He swung his head around sharply, only to see Yize’s back as he calmly walked away.
Those few casual words felt like a red-hot branding iron, searing themselves into his pride.
It took Lien a long time to fully process the weight of what had been said.
A chill ran down his spine, followed by a surge of humiliation and rage that instantly overwhelmed his reason.
‘So… so this guy… has been faking it the whole time!’
He stared fixedly at Yize’s back, cursing the man’s entire lineage in his mind.
Despite possessing such ridiculous physical fitness and reaction speed, Yize had insisted on pretending to be a clumsy, ordinary person with zero talent for martial arts.
He had played along with this ridiculous farce! He let Lien hop around like a fool in front of everyone, only to “graciously” cooperate with that “holding back” excuse at the end, leaving Lien’s reputation in tatters!
And… judging by those final words, Yize clearly knew from the start that Lien had intended to use this opportunity to teach him a lesson and show off his own strength!
When he thought about it carefully, Yize had been faking it since the moment they met!
He faked being a loser with only 5% Elemental Affinity.
He faked being a timid, cautious junior who needed protection.
Then, in the Raymond Territory and on the Betty Battlefield, he was “forced” to reveal his strength time and again… and every “exposure” just happened to harvest a wave of attention and even goodwill.
Rui, Sara, Swan, and Emma… Lien’s heart continued to sink as a mixture of fear from being toyed with and rage from being robbed of his status rose within him.
That merciless, precise humiliation that had just stepped on his sore spot was likely the true face Yize hid beneath his gentle exterior!
‘What deep calculation… what an incredibly patient man!’
The private humiliation Yize dealt him after the public defeat completely ignited the anger and jealousy Lien had been suppressing.
He clamped his jaw shut so hard his molars nearly shattered, digging his nails deep into his palms just to maintain a crumbling facade of calm.
He couldn’t lose his composure in front of everyone now…
“Senior Yize! You’re really incredible!”
Just then, Luke’s booming and unabashedly smug voice rang out.
He ran over, his notably large head bobbing as he looked at Yize with idolizing eyes before turning his gaze toward Lien, who was still sitting on the ground. Luke grinned wide.
“That was hilarious! Classmate Lien looked like he was about to give the Senior some pointers, and then… heh heh.”
He even went so far as to slap Lien on the shoulder, laughing in a way that practically begged for a punch. “Classmate Lien, did you really hold back?”
“How did you manage to give my Senior advice with such a superior look and then get beaten by him? Isn’t that a bit of a slap in the face?”
Luke’s expression combined with his large head produced a peak comedic effect.
“Pfft…”
Emma was the first one who couldn’t help it. She quickly covered her mouth, but her eyes had already curved into crescents.
Her mind was simple; she just found the sudden turn of events truly ridiculous.
The corners of Sara’s lips also pulled upward into a tiny arc. She glanced at Yize and then at Lien’s stiff expression, her understanding deepening.
Her smile held a hint of indifference from seeing through the situation and a touch of disgust for Lien’s previous posturing.
Swan initially looked at Yize with worry, but seeing that he was truly fine, he turned to Lien.
Remembering how Lien had deliberately hovered around him and Sara, seeing his current pathetic state made Swan lower his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.
Even the usually serious Laura, watching the scene thick with the smell of gunpowder and farce, shook her head slightly.
A nearly imperceptible flicker of helplessness and amusement flashed in her eyes.
The reactions of the crowd, especially the muffled laughter and meaningful looks, finally broke Lien.
The anger he had barely managed to suppress was completely detonated by Luke’s “stroke of genius.”
The string of his sanity snapped.
He lunged up from the ground, ignoring the pain in his calf. His cheeks were flushed a deep crimson from extreme shame and fury.
He stared intently at Yize, who had just turned around. His voice was pitched high with agitation, coming out as nearly a low roar.
“Just… just now, I wasn’t being serious! I was careless! Let’s go again!”
It was the classic “I wasn’t being serious” excuse of a sore loser.
As soon as the words left his mouth, even Lien paused for a moment. However, the intense sense of humiliation made it impossible to take them back.
He could only stiffen his neck and glare at Yize with bloodshot eyes.
The Training Ground went silent.
Yize stopped in his tracks and turned around, his face devoid of expression.
He had to admit, Luke’s ability to taunt was top-tier. He had effectively sent Lien into a total meltdown.
He walked over to Lien, and under the gaze of eyes that seemed ready to spit fire, he reached out and gently patted Lien’s shoulder.
The movement was casual, like an ordinary senior encouraging a junior.
Then, in a calm, almost regretful tone — and again, at a volume only Lien could hear — he spoke.
