"You really want to duel? Very well then."
Li Ang raised his right hand, extending his left index finger to trace movements across his right palm, while channeling magic power.
This was the highest level of magic power he had ever used since arriving on the island, reaching Tier Six. Without any energy source to assist, a quarter of his magic reserves were consumed.
Magic power isn't stored in the body; the idea of "magic reserves" is more of a metaphor. It actually refers to the atmospheric magic power a person can gather after exhausting their energy.
As the spell activated, he felt a significant drain on his energy.
The concentrated magic released from his fingertip left behind intricate trajectories, forming a peculiar pattern.
This was a curse rune, a high-tier spellcasting method for witches, crafting the desired curse art through layering different effects of curse runes.
Once the curse runes were drawn, Li Ang took out three Water Mist Stones and placed them in his palm. They immediately lit up, their surface glistening like glass, then quickly shattered into powder, releasing the water elements within.
The air temperature plummeted, and droplets of dew appeared on the leaves and flowers around the meadow, more densely than at dawn.
With every breath, Zoe could sense the dense moisture, as the chill seeped into her body through her skin and nasal cavity, bit by bit.
In just a few seconds, those dew drops turned into frost, and the larger water droplets became ice shards.
This was an expression of the cold spirituality of the water elements.
The focal point of the extreme cold was Li Ang's palm. Under the effect of the curse runes, the Water Elemental Spirit encircled the surroundings, then gathered in his palm at his command.
In Zoe's eyes, she saw the young man across from her summon a mist which then transformed into snowflakes, falling towards his hand and finally condensing into an Ice Sword.
Tier Six spell writing: Curse Art - Elemental Weapon.
Li Ang's expression was extremely serious. Whether it was his demeanor or the surrounding chill, Zoe only felt the cold envelop her entirely, even forcing back her smile.
"You engage in a duel at will; this is a very serious matter," Li Ang said.
He lifted the Ice Sword in his hand, striking down towards Zoe.
The young girl raised her sword to parry, simultaneously retreating. These actions, already ingrained as instincts, now seemed difficult to execute.
Tiers One to Three were the Mortal Realm, while Tiers Four to Six stepped into the Transcendent Realm.
The atmospheric magic power nurtured everything on Nebis. Matter nurtured the spirit, which in turn guided magic power. Magic power interfered with matter, and elements are the smallest units of matter, also influenced by magic power.
Humans and other intelligent races are complex material life forms with intricate spirituality, thus adept at guiding magic power for various material manipulations.
Below Tier Three, people could only use magic power for enhancement. Even casters rely on external items like casting materials to perform potent magic.
However, beings in the Transcendent Stage have the ability to gather magic power to shape matter. With these abilities, they can destroy ordinary city walls built without magic guidance technology and demolish small towns.
Those at Tier Five can shape a Transcendent Shield, with power sufficient to cause natural phenomena.
Tier Six allows shaping an Extraordinary Weapon, and the power contained within a magic shaping weapon, if released, could cause minor disasters to villages.
Zoe's abilities were still in the Mortal Stage. Even with treasure artifacts providing magic, the Tier Six magic-shaped Elemental Weapon was fundamentally different from the Lady Swordsman.
Her arms and calves were too cold to move properly!
The young girl gritted her teeth, urgently releasing a gust of wind with the Wind Breath Sword to disperse the cold to the surroundings, finally allowing the afternoon's warmth to flow back.
The new warm breeze quickly integrated into the cold air and vanished, but Zoe gained a brief moment to breathe, enduring another strike.
Backing up a few steps, she understood her strength relied entirely on the cooperation of her treasure sword and swordsmanship, so once sensation returned to her arm, she swung continuously, trying to blow away the cold with gusting winds.
Li Ang held the sword in his right hand, while Zoe had difficulty dealing with each of his blocks, as he gestured towards the distant clouds, where the outlines of other Sky Islands could faintly be seen.
"In this world, although there is competition among people, cooperation is also essential to build a home. Force isn't a toy; it's a tool to protect oneself, needed against villains and enemies.
The extreme cold quickly sapped Zoe's strength, and eventually, her sword was flung away by the Ice Sword. The Icy Blade struck the Sootsteel Bracers' covered armor, leaving a small dent.
Frost isn't as hard as steel, and at the point of contact, a mass of ice shards shattered, scattering onto Zoe's face. Instantly, she felt half her face go numb, and her hair, touched by ice shards, frosted over, feeling as if it would break upon touch.
"If you resort to force in interactions with others, it means you've already deemed them an enemy. And among enemies, the ultimate goal is nothing less than a life-and-death struggle, unyielding until the battle ends."
Li Ang spoke dispassionately, slowly advancing step by step, and with each stride, the bone-chilling cold intensified.
Or perhaps it was the killing intent that Zoe had never experienced before.
Zoe felt like she could no longer breathe, closing her eyes when the cold brushed past her neck as he approached.
When raindrops landed on her face, she blinked herself back to consciousness, unsure of how much time had passed; she had even forgotten to think in that brief moment.
Before her lay the Ice Sword, embedded in the ground and melting, and the chill in the air had faded as if the cold fog had turned to water, scattering under the sunlight, letting her feel the warmth of the sun again.
Li Ang stood before her, looking down, making her realize she was kneeling on the ground.
"When I took your sword before, it wasn't because I coveted it. I intended to warn you, but it seems you didn't understand previously."
In his serene eyes she found an understanding look: "If you don't know why you're using your power, then you're no different from the demons causing disasters. In this endless Aerial Realm, violence may fulfill temporary desires but will eventually lead to one's own destruction."
He walked past her, further and further away.
"Your sword is yours; keep it well. This time, you pointed the sword at me. If it's pointed at someone else, the outcome won't be so simple to resolve."
As his figure gradually faded away, Zoe slowly regained her senses.
It felt as if something suddenly lodged in her chest, pulling painfully, with a hint of heat.
Yes, I was wrong.
I shouldn't have done that.
In fact, I just wanted to... just wanted to...
The tugging feeling in her chest reached her throat, moving to the bridge of her nose, transforming into sourness, then overflowed from her eyes.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry..."
Li Ang walked on, hearing the faltering cries behind him.
Zoe sobbed as she caught up with him, the sobs bursting into full-blown cries, as if releasing years of pent-up emotions, wailing loudly.
Li Ang scratched his head, sigh, did I scare her too much? Does this count as bullying a kid? Yet she wasn't a child, just a bit immature from being confined to the island.
From a decade of experience wandering, a stern reminder seemed necessary.
No one will be favorably treated all their life. Every slack moment granted by fate sharpens the butcher's knife in the shadows.
But now that she's catching up, Li Ang had no clue how to conclude this. How do you console a child after disciplining them? Let alone understand their needs.
Just like this, one in front and one behind, Li Ang approached the entrance of Satus Island village.
From a distance, he saw villagers already watching him.
In such a closed-off area, where everyone knows each other completely, a decade made him an outsider, and they looked at him with scrutiny and caution.
"Who are you?" a villager among those gathering had the courage to ask.
Their gazes flickered towards the sniffling Zoe behind Li Ang.
They're not misunderstanding something, are they?