Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

"Qing Xi Fei Xi, to become such plain brocade."

The threads of green intertwine, weaving into a simple and elegant brocade cloth, so naturally refined without excess adornment, the topmost things need not too much embellishment.

Between the plain-colored robes, a pair of pale wrists held a sword hilt wrapped in blue silk. The narrow and cold blade slashed through the air, now concealed, now revealed, tracing momentary edges like a crescent moon threading through clouds, elusive yet omnipresent.

Since encountering the Green Lotus Sword Washing Palace's legacy in Jielou City two years ago, Tilan hadn't met a peer who surpassed her in pure swordsmanship. But this time, she felt a puzzling sensation, an ineffable opposition, long forgotten.

This was not about being unable to defeat the opponent; it was that the opponent's swordsmanship caught her off guard, possessing an artistic conception uniquely their own. If she had merely wanted to win, she could have used her own unpredictable swordsmanship that the opponent couldn't counter, but that would be too dull.

It had been quite some time since she encountered an opponent who matched her level like this, specifically in the unilateral mastery and talent of swordsmanship. If compared to the memories of the Divine Sword's lineage, she still fell short of those past Sword Immortals who were considered the best in the world. Unfortunately, in today's age, there were too few who focused exclusively on swordsmanship, leaving her without any peers to compare herself against.

Whenever she competed in pure sword fights, she could swiftly discern the opponent's intentions and move patterns, then effortlessly break them. But this time was different; even she felt a certain pressure, unable to see through the opponent's moves and intentions at a glance as before.

This unknown and freshness stirred curiosity and interest in the girl's heart. She didn't rush to defeat the opponent but continually parried, seeking to discern their patterns.

The girl across from her, dressed in plain green, had equally green eyes and styled her hair in traditional Eastern fashion. The wooden hairpin, delicate and unadorned, had an open-work carving of a phoenix at its end. Her skirt, also in plain green, had edges lined with white silk threads forming cloud patterns, and a red cord ornament hung from her waist, twirling and rising with the skirt as the girl brandished her sword, then settling back down.

In the exchange with Tilan, this green-haired Eastern girl fought faster and faster. Her cold longsword, like misty rain, was hard for her opponent to counter and would occasionally materialize with a chill, catching one off guard.

Their battle continued for about half a minute, during which there was constant movement and the flash of swordplay. Several times when the girl in the plain outfit was about to breach Tilan's defense, the younger girl changed her moves and steps, making her unpredictable once again.

As the other contestants' battles gradually came to a close, it seemed this first match would end inconclusively. After a few more seconds of pause, they both separated and sought other opponents to fight.

"Unbelievable, they actually managed to fight so evenly matched, and both looked far from reaching their limits!" the announcer's voice was once again filled with excitement and surprise.

"Li Qingfei from the Purple Hill Star Domain and Dantalion from the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain, both have displayed exceptional talent and graceful figures. Even I can feel their special and stylistic artistic conceptions. Watching their sword fight is simply the most enjoyable visual feast of this tournament."

Unlike the overwhelming dominance of 'Stormy Silver Wind' Aikedeng, the battle between these two well-matched girls was more beautiful and thrilling. The minute or two they crossed swords could only be described as heart-stopping yet unexpectedly wonderful, displaying a strength far beyond that of the other contestants.

Even after the two fighters had ended their battle and each sought out other opponents, many of the spectators were still immersed in the unforgettable exchange they had just witnessed.

After they separated, Tilan quickly found another opponent. The youth seemed to have grown up near the space station and was very skilled at utilizing the complex, intertwined environment inside the clock. His movements were agile, and rather than being skilled in swordsmanship, he excelled in fighting in this zero-gravity environment. He used moves that defied conventional ground combat tactics, often catching his opponents off-guard with unexpected maneuvers, which allowed him to claim an easy victory.

However, this time, when facing Tilan, with her black hair and dark blue dress, things didn't go as smoothly for him.

He walked on the surface of the clock face, fighting the girl below him at almost an upside-down angle from the ceiling. He kept shifting his position to maintain this awkward angle, hoping it would prevent his opponent from unleashing her full strength, and then he would find an opportunity to strike and defeat her.

This time, he used a temporarily exposed gap during the rotating dial to move closer to Tilan's side. His sword thrust down from above at an angle while his footsteps kept moving, ready to shift at any moment.

However, the girl who was facing away from him did nothing more than lightly rotate the blade in her hand as if she could see behind her, easily deflecting his sword. Then she turned around, and her sword glowed like a silver lotus blooming. In almost an instant, she unleashed several strikes, and the youth suddenly felt a chill on his neck. The emerging coldness made his hair stand on end and broke out in a sudden cold sweat. Although it was a competition that didn't involve killing, being so close to death was nonetheless terrifying.

He stood stiffly in place, his own sword already knocked away and falling. Then, cuts a half finger deep appeared on his wrists and both shoulders. These wounds were expertly placed to avoid vital meridians, slicing through the muscles so that he could no longer continue to fight.

"Miss Dantalion from the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain scores 5 points!" the host announced excitedly as if he himself had won.

Elsewhere, a young girl named Li Qingfei brandished her sword elegantly, overcoming her opponent in a flash and causing them to exit the match.

As for the subsequent battles, they quickly concluded with only four people remaining on the stage for the first round. These were Dantalion (Hexia), Aikedeng, Li Qingfei, and one contestant who had managed to survive by luck.

After the end of the first round, several more matches began one after another. Although the strength of the contestants was all remarkable, in this inter-star-domain competition, there was always someone better. One astonishing talent after another emerged, such as "Stormy Silver Wind" Aikedeng from the first round. In the subsequent matches, there appeared seven or eight contenders whose strength was no less than his, each an admired and revered figure in their own Star Domain.

Efnie barely advanced to the next round as the fourth finisher in the 5th match. Although the result wasn't great, she was quite satisfied. After all, she was only at the peak of Sequence 4 and estimated that she would advance to Sequence 5 later in the year. The majority of the contestants were at Sequence 5 or above, with very few at Sequence 4.

Wei Ke performed well, advancing as the runner-up in the seventh match. Her strength had not even been fully displayed yet. At least in Hexia's eyes, the power Wei Ke had shown in the valley battle that day hadn't been fully utilized yet.

Using the unique secret technique of the Silver Mirror Witch, combined with the complex and ever-changing terrain, was the perfect performance stage for Wei Ke. She hadn't used any of the Silver Mirror Witch's secret techniques in the first round, indicating that she was saving them for the later stages as a trump card to surprise her opponents.