Arriving at the training ground, all the knights, along with Wang Yue and the others, immediately looked toward the approaching figures.
"Is it time already, sir?"
One of the knights prepared to stand as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
The others immediately turned their attention toward Chen Fan as well.
But the figure who soon followed behind him caused the entire scene to fall silent for a moment.
"Princess..."
"The princess has woken up."
Different from the eagerness that appeared when Chen Fan arrived, the knights' eyes now shone as their attention shifted entirely toward Celestia.
Expressions of relief could be seen on all their faces.
At first, they had planned to hide her collapse. But after she had not appeared for almost a week, there was no way the others wouldn't notice that something was strange. Soon enough, they found out that the princess had been bedridden.
Of course, they didn't know the exact details.
They only knew that she had collapsed due to exhaustion.
The expressions of all the knights perfectly conveyed just how much they respected and cherished Celestia.
Chen Fan glanced behind him as Celestia answered the knights who expressed their concern for her.
He could see her expression ease slightly as she smiled at them.
"Princess, how are you feeling now?"
Kazuki immediately rushed over, followed by Sakura and Aiko, as they checked her complexion, which had finally returned to normal.
"I'm fine now. Thank you for worrying about me, everyone."
Looking around, Chen Fan's eyes scanned the surroundings before spotting Wang Yue, who had also begun walking toward their direction.
The moment she locked eyes with Chen Fan, her lips immediately curved into a smile as she walked toward him.
"Have you rested enough?"
"Yes. Is Her Majesty fine now?"
Wang Yue glanced toward Celestia as she continued chatting with the others.
"Good enough to immediately start training now."
"Eh? Didn't she just wake up?"
Wang Yue looked both worried and slightly surprised upon hearing his words.
"Don't worry. Someone who cultivates isn't that fragile. And I doubt she would really rest if we simply let her be, so I think it's fine as long as she doesn't overdo it."
"Hmmm. I see."
Wang Yue smiled, but Chen Fan could see something hidden behind that smile.
Before he could say anything, however, Wang Yue had already walked toward Celestia.
"Heh."
He chuckled softly at the sight before walking toward the atmosphere, which had now slightly calmed down.
"Alright, everyone. Let's start the usual training. We still have four more sessions."
Hearing this, the knights' gazes shifted toward Celestia before they bowed their heads.
This past week, Chen Fan could be said to have become the instructor not only for the Imperial Knights but also for other noble knights who were sent here in turns.
Of course, there had been a time at the beginning when the intensity of the training had gradually chipped away at their motivation.
But after hearing the reports about the still-intense battlefield at the border, where the situation had stagnated and showed no sign of getting better, their motivation was renewed every morning as they began their training.
And from Chen Fan's training, short as it might have been, their strength had advanced with significant and noticeable improvements.
"Please rest well, Princess."
The knights gave their final salute before preparing to leave, after Celestia bowed her head and gave them permission.
However, they were immediately dumbfounded by Chen Fan's next words.
"Her Highness will be participating too."
Chen Fan then turned toward Celestia.
"And, Your Highness, as I said earlier on the way here, you can change your clothes in the barracks and immediately gather here afterward. I will personally oversee your training as well."
Knowing the urgency of the situation, even though he preferred to have a carefree and peaceful life during his temporary stay in this world, Chen Fan had prioritized efficiency since last week.
Given his occupation and martial prowess, which were already known to the people of this world, it wasn't difficult for him to gain permission to train the knights.
Or rather...
Even the king seemed to wish for him to continue doing exactly what he was doing now.
Clap.
Chen Fan's loud clap immediately shut the mouths of not only the knights but also Kazuki, who seemed bewildered by his words.
However, Chen Fan immediately began giving them instructions.
"For now, what you will do is release all your mana into the sky in a single strike. Make it as thin and reach as far as possible, and continue until all your mana runs out. That's all."
Everyone fell silent as they began moving toward the training ground, creating some distance between each other.
As much as they wanted to satisfy their curiosity or express their worries, they already had a considerable amount of trust in Chen Fan.
They knew that his character was not someone who did things rashly.
So, all they could do now was simply focus on improving themselves.
As they left, only Chen Fan, Celestia, and Wang Yue remained.
From the worried look on her face, Wang Yue seemed to want to say something to Celestia. However, she soon headed toward the training ground as well and began her own training, which was different from the others.
Only her training was something she could freely decide for herself.
