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"How many minutes has it been?"
"Ninety-six minutes. Has anyone counted how many times?"
"I started counting first. I got to over seventeen hundred when I just happened to see her sword cut through the seventh ring, and I was stunned for a while. I can only say it's around twenty-four hundred now."
When Celia opened the door to the training ground, she saw an unbelievable sight—the swordsmanship apprentices, who usually squandered sweat and wasted youth, had all thrown down their practice swords and gathered around in a circle, discussing something.
She thought they were watching her boyfriend Felix, wondering if he had successfully summoned his 'Wave Motion Sword' Technique Spirit.
With this thought, she quickly walked a few steps faster, contemplating where to celebrate later.
To the Amber Original Club? Or perhaps the Golden Port Bar?
However, Felix must be very tired now. Why not go directly to his place and spend a 'good rest' with him? Felix has known her for so long, and it's surprising that he has restrained himself from taking the next step. Celia felt she should be more proactive.
Yet when Celia walked into the crowd, she realized she was mistaken—because she found that her proud and handsome boyfriend Felix was just like an ordinary onlooker, showing a shocked expression as if he were a common fish, dumbly staring forward.
Following their gaze, Celia discovered that there was a girl in the training ground even more beautiful than herself: a casually tied ponytail, a fair and tender neck, a face as flawless as if without makeup, and even the sweat dripping on it shimmered like pearls.
An enemy and yet a fellow traveler, Celia sensed this immediately, even though the other party hadn't said a word.
Seemingly barefaced yet employing many makeup techniques to disguise a 'first love' look, seemingly casual clothing that perfectly exposed her neck and wrists, seemingly simple yet perfectly accessorizing her beauty... If she hadn't studied and prepared specifically, how could she disguise such an almost perfect 'dream goddess' image that hit all male pleasure points?
With a glance, she confirmed, she was also a Hunter!
With this thought, Celia squinted her eyes, disregarded the sweat on Felix, and took the initiative to hold his arm.
In her eyes, there wasn't a better prey than Felix in the entire training ground, or even the entire Sword Flower University.
Even considering Truth University, Felix was a first-class prize. As long as she could obtain the surname Vosloda, it would bring endless benefits to Celia.
She had been planning for Felix for a long time, and even knowing Felix's playboy nature, she had enough confidence to rein in this wild horse.
If used well, even the trait of being flirtatious might not be a bad thing. As long as she could obtain the title of wife, Celia wouldn't mind him sneaking around.
It was hard to reach the harvest season, and Felix was planning to introduce her to Duke Vosloda at his birthday banquet. Now, suddenly, someone wanted to snatch her prey? Not a chance!
"Felix, what are you all watching?" Celia asked nonchalantly, "I didn't know the Sword Skill Department had such a pretty junior."
"You're here, senior." Felix only then noticed Celia's arrival but his eyes didn't even shift for a second to Celia, as if only the girl practicing was in his gaze. "She... she isn't from the Sword Skill Department. She's a first-year from the Water Magic Department, named Sonia Sevi."
He even knew her name and year... Celia's sense of crisis grew stronger, wanting to drag Felix away immediately, but she also knew the strategy of feigning disinterest, so she pretended to be curious and asked, "Why are you all watching her train? Because she's pretty?"
"No... not just that..." Felix shook his head. "Because you aren't a swordsmanship apprentice, I don't know how to explain it to you."
"In my first year, I dual majored in swordsmanship for a few months. It's just that I had more talent in the Water Magic Department, so I gave it up." Celia snorted. "Plus, aren't you a swordsmanship genius? With your explanation, how could I not understand?"
"Well, I'll keep it simple." Felix said, "An hour and a half ago, she was a novice who couldn't even hold the sword correctly. Now, she can slice through the ninth ring of the armor statue with one strike."
"She must be pretending, right?" Celia didn't say this out of malicious intent; she had seriously practiced swordsmanship for a few months. She understood what this meant—even she could only slice into the second ring, and her level was considered above average among first-year students.
"Though I thought so earlier, or rather, I wanted to think so, which is why I kept watching her train. I hoped to see her hit a bottleneck, I anticipated seeing her make no further progress... But now, after an hour and a half, my humble jealousy has turned into full admiration."
