Demon Sword Maiden

Anyhow, despite the moans echoing in the cave and the wind either alleviating or intensifying the heat, the pair had finally perfected the second stance and continued to practice the subsequent stances.

The second level, Unplucked Flower, consisted of a total of nine stances, and the pair dedicated themselves to serious training.

The third stance required Ayaka to kneel on one knee, her back straight, while holding Lily’s hand as they exchanged spirit power. The mystical energy generated between them caused Lily to levitate in the air. From this stance onward, their spirit power and charm intent began to blend and merge with each other.

Beautiful silver and crimson threads of energy intertwined within their bodies, fusing together. The training not only strengthened their bond but also revealed its true value and superiority, allowing them to perceive each other’s thoughts on a subtle level. Although it was a gradual process and limited to a micro level, it provided a significant advantage.

Perception was something that required extensive training and combat experience, demanding a considerable amount of energy. It was not an easy task, and conveying such enlightenment through writing or speech was virtually impossible, as it was deeply rooted in their mental, physical, and astral selves. The only way to transmit such an experience was through astral communication, achieved by exchanging spirit power.

The pair training method was not merely an esoteric art for the two to merge as one; it was also a valuable means for sharing their training experiences and battle insights with each other.

Although Ayaka’s strength had diminished significantly, her perception still remained at the level of a quintuple-soul Big Dipper expert, a relatively high level. Despite Ayaka’s attempt to conceal it, her comprehension of charm intent had long surpassed Lily’s. Thus, this pair training proved immensely beneficial for Lily.

For the first time in her life, Lily truly felt the benefits of pair training. While samurais had fewer applications for perception, celestial maidens had a profound understanding of the world. The detailed explanations of the pair training method in the Tsukuyomi Swordstyle undoubtedly delved into the application of shared experiences between partners.

After practicing the third stance with Ayaka, Lily achieved perfect synchronization with her, and her understanding of charm intent improved significantly. After all, this enlightenment was the accumulation of Ayaka’s genius over many years. Though Lily had only scratched the surface through their shared experiences, she excelled at drawing inferences from the experiences of others, reaping substantial benefits from this training.

Ayaka had also derived benefits from this practice, despite Lily’s perception falling short of hers. Each individual’s unique experiences led to different perceptions, which served as valuable references for improvement.

Time flew by, and the fourth, fifth, and sixth stances varied in their sensuality, intensity, and wildness. The pair’s perception had already deepened significantly, and Lily had learned a great deal from their exchange.

During breaks in their training, Lily would either use the Twelve Moon Phase Instrument or the Himemiya Sen-no-Hana Painting to pass the time. While one person could transfer their consciousness into the Twelve Moon Phase Instrument, they could view the Himemiya Sen-no-Hana painting together, allowing them to confirm their learning and further enhance their perception through the exchange of experiences. However, viewing the Himemiya Sen-no-Hana Painting, which revolved around ambiguous feelings between girls in the Heavenly Palace, sometimes made the pair feel a bit embarrassed.

One could say that it was nearly impossible for anyone to resist fantasizing after seeing the Himemiya Sen-no-Hana Painting. Nevertheless, the pair was at a high level of seriousness and maintained their composure, suppressing their emotions.

Someone wise had once said that stoicism enhanced a woman’s beauty, and though Lily didn’t know the origin of the quote, she found herself agreeing with it. There was indeed beauty in stoicism.

Ayaka spoke up, explaining the requirements of the seventh stance. “We need to perform it on each other again,” she said.

“All right. Just tell me what to do,” Lily nodded, ready to follow Ayaka’s instructions. She turned around and positioned herself on her knees, adjusting her breath and directing her perception inward to sense the flow of spirit power and charm intent within her. At the right moment, she leaned her flexible body forward, extending her hands towards the ground and straightening her back until her chest faintly pressed against it. Slowly lifting her thighs and raising her buttocks1, she assumed a highly sensual posture that accentuated a woman’s physique.

Blushing, Lily couldn’t help but ask, “Why do celestial maidens need to assume such a stance, Sister Ayaka?”

“Celestial maidens are transcendent beings who are in harmony with the world. They often understand the concepts of virtue and dominance, but they lack comprehension of weakness or submissiveness2. This prevents them from truly grasping the mystical nature of a woman’s body. To establish a profound connection with their partners in pair training, celestial maidens must experience all aspects of their physicality3. By understanding themselves as women, they can comprehend the other side of pair training between women,” Ayaka explained solemnly.

Ayaka then knelt behind Lily, placing one hand on her tailbone while gently stroking her buttocks and thighs with the other. She explored different spots until finding the right one, injecting spirit power and charm intent into Lily’s body4.

“Ngh…” The infusion of spirit power and charm intent awakened Lily to a new understanding of herself and the training. She became acutely aware of her identity as a woman, which in turn enhanced her perception of spirit power and the true intent of charm.

