Starry Country.
"Then what about you? Are you thinking of me? Have you missed me so much you couldn't sleep, weeping secretly under the covers? Do you like me the way I like you?"
"Go ahead and treat my infatuation as a trophy to flaunt before other girls. Tell them how cheap I was, how shameless I was, and then hold that other girl close and say, 'Thank goodness I met you.'"
"Don't worry, I won't cry, and I won't cause a scene, because I know—"
"I'm not your exception anymore."
Miracle—Blood Blossom Water Moon!
Countless threads swept through the air, and blossoms of blood burst into a curtain. The red-haired Sword Princess stood amidst the screen of blood, droplets splashing against the red-haired girl's face and trickling down like tear tracks.
"Cut! That's a wrap!"
The tense atmosphere on the set relaxed instantly. Sonia let out a long breath of stale air and walked over to sit down on a folding chair to rest. Her little assistant immediately scurried over to wipe the prop blood from her face and hand her some lemonade. The illusionists and construction sorcerers assigned to the crew immediately set to work altering the terrain and scenery according to blueprints; the rumbling of soil stretching and churning served as background accompaniment to the actors' break.
"Miss Cervi, fantastic performance." The director walked over. His eyes were hidden behind his six-eye goggles, but the admiration in his voice was impossible to conceal. "I originally thought that with no acting training and little life experience, you'd be a bit stiff playing this kind of love-turned-to-hate, lovesick-madness scene. I never expected you to get into character so quickly."
"While you still can't compare to top-tier screen maidens, as a newcomer, your acting is bound to make the audience's eyes light up. Casting you for this role was truly the right choice... By the way, are you experiencing unrequited love right now? Your performance felt extraordinarily authentic during that part."
"Haha." Sonia put on a practiced, professional smile. "Of course not. I don't plan to date before graduating—"
The director continued, "Because I love writing female characters who fall into twisted romances, but there aren't many screen maidens well-suited for this archetype. So I was wondering if I could come to you for roles like this in the future—"
"Actually, I've had someone I've pined over for three years." Sonia instantly adopted a look of sorrowful self-pity. "The only reason I tested into Sword and Rose and came to Jialesi was the hope that one day I could stand before him. But when we finally met again, he was already my best friend's fiancé..."
The director adjusted his six-eye goggles. "Understood. Whenever I have a role like this in the future, I'll definitely call you for an audition, Miss Cervi."
"Thank you, Director~"
The little assistant watched, completely stunned. Wait... was what the Sword Flower just said true or fake?
"Still, I've really put you through the wringer this time, draining so much of your sorcery power just for a whim of mine."
In the original script, the character Sonia played simply decapitated her former lover with a single sword slash, then walked away cradling his head.
However, footage of Sonia defeating the alchemist Tida with a single stroke in the exhibition match had already spread far and wide, bringing her swordsmanship miracle, Blood Blossom Water Moon, into the public eye. The director had simply altered the script on the fly, having her use Blood Blossom Water Moon to execute the lover.
Sonia had naturally been thrilled to add more scenes showing off her flair, but to achieve the best cinematic effect, she had already shot this sequence nine times. Her sorcery power had run so low that her head was spinning slightly.
"Ah, how could it be any trouble? As long as it's to craft a better piece of work, it's all worth it. If anything, I'm more worried about whether this scene can be shown faithfully on the light screen," Sonia immediately replied. "It's a bit bloody, and if I recall, this drama is rated for all ages..."
"Relax, relax. Filming bloody scenes in romance movies is my greatest specialty," the director said casually. "Showing the whole thing probably won't fly, but we only need to show glimpses and edges to let the audience's imagination conjure up something even more dazzling than reality. Besides, for a visual this gorgeous and twisted, I'll bet my entire network of connections before I let them cut it.
"Even if it really does need heavy editing, they won't cut out shots of your face. Rest easy."
Sonia blinked. "Ah, was I that obvious?"
"Not obvious, but an actor who doesn't care about their screen time is as rare as a cat that doesn't knock over water glasses."
As if hearing itself being mentioned, a tiny golden-shaded cat popped its head out of the director's bucket hat. Roughly palm-sized, fluffy, and chubby, it hopped lightly onto the director's coat pocket, fished out a gold coin with its mouth, and retreated into the bucket hat.
"Ah!" Sonia's eyes brightened. "Is this..."
"That's right. This is a Gold-Devouring Beast—one that doesn't let you pet it, doesn't let you tease it, and does nothing but eat gold coins and cause trouble," the director said grumpily. "Looks cute, doesn't it? Paid for with a nervous breakdown. I swear the Void Realm has it out for me, giving someone who needs peace and quiet to create the one creature least capable of being quiet."
The Gold-Devouring Beast was native to the Time Continent, though it did not qualify as a knowledge creature; in the Starry Country, it was classified as a 'rare species'. When sorcerers encountered rare species in the Void Realm, there was a certain probability that the creature would latch onto them and be brought out of the Void Realm, manifesting from illusion into reality.
