```
"I'm exhausted, Ingrid. You first, or should I take a bath first?"
The voice arrived before the person. Lois, who was reading in the dorm room, immediately frowned.
The dorm room door swung open, and two girls with sword bags on their backs walked in, their faces sprinkled with beads of sweat. They laughed as they came in, like a breath of spring wind filling the room with vitality, carrying the fresh scent of budding soil.
"I'll go first," Ingrid said as she sat down. "I have to do laundry afterwards, and your legs are already weak. Sit for a while and regain your strength."
"True," Sonia stretched lazily, sprawling over the table like a slime. "Ugh, I'm starting to regret transferring to the Sword Skill department. It's exhausting. Besides regular classes, Professor Trozan insists I take two extra hours of advanced courses. I even have to spar with Trozan... then continue swordsmanship training in the evening to master the Wave Sword Technique Spirit. It feels like my whole day is packed."
"Isn't that great," Ingrid said enviously. "Professor Trozan is a Three-winged Sword Master and was even selected last year as one of the 'Dazzling Star's Top Ten Outstanding Sword Saints,' known as the 'Hidden Hand Sword Saint.' It's said he might achieve the legendary Four-winged status... At that time, Sonia, you'll be an apprentice of a legendary Mage!"
Lois unconsciously crumpled the pages of her book.
Sonia waved her hand. "Professor Trozan hasn't promised to take me as an apprentice yet, just thinks I have talent..."
Ingrid sighed, "I actually wanted to be Professor Trozan's apprentice from the start, but he never publicly accepted apprentices. You're one of the only two exceptions over the years, Sonia!"
"I'll recommend you to Professor Trozan tomorrow, though I can't guarantee anything. It might at least get you an interview—"
"No need, the professor is clearly focused on nurturing geniuses, and I'm just an ordinary person. Not only wouldn't he accept me, but he'd probably dislike me for it." Ingrid said as she looked for clothes, "Besides, I'm about to break into the second circle; in a few months, I can summon my Technique Spirit. The Sword Skill department's resources will open up for me too... Maybe I'll even catch up to you eventually!"
"I won't wait for you." Sonia laughed. "Glad you're here, Ingrid. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to reject Felix's invitation."
Ingrid asked curiously, "I heard he wants to spar with you again. Don't you want a rematch?"
"No way!" Sonia stated firmly. "He doesn't want to spar, just wants to get closer to me."
"Isn't getting closer to Felix a good thing?"
"Aside from him being a playboy, I can clearly see that my future achievements in swordsmanship will surpass his. I wouldn't look up to a man who can't beat me at my strongest skill."
"Sword Flower University is too small. I definitely plan to develop over at Truth University in the future. As for romance, I'll consider it once I've achieved something in swordsmanship."
Lois's fingernails almost pierced through the book's pages.
Adelle, who had been watching a program on the light screen, half-joked, half-questioned, "Sonia, are you transferring to Truth University?"
"No, but Professor Trozan can help me register for swordplay competitions at Truth University and allow me to use their equipment. I might have to juggle between Truth and Sword Flower Universities." Sonia sighed, "The more I think about it, the more exhausted I feel."
Adelle exclaimed, "Then you'll get to meet top students from Truth University! If you find a handsome guy, remember to introduce him to us!"
"No~ prob~lem~" Sonia elongated her words. "If there's something good, I won't forget my roommates, who've shared a joyful year with me. Right, Lois?"
Lois's face contorted with anger, but she managed a strained smile, "Of course, just afraid the Sword Saint Sonia might forget about us roommates."
"How could I? I'm just a country village girl. I'll need Miss Lois's care in the future." Sonia said mockingly, "Ah, the lady is studying a Water Magic textbook? How envious, I wish I could continue learning Water Magic too, it's so relaxing and respectable, unlike the Sword Skill department, which is too exhausting~"
Ingrid realized then that although Sonia was chatting with her, her comments were aimed at Lois.
Choosing to ignore their feud, Ingrid headed to the bathroom for a shower.
Sonia was ready for Lois to explode, but Lois remained silent, as if resigned to the jibes.
Since passive-aggressive banter requires a reaction, and her target had defensively retreated, Sonia found it uninteresting and picked up her bag. "Never mind, I'll come back to shower tomorrow morning. I need to prepare for my first Void Realm trip in the meditation room. Everyone, have a pleasant evening."
Ingrid was in the shower, and Lois stayed silent, only Adelle replied, "Goodbye, Sonia."
...
...
As the footsteps faded away, only the sound of water from the bathroom remained in the dormitory.
Adelle glanced at the silent Lois, thought for a moment, and approached her. "Hmph, that village girl Sonia is just a little tart who got lucky. So what if she's got some talent in swordsmanship? You shouldn't worry about it, Lois. Someone so arrogant will hit a wall sooner or later... Eh?"
Upon closer inspection, Adelle found Lois genuinely engrossed in reading, even solving problems from a workbook.
"This time, I lost." Lois remarked, "That village girl Sonia is now someone I have to look up to. If things continue like this, when we meet a few years after graduation, I'll have to bow to her."
Imagining her future humiliated self, Lois's mouth twitched slightly. "I can't accept it... I refuse to believe I can't surpass that village girl!"
