Darlene clenched her teeth and glared at Ryan and Derrick, making a small, beast-like snuffling sound from her throat, her cheeks puffed out.

  She looked like an annoyed little wolf cub that could not fight back, her eyes full of the urge to bite.

  "If you keep whining, do you think I will not smash the teeth in your mouth?" Ryan shot her a glance.

  Darlene glared back fiercely, but in the end she obediently shut her mouth, grabbed a berry candy beside her, and stuffed it into her face, the loud chewing sounding like an outlet for her displeasure.

  "Mentor, the Headmaster on the viewing platform healed my wounds. He even said he wanted me to join the Sanctum of the Sacred Sword," Derrick repeated the events he had just experienced.

  Ryan listened, chuckled, and nodded."Then you should join. The Sanctum of the Sacred Sword is a good place. I suspected all along that the Swordmage Academy hid something beneath the surface."

  "What did you suspect, Mentor?" Derrick asked, puzzled.

  "The Swordmage Academy is a branch of the Sanctum of the Sacred Sword," Ryan said.

  The surrounding spectators were not surprised to hear this. Everyone already knew that the Swordmage Academy was a branch of the Sanctum of the Sacred Sword.

  Derrick frowned and thought for a long while, then his eyes brightened."Mentor, I get it now. So you want me to join the Sanctum of the Sacred Sword?"

  "I originally planned to have you train at this Swordmage Academy to gain experience. Now you can go straight to the Sanctum of the Sacred Sword, which is an unexpected bonus," Ryan said casually, as if attending the continent's top academy were the most ordinary thing.

  Derrick nodded uncertainly, but he silently made a note. If a place could win his Mentor's approval, it must be extraordinary.

  During the following time, Ryan continued to lounge and snack on sunflower seeds, occasionally glancing at the other arena matches.

  Derrick and Darlene, for reasons unknown, soon started trading barbs again.

  Ryan was used to this and simply chose to ignore them, letting their words go in one ear and out the other, focusing only on his seeds and the matches.

  At one point he noticed that Derrick's wounds had nearly healed thanks to the Soulweaver's Pendant, so he reached out and took the pendant back from around the boy's neck.

  This was no ordinary magical trinket, but a legendary relic, priceless across the entire magic continent and beyond measure in monetary terms. It was the sort of thing one might find only by chance.

  Ryan never expected to gather the remaining eight fragments. They were far too rare; everything depended on fate. For him, possessing this single piece for emergency protection was already enough.

  Time passed quickly. The heavy bell of magic rang again over the plaza, signaling that the next match was about to begin.

  Darlene and Derrick stopped their bickering in an instant. Darlene tilted her chin toward Derrick, her tone provocative."Watch closely. I will show you what real swordsmanship looks like. I will crush those rookies and prove it to you."

  Derrick rolled his eyes and put on a mock-crying face, imitating a girl's voice,"Try not to end up crying later."

  It was rather amusing. To make sure Derrick could see her fight, Darlene had deliberately given up her entry in the previous match.

  She only moved to the arena after Derrick had come down from the viewing platform and stood to watch.

  Ryan watched the two of them from a short distance, a knowing smile curling on his lips.

  These two little troublemakers, one stubborn but soft-hearted, willing to miss a match just to wait for the other, the other indirect yet secretly observing from below, were oddly well-matched.

  Whether they would end up together, however, depended entirely on fate.

  With a nimble leap, Darlene landed steadily on her designated arena. None of the nine other apprentices on the stage looked down on her just because she was a girl.

  They had all seen her sitting with Ryan and Derrick, and they knew that one of them could punch a Ninth-tier Adept Mage flying.

  The other could defeat opponents four tiers above in matches. Anyone who could train alongside such people could never be ordinary.

  "The match begins!" the referee's voice rang out, and a protective barrier instantly rose.

  Darlene's magical aura exploded, spreading the presence of an Eighth-tier Adept Mage, causing the expressions of a few on the arena to shift slightly.

  Only the other Eighth-tier Adept Mage looked momentarily relieved.

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  But the next second, his relief turned to shock. Darlene drew a Frost Jade Sword from her spatial storage ring, its blade shimmering with icy light as frost began to slowly form along its edge.

  Even under sunlight, the thin layer of ice did not melt, radiating a bone-chilling cold.

  "You awakened Moon Element Magic!" the Eighth-tier Adept Mage shouted.

  Moon Element Magic, like Light Element Magic, was a rare element on the continent. It not only possessed powerful freezing and control abilities but could also weaken an opponent's magical energy.

  "Let's attack her together! There is no way she can withstand all of us!"

  Some had been considering surrender mid-match, but the thought of first eliminating the strong opponent as a team before competing for victory made them hesitate.

  "Fine! Let's do it!" they quickly agreed.

  Most of the participants in this arena were Seventh-tier or Eighth-tier Adept Mages. If they could bring Darlene down first, they could rely on potions and stamina later to have a chance at winning.

  "You shameless cowards! This is a free-for-all. How can you gang up on me?" Darlene shouted, her cheeks flushed with anger.

  Having grown up under protection, she had never seen such a scene of multiple attacking the few and instantly realized the harshness of society.

  She instinctively looked toward the audience below, locking eyes with Derrick and Ryan, who waved at her and shouted,"Give up!" and"Don't push yourself!"

