The stones struck Sada’s body, greatly restricting his movements.
After the first volley finished, he glared viciously at Shu Yue, who had already pulled back a distance.
He stepped forward, continuing his explosive charge toward her.
Shu Yue continued to kite him.
The level divisions of this world were actually quite simple, starting from the Apprentice level, which was Tier 0.
This level was divided into three stages: Entry, Novice, and Official.
After crossing the Apprentice level, one reached Tier 1.
Those who could be called Tier 1 Combat Power were evaluated after their Magic Power reached a certain quantitative level.
Magic Power could augment physical strength to an exaggerated level.
The minimum standard for Tier 1 Combat Power was reaching 1 ton of force with a single hand and a speed of 15 meters per second under Magic Power augmentation.
Tier 1 Combat Power already exceeded that of the vast majority of ordinary humans.
Within this rank, there were two systems: one was the Spell Method system, and the other was the Battle Method system.
Simply put, it was the difference between a mage and a warrior.
Although those in the Spell Method system cultivated magic, they could still use Magic Power to augment their physical strength, though their primary means of attack remained spells.
Shu Yue followed the Spell Method system.
Her combat methods focused on the spells derived from **[Fertile Soil upon the Body]**, but her strength and speed had also reached Tier 1 standards.
Sada clearly followed the Battle Method system.
Battle Methods converted Magic Power into more condensed Battle Qi.
Its augmentation and strengthening of the body were higher than Magic Power, so his strength and speed were naturally more terrifying.
However, this also meant he had nothing to do with spells and could only use certain Battle Qi combat techniques.
Normally, his strength and speed should have been faster than Shu Yue’s, but Shu Yue had a bloodline boost!
Even if she did not activate her bloodline, the Silver Dragon blood provided roughly a 20% boost to her base form.
Therefore, Sada could not crush Shu Yue in terms of speed.
Added to that, Shu Yue tirelessly used him to practice her **[Stone Piercing Spell]**, constantly maneuvering while harassing and blocking him.
Shu Yue was playing a game of cat and mouse with Sada, kiting him like a dog.
She dodged a thrust of his longsword with a flash, and after jumping away, several stones flew toward Sada.
Sada almost subconsciously protected his head.
Shu Yue had been aiming for his face this entire time.
But this time was different; a stone struck his shinbone.
Battle Method Battle Qi could strengthen the physical body and dull pain, but it could not grant complete immunity.
“Ugh!”
Sada let out a low groan of pain, his pursuit instantly faltering.
Shu Yue held a wooden sword but did not bother clashing blades with him at all.
Instead, she constantly harassed him with spells.
He glared at Shu Yue with wide, vicious eyes, catching sight of the onlookers from the corner of his vision.
They were whispering among themselves.
Clearly, they had not expected Sada and Shu Yue to fight like this.
Wasn’t this supposed to be a duel?
Shouldn’t it be a clash of swords, a contest of strength between real men?
Shu Yue had a retort for that.
‘Who’s a real man with you? I’m a girl now, so of course I have to win in a girl’s way.’
Shu Yue did not care at all about those strange looks.
She did not care, but Sada did.
With his temperament, he cared deeply about his reputation.
This was not a duel at all; she was playing with him!
Sada’s anger deepened, his eyes nearly spitting fire.
He had originally wanted to win the duel like a knight, crushing Shu Yue’s arrogance, and then ask the Baron to break Emily’s engagement—because this effeminate fellow in front of him was not worthy of Emily.
Shu Yue flicked the wooden sword in her hand.
She had never learned swordsmanship, so using it was definitely not as natural as using spells.
The reason she held it was to deceive her opponent—a trick some Magic Beasts also liked to use.
“What’s wrong? Out of breath already? You’re not very capable, are you~”
“Enough!”
Sada roared.
“I originally wanted to defeat you fairly, but you’ve used these petty tricks over and over again. Since that’s the case, I won’t hold back anymore!”
