Light Sword Deployment

Compared to the first time, Lux's progress in the second simulation training was immense.

During the fifteen-minute reflection period, Lux thought a lot and calmed down.

So, after entering the simulation training again, she abandoned her previous wild sweeping combat style, forced herself to calm down, and adopted more effective methods to deal with the beetles.

Simply knocking them away wouldn't last for ten minutes; to endure, she had to reduce their numbers!

With this thought, Lux began to combine the basic swordsmanship she had practiced, somewhat clumsily, knocking away approaching beetles while killing those that got too close.

Then, she managed to last for five minutes, an improvement.

Even though she realized she needed to reduce the number of beetles and attack their weak spots without their shells, her stamina was limited, and she couldn't last long. As her movements slowed, the tide-like swarm of beetles would severely restrict her actions until they broke through her defenses.

When Lux came to her senses again, her performance was much better than last time.

Although her body was still sticky, at least the phantom pain was gone—more importantly, she truly felt her progress.

"You can be proud of your results," Karya chimed in appropriately. "It's like a child who used to wet the bed every night being surprised to find the sheets dry in the morning."

"Heh." Lux chuckled at Karya's sharp critique, as if she had found the crux of the matter. "My strategy is fine. You bastard tampered with the simulation training. Normally, five minutes wouldn't tire me out!"

"I said that the simulation training is a specific scenario and environment," Karya calmly denied Lux's accusation. "I never said that you in training and you now are exactly the same, nor can they be. The core of training is to improve your combat judgment and adaptability, not to rely on your current training to crush attributes. You can't be a 'Ten-Mile Slope Sword God'!"

"You just can't accept defeat!" Lux huffed indignantly. "What, are you going to say that your 'good students' were in the same state as me when they participated in this training?"

"Correct, but no reward," Karya affirmed Lux's statement. "I'll let you see later—as long as you can pass this introductory basic training."

"Of course!" Lux lifted her chin, casually removed her blue headband, and tied her long blonde hair into a high ponytail. "Let's go again. Ten minutes, that's all..."

"It's Sona's turn," Karya refused Lux's request for continuous training. "Also, don't think about continuous training or training out of spite. It won't make you look diligent; it will only make your mental state more unstable. If you have this energy, you should review your performance just now and try to do it fewer times so I can rest too."

"..."

"Sigh, these young people nowadays are really not considerate..."

And so, with Lux gritting her teeth, Sona stepped forward and grasped the hilt of the sword.

First training: Lux lasted three minutes, Sona two minutes.

Second training: Lux lasted five minutes, Sona five minutes.

Third training: Lux lasted six minutes, Sona six minutes.

Fourth training: Lux lasted six minutes, Sona six minutes.

Fifth, sixth, and seventh training sessions: Lux and Sona consistently failed to exceed six minutes—the limiting factor for both was stamina.

Whether swinging a sword for physical attacks or playing the zither for magical attacks, after six minutes of combat, Lux and Sona would react slowly due to depleted energy, allowing the cunning beetles to exploit their openings.

The two girls went out in the morning, and by lunchtime, neither had surpassed six minutes. They were utterly defeated.

Lux stubbornly insisted on continuing, but Karya refused her. "Let's rest for now. Your mental state is already very unstable—and haven't you noticed that your Magic Circuits are no longer usable?"

Hearing Karya say this, Lux finally noticed that the Magic Circuits she had painstakingly carved were now covered in pits and craters, as if they had been left for a century.

"What's going on?" Lux stared, dumbfounded. "What happened to the Magic Circuits?"

"My magic is very dangerous, I told you that," Karya didn't hide anything. "Even if I only drew a little magic from the Nullstone City wall, it would be enough to erode the Magic Circuits—in short, this thing is scrap now. If you want to continue training, work hard and carve another one!"

"Aaaahhhhhh! How could this happen?!" Lux's eyes widened in disbelief. "So, I haven't passed the training, and the training is already over."

