It wasn't without reason that Lin Luo needed Hoshiguma Yuugi as a sparring partner. Although there were many who could spar with him in Gensokyo, there were very few in this underworld. Only the Four Devas of the Oni, Kokoro, the fifth loli, and a certain nuclear bomb girl would suffice. (Net) Among the Four Devas of the Oni, Suika was in the surface world, and he didn't know the other two; the nuclear bomb girl had duties. Counting them up, only the three before him were available.

More importantly, in the recent fight, Lin Luo realized he might have unconsciously struck Hoshiguma Yuugi. Of course, he wasn't certain, only having a faint feeling. Otherwise, if it was just the two of them on the battlefield, and it wasn't him, how could Hoshiguma Yuugi be injured?

Lin Luo could boldly assume that his Seventh Sense was beginning to take shape. In this situation, not pushing forward would be foolish. Therefore, he needed Hoshiguma Yuugi as a sparring partner... If there was a first unconscious action, there could be a second, a third, or even more.

But one Hoshiguma Yuugi wasn't enough!

"So, I need all three of you to help me and be my sparring partners," Lin Luo looked seriously at the three girls opposite him and spoke.

"What did you say? Train with him?!" Hoshiguma Yuugi's eyes immediately widened. Hearing Lin Luo ask her to spar with him made her very happy, and the promise of unlimited sake made her ecstatic. However, the thought of spending half a month with Komeiji Satori... Ugh, that was worse than death!

"Wait! Why should I be your sparring partner? I don't have that much free time." Not only was Hoshiguma Yuugi unwilling, but Komeiji Satori also pouted, looking thoroughly displeased. She wasn't some battle maniac, and Lin Luo had already acted rudely towards her, for which she hadn't settled the score yet. Now he expected her to be a training dummy... so he could get stronger and then bully her? Was there such a convenient deal?

"Okay, okay, I'm willing!" Kokoro, on the other hand, seemed delighted and agreed without hesitation. For her, as long as it was interesting, everything else could be ignored.

Lin Luo gave her a look that said, "Kokoro is the best," then turned to the other two troublesome women with a helpless expression. "I'm out of options, you see. I'm new to this underworld, unfamiliar with the place. Besides you three, there's no one else who can help me, and your abilities are extremely suitable for me..."

"I have a problem with that!" Before Lin Luo could finish, Hoshiguma Yuugi interrupted. "If you need a sparring partner, the Oni have plenty! Why drag in people from the ভূ-Seirei-Den... Oh, Little Kokoro is fine, no problem..."

"But I absolutely don't want to spend time with this annoying mind-reading woman," Komeiji Satori cut in, voicing what Hoshiguma Yuugi was thinking.

"See, see!" Hoshiguma Yuugi immediately complained to Lin Luo. "This girl is reading my thoughts again! How could I possibly get along with her?"

"Hmph!" Komeiji Satori snorted coldly and said nothing. Being hated by the whole world wasn't a new experience for her; she was long accustomed to it and didn't care.

"...Lin Luo felt utterly speechless. These two were truly like fire and water—or rather, Yuugi hated Satori, and Satori, knowing she was hated, certainly wouldn't like Yuugi either, making them look like sworn enemies.

This was a tricky problem for Lin Luo because he didn't want to give up any of the three... at least, not as training opponents. Yuugi’s fighting style was wide-ranging, powerful, imposing, and direct—perfect for him. Furthermore, he might have landed that single unconscious attack on her, so she was indispensable if he wanted to quickly master the Seventh Sense.

As for Satori, standing at the pinnacle of the Sixth Sense, her stream of consciousness would surely provide immense help. Moreover, she could copy others' abilities. In essence, having her meant he could fight against a large portion of Gensokyo’s inhabitants; the benefit was self-evident.

And of course, as for Kokoro, there was no need to elaborate—she was the most crucial, but also the easiest to talk to, so trouble wouldn't arise.

"Hmm... Even if you put it that way, I still don't want to be around her," Yuugi frowned after hearing Lin Luo's explanation. "Besides, you’re already quite strong."

"Didn't you just knock me down?" Lin Luo shot her a glare.

"That's perfectly normal," Yuugi's expression didn't change; she spoke with complete justification. "I am one of the Four Devas of the Oni. Aside from a few Sage-level youkai on the surface, I am practically invincible. How could a mere human possibly defeat me?"

"..." Lin Luo didn't bother retorting.

"However, for a human, possessing such strength is already remarkable. You could move freely in both the underworld and the surface world without needing to train so diligently."

Yuugi's point wasn't entirely wrong. If Lin Luo were to live in Gensokyo forever, his current strength would be more than sufficient. He could mingle comfortably among humans and youkai alike, spending his days chatting with girls, visiting places, occasionally sharing a kiss with a girl he liked, spreading his affection around—life would be wonderfully blissful. But—but—he couldn't stay in Gensokyo forever, because he was a Traveler!

Before the God War ended, he could never be complacent about his current strength. As the saying goes, if you don't advance in still waters, you fall behind. If he couldn't become stronger, he would eventually meet his doom, and perhaps even this Gensokyo would be destroyed!

Of course, Lin Luo had no need to mention these things now.

"I need to become stronger," Lin Luo stated seriously. That one sentence was enough. The pursuit of power is endless; even the youkai living in a peaceful world understood that. "I have a compelling reason to become stronger, so I need your help."

"Ugh..." Feeling the sincerity in Lin Luo's words, Yuugi furrowed her brow. "Don't be so earnest; it makes things very difficult for me."

Although Oni are belligerent and make a living by raiding human property, making them notorious among the youkai, there is one quality they possess that is unmatched by humans or even all other beings: the Oni's straightforwardness and integrity.

Oni have open and magnanimous personalities and place great importance on friendship. Once they deem someone a friend, they treat them exceptionally well, and as long as the other party does not betray the Oni, the Oni will never betray them until death. Moreover, Oni act honorably, never lie in their lives, keep their promises, and will go through fire and water for a friend without hesitation.

Through the previous battle, Yuugi had already considered Lin Luo a friend. For a friend's request, there was no room for refusal; she would help even without the promised sake. But she truly did not want to spend too much time with Komeiji Satori. This dilemma made her head ache terribly.

On the other side, after hearing Lin Luo's earnest words, Satori's heart also softened. She had already decided to marry Lin Luo—as a wife, she certainly had to help her husband with his affairs... Well, perhaps not yet, but it could be considered a way to cultivate their relationship. Furthermore, letting her husband see his wife's prowess might make him more obedient and well-behaved; she knew a thing or two about managing a husband.

"Ah! Forget it, forget it!" Hoshiguma Yuugi suddenly waved her hand in resignation, wearing an expression of 'if you don't go to hell, who will?' "I can agree to be your sparring partner along with that one, but there's one condition..." Here, she pointed at Komeiji Satori. "As long as this girl doesn't read my mind... No, no, she definitely will. And no one knows if she's actually reading it or not. As long as she doesn't say out loud what I'm thinking, I won't hear it, and I won't be annoyed. How about that?"

"Hey, Satori..." Lin Luo looked imploringly at Komeiji Satori. He himself had no problem, but the little loli might object. Here, a policy of appeasement, a 'self-injury' strategy, was needed.

"Don't look at me like that; I never said I wouldn't help..." A flush instantly crossed Satori's face, and then she turned her head away. "Actually, I don't have much interest in reading people