“Heh, I study the Spell Method. If I don’t use spells to fight, am I supposed to engage in a brawl?”
Shu Yue spread her hands.
“Is your brain made of nothing but muscle too?”
Both Battle Methods and Spell Methods could lead to the heavenly path; they simply had different points of emphasis.
In the early stages, Battle Method combat power came quickly, making practitioners much stronger than mages of the same rank.
However, the resources required for Battle Method cultivation were also immense: magic potions, supplements, spirit liquids for body tempering, and various natural treasures to strengthen the body so it could withstand the violent power of Battle Qi.
But these were nothing to Nobles.
Any combat power that could be amassed through money was considered highly cost-effective.
Conversely, the Spell Method relied more on individual talent.
The better the talent, the faster and stronger the advancement.
This path was destined to be one that could not be paved with money.
Therefore, Nobles often chose to invest in Battle Methods.
Thus, Shu Yue’s comment about Sada having a muscle brain was not without merit.
A fellow like Sada clearly relied on his family’s resources to achieve his current success at such a young age.
Although his future ceiling was practically locked, that ceiling was still very high for ordinary people.
Seeing that Shu Yue still looked down on him, Sada gritted his teeth and exploded with a startling aura.
He gripped his sword with both hands and activated a combat technique.
“Stone Wall!”
A wall made of earth and stone quickly rose in front of Shu Yue, blocking Sada’s path.
The Continuous Slash combat technique hacked into the wall, and its brutal force actually sliced through the earth and stone.
Debris flew out, and dust filled the air.
Shu Yue seized the opportunity, throwing the stone in her hand.
With the boost of Magic Power, its speed suddenly increased, accurately striking Sada’s hands as they gripped the sword.
At the same time, Shu Yue summoned an earthen spike that shot toward Sada’s chest.
He could not worry about the pain in his hands and used his sword to parry.
Because everything happened too fast, Sada failed to hold the wooden sword firmly, and it was knocked flying.
The moment the wooden sword left his hand, another wooden sword flew over.
However, its target was not Sada, but the wooden sword flying through the air.
The two collided, flying 5 or 6 meters away together.
Shu Yue clenched her delicate fist.
Her figure could be padded using earth and stone manipulation, but the size of her hands could not be disguised.
Her hands were white and slender, and even when clenched into a fist, they looked small and exquisite.
This fist punched through the dust, landing solidly on Sada’s face.
*Bang!*
Aside from the sound of the fist hitting his face, there were Shu Yue’s words, which were laced with a hint of displeasure.
“Are you even capable?”
“!”
A man could never tolerate someone saying he was not capable.
Sada was dazed from the punch, but he still condensed his Battle Qi and swung a fist toward Shu Yue’s face.
Shu Yue tilted her head to dodge the strike, and her return punch hit him so hard his nose was knocked crooked, making him stumble.
Shu Yue was already annoyed to death by these guys, and Sada was the most oblivious among them.
Naturally, she put strength into her hits, and she had no intention of letting him off easy with her words.
“So, are you capable or not?”
“Aaaaaah!”
Sada let out a furious roar and lunged at Shu Yue.
After being punched in the face twice, his logic had clearly gone offline.
Who at home would dare treat him like this?
Even his father had never hit him in the face, yet this person from the countryside dared to do so!
However, Shu Yue’s small fist swung him right onto the ground.
Sada was slammed onto the floor like a dog on the side of the road.
Just as he started to get up, Shu Yue punched him in the face again.
The bit of Battle Qi he had managed to gather was also scattered by her punch.
“You’re clearly so mediocre, yet how can you be so confident?”
A trace of blood stained Shu Yue’s white fist.
At this moment, the young servant who had been practicing with Sada earlier finally realized that his master was being beaten.
It had happened so suddenly; just a moment ago, his master was the one chasing Shu Yue.
“Bastard, stop this instant!”
He bellowed, drawing his sword and slashing toward Shu Yue’s raised arm.