Chapter 212 A Small Demonstration (1/2)

”A demonstration…” Grandmaster Solin's furrowed his brow as he considered the proposal, then finally gave Brightblade a nod ”Very well We will see if your skill justifies your de severaltheh-ranked members of the House of Swords It seemed the Grandmaster intended for the demonstration to have an audience

This briefly puzzled Arran, but after giving it a

If the Grandhtblade's deroup of outsiders would certainly raise questions Having the House's other leaders witness her strength would answer those questions before they could be asked

And should Brightblade fail to impress… well, then there would be no need to accept her demands Instead, Grandmaster Solin could clain that despite decades of peace, the House of Swords could still produce fighters to match the other Valleys

Whatever the outcome, the Grandmaster would benefit

Half an hour after they left the building, they were stood at the edge of an e for the last of the audience to arrive There were already at least fifty es present, and none of the with a nues who looked to be Masters and Grandmasters

Finally, Grandh onlookers, and he moved forward to face the crowd

In a loud voice, he said, ”Novice Ilena, step forward”

At his words, a brown-haired young wo robe stepped out froraceful and her eyes confident, and Arran immediately knew she would not be a weak opponent

”Novice Ilena is one of my personal students,” Grandmaster Solin said, pride in his voice ”Despite her youth, she's already mastered several sword styles, and her technique is flawless Even against adepts, she wins lanced at Arran and Snowcloud, then turned to Brightblade ”If either of your students lasts ainst her, I will be lint of amusement in her eyes ”Snowcloud, you will face the novice Don't hold back”

At once, Snowcloud did as she was told, stepping onto the grass and drawing her sword Though she was outwardly calh to see that she was filled with exciteht She had spent the past half year training in swordsmanshi+p and Body Refinement, but she had not yet had the chance to test her skills During their journey frohtblade to spar against, neither of whom she could match

Now that she could finally put her newly acquired skills to practice, Arran had little doubt that she would in,” Grandmaster Solin called out

The word had barely left his ed at each other, their swordsjust seconds later

The first few hter unleash a rain of blows upon the other, and briefly, it was difficult to see which of thee

The Ninth Valley novice was easily the more skilled of the two, her practicedmultiple sword styles She was neither careless nor tiraceful yet powerful attacks And as she fought, she continually used feints and flourishes to distract her foe

Snowcloud, on the other hand, fought in the sparse but efficient style she had learned frohtblade Every h she lacked her opponent's grace, her simple but utilitarian attacks weren't easily blocked or deflected

That alone would not have allowed her to match her opponent's superior skill, but she also held the advantage in strength and speed Every attack the novice made was blocked before it could be completed, while every blocloud struck caused her opponent to wince in shock

After barely a ht was Snowcloud's

The Ninth Valley novice was skilled, but she had little defense against her opponent's strength Each ti from her movements as she braced to withstand the blows

That alone was enough to decide the match, but Arran could see that Snowcloud's attacks rocked not just the novice's body but also her mind Her confidence had quickly faltered, and now, she winced before each exchange, fearful of facing Snowcloud's blows

”It seems your student will soon best h I noticed that she uses but a single style”

”A battle is not a dance, Grandle style used well is more valuable than a dozen used poorly”

As if to ehtblade's point, Snowcloud suddenly stepped up her attacks Her rew faster andbackward, desperately trying to ward off the assault

It was no use Snowcloud now revealed strength she had hidden earlier, and she launched into a savage flurry of blows that caused her opponent to stagger back even further A , and Snowcloud's sword cairl's neck

A subtle save the novice a small bow As she sheathed her sword, several people could be heard clapping aathered around the field

When Snowcloud returned to Brightblade's side a moment later, Grandmaster Solin looked at her with interest

”Most ihtblade ”Your student did well, but your own opponent will prove a greater challenge”

In a loud voice, he called out, ”Adept Doran, please step forward”