Mage Manual
Chapter 684 - 540: Clawing Sword Saint

Chapter 684: Chapter 540: Clawing Sword Saint

Sword Flower University, Flower Pavilion.

Like Sen Hall, the Flower Pavilion was designed to fulfill the students’ desire to read amidst blossoms. The pavilion had a five-story structure, with its outer walls being refractive prisms. No matter whether the sky showed Dazzling Stars or Moon Star, light from all directions could penetrate into the pavilion: morning sun at dawn, blazing sun at noon, warm sun in the afternoon, and gentle moonlight at night.

There were no bookshelves to be found in the Flower Pavilion, only flower beds in sight. The books lay beneath the petals, and students had to locate their designated blooms using a numbering system. As they retrieved a book, the flower would transform into a protective cover. Once the book was put back, it reverted into a flower, making additional magical preservation methods unnecessary.

Unlike those lounging in the shade for a leisurely read, Sonia sat upright at a long table, with more than a dozen books laid out before her: "Star Travel," "Unscientific Academic Spirit," "This Dream Is Too Real," "Strange Mage Chronicles"... Although there were many books, none were reference materials; nearly all were mages’ casual travel logs.

Although the Kingdom of Stars did not restrict information above the Holy Domain, it was actually difficult for ordinary mages to obtain it—because the Holy Sanctuary Mages had never bothered to organize it.

For one, the Holy Sanctuary Mages felt there was nothing worth revealing. Sonia had seen more than once in the travel logs the idea that "you’ll understand what the Distant Realm is once you get there," and even when Professor Trozan spoke to her about the third layer of the Void Realm, he had an attitude of ’what’s there to talk about, just charge through it.’

After all, even the least capable Holy Sanctuary Mage appeared to be a genius in the eyes of mere mortals. To them, the mechanisms of the Distant Realm were so simple they were hardly worth mentioning. They suffered hardships there too, but suffering is part of a mage’s journey—was there ever a mage who had it easy?

If the Distant Realm were a test paper, the best they could do was fail to solve the answers, but the questions themselves were understandable to anyone, so naturally, there was no need to record them.

As for a solution guide, the Holy Sanctuary Mages couldn’t compile one either—because the questions of the Distant Realm’s test paper changed every moment.

In the past few days, Sonia had been studying the casual travel logs of the Holy Sanctuary Mages, extracting useful information and intelligence. This was both in preparation for her upcoming Void Realm Exploration and also to dodge the limelight for a few days.

The contract offer from Thousand Star Commerce, collaborations from various commerce guilds, invitations from the academic level... In the last few days, countless attempts were made to contact her both online and offline, not just because she was a Holy Sanctuary Mage, but also because she had shone brightly on the national stage of the university competition, and her dazzling appearance added to her commercial value, far surpassing that of a common Holy Sanctuary.

The only one who could be compared to her was Demi, but how could the heir to Vosloda lack funds?

But Sonia was also aware that many were probing: questioning how she had rapidly advanced to Holy Sanctuary in such a short time.

Previously, the Village Girl would have certainly found a way to exploit their resources without harming her own interests—after all, she did not possess any of the exploration miracles rumored by the outside world, and she had nothing to lose—but now, faced with opportunities she once dared not wish for that practically fed into her mouth, Sonia rejected them all and devoted herself to reading in the library.

It wasn’t because she was timid or didn’t think she was worthy. In fact, she was quite confident that she could seize those opportunities.

On the morning following the Meteor Disaster, an "Advanced Career Potion" appeared on her desk. According to the note from the Observer, this potion would enable her always to perform optimally in her career life and even subtly gain the favor of Fate, averting calamities, adding luster to her achievements—the albums she headlined would be bestsellers, the shows she starred in would be hits.

It was precisely because of the appearance of this potion that Sonia firmly rejected the olive branches extended to her from outside, continuing to train and read, voraciously absorbing knowledge and honing her skills.

She wasn’t sure if it was because this actually pertained to her career life or if it was her own illusion, but Sonia felt her learning ability had improved even further. She even began to discern subtle traces of Secret Poison in these travel logs of the mages.

