A few more days passed.
“Miss Elia, about what happened before… I am truly, deeply sorry!”
On this day, just as Elia sat down at her desk, several girls who had once bullied her approached her. They gave a ninety-degree bow, their attitudes sincere. It was as if they were holding some sort of formal apology convention.
Before Elia could even react, the girls left behind a pile of compensation and bolted, as if fearing that staying a second longer would result in some terrifying being stabbing them to death with a sword.
Elia stared blankly at the cards, secret techniques, and potions piled on her desk.
They actually apologized?
Was it because of… Lady Lu Mo’s battle?
She could only guess. What she didn’t know was that the burly young man was the pink-haired girl’s brother.
At that moment, the pink-haired girl was peeking at Elia with extreme caution, terrified that Elia might show even a hint of a frown.
‘She’ll be satisfied with this much compensation, right?’
The pink-haired girl’s heart was in her throat. A few days ago, she had gone home. When her father learned what had happened, he had immediately flown into a rage, screaming at both her and her brother.
“You should have known better than to provoke her once you knew Lu Mo was the top freshman!”
“Now, she’s easily defeated your brother despite only having Middle Tier strength. Don’t you understand how terrifying she will become in the future?”
“Once she becomes a powerhouse, wiping out our family would be a simple task!”
“Apologize! Go and apologize! Kneel before Lu Mo and apologize!”
“If you don’t get her forgiveness, get out of this family!”
*Slap—*
That was the first time her father had ever slapped her.
Upon returning to the institute, she had immediately knelt before Lu Mo, begging for mercy.
“Go and beg for Elia’s forgiveness,” Lu Mo had said before simply walking away.
Today, she had done exactly as Lu Mo instructed, even offering up her entire personal collection as compensation.
The rest of the students in the class watched the scene in a daze. Among them, there had been a few others who were dissatisfied with Elia. Now, seeing the pink-haired girl bow, any lingering resentment in their hearts vanished.
Lu Mo was not only powerful, but she was also incredibly protective. If they wanted to target Elia, they would likely have to survive her sword first.
After that, Elia’s school life returned to tranquility.
***
She even made several friends in class. Aside from that previous episode, Elia’s life was actually quite simple. She listened intently during the day and practiced hard under Lu Mo’s guidance at night.
Was it tiring?
Perhaps. But compared to what Lady Lu Mo did, her own efforts felt like nothing.
She saw Lu Mo taking her notes, carefully looking over the sections marked with question marks, and writing out explanations on separate sheets of paper.
She saw Lu Mo staying up late to study a high-level Ice Attribute secret technique, translating its core principles into something she could understand, only to give it to her a few days later.
She saw…
Lu Mo did too much for her. Yet, she felt like she was constantly letting the other girl down. This only deepened her sense of guilt.
“I’m so jealous of Miss Elia..”
During another break between classes, she was chatting with a few others when one of them spoke up longingly. “If my sister went alone to challenge the powerhouses of the senior class for my sake, I’d remember it for the rest of my life. I’d cry every time I thought about it…”
“Huh?” Elia blinked in confusion.
“Miss Elia, you didn’t know? The senior student Miss Lu Mo defeated earlier was that girl’s brother,” the student continued, glancing at the pink-haired girl.
Elia followed her gaze. Realizing Elia was looking at her, the pink-haired girl’s survival instincts kicked in, and she bolted out the door immediately.
“So I think Miss Lu Mo must care about you very much.”
Elia didn’t say anything. After a long silence, she nodded slowly. For some reason, the image of Lu Mo reaching out to her that day surfaced in her mind again.
“There should… always be light in life.”
Lu Mo had whispered those words to her. Standing in the morning light, the girl had been more dazzling than any sunbeam.
***
While Elia was feeling moved, Lu Mo was thinking about other matters.
‘Mission 1: Ensure Elia lives past age 18. This one should be stable.’
It had been quite a while, and neither the Imperial Family nor Shadow Moon Hall had made a move. They likely thought she and Elia were dead. As long as she stayed low at the institute until Elia reached adulthood, it would be fine.
As for the other two missions: helping Elia reach High Tier and awakening the Frostspeak Bloodline…
“Her talent is average, so for this stage, I’ll try stacking resources,” Lu Mo murmured.
She received a significant amount of cultivation resources every month, and she gave a large portion of them to Elia. Usually, she picked up Elia’s resources as well, so she simply tucked some of her own into Elia’s portion.
Elia had no idea.
“Still, even this isn’t enough.” Lu Mo massaged her temples. “I need to find a way to get more Ice Attribute treasures. That will be more effective for boosting Elia’s realm.”
Her opportunity arrived quickly.
About a month later, the annual All-Institute Tournament began. When the Ice Orchid Institute announced the reward for first place, it caused a massive stir throughout the school.
The reward for first place was a Frost Haze Essence.
