Chapter 263: Training and Torment

In Lia’s eyes, the mage tower’s training room felt unusually vast today.

The smooth obsidian floor reflected the eternally floating illumination runes on the ceiling, casting a soft, cool light.

Lia stood in the center of this empty space, feeling as if she had been stripped naked and thrown into the snow.

The dark green silk dress felt exceptionally cumbersome at this moment.

The high-slit design made her feel a cold draft blowing up her leg with every step, and the large expanse of her bare back made her feel as if she had needles pricking her skin.

“Let’s begin.”

Klein’s voice came from behind her without warning. Lia jumped and spun around.

He had appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed, his blue eyes fixed intently on her.

Lia gritted her back teeth, turned around, took a deep breath, and tried to clear all distracting thoughts from her mind.

She raised her hands, her spiritual sense extending like threads.

As per Klein’s instructions, she needed to simultaneously control twelve fist-sized elemental orbs—four fire, four water, and four wind—making them weave through the air in a complex three-dimensional matrix trajectory without any collisions.

This was a test of fine mana control. Even an ordinary Seventh-Circle mage would need to concentrate fully to barely complete it.

Twelve orbs of light quickly formed in front of Lia, glowing with different colors. She carefully guided them, starting their trajectory.

However, her mind simply couldn’t quiet down.

Klein’s gaze seemed to have a physical weight, pressing down on her until she could barely breathe. She constantly felt that gaze roaming wantonly over her exposed skin.

“Pop.”

With a soft sound, a fire orb and a water orb collided due to a minute miscalculation in their trajectory, and both were annihilated.

A layer of fine sweat beaded on Lia’s forehead.

“Your posture is wrong.”

Klein’s voice sounded again, but this time, it was right next to her.

Before Lia could react, a pair of warm palms had already been placed on the bare skin of her lower back.

Her entire body stiffened as if she had been petrified.

The position of his hands was just right, precisely at the narrowest part of her waist. The warmth of his palms spread through her skin, instantly transmitting throughout her body, making her mind buzz.

The remaining ten orbs of light also wavered.

“Stand straight, chest out, core tight,” Klein’s voice was right by her ear, carrying an indisputable command. “The root of mana lies in the stability of the body. Your core strength is too weak, which is why your spiritual output is so unstable.”

“I… I know!” Lia’s voice trembled slightly. Her mind wanted to shy away, but her body seemed to be longing for something, refusing to obey.

“No, you don’t know.” Not only did Klein not remove his hands, but he also applied a little more force, compelling her to straighten her spine even more. “Your performance proves your ignorance. Now, begin again.”

Lia desperately wanted to curse him.

This guy was definitely doing this on purpose!

She gritted her teeth, refocused her spirit, and attempted to construct the twelve elemental orbs once more.

But the two hands behind her were like a pair of branding irons, drawing all of her attention. She could clearly feel the texture of his fingertips, the faint calluses on his palms from years of magical experiments.

“Your shoulders are too tense. Relax.”

His hands slid slowly up her waistline, his thumbs pressing gently on her shoulder blades, kneading them lightly.

Lia’s body involuntarily went soft, and she nearly lost her balance.

“You see, your physical control is just that poor,” Klein’s tone was tinged with a pleased amusement. “You can’t even block out this minor a disturbance. How will you face a real enemy in the future?”

Lia was so angry she wanted to turn around and punch him.

“Focus,” Klein commanded.

Lia closed her eyes, forcing herself to concentrate all her attention on the magic before her.

The twelve orbs formed again and began their second run.

This time, she performed much better. The orbs traced graceful arcs in the air, intersecting with each other while maintaining a safe distance.

However, the man behind her clearly had no intention of stopping there.

“Mana flow is stagnating on your left side.”

His finger traced the edge of her silk dress, sliding gently upward along her left waist.

Lia’s breathing instantly hitched.

His fingertips felt as if they carried an electric current, sending a fine shiver through her wherever they passed.

“Pop!” Another orb exploded due to the momentary disruption of her spiritual power.

“You see, the problem is right here.” Klein’s voice sounded like that of a patient and guiding teacher, but his words made Lia want to kill him. “There is an obstruction in your body’s mana conduction. It needs to be cleared.”

His hand did not stop. Instead, it grew bolder, moving from her side waist all the way up, finally stopping just behind her armpit.

Lia felt her cheeks were hot enough to fry an egg.

“Don’t… don’t touch there…” she finally couldn’t hold it in, her voice tinged with a sob.

“This is also part of the training,” Klein’s voice remained steady. “For a qualified mage, every part of her body should be a weapon she uses to control mana, not a weakness.”

As he spoke, his fingers pressed lightly on that spot again.

Lia trembled all over, and the remaining orbs burst into a brilliant firework display with a series of pops.

The training was a complete failure.

Lia gasped for breath, her hands on her knees, feeling as if all her strength had been drained.

This wasn’t training at all; it was a carefully designed torture session!

Klein finally let her go.

He took two steps back, leisurely observing her current disheveled state. The dark green dress was a bit messy, her cheeks were flushed an unnatural crimson, and there was a hint of moisture in the corners of her eyes.

“Your stance is unstable, and your center of gravity is off.”

He suddenly crouched down, his gaze falling on her calves, which were tensed from bending over.

Alarm bells rang in Lia’s mind, and she instinctively tried to back away.

However, a hand had already grasped her ankle.

“Don’t move.”

His palm was very hot, enveloping her slender ankle and holding her in place.

His other hand slowly stroked upward along the curve of her calf.

The contact of his cool fingertips against her warm skin created an indescribable stimulus.

“Your muscles are too tight. This will affect your movement speed and stability when casting spells.” His fingers slid past the back of her knee, finally stopping on her thigh.

That spot was less than a palm’s width from the top of the high slit.

Lia’s brain completely shut down.

She could feel his cool fingertips resting in that area, brushing against her skin almost imperceptibly through the thin silk.

She didn’t even dare to breathe, afraid that if she moved, his hand would make an even more outrageous move.

“Starting tomorrow, your physical training will also be doubled,” Klein announced in a flat tone.

Lia was frozen in place, her mind a complete blank.

“Never mind. Today’s training is over,” Klein glanced at her dazed expression, the corners of his mouth curving. “Your performance… was very poor. It seems this punishment is quite necessary.”

He turned, a slight stoop in his posture, and slowly walked to the other side of the training room, picking up a magic book as if he wasn’t the one who had just been touching her all over.

It took Lia several seconds to regain her senses.

She didn’t want to stay here for another second; she wanted to escape this suffocating place.

However, her legs felt weak. The moment she took a step, her whole body uncontrollably pitched forward.

She quickly reached out and steadied herself against the cold wall nearby.

She didn’t dare to look back at Klein, only keeping her head down, using the wall for support as she艰难ly made her way to the door, step by step.

Each step felt like walking on cotton, her legs too weak to obey her.

Only after she had finally left the training room and closed the heavy door, shutting out the man’s presence, did she feel as if all her strength had been sapped away. She leaned against the door and slowly slid to the floor.

***

Inside the training room.

Klein slowly straightened up, his gaze fixed on the empty doorway.

This punishment, he was starting to quite like it.

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