Unlike Holy Soul Village, where blood hung thick in the air, Spirit City was already blanketed in swirling snow. In a courtyard of the Papal Palace, the lotus pond, pavilion, flower beds, rockery, and old trees were all coated in a thick layer of white frost.
In the courtyard, a tiny figure in black danced through the snow with a small wooden sword in hand. Her little feet stepped lightly, her clothes fluttered, and her silver-gray hair swayed with her movements, while her crimson eyes flickered in and out of sight amid the sword light.
The snow fell harder and harder, and her sword danced faster and faster. Gradually, the little wooden sword became a small whirlwind, swirling around her tiny body, as nimble as a roaming dragon.
Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, only to be shredded by the little wooden sword the moment they entered the whirlwind, breaking into even smaller white flecks that scattered to the ground.
Hummm...
Suddenly, the little whirlwind stopped. The countless sword shadows vanished, revealing a little girl in black training clothes, with short silver-gray hair and crimson eyes.
By now, quite a few white snowflakes had settled on the little girl's originally black training clothes.
"I failed again. I really wish I could grow up faster," the little girl said huffily.
She had simply run out of stamina and could no longer sustain her sword dance, allowing snowflakes to settle on her shoulders.
The failure she spoke of naturally referred to the requirement of her sword practice: to keep even a single leaf from touching her for half an hour. The moment a snowflake landed on her shoulder, the practice counted as a failure.
Clap, clap, clap, clap...
Enthusiastic applause suddenly rang out. Beneath the covered walkway nearby stood a smiling girl