family, the four girls woke up early to attend said meeting.

Coming out of the guest room assigned to them inside Fei Long and Xiauyue’s residence, the four girls first saw an eerily empty corridor. There was no hustle and bustle they had seen before, with the guards and maids going about their business side to side. Although this seemed slightly odd, Claire and the rest didn’t pay too much attention to it as they weren’t familiar enough with the place to know if this was normal.

When Claire and the rest saw the ceremony on the training ground, they realized what was happening. In the center of the training ground were six tempered steel plates with six perfectly dressed female bodies in gorgeous white robes. Surrounding the place were all of Fei Long and Xiauyue’s personal guards, maids, and the latter, who were watching from the side.

Although strange to Claire, Sasha, Revna, and Cecilia, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that this was a funeral ceremony. The cultural difference made little difference, as the solemn and gloomy air and the bodies of the six girls said more than enough.

For almost an hour, absolute silence was observed in the training ground until Fei Long stepped forward and said a few words. “Fate and circumstances brought all of you to my home. I don’t mean to sugarcoat things; all of you were bought as slaves and trained to serve Xiauyue and me. You fight for me, train for me, kill for me, and ultimately die for me.”

Despite the cruelty of her words, no one interrupted or claimed Fei Long and let her finish her speech. “You live to serve my desires; you belong to me.”

Under the confused gazes of the three girls who found slavery unacceptable, all the girls present seemed calm as Fei Long spoke of them as objects. Some even blushed due to the hidden implications in her words. Perhaps only Revna, who had decided to dedicate every fiber of her being to serving Desmond, could understand these women.

Ignoring the blushing women and Xiauyue’s accusatory and somewhat jealous gaze, Fei Long continued as silver glitter filled her eyes. “As I said before, I don’t mean to sugarcoat things. The death of your six companions infuriates me because they were mine. Someone dared to take something that belonged to me, and I intended to make them pay. I am simply too unreasonable to let the death of my girls go by, no matter how many lives they have taken in my name.”

.....

At the end of her speech, Fei Long boosted the silver Aura that vibrated in her blood and drove it to her lungs; A moment later, Aura’s silver flames shot out from her lips, incinerating the bodies of the six girls.

Fei Long then withdrew, giving way to a group of servants who took the ashes and scattered them throughout the courtyards of the residence. In passing, Claire and the rest heard that this was a tradition of the tribe the girls belonged to. Raised all their lives in the desert, her people did not bury their bodies but scattered their ashes on their property, believing they would mix with the sand and become part of their home.

Once the funeral ceremony was over, all the guards and maids dispersed and returned to their usual duties. At the same time, Xiauyue and Fei Long met Claire and the rest at the same training ground where the ceremony took place.

Although a fierce air could still be felt around Fei Long, she put on her best smile and greeted the girls. “Well, I must admit that I didn’t expect you to wake up so early; Desmond mentioned that neither of you is the early-rising type. He was waiting to finish the ceremony before meeting you.”

Although embarrassed by how Desmond had exposed them, Claire and Sasha still felt warm, knowing that Desmond used to talk about them with his otherworldly friends. Revna and Cecilia felt a lot about it since they still hadn’t met Desmond back then. They were the complete opposite of the lazy woman duo of Claire and Sasha.

Xiauyue only squinted at Fei Long as if she was telling her that her previous conversation about her maids hadn’t ended yet. Clearly, Xiauyue wasn’t too happy seeing so many girls blushing during Fei Long’s speech.

Not wanting to stay on the previous topic, Xiauyue took the initiative to discuss their plan for the four girls. “Leaving the ceremony aside, Fei Long and I have called you for a meeting because we have a plan to discuss. You mentioned yesterday that you were here for training and wanted to participate in the Eternal War Maiden Sect’s expedition. Well, the truth is that after seeing your performance yesterday, Fei Long and I planned a training program for the four of you. That is, of course, if you wish to accept it.”

Wiping the friendly smile from her, Fei Long was blunt as always when she interrupted. “Before they accept or reject our proposal, I have something to say. In all honesty, Xiauyue and I think all of you are exceptional, but you clearly lack high-level combat training. Due to the difference over time, what was years for Xiauyue and me, was only a few months for you, so I am not concerned about the level of power you possess but rather the lack of experience.”

Fei Long paused but ended up not beating around the bush. “To be honest, except for Sasha, they are simply too inferior to Desmond in combat. Of course, you guys seem to know that, and that’s why you want to train, but the training that Xiauyue and I have planned for you won’t be easy. Sorry, let me take it back on that last part, the training will be hellishly difficult, but Xiauyue and I ensure results.”

There wasn’t even a moment of hesitation. Claire, Sasha, Revna, and Cecilia were tired of being a burden, of just being able to pray for Desmond to come back safely. They wanted to be able to share his burden. Seeing neither backed down, Fei Long and Xiauyue smiled broadly. It was good for them to know that their good friend had so many people who devotedly loved him.

“Well, in that case, let me explain how things will be.” Xiauyue stepped forward, attracting the attention of the four girls, and continued. “In Sasha’s case, she needs training the least, as she has her own well-developed style and good battle instincts. In your case, Sasha, you will spend most of your time practicing alchemy under the guidance of our chief alchemist, Ai Zuling. When you’re done, Fei Long and I will work with you to develop an ultimate move that will truly shake heaven and earth.”

“I thank you in advance for all your help.” Sasha bowed gracefully.

Xiauyue nodded in Sasha’s direction and let Fei Long continue. “Revna, you will be training with our best assassin to refine your fighting style. You’re clearly more into landing fast, deadly blows using stealth and deception, so my style isn’t compatible with yours. Xiauyue will be helping you with your movement and dodge techniques.”

Seeing the gloomy red-haired girl’s silent nod, Xiauyue continued. “Claire, your training will be completely handled by me. Yours is a very special style unsuited to martial training, but I will do my best to guide you to develop your own fighting style. My martial arts are heavily inclined towards energy projection and creating energy structures, so we should be able to come up with something together.”

As the only Arcana user in the group, Claire knew better than anyone how different this energy was from Aura and Mana, so she didn’t expect to be able to get much help. Yet, remembering Xiauyue’s fighting style, she had to agree that she was an expert in projection, so she was delighted to get her advice. Furthermore, Xiauyue’s almost artistic fighting style was something any woman would be more willing to learn than Desmond’s almost savage fighting style.

Surprisingly to everyone present, when it was Cecilia’s turn, it was Fei Long who stepped forward. “Yours is certainly the most difficult case for us. For a martial artist, it is completely unheard of for someone like you to have almost completely given up offensive power and devoted itself to defense and support instead.”

Just when Cecilia thought she would receive some bad news, Fei Long smiled and continued. “As such, to teach you what it means to go completely on the offensive, I will be your teacher. In addition to instilling some killing intent within that kind soul of yours, I also intend to force you to squeeze the full potential of your other abilities. Pray that those barriers of yours will keep you alive during our training, for it will be brutal in the most literal sense possible. .”

Despite essentially being threatened with death, Cecilia gave Fei Long the most gentle of smiles of hers. “Thank you for your patience and your time.”

Fei Long could only helplessly scratch his head at how annoyingly kind Cecilia was. And with that as a final note, she began the hellish training of the four girls.