Currently, there was no evidence that rare species provided any buffs to sorcerers. Generally speaking, however, the sorcerers that rare species took a liking to shared three main traits: 1) At least a Two-Winged Sorcerer; 2) Kind-hearted and empathetic; 3) Innocent and pure-minded. In other words, anyone favored by a rare species was...
"No need to envy me," the director said. "You might run into a Gold-Devouring Beast that latches onto you in the Void Realm too, Miss Cervi."
"Haha, impossible," Sonia waved a hand dismissively. "I'm not from a noble background."
Powerful, kind-hearted, and pure-minded—only noble scions could possibly possess all three. No matter how extraordinary a commoner was, they invariably had to sacrifice at least one to life. Under normal circumstances, commoners couldn't satisfy any of the three: setting aside great strength, the latter two were delicate, beautiful qualities that required meticulous pampering to survive.
"Since I don't have any more scenes, I'll take my leave first."
"Thanks for your hard work today," the director said. "Heading back to school?"
"No, I'm heading over to Truth University to borrow their Time Training Chamber. It wasn't easy reserving three hours of training time."
"So diligent!" the little assistant said admiringly. "You truly live up to the name Sword Flower, both gifted and hardworking. Someone like me can barely muster the energy to study... But for geniuses like you, training must be a blast, right?"
"Hmm~" Sonia pretended to ponder. "Actually, it's not really that fun. It's just that I can clearly feel myself improving bit by bit. Like playing a game—every so often, I see 'EXP +5' pop up over my head..."
"Sigh, geniuses and ordinary people really do live in different worlds," the assistant sighed wistfully. "It's no wonder you're so amazing, Miss Cervi."
"Then I won't keep you." The director adjusted his six-eye goggles. "Don't push yourself too hard—and I don't just mean acting."
Sonia blinked, but the director had already turned back to plan the second scene.
Kind-hearted and caring for others... what an enviable quality.
The village girl chuckled inwardly. She was led aside by her assistant to change clothes, then sought out the makeup artist to quickly remove her stage makeup. Because this scene needed to highlight the character's wicked, seductive charm, her makeup wasn't heavy, but it was exceptionally delicate—in other words, a pain in the neck, requiring even her eyebrows to be wiped clean brow by brow.
When Sonia left, the set had already been transformed into a realistic forest, where the male and female leads were filming a scene together.
As the film studio that produced the most cinematic dramas in Jialesi, the studio's greatest trait was versatility. Construction sorcerers and illusionists only had to add just a little bit of detail to transform the set into any realistic landscape. Let alone on a light screen, one couldn't tell real from fake even in person—such was the power of miracles.
As for distant backgrounds, that was even simpler. With the help of sorcerer tools like camera eyes, illusionists could faithfully project real, distant landscapes directly onto the set, blending the real and the virtual without a seam. Never mind common forests or snowfields; even for underwater depths or volcanic lava, the studio had permanent camera eyes stationed on site.
Only upon coming here did Sonia learn that the cinematic dramas she watched on the light screen were, in reality, woven out of everyday miracles. Even if industry professionals weren't sorcerers, they had to master sorcerer tools. The six-eye goggles worn by the director, for example, were a tool that allowed one to view six camera feeds simultaneously.
Taking one last look at the male and female leads bathed under the spotlights, Sonia boarded a vehicle and departed the film studio.
Because the drive to downtown Jialesi took half an hour, Sonia didn't idle away the time. She opened the "Exhibition Match Competitor Dossier" in her miracle bracelet.
The exhibition matches among the universities had concluded; next was the official commencement of the Intercollegiate League. The academy had already compiled dossiers on the seeded contestants fielded by each university, recording their performances during the exhibition matches.
Beneath the profiles of certain dominant contenders, Professor Trozan had personally added notes on countermeasures for sword sorcerers.
Senior Leonie had once told her a joke: "The Intercollegiate League is over before it even begins." While that was an exaggeration, this analytical dossier truly helped Sonia understand her strengths and weaknesses against sorcerers of different factions, and even let her project her standing in the league—assuming she made no significant progress or concealed any trump cards during this period.
And that was merely the analysis from Sword and Rose. It was said that Truth University had a professor of the prophecy faction who could infer a contestant's true combat capability from existing data and formulate tailored strategies to defeat them. The fact that Truth University's students could crush their opponents in most league matches was largely owed to the analytical prowess of the prophecy faction.
The Intercollegiate League might not end before it began, but it certainly started before it began. Schools provided their students with as much support as possible, and students had to digest this gift as quickly as they could before the tournament started, patching weaknesses and amplifying advantages.
By the time Sonia's eyes grew tired from studying the profiles, the car had pulled up outside Truth University.
Sonia got out. Turning her head, she spotted the Ascending White Tower not far away.
Ever since the "Fall of the Stars" incident, this white tower had stood in the very heart of Jialesi, and the stars had never fallen again. Though unseen, Sonia knew that a Star Prayerer sat atop the white tower, maintaining the balance of the stars.
Although Truth University was not open to outsiders, that "outside" did not include other universities—college students from other schools could visit Truth University directly by presenting their student IDs.
"The Sword Flower?"
"The Red-Haired Sword Princess..."
