[Obtained: Small Restoration Pill ×3]
[Obtained: Shaolin Sobering Stone ×1]
Guy froze briefly after seeing the rewards appear before him.
Small Restoration Pill?
He immediately opened the detailed description.
[Small Restoration Pill: A healing medicinal pill originating from Shaolin. Capable of quickly restoring stamina and healing moderate injuries. Suitable for combat use.]
Guy's eyes immediately brightened slightly.
This was definitely a useful item.
Especially during wartime.
Then his attention shifted toward the second reward.
[Shaolin Sobering Stone: When placed inside the mouth, it maintains mental clarity and grants resistance against ordinary Genjutsu.]
[Can also be swallowed directly. After swallowing, the body's resistance toward Genjutsu increases significantly.]
[Side Effect: Permanent inability to become drunk.]
After reading the final line, the corner of Guy's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Unable to get drunk?
And the System seriously called that a side effect?
For ordinary people, plenty would probably celebrate after hearing that.
However, the moment Guy saw the description, another thought instantly surfaced inside his mind.
Among the various Shaolin martial arts...
There seemed to be techniques like Drunken Fist.
Drunken Staff.
Drunken Sword.
And even the legendary Drunken Eight Immortals.
Those martial arts all relied heavily on the state of drunkenness to unleash their true power.
If he swallowed this thing permanently, then what would happen if he unlocked those techniques in the future?
Would he remain forever stuck at Initial Mastery because he literally could not get drunk anymore?
Guy immediately shook his head repeatedly.
"No way."
"This thing absolutely cannot be swallowed."
He carefully stored the Sobering Stone away inside his pocket.
Using it temporarily inside the mouth to resist Genjutsu was perfectly fine.
But swallowing it permanently was absolutely out of the question.
If he unlocked Drunken Fist someday and discovered he could never cultivate it because of this stone, he would truly cry himself to death.
Guy slowly stood up afterward before gripping the giant machete beside him and pulling it out from the ground.
Then he casually swung it several times through the air.
The feeling was unexpectedly excellent.
Although the blade itself was larger than his entire body, it did not actually feel overly heavy while wielding it.
It merely looked somewhat ridiculous visually.
After all, a seven-year-old child carrying around a massive machete taller than himself naturally appeared strange no matter how one looked at it.
Guy thought about it briefly before quickly giving up.
Who cared what it looked like?
As long as it was effective, that was enough.
He slowly inhaled deeply before assuming the starting stance of the Precept-Breaking Blade.
After several months of continuous training, he had already become extremely familiar with all forty-nine forms.
"Precept-Breaking Blade, First Form!"
Whoosh!
A sharp flash of blade light instantly sliced through the air.
Compared to the practice blades he usually used before, this giant machete felt incomparably smoother and more natural.
The heavy blade emitted faint whistling sounds as it cut through the wind.
"Second Form!"
"Third Form!"
The blade continuously flashed through the mountain clearing.
One movement after another flowed seamlessly together beneath the sunlight.
Guy's figure moved swiftly between the trees while the enormous blade continuously carved through the air in dazzling arcs.
After completing all forty-nine forms once, Guy finally exhaled deeply before lowering the blade.
Sweat slowly dripped down from his forehead.
Yet his eyes remained exceptionally bright.
This blade truly felt good to use.
Guy was just about to begin another full round of training when suddenly—
"Guy!"
A familiar voice called out from the edge of the forest.
Guy immediately turned his head.
There stood Kurenai Yuhi.
Her black curly hair swayed gently in the mountain breeze while she carried a familiar cloth bag in her hands.
Guy looked genuinely surprised.
"Kurenai?"
"What are you doing here?"
Kurenai slowly walked closer while avoiding direct eye contact.
Her cheeks already carried a faint blush.
"I... I guessed you'd probably come here during the break."
She hesitated briefly before continuing.
"My family gave me half a day off today, so I thought I'd come check on you... I mean, all of you."
Guy remained silent while staring at her quietly.
Kurenai gradually became uncomfortable under his gaze before immediately turning her face away.
"W-What are you staring at?"
Guy suddenly grinned.
"Nothing."
Naturally, he knew she was lying.
What "half-day break" nonsense.
After hearing about yesterday's mission, she was obviously worried he might've gotten injured and specifically came searching for him.
However, girls were usually shy about these things.
Understanding it silently was enough.
There was no need to expose it directly.
Guy then pointed toward the cloth bag inside her hands.
"What did you bring?"
Kurenai immediately handed the bag over.
"My mom made too much food."
Guy placed the giant machete aside before opening the cloth bag curiously.
