Your Mama Won't Cater to You

"Hey, ditch class and get over to the Combat Hall! Aren't you a huge fan of the Orange Dancer? She's right here!" "Can the people in front move aside? If you're not from the Swordsmanship Department, get the hell out! This is a Swordsmanship Department class!" "This is the school's Combat Hall! You guys in Swordsmanship are the ones who should get lost!" More and more students flooded into the Combat Hall, many calling their friends over to watch. After all, the romantic drama between Felix, Sonia, and Celia was already captivating enough, and now two prominent campus figures, Loren and Leonie, had stepped in as guest stars. Even if students had classes, they had to come join the excitement. The instructor for the practical combat class simply stepped aside, taking an attitude of letting them do as they pleased. There was no need for him to meddle in a dispute between apprentices of Sword Saints, and as long as no one died, combat was considered legitimate, legal student exchange. If it had been a duel between two students of equal strength, the instructor might have worried that they would get carried away in the heat of battle and fail to pull their strikes. But this was practically the safest scenario imaginable. Because the gap in combat prowess was simply too immense. *Whoosh!* Sonia let out a fierce shout as her wooden sword sliced through the air with a whistling gale. A pale purple ripple of sword energy formed a protective curtain before her, walling Leonie off. "Not a bad Fan Wave Sword." Leonie offered a casual remark, lightly tapping the rippling curtain with the tip of her wooden sword. With a twist of her wrist, she flicked the ripple curtain away like a rag. Then, taking a step forward, she swung her wrist! *Clang!* A heavy force surged down the blade. Sonia was knocked back two paces, the shock through her hands nearly sending the wooden sword flying from her grip. Sweat ran down her cheeks, ruining her makeup and soaking nearly all of her clothes. She was panting through her mouth in an utterly graceless manner, like a country bumpkin, yet Sonia could not afford to care about any of that now. Her eyes were locked onto Leonie, not daring to slacken for a fraction of a second. This was the first time she truly understood what it meant to be a real sorcerer. Felix and she were both rookies who had only stepped into the Void Realm a few days ago—not worth mentioning. The gap between Professor Trozan and her was far too vast; their spars were purely educational, never subjecting Sonia to actual pressure. Coupled with how smooth her adventures in the Void Realm had been, Sonia had grown slightly conceited—thinking there wasn't much to being a sorcerer after all. Her low profile had never been born of humility, but rather arrogance: she believed her future was boundless, so she was willing to endure momentary obscurity. Only when Leonie appeared was her mask of arrogance torn away. This had nothing to do with sorcery spirits. From the start until now, Leonie had only used the three basic spirits: Slash Sword, Thrust Sword, and Cut Sword. Nor did it have anything to do with sorcery power; Leonie's strikes put pressure on Sonia, but they weren't impossible to resist. A sorcerer's truly terrifying power lay in knowledge. Every second, every movement, Sonia felt as if everything about her was under Leonie's complete control. Leonie seemed to know every derivative action she could make, having prepared countless countermeasures, casually dismantling whatever Sonia attempted. It felt like a child fighting an adult. The adult only needed to press a hand against the child's forehead, and the child couldn't touch them at all. Even as she dripped with sweat, a feeling of powerless frustration took root in her heart, making her feel stifled enough to roar. "Keep going, Junior Sonia. Use whatever moves you have left." Leonie raised her wooden sword slightly. "Don't worry about hurting me." Words that seemed considerate cut deeper than any insult. Sonia gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. "Then, Senior, I'm going all out. Watch yourself!" "I'm looking forward to it." Seeing Sonia assume a sheathing stance, Leonie raised an eyebrow, seemingly piqued. "An iai sword technique?" Step, spin, slash! A sudden gale erupted as a wave of sword energy swept across the arena. Sonia surged forward in a thunderous spin, closing the distance to Leonie in the blink of an eye! This was the move Sonia had created herself—Iai Wave Sword! "A bit interesting, but..." Leonie accurately judged the path of Sonia's blade and brought her sword down. "Nothing mo—" Right at that moment, Sonia abruptly canceled the Wave Sword. Shifting into an uncanny footwork, her body dodged to the side, reorganizing her stance to seize the initiative through a counterattack! The swordsmanship technique taught by the Watcher—Foresight Slash! *Clang!* The two wooden swords clashed with the ring of steel. Leonie was about to say something, but in the next second, her expression changed drastically! *Ping, ping, ping, ping—* A series of sounds like plucking steel strings rang out. A faint, shimmering feather robe of scales surfaced over Leonie's body. Five threads woven of moonlight struck her chest, waist, and thighs, sending ripples across the feathered robe. "What kind of sorcery spirit is that...?" "Can't tell, but it's definitely not from the swordsmanship faction. That's the light faction!" "Sonia only became a sorcerer a few days ago, so where did she get a spirit like that? The Hidden Hand Sword Saint doesn't cultivate the light faction, does she?" "She couldn't have gotten it from the Void Realm, could she? She only entered it a few days ago!" While the crowd buzzed with astonishment over the new sorcery spirit Sonia had revealed, Leonie suddenly departed from her usual easygoing demeanor, meeting Sonia's "surprise" with a fierce onslaught! *Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!