Chapter 22: A New Life Ahead

When she opened her eyes, the scenery around her had already changed.

What greeted her sight was a white ceiling. It didn’t seem to be the ceiling of her dormitory.

How strange? What had she done? Had she fainted?

Liya stared blankly at the ceiling, beginning to recall what she had done. Perhaps because she had been reincarnated, her memories started from the bits and pieces of her past life: taking on her first disciple, opening her first martial arts school, having her first duel with a close friend, creating her first martial art, founding the Martial Fight Sect, and finally dying before her friend…

“Liya?! Liya! Liya! You’re awake… What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

Turning her head, Liya’s memories continued to flow. The bits and pieces of this life finally surfaced in her mind. When she came back to her senses, her eyes seemed a bit blurry. What was it? How strange…

“Liya? Don’t be sad. Even though you lost… you were still nominated for the Top Twenty (The Best)! You’re amazing, really!”

She was embraced. It was Cecilia, and Alice followed closely behind. The two gently held Liya and spoke in soft tones. They seemed to have misunderstood something… but it didn’t matter.

This feeling was pretty nice, too.

Wiping away her tears, Liya refocused her thoughts on the present. The past life was the past life; no matter what, she couldn’t go back. Although she didn’t understand why she had been reincarnated, her new life had already begun, and there was no reason to stop now. This time, she would not only become the strongest but also live as a true person, enjoying her life.

“…………” Liya subconsciously glanced at her own body.

Plus one more thing: she had to get her male body back! This body was far too inconvenient!

“Don’t worry, Alice, Cecilia. I’m fine now. I’m very satisfied with this duel. I learned a lot from it, especially the end…”

Thinking of that, Liya couldn’t hide her smile. That’s right, she had been defeated. Up to now, her memories were finally completely clear. The one who defeated her had used only one slash, a clean and decisive blow. But that slash—she knew it, she understood it.

It was a realm she had also reached in her past life: the pinnacle of martial arts, pushing one’s movements into the domain of supersonic speed, resulting in immense destructive power. She had spent her entire life pursuing this realm, only to find that in the Demon Kingdom, a teacher had actually achieved it!

Of course, Annie’s realm was not yet perfect. If it were her past self, she could have gone further, entering the supersonic domain and maintaining it for a while—that would be the true perfect pinnacle. As for Annie, she could probably only elevate herself to the supersonic domain in a single strike.

But regardless, Annie had achieved it. With the long lifespan of the demons, given time, Annie would surely surpass her past self.

This was so exciting! One could imagine just how many powerful beings existed in such a vast kingdom. The pinnacle—no, even martial artists who had stepped into the extreme realm might be there! This was amazing! And even better:

‘Now, I am the one chasing.’

If it were her past life, besides looking forward to Annie’s future, she would probably feel envy and jealousy, because Annie’s youth and realm destined her to be the one to open the next generation—just like the demon youth she had met at the end of her past life.

But now it was different. She was younger, more promising. Compared to Annie, she had greater advantages. Now she, too, had become a being that would usher in a new era. How exciting was that? What a gift! Liya couldn’t help but sincerely thank the unknown entity that had allowed her to reincarnate.

“……By the way, where is Teacher Annie?” Returning to her senses, Liya focused on reality.

“Teacher Annie? She seems sad, thinking she might have been too heavy-handed. Teacher Christine took her to cheer up… According to Teacher Christine, in times like this, just drink…”

“Drink?”

Maybe. In the Human Kingdom of her past life, there was also the saying of drowning sorrows in alcohol. She had never drunk before. Should she try it in this life?

“Liya~! I’m here to see you~!!!”

Suddenly, the door was pushed open. A tall woman in a teacher’s skirt, holding a bottle of wine, staggered in. Behind her followed another woman.

“Teacher Annie?! Teacher Christine, what’s wrong with Teacher Annie?”

The one in front holding the wine bottle was indeed Annie. But contrary to her usual gentle image and the swordsman demeanor in battle, Annie now looked completely like a drunkard. Her face was flushed, and her movements became bold. What was this? Drunk and rowdy?

“It’s fine, fine. Annie is always like this. Whenever she’s upset, I take her drinking. Once she’s drunk, she becomes a bit more frank. It’s quite interesting, hehe.”

Teacher Christine, the demon tail behind you is showing.

“Liya, you’re awake~! Wahhh—!”

“Teacher, what are you doing?!”

“I’m sorry, Liya, I was too heavy-handed. But Liya, you’re really amazing! Your teacher had to go all out to win. I couldn’t control my strength at all. It was really hard. But Liya, you’re absolutely a good student! It’s a pity your teacher isn’t a good teacher…”

It was terrifying. Seeing Liya sitting on the bed, Annie actually leaped directly at her. Despite drinking quite a bit, there was no offensive smell. Annie rubbed her cheek against Liya’s while repeatedly apologizing, seeming to have accumulated quite a lot of guilt inside.

“No, no, that’s not true. Teacher Annie is definitely a good teacher. I can guarantee that!”

Pausing, Liya spoke truthfully. She had indeed learned a lot under Annie, especially seeing the pinnacle of martial arts again. It stirred her heart and sparked inspiration—a truly enormous gain.

“Mmm—! Liya is so cute! Such a good child! Teacher loves you so much!!!”

Annie’s eyes were teary, and she hugged Liya’s petite form tightly, refusing to let go.

“Uh, a bit tight, Teacher…”

Liya struggled slightly, but then she realized a very serious problem—

Absolutely no excitement.

That’s right, although Liya had always felt that her inner self was male, her body was ultimately that of a ten-year-old demon loli. Normally, a male faced with a mature big sister’s embrace, especially such a tight one, would have all sorts of reactions. But the truth was—due to physiological reasons, Liya had the thought of excitement but absolutely no ability to act on it.

Aside from a feeling of warmth, there was absolutely no excitement! Damn it! Was she still a man like this?

Just as Liya was immersed in sorrow over this terrifying discovery, Christine spoke:

“Hehe, it seems Annie’s heart’s knot has been pretty much relieved. So, Liya, I’m officially announcing here.”

“Announcing what?”

“From today, you are one of the school’s Top Twenty (The Best). Not only that, because Annie, who fought you, is quite strong among the teachers, you are now the tenth in the entire school—one of the 【Twelve Knights】. Congratulations.”

Twelve Knights? Did that mean the top twelve of the school? The school had so many titles. It was to encourage students to challenge for stronger positions, right… Whatever.

In her past life, Liya, who didn’t care about fame or fortune, didn’t quite understand the status of the Twelve Knights. But it didn’t matter. At least now, she definitely had the status and position to challenge even higher-level martial artists and mages. What could be more exciting than that?

So Liya nodded and replied with a resolute voice:

“Mm!”

Incidentally, seeing Teacher Annie like this, Liya decided it was better to forget about underage drinking.

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