Ziye’s heart constricted instantly, and she stumbled back several paces, gripping the Aurora Sword tightly with both hands. This creature had once shattered her airship with a single claw.

She did not flee in panic; instead, she watched the entity silently, knowing she had a single chance to strike before it registered her presence.

Ziye clenched the Aurora Sword, pouring all her spiritual energy into it, and leaped forward fiercely. The aurora condensed into the most brilliant beam of light, cleaving down toward its head!

It happened in the span of a breath: the sword grated heavily across the Dragon-Patterned Lizard’s hide. The sensation was strange—like slicing through thick scales—and blood seeped from the wound, but Ziye knew, deep down, that it was certainly not a fatal blow.

The Dragon-Patterned Lizard’s hide was thicker and far more resistant than she had anticipated.

This strike had not achieved the desired effect; the creature was bound to retaliate.

Ziye scrambled behind it, reasoning that even if it attacked, it would first have to turn its massive body, which would surely slow its movements.

Indeed, the Dragon-Patterned Lizard was enraged. It roared, baring its teeth and brandishing its claws, spinning around to confront Ziye.

Seeing the opening, Ziye advanced instead of retreating. Before its claws could crush down, she sprang up and plunged the Aurora Sword without hesitation into its mouth.

This might not be the best approach, Ziye thought. She should have aimed for the eyes. Its mouth was so wide, so deep—if she failed to reach the critical point, and her power waned as she fell back to the ground, its claws would land squarely on her head.

The consequence of failure would be forfeiting her life.

But hesitation was not an option now. Once committed, she had to see it through; otherwise, even a winnable fight would dissolve into wasted effort.

Fortunately, her mental fortitude was immense. That single thrust pierced straight through the Dragon-Patterned Lizard’s throat. Her hand barely held the sword; she was almost flung clear.

The lizard’s enormous head reared back. Its foreclaws scraped the ground agitatedly as it lunged toward Ziye in agony. Due to the pain, its attacks were almost indiscriminate, uprooting surrounding trees in its frenzy.

At this moment, Ziye’s small frame was an advantage, allowing her to deftly evade the seemingly powerful yet riddled-with-flaws assaults. The Dragon-Patterned Lizard seemed to realize this constraint and resorted to simply rolling over her, like a steamroller. Startled, she swung her sword again. A flash of bright light streaked out as the Aurora Sword carved a perfect arc in the air toward the creature’s skull. The blow was swift and clean, delivered with zero hesitation. Ziye held her arm out straight, her hand steady, until a piercing shriek tore through the air—then she bolted.

“Rooaaar—!” The Dragon-Patterned Lizard’s eyes widened as it let out a sound like a lion’s roar. Its entire body inflated, and then a torrent of gas violently erupted from its throat. Ziye had never faced a gaseous attack; before she could react, she felt as if she had been struck by a tornado, losing all control and soaring hundreds of meters away, tumbling like a broken kite, crashing heavily onto the earth with her internal organs feeling thoroughly displaced.

From where she lay, the lizard's pained, muffled sounds nearly ripped her eardrums.

The light of the Aurora Sword was deeply embedded in the lizard’s neck. It thrashed its head violently but was powerless. Ziye, having lost control of the sword, could only watch helplessly as it gradually lost strength amid its rampage, the light in its eyes slowly fading. Foul-smelling saliva mixed with bright crimson blood oozed from between its massive teeth, dripping onto the ground with a plop.

Ziye watched the scene in horror until the Dragon-Patterned Lizard finally collapsed onto the ground with a thud. Only then did she dare approach and pull the Aurora Sword free.

Ziye gazed at the Aurora Sword in her hand. Because she had not fully withdrawn her spiritual energy, it had shrunk to the size of a dagger. She knew she still had significant deficiencies, but she understood now: as long as she tried hard enough, even monsters could not withstand her attack!

Hahahaha…

A joyous laugh echoed far into the forest. Little Sprout had been right; if she was willing to utilize her potential, she was strong enough, both physically and mentally. If she was willing to fight for it, nothing and no one could dictate her path. She had to be fearless!

“Congratulations, Master! The journey through the Magic Forest is a complete success!”

Little Sprout cheerfully popped out of the air and blew her a kiss. Ziye smiled radiantly at it, and in the next second, she was teleported out of the training spatial system.

Ziye opened her eyes, her first instinct being to check her clothes—thankfully, no bloodstains. She let out a relieved "Hoo," sat up, and only then felt the familiar ache of her waist and back, as if she had run a marathon spanning thousands of kilometers.

Little Sprout nestled into her arms, rubbing against her happily. “Ziye, you passed the first stage of training!”

Ziye briefly considered throwing it out.

Then, reflecting carefully, she decided she did owe Little Sprout a debt of gratitude. It had been the only one by her side, chatting with her, pushing her in training, forcing her growth.

She couldn’t help but cup Little Sprout in her hands and rub it against her cheek. “Little devil, you win. Let’s build a mecha and go ask An Junlie for our debts, okay?”

Little Sprout bounced with glee: “Oh yeah!”

Ziye got up, took a shower, ate a meal, and rested until her mental energy was mostly recovered. She instructed Unit 120 to stand guard and carried Little Sprout down to Workshop Two.

Workshop Two was underground, a place even An Junlie had never visited.

The entrance was hidden within the underground storage room.

The storage room held several rows of utility shelves. Ziye walked behind them and triggered a mechanism concealed there; the storage room door slid silently to either side, revealing the hidden chamber within.

Entering the dark room, Ziye activated the shadowless lamp, instantly illuminating everything inside with sharp clarity.

The second basement room was the same size as Workshop One, also equipped with workbenches, storage, and a hangar. However, compared to Workshop One’s hangar, Workshop Two’s mecha collection was pitifully small—only two units. Yet, these two machines were Tang Shan’s final, masterworks, the most advanced mechas in the entire galaxy!

For any pilot, these two mechas were peerless treasures.

Ziye approached the mechas and touched one of their feet, sighing. Although Master Tang Shan had left them to her as an inheritance, she lacked the capacity to become a first-rate pilot, nor did she possess exceptional piloting talent to operate them.

To give them away felt agonizing; yet, without being used, they lost the very meaning of their existence.

When An Junlie visited, she had considered gifting him a mecha but ultimately dismissed the idea. If An Junlie were destined for them and capable of piloting one, she wouldn't mind, but for now, it seemed unnecessary.

These two mechas were magnificent, but she couldn't fly them. To leave the planet, she would have to manufacture her own.

Ziye walked into the workshop area and sat down in a chair, asking Little Sprout, “Do you think I should build a mecha using metal, or one using biological materials?”