Night fell as Sylutia carefully climbed up the cliff step by step, then bent down to touch the blooming ‘Blood Aberration Flower’.

[Blood Aberration Flower] (Second Tier·Bloodline): A mutated special flower. To make it bloom, it must be watered with blood possessing the ‘Bloodline’ Aspect. Its petals can be refined into special potions and can also be used to make high-grade ‘Blood Wine’. It is said this type of aberrant flower first originated from the ‘Blood Dynasty’ of the Eighth Epoch, cultivated by the dynasty’s nobles at the time.

Just breathing in its faint sweet fragrance through the tip of her nose made Sylutia feel her blood and energy churning. Her previously third-stage Breathing Technique once again showed signs of loosening, ready to advance.

After calming her breathing slightly, Sylutia carefully parted the soil beneath the Blood Aberration Flower and slowly unearthed its root system.

Ten minutes later, she carefully placed this Blood Aberration Flower into the glass jar of the lantern she carried. The ‘Fire Glow Orchid’ originally inside had already been completely consumed during the earlier battle.

This lantern could not only be used to perform the Flower Blooming Method, but also protected the plants and vegetation inside very well. The glass was specially made, sturdier than ordinary steel.

After packing up, Sylutia closed the lid, locked it securely, hung it at her waist, then carefully jumped down the slope again and slowly walked back into the woods.

By now, Iona had already woken up. Thanks to the recovery from the excellent healing potion and the sleep she just had, her condition had improved significantly. The wounds on her body had already scabbed over.

The recovery power of the Blazing Sun Aspect was truly astonishing, Sylutia secretly sighed in her heart.

The campfire by the tree burned quietly, emitting soft crackling sounds. Wisps of bluish smoke rose, adding a touch of warmth to the damp mountain air.

Iona’s face was illuminated by the orange-red firelight. She watched Sylutia approach, noticing the lantern at the girl’s waist, inside which a sinister-looking blood-red flower bloomed.

She already got it… Iona’s heart sank bit by bit, her originally bright eyes slowly lowering.

After a long while, she forced herself to look up, offering a stiff smile to the girl before her.

“Tia… congratulations.” Her voice had never been so dry, even carrying a hint of pain.

Seeing Iona in such a fragile state, Sylutia shook her head slightly, feeling somewhat distressed.

Iona must really want this spot, but there was only one.

Attending the Hidden Grove for studies was currently the easiest path for her to access profound supernatural knowledge. Although she could learn many things from Lady Franne, Lady Franne herself had said that what she could teach was limited to the field of gardening, not comprehensive.

If she lost this opportunity to go there, whether she could obtain learning opportunities through other avenues was all unknown.

She sympathized with Iona, but sympathy was not a reason to concede, because that would not only be disrespectful to herself, but also an act of belittling others.

At this moment, Iona struggled internally. Her fingers dug into her palms, trying to keep herself clear-headed and rational. But the mere thought of never being able to leave this remote mountainous area in the future, only to struggle hopelessly trying to catch up with those geniuses in the royal capital, an invisible despair began to gnaw at her heart.

She was terrified.

Terrified that one day she would be assimilated by those mediocre noblewomen of Scorchstone City, becoming an ordinary noblewoman who only knew how to indulge in pleasure and immerse herself in a vulgar life.

Her youth, her aspirations, were all in the bustling royal capital of White Cliff City, within the glorious gates of her family. She could not fall and give up here.

This fear of a mediocre future gradually eroded her rationality, her fingers trembling slightly.

Finally, as if having made a tremendous resolution, Iona slowly raised her struggling eyes to look at the black-haired girl before her.

“Tia, can you give the flower to me?”

If one fails, one should admit it. With Iona’s formerly proud personality, if she hadn’t obtained the Blood Aberration Flower and missed the opportunity, she would probably have admitted it graciously. But today was different from the past; she couldn’t let go of all this.

Whether for the sake of her family, or out of fear and disgust for a mediocre life, she found it difficult to accept this outcome with a calm heart.

After the words left her mouth, Iona felt a pang of regret, feeling this was too shameless. However, she was not prepared to give up.

“What I mean is, I hope we can have another match.” As she spoke, Iona slowly drew the sword from her waist.

