**Chapter 902: Sparring between Body Cultivation**
“Hello, you must be Bai Yu, right? This should be our first official meeting.”
“Yes, and you are…” Bai Yu recognized the three witches in front of her at a glance.
These three were the body cultivation witches brought in by the academy, and they were the ones Xiao Han needed to collaborate with for the Dream Realm Experiment next.
Xiao Han had mentioned them.
However, they hadn’t had a chance to meet until now, although Bai Yu didn’t expect to foresee it at this moment.
Since Xiao Han was fully committed to the experiment, Bai Yu found it inappropriate to keep lingering. After all, her presence was not meant to deplete Xiao Han’s mental encouragement; leaving at the right time was also a choice for her.
“Hi, I’m Xiao, and these two beside me are Mu Li and Vanni. We’ve only just arrived at the Witch Academy.”
“Can we introduce ourselves?” Mu Li chimed in.
Since these three had recently arrived at the Witch Academy, they hadn’t met many witches, and they eventually bonded over common topics.
They had originally planned to seek out body cultivation witches in the academy to see if they could become friends, which would be convenient for future exchanges.
But they couldn’t find anyone at the moment, and the only body cultivation witch they were aware of was the one mentioned in the experiment—Bai Yu—so they had some impression of her.
It could be said that the three could hang out together not just because they were all body cultivation witches.
Their social skills… were also somewhat worrisome.
In comparison to Bai Yu, who quickly integrated into various circles after becoming an extraordinary witch, although none of those counted as true confidants, she often got invited to gossip sessions or tea parties, and there were quite a few.
“It seems you recognize the three of us; it’s a pleasure. Want to have a match?” Xiao got straight to the point.
Bai Yu was taken aback, unsure of the situation. They had only known each other for less than a minute, and suddenly they wanted to fight.
However… Bai Yu could sense their sincerity; there was no malice, just pure admiration.
“Is this how body cultivation witches greet each other outside the main world?” Bai Yu asked, puzzled.
“Don’t mind Xiao; she just has a straightforward personality and loves fighting. The two of us have fought her too, and if it’s inconvenient, you don’t have to accept her invitation,” Mu Li added diplomatically.
“A match doesn’t seem like an issue; there aren’t too many chances for witches to showcase their skills at the Witch Academy,” Bai Yu clearly accepted the challenge.
To be honest, she hadn’t fought at full capacity yet.
She knew her lower limits and could probably crush those extraordinary witches at Dragon Blood Academy, and she also understood her upper limits, which likely didn’t exceed that betraying witch.
But if you were to ask about her limits… she genuinely didn’t know.
“Really?!” Xiao exclaimed excitedly, “You’re the first one willing to fight me, aside from those two! Other witches look at me as if I’m out of my mind. To be honest, they don’t understand how exhilarating a close-combat fight can be!”
At this moment, Mu Li couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
She was wondering why she was associating with such a witch.
“Maybe… your straightforwardness is just a bit too much for them to handle,” Bai Yu chuckled softly, not saying much.
After all, were such witches foolish?
It seemed they weren’t; viewed from another perspective, she was simply filtering potential friends she could connect with.
Bai Yu clearly understood how much effort witches had to exert in the main world. In most cases, there was little time left to cultivate social relationships.
Even Bai Yu wouldn’t dare claim to be a body cultivation witch specializing in body cultivation; she was just somewhat outstanding at this stage of her journey.
She spent most of her time exploring interesting things.
Perhaps some witches might think not specializing wouldn’t lead to achievement.
But that was merely someone else’s opinion.
“Yeah~ Those witches who don’t understand flirtation. I see Sister Bai Yu, you really fit my preferences! Where should we fight? Here?”
“Here? I’d rather not. If we throw a punch here, the Academy Head will show up in no time,” Bai Yu shook her head.
“This Witch Academy is quite large, isn’t there a place suitable for witches to spar?” some questions still bothered her.