It was hard for Celia to imagine Felix speaking such humble and sincere words. Even when talking about his father, the Star-forging Duke, and his brother Demi, he always had a disdainful, indifferent tone.
Yet towards an almost unknown girl, he expressed admiration and curiosity. This was a very dangerous signal—curiosity often leads as the vanguard to downfall.
Furthermore, he had watched a girl for an hour and a half... an hour and a half?
He watched for an hour and a half, so that Hunter girl named Sonia trained for a full hour and a half!?
Celia then deliberately observed Sonia's training moves: sliding forward, striking the face, steady as a rock, moving like thunder... Her every move completely followed the Swordsmanship Manual, without any shortcuts or borrowed strength, each sword strike exerted with utmost effort!
Normally, people would need to rest after a few minutes of cultivation; Felix couldn't train for more than three hours, with one hour being for rest and relaxation. Yet, according to them, this girl trained continuously for over an hour without stopping!?
No wonder they were all watching—compared to a beautiful girl, these sword-obsessed young men were probably more curious about how to possess such terrifying endurance.
But after watching for a while, Celia also merged into the crowd, her gaze uncontrollably drawn to Sonia's training posture.
Her movements were full of the beauty of swordsmanship, the beauty of strength, the beauty of a young woman. What's more terrifying was that she seemed to improve at every moment, with each sword swing stronger, more precise, and more skillful than the last.
This was a display of art, an art of swordsmanship.
At this moment, Celia was utterly convinced.
If this girl named Sonia was truly targeting Felix, Celia had almost no chance of winning.
She knew Felix's obsession with swordsmanship well. If her 'intellectual beauty senior' image was worth eighty points in Felix's heart, then Sonia's 'swordsmanship genius beauty girl' was at a hundred and fifty points.
Clang!
When Sonia's wooden sword sliced into the tenth ring of the armor statue, everyone collectively inhaled sharply, and the temperature in the training ground seemed to drop—they witnessed a Miracle!
An entrant-level swordsmanship apprentice, after nonstop two-hour training, successfully slashed into the tenth ring of the armor statue!
Even if she did nothing else now, she only needed the timing to be right, and she would trigger the Resonance of the Void Realm's knowledge, summon a swordsmanship Technique Spirit, and step into the Void Realm to become a Void Wings mage! Quickly, it could be a second; slowly, it could be months!
You should know that not everyone can become a mage at Sword Flower University, with the graduation rate hovering at 50%. Every graduate Void Wings mage has a bright future!
So starting from this moment, Sonia could already determine her carefree life for the rest of her days!
Meanwhile, Sonia also put away her wooden sword, letting the boulder in everyone's heart settle—the Monster covered in the appearance of a beautiful girl was finally tired.
If Sonia continued her training, they would seriously suspect if wearing women's clothes added to physical stamina. Although even now, it was already outrageous; a full two hours, averaging a strike every two seconds, thirty strikes per minute, totaling three thousand six hundred strikes in two hours... Just calculating this number was enough to make the swordsmanship apprentices' scalps tingle.
At this moment, Ingrid hurriedly went over, offering a towel and a cup of water, prepared to assist Sonia back to the dorm.
When Sonia swung her sword a thousand times, Ingrid had already been won over by her, for the first time feeling the urge to get closer to her—could someone cultivating swordsmanship have any bad intentions?
"Sonia, you're tired, right? Shall we head back together?"
Ingrid only knew one method to get closer: go back together, go to the restroom together, eat together...
The nearly collapsed Sonia took the towel, wiped herself, took a shallow sip of water, showed Ingrid a relieved smile, and just as she was about to agree, suddenly felt a surge of energy coursing through her limbs, revitalizing her strength.
Her expression suddenly froze, her gaze fixed tightly on Felix in the crowd.
It was the look of a Hunter locking onto prey.
Other swordsmanship apprentices sighed quietly, Celia bit her lower lip in frustration, and Felix lifted his chin slightly, showing Sonia a confident smile.
The reason behind these changes was heartwarming.
Because in Sonia's line of sight, the Observer stood right behind Felix.
That damned little noisemaker, waving his finger, said,
"Sword Maiden, you can't rest yet."
"Next," he pointed to Felix, "you need to defeat this person."
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