Chapter 22: The Sting Of The Golden Needle
“Instructor, but we still have injuries on us.” Baron raised his hand.
“Oh, where are the injuries? Are your bones broken? Can’t you stand up?” This instructor’s gaze was sharp, making Baron not dare to continue refuting.
“Suolin, start with you.”
“Yes!”
The black-haired young man stepped forward. Despite having quite a few bruises on his body, he still picked up a wooden sword and fought seriously.
Stepping forward to charge, then the sword blade thrust out. Suolin’s sword technique was exceptionally crisp and straightforward, directly targeting vital points, without any muddled parts.
“Clang”Clang”
The instructor held his sword with one hand, steadily dodging Suolin’s offense with footwork, then casually flicked away Suolin’s wooden sword and kicked him flying with one foot.
“Sword technique is good. Aside from being too direct and lacking change, there’s temporarily nothing wrong.” He gave a high evaluation.
“Next!”
“Baron.”
“Yes!”
Baron also picked up a wooden sword and charged forward to attack. Unfortunately, though he swung his sword quickly, his moves were hasty with many flaws, his performance far inferior to Suolin’s just now.
After knocking Baron down several times and giving commentary, the instructor continued calling people.
“Lei.”
“Yes!”
The tallest student among the group of students stepped forward. He gripped the wooden sword as if holding a small toy.
“Hah.”
Lei took a deep breath, gripped the spear, and swept horizontally toward where the instructor stood.
Facing Lei’s powerful sword swing, the wooden sword in the instructor’s hand twisted like a python coiling around it, stabbing into the palm of Lei’s sword-gripping hand, making him loosen his grip in pain.
“Power is fine, but the sword technique is crude and hard to watch.” The instructor shook his head.
“Perhaps you should learn other weapons.”
“Next!”
The remaining classmates came forward one by one. During this process, Xilutiya had been standing on the training ground watching. Her light blue eyes blinked, constantly analyzing everyone’s actions and their power exertion techniques.
(‘Basic Sword Technique’ proficiency +3)
(‘Basic Sword Technique’ proficiency +2)
(‘Basic Sword Technique’ proficiency +5)
……
It turns out there’s such a method. Through this sparring, she could be said to have gained a lot.
Even the same sword technique has different uses and emphases due to each person’s build and habits, and personal coping strategies change accordingly when facing different situations.
Basic Sword Technique Lv.4: Basic skills for using a sword, the foundation of combat, current progress （573/1200）
Although she didn’t directly participate in the combat, observing still benefited Xilutiya greatly. Additionally, while watching that instructor spar, she gradually realized that the combat technique he used was a more advanced combat technique.
『Military Sword Technique Lv.0』: Sword skills used in the military, crisp actions emphasizing rapid killing between life and death, current progress （31/100）
Compared to Basic Sword Technique, this Military Sword Technique has greater lethality, but requires higher individual qualities. Without sufficient power and speed, it can’t be utilized at all.
Being able to learn just by watching others spar, this ability is still very useful. Xilutiya felt that coming to study with Scholar Heide this time could be said to have yielded many gains.
However, her leisurely state of watching the battles was soon coming to an end.
“Boys go to the open space on the left to rest. Now girls come forward.” The instructor’s gaze swept over them.
“Valenie, you first.”
“Ah, Uncle Burke, are you calling me?” The daughter of Knight Leven looked surprised.
“Of course.”
“Alright.” Valenie stepped forward somewhat dejectedly, picked up a wooden sword, and charged at Instructor Burke.
Unfortunately, this knight’s daughter didn’t inherit her father’s martial skills. With only three-legged cat kung fu, she was easily defeated by the instructor and flipped onto the ground.
“You grip the sword weakly, your skills are unrefined, your footwork is loose, your reaction is slow. Not a single action is decent. It seems Leven has spoiled you too much.” The instructor criticized coldly.
“Uh.”
Valenie’s face was full of embarrassment, and soon a flash of anger crossed her expression.