“This is, after all, an academy designed for preparing witches; it isn’t suitable for extraordinary witches,” Sister Bai patiently explained, “The outside world would be affected by this. We can go to the Expanding Realm.”
Although the dream disaster’s aftermath hadn’t completely dissipated, the Academy Head had already lifted many restrictions on extraordinary witches in the Expanding Realm.
It was said that the Primordial Dream had fully retreated from reality, and some shallow layers of dreams needed to gradually fade away.
And as these shallow dreams faded, the repaired portions of the Expanding Realm were thoroughly integrated into the main world.
“Expanding Realm, huh~ Alright! Give me a spatial coordinate; I haven’t been there before, please help me set it up.”
“Come with me. Once you remember the spatial coordinates, you won’t need them anymore.” Bai Hua reached out and tore open the space.
This was utilizing the deep powers of real time to tear apart the material space, plus the space transfer method connecting the Core Realm and Expanding Realm.
If she mastered the sense of space, it wouldn’t be so troublesome.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t.
But Xiao had started to grasp the sense of space gradually.
The sense of space is not merely about controlling space, just as the sense of time isn’t solely about managing time.
That power was still beyond her reach at her current stage; she hadn’t fully comprehended the sense of time yet, and she had a long way to go.
But when it came to utilizing the powers of the sense of time, she felt she was unmatched.
At this moment, the three witches didn’t hold back and followed Bai Yu through the spatial gate into another world.
“Whoa~ Wow, this feels completely different from the Core Realm! In the Core Realm, it felt as if someone was pressing down on me, it was unbearable; this place is much more comfortable!”
Xiao immediately exclaimed when she arrived here, completely disregarding her surroundings. The other two witches felt similarly, though they weren’t as outspoken as Xiao.
“The main world’s Core Realm is enveloped by a powerful weakening spell released by the Academy Head, designed to protect the integrity of the Core Realm from being damaged.”
“The Great Spellbook? No wonder.”
“Yeah, the current situation in the main world is a bit complex, so we should just practice a bit in the Expanding Realm. Otherwise, causing too much of a commotion will lead to unwanted repercussions.”
“Wow, are there that many happenings in the main world? Alright, alright~ Let’s just spar a bit!” Having said that, Xiao was already eager to try.
“Let’s go over there; this seems to still be Ninglan’s territory, and starting a fight here would not be appropriate.” Bai Yu said as her figure shot out like an arrow.
Then, the three shadowed her closely.
“Sister Bai Yu, not bad for speed~ but it’s still not fast enough!” Xiao exhibited a bit of eagerness, and it wasn’t until they reached a desolate area that the four figures finally stopped.
“Is this the place?”
“Yes,” Bai Yu nodded.
At this moment, she was a bit eager too, after all, witches had a combative nature; prolonged suppression could heighten such desires until it exploded at some point.
“Then I won’t hold back!”
Xiao’s gaze was filled with combat enthusiasm; this was a friendly spar.
There were no referees, nor did it need a signal to start. As soon as the two body cultivation witches stepped into the arena, their heart senses resonated.
Naturally, there was no such thing as a sneak attack.
Boom!
With just one punch, the terrifying force of the punch violently radiated outward, as if an explosion had occurred, causing the body cultivation qi they were familiar with to pale in comparison under this raw collision of power.
“It seems my strength surpasses yours,” Xiao said somewhat humbly.
This was truly humble; how could Bai Yu’s physical attributes and strength only be slightly weaker than Xiao’s?
Bai Yu had only recently advanced to extraordinary, and naturally couldn’t compete with Xiao’s terrifying accumulation.
Xiao realized within an instant the path Bai Yu had taken and controlled her punch to be only slightly stronger than necessary.
This punch was merely a test, not to determine a winner or loser, but to decide how Xiao would approach the battle against Bai Yu.
Sparring in body cultivation is like this; every fight with crushing power is meaningless. Learning from the opponent of equal skill is what counts in sparring.
Otherwise, if one only aims for victory, it is merely showing off.
After their first punch, the next round began the exchanges between them.
