Since the cafeteria was about to close, Sige and Xuan Xi had no choice but to return to the dormitory to continue their little “flirtation.”
By the time SigrdrÃfa finished washing up and came out of the bathroom, Xuan Xi was already lying in bed scrolling through her Communication Stone Tablet. She was lying on her side, eyes half-open, half-closed, as if she were on the verge of sleep. Only the small lamp on the nightstand was on in the room, its warm yellow glow not harsh at all, but instead adding a certain cozy ambiance.
After SigrdrÃfa turned off the lamp, she fumbled her way through the darkness and lay down on her own bed. Just as Xuan Xi thought today would end in silence, a voice came from the other side of the dormitory, carrying that lazy tone of someone who had just settled into bed.
“Are you asleep, Xuan Xi?”
“Not yet. What’s the matter?”
“About the spring trial—have you heard anything?”
“I’ve heard a little.” Xuan Xi turned over to face Sige’s direction. “Teacher Cecilia mentioned it in class, saying the specific details would be announced gradually.”
SigrdrÃfa was silent for a moment. “I heard that this year’s trial location is in the wilderness at the edge of the Central Continent. The terrain there is notoriously complex, and the Spiritual Qi is extremely thin.”
“Then wouldn’t we be suppressed over there?”
“Exactly. And the thin Spiritual Qi affects Water Element users like you even more. By that point, if your Spiritual Energy can’t keep up, your sustained combat capability on the battlefield will take a serious hit.” She paused. “However, after our little ‘dual cultivation,’ your Spiritual Qi recovery speed should have improved considerably.”
From the other side of the Folding Screen, there was no immediate reply. After a brief pause, a very soft response came through. “Mm. Dual cultivation is the right call.” Xuan Xi echoed in agreement.
“Mm. We can try again this weekend.”
“Then let’s get some sleep. We still have classes tomorrow.” After Xuan Xi said that, she pulled her blanket up a little higher. No more words came from the other side of the Folding Screen, and before long, the sound of even breathing could be heard.
The next morning, when the two of them walked into Classroom A together, Elsa was already sitting in her usual spot. When she saw SigrdrÃfa and Xuan Xi walk in one after another, her gaze flickered back and forth between them, as if she had just stumbled upon some earth-shattering secret. Reggie sat beside her with a notebook spread open in front of him; he was reading something. Veralis sat by the window, head lowered, writing something unknown.
The class bell rang, and Cecilia walked into the classroom. As always, she held no lesson plan in her hands. She stood at the podium and swept her sharp gaze across the room. “This semester’s spring trial is set in the wilderness at the edge of the Central Continent. The specific schedule and mission details will be announced progressively in the coming classes. You may begin preparing in advance—equipment and supplies, team coordination, and tactical plans for different environments. Additionally—during the trial, the Academy will not provide any supplies. All materials must be carried by yourselves.” Her voice wasn’t loud, but it struck everyone’s hearts like a hammer.
Murmurs of discussion arose throughout the classroom. Cecilia didn’t wait for the chatter to die down; she simply began writing on the blackboard. “Class begins now.”
The afternoon practical class was held at the Training Ground as usual. The spring sunlight was no longer as “useless” as it had been in winter, and when it fell upon people, a thin layer of warmth could be felt.
Cecilia stood at the edge of the field, holding a recording board. Her gaze swept over the students lined up in several rows. Only after everyone had taken their positions did she speak.
“Today, I’ll be checking the homework the Academy assigned during Winter Break. You’ll work in pairs to demonstrate at least one spell combination or tactical coordination that you’ve newly learned or newly developed.” She glanced at the list in her hand. “We’ll start with the first group, in order.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the students on the field went up group by group to demonstrate. Most of the earlier groups presented fairly conventional combinations—Fire and Wind Element coordinated advancement, Earth and Ice Element defensive formations, Thunder and Fire Element saturation strikes. These were mostly routines practiced last semester, just polished anew during the Winter Break. Cecilia jotted down a few notes without much commentary. Occasionally she’d say something like “Your transitions could be faster” or “You need to optimize your Spiritual Energy allocation,” her tone no different from a regular class. Perhaps she was being a bit less strict than usual.