“What right do you have to say that about me? I don’t need to become a knight anyway. Besides, if you have the ability, go compare swords with my father!”
“Hmph.” For this little girl’s mutterings, this instructor couldn’t be bothered to pay attention and directly ignored her.
“Next, Karen.”
“Yes.”
Karen took out a wooden spear and walked forward. She crouched low at the waist, lowered her center of gravity, and fixed her eyes tightly on this instructor.
Several seconds later, that wooden spear suddenly thrust out, the spear tip straight toward the instructor’s chest.
Facing such an attack, the instructor flicked his sword upward to knock away the spear tip, then sidestepped forward, slashing the sword blade straight at Karen’s fingers.
Unexpectedly, Karen twisted her body sideways while gripping the spear shaft, forcefully taking the sword strike with her shoulder, then counter-thrust the spear again.
“Clang”
Unfortunately, this spear thrust was still blocked by the instructor.
However, after blocking, the instructor didn’t continue attacking, but instead looked at Karen appreciatively.
“Not bad, very bold. A good seedling.”
“Next, Komiya.”
“Ah, I, I don’t know combat technique.” Komiya looked like she was about to cry.
“Oh?”
At this point, Instructor Burke frowned. How could she not even have the basics? How was someone like this accepted by Scholar Heide?
Soon, a servant jogged up to Burke and whispered something to him. Afterward, Burke’s frown eased somewhat, and he glanced at Komiya a few times.
“Fine. You don’t need to practice spear and sword techniques from now on, but you still need basic physical training. Run ten laps around the training ground.”
“Wah, yes, Instructor.” Komiya had no choice but to go running now.
At this point, inside the arena, only Iona and Xilutiya hadn’t participated in the combat training yet.
The instructor glanced at Iona, then shifted his gaze to the maiden who seemed delicate on the side.
“Iona, you come over.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
Iona’s tone was flat, as if she found what she was about to do somewhat boring.
She picked up a wooden sword with one hand and held it in front of her body. Then a faint golden light flashed in her eyes, and she suddenly thrust straight at the instructor. The sword blade also carried a trace of golden light. This strange sight was very brief, noticed only by Xilutiya immediately.
The wooden swords clashed, continuous chopping and clanging sounds came from the training ground. This exchange didn’t end quickly.
The fierce battle inside the arena quickly drew all the students’ attention, even stopping Komiya’s footsteps.
“So amazing.”
“Iona is not only beautiful, her sword technique is also so flashy.”
“This isn’t ordinary sword technique, right?”
Inside the arena, Iona’s figure was graceful, her footwork nimble, her body constantly closing in and pulling away, the sword blade in her hand flashing like needle thrusts.
‘Golden Needle Sword Technique · Thrust!’
In an instant, three dazzling golden threads flashed, like three golden needles stabbing toward the instructor. Facing this attack carrying extraordinary nature power, the instructor no longer held back.
‘Steel Sharp Blade!’
The wooden sword in his hand was instantly coated with a layer of steel silver edge. With a rapid slash, it directly shattered the wooden sword in Iona’s hand into flying wooden splinters.
After losing the wooden sword, Iona retreated a few steps, let go of the remaining sword hilt in her hand, and stopped fighting. At this time, she looked at the instructor with proud eyes, honorable even in defeat.
“Hmph, as expected of Viscount Karen’s daughter.”
Before entering prison, Viscount Karen was a real power figure in the military, with plenty of family-inherited secret arts and resources.
At this moment, the only one on the field who hadn’t participated in the sparring training was Xilutiya.
Should she participate in the sparring training? If she went up but held back, it would only lead to all sorts of twisted and awkward situations. But if she didn’t hold back and shone brightly, even overshadowing that golden-haired young lady who was supposed to be the protagonist, wouldn’t that completely go against her previous plan to keep a low profile?
Xilutiya fell into a difficult choice.
It seemed he noticed her predicament, or perhaps it was just good luck. At this moment, someone interrupted the training, bailing her out.
Well, the protagonist will appear a bit less in these few chapters, it’ll be fine after this |ω｀)