Sonia had been the talk of the town lately, her story far too legendary. Even at Truth University, many had heard of this burgeoning "Sword Saint prospect." Along the way, quite a few students recognized her. They didn't try to chat her up or anything, merely nodding in greeting. Sonia mustered her spirits, offering a graceful, poised smile to every glance, whether friendly or hostile.
She arrived before an ash-white building, where two gun-sword sorcerers stood guard at the entrance. Although the gun-sword faction was still in its infancy, its outstanding combat efficacy and relatively low learning curve (for sword sorcerers and gun sorcerers) had already made it standard equipment for silver armed sorcerers.
As she walked up the steps, one of the gun-sword sorcerers reached out an arm to block her. "Pardon me, but the area ahead is not open for touring. Non-campus personnel are not permitted entry."
"I've already booked a training chamber," Sonia said, a little puzzled. "You should be able to see my reservation, shouldn't you?"
The gun-sword sorcerers on security duty wore miracle spectacles, which shared a database with the university's Curtain, allowing them to access the basic information of any student before them—extremely handy for catching rule-breaking students. Thus, they could tell at a glance that Sonia wasn't a student of their university, but they should also be able to see her reservation request.
Besides, this was already Sonia's third time coming to the Time Training Chamber. The first two times had gone smoothly, so why was she being stopped now?
The gun-sword sorcerer replied courteously, "Apologies. The university has recently ramped up security measures internally. Non-campus personnel entering vital facilities must be reported to the administration office for approval. Please wait a moment."
"Alright."
Sonia stood there waiting for dozens of seconds. Only when another student walked right past her into the Time Training Chamber did she suddenly realize what was happening.
"Excuse me, may I go in now?"
"Apologies, the administration office hasn't replied yet," the gun-sword sorcerer said. "The duty officer may have stepped out. Please wait a moment."
This flawlessly watertight bureaucratic phrasing was the kind of nonsense only a noble councilor five days into a hangover after downing three jin of wine could spout.
In an instant, Sonia understood what she was facing: suppression from Truth University.
No, it couldn't really be called suppression from Truth University—a behemoth like that wouldn't spare a glance for someone like her. The one targeting Sonia right now was likely just an administrator in the admissions office. Because Sonia had rejected the olive branch Truth University extended a couple of days ago, they were enacting a "petty" bit of retaliation.
Many of Truth University's training facilities were the absolute best, or even one of a kind. Other allied universities could borrow Truth University's miracle facilities with a professor's application, such as the Time Training Chamber before Sonia.
The retaliator hadn't openly bullied Sonia. They had merely instructed the guards to stop non-campus students and submit external visitors' details to the administration office for review. Procedurally, it was entirely legitimate, especially in the wake of the Fall of the Stars incident, which made heightened security feel all the more warranted.
Sonia could already envision the consequences of various reactions she might take:
1) If she lost her temper and berated the two gun-sword sorcerers, it would draw a crowd of Truth University students. Truth students had undoubtedly long resented outsiders taking up their cultivation resources, so they would never empathize with Sonia; instead, they would think it was "about time someone put a stop to this."
2) If she stubbornly waited it out—since the Time Training Chamber was always booked solid, if she really waited three hours, even if they granted her entry, there would be no chamber available for her. More likely, after she waited over two hours, the duty officer would rush back "full of apologies" and approve her entry, leaving her with nowhere to vent her anger.
3) If she took to the university forum to blast Truth University's discrimination, no one outside the members of the Paw Stretching Club would support her. It would be like a noble lady complaining that her parents were marrying her off to a duke's son of equal standing; Sonia complaining that she was so powerful that Truth University discriminated against her would sound to ordinary students like nothing short of bragging.
4) If she complained to Professor Trozan, today's training was ruined regardless. As for whether she would be targeted next time, that would depend entirely on how much weight Trozan's reputation carried.
Yet the greater likelihood was that even if Sonia complained to others, people would only think she was "paranoid," "making groundless accusations," or "full of herself."
After all, Truth University was an immense institution; why would it deliberately target a single student?
Flies don't buzz around eggs without cracks; it takes two hands to clap...
But Sonia was entirely confident in her deduction.
She was all too familiar with this feeling. Others followed the rules and regulations to the letter, yet managed to disgust you, inconvenience you, and inflict gratuitous losses upon you all the same.
They banked on the fact that you lacked the capital to fight back, which was why they acted with such impunity.
Even if you stood your ground to the bitter end and refused to yield, at most you would merely reclaim what was rightfully yours—you would receive no compensation, and they would face no punishment.
This suffocating, stinging humiliation—like a fishbone stuck in the throat, impossible to spit out and impossible to swallow—was something she and her mother had endured together growing up.
The only difference was that over time, her mother had grown increasingly numb, while she had grown increasingly furious.
Under the watchful eyes of the two gun-sword sorcerers, Sonia cleared her throat, tapped her miracle bracelet, and dialed a number.
"Mm-hmm?" A languid voice answered from the other end.
"P-Professor Trozan!" Sonia choked up, wailing like a grief-stricken maiden, "Come to Truth University and save me, quick!"
Chapter 372