A few days later.
Dozens of people were gathered inside and outside the central dojo of the Sword Sanctum.
Today, the Water God Reida, on a whim, arranged for Isolte and Nina to have a public sparring match in front of everyone.
After the news spread, most of the disciples of the Sanctum came to see what was going on.
In the center of the arena, Isolte and Nina faced each other, ten steps apart.
Nina gripped her sword with both hands, her eyes sharp. " Lute, I know you've been practicing your swordsmanship with that Luo Ge these past few days, but I'm warning you, don't expect to catch up with me in three days."
Isolte smiled slightly, "You'll know once you try."
"Snort."
Nina wasn't going to hold back.
The Sword God Style emphasizes striking first and winning with a single blow.
She took a deep breath, her Touki rapidly circulating through her meridians, and then—
" The Sword of Light!"
The sword blade transformed into a white rainbow, moving so fast that its trajectory was almost impossible to detect with the naked eye.
Many disciples present only saw Nina's shoulder sway slightly before the sword tip was already pointed at Isolte's throat.
However, in that split second...
Isolte's expression changed.
Her gaze locked precisely on the instant Nina's shoulder dipped slightly; she turned her body, flicked her wrist, and swung the wooden sword diagonally downwards—
"Bang!"
A crisp impact.
Nina felt a light tap on the inside of her wrist with the back of a sword. A tingling sensation shot up her meridians, and her entire right arm went limp instantly. The longsword flew out of her hand, spinning and embedding itself in the floor three steps away.
The force of the blow sent her staggering backward, taking several steps before she could regain her balance.
An uproar erupted in the temple.
Nina clutched her numb wrist, her eyes wide with disbelief. "How... how is this possible? You've only been gone a few days, why—"
Isolte sword sheathed, her face filled with barely suppressed smugness. "This is a move that Luo Ge taught me, Sword God Style technique, Light Reversal."
"Hmph, Luo Ge is the best. He's practically inhumanly powerful."
"That guy--?!"
Listening to Isolte's boasting, Nina's expression instantly became incredibly interesting.
She gritted her teeth, staring at the barely concealed smile on Isolte's lips, her molars almost grinding to powder.
Just three days ago Isolte said she was Izuru's best friend and asked me to help her make the connection, but in the blink of an eye, she has secretly improved her strength by a lot.
And what about her?
She's been so focused on honing her basic skills these past few days that she hasn't gained anything.
We're at the bottom again.
They've become the bottom one again.
More importantly, he and Luo Ge had known each other for so long in the Sword Sanctum, but that guy always ignored him. Let alone swordsmanship, he wouldn't even say a few words to him.
But Isolte?
She had only been here for a month, yet Luo Ge was willing to teach her everything he knew—the difference in treatment was like night and day.
As Nina thought about this, her expression oscillated between despair and anger.
She never imagined that the idea she kindly gave to Isolte would ultimately backfire on her.
Outside the temple gate, three figures stood side by side.
The Water God Reida stroked her silvery-white hair, beaming from ear to ear. "Hmm, not bad, Isolte has grown up too."
"Although his use of this ' Light Reversal' technique is still a bit clumsy, it's already quite good for someone who's only been learning it for three days."
Standing beside her was a tall, thin, blue-haired middle-aged man with incredibly sharp eyes; he was none other than the Sword God Gal.
He stared at Nina, who was scrambling to pick up her sword, and snorted coldly, his expression not very pleasant.
North Emperor Auber, standing beside him, nodded slightly, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his tone calm yet revealing genuine approval. "Brilliant, truly brilliant."
"I never expected to be invited here, not only to witness a genius like the Demon Sword King, but also to meet two such outstanding young people."
Sword God Gal glanced at him coldly, without replying.
Auber didn't mind, and turned to Reida, cupping his hands in greeting. "To be honest, I came here today to impart the North God Style techniques to the Demon Sword King."
"But after spending these past few days together, the Demon Sword King's talent is truly terrifying; I have nothing more to teach him."
" The Sword King King's foundation is so solid, and his comprehension so profound, that it far exceeds my expectations."
"If we stay any longer, it would be like showing off our limited skills before an expert."
He paused, gazing towards the distant horizon where the sea met the sky, a hint of melancholy in his voice. "Now, it's time for me to set off. Farewell."
"Oh, Auber, you're leaving so soon?" Reida was a little surprised; the three of them were old acquaintances.
"Well, all good things must come to an end." Auber smiled, flicked his sleeve, turned and walked towards the gate of the Sanctum with unhurried steps, quickly disappearing at the end of the long corridor.
Reida watched his departing figure, remained silent for a moment, and then sighed softly.
"I've been in the Sword Sanctum for a while now... I think it's probably time for me to leave."
Sword God Gal finally spoke, his tone indifferent. "Are you leaving too?"
"Um."
Reida's gaze, peering through the doors and windows of the dojo, landed on her granddaughter's radiant, victorious face. Her expression softened slightly. " Isolte has grown. My purpose has been achieved, so there's no need for her to stay."
Inside the dojo, Isolte was surrounded by a group of young people who were chattering and asking her questions. She looked past the crowd and gazed towards the entrance of the dojo.
There, a young man holding a sword had appeared at the doorway at some point, calmly watching them.
The moment their eyes met, Isolte gave him a bright smile.
Luo Ge turned his face away expressionlessly.
But Isolte noticed that there seemed to be an extremely tiny, almost invisible curve at the corner of his mouth.
Could it be?
Is he happy for himself?
A romantic image immediately flashed through Isolte's mind: Luo Ge, in front of everyone, kneeling down on one knee with flowers in his hands, and then proposing to her.
Thinking about it this way, Isolte felt incredibly happy.
if...
If he did that, would I agree?
Isolte became increasingly embarrassed as she thought about it, and in front of everyone, her fair face quickly flushed with a rosy blush.
I'm so... so shy.
What should I do? How can I face him?!