Elsa and Reggie were the fifth group to go up. Elsa’s Flame pressed forward from the front first, while Reggie’s Earth Wall rose quickly behind her, cutting off any potential escape route for the opponent.
Compared to last semester, there wasn’t much change in their coordination, but their execution speed had improved. There were no wasted movements, no hesitation whatsoever. After watching, Cecilia wrote a line on her recording board and said only two words: “Not bad.” As Elsa walked off the field, she looked like she wanted to say something, but Reggie said “Let’s go” from beside her and dragged her away, so she never got the chance.
By the time Xuan Xi and SigrdrÃfa’s turn came around, they were essentially the finale. Xuan Xi stepped onto the field, and Sige walked up from the other side. The two stood facing each other at the center of the field, about twenty steps apart. They both stood there for a moment, as if waiting for something simultaneously. Then Sige’s Thunder Light was the first to flare to life.
It shot out from her fingertips and halted midair, while Xuan Xi’s Water Curtain rose at the same time. The Water Curtain didn’t block the Thunder Light—instead, it pulled a line of water from the side and caught the Thunder Light with it. The Thunder Light slid along the water line, tracing a dazzling arc through the air.
SigrdrÃfa stood at the other end of the water line, her fingertip guiding the tail end of the Thunder Light. Both the starting and ending points were within her control range, and the water line served as the conductive path between them. Energy shuttled back and forth through the water line, forming a slender, silvery-white ribbon of light.
The murmuring at the edge of the field fell silent. Elsa’s mouth hung wide open, nearly dislocating her jaw.
Xuan Xi began adjusting the angle of the water line. Her fingers moved slightly, and the water line bent in midair, transforming the originally straight path into a curved arc. As the Thunder Light slid along the curve, its speed increased, becoming an elongated arc of light. SigrdrÃfa’s fingertips continued controlling the Thunder Light’s movement, keeping it stable in form as it traveled so that it wouldn’t harm anyone. The silvery-white electric arc raced through the looped water line, growing faster and faster, brighter and brighter.
“Release.” SigrdrÃfa said.
The two withdrew their hands simultaneously. The end of the water line was severed by Xuan Xi, and the Thunder Light, now freed from its restraint, burst forth from the break.
The orb of light slammed into the barrier barrier at the far end of the Training Ground, illuminating the entire field more brilliantly than the noonday sun in an instant. Then came a low, rumbling explosion, and ripples of considerable size appeared across the surface of the barrier.
The silence at the edge of the field lasted a long time. Even the students in the back rows stood dumbfounded, their gazes fixed on the barrier as if they hadn’t yet processed what had just happened when that orb of light exploded.
Cecilia was the first among the crowd to move. She glanced at the barrier—its surface still bore a faint ring of light patterns, like traces left by the scorching of that orb. Cecilia lowered her head, wrote a line of evaluation on her recording board, and only looked up to speak after she’d finished.
“The release speed and control precision of your compressed Thunder Light already exceed the average level of upperclassmen.” She flipped a page on her recording board, and her voice returned to its usual tone. “The stability of the Thunder Light’s conduction path is extremely high, and the water line’s angle adjustments didn’t affect the energy transmission at all—this shows that the Spiritual Energy coordination between you two has reached a very high level. Moreover, both of your Spiritual Energy control precision has improved significantly compared to last semester, and your output rhythm management has reached an even higher level.” She paused. “This spell combination already possesses practical combat utility. The two of you completed your Winter Vacation Homework exceptionally well. Does this spell have a name?”
Xuan Xi shook her head.
“Then you can come up with one yourselves.” Cecilia closed her recording board. “For the rest of the class, everyone else continues practicing in group order.”