Nik silently waited for Yin within her spatial hut. Punctuality was her thing, and if something was holding her up, then it must have been sudden and vital enough. After a few minutes, however, Nik stood up. His master had never even given him the tour to make him feel more comfortable, and the determined student now took matters into his own hands. Before starting the tour, however, Nik decided to make his way towards her kitchen. Amongst the neatly placed boxes of spices and drink powders, Nik located a cylindrical jar filled with the jelly-like treats and promptly, rotated the lid open and took out the star-shaped, dark-pink treats. He took out a total of three, while Yin would never let him have more than one.

'Maybe they are expensive even by her standards,' Nik mused and placed the jar back and even located the stacked pockets of teas. There was more than one flavor, and Nik did not know which one Yin usually used, so he decided to let it be and popped one of the treats within his mouth and let it melt naturally.

With a pleasant expression, Nik made his way towards the hallway. To the left would be her workspace filled with various parchments. It was locked with a master-level Inscription pattern, so Nik did not bother going in that direction. Meanwhile, the door on the right was colored in a brighter color. It could possibly be her personal quarters, but the flashing incantations made it all too clear that her room was also password protected.

Popping another jelly into his mouth, Nik made his way towards the living room once again and slumped on the couch.

"This is too boring..."

He wondered out loud when the door of the hut was pushed open, and a frustrated Xue Yin walked in. Nik instantly gulped down the third treat and waited for her to stop moving around while stomping in indignation. Finally, when calm reigned her head, she looked towards Nik and sighed deeply with her shoulders slumping, "Apologies, Nik. I did not mean to present myself like this. Anyway, did you wait long?"

"Not that long," Nik smiled as Yin nodded and went to her kitchen as usual. Instead of brewing the tea with the typical blue tint, today seemed slightly unusual, and she took a honey-colored tea packet. It took a few seconds to brew the stuff, and a slightly sweet scent filled the room. As she picked her jar, a frown reacher her eyebrows, and she looked towards Nik.

Their gazes met for a moment. 

"Did you eat this?"

She inquired with an intense gaze as Nik shook his head and then replied, "Yeah, I ate it."

"Why did you shake your head sideways?"

"Couldn't help it."

Nik's reply made Yin slightly speechless. She took out a single jelly and placed it in her mouth instantly, making Nik astound and look at her with a gaze that spoke tales of ruthless betrayal.

"Really? You're doing this?"

Yin nodded, "The same will happen tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow."

As expected of an Inscription Master, she kept a count of her candies, and the deficiency of three candies did not leave her gaze.

"This is seriously unfair, Yin," Nik spoke somberly as the woman smiled elegantly and brought the tray and placed it in front of Nik before pouring him a cup and then sitting in front of him.

"You ate two of the candies in advance and, thus, would not get it for the next two days. It is as fair as the system of life and death."

Nik picked the cup of tea and sipped on the contents before frowning. By this time, even Yin had prepared a cup for herself. Sipping on the content again, Nik finally felt sure, and he placed the cup down.

"This is wine," Nik stated.

"A wine flavored tea," Yin nodded as Nik exhaled sharply.

"I don't know what got you upset, but one thing I do know is that drinking fake wine just to feel better never works. This—" Bringing out a traditional vat of wine and placing it on the table, Nik smiled, "is the magical liquid you should be draining."

"Alcohol dulls the mind. If it just the taste, then I am more interested in tea."

Yin shook her head but still showed her gratification for Nik's gesture.

"You don't understand. Alcohol works wonders! Having problems with a guy? Drink! Can't solve an inscription? Drink! 

Can't feel the need to live? You drink until alcohol becomes the reason!"

Yin's gaze finally flared slightly as she placed her cup down. She had some problems with all the sections mentioned above. Guy problems, Inscription Problems, and morale problems. But unable to discuss her troubles with anyone, Yin couldn't help but inquire, "When will I know that my troubles are solved?"

Nik smiled and, for the first time, quoted a loveable red-headed drunkard, "Your problems won't get solved. You'll either move on or keep drinking until you cook some method to resolve your troubles."

"That is inefficient."

"Effective, nonetheless," Nik countered and slid open the clothed entrance of the vat as a thick scent filled the room and made Yin momentarily dizzy. 

"You know what," She began with a shake of her head, "I cannot tolerate alcohol that easily. Let me just discuss my problems with you. I reckon that this method is also effective. Of course, if you want to hear, that is."

