Li was stunned, his eyes wide. He never expected to see Angelia here, the girl who had made it to the finals of the "Gulu City" tournament for two consecutive years.
She—how could she possibly be here?
That was the question Li most desperately wanted answered. In all the Magitech Academies within "Gulu City," few hadn't heard of Angelia, not only because of her formidable power but also because of the effect her beauty had!
Compared to Li's shocked expression, Angelia appeared much calmer; she didn't recognize Li at all.
"Girl, is the meal ready?" Zhong Shenxiu asked casually, but the words struck Li’s ears like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, leaving him completely stupefied!
Girl? He called her girl?? Had he misheard him???
Angelia nodded. She had just finished preparing the food and hadn't expected Zhong Shenxiu and Robin to return right then! She glanced back at Li, a flicker of confusion on her face as to why Zhong Shenxiu had brought such a stranger along.
"Girl, he will also be training here frequently from now on. You two should get acquainted!" Zhong Shenxiu said very matter-of-factly.
"Se-Senior Sister!" Li managed to stammer out. Although he and Angelia weren't at the same academy, Angelia was definitely one of his idols, so calling her Senior Sister felt appropriate enough!
"Hello!" Angelia responded with her usual placid demeanor.
However, Li was so thrilled he wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into. To think that the legendary, ice-cold Angelia would actually speak to him! How could this not excite him? If he told anyone, his classmates would be consumed by envy!
His previous gloom vanished instantly, replaced by an increasing eagerness for the training ahead.
From what he had overheard, Angelia was training here too. What an incredible honor this was for Li! Training alongside Angelia was something he wouldn't have dared dream of!
"Hey kid, you can head back now. Are you planning to stand here and wait for me to feed you?" Zhong Shenxiu looked up at Li. His expression seemed to clearly convey: Don't even think about mooching a meal here!
"Th-Then I'll be going. S-Senior Sister, see you tomorrow!" Li couldn't help but greet Angelia as he retreated.
This time, Angelia said nothing more, merely watching with a calm expression as Li scurried away with a giddy eagerness.
Once they entered the small courtyard, Angelia never once asked why Li was training there; she didn't even ask for his name!
At the dinner table, Zhong Shenxiu was, as always, the first to finish eating.
"Girl," Zhong Shenxiu suddenly adopted an expression hard to decipher, "I have a task for you!"
A task? Angelia was momentarily surprised, then looked at Zhong Shenxiu with confusion.
Zhong Shenxiu smiled, continuing with an air of profound mystery, "I plan for you to help train that boy from earlier! Of course, I won't let you work for nothing!"
Angelia still hadn't grasped his meaning, uncertain what Zhong Shenxiu truly intended.
In truth, Zhong Shenxiu's decision was somewhat spur-of-the-moment: first, he had very little time for research; second, judging by Li’s demeanor, he seemed quite reverent toward Angelia, and having her supervise his training would undoubtedly yield twice the results with half the effort.
Angelia nodded slightly, signifying her agreement. By now, she had almost developed a habit of following Zhong Shenxiu's directives without question.
After dinner, Zhong Shenxiu retreated into his small room to delve into the ancient book Li had given him. Without going into the fine details, suffice it to say that by the end of the night, he finally found the answer he was looking for. (It could be said that he now possessed the theoretical knowledge required for refining artifacts using magic formations; the only thing lacking was the practical application!)
The very next morning, Li arrived early, his excited expression clearly betraying his anticipation for the upcoming training session.
"Good morning, Senior Sister!" Li quickly greeted Angelia as she emerged from the room.
Angelia maintained her usual calmness, offering only a slight nod in return as a greeting.
Zhong Shenxiu had not yet come out of his room, so Li found himself waiting awkwardly, unsure what to do.
Thankfully, the wait wasn't long. Zhong Shenxiu stepped out of the room, his face wreathed in smiles—apparently in good spirits!
Li rushed over, his expression seeming to ask: What do I do next?
Zhong Shenxiu glanced at him and inquired, "Are you mentally prepared?"
Li nodded earnestly. "Can we start?"
"Of course!" Zhong Shenxiu smiled mysteriously, with an air of deep significance.
Li had expected Zhong Shenxiu to personally instruct him on manipulating his Battle Aura or perhaps offer pointers on his swordsmanship. To his utter surprise, he hadn't guessed either correctly. Instead, Zhong Shenxiu called Angelia closer.
"Girl, he's ready. You two will have a brief spar!" Zhong Shenxiu stated with extreme nonchalance.
"Huh?"
Li’s eyes widened in terror. Sparring with Angelia? Wasn't that tantamount to suicide!
Even though he now possessed the strength of an "Advanced Swordsman," he was self-aware enough to know that he was nowhere near Angelia’s level...
