It's so hard being a hero!

But Mokar reacted quickly, pressing down with his iron bar to precisely block Sidmon's sword.

The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed across the square, sparks flying everywhere.

Sidmond frowned slightly. Although he hadn't used his full strength in that sword strike, the fact that his opponent blocked it so easily was beyond his expectations.

He shifted his stance, slid half a step to the left, and slashed his greatsword horizontally towards Mocar's waist.

This time, Mokar didn't take the hit head-on. Instead, he took a step back and swung the iron bar in a wide arc, smashing it down on Sidmon's head.

This strike came with a whooshing sound and was significantly more powerful than before.

Sidmond quickly raised his sword to parry, and the moment the sword collided with the iron bar, he felt a heavy pressure coming down from the sword, making his wrist go slightly numb.

"Such powerful strength?"

Sidmond said something in a low voice, his expression becoming even more serious.

In terms of pure strength, he is inferior to his opponent.

So he stopped probing, lunged forward, and thrust out three swords in quick succession.

These three sword strikes were swift and the angles were tricky.

Mokar was forced to retreat repeatedly by this sudden and rapid attack. He barely managed to block the first two sword strikes with his iron rod, but the third sword grazed his leather armor, leaving a shallow crack on its surface.

The onlookers gasped in surprise.

"So fast."

“Sidmond is serious.”

"Come on, Mokar, give us commoners some face."

Sophia stood on the periphery of the crowd, arms crossed, watching the two people in the center of the scene with a faint smile on her lips.

She could tell that Sidmon's strength was clearly superior to Mocar's.

Although this young man is not old, he has a solid foundation in swordsmanship, agile footwork, and smooth transitions between moves, clearly indicating that he has received systematic training.

Moreover, judging from the fluctuations of his fighting spirit when he made his move, he should be at the level of a high-level swordsman.

In comparison, Mocar's foundation was much weaker. Although he was strong and swung his iron bar with great force, his moves were too crude. He just used the same three basic moves: smashing, sweeping, and swinging.

Against an experienced opponent, it's easy to be seen through.

That's normal, though. For a child born into a humble blacksmith family to have reached this level of skill is already considered talented.

With systematic learning and training, he could become a decent heavy warrior.

The battle continues.

After being forced back a few steps, Mokar gritted his teeth, suddenly roared, gripped the iron bar tightly with both hands, and charged towards Sidmon like a raging bull.

The iron rod swept out with the force of thunder; if it landed, it could probably send a person flying.

Sidmond didn't take the hit head-on; instead, he ducked and swept his greatsword along the ground toward Mocar's ankle.

Mocar had already swung his club, but he couldn't stop in time. He was hit in the calf by Sidmond's sword, lost his balance, staggered a couple of steps, and almost fell.

Sidmond did not press his advantage, but instead sheathed his sword and took two steps back, his elegant smile returning to his face.

"Brother Mokar, you flatter me."

Mokar steadied himself, glanced down at the footprints on his calves, then looked at Sidmon's smiling face, paused for a moment, then grinned and slammed the iron bar into the ground.

"You're better, I admit defeat."

He was quite decisive; he accepted his defeat without showing any resentment.

The crowd erupted in cheers, some clapping and others whistling.

"Well done, Sidmond! As expected of a nobleman, you've certainly got some skills."

"Mokar isn't bad either. If that blow had landed, Sidmon would probably have been bedridden for three days."

Sidmon sheathed his greatsword, nodded slightly to Mokar, and maintained his elegant demeanor.

Soon, the two of them retreated back into the crowd.

After the first demonstration, the others immediately became more active.

"I'll do it! I'll do it!"

"Who wants to fight me?"

"Are there any magicians? I'd like to have a fight with one."

The square quickly became lively again, with one person after another walking to the center of the open space to find someone to spar with.

Some were swordsmen against swordsmen, some were magicians against magicians, with magical lights of various colors dancing in the air, and some were swordsmen against magicians, with melee and ranged battles that dazzled the eyes.

Sophia stood on the periphery and watched for a while, finding it quite interesting.

Although most of these young men and women are between beginner and advanced levels, each of them has their own unique fighting style.

Watching them go back and forth, Sophia suddenly remembered when she first entered Tianxing Academy.

She was only twelve years old at the time, a mid-level warrior, and she and Vic often got into fights on the academy's training grounds.

Back then, she always thought she was invincible and didn't care about anyone. If she lost, she would get up and keep fighting, and if she won, she would hold her chin up and show off to others.

Looking back now, although it was a bit cringey, it was also quite fun.

"Hey, you little silver-haired girl, wanna join in?"

Just then, a voice suddenly came from the side, interrupting Sophia's thoughts.

She turned her head and saw a boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old looking at her with a grin.

The boy was dressed in ordinary cloth clothes, with a short knife hanging at his waist, and appeared to be of commoner origin.

Sophia blinked and pointed to herself.

"I?"

"Yes, you."

The boy nodded, his gaze sweeping over the magic sword at her waist.

"Since we're just killing time anyway, let's have a friendly spar. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

Several teenagers around them joined in the commotion.

"Yes, yes, little sister, show us your skills!"

"You've brought a sword, it can't just be for show, right?"

"Don't be shy. Everyone is here to take the test. It's not shameful to lose."

Sophia looked at the group of boys who were half a head taller than her and couldn't help but laugh.

She originally didn't want to get involved in this childish game, but then she thought, since she was free anyway, it would be good to stretch her muscles.

Moreover, the heavy emotions that Xiangyun brought just now really needed something else to lighten them.

"Alright, let's have a match then."

Sophia nodded and walked in from the periphery of the crowd.

Chapter 76 Beauty is also a sin

The moment Sophia walked to the center of the open space, the once noisy square suddenly fell silent.

There's nothing we can do about it; she's just so pretty.

Her long silver hair shimmered softly in the light of the magic lamp, and her blue eyes were like two gems immersed in water, coupled with her cool yet gentle temperament.

Whether male or female, people couldn't help but linger their gazes on her for a few more seconds.

"Wow……"

Someone let out a low sigh, and then a murmur arose from the surroundings.

"She's so beautiful."

"That Kane guy really knows how to pick his opponents."

Kane stood opposite her, listening to the surrounding chatter, and the smile on his face began to falter.

He genuinely just thought Sophia was pretty and wanted to get to know her through a friendly sparring match, and maybe even show off in front of her.

But now that so many people are watching him, he suddenly feels a lot of pressure.

"Cough cough."

Kane coughed and gripped the iron sword in his hand.

“My name is Kane. I come from Baihua City. My family are farmers. I learned swordsmanship from my grandfather for a few years.”

After he finished speaking, he puffed out his chest, trying to make himself look more reliable.

Sophia nodded and gave her name.

“Sophia, from Kyle City.”

After she finished speaking, she casually drew the silver slender sword from her waist.

The sword gleamed coldly under the light, and fine magical patterns could be faintly seen on the blade, clearly indicating that it was no ordinary weapon.

Kane glanced at the sword, and his heart skipped a beat.

This sword doesn't look cheap. Someone who can wield such a sword must be quite strong, right?

But he quickly reassured himself that the other person looked several years younger than him and was much shorter, so even if he had some skills, they should be limited.

"Are you ready?"

Kane asked a question, his tone carrying a hint of feigned casualness.

Sophia looked at him, a slight smile curving her lips, then raised her left hand and beckoned to him with her finger.

The gesture was very casual, as if saying, "Come here."

Kane's face flushed slightly.

He felt looked down upon, but also thought the other person's action was quite attractive.