Chapter 611: Spar

"You want me to fight you?" Ume asked, tilting her head.

"Yes, I need to know about your abilities and current strength so I can properly teach you," Maximilian replied, picking Vyaghra up by his waist belt.

He had only taken a few steps when Vyaghra muttered, "I can walk myself."

He had been beaten like a dog by Maximilian. There was no way he was going to throw away whatever dignity he had left by being carried by him like a bag.

"Alright then," Maximilian said, removing his hand and letting him fall to the ground with a thud.

Vyaghra glared at him with his amber eyes as if he wanted to kill him. Nonetheless, he remained silent. He pushed his battered body to his feet and sat in a corner of the front yard.

’How the hell is he so powerful?’ Vyaghra muttered inwardly. ’He beat me with just his physical strength while I was going all out. Is this the difference between the Low-Tier and Mid-Tier Realms?’

His eyes shifted to Gumiho, who was standing on the opposite side of the front yard in front of Maximilian, in the exact place where he had stood a few minutes ago.

’Is he also going to beat her?’ he thought inwardly. ’No, I can’t let him do it. Gumiho is our goddess. She must not be disrespected.’

He clenched his jaw, which had a few bruises on it, preparing himself to step in the moment Maximilian decided to hit her.

"I’m not physically trained," Gumiho revealed before beginning the fight. "I fight using my Soulforce. Will that be fine?"

"Yes, fight me like you want to kill me," Maximilian replied, his hands resting lazily behind his head.

The next moment, he saw numerous plum blossom petals swaying towards him. Even the wind was filled with their fragrance.

’Plum blossoms?’ Maximilian raised an eyebrow.

He raised his hand to touch one of the petals, but just as it was about to land, he immediately jumped back.

’No, they aren’t real. Th-this is the Flower attribute of Sovereign Class. The Eternal Plum Blossoms.’

The petals followed him, their speed growing faster. He skillfully dodged through all of them.

Gumiho formed a series of hand signs and murmured, "Petal Rain!"

From out of thin air, pink petals began falling from the sky. It was physically impossible for Maximilian to block them due to their sheer numbers.

So he used the oldest trick in the book.

Since they were light petals, just blow them away.

He took out a robe from his storage pouch and began using it as a fan to blow the petals away.

The method was ridiculous, but it actually worked. A few petals were blown away by the wind.

The remaining ones landed on his arms and head. The moment they did, they began glowing with a pink hue.

Boom!

The petals exploded in fire and pink smoke.

When the smoke vanished, nothing but the broken ground was revealed.

Gumiho’s eyes widened as she sensed something coming for her from the side.

It was a punch, just a few inches away from her face.

Just before it could hit her, a wall of petals emerged between them.

Boom!

The petals exploded, but no one was there to receive any damage.

The next moment, his leg descended from the sky like an axe.

It was also blocked by the petal shield.

In the span of five seconds, Maximilian attacked her dozens of times from different directions, his speed only increasing with each strike.

Multiple explosions occurred, but they were not fast enough to catch up with Maximilian’s speed, who was not even using any Soulforce.

After a few more strikes, the speed of his attacks became too fast for Gumiho to see. One punch actually went through before the shield could form, reaching straight for Gumiho’s face.

Her eyes widened, reflecting the incoming fist.

Boom!

Dust and debris flew backward behind Gumiho. Maximilian’s punch had stopped only an inch away from her face.

He flicked her forehead with his finger, yet she barely reacted.

"If you meet an opponent faster than your petals, you will be instantly defeated," he told her, moving his hand back.

"I-Is that it?" Vyaghra’s voice came from the corner of the front yard. He was definitely prepared to step in if Maximilian had hit her, but for some reason, seeing him only flick her forehead made him even more annoyed.

How could a master be biased between his two disciples?

"Well, I’m not crazy enough to beat a young goddess," Maximilian chuckled.

He moved towards Vyaghra with an unreadable expression, causing him to flinch nervously.

A faint glow appeared on his index finger as he moved it towards Vyaghra’s forehead.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Vyaghra asked, leaning back.

"Relax yourself," Maximilian ordered, his tone firm. "I’m sharing my insights into Darkness with you. Cultivate it diligently."