Inside were several rice balls, pickled radish slices, and even a small box of dango.
Guy immediately picked up one rice ball before taking a huge bite.
"Mmm."
"Delicious."
Kurenai stood quietly nearby while watching him eat.
Without realizing it, the corners of her mouth slowly curved upward into a smile.
After watching silently for a while, Kurenai suddenly remembered something important.
"Oh right!"
Guy continued chewing while speaking vaguely.
"Mhm?"
Kurenai's eyes instantly brightened.
"I finally mastered a very powerful Genjutsu!"
Guy paused briefly.
"Genjutsu?"
"Yeah!"
Kurenai nodded excitedly.
"It was taught by my clan."
"I've been practicing it for almost two months already, and I finally succeeded."
Her expression carried both excitement and nervousness simultaneously.
Then she looked directly into Guy's eyes.
"Do you want to try it?"
Looking at her expectant expression, Guy grinned casually.
"Sure."
He stuffed the remaining rice ball into his mouth before brushing the rice grains off his hands.
"Go ahead."
Kurenai immediately stepped backward several paces.
"Ready?"
Guy nodded.
Kurenai slowly raised both hands before rapidly forming seals.
"Genjutsu: Falling Cherry Blossoms!"
The instant the technique activated, Guy suddenly felt his vision blur slightly.
Cherry blossom petals began drifting through the air before his eyes one after another.
A strange hazy sensation gradually spread throughout his mind.
Then his body stiffened completely.
He stood motionless in place.
Not even blinking.
Seeing this reaction, Kurenai's eyes immediately lit up.
"Guy?"
No response.
"Guy!"
Still no response.
Kurenai cautiously stepped closer.
Then she slowly leaned toward his face before waving her hand directly in front of his eyes.
Guy remained completely frozen.
He looked fully trapped inside the illusion.
Kurenai pursed her lips slightly.
Then she nervously glanced left and right.
The surrounding forest remained quiet.
Only the sound of rustling leaves echoed gently through the wind.
Nobody else was nearby.
After confirming that nobody could see them, Kurenai quietly inhaled before lowering her voice softly.
"Guy... do you know who I am?"
Guy stood there blankly with unfocused eyes.
Then he muttered slowly:
"Kurenai... Yuhi..."
The moment she heard that answer, Kurenai instantly smiled brightly.
An especially happy smile.
She bit her lower lip nervously before glancing around one more time.
Then she leaned even closer.
Her voice became quieter and quieter.
"Guy... then..."
She hesitated.
Her face gradually turned redder and redder.
Yet despite her embarrassment, she still gathered enough courage to ask:
"Do you... like me?"
Guy's body remained stiff.
His eyes still looked completely dazed.
However, his mouth slowly opened.
"Guy... likes Kurenai the most..."
Boom.
Kurenai's entire face instantly turned crimson red.
Then she smiled.
Her eyes curved beautifully into crescents as pure joy spread uncontrollably across her face.
She stared at Guy's dazed expression for several seconds.
Then suddenly
Kurenai stood lightly on her toes.
And quickly kissed him on the cheek.
The moment she finished, she immediately jumped backward several steps before covering her burning face with both hands.
"I-I'm going home first!"
Without waiting for any response, she turned around and ran away instantly.
Her black curly hair fluttered brightly beneath the sunlight as she disappeared rapidly into the forest.
Guy remained standing motionless in place.
Only after the sound of Kurenai's footsteps completely faded away did his expression finally change.
Then slowly—
He opened his mouth and spat out a small stone.
The Sobering Stone.
At the exact moment Kurenai lowered her head earlier, Guy had secretly reached into his pocket and slipped the stone beneath his tongue.
Originally, he only wanted to test how effective the Sobering Stone truly was against Genjutsu.
The stone itself carried a slightly cool sensation.
The moment Kurenai activated her illusion, a faint bitter taste also spread through his mouth.
Then instantly
His mind became completely clear.
Guy originally intended only to tease Kurenai a little bit.
But he genuinely did not expect things to develop into that direction afterward.
"A confession?"
A strange expression gradually appeared across Guy's face.
"But technically speaking..."
He scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"If that really counted as a confession..."
"Then wasn't it actually me confessing instead?"
Guy immediately shook his head repeatedly.
Then he forcibly tossed aside those distracting thoughts before bending down and picking up the giant machete once more.
Soon afterward, the blade began flashing again throughout the clearing.
Even though he had already completed one full set of the Precept-Breaking Blade earlier...
For some unknown reason, Guy suddenly felt as though his entire body contained endless energy now.
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