Or rather, she was the only one who truly understood what kind of training suited her best, based on the book she now read daily.
"Hmm. Princess, why are you still here?"
"Eh?"
Celestia's bewildered voice slipped out as she turned her gaze toward Chen Fan.
"Didn't you say you wanted to train too? I'll wait three minutes for you to change. I'll be your sparring partner immediately afterward."
"Ah. Eh? Uh... y-yes. I'll go now."
Even though Celestia was still processing the situation that had just unfolded in front of her, she immediately left with a slightly flustered expression.
Only after running some distance away did she finally calm her mind.
It was the first time she had felt someone command her like that.
And somehow...
She found the feeling a little funny.
Of course, in the past, she had also learned from others, whether it was in class, swordsmanship, or magic.
But they had always treated her with a certain level of respect because of her status.
"Hehe. It's not a bad feeling."
She immediately entered the barracks and looked at the spare training clothes that were usually prepared there.
They were not her usual training clothes made from high-quality fabric.
Just ordinary clothes.
The same ones the others used.
Soon, she changed her clothes before returning to the place where the others were training.
In the distance, she could see all kinds of magic being released into the air.
There was fire, water, and noticeable currents of wind.
All of them were shaped into straight lines, albeit with differences in height and thickness.
In one of the noticeably empty spots of the training ground, Chen Fan stood alone. His gaze swept across the other knights for a brief moment before eventually shifting toward her.
"All right. For now, just do your best to fight me. Use everything you've got."
Celestia remained where she stood, unable to immediately respond to his words.
Ever since waking up, she had become aware of just how tremendously her strength had surged compared to before. The difference was so significant that she was still unfamiliar with the power she now possessed.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. I'm still stronger than you."
As if he had read her thoughts, Chen Fan calmly spoke those shameless words without the slightest change in his expression.
Celestia found herself even more bewildered.
She had not expected to hear something like that from Chen Fan.
"I—"
Before she could utter another word, however, a single decision formed in her mind.
She would test the waters.
Celestia knew that Chen Fan was strong. There had never been any doubt about that. However, the only time she had truly seen him fight seriously was during the demon attack.
And truthfully, she felt that if she were to face that same demon again now, she could handle the situation far more easily than before.
Perhaps that was why she had begun to feel confident.
She did not intend to defeat Chen Fan outright. At the very least, she believed that she could display enough of her newfound strength to gain a slight advantage over him.
After all, she could clearly sense his cultivation level.
Three-Star, early stage.
Meanwhile, she herself was already approaching the Four-Star realm.
"Then... please be careful."
Celestia took a deep breath before slowly lowering herself into a stance.
Her body tensed as she prepared herself.
Swoosh.
In an instant, she disappeared from her original position.
The next moment, she appeared directly in front of Chen Fan.
She twisted her shoulder, transferring the momentum of her entire body into her fist as she launched a punch straight toward his chest.
However, because she was still unfamiliar with her newly acquired strength, Celestia suddenly realized that she had used far more power than she originally intended.
Her heart froze slightly.
But before she could even fully process that realization—
Chen Fan moved.
He merely twisted his body slightly.
Celestia's fist passed by his side.
Or rather, for a brief moment, she had believed that he would not be able to evade.
The distance between her fist and his body had been incredibly small.
Infinitesimal.
Yet Chen Fan had still managed to avoid it.
Before another thought could even form in her mind, she suddenly felt her wrist being caught.
Chen Fan seized her arm and immediately spun.
In a single smooth motion, he pulled her arm over his shoulder before bending forward with incredible speed.
Whoosh.
In the blink of an eye, Celestia's vision completely changed.
Just moments ago, her eyes had been fixed on Chen Fan standing in front of her.
Now, the world had turned upside down.
The sky filled her vision.
Her body came to an abrupt stop.
Thud.
"The first lesson, Celestia, is to never naively think that cultivation level is all there is to it."
Chen Fan's voice reached her ears.
"Technique, mindset, and the situation are equally important."
Only then did Celestia's eyes quickly scan her surroundings.
Chen Fan was standing above her, looking down with a smile as he extended his hand toward her.
"Since it's your first time, I'll give you ten seconds to collect yourself."
And true to his word, he waited.
However, what followed over the next few hours was nothing short of torture for Celestia.
For the first time in who knew how long, she found herself thinking that perhaps resting was not such a bad thing after all.