“The Body Cultivation Secret Tome? A classic, very standard style; you don’t seem to fight often, do you?”
“Indeed, I really have no room to do so in the main world,” Bai Yu honestly nodded.
“Your experience gives me the impression that you’re somewhat of a beginner. Is life in the main world really so confusing?” After a few exchanges, Xiao asked seriously.
After all, in her view, a body cultivation witch that had been mentioned by that genius shouldn’t be this weak on the surface.
“I’ve advanced to extraordinary for a year or two, so my accumulation really isn’t much.”
“What?!”
Xiao’s eyes widened at Bai Yu’s words!
But her robust physical condition kept her from revealing any flaws in the battle.
“After just one or two years of advancement to extraordinary, you’re already at this level?!”
“Isn’t this normal?” Bai Yu replied.
But when it came to body technique battles, she was actually more adept at perception in the Heart Realm and the utilization of the sense of time she had only recently mastered.
She realized that after spending time with Xiao Han, she had started to enjoy the feeling of overwhelming superiority.
Of course, not in terms of strength but in perception, control, foresight, techniques, and artistry. She genuinely loved that.
Combat is a game of hard pressure; if you don’t fear any aspect where you can exert your advantage over your opponent, it will be impossible for you to win.
At this moment, Xiao felt somewhat outclassed by Bai Yu.
Normal level?
Where had she been grappling and struggling when she had reached extraordinary after one or two years?
“Your mind is starting to falter; you can’t even touch me anymore,” Bai Yu remarked.
“I must admit, your perception seems to be stronger than mine.”
“After all, I started from five senses body cultivation; my perception is above yours,” Bai Yu stated.
“Heh… perception! Though I don’t specialize in perception, I’m certainly not weak!”
With a hum, she began to take things more seriously!
Heart Sense is derived from the five senses but transcends them, serving as a nexus for abstract perception and the manipulation of power.
The Heart Realm also stems from Heart Sense, but this battle doesn’t require the use of the realm’s power. The Heart Sound Realm signifies order-based resistance, and utilizing Heart Sense still remains within the domain of body cultivation.
As the battle intensified between Bai Yu and Xiao, the fierce combat also caused quite a stir in the Expanding Realm.
And Bai Yu, who was constantly aware, naturally noticed this, prompting her to speak up: “I think we should end the sparring here.”
“Body cultivation should be relentless! The moment you say that, you’ve already begun to harbor thoughts of retreat! This is not the mindset of a body cultivator!” Xiao didn’t wish to end it, especially since they had just hit a peak of enthusiasm!
“Sigh…”
Bai Yu sighed lightly, her expression turning serious.
“Yes! That’s the kind of look! That’s the mindset… Sigh!” Seeing Bai Yu’s change, Xiao’s excited words were cut short as her pupils suddenly dilated, gradually refocusing.
Because Bai Yu’s fist had already struck her left shoulder in a way she couldn’t even imagine!
Her left shoulder instantly vanished, and a wave of fear towards death surged within her!
This fear instantly shattered her tranquil mind, fracturing her fervent Heart Sense.
As this injurious blow did not heal instantly, the second punch landed squarely on her face.
This punch completely broke through her mental defenses, and the fear she had never known before bloomed at that moment.
She vowed she had never felt such a profound fear of death in her life.
And she experienced what it was like to have her body dominated by fear, just like the weaker beings.
It turned out… fear truly could… cause the body to tremble uncontrollably…
After this punch, Xiao collapsed onto the ground. The force behind it wasn’t even that great, but she no longer had the thought to retaliate.
She clearly understood that her condition was not normal, but she was experiencing something; she wasn’t fighting against this power; she was merely feeling this force that she had never felt before.
“What is this?” Xiao, lying on the ground, spoke with a trembling voice.
“The seventh sense, the sense of time. You can’t defend against it.”
“I’m talking about… that kind of… fear.”
“Oh, that… it’s emotional body cultivation; I merely wanted you to quiet down quickly. If we keep going, the Academy Head will come personally to mediate.”
