The moment Dongfang Jiang agreed, he felt a twinge of regret.
Pandana read his expression and whispered words of comfort beside him.
“An A-rank ring… Oh well, just think of it as an exhibition match. This deal isn’t a loss.”
“It’s not a loss, but I still feel like I’ve been set up.”
Dongfang Jiang watched Vald’s retreating figure.
That guy left too decisively, as if he had known all along that Dongfang would agree.
Yisela sighed softly.
“Vald may seem rough on the surface, but he’s actually very meticulous. Having that General Qin spar with you—I doubt it’s just about finding a training partner.”
“What do you mean?”
“He wants to probe your background. Yesterday’s battle may have spread, but few actually saw your true strength… Vald wants to use this chance to see for himself just how capable you are.”
Dongfang Jiang was silent for a moment, then shrugged.
“Then let him look. It’s not like a few glances will cost me anything.”
Yisela gave him a look.
“Can’t you have even a little sense of crisis?”
“I do, I have a strong sense of crisis. But since they’ve already laid out the steps, wouldn’t it be rude not to take them?”
Yisela was left speechless, then shook her head helplessly.
Pandana laughed beside them.
“Mister Dongfang is just like that, Miss Yisela. You’ll get used to it eventually.”
“Hmm, I hope that day comes soon.”
The spar was set for three days later, at the training grounds in the northern outskirts of the royal capital.
That area was specially for training by nobles and high‑ranking military officials.
It was as large as two football fields, paved with special bluestone bricks, and surrounded by a magic barrier to prevent the shockwaves of battle from reaching the spectator stands.
Dongfang Jiang didn’t idle those three days.
During the day, he studied the basics of illusion magic with Yisela; at night, he practiced energy conversion with Pandana.
As a bound desert guardian, Yisela’s desert energy had a natural connection with Dongfang Jiang’s Earth Ring.
Through harmonization, Dongfang Jiang had become proficient in using desert energy.
“The essence of illusion magic isn’t deception—it’s resonance.”
Yisela sat in the garden pavilion, holding a cup of black tea.
Sunlight filtered through the vines, casting dappled shadows on her face.
“You have to make the other person believe that what they see, hear, and smell is real. But first, you have to believe it yourself.”
“Doesn’t that just become self‑hypnosis?”
“Close. So what you need isn’t strong willpower, but strong imagination.”
Dongfang Jiang nodded thoughtfully, closed his eyes, and mobilized the desert energy within him.
Golden‑yellow energy swirled at his fingertips like fine sand kicked up by the wind.
He imagined himself standing in an endless desert.
Heat waves rushed toward him, the sky was blindingly blue, and the horizon blurred into a golden line in the distance.
When he opened his eyes, Yisela was staring at him with a hint of surprise.
“Hmm, impressive. I can feel the temperature around here has risen quite a bit…”
“Really?”
“What scene did you imagine?”
“The desert… a desert at noon.”
Yisela set down her teacup and studied him seriously for a moment.
“Brother Dongfang, have you ever thought that you might be naturally suited for learning illusion magic?”
“No way. I’m the worst at deceiving people.”
“Illusion magic isn’t deception—it’s creation.”
Yisela stood up, walked over to him, and reached out to poke his chest.
“You’re not tricking the other person—you’re creating a world that they are willing to believe in.”
“What’s the difference?”
“A huge difference. One is easy to see through; the other, if you don’t point it out, the other person might never be able to see through it for their whole life.”
Dongfang Jiang fell silent.
“I think… I kind of understand.”
On the morning of the third day, Dongfang Jiang changed into the clothes Yisela had prepared for him.
They weren’t formal attire, but a lightweight outfit suitable for combat.
Pandana stood on tiptoe and lightly pecked his cheek.
“Don’t lose.”
Dongfang Jiang touched the spot where she kissed, smiled, and nodded.
With long strides, he headed for the training grounds.
The training grounds were larger than Dongfang Jiang had imagined.
Many people were already seated in the surrounding stands, mostly nobles and officers from the royal capital.
Vald sat in the front row, surrounded by a circle of generals, with that unfathomable smile on his face.
Duke Yigenaxiu had also come, sitting not far from Vald.
Yisela and Pandana sat behind him.
As Dongfang Jiang stepped onto the training grounds, a low murmur of discussion arose from the stands.
“That’s him? The one who defeated the Valen Ring?”
“He looks pretty young…”
“I heard he can use multiple types of energy at once. I wonder if it’s true.”
“This kid is too cocky, isn’t he?”
“But his opponent is that General Qin…”
“Tsk, young and reckless.”
Dongfang Jiang took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
The energy within his body flowed slowly—the dark green of the swamp, the deep blue of the glacier, the golden yellow of the desert.
The three streams of energy swirled and interwove inside him, like three rivers of different colors merging into one.
[Host.]
The system’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
Over this period, Dongfang Jiang had hardly communicated with the system, until now, when its voice rang out in his mind.
[Hmm?]
[I suggest you use your full strength.]
[Why?]
[Because your opponent is strong.]
Dongfang Jiang frowned, digesting the system’s words in his mind.
[Don’t you not care whether I live or die?]
[I said that if you die, it would be troublesome for me. At the same time, I care about the mission progress. If you lose, it will directly affect the Seven to the Fourth Power mission.]
[Heh… You’re straightforward.]
Just as Dongfang Jiang was about to ask further, the sound of hoofbeats came from outside the training grounds.
Everyone turned to look in that direction.
The gate of the training grounds slowly opened, and a jet‑black steed trotted in with light steps.
The figure on horseback reminded Dongfang Jiang of the portraits of female generals he had seen in history textbooks before his transmigration.
Her white hair was tied high in a neat ponytail, the ends swaying gently in the wind.
Her face was small, with delicate features that were not weak, and her brows carried the sharpness that only someone long experienced on the battlefield possessed.
Her skin was not as fair as a noble lady raised in seclusion, but tanned to a healthy wheat color by the sun.
Her right hand carried a spear, the shaft entirely black, the tip glinting with a cold gleam in the sunlight.
That was no ordinary weapon.
From the aura emanating from the weapon, Dongfang Jiang knew the opponent was formidable.
Dongfang Jiang stared at Qin Ye before him.
The Earth Ring grew slightly warm.
The black horse stopped at the edge of the training grounds.
Qin Ye dismounted in a clean, decisive motion, without any wasted movement.
She handed the reins to a nearby attendant, then walked into the field carrying her spear.
Each step was steady, her boots striking the bluestone bricks in a rhythmic sound.
She stopped three meters in front of Dongfang Jiang.
“Are you Dongfang Jiang?”
Qin Ye’s gentle voice didn’t quite match her appearance, but Dongfang Jiang didn’t show disrespect, merely nodding slightly.
“Then…”
A ring of crimson energy enveloped Qin Ye’s weapon.
Dongfang Jiang felt a wave of heat.
She dismounted, and her spear came at Dongfang Jiang with overwhelming force.
But the moment the spear touched Dongfang Jiang, he turned into a cloud of golden sand.
Qin Ye’s instincts sensed something behind her, and she instinctively stabbed backward.
The sword Dongfang Jiang had constructed from desert energy clashed with Qin Ye’s spear.
After an explosion, Dongfang Jiang manipulated the sword to launch a second attack against Qin Ye.
“Please instruct me.”