The moment his finger tapped Vyaghra’s forehead, profound information entered his mind, leaving him with his lips parted.

Even after Maximilian withdrew his hand, Vyaghra didn’t speak for several seconds.

"Lord-Master Arthur, th-this insight is so profound," Vyaghra exclaimed. "Why would you give me something so precious?"

"You are my first disciple," Maximilian said, tapping his shoulder. "I don’t want you to ruin my name."

Vyaghra gave him a deep bow. "Thank you, Master. I need to go into closed-door cultivation."

Once Maximilian permitted him, he instantly moved inside the palace and closed himself inside his room.

As a Dragon of Death, Maximilian had naturally learned about the Darkness element, which was part of death itself. Vyaghra wasn’t as talented as Gumiho, but he could already use Flame Darkness of Calamity Class. If he managed to learn even ten percent of Maximilian’s insights, he would be able to evolve into a Lesser Spirit Beast. Perhaps, in the future, he would be able to learn Shadow Darkness of Sovereign Class, which would allow him to move through space at will.

He turned to Gumiho, who was still standing in the position where she had been defeated.

The front yard was in complete ruins now. Her exploding petals had left numerous small craters in the ground.

"I need to ask you a few things," Maximilian told her. "Let’s move to your abode first."

She nodded, drawing out her chariot from her storage pouch.

---

When they were about to reach the peak where Gumiho lived, Chitra, Nakula, and the other three Greater Spirit Beasts were blocking their way, standing on the roofs of their chariots.

"Hah... I won’t hold back anymore," Maximilian muttered as he opened the door of the chariot. "If beating is what they want, beating is what I’ll give them."

He was about to move out when all the Greater Spirit Beasts bent into a ninety-degree bow.

"Thank you, Lord Arthur," they said in unison.

"H-huh?" Maximilian was left flabbergasted, not knowing how to react.

"Despite my repeated rudeness and insults, you still saved our leader and even used your life essence to restore his cultivation," Chitra declared, her tone respectful. "Please forgive me for my wrongdoings."

’Used my life essence? When did that happen?’ Maximilian almost choked. ’Hah... it must have been Vyomendra’s doing.’

Maximilian never expected these beasts to flip so suddenly. Just the previous day, they had been barely holding themselves back from chopping him into pieces, and now they were bowing their heads.

It was all because of the hatred and prejudice they had against humans. Bai Chengsheng’s actions had only increased it further. But now that Arthur had saved their Clan Leader, they were willing to lower their pride and thank a human.

"Hah! So you want to get away with an apology, avoiding the consequences of your actions?" Maximilian retorted as he shut the door. "You might as well not have shown yourself at all."

"W-wait," Chitra called out to him as the chariot was about to move again. "What do you want me to do to calm your anger?"

Maximilian scratched his temple in thought.

"I will be living in the same abode as Gumiho," Maximilian murmured, rubbing his chin. "I naturally can’t ask her to manage my daily necessities. Why won’t you come in and keep the house clean?"

"Y-you want me to be a maid?" Chitra asked, her brows raised.

"Hmm, that’s a nice way to put it!"

"Ridiculous!" Nakula snapped, anger clear on his face. "She is a Greater Soul Beast, one of the five guardians of the Tiger Clan. How dare you tell her to become your maid?"

Maximilian’s face twisted in annoyance, his brows knitting together and his lips curling downward. "The fuck is your problem? I’m not forcing anyone to do anything. Get the hell out of my way."

"I-I will do it," Chitra muttered, her fists tightening at her sides. "I will become your maid."

She was definitely not accepting this punishment because she was wary of leaving the innocent Gumiho alone with this rude human.

"But Chitra..." Nakula was about to speak but was cut off mid-sentence by Chitra.

"I was in the wrong. Let me atone for my sins."

’Why the hell are they making this so dramatic?’ Maximilian sighed inwardly, feeling secondhand embarrassment from their exchange.

"Get in," he told Chitra, opening the door of the chariot.

Once they reached the peak where Gumiho’s abode stood, Maximilian ordered Chitra to go inside and prepare his room.

Meanwhile, he and Gumiho reached the garden where the plum blossom tree stood.

"So Gumiho, tell me how many tails do you currently have?" Maximilian asked her, his tone serious.