* The tempestuous barrage left Sonia gasping for breath, her hands going numb. In her haste, she had attempted to disrupt Leonie using Moon Silk or Foresight Slash, but such predictable attacks couldn't delay Leonie for even a second before being instantly dismantled by the Orange Dancer! "Junior Sonia, to be honest, I was a bit angry just now," Leonie spoke while delivering slashes. "When you used that light trap to force out my Swordscale Feather Robe, I felt insulted. An established sorcerer who has fully unfolded her Silver Wings, fighting someone who only became a sorcerer a few days ago, actually had her protective miracle triggered. Nothing could be more humiliating. "If Professor Nidala found out, I'd definitely get an earful. "But I quickly realized that I had no right to be angry. The one who should be angry is you. You used immense courage to challenge me, wanting a passionate swordsmanship duel, yet I treated you like an adult humoring a child, insulting you in the process. That was wrong of me, and I apologize. "Your light sorcery spirit woke me up. It showed me that you're not trash like Felix—you are a true sword sorcerer!" In the midst of taking a beating, Sonia barely managed to squeeze out a few words: "You're being too kind—" "No, I must offer you my sincerest apology." Leonie pronounced each word deliberately. "Next, I will use my full strength to answer your burning fighting spirit. "Sonia, keep your eyes on me." Leonie suddenly drew back her sword and took a step back. Before Sonia could catch her breath, Leonie's figure vanished from her sight! An intense sense of crisis seized Sonia's heart, raising goosebumps all over her body. Without time to think, she swept her wooden sword horizontally to parry to her right— *Clang!* Sonia turned her head, only to catch an orange afterimage! She couldn't track Leonie's figure at all! With her vision completely useless, Sonia could only rely on instinct to defend! *Clang!* Leonie's voice of surprise resonated from the surroundings. "That wasn't luck, huh? But now comes the real test." In the next second, an overwhelming sense of danger crashed down like a tidal wave. Sonia felt like a tiny skiff before a tsunami, where even the backwash was enough to capsize her vessel and end her life! She turned to parry, just catching sight of a golden sword light illuminating the hall like a descending miracle, meting out punishment upon the world! *Clang!* Sonia was sent flying backward, knocked several meters through the air. However, she immediately swung a Wave Sword in reverse to arrest her momentum, barely managing a stable landing. But both of her wrists were bruised, and her whole body was trembling uncontrollably. It was only then that Sonia finally recognized what technique Leonie had just unleashed. "Miracle: Rhythm Melody!" "It's here—the true Orange Dancer! A figure so fast it can hardly be tracked, leaving only an orange afterimage!" "Senior Leonie has already learned the Rhythm Sword Saint's famous miracle? But wasn't that a miracle the Rhythm Sword Saint created after reaching Two Wings?" "That means Senior Leonie isn't far from Two-Winged Gold!" Rhythm Melody—a swordsmanship miracle created by Professor Nidala. Its effect was simple: the first two strikes gathered energy, and the third strike unleashed an explosive burst! It sounded unremarkable, but paired with speed spirits and concealment spirits, Rhythm Melody turned into a death melody designed for reaping lives. It could easily dismantle an enemy's defenses in short order, crushing any resistance with absolute violence! Just as Leonie was overwhelming Sonia right now! *Clang!* Another heavy slash descended. Though it wasn't the third explosive strike, it was still far from something Sonia, exhausted and injured, could easily withstand. She was driven back several steps, casting an unwilling glance at the severed Moon Silk drifting in the air. "If my reactions couldn't keep pace with my speed, I would have died in the Abyss long ago," Leonie's voice rang out once more. "Traps like this won't work on me." Just moments ago, Sonia had secretly channeled the Moon Silk spirit to set a trap in midair, assuming Leonie's extreme speed would cause her to run straight into it. But how could a seasoned sorcerer possess such an obvious blind spot? Before attacking her, Leonie had already cut through the silk. *Clang!* Sonia was forced back several more steps. Leonie said calmly, "Lowering your sword counts as conceding." Should she concede? If she didn't, the next attack would be the third strike of Rhythm Melody. Sonia knew full well that there was no way she could endure another charged burst. She would inevitably be blasted over a dozen meters away and suffer a hideous defeat. No matter how she looked at it, conceding was the best choice. Moreover, giving up now wouldn't be shameful. Holding out this long against Leonie, forcing out her protective miracle, and driving her to deploy Rhythm Melody... After this fight, no one would doubt Sonia's qualifications as Professor Trozan's apprentice. After this fight, Sonia would become the most renowned swordsmanship prodigy among the first-years. She had already gained so much; now was the perfect time to stop. With some luck, she could even build a connection with Senior Leonie. She had heard that Leonie was teamed up with students from Truth University, which meant an avenue to tap into higher social circles. Every thread of reason in her mind told her what to do. This pragmatism was the greatest asset that had allowed Sonia to leave the countryside and reach Jialesi—she never let emotion cloud her judgment. Yet at this very moment, even though her hands were numb with pain, even though she was exhausted enough to fall asleep on her feet, Sonia simply refused to lower her sword! She! Was! Not! Resigned! This had nothing to do with benefits, nothing to do with her future, nothing to do with likes or dislikes! She just wanted to win. She didn't want to lose. It was as simple as that! Rebellious blood burned through every inch of her flesh, and furious thoughts crushed her reason in this moment. She felt as though she had transformed into a sword—living to face death, driven mad by battle! *Watcher, did you orchestrate all of this just to savor my miserable defeat? Let me tell you: this mama of yours isn't catering to you!* Roaring ferociously in her heart, Sonia gripped her wooden sword with both hands. Tears welled in her eyes, and her teeth nearly bit through her lip as her entire body tensed to meet the final chord of the Rhythm Melody!