"Yes," Karya said with a hint of regret. "It's a shame, but it's okay. As long as you carve another one, we can continue."

Upon receiving this result, Lux was as dejected as an internet-addicted girl whose electronic devices had all been confiscated. For her, although this simulation training was painful and failure was frustrating, fighting beetles in the desert was surprisingly engaging once she accepted the premise.

This was an unprecedented and novel experience for the noble girl, and Lux was completely immersed!

She had already planned that if she still couldn't last seven minutes in further training, she would use Light Magic to deal a heavy blow to the beetles, but before she could use her trump card, her Magic Circuits broke...

If she had known this would happen, she would have used magic directly last time instead of forcing herself to solve the problem with swordsmanship.

What a pity!

Meanwhile, Sona was also a bit dejected—but unlike Lux, who was frustrated about not passing, Sona was dejected because she couldn't resonate with Aihua at will.

In reality, Sona had to suppress her desire to play; even when playing the zither, she couldn't use magic to strum the strings. However, in the illusion of the simulation training, she could resonate with Aihua on a magical level, like soulmates.

This cooperation not only improved her combat awareness and experience but also greatly aided her musicality. Compared to practicing the zither tediously, this training was also extremely beneficial for her musical level.

What a pity!

Back at Crown Guard Manor, the two girls decided to turn their regrets into motivation, striving to mass-produce Nullstone Magic Circuits relatively smoothly so they could continue their simulation training.

After their cramming education, Lux and Sona displayed astonishing enthusiasm when faced with practical learning, and their skill in crafting Magic Circuits improved rapidly.

In less than half a month, Lux completed her second Magic Circuit.

And on the day after Lux's second version was finished, Sona also successfully carved a complete Magic Circuit.

With the support of the Magic Circuits, the simulation training finally resumed—in the familiar place, the familiar corner. After closing her eyes, she found herself in the familiar desert, took the long sword from Karya, and walked down the sand dune with her head held high.

"Watch this!" Lux drew her long sword, casually discarding its sheath. "I'm not what I used to be—Hya!"

With Lux's sharp cry, a brilliant radiance bloomed from the long sword in her hand. The sword, which was less than three feet long, instantly transformed into a greatsword over five feet long.

"Come on!" Lux said confidently, "Scarabs, huh? You're all dead!"

The Light Sword was not only long but also incredibly destructive. The scarabs' carapaces could withstand normal blades, but they had no resistance to the "enchantment" of light elements. With just one sweep, Lux could eliminate large numbers of them.

"Training is just like this!" Lux laughed heartily, "Watch me clear everything out-- wait, ouch!"

Unfortunately, her coolness lasted less than three seconds. After swinging her sword twice, Lux suddenly felt her knees weaken, and then her entire body felt drained, making her unable to stand steadily. She had just swung her sword, and her balance was already shifting. Before she could adjust, she completely lost her footing and fell to the ground.

Her originally brilliant sword lost its glow and fell from her grasp into the sand. The scarabs she had just driven away swarmed back with squeaks...

Lux's eighth training session lasted a mere five seconds.

"How could this happen?!" Lux gritted her teeth after the training ended, "Why did I suddenly have no strength?"

"Because you chose the most physically demanding fighting style," Karya said with a helpless tone, "I admit, Lux, your Light Sword is very cool, but even in reality, with such astonishing Magic Power consumption, you, at twelve years old, probably couldn't sustain it for more than a few minutes..."

"..."

"Also, do you have some misunderstanding about the purpose of simulation training? I'm training your combat proficiency, hoping you can exert your full strength and combat power in any situation. If you have ten points of strength, exert ten points of combat power! I'm not letting you show off in my memory fragments!"

"..."

"This child... truly makes me worry. Reflect on yourself. If you finish in five seconds again next time, I'll bury you in the desert for half an hour!" Karya sighed and then turned to Sona, "It's your turn now, Sona. Don't learn from Lux!"

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