Adelle didn't disturb her, instead returning to her seat to continue watching her program.
Though the show was still captivating, Adelle found it hard to focus.
She turned and glanced at Lois again, seeing her still dedicated to studying. After some thought, Adelle turned off the light screen and took out her own books to study.
Ingrid finished her shower and was slightly surprised to see the two in the dorm room studying diligently.
But she said nothing, quietly heading to the balcony's sink to wash clothes.
...
...
After the guard checked her wristband information, Sonia entered a fully enclosed special building.
Just crossing the threshold, Sonia felt herself pass through a thin, invisible boundary, her thought process suddenly accelerated, and the Wave Sword Technique Spirit bounced off her shoulder, looking very excited.
"So, will you still be by my side when I enter the Void Realm?" Sonia asked.
"That's technically overtime work." said the Observer walking alongside her. "More than my service scope."
"So you're saying you don't want to...?"
"So, there has to be overtime pay!" The Observer rubbed his fingers together. "Even when you chat with someone at a bar, you buy them a drink, right? Going to the Void Realm with you for a chat and tour deserves some gratitude!"
"I'm super broke!"
"Besides money, you have plenty of other values to offer."
Sonia raised an eyebrow, tugged at her close-fitting shirt with her finger to reveal a deep cleavage, "My most valuable asset is myself..."
"That's the answer I was waiting for! You're now working for me." The Observer snapped his fingers. "Since you haven't graduated, you're still on a trial period. And during the trial period, there's no employment contract, and as for the salary, the energy potion you drank and the wooden sword you've been using already cover that, so..."
"So, you want me to work for you for free?"
"Tsk, how you say that. I give various opportunities for your growth. In your growing phase, some work in return isn't that the best employer-employee developmental relationship?"
Sonia didn't reject this unequal, exploitative contract but questioned, "You've invested so much, testing me in dreams, arranging training, and awakening my swordsmanship talents to make me work for you? What's my job?"
"Live."
"Live?"
"Living is the rarest thing in the world." The Observer seemed to smile. "Most people merely exist."
"I still don't understand." Sonia said, "Everything given must come with a price. You cultivated me intending to gain more from me. Unless you're a phantom of my spirit, I can't see why you'd be so selfless."
"It's not selflessness. On the contrary, there's no one more selfish than I," the Observer laughed. "I'm asking you to live the way I want. Is there anything more selfish?"
"But..."
"Ha-ha, I was joking. How could I be so considerate?" the Observer laughed. "I do have something to genuinely ask of you. For some reason, I'm really weak now and can't explore the Void Realm alone, so I need your protection."
Mid-conversation, Sonia arrived at room 311. She used her wristband to open the door, revealing a narrow, empty meditation room with an orange carpet covering the floor and bright ceiling lights illuminating every corner.
This was the meditation room at Sword Flower University, the best place Sonia could find for entering the Void Realm.
She locked the door, sat cross-legged on the carpet, and let the Wave Sword Technique Spirit float on her palm. She poured all her focus into the Technique Spirit, seeking out the Gate of Truth hidden within, attempting her first journey into the Void Realm.
Although Sonia managed to summon her first Technique Spirit, she wasn't yet a One-winged Mage because she hadn't condensed her "Silver Wings."
Without Magic Power, without gathering phantoms, she couldn't fully activate the Technique Spirit and thus wasn't considered a Mage.
Condensing the Silver Wings required entering the Void Realm, diving into the Sea of Knowledge, attracting knowledge with her soul, extracting Magic Power from knowledge, gathering it as Void Wings, and thus moving the Law Authority to become a Mage!
The only way for ordinary people to enter the Void Realm is to find the Gate of Truth within their Technique Spirit, let their soul pass through it, and reach the magical world constructed of Law and Knowledge—the Void Realm!
It's rumored the Void Realm is tens, hundreds, or even thousands of times larger than the real world.
Countless Mages spend their entire lives without ever meeting another person in the Void Realm, so all Mages must rely on themselves for exploring it.
The Meditation Building provides a quiet space for Mages to explore the Void Realm. Apart from being undisturbed, Sword Flower University performed the Miracle [Starlight Chasing Shadows], speeding up students' thought processes and helping them find the Gate of Truth more effortlessly. Additionally, it connects numerous starlights from the Magic Master of Dazzling Stars, making students' souls exude a fragrance that attracts knowledge, helping them condense the Silver Wings faster!
Quickly, Sonia found the Gate of Truth within the Wave Sword Technique Spirit.
Since it was her first time, Sonia was as nervous as if she were renting a hotel room. She asked in her mind, "Observer?"
"I'm here. Relax, there's a sacred bond between us, a divine fate binding you and me."
Sonia immediately calmed down, her consciousness touching the Gate of Truth, and her vision was consumed by darkness.
When she awoke, she found herself lying in a boat, floating on a lead-grey sea.
In front of her was an ink-black sky, surrounded by a misty fog.
She lay at the stern and saw a familiar figure at the bow.
Sonia: "Observer?"
Ash: "Sword Maiden?"
They both glanced at each other and breathed sighs of relief.
```