A day later, at the training ground of the mansion Asuna's brother had rented, Kanoru stood with his sword in hand.
Yesterday, after Bai Yue's mother arrived, he had sat on the ground, exhausted, watching as she attempted to capture the old man to extract information.
But before she could, the old man had exploded into blood mist, leaving nothing behind.
Shortly after, Asuna, Gu Mingzhu, and the others arrived. With their help, Kanoru left the battlefield, his body too drained to move on his own.
Later, he learned that the old man had not been attacking of his own free will—he had been turned into a puppet of the Greyrose Circus.
The Greyrose Circus, either directly or through their puppets, targeted talented or influential people, capturing them and stripping them of their will.
These victims were transformed into mindless puppets, devoid of self-awareness, capable only of following the circus's commands.
Bai Yue's mother had wanted to capture the old man in hopes of restoring his self-awareness, believing it might allow them to uncover the circus's plans.
But the old man's self-destruction ensured he took his secrets with him.
After returning to the mansion, Kanoru collapsed into a deep sleep, his chakra utterly depleted.
He had only awakened a few hours ago, and after a quick meal, he headed to the training field before the sun had even risen.
Now, standing on the dewy grass, he drew his sword, focusing his chakra.
Wind swirled around the blade, twisting into a spiraling current.
He pushed his chakra further, and the wind began to heat up, the temperature rising steadily.
Within moments, he could feel the heatwave radiating from his sword, the air around him warping slightly from the intensity.
Closing his eyes, he focused on feeling the heat, trying to comprehend nature-heat itself.
Though he could now generate high-temperature wind, it didn't mean he had truly mastered the nature-heat.
If he had, he wouldn't need to gradually raise the temperature—he would be able to generate wind instantly at whatever temperature he desired.
Nature-heat was part of fire elemental energy, and if he could successfully comprehend it, he would be able to produce fire-elemental energy through his chakra, enhancing his combat capabilities significantly.
However, he was torn.
While he wanted to fully comprehend nature-heat, he also sought to master his five-sword style, which gave him the opportunity to comprehend nature-sound as well.
If he could comprehend both, he would be on the path to a deeper mastery of the wind element, pushing his control and power over it to greater heights.
More importantly, his body's vitality would increase.
Once he entered the doorway of wind-element comprehension, his body's aging process would slow down—his physical prime would extend from 30 years old to 45 years old, granting him fifteen more years of peak strength.
But for now, he stopped generating high-temperature wind, realizing that with his mind in turmoil, he couldn't comprehend anything.
He sheathed his sword and walked to the pavilion, sitting down and letting the dawn breeze wash over him as the sun slowly rose above the horizon.
He knew he had to make a decision—otherwise, he wouldn't be able to focus on comprehending either nature.
But it was difficult.
Everything about elemental comprehension was still new to him.
The only reason he had comprehended the nature-cut of the wind element was because it had happened naturally, without him even realizing it.
At the time, he had merely been developing a sword skill that maximized the damage he could inflict with the Wind element.
He had succeeded, partly due to his knowledge from his past life, but he hadn't even known that repeated advancement of the sword skill could lead to comprehending nature-cut.
If it hadn't been for the enlightenment he experienced when Asuna's uncle advanced to the fourth realm of sword-wind and entered the doorway of wind-element comprehension, Kanoru would have remained unaware.
The powerful wind-element fluctuations during Asuna's uncle's advancement had allowed everyone nearby who understood wind-element energy to enter enlightenment, including Kanoru.
But now, he was on his own, forced to choose his path.
And he didn't know which would benefit him more.
In his past life, he had lived in an ordinary world before becoming the Void Dream Tree and coming to this extraordinary world.
Though he had read hundreds of fantasy novels, they were just fiction—this was his real life.
Even with his perfect memory, he could recall every word from the books he had read and search for parallels between the protagonists' dilemmas and his own.
But even if their situations were similar, he was still unable to decide.
He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the maid calling him.
Only when she approached him directly did her voice finally reach his ears.
Startled by the sudden intrusion, he instinctively tensed, but seeing it was just the maid, he took a deep breath to calm himself.
"What?" he asked.
The maid bowed slightly. "Madam asks for you."
Kanoru's eyes narrowed slightly. "Which, madam?"
"Both madams. They're waiting for you in the garden outside your room."
Kanoru's brows furrowed.
Both of them? What happened? he wondered.
Without questioning further, he nodded and began walking toward the garden.
---
A few minutes later, he stepped into the garden through the side door of his room.
The garden was decorated with flowers of various colors, leaving a clearing in the center where a large tree stood, its wide canopy providing ample shade.
Under the tree, Asuna and Gu Mingzhu had set up a table filled with food.
There were three seats at the table.
Asuna and Mingzhu were already seated, waiting for him.
Seeing the food, Kanoru stepped back inside to wash up in the bathroom before returning to the garden.
As he walked toward them, he asked, "Why did you call me?"
Asuna smiled faintly. "Do we need a reason to call you?"
Kanoru shook his head slightly. "No."
He took the empty seat and added, "You can call for me anytime you want."
A maid beside him poured him a cup of tea.
Kanoru glanced at her, thinking how his life had become somewhat decadent since arriving on the Five Sacred Continent.
The maids and servants did everything for him before he even had the chance to act.
But he no longer minded it—after experiencing this life for over two months, he had grown accustomed to it.
He took a sip of tea, then asked, "Did you call me for breakfast, or is there something else?"
He added softly, "It doesn't matter either way—if it's just for breakfast, it'll still help me clear my mind and make a decision."
Gu Mingzhu, watching him closely, asked, "Husband, did something happen?"
Kanoru took a bite of his biscuit, then, deciding to share his dilemma in hopes they might help him, he said, "I can't decide whether to comprehend nature-heat or nature-sound."
The two women exchanged thoughtful glances.
Gu Mingzhu eventually shook her head. "We can't advise you—we've never comprehended the nature of any element."
After a brief pause, she added, "Why don't you ask Bai Yue's mother for advice? She will definitely help you."
Kanoru's eyes lit up slightly.
Yes, Bai Yue's mother was a Spirit Realm cultivator—her guidance would be invaluable.
He nodded. "I'll ask her later."
Asuna, however, immediately said, "Ask her before evening."
Kanoru raised an eyebrow. "Is she going somewhere?"
Asuna shook her head. "No. We're leaving for the Imperial Capital. Our journey starts this evening."
Kanoru's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why?"
Asuna's expression turned serious. "Both my elder brother and second brother work for the Black Ice Guard in the capital."
She continued, "They hold prominent positions—Elder Brother is a Division Leader, and Second Brother is a Captain. But they've been absent from their posts for over a month."
Kanoru frowned. "Is their absence a problem?"
Asuna nodded grimly.
"Normally, it wouldn't matter. But recently, people have started disappearing in the capital."
She took a steady breath and added, "Some of the missing have turned up as dead bodies—empty husks, drained of every drop of blood."
Kanoru's expression hardened.
"So, there's no one else investigating the case?" he asked.
"There are, but according to my brothers, they've failed to solve it."
Her eyes narrowed. "Only my brothers remain—and they're the only ones capable of handling it."
She added gravely, "Besides, there are other cases as well. The number of incidents has been rising exponentially in recent months."
Kanoru let out a soft exhale.
"Alright, I'll go ask Bai Yue's mother for advice after breakfast."
He didn't inquire about the Hundred Herbs Pill—with Bai Yue's mother present, if they found the pill, it would eventually make its way to them.
For now, he simply focused on eating his breakfast, trying to clear his mind for the decisions ahead.