Chapter 20
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Volume 3 + Chapter 20: Pointing Out Flaws
Although Xia Yi had spoken up instinctively due to her “professional habit”—after all, she was the Sword Saint, and had also spent much of her past teaching others—when she saw someone making mistakes while training in swordsmanship, she couldn’t help but point it out.
But that didn’t mean Norma’s swordsmanship was bad.
On the contrary, Xia Yi could see potential in many aspects of Norma’s technique. If she truly trained with diligence, she might very well have a chance to join the Templar Knights and become a knight.
What was even more impressive was that Norma’s swordsmanship was clearly different from the average kind.
That alone proved that the teacher who had instructed her was no ordinary person.
It was precisely because of that fact that Norma felt indignant about Xia Yi’s earlier comment—it felt like an outsider had just questioned an authority figure.
“You know who my swordsmanship teacher is?” Norma stared at Xia Yi.
“Who?” Xia Yi asked, curious.
“Don’t fall over in shock when you hear the name!” Norma’s face was full of pride. “My teacher is none other than the Sword Saint’s personal disciple and a candidate for the title of Holy Sword Bearer—Miss Hill Gibran!!”
It really was Hill?
Upon hearing the name, Xia Yi couldn’t help it—she burst into laughter.
Ah, no wonder.
She had felt it earlier—something about Norma’s technique had seemed so familiar that she instinctively wanted to correct it. So it all came down to this coincidence.
Hill was her student. Norma was Hill’s student.
So that would make Norma… her student’s student?
In that case, there was no helping it—she had to correct her~
“What are you laughing at?” Norma saw the smile on Xia Yi’s face and felt even more disrespected on her teacher’s behalf.
“You can mock me if you like—but I won’t let you insult Teacher Hill! Do you even realize how much weight her name carries?!”
“I was just amazed,” Xia Yi said with genuine amusement. “What are the odds something this coincidental would happen? That it would actually be Hill? Fascinating.”
“Fascinating?”
That flippant tone made Norma increasingly annoyed. Hill wasn’t just any teacher—she was the personal disciple of the Sword Saint, a candidate for the Holy Sword Bearer, and more importantly, she had just recently reached adulthood!
To have achieved so much at such a young age…
If she wanted, Hill could have claimed nobility, vast wealth, and immense power with a mere word. But she had given all that up and devoted herself to the world of education.
A noble heart, extraordinary talent, and overwhelming strength…
Yet this woman in front of her showed no respect at all.
Norma Lawrence was furious.
“Miss Xia Yi, I demand that you apologize for your attitude toward Teacher Hill!”
“Oh my~?”
Xia Yi’s smile widened.
Standing up for her teacher—this kind of fiery spirit—she liked it. Young people should have that kind of energy.
“I’m only stating a fact. There’s a small flaw in the way you wield your greatsword.”
“This isn’t a request! If you won’t apologize, then I, in the name of the Lawrence family, challenge you to a duel—to defend Teacher Hill’s honor!”
With that, Norma took off her glove and threw it at Xia Yi.
This was the proper noble tradition of initiating a formal duel. When aristocrats had disputes, duels were an accepted method of resolution.
Now there were two options:
One, dodge the glove—decline the duel.
The other…
“Very well. I accept your challenge,” Xia Yi said, catching the glove.
That single action made the duel official.
…
Xia Yi and Norma now stood across from each other in the Lawrence family’s training grounds.
Norma’s goal was to one day join the Templar Knights. Her chosen weapon was the greatsword—favoring large, sweeping strikes to overpower her enemies on the battlefield.
While the famous image of the Human Sword Saint used a one-handed sword (the Holy Sword), Xia Yi actually knew how to wield many kinds of swords—greatswords, rapiers, even tachi. If she wanted to show off, she could dual-wield too.
Under normal circumstances, facing a junior swordswoman like Norma, Xia Yi might’ve just picked up a broomstick and fought with that.
But since Norma was technically her student’s student, she didn’t want to hurt her pride too much.
This time, Xia Yi selected a training one-handed sword.
“Miss Xia Yi, if you value your personal safety, now’s your last chance to surrender. Once I start swinging, it’s hard to stop.”
Norma knew that if her uncle found out she had challenged the Lawrence family’s honored guest to a duel, he’d absolutely blow his top and scold her endlessly.
But right now, she couldn’t just stand by and let this woman insult her teacher!
“Thank you for the warning, Miss Norma. But I don’t plan on taking back what I said.”
Xia Yi decided to give Norma a little shock.
The duel began!
Norma struck first. Her greatsword sliced through the air with a piercing sound, and she closed the distance swiftly, cutting off any avenue of retreat.
Though she was still a young woman, Norma was tall—taller even than Hill—and wielding a greatsword suited her well.
She looked slender, but she had precise control over her strength—no excess wasted. This was a result of both Hill’s instruction and her own talent.
Xia Yi saw it all at a glance.
If there was a gap between Norma and top-tier sword masters, it lay in her mental state.
From sword heart is born sword intent. From sword intent comes sword aura.
“…What?” Norma was surprised.
The petite, delicate girl in front of her hadn’t dodged—she faced the greatsword head-on.
Was she looking down on her?!
This was a direct hit! She could knock her opponent flying!
“In that case, I’ll claim victory right now!!”
Xia Yi observed Norma’s sword trajectory. In the blink of an eye, she adjusted her stance and struck her one-handed sword against the incoming greatsword.
“Huh?!”
Norma staggered. Xia Yi’s training sword had somehow stopped her greatsword mid-swing!
“I told you earlier—your power delivery point is flawed, Miss Norma,” Xia Yi said calmly.
“Wh—”
“It’s over,” Xia Yi declared.
She deflected Norma’s greatsword with a shockwave, then slashed down with her sword, sending a gleaming arc that struck the hilt of Norma’s weapon—knocking it from her hands.
“How… how could I lose in just two moves…?”
Norma stood frozen, staring in disbelief at the young sword girl before her.
As much as she hated to admit it, she had… lost.
“You win, Miss Xia Yi,” Norma said, gritting her teeth.
Xia Yi chuckled softly and sheathed her sword.
As the events of the duel replayed in Norma’s mind, she gradually calmed down. Then, a thought suddenly struck her. She looked at Xia Yi in shock and shouted:
“Wait a minute! Didn’t Uncle say you were a mage?!”
At her words, Xia Yi’s smile froze.
“…Eh?”