Whether Sylutia agreed or not, she would fight. These words were merely a final courtesy.

“Iona…” Seeing the desire and determination in the other’s eyes, Sylutia knew nothing she said would be of any use.

It seemed a match was necessary for the other party to be convinced. But Sylutia doubted that even if Iona were defeated, she wouldn’t give up. What should she do then?

However, there was clearly no time for such contemplation, because Iona had already sprung into action.

She initiated the attack first. Her figure leaped up like a wasp, the sharp blade of her sword grazing the forest leaves and branches, stinging like a wasp’s stinger as it thrust towards the black-haired figure not far away.

A flash of golden sword radiance gleamed along the blade’s spine. Even though Sylutia parried the sword edge, that needle-like golden radiance still pierced past her ear, severing strands of her hair.

Danger!

Alarm bells rang loudly in Sylutia’s mind. Facing Iona’s second attack, her body swiftly twisted and folded, evading the direction of the sword radiance.

A dazzling golden needle shot through the dim forest in an instant, piercing the withered tree behind the girl.

The dry branch slowly fell, crushing the trees beside it.

Faced with Iona’s ‘Golden Needle Piercing Blade’, Sylutia had to muster twelve parts of her focus, dealing with it with all her might.

Golden blades clashed with the glow-green longsword amidst the trees, occasionally shattering into fragmented sparks. Once again, the two locked blades together.

“Screech—”

The blades slid against each other, producing a violent, trembling screech amidst sparks.

Feeling the powerful force transmitted through the sword, Sylutia took a deep breath, circulating the Breathing Technique within her body to accelerate her blood flow and circulation. The invisible ‘Bloodline’ Aspect manifested and boiled within her blood, allowing her to block the other’s fierce attacks again and again.

On the other side, golden light swirled within Iona’s crimson eyes. The power of the ‘Blazing Sun’ Aspect merged into her bloodstream, searing like a branding iron leaving marks within her body. At first, it was just a searing pain, but then it became an intense burning sensation.

She had to defeat Sylutia within a few minutes, otherwise the side effects of ‘Blazing Sun’ would burn her from the inside out.

“Clang—”

Golden arc-like shadows and the glow-green jade sword crisscrossed in the forest, colliding and shattering into sparks.

Faced with Iona’s increasingly oppressive force, Sylutia activated the ‘Blue Water Shell Pearl’ hidden in her sleeve. An invisible burst of cold air exploded, instantly freezing the thrusting golden-bladed longsword and stiffening the wrist holding it.

Seizing this brief opening, Sylutia dodged the blade thrusting towards her while simultaneously twisting the Tree Jade Spirit Sword. Under the force of the fierce motion, she knocked the black steel rapier from Iona’s hand.

Faced with this sudden turn of events, Iona’s eyes turned cold. She quickly leaped up, her figure dancing like a wasp mid-air, evading the girl’s pursuit as she dashed towards the fallen rapier.

Seizing this sole opportunity, Sylutia closely followed. Although her swordsmanship leaned towards defense and lacked Iona’s powerful suppression and offensive power, with her exceptional talent and observational skills, she could always find the subtle flaws in Iona’s swordsmanship, leaving behind some wounds.

Unable to suppress Sylutia placed immense pressure on Iona. She took a deep breath, the dazzling Blazing Sun Aspect seemingly about to overflow from her body, faint patterns and traces appearing on her skin’s surface.

This was the effect of the [Solar Radiance Breathing Technique] pushed to its limit. Unfortunately, her talent and time were limited; she hadn’t elevated this ability to a level free of side effects. She could only exert her utmost effort to defeat her opponent before she herself collapsed.

“Tia, you cannot defeat me.” Iona believed that as a wielder of [Blazing Sun], she was bound to surpass the combat-inept [Verdant Nectar].

Her eyes were bright. The two black steel longswords slowly became coated in gold. As she swung them, they left slender trails of light in the night sky, sprinkling specks of sparks. These sparks, upon touching fallen leaves and trees, scorched them, producing wisps of bluish smoke and small holes.

In the pitch-dark forest, the dazzling golden blades and the glow-green jade sword clashed again and again, the two locked in a stalemate for the time being.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep