Cornflower Witch

Chapter 102 Golden Light and Luminous Green

At night, Hilti carefully walked up the cliff step by step, then bent down and touched the blooming 'Blood Flower'.

【Blood Flower】(Second Tier 2 - Blood Law): A mutated special flower. To make it bloom, it must be watered with blood that possesses the 'Blood Law' attribute. Its petals can be used to extract special potions and can also be used to make high-level 'blood wine'. It is said that this type of exotic flower originated from the 'Blood Dynasty' of the Eighth Era and was cultivated by the nobles of that dynasty.

Just by breathing in that faint sweet fragrance through her nose, Hiltiya felt her blood surging, and her original three-stage breathing technique showed signs of loosening and advancing once again.

After catching her breath, Hilti carefully parted the soil beneath the Bloodflower and gently dug out its roots.

Ten minutes later, she carefully placed the Blood Flower into the glass jar in her portable lantern, while the original 'Fire Orchid' inside had been completely consumed in the battle just now.

This lantern can not only be used to perform the Flower Blooming Technique, but also effectively protects the flowers and plants inside. The glass inside is also specially made, making it stronger than ordinary steel.

After tidying up, Hilti closed the lid, locked it, hung it on her waist, and then carefully jumped down the hillside again, slowly walking back into the forest.

Iona had already woken up. Thanks to the excellent healing potion and her recent nap, she was in much better condition, and the wounds on her body had scabbed over.

The restorative power of the Fiery Sun phase is truly astonishing, Hilti thought to herself.

The campfire burned quietly by the tree, making soft noises, and wisps of smoke rose, adding warmth to the damp mountain air.

Iona's face was illuminated by the orange-red firelight. She looked at the approaching Sylvia and noticed the lantern at the girl's waist, inside which a strange blood flower was in full bloom.

Has it already been obtained...? Iona's heart sank little by little, and her originally bright eyes slowly lowered.

After a long while, she managed to raise her head and give the girl in front of her a stiff smile.

"Tiya... Congratulations." Her voice had never been so dry, even a little painful.

Seeing Iona in such a vulnerable state, Sylvia shook her head slightly, feeling somewhat distressed.

Iona must really want this spot, but there's only one.

Going to the secluded woodlands to study is currently the easiest way for her to access profound and extraordinary knowledge. Although she can learn a lot from Madame Fran, Madame Fran also said that what she can teach is limited to the field of gardening and is not comprehensive.

If I lose the opportunity to go there, it's uncertain whether I can get the opportunity to learn through other means.

She sympathized with Iona, but sympathy was not a reason to give in, because that would not only be disrespectful to herself, but also an act of contempt for others.

At this moment, Iona was struggling internally. Her fingers dug into her flesh as she tried to stay clear-headed and rational. But the thought that she would never be able to leave this remote mountain area again and would only be able to chase after those geniuses from the capital with difficulty and hopelessness, an invisible despair began to gnaw at her heart.

She was very scared

She feared that one day she would be assimilated by those mediocre noblewomen in Jiaoshi City, becoming an ordinary noblewoman who only knew how to have fun and then indulge in a vulgar life.

Her youth and her aspirations were all in the bustling capital city of Baiya, in the glorious family mansion; she could not afford to give up and fall into depravity.

This fear of a mediocre future gradually caused her to lose her composure, and her fingers trembled slightly.

Finally, as if she had made a huge decision, Iona slowly raised her struggling eyes and looked at the black-haired girl in front of her.

"Tiya, can I have the flowers?"

Failure must be admitted. If it were Iona's proud personality in the past, she would probably have readily admitted that she had missed the opportunity and failed to obtain the Blood Flower. But today is different, and she cannot let go of all of this.

Whether for the sake of her family or out of fear and disgust for a mediocre life, she found it difficult to accept this outcome with a calm mind.

After saying those words, Iona regretted it somewhat, feeling that it was too shameless, but she was not prepared to give up.

"I mean, I hope we can have another match." With that, Iona slowly drew her sword from her waist. Whether Sylvia agreed or not, she would fight; this was merely a final, polite greeting.

“Iona…” Seeing the longing and determination in her eyes, Hilti knew that nothing she said would make a difference.

It seems that a contest is necessary for the other party to be convinced, but Hiltiya suspects that even if Iona is defeated, she will not give up. What should she do then?

However, there was clearly no time for such contemplation, as Iona had already taken action.

She launched the first attack, leaping up like a wasp, her sharp sword slicing through the branches and leaves of the forest, striking the black-haired figure not far away like a bee sting.

A golden sword light flashed across the spine of the sword. Even though Hilutiya blocked the blade, the needle-like sword light still pierced through her ear, pulling at the broken strands of hair.

Danger!

Sylvia's alarm bells rang loudly. When faced with Iona's second attack, she quickly flipped over to avoid the direction of the sword's edge.

A dazzling golden needle pierced through the dim forest in an instant, penetrating the withered trees behind the girl.

The dry branches slowly fell, crushing the trees next to them.

Faced with Iona's 'Golden Needle Blade', Sylvia had to be on high alert and give it her all.

The golden blade clashed with the emerald green longsword in the forest, occasionally scattering sparks as the two once again parried each other's blades.

"Zi-"

The blades slashed against each other, creating a violent, trembling sound of sparks.

Feeling the powerful force emanating from the sword, Hilti took a deep breath and circulated her internal breathing technique, accelerating the flow of her blood. The invisible 'Blood Law' manifested and boiled within her blood, allowing her to withstand one fierce attack after another.

On the other side, golden light swirled in Iona's crimson eyes as the power of the 'Blazing Sun' aspect flowed into her blood, like a branding iron leaving a mark on her body. At first, it was just a burning pain, but then it became an intense burning sensation.

She must defeat Sylvia within minutes, or the side effects of 'Blazing Sun' will burn her to ashes.

"clang--"

Golden arcs and emerald green jade swords intersected in the forest, colliding and sparking.

Faced with Iona's increasingly powerful suppression, Sylvia activated the 'Blue Water Shell Pearl' hidden in her sleeve. An invisible chill exploded, instantly freezing the golden blade that was thrusting at her, and the wrist holding the sword also stiffened and slowed down.

Taking advantage of the opening, Hilti dodged the blade that was thrusting towards her, and at the same time spun the Tree Jade Spirit Sword. With the force of the swing, she knocked the black steel rapier out of Iona's hand.

Faced with this sudden accident, Iona's eyes turned cold. She quickly leaped up, her figure dancing like a bee, dodging the girl's pursuit in the air, and rushed towards the fallen rapier.

Seizing this only opportunity, Hilti followed closely. Although her swordsmanship was more defensive and lacked the powerful suppression and attack of Iona, her excellent talent and observation skills allowed her to always find subtle flaws in Iona's swordsmanship and leave some wounds.

Unable to suppress Sylvia, Iona felt immense pressure. She took a deep breath, and her brilliant, fiery yang aura seemed to overflow from her body, leaving faint lines and marks on her skin.

This is the ultimate effect of the [Sunlight Breathing Technique]. Unfortunately, her talent and time were limited, and she could not improve this ability to the point of being without side effects. She could only do her best to defeat her opponent before she fell.

“Tia, you can’t beat me.” Iona believed that as the [Blazing Sun], she would definitely defeat the [Emerald] who was not good at fighting.

Her eyes were bright, and her two black steel longswords were slowly gilded with gold. When she swung them, they left long trails of light in the night, from which sparks fell. These sparks touched the fallen leaves and trees, burning out wisps of smoke and holes.

In the dark forest, the gleaming golden blade and the luminous jade sword clashed time and again, and for a time they were evenly matched.

(End of this chapter)