Frost Haze Essence could only be formed in the depths of extremely cold regions. it contained the power of extreme frost and might even hold naturally occurring fragments of Frost Rules. If fully refined, it could allow someone to break through several minor realms instantly, and it even held the potential to awaken special talents.
Even if the institute was only offering a low-quality Frost Haze Essence, its value was still staggering.
‘Would a Frost Haze Essence help Elia awaken her bloodline?’
With that thought, Lu Mo signed up without hesitation.
The tournament began shortly after. Originally, the core competitors of every tournament were the top-ranked students from the senior class. But this year, Lu Mo was among them.
In the Top 32, Lu Mo faced the burly young man once again. She gave him a smile, which immediately sent him into a state of absolute panic.
“I… I…”
The moment the referee announced the start of the match, the burly young man surrendered and fled like the wind, leaving the spectators stunned. Just a moment ago, people were seriously analyzing how he would definitely reclaim his honor this time.
“Xiong Da, you’re pathetic,” another young man shouted, using the burly student’s nickname. His rank in the senior class was several spots higher than Xiong Da’s.
“You’ll understand her terror once you actually face her,” Xiong Da replied. He wasn’t angry; he simply left those words behind and walked off the stage.
The other youth sneered, dismissing the warning.
In the following Top 16 round, he encountered Lu Mo. And then… he was beaten until he looked like Xiong Er.
Xiong Da and Xiong Er looked at each other, speechless and dejected.
“The upcoming battles will be a bit difficult if I only use the Light Attribute,” Lu Mo remarked as she watched the results of the various rounds flickering on the light screen.
The senior class gathered the geniuses who had entered the institute over the past few years. The two young men she had just fought were ranked 15th and 11th, respectively. From the fifth rank upward, the strength of the students reached the High Tier, creating a massive gap in power.
“Fine.”
Lu Mo had no intention of unsealing any Darkness Attribute power. She was prepared to fight a bloody battle to the very end.
In the Top 8, she faced the student in fifth place. Holding her sword, she called down a rain of light that slashed toward the girl standing amidst a sea of fire. She claimed victory in the end, but her hands were burned and her dress was scorched, leaving her looking somewhat disheveled.
In the semifinals, she faced the third-place student. He was a young man skilled in mental attacks and illusions. However, Lu Mo’s willpower and mental strength, which rivaled the Super Tier, happened to be a perfect counter. She defeated him without taking any damage, making it look even easier than the quarterfinal match.
This was considered a major upset. Before the fight began, almost everyone was certain Lu Mo would lose.
Finally, the final battle arrived. It was the top freshman, Lu Mo, against the top senior, Kadina.
Kadina was the undisputed queen of the institute, possessing dual talents in Wind and Space attributes. Her combat style was incredibly fierce, even carrying a hint of cruelty.
“If you’re afraid of pain, surrender now.”
Before the finals began, Kadina looked at Lu Mo with her pale gold eyes. “Once the battle starts, I won’t hold back. In my eyes, you won’t be a fellow student; you’ll be prey waiting to be slaughtered.”
Lu Mo didn’t speak. She simply looked calmly into those burning golden eyes and gripped her sword.
It was indeed a brutal battle.
Gale-force winds howled, carrying a spray of blood into the air. The powers of wind and space transformed into invisible blades, cutting into Lu Mo’s skin. But Lu Mo gave as good as she got. Intense light pierced through the locked space, tearing through the heavy curtain of wind and repeatedly piercing Kadina’s clothes and body.
Even with the damage-reduction formation absorbing most of the impact, both girls were nearly covered in blood by the end.
“Lady Lu Mo…” Watching Lu Mo get injured over and over, Elia gripped her sleeves tightly. Her face was full of worry, and her eyes trembled.
Even the referee was starting to feel uneasy and wanted to stop the match, but the Dean intervened.
“They want to decide the winner themselves. They don’t want to be disturbed,” the Dean said softly. “It’s almost over… the result will be decided in a few minutes.”
By the end, both girls were driving their bodies to fight through sheer willpower.
“I have to win… I want to prove to everyone that I am the strongest… whether it’s in this institute or in the Imperial Family—”
Kadina gripped her scythe and swung it at Lu Mo with the last of her strength.
“What a boring reason…”
But Lu Mo was faster. She stepped aside, dodging the scythe, and swung her sword violently at Kadina. The power of Light exploded across Kadina’s body.
“Boring? Then what about you? What… has been supporting you all this way?”
That was the question Kadina threw at Lu Mo with her final ounce of strength before losing consciousness.
“I suppose… it’s because I don’t want someone to have to walk through the darkness alone, desperate and lonely,” Lu Mo replied softly. “Just like I was, a long time ago.”
She looked up at Elia, her eyes meeting the girl’s.
‘Even if… this is just an illusion, and she is just a girl in a story.’