Jialesi, Sword and Rose Sorcerer University, the second floor of the training hall.
Compared to the first floor, the second floor was far plainer, an empty expanse with almost no equipment. However, the walls and floor were paved with a layer of Thunder Snake meteorite tiles. The azure serpentine patterns across their surface could effectively disperse and resist any attack, and when reinforced by spell formations, they could even withstand Sanctuary-rank destructive miracles. It was, in every sense, a place built to endure whatever beatings were thrown at it.
The only downside was that the Thunder Snake flooring produced rather severe light pollution.
This stage was provided specifically for sorcerers to spar. Because most miracles caused tremendous collateral damage to venues, sorcerers who wished to clash at full strength had to use dedicated dueling grounds; holding an unauthorized duel in a public space would result in a fine and a three-point deduction on one's sorcerer license.
It was already past eleven at night. Most sorcerer apprentices had either returned to their dorms to sleep or entered the Void Realm to adventure. In the vast second floor, only two sword sorcerers remained locked in combat, their venting sword qi scraping white streak after streak across the Thunder Snake floor!
*Hiss—*
Hearing the sound of tugging silk threads, Felix promptly pulled back her sword and retreated.
"Red Sword Princess" Sonia's original miracle, Water Moon, had long since resonated across all the sorcerer universities in Jialesi. Recently, it had even been included in the *Starry Miracle Catalog* with an evaluation as a Middle Radiant Silver miracle. Who knew how many sword sorcerers were waiting for Sonia to open licensing permissions so they could witness the splendor of this counterattack miracle.
In the Starry Country, miracles had an exhaustive evaluation system. Based on sorcery power, they were divided into four tiers: Silver, Gold, Prismatic, and Null. Within each tier, based on performance, they were classified into three grades: Dim, True, and Radiant. Each grade was further divided into high, middle, and low ranks, making thirty-six ranks in total.
If Sonia could continue optimizing the Middle Radiant Silver Water Moon—replacing its rare sorcery spirits with common ones or further patching its casting flaws—Water Moon could be rated High Radiant Silver, becoming the pinnacle miracle accessible to a Silver Sorcerer!
Her family had even, in an unprecedented move, tasked Felix with purchasing a long-term license for Water Moon from Sonia at any cost. Water Moon was built on the foundation of Wave Sword, and for the Vosloda clan, renowned for their Wave Sword system, acquiring it was necessary simply to diversify their miracle repertoire—to say nothing of the fact that it was a Middle Radiant Silver rarity.
Generally speaking, Radiant-grade miracles represented "trump cards capable of challenging higher ranks," True-grade miracles were "impressive achievements worthy of boasting," and Dim-grade miracles were merely "decent."
What, you ask why miracles needed such an intricate evaluation system? Naturally, to better price them—so buyers would accept the price as reasonable, and consignors would feel the price was fair.
After all, the Star Pole Hall, responsible for compiling the *Starry Miracle Catalog*, employed hundreds of full-time sorcerer staff and thousands of part-time sorcerer consultants. All of them served this miracle evaluation system; one could say the livelihoods of thousands of sorcerers depended on it.
Water Moon activated astonishingly fast, packed formidable power, and functioned as a counterattack miracle, fully living up to its Middle Radiant Silver rating. However, after days of sparring, Felix had long learned how to counter it: the moment the sound of silk threads was heard, immediately retreating and switching to ranged attacks would easily neutralize the miracle!
Yet the moment Felix forcibly aborted her attack and withdrew her sword, she discovered her opponent was not wrapped in Moon Silk at all. Instead, Sonia seized the opportunity to lunge forward, aiming straight for Felix's open defense!
A trap!
But Felix had pulled back too swiftly, and she was too late to defend!
The red-haired swordswoman's wooden sword drew a crimson Wave Sword arc, scooping Felix upward from below!
Killing Intent Wave Upward Slash!
Evil Light Slash!
Ripping Wave Slash!
Felix was suspended in midair by the barrage, unable to touch the ground. Wave Sword possessed two major properties: "Dispersion" and "Vibration." The former expanded the strike area, while the latter heightened lethality. But if a sword sorcerer fully mastered both properties, a third could be unlocked—Forced Airborne!
With an upward slash, a Wave Sword sorcerer could launch an enemy into the air, robbing them of any leverage and reducing them to helpless meat on a cutting board!
Felix had always taken care to evade Sonia's upward slashes, never giving her an opening. Who could have thought that beneath that vulgar, pretty exterior lay such a devious mind? Sonia had actually resorted to tactics, feigning Water Moon to force her retreat, then capitalizing on the momentum with an upward slash to create a prime opening for damage.
If this continued, she would be juggled to death by this combo!
However, being airborne was a near-fatal state for a sword sorcerer, as the vast majority of sword sorcery moves required leverage from the ground. Thus...
At the instant Sonia was about to unleash another Evil Light Slash, Felix abruptly spat at her. Empowered by a sinister, eerie wind, the spittle instantly transformed into a foul, rancid downpour!
Miracle: Mournful Wind and Corrosive Rain!
"Oh?"
Sonia let out a surprised yet delighted cry, casually sweeping a Wave Sword slash to block all the rain.
Landing smoothly, Felix no longer concealed her strength. Parting her lips, she blew three consecutive breaths, releasing three airborne wind blades!
Miracle: Toothed Wind!
Then, with a gentle wipe of her lips, her hands crossed in a slashing motion, unleashing ten acid-corrosive water blades interwoven like a net!
Miracle: Poison Blade Web!