  "I will not give up!" Darlene roared. Gripping the Frost Jade Sword, she charged at the nine attackers.

  Moon Element Magic swirled around her, forming blue shards of ice that shot toward her opponents with each swing of her sword.

  They hastily activated defensive spells, but one was still grazed by the icy shards, freezing his arm instantly and causing him to collapse to the ground, numb.

  "Watch out! Don't let her ice shards hit you!" someone shouted, rushing toward Darlene.

  The other apprentices coordinated their attacks, some using magic to interfere with her movement, some focusing fire-based spells on openings, while others laid trap magic on the ground to limit her mobility.

  Despite her strength, Darlene was ultimately outnumbered.

  Her magical robe had been slashed in several places, blood streaked her mouth, her hand holding the Frost Jade Sword trembled slightly, and the aura of her Moon Element Magic weakened noticeably.

  On the arena, only four opponents remained actively confronting her. The rest had either surrendered and retreated to a corner to recover, hoping to minimize their injuries and save energy for the next match.

  "Moon Frost Slash!" Darlene took a deep breath and shouted the name of her sword technique at the remaining four.

  Moon Element Magic gathered along her blade, forming a half-meter-long blue sword aura.

  When Darlene shouted"Moon Frost Slash," the four opponents left on the arena instantly turned pale and instinctively tried to dodge in all directions.

  From the start of the match, she had always announced the name of her sword technique before launching a powerful attack. It had become a fixed signal, and they dared not gamble that it was a feint.

  But in the moment they scrambled to evade, Darlene suddenly let out a clear, ringing laugh."I tricked you!"

  Before the words even finished, she used Moon Element Magic to teleport behind one of them. The tip of her Frost Jade Sword lightly pressed against the back of his neck, and the icy chill froze him in place.

  "I surrender!" he shouted in panic, his voice full of fear. He had no doubt that if he delayed even a second more, the Frost Jade Sword, capable of freezing, would cut his neck.

  Darlene flicked her wrist and retracted the sword, sparing him further trouble.

  "You must not pick up her soft-hearted habits," Ryan said, shaking his head at Derrick.

  "In battles across the magical continent, such softness can get you killed. She will need to suffer a few losses to truly understand how harsh the world is."

  Ryan was not criticizing Darlene's kindness. He had simply seen too many people die because they were merciful. Especially in secret realm explorations, mercy toward enemies was cruelty toward oneself.

  But the instant Darlene retracted her sword, the remaining three seized the fleeting opportunity.

  They slashed toward her back with sword energy, three attacks coming straight at her.

  "Watch out!" Derrick shouted from below, fists clenched tightly.

  Darlene had no time to fully dodge. She spun around hastily and raised the Frost Jade Sword to block.

  She barely managed to parry two of the sword energies, but the third struck her back solidly.

  Her robe immediately tore along a long cut, exposing fair skin beneath.

  Fortunately, it was no ordinary robe. It absorbed most of the impact, preventing a severe injury. Only a shallow blood streak remained along her back.

  "She won't last much longer! Everyone, push harder!" The attackers shouted, emboldened by the successful strike, rushing at her again.

  "Despicable!" Darlene's face flushed red as she glared at them, but in the heat of battle, her words had little effect.

  Under the rules of the free-for-all, exploiting an opponent's opening was a legal tactic, hardly despicable.

  The following moments became the most grueling tug-of-war for Darlene.

  She blocked attack after attack, but rapid consumption of stamina and magical energy left her increasingly weak.

  Several times, sword energies nearly struck her vital points, and she survived only through instinct honed by years of training.

  Even so, she did not give up. Whenever she felt she could not hold on, she instinctively glanced at the audience below.

  Derrick raised his fists in encouragement, his gaze carrying a subtle concern.

  It was that watchful attention that made her grit her teeth and gather her magical energy time and again.

  Finally, to the astonishment of countless spectators, she staggered off the arena, battered and bruised. Behind her were the nine sullen opponents who had surrendered.

  Nine people ganged up on one girl, and in the end, they still lost, utterly humiliating themselves, unable to even raise their heads.

  "That girl is insane! One against nine and she still wins. She's only slightly hurt, yet she walked off the arena herself!"

  "I knew the boy with Light Element Magic was strong, but I didn't expect the girl next to him to be this powerful!"

  "Moon Element Magic combined with a defensive robe… I bet she's from a noble family."

  The spectators whispered among themselves, automatically giving Darlene space, their eyes full of admiration.

  From a distance, the Headmaster watched Darlene descend the stage. Unlike with Derrick, he did not intervene.

  "Her injuries are not fatal," he observed clearly. Though battered, she had no broken limbs or deadly wounds.

  "Derrick, quickly grab a piece of clothing to cover her!" Ryan nudged Derrick with his elbow, a hint of matchmaking in his eyes.

  He had been amazed the moment he saw Darlene awaken Moon Element Magic.

  Derrick had Light Element Magic, Darlene had Moon Element Magic. It was a match seemingly ordained by fate.

  If a Light Element Mage and a Moon Element Mage formed a pair, their magical learning would accelerate dramatically, and they could nourish each other's elemental power, greatly aiding each other's breakthroughs.

  This kind of natural compatibility was extremely rare across the entire magical continent. Calling it absolute destiny would not be an exaggeration.