Zhong Shenxiu’s intention was to let Li experience what it felt like to be thoroughly beaten by Angelia. This served two purposes: one, to let him truly feel the vast disparity in their strength; and two, to help Angelia establish some authority, making it easier for her to manage Li later on!
"There’s no need to make such a fuss, it’s just a friendly spar!" Although Zhong Shenxiu said this to Li aloud, he secretly transmitted a message to Angelia: "Don't hold back later!"
Poor Li, unaware of the fate awaiting him, let out an excited smile upon hearing Zhong Shenxiu’s words.
When had he ever dared to dream of sparring with Angelia? In the past, his goal was simply to catch up to Cheryl. Who knew that on the very first day, Zhong Shenxiu would set a brand new benchmark for him?
As expected, barely a minute into the sparring session, Li was spectacularly knocked unconscious by one of Angelia’s downward axe-kicks!
Angelia looked down at the now-unconscious Li with a hint of frustration. She had only just started getting into the rhythm, and he had passed out so disappointingly quickly, especially after she had so carefully moderated her strength!
"Hey, Girl, did you not get enough of a workout?" Zhong Shenxiu had walked over at some point.
Although Angelia remained silent, her expression clearly conveyed: He’s too fragile; he passed out after such a light exchange!
Zhong Shenxiu chuckled, seeming to read Angelia's mind perfectly. "Do you want Robin to keep you company until you’re satisfied?"
Angelia shuddered, trembling at the suggestion. Sparring with Robin would simply be an exercise in learning how to take heavy hits, and it was anyone’s guess who would end up satisfied in the end!
Angelia quickly shook her head, afraid that if she hesitated, Zhong Shenxiu might actually let Robin spar with her.
Zhong Shenxiu clearly hadn't meant it seriously; it was just a joke. After a moment of silence, he continued, "Girl, wake him up in a bit, then give him some pointers. Robin and I need to step out and handle a few things!"
"How do I wake him up?" Angelia surprisingly asked a rather foolish question.
Zhong Shenxiu regarded her with a strange look for a while before replying, "Didn't I demonstrate it for you earlier? Have you forgotten so quickly?"
Demonstrate? When had he demonstrated that?
As Angelia pondered this in confusion, a memory suddenly struck her, and she finally understood why Zhong Shenxiu had said that. The demonstration he referred to must have been waking up Gandalf!
Thinking of Gandalf, Angelia broke out in a cold sweat, thinking, Surely he’s not expecting me to use that method on Li!
By the time Zhong Shenxiu and Robin returned from outside, Li had already awakened. He was soaking wet, suggesting Angelia had indeed used water to revive him.
Zhong Shenxiu found the situation quite amusing but kept it off his face, casually asking, "How was the training?"
Li remained silent, while Angelia wasn't sure how to respond.
"You two continue!" With those words, Zhong Shenxiu and Robin left.
To the bewilderment of both Angelia and Li, Robin and Zhong Shenxiu began constructing a small lean-to structure in the courtyard. Perhaps benefiting from prior experience, a rather rudimentary shed was quickly erected.
What was even more astonishing was that Zhong Shenxiu actually pulled a blacksmith's furnace out of his Magic Ring, and Robin immediately began gathering firewood!
What were they doing?
This was the question running through both Angelia's and Li's minds, but just as they were momentarily distracted, Zhong Shenxiu's voice drifted over: "Don't lose focus, keep going. I’m watching!"
Angelia quickly averted her gaze, having experienced Zhong Shenxiu’s uncanny ability to observe everything without seeming to look.
By now, the furnace was roaring, and Zhong Shenxiu tossed a dark, dull piece of metal into the heart of the flame.
Not long after, the sounds of "clang, clang, ding" began to ring out.
Angelia and Li’s attention was once again drawn away. When they looked toward Zhong Shenxiu, they were momentarily stunned. He was actually wielding a large sledgehammer, striking the already glowing metal!
At this point, the two were even more baffled as to what Zhong Shenxiu was doing!
In reality, the process was quite simple: Zhong Shenxiu was attempting artifact refinement using a magic formation. However, since he hadn't yet cultivated the ability to summon Divine Fire, he had to resort to this most primitive method to purify and shape the metal!
After a period of intense labor, the general shape of the metal was determined—it turned out to be a vambrace.
Zhong Shenxiu then carried the vambrace inside and didn't emerge for quite some time; no one knew what he was doing in there.
About an hour passed this way, when Zhong Shenxiu finally walked out, his face beaming with satisfaction. The first thing he did upon emerging was beckon Angelia over: "Girl, come here a moment!"
Unsure what Zhong Shenxiu needed now, Angelia walked over.
"Girl, here’s a little something for you!" Zhong Shenxiu gave a mysterious smile and presented the vambrace he had just successfully refined using the magic formation.