The Martial Unity

Rui was glad to reconnect with old friends of the Master Realm.

Especially now that he could speak to them as equals standing on the same stage.

In the past, the difference in their Realms made it so that their relationship was lopsided.

But now, however, he was finally their equal.

"I'm sure you have one hell of a story to tell," Master Ceeran eyed him curiously.

Rui smiled wryly. "I do. Unfortunately, it's not something I can spend time narrating at the moment. I am preoccupied with many extremely important matters that require my urgent attention."

There were so many things that he needed to deal with that it wasn't even funny.

By now, word of his breakthrough to the Master Realm would undoubtedly be passing around the highest echelons of the Kandrian Empire. However, his return was still a secret to the rest of the world since only the Master and Sage Council were aware of his deception.

Thus, he would need to account to his many stakeholders how he managed to break through to the Master Realm while remaining in the Kandrian Empire, heavily guarded by virtue of his status as a prince.

"More importantly, I need to get up to speed in regards to what she has been up to," Rui heaved a weary sigh.

It appeared that Master Reina had not been able to restrain her eccentric sense of humor when acting as him. He had feared this possibility, but he didn't have any choice, he didn't know of another Martial Artist that could transform their appearance to such an extraordinary degree.

He had baited her with entertainment and amusement, and now he would have to deal with the consequences.

"The Silent Shadow is…" Master Zentra's expression darkened. "…different."

Rui scoffed aloud. "I suppose that's one way of putting it."

"It is disturbing that it took a Martial Sage to see through her disguise. She had an overwhelming majority of Martial Masters fooled over the course of three years. I believe there are only five Martial Masters she didn't meet," Master Vericita's elderly expression grew complicated. "She lives up to her reputation."

A smirk cracked at the edge of his mouth. "…That she does. Once I'm done with handling the most immediate matters, I will be sure to tell my story to all of you as one of the many ways I intend to make up for my deceit. But until then, I'll be busy trying to make sure my life doesn't explode."

"We'll be waiting." Master Ceeran smiled. "Go, do what you must."

Rui left after bidding them a temporary goodbye, activating Greater Phantomind Void along with his Martial Heart and Mind.

Until he switched with Master Reina, he needed to minimize his public appearances to the bare minimum.

He surged back to the Town of Hajin in the north from the town of Vargard at tremendous speeds, crossing the vast expanse of Kandria within a minute.

Very rapidly, he had arrived at his personal office in the Rui Faction.

An exact copy of Rui Quarrier Silas Kandria sat at his table.

Rui took a moment to appreciate the fact that Master Reina was able to age him accurately in the span of three years on a micro-level.

"To say I am shocked that you have broken through to the Master Realm is stating the obvious, so perhaps I should say the opposite, hm?" She gazed at right through his Greater Phantomind Void with an expression of amusement.

Yet, Rui could sense the deep shock and alarm within her mind due to a greatly superior Martial Mind.

"You're able to sense me despite my misdirection?" Rui raised an eyebrow.

"I helped you create the technique, after all," she remarked. "Not to mention, I suspected something like this would happen, so my Martial Mind and Heart are secretly active. A niftly little technique I developed in my time. And even then, I can only sense your presence and location, nothing else. To think that you're able to hide so well from my senses. Tsk, truly heartbreaking."

"Uh huh…" Rui stared at her with a dubious expression. "We have a lot to talk about, don't we?"

"Do we?" She shrugged, amused. "I think I'm going to remain mum."

"I'm afraid not, Master," Rui scoffed. "What have you been up to lately?"

"Are you sure you want to know?" Master Reina smirked mischievously. "It might be better for your poor little heart to never find out."

Her words only made him more weary.

"…Just spit it out."

"Hehehe…very well," she grinned. "Today, Prince Rui has a harem to tend to in about two hours. Over the past few years, the Void Prince has adopted the strategy of befriending powerful forces across East Panama by engaging in romantic and sexual relations with their daughters in a long-term polygamous relationship. It has been quite fruitful and has yielded many benefits, both in and out of the bed."

Rui stared at her, frozen.

"…The young ladies never saw through me; I used hypnosis to make them see things that weren't there," she winked at Rui. "Rest assured, I didn't do your…'stature' injustice. Seeing as how you have an inactive sex life, I figured this generous Master of yours would do you a favor and have a harem prepared for you when you came back home. Aren't I wonderful? Tsk tsk, you don't deserve such a wonderful mentor like me."

"…"

"Oh, and that wasn't all…!" Master Reina continued, excited as she began narrating her story of the past three years. Despite his fortitude against external information he had gained from the Elder Tree, her words still struck him like a lightning bolt, one after another, as she divulged her escapades and games in the past three years.

Much of it was her indulging in her eccentric sense of humor, which did not sound as bad but was quite disastrous. She also entertained herself in a variety of ways across three years, yet now that Rui had returned, he would need to deal with all of this himself.

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