“Classmate Lien.”
“If you had just taken the ‘holding back’ excuse as a way to step down, you would have lost some face, but at least you would have kept your dignity. Everyone would have laughed it off and moved on.”
He paused, watching Lien’s face turn even uglier, before slowly whispering the second half.
“But now that you’ve insisted on saying you ‘weren’t being serious’…”
“Now, it seems you’ve truly become a clown.”
Having said his piece, Yize stopped looking at him. He nodded to Laura, Sara, and the others before walking toward the edge of the field, leaving Lien standing there, frozen.
Lien’s face turned from red to green, then from green to white.
It wasn’t that Yize was petty; it was simply that Lien had looked for trouble first.
If Lien hadn’t proactively suggested the spar, Yize might have just gone through the motions in front of Laura and left it at that.
But the guy had crashed right into him, and the System had provided choices and rewards at the right time — there was no reason not to take them.
Since he was already hated by this “protagonist” anyway, it was better to let nature take its course rather than try to swallow his pride to build a relationship.
Yize didn’t need anyone to protect him; in fact, given the current situation, it was hard to say who was protecting whom.
Furthermore, the plot of Era had long since veered off course.
Not only was there a Transmigrator like himself, but even a Reincarnator like Dio, who possessed memories of a past life, had appeared.
Heaven only knew if there were other similar entities lurking in the shadows.
Under these circumstances, whether Lien could even keep his “protagonist” status was up for debate.
Yize adjusted his breathing, putting back on that slightly cramped and embarrassed smile as he walked toward Sara and Laura.
“Senior Sister Sara,” he said, his tone sincere and even carrying a bit of the excitement typical of a young man who had just won a match.
“That Classmate Lien from Liyue Academy is actually a very good person… despite being so strong, he was willing to go easy on me like that.”
Turning his gaze toward Laura, his eyes showed an appropriate mix of expectation and trepidation.
“Master Sword Saint, do you think… with my performance, is there any tiny possibility I could learn a move or two from you?”
Laura’s eyes narrowed slightly as her calm gaze fell upon Yize, as if she were reassessing the black-haired young man.
Her gaze wasn’t sharp or overbearing, yet it possessed a piercing insight that slowly swept over Yize’s limbs, his spine, and every subtle expression on his face.
The field fell into a temporary silence. Even Lien, who was still standing stiffly in his shame, involuntarily turned his attention toward them.
After a moment, Laura spoke slowly, her voice steady and clear. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid not.”
She paused. There was no disdain in her tone; she was simply stating an objective conclusion.
“The toughness of your meridians and your affinity for Aura are indeed not suited for practicing Martial Arts.”
“Is that so…”
A perfect look of disappointment immediately appeared on Yize’s face.
His shoulders slumped slightly, naturally portraying a young man full of hope who had just been rejected by reality.
“I guess it really won’t work…”
He wasn’t surprised by this result; in fact, it was exactly what he wanted. A mediocre victory that didn’t attract too much attention — perfect!
“However — “
Laura’s voice didn’t stop there. Her tone shifted, and within the composure of a Sword Saint, a hint of significant interest quietly emerged.
“I find myself wanting to spar with you as well.”
As soon as these words were spoken, not only was Yize stunned, but even Sara’s beautiful eyes widened in disbelief.
She knew her teacher too well. As an Imperial Sword Saint and the “Azure Sword Maiden,” her status and strength defined her pride.
For years, others had challenged her one after another; when had she ever proactively used the word “spar” toward a junior?
Furthermore, the person in question was a magic student who had just been judged as having “zero talent for martial arts!”
This was by no means a normal invitation for a guidance match. Sara keenly sensed that Master Laura had used the word “spar” and explicitly stated “I also want to.”
This meant that in her teacher’s eyes, the previous battle wasn’t a one-sided “guidance” or “test,” but something that had enough value for her to personally step onto the field.
Yize’s heart skipped a beat, but his face showed appropriate surprise and panic. “Master Sword Saint, didn’t you just judge that I’m not suited for martial arts?”
“My crude… uh, basic instincts, how could they be worth your personal guidance? It would be a waste of your time…”
Laura shook her head, the corners of her lips pulling into an extremely faint curve. “It isn’t guidance; it’s a spar.”
She took half a step forward. Her invisible pressure tightened slightly, becoming even more solid. “I will be like Lien just now. I won’t use Aura or any Martial Arts. I will face you using only basic physical ability and sword techniques.”
Her gaze remained locked on Yize, flashing with an inquisitive light. “There are things about you I don’t quite understand. Within those seemingly clumsy movements, there is a hidden… coordination and efficiency that contradicts common sense.”