"Interesting, truly interesting!" Sonia tore through Felix's miracles step by step, the corners of her lips curling slightly, her pale red eyes seeming to narrow into slit pupils. "Felix, you—"
*Slash!*
This time, Sonia held nothing back. Before Felix could cast another miracle, Sonia struck first with a Killing Intent Evil Light Slash. The crimson sword light sliced across Felix's left arm, spraying dark red blood; the wound cut deep enough to reveal bone!
The moment she saw blood, a gleam sparked in Sonia's eyes, and her grip on the wooden sword tightened. But she quickly snapped out of it, tossing the wooden sword aside and saying anxiously, "I'll help you to the treatment room right away—"
"No, no need." Felix hid her left hand behind her back and shook her head repeatedly. "It's just a minor injury. I have a Water Therapy sorcery spirit. I can heal it slowly myself and improve my water sorcery attainment while I'm at it."
*Is this what a young noble master is like? Even without pursuing the healer path, he still carries a Water Therapy sorcery spirit on him at all times.*
The country girl marveled inwardly at the wealth of city folk. Peeking at Felix's left hand, she noticed that his left hand had always worn a glove—perhaps a tool that enhanced the effect of miracles.
As for the injury... well, the arm wasn't severed, so it was merely a negligible flesh wound. Sonia felt entirely at ease letting Felix handle it himself.
"Still, your astral garment broke. Why didn't you call a stop?"
"It probably broke while I was in midair. I didn't notice at the time either."
Both wore a film resembling an ethereal bubble around their bodies. When struck by an attack, the membrane would absorb all damage, safeguarding the duelist's life.
This was the "astral garment," a perk for academy sorcerers. Applied by an instructor before a duel, it allowed them to fully indulge in the thrill of all-out combat without worrying about accidentally bashing a classmate's head in.
"Looks like we have to call it a night," Felix said with a sigh of relief. "Though sparring with you truly has been tremendously rewarding, Sonia..."
"Then let's keep going." Sonia was still full of energy and said with high spirits, "It's not like your other arm is broken."
"BUT! I! AM! INJURED!" Felix ground her teeth. "Let's sit to the side and rest for a bit. I'll tend to my wound while we're at it."
For the past few days, Sonia had dragged Felix into a duel every single night. At first, Felix had been glad to learn from a genius, but Sonia grew more violent by the night. On the first night, Felix could still patch up her wounds herself; on the second night, she had to seek out a healer; and by the third night, she was practically holding herself upright by sheer willpower to bid Sonia goodbye, only to summon help to rush her to the infirmary the second Sonia was out of sight. Every day, she inwardly cursed Sonia: *Has this country bumpkin's period still not arrived yet?*
Were it not for the shreds of pride she had left, coupled with her refusal to lose to a peer, Felix would have long since refused this one-sided torment from Sonia.
But she refused to give in. She was an avenger who had shouldered heavy burdens since childhood; how could she cower before a vulgar country girl who had nothing going for her except raw talent!
She could lose, but she could never lack the guts to draw her blade against this country girl!
Still...
Felix sat down and looked at her bleeding left hand. If this mishap hadn't occurred, the two of them would likely have kept fighting until midnight. And going by past combat experience, the country girl tended to grow more excited and savage as the fight progressed; the final half hour was always a tempestuous mauling that had shattered several of Felix's wooden swords.
Injuring one hand in exchange for clocking out an hour early... seemed like not such a bad deal after all?
"Your wind sorcery, water sorcery, and poison sorcery are all at the Silver realm, aren't they?" Sonia asked out of the blue. "Did you study them since childhood, or did you only pick up these three factions recently?"
Felix hesitated for a moment. "Recently."
"...You should have given up on swordsmanship long ago."
"That's not how it works," Felix said, treating herself with the Water Therapy sorcery spirit. "Swordsmanship is the key to Vosloda and the bedrock of my survival. Sometimes compromises must be made for survival. If you can't survive, you won't have the chance to let your talents bloom. Which matters more is obvious..."
"I'm not listening, I'm not listening, I'm not listening." Sonia covered her ears. "I refuse to get tangled up in the drama, rivalries, and feuds of noble circles."
"You were the one who brought it up." Felix relaxed as well, letting out a cold huff. "I won't be coming to duel you tomorrow."
Sonia looked at her in surprise, then clutched the hem of her clothes at a loss, lowering her head as her thoughts whirled.
Felix felt rather gratified by Sonia's reaction. Who would have thought the country girl actually had a sense of shame? She had assumed the girl would mock her for running away.
"Um... how about a newspaper?"
"What?"
"I'll roll up a newspaper," Sonia made a rolling motion with her hands. "I'll fight you with rolled-up newspaper. How's that?"
Felix froze, her face flushing with indignation. "I'm not afraid of dueling you!"
"Even a newspaper won't do? What about my finger? I can channel sword sorcery spirits with just one finger!"
Feeling she would die of exasperation if this conversation continued, Felix said bluntly, "My soul has fully recovered, and I'll be able to enter the Void Realm tomorrow. I don't have time to duel you!"
Some days ago, after Felix passed through the vortex passage in the Void Realm, an ambush by a Fishcleaver Dragon guarding the gate took her first blood. Immediately afterward, however, Sonia took advantage of the chaos to profit from the dragon, which was how Felix's Killing Intent Sword had ended up in Sonia's hands, sparking their formal business dealings.
Having experienced death, Felix had not sought help from her family in order to conceal her sorcery cultivation, but after all these days, her soul had completely healed through natural recovery alone.
That was why Felix had dared to pull out her trump cards tonight for an all-out battle against Sonia—if she lost, so be it, but if she won, she would have an excuse to take the win and run, giving this country girl zero chance to turn the tables!
Chapter 173