It was impossible for someone to progress in the training meant for women if they couldn’t fully embrace their womanhood deep within their consciousness. The arts of celestial maidens, in particular, placed great emphasis on this aspect and differed from martial arts, which were open to both men and women.

After Lily’s turn, it was Ayaka’s time to undergo the process.

“How about we play a little game this time, Lily?” Ayaka suggested.

“What kind of game?” Lily inquired.

“Let’s play Rock, Paper, Scissors. The winner will assume the dominant role, and the loser will assume the seventh stance. What do you say?” Ayaka’s cheeks faintly blushed.

“Huh? But shouldn’t it be my turn to assume the dominant role next?” Lily questioned.

“It’s just a game, Lily. Why are you in such a hurry? Besides, we’ll play it normally without using our powers. Otherwise, it would be unfair to you,” Ayaka explained.

“Fine…”

As a result, Lily lost twice and had to assume the stance twice, while Ayaka dominated her, ultimately winning their third game.

“I won, Sis!” Lily felt elated about this rare victory.

Ayaka, however, felt a bit embarrassed and experienced a brief flutter in her heart from the unexpected defeat, even though it was completely normal to lose in a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors at least once.

With no other option, Ayaka turned her back to Lily and assumed the stance, her mature and sensual body on full display.

Lily didn’t let this opportunity slip by. After all, it was part of their training, and Lily was always serious about training. Without hesitation, she reached out and touched the tip of Ayaka’s tailbone.

“Ngh…” Although Ayaka had nothing to worry about in assuming such a posture, a shiver ran down her spine when Lily’s hand made contact with her tailbone. Ayaka realized that she had no idea what Lily was going to do to her or which part of her body she was focused on.

Having experienced the process three times already, Lily performed it smoothly, gently stroking Ayaka’s buttocks and thighs while occasionally applying gentle pressure, infusing them with spirit power5.

“Urgh… The skirt is made up of only one ribbon. It’s too short…” Ayaka worried, hoping that Lily wouldn’t notice.

The more Ayaka indulged in her fantasies, the harder it became to suppress the sensations provoked by Lily’s touch. Before she knew it, Ayaka began moaning, even though she had only lost once and felt somewhat upset about assuming the seventh stance.

The eighth stance required an incredibly flexible body. As martial artists, Lily and Ayaka had already achieved superhuman levels of flexibility, despite not dedicating much time to it.

Before assuming this stance, the pair needed to stretch their bodies, typically by performing leg splits.

Lily, with her healthy and youthful body, effortlessly achieved a wide leg split on her first attempt, leaving only an inch of space between her legs and the ground.

At that moment, Ayaka positioned herself behind Lily and placed her hand on her shoulder.

“Get ready, Lily. I’m going to push you down,” Ayaka announced.

“Huh? Okay, Sis. Please push me down hard…” Lily responded.

Ayaka’s face lit up upon hearing Lily’s words, and she innocently smiled before forcefully pushing Lily down.

“Ow!” Despite some preparedness, Lily let out a cute yelp. “N-Not that hard, Sis. It really hurt…”

“Relax, Lily. The pain will subside once you get used to it,” Ayaka reassured, continuing to apply pressure and occasionally varying the strength to elicit squeals from Lily.

However, Lily quickly adapted and achieved a perfect leg split, thanks to her natural flexibility.

“You’re a quick learner. Let’s take a break, and then you can do it to me,” Ayaka suggested, knowing she had some reservations about performing the leg split since she needed to do it to assume the eighth stance.

Ayaka, although possessing a flexible body, was in her mid-twenties, making it a bit challenging for her to achieve a leg split. She managed a gap of over two inches between herself and the ground, which was still a commendable result.

Lily moved to stand behind Ayaka, her hand resting on Ayaka’s shoulder. The unexpected touch made Ayaka’s heart flutter momentarily. Lily contemplated forcefully pushing Ayaka down but hesitated, causing Ayaka to panic needlessly.

“Should I go harder or softer in the beginning, Sis?” Lily inquired.

“Stop asking so many questions. You’re in control, so do as you please. Hurry up!” Ayaka impatiently replied, her breath quickening.

“Okay…” Deciding that going harder was the best approach, Lily exerted more pressure, causing Ayaka significant discomfort.

“H-Hold on! Go a bit softer! Let me take a break…” Ayaka pleaded.

Lily, always dedicated to training and aware that significant results required enduring pain, ignored Ayaka’s pleas and pushed her down even harder.

“Ugh!” Ayaka let out a cry of pain.

“A-Are you okay, Sis?” Lily asked, concerned.

Gritting her teeth in agony, Ayaka, as the older sister, couldn’t admit the pain she felt. All she could do was request a gentler or slower approach. Stress caused beads of sweat to form on her forehead, her chest rose and fell heavily, and her split legs trembled under the pressure.

That night, Ayaka experienced considerable embarrassment, yelping multiple times from the pain. Yet, through sheer determination, she managed to achieve a perfect leg split.