"Before, I believed that power was everything."

Sonia lifted her head and saw the handsome yet soft-featured Second Prince Vosloda sitting down in front of her.

"Now that you’ve grown up, you’ve come to realize," Felix smiled and said, "it is indeed so."

"Congratulations, Miss Sevi, have you decided on your title yet?"

"You used to call me Sonia directly." Sonia smiled and shook her head. "How could someone of my level possibly be enfeoffed as Holy? You shouldn’t believe everything those people on the forums make up. Right now, I’m at most a Two-winged Mage who has peeked at the scenery of the Holy Domain."

In the Kingdom of Stars, enfeoffment as Holy not only meant you were a Holy Sanctuary Mage, but it also represented the blessing of the royal house—the royal family possesses a honorary Miracle, and being granted a title by the royal house enables a Mage to obtain a Blessing Buff from the title. For instance, Professor Trozan’s ’Hidden Hand Sword Saint’ allows her to launch hidden blade techniques with virtually no trace.

After the Meteor Disaster, the hottest topic on the Sword Flower University forum was about Sonia’s saintly title. The suffix for a swordsmanship Holy Domain is undoubtedly Sword Saint, and the current top-voted prefixes are ’Frenzied Blood,’ ’Blood Moon,’ ’Red Comet,’ and ’Claw Claw’, making it seem like the Village Girl is about to be granted a saintly title by the palace instantly.

But enfeoffment as Holy is not so easy to come by, with only one or two spots available each year. If a Legendary Mage appears, the resources for enfeoffment for the next five years could be shifted to grant the Legendary a title. Not all the Holy Sanctuary Mages in Jiale City hold titles, and Sonia knew her true level; it would be considered good luck to receive a title within three years.

"Based on what I knew of you in the past, your words should be falsely modest but actually a boast. However, looking at your expression, it doesn’t seem that way," Felix said. "Is it that you’ve changed, or has power changed the way you appear in my eyes?"

"Don’t you find it very interesting? Just a matter of a few days’ difference, and classmates begin to revere you, strangers want to ingratiate themselves with you. All malice towards you is retracted, and the attempts to please you become even more heartfelt, as if the entire world is gently embracing you."

"To be honest, I’m quite surprised. I thought you would get lost in the glory that power brings, to enjoy the fruits of your efforts, and to claim back all the tenderness the world owed you. I never expected you to be patient enough to return to your ordinary life." Felix said, "Compared to your display in the Meteor Disaster, your current composure impresses me even more."

Felix’s words made Sonia recall the incident in her dorm room, and she spoke irritably, "Let’s get to the point. It took you five days to congratulate me; surely you didn’t come just to discuss interpersonal relationships with me?"

Felix smiled and, looking at the nearby flowerbeds, suddenly asked, "In your opinion, was I very foolish and laughable that day?"

"Hmm?"

"That day, you were already a Holy Sanctuary Mage, yet I still tried to tempt you with ’a shortcut to becoming Holy.’" Felix’s mouth curled into a wry smile. "I actually wanted to find you sooner, but whenever I remember that scene, I’m so embarrassed I want to curl up into a ball."

"If I said I didn’t laugh inside, that would definitely be a lie," the club leader of Claw Club chuckled. "It wasn’t really that funny... Okay, maybe it’s a moment worth commemorating. After all, you are a noble young master from the Vosloda family, this might be my only chance ever to catch you completely off guard."

"It was more than surprise, there was admiration and worship too," Felix said. "Sonia, you’ve made it. Now, among all the nobles of the Kingdom of Stars, no one has the right to look down on you. Your background is no longer your flaw, but an embellishment that makes you shine even brighter."

"Thank you," Sonia said. "But I guess that’s not the only reason you came to praise me."

"Although it’s not the sole reason, I’ve held back those words for a long time, so I took this opportunity to speak them. I didn’t expect that a peer could be so outstanding that I couldn’t help but offer my own praise," Felix spoke again. "Back to the main point, it’s highly unlikely for you to become Holy, but enfeoffment is almost inevitable, so..."

"Would you prefer to become a noble adjacent to the palace, or a Guard Palace noble?"