Bella was now like the protagonist in a Soulslike game challenging various mad-dog elite monsters, barely parrying one attack before another came rushing in before she could even adjust.
She wanted to try attacking as well, but the moment she made a move, Furan had already flashed to the side, ready to strike, forcing Bella to quickly defend.
She wanted to rely on body-to-body contact to see if she could create an opening, but Furan often attacked from a distance, giving her no chance at all.
If this were a real battle, she would definitely expose a weakness, take the attack with her body, and then counterattack, focusing on trading injuries—seeing whether she killed the opponent or the opponent killed her first.
But this was a match, and being hit once basically meant losing, so she could only frustratingly block the successive attacks and stabilize her stance first.
She also had a Combat Skill ready, but she needed to find the perfect moment to unleash it. She only had this one chance; if it was dodged or anticipated, winning would be difficult.
Besides Teacher John, the other spectators couldn't clearly see the battle between the two, and many were whispering below the stage.
"Did you see their movements clearly?"
"No, I've only seen this kind of sparring during my uncle's battles..."
"That must be a Breathing Technique. If I could use it in combat, I wouldn't need to be here..."
Many apprentices who held noble titles from various territories watched the fight on stage with complex emotions—some envious, some jealous... Mars, meanwhile, was struggling to track Furan's movements, and the strongest emotion in his eyes was hatred.
The battle on stage continued, but Furan was the first to lose patience. Fighting Bella was like hitting a turtle shell; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't land a decisive blow.
She first paused to consider how to use her Combat Skill, causing a slight momentary hesitation in her movements.
Bella keenly captured this detail and began preparing her Combat Skill.
Furan was the first to initiate the final move. She leaped three meters high, then unleashed the [Sky Strike] she had been practicing these past few days.
With her mastery-level proficiency in the Combat Skill, she executed it flawlessly, appearing in the air in an instant.
Seemingly not expecting Furan to jump, Bella was forced to interrupt her prepared stance and unleash her Combat Skill upwards in an awkward posture.
A muffled "Clang" sounded, breaking both their wooden swords in half. Furan took advantage of Bella's awkward posture preventing her from exerting full force, striking Bella with the remaining part of her sword and winning the match.
[You have completed a spectacular match using the Swift Wind Breathing Technique. Swift Wind Breathing Technique Proficiency +50]
Before the other spectators could react, a series of 'clap clap' sounds attracted everyone's attention, even though the noise was much quieter than the previous muffled collision.
Even the specially made wooden swords were broken. They were designed not to break even when Combat Skills clashed, but could they not withstand Combat Skills enhanced by Breathing Techniques?
"A brilliant battle. Both of you are qualified to enter the Sword Chant School."
The fewer the words, the greater the matter. This sentence not only praised their battle but also implied that two of the recommendation slots Teacher John held were already confirmed.
In John's view, Bella—a Well-rounded Warrior—was impeccable regardless of the situation.
Furan, on the other hand, displayed an extremely proficient Combat Skill. Had her proficiency been slightly lower and her execution less fluid, the battle would likely have lasted several more minutes.
The faces of the surrounding noble descendants were grim. They all knew that the Teacher's recommendation slots were limited, and two had already been claimed.
Furthermore, they were powerless regarding these two claimed slots, as the combat strength of both girls was far beyond their own.
Ultimately, there might only be three or four slots in total, so they had to compete for the remainder.
The Sword Chant School again? It was one thing when Elan mentioned it, but why was Teacher John saying it too? Furan was confused; she decided to ask Bella later.
Furan rubbed her wrist. The descending strike had just been blocked, and since her physique was inherently weaker than Bella's, her wrist was slightly injured.
Now she could use the healing potion stored in her dormitory. Out of ten portions, she had only handed three over to the Association.
Mars looked at Furan's movements, and an idea formed in his heart.
---
Emerald Heart Bar.
Elan looked at the box Furan brought this time; it was significantly larger than the last. He opened the box, and the quantity of energy potion inside shocked him.
"Ten... fourteen bottles!"
He had thought that even if she found other Apothecaries to refine them together, she would only manage to get about nine bottles, but this far exceeded his expectations.
He carefully inspected two of the bottles, confirming they were all energy potion. He smiled broadly and teased:
"It seems you have quite a few friends. It hasn't even been a week since your last visit, and you already have this batch of goods."
"Of course..." Furan then continued:
"Next time I can bring even more. My friends are constantly growing in number..."
Elan suddenly wondered if Furan had become a middleman like him, using her connections to acquire goods from the Association.
He knew that the Association didn't actually offer Apothecaries who refined energy potion a high purchase price, but rather used other methods to win them over... Currently, the Association was most lacking in funds, so they wouldn't be vague about this aspect.
If Furan brought fifty bottles one day, he would suspect that those Apothecaries were double-dipping—taking the benefits offered by the Association while also accepting his purchase price.
But it didn't matter; the energy potion could be sold easily now, and if anyone lost money, it would be the Association.
Furan put all the money into her pocket and cautiously walked out of the Emerald Heart Bar.
She suddenly saw an unexpected person—Mars—appearing before her eyes.
At the same time, two tall, large figures stood beside him, with dense fur covering their necks—they were Beastmen.
They clearly meant trouble. Could they be here to steal the money I just received? Furan quickly drew her weapon.
However, the moment Mars spoke, Furan's suspicion regarding the money was dispelled.
"It's all because of you... you made me unable to become a member of the Sword Chant School..."
Furan had already learned about John's recommendation from Bella, and she immediately noticed Mars's confused logic.
"That's not right. Leaving aside the fact that John hasn't announced the recommended slots yet, your strength actually puts you among the front-runners..."
"No... it's all because of you..." Mars roared. Furan realized this person might be insane, but fearing trouble, she still said one thing:
"Are you sure you want to fight me? The Academy rules state that you cannot actively attack other apprentices. Even if you win, you won't get the recommendation slot for the Sword Chant School..."
"Heh heh..." Mars laughed. "If it weren't for you, how could I have lost this slot..."
Furan realized that what she was saying and what he was hearing were on completely different wavelengths. She knew this battle was inevitable and quietly prepared herself.
Mars burst into loud laughter again:
"I know your hand is injured, which is why I specifically found two Beastmen to attack you today..."
"You probably don't know what these Beastmen are..." Mars showed a cruel smile: "These are products specifically made for war by the Modification School. Their physique ranks highly among Knight Attendants, and their combat memories are created using Infused Crystals. Furthermore..."
Mars pulled out a whistle and blew it. The two Beastmen finally picked up their weapons: "They only obey specific commands and don't fear the Academy..."