“I think only by exchanging blows personally will I be able to see it more clearly.”
These words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples in everyone’s hearts.
Dio, who had been watching silently from the sidelines, felt his pupils contract. He had also sensed that Yize’s way of winning was “unnatural,” but the feeling had been too vague to put into words. Hearing Laura personally say “contradicts common sense” and “don’t quite understand” undoubtedly confirmed his faint intuition.
Could it be that even his teacher, whom he respected most in both lives and whose insight was at the pinnacle of the world, was unable to see through Yize’s background? Just who was this junior who had appeared out of nowhere?
On the other side, Swan was whispering with Iguneel in his consciousness, his voice full of confusion. ‘Iguneel, didn’t you say Senior Yize might lose? How could…!’
Iguneel’s voice carried a rare touch of awkwardness after being proven wrong. ‘Ahem… that was merely a deduction based on common sense! I didn’t say Yize would definitely lose!’
She paused, her tone quickly switching to enthusiastic analysis.
‘But this kid is definitely strange! At the end, Lien used the Dragon Blood Power. Even if it was only a tiny amount, it was enough to bring his physical stats close to the level of an elite Magical Beast for a short time! Yize clearly hasn’t practiced Martial Arts, yet he was able to beat him until he couldn’t get up…’
Her voice was filled with curiosity, like someone who had found a new toy. ‘He definitely has other secrets! Swan, you must continue to stay on good terms with him and observe him more!’
Iguneel even began to let her thoughts wander: such massive Mana, such abnormal physical traits… could it be that this guy isn’t a pure human either?
At this moment, Yize was far less calm than he appeared on the surface. He felt a headache coming on.
Sparring with a Sword Saint? How was he supposed to hold back?
Against Lien, he could use excuses like “good luck” or “instinctive reactions.” But who was Laura?
She was the pinnacle of the Empire’s martial path, a veteran of a thousand battles with incredibly sharp insight.
In front of her, any bit of deliberate “clumsiness” or “slowness” would likely be seen through instantly.
But if he didn’t hide it, with his System-maxed stats in Constitution and Speed, heaven only knew what kind of scene would unfold if he fought Laura without Aura or Martial Arts.
Being able to dodge the attacks of a Sword Saint? How ridiculous would that sound if word got out?
And if he just didn’t dodge and took the Sword Saint’s attacks head-on… even if she didn’t use Aura, the force behind them would be no joke.
If he came out of it unharmed, that would be even harder to explain!
It was a total dead end!
As Yize’s mind raced through excuses to decline, Laura had already casually picked up a wooden training sword from the weapon rack.
With a light flick of her wrist, the wooden sword cut through the air, producing a steady, light whistle.
She didn’t take any particular starting stance; she simply stood there casually, yet she naturally radiated an aura as steady as a mountain and completely without openings.
“Don’t feel pressured,” Laura’s voice remained calm. “It’s just a simple spar. Just respond the way you did before.”
Every eye was focused on Yize.
Sara’s eyes held worry and deeper curiosity; Dio was fully concentrated, not wanting to miss a single detail.
Luke, on the other hand, looked excited. In his mind, Senior Yize had managed to hold back a Blood Pillar — what was a few rounds with a Sword Saint?
Although he would definitely lose, being able to fight her was an honor!
Yize knew there was no getting out of it. He took a quiet breath, suppressing the chaotic thoughts in his mind. At this point, he could only take it one step at a time.
He picked up his wooden sword again and gripped it with both hands. His posture remained as stiff as a beginner’s as he looked at Laura, a nervous smile squeezed onto his face.
“Then… please give me some guidance, Master Sword Saint.”
The moment the words fell, Laura moved.
There was no world-shaking momentum, nor was there the sudden burst of speed Lien had shown earlier.
She simply took a step forward, and the wooden sword in her hand was thrust out horizontally.
Simple, direct, and the trajectory was clear.
However, Laura’s strike was intended to close off every possible space for Yize to dodge. Beneath that steady speed was the precision and control of thousands of hours of training.
The tip of the sword pointed exactly at the most awkward, difficult-to-defend point of his posture.
This seemingly ordinary strike was the height of a master’s skill.
Yize’s heart gave a sudden leap. To anyone else, this strike would look impossible to evade.
But in Yize’s eyes, the scene was playing out like a video being slowed down to the point of dropping frames.
He could have chosen to pull back the moment Laura even lifted her hand, never giving her a chance to get close.
But doing that would be too much.
How was he supposed to act so that it looked reasonable?