She sighed and leaned back while Nik nodded. There was no point in forcing peculiarly strong stuff on her for the first time. He once again indulged in his tea and spoke up, "Only if the time used to discuss won't be deducted from your lecture on the Void-Element Inscriptions planned for the day."

With a satisfied smile, Yin nodded, "Fair enough."

She picked her cup, too, and rearranged the words to express herself without losing her composure.

"A long time ago, during my teenage years, I used to like a boy. Talented, smart, and handsome. Even without his apparent background, I still would have held the same feelings, and I am certain that he, too, felt the same for me," Yin began her story that could easily fill the pages of a pitiful ancient-modernized love story with her martial spirit— Myriad Print— failing to garner enough attention and the youth finally married a talented woman. She, too, belonged from an ordinary household, but her talents made her far more desirable.

"The most humiliating fact is that before the guy I liked married, I even offered him my body. I just wanted to... burn all the bridges. Still, he turned me down, and now, while I remain anguished and in need of his touches, he remains unhindered, married, and farther to an equally talented child."

Yin sighed deeply as a gloomy expression touched her face. She sipped on her tea while awaiting Nik's comment only for him to scratch the back of his head, "Man, I really can't think as to which— fully functioning— man would even turn down such a woman. I mean, you were ready to spend the entire lifetime of humiliation without burdening his marriage just to have a single night for yourself."

While it was more than evident to Nik that Yin talked of Ye Zong, he did not expose the public secret and muttered, "And honestly, you can do a lot better."

"What if that man has everything in the city?"

Yin shook her head with an amused expression as Nik grinned wildly, "Then you instantly snatch the man who defeats your first love. Trample him on the ground and rut him wildly."

His uncouth words made Yin's eyes widened, but when the implications of Nik's existence, his challenge, and his current words sunk, she turned and faced Nik only for him to wink at her direction as he continues vaguely, "Who knows, this time, you might not only get the night you deserve but the life you wished for?"

***

"He seriously isn't thinking of challenging Ye Zong, is he?"

Yin wondered out loud. While Nik's words made it harder for Yin to concentrate on her lecture as she kept getting distracted by Nik's physique, she was now more than aware of Nik's intentions. But she could only regard them as a fool's dream for even thinking of defeating Ye Zong was impossible.

At this time, the Inscription patch connected to Ye Zong's office brightened and displayed the images of two particular figures etched deep into the ground. They were the Patriarchs of the Blue Condor Family and Dark Bull Family! Who defeated them and left them in such a manner was more than apparent, and Yin couldn't help but feel slightly weird.

Nik's words rang within her mind once again— Rut the man who defeats Ye Zong!

With a deep flush, Yin looked towards her drawer and gulped. Should she use that? While not as effective as her tea, it undoubtedly relieved a significant portion of her stress.

***

[Side Quest— 1

Honor

Description: If you have the strength, the honor shall follow. Defeat the family heads of the lower-level, middle-level, and high-level aristocracies and gain the respective honor. Following is the reward obtainable once all the family heads are defeated.

Lower-Level: 2 Skill Points, 1 Stat Point

Middle-Level: 3 Skill Points, 2 Stat Points

High-Level: 5 Skill Points, 4 Stat Points

Total number of Honor gained— 5/30

Note: The rewards can only be obtained once all the family heads' honor is defeated under your hands.]

Nik casually scanned his quest dialogue box and then closed it before slumping on his bed. He rested momentarily before sitting up and training once again.

This time, however, his mental stress was suddenly erased by a considerable margin when his [Skill Palace] suddenly induced a skill based on the most prominent action in his routine.

[Skill Gained— Multi-task.

This skill allows you to gradually cope up with the the burden on the mind by committing more than one complicated action.

Lvl: 1

Nxt Lvl: 3 SP]

Nik's expression eased a lot when the passive skill kicked in, and he quickly added more activities to train in. Aside from digesting the gains from the lectures he received from Yin, [Lust Domain], and [Pheromone Illusion], Nik introduced the [Gravity Manipulation] once again. His other skills required an ample space to train in, and now Nik did feel quite restricted in this small room. 

The small items within his room started to float while Nik simultaneously impacted his body with gravity to refine and temper his physique, all the while giving his peers the best dreams of their lives once again and carefully understanding the makings of his domain. Till now, his domain ability, aside from a few support augmentation, showed no signs of anything substantial.

Nik now felt slightly satisfied since the recently obtained skill would surely bring him great benefits.