Chapter 10: Who gets tired of hitting a punching bag?

The young man froze, his eyes widening as Sefiria’s armaments vanished.

She had evidently mastered the ability to manifest her outer armor at will, anywhere on her body!

Before he could even react, the massive hammer swung down upon him.

All he saw was a pair of fervent eyes and a wildly arrogant smile.

“So strong! Excellent!”

Sefiria declared, bringing the massive hammer down without mercy.

The young man pushed off Sefiria’s body with a foot, using the momentum to flip backward, narrowly evading the incoming hammer.

Landing in a low crouch, he moved like a phantom, his speed astonishing as he darted forward to attack once more!

“Ha!”

Sefiria let out a booming laugh, bringing the enormous hammer down as if it weighed nothing at all!

This hammer, taller and wider than she was, showed no sign of its immense bulk.

Boom!

The colossal hammerhead shattered the training ground’s floor, unleashing a thunderous roar that drew the gaze of everyone nearby.

The young man, however, had already retreated again, dodging the strike.

He looked a little disheveled now, a hint of murderous intent glinting in his somber eyes.

“You just… tried to kill me.”

Sefiria hoisted the hammer onto her shoulder.

“Who told you to lower your stance and attack when facing a hammer?”

“Didn’t you know it’s too easy to get carried away when striking like that? Besides…”

Far from complaining, her face radiated an arrogant confidence.

“The strike you aimed at the back of my neck just now,” she challenged, “you didn’t hold back either, did you?”

Golden radiance erupted!

Sefiria roared, “Huiyao!”

“Ya!”

Little Huiyao responded with a delicate, childlike cry.

The sound was utterly endearing, like a baby’s babble, and though Sefiria was an elegant noble young woman, her current demeanor was anything but.

Indeed, the surging aura around her now was starkly different from any other newcomer nearby!

“Hahahaha! This feeling! It’s incredible! Absolutely incredible!”

She laughed wildly, her ladylike composure completely forgotten.

Across from her, the young man’s expression grew increasingly solemn.

He clearly saw that the area covered by Sefiria’s armaments had expanded.

They now enveloped her entire shoulder, and simultaneously, the phantom outline of outer armor began to materialize on her other arm.

Her resonance rate, astonishingly, had further increased at this very moment!

“15%!”

“17%!”

“20%!”

Sefiria laughed boisterously, and the psionic fluctuations radiating from her body formed a powerful wind pressure that spread outward.

Even the newcomers observing from afar were utterly stunned.

They had all completed their contracts on the same day, yet Sefiria’s resonance rate had already reached 20%, while theirs hadn’t even hit 10%.

Was this the mark of a true genius?

Now, all the other trainees in the distance had paused their respective training, their attention fixed on the battle between Sefiria and the young man.

Forget manifesting outer armor; some of them couldn’t even make their spirits transform into weapons!

It was safe to say Sefiria had already left them far behind on the path of a knight.

At this point, no one believed the young man could win.

From start to finish, he had only wielded a dagger, having manifested no armor whatsoever.

His resonance rate, at most, was likely only 10%.

“Hey, hey, hey! Is this all you’ve got?”

“I spent ages observing this bunch of rookies just to pick out the strongest one!”

“If this is all you amount to, I’ll be incredibly disappointed!”

Sefiria and Huiyao’s resonance rate settled at 20%, her outer armor having fully coalesced into two armaments, and the aura she exuded had climbed to its peak!

Yet, she did not rush to attack.

The young man’s face was grim; he truly hadn’t anticipated Sefiria would be this powerful.

But…

Psionic fluctuations subtly spread.

They were not wild and domineering like Sefiria’s.

The young man’s psionic fluctuations were subtle and secretive, much like his weapon—a sharp, piercing dagger that carved a small opening through the opponent’s overbearing psionic pressure.

And through this tiny aperture, he slipped.

Sefiria, still smiling, suddenly sensed danger!

Although her opponent’s aura hadn’t manifested at all, she still felt a distinct threat.

Without hesitation, she trusted her instincts!

Pushing off the ground with force, she launched herself high into the air!

Where she had stood moments before, an unnatural patch of shadow now lay, and from within it, a dagger slowly emerged.

Sefiria looked towards the young man’s original position, a mix of shock and anger on her face, only to find that he, who had been standing there, was now slowly fading like a melting wax figure, dissolving into the ground’s shadows.

Then, to her astonishment, he re-emerged from the very shadow beneath her feet.

“Well, now! That’s quite a treacherous ability you have!”

“What kind of spirit did you contract, anyway?”

“And… where’s your outer armor? Why haven’t I seen it?”

Sefiria jumped back, asking warily.

She hadn’t expected the young man to answer, but he did.

“Not everyone lives under the sun like you,” he replied.

Well, he still hadn’t truly answered.

But Sefiria didn’t care!

Even if her opponent favored such a shadowy path, it wouldn’t deter her from her own fighting style!

The massive hammer swung up, then slammed down again without hesitation.

The young man’s eyes grew even colder, and his body once again sank into the shadows.

“Naive! Do you think that trick will work again?”

The golden radiance emanating from the hammer intensified, becoming as dazzling as a miniature sun!

As this light enveloped the young man’s shadow, he felt his own shadow beneath him actively repelling him.

The next second, he was forcefully expelled from the shadow.

Looking up, he saw the massive hammer already before him.

His eyes wide with alarm, his breathing grew heavy, and cold sweat drenched his clothes.

The hammer… did not fall.

Sefiria’s attack halted just inches from his face.

“Hoo… hoo… hoo…”

The hammer was moved away, then re-hoisted onto Sefiria’s shoulder.

A satisfied smile bloomed on the young woman’s face as she stepped before him, extending her hand.

“Well, look at you,” she said, “you did well, sparring partner.”

The young man stared blankly at the slender, fair hand offered to him, his mind still reeling.

But Sefiria was hardly the type to wait patiently.

Seeing him stand there dumbfounded, she wasted no words, reaching out to grab his collar and forcefully haul him up from the ground with an almost domineering grip.

She clapped him heartily on the shoulder, her face beaming.

“You did great, kid,” she declared.

“That was exhilarating. By the way, what’s your name?”

The young man stammered, “Wyne, Wyne Brandy.”

“Oh! Wyne Brandy, I’ll remember that.”

Having said this, Sefiria turned to leave.

“Um, you… you actually found fighting me exhilarating?” the young man called out, unable to suppress his curiosity.

“I thought… you preferred head-on combat.”

To his surprise, Sefiria merely looked puzzled.

“Why would you think that?” she asked.

“Battles always present unexpected opponents and abilities. Fighting someone like you only enriches my combat experience and makes me stronger! How could getting stronger not be exhilarating? Besides…”

She giggled, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

“Besides, who doesn’t find it exhilarating to hit a punching bag? Hahaha!”

Sefiria laughed as she departed, leaving Wyne standing rooted to the spot, utterly dumbfounded for a long while.

“A… a punching bag?”