The Cloud Brawler 5 - (Pre-Honkai Star Rail, MartialArtist!SI)
The fifth year was the most defining for the closure of this long-termed mission.
I had thought that I was still quite far from learning Instant Transmission but... I realized that the less Ki I had when compared to Post-Namek Goku, the less difficult it was to gain mastery over my own energy. It took a while to get the instinctual clues done right, but as soon as I learned how to shift my entire body to a closer location by a nearby life force.
It was helpful in speeding up redeployments and make my movements less predictable for Shuhu to track down. Ever since I gave him a close up with death, the Emanator had been up to give me grief with constant swarms of Abundance-loyal entities.
Troubling, but it made the process of live training even more entertaining. Weights and Kaioken further speeded up my inner growth as my muscles had indeed swollen up to handle the ki-production. Despite my size, I was incredibly nimble and flexible, which made combat even more interesting rather than force me to keep track of any 'slouched' action.
I had stopped worrying being hit despite keeping my guard up when facing the horde, my body moving so swiftly and handling the easy chore of killing off the low-level threat that I hardly got close to be in danger's way.
My attention to potential traps allowed me to also dodge two more that were laid down by Shuhu during the fifth year. And as I kept on training and testing out the potency of my ki blasts, I got quite confident in starting to blast wider slates of the planet.
Rather than remove smaller bases, I was vaporizing larger regions due to how I had succeeded in doing something similar with Shuhu. It was as draining as it was back then (actually, a little less), but the more I kept on glassing the planet, the more this sort of deed became less stressful and less draining on my reserves.
It got so 'good', that the Abundance had started to hide their bases under the surface at the behest of Shuhu. I had literally forced the Abundance loyalists to go Hitler-bunker with my constant ki-bombing, and it meant that they had no way out of the planet as I started to target their ships.
It was only as I reached my 20th birthday as the sixth year came to pass, that I found myself contemplating if that was enough. I had trained a lot, and I got several milestones that would have taken so long in less years than I had expected. I was far from pulling an 'effortless' planet-busting, or even a clean one but... I could destroy the planet.
Without ships to depart from, Shuhu was stuck even if I opted for a 'timed destruction' by letting a big enough mass of ki travel down to Ketu Mirage's core to destabilize it. It was an option, but I was also concerned by one thing: leaving before the planet exploded.
Technically, I could do it. I could 'perceive' the people on the Xianzhou Yuque just fine. The issue was 'precision'. Another matter that was worrisome about the Instant Transmission was about the 'precision' behind the landing. I could teleport beside someone. Or in front of them- or just enough feet away to be beyond the safe walls of the ship and die in the vacuum of space.
It wasn't a joking matter with how dangerous it was to teleport within those factors. But I had focused a lot in the sixth year to improve my control of the technique to the point to 'risk it'. After I was done making sure no ships were around to rescue Shuhu and the remnants of the Abundance, I proceeded to charge up one of the largest 'Death Ball' I could produce.
It took around 50 to 60% of my reserves at the time, and the massive sphere of dense energy was soon hurled against the planet's surface. The early layers gave way with ease, but it slowly found some resistance as it dug deeper towards the core. The hole it was creating further expanding the deeper it went and... I nodded at the sight.
It was time for me to go.
Putting my index and middle fingers by my forehead, I felt my body phasing out of Ketu Mirage, and... landing right beyond the gates of Arbiter-General Yaoguang's office in the Xianzhou Yuque. A moment I was in the planetary surface of a dying planet, the next I had two Cloud Knights aiming their sharp lances at me.
"At ease!" The loud snort from Yaoguang made me remember why I didn't like being around this guy, and why he didn't like being around me in return. "Li Chen, what are you even doing here? Ketu Mirage-"
"Is about to blow up, General," I replied flatly, my lack of care was compounded by a break of formality as I walked up to the large window wall giving to the planet. Instead of lamenting my behavior, Yaoguang stood up and copied me in getting to the window- same for his guards as we all waited for 'it'. "In three, two, one..."
I could feel it, the energy sphere impacting on the core, causing it to clash against it, giving way as the pressure was too much for the core and-
And the planet was engulfed in a bright light before exploding before our eyes.
"I destroyed any means for Shuhu to leave. He died underground, within the planet's deepest folds." My comment was also validated by the fact I no longer felt his energy. The most infamous Emanator of Abundance was thus gone for good in my book.
The posh man gave me a wide-eyed look, then noticed my current frame and couldn't help but ogle a bit.
"What, sir?"
"You have grown a lot from a little runt," He muttered, and I offered a smile at that. "And remove that grin. You will still have to style a lengthy report on your mission once you are back to the Luofu."
...Ah right, that's a thing I had forgotten about.
But it wasn't the worst bit of it as I intended to make it back home ASAP before a certain friend took offense over my 'lies'.
Baiheng was bolting through the streets, the Foxian was driven by an unnatural drive to make it to the one moron that she had been missing a lot.
She had been trying to poke fun at that silly Dan Feng for eating too many moon cakes when she got a message from General Teng Xiao that 'the mission was over'. She dropped the silly act, her face vibrating with delight as she sent a quick message to Jingliu that Chenny was soon to come back (doubting she was going to read it anytime soon since she was busy with her newest student), and the Foxian rushed to see what was up with the mission.
It had been a short message so... maybe it had gone well, but what if it went bad?
Baiheng wasn't sure, but she was hopeful for the former option. She refused to believe that the latter was even possible, and she was planning to give a earful and more if the general had called her to give her bad news.
As soon as she smashed through the doors of the office, she had her mouth open, ready to speak up and make her presence known even as she found herself tripping on herself and almost fall face first on the ground.
It would have been indeed painful if not someone that was right in front of her turned and caught her mid-air, helping her stand up.
"T-Thanks, I didn't know the general was busy but..." Her voice trailed, her eyes widening astronomically as she got a good look of the tall man's face. It was impossible for her to forget as she gasped, hands shooting for her mouth as she felt her world shocked by the unexpected sight. "C-Chenny!"
"First, you're welcome, and second... yes. Hello Baiheng."
"Y-You're back- but I just got news you got back from the mission."
"That's correct," He smugly said, which prompted the Foxian to frown. "Hm?"
"How did you get back here so fast?"
He blinked innocently, appearing suddenly nervous when-
"He can teleport around," Teng Xiao blurted out and... Baiheng's eyes widened some more.
"You can teleport!"
"Yes-"
"And you can also fly! Teach me, Chenny~!"
"It's not that simple, Baiheng," Chen argued, but the Foxian was motivated. "Plus, I just got back from 'work'."
"Oh right. You owe me for lying to me."
"For good reasons-"
"You just didn't want me to nag at you, tell the truth!"
...
"I knew it!"
"Look, I will make up to you if you just give me the chance to enjoy a day off-"
"Nope! You are now going to be my... personal teleporter!"
...
"What?"
"He can leave, right?" Baiheng asked, tilting to the side and eyeing the Arbiter General.
The older officer shrugged. "Sure thing."
"Sir-"
"Enjoy the 'free day', kiddo." Teng Xiao rebuked much to Chen's grimace.
Baiheng giggled and straddled up to Chen. "Take me to Jingliu!"
...
"Who?"
"Oh right, you two have never met. Then you take me by... foot!"
"Where?"
"Just get running, I'll tell you along the way~!"
Teng Xiao was soon shaking his head as the two left, with Chen carrying Baiheng in a bridal carry and already knowing the few headaches and amusing details coming at the news of Jingliu catching her girlfriend getting carried around by someone like Chen.
He doubted the boy was going to do anything untowards either but...
He sure had a lot on his plate with what he accomplished in just six years of mission.
AN
Next time, the High Cloud Quintet meets the MC and... things get silly really fast.