Starting as a Magical Girl, I Alone Shall Rule for Eternity

Chapter 226: Fierce Battle Against the True Master of the Civil Service

For Jiang Si, although there was no problem with him personally going to retrieve Iris's Miracle Seed, after all, they were on her turf.

He still hadn't figured out the true nature of those Incubators, and he still needed them to provide the Mental Landscape trial.

It was better not to start a conflict for now.

As Iris's good friend, Qingying was obviously the most suitable person to handle this matter. After tossing the task to her, Jiang Si promptly forgot about it.

It was just a casual action anyway.

If Qingying could manage to get it, she could be promoted to the Inner Sect upon returning, rewarded with some sect secret manuals or a bonus.

If she couldn't get it, he could just go and retrieve it himself after the Mental Landscape trial ended. It wasn't a big problem.

He watched Qingying leave, looking worried and anxious, then finally turned and headed off-campus.

Quite a few sect disciples had come this time. Before participating in the Mental Landscape trial, to express sincerity in cooperation, Bingtang dispatched many inner sect disciples to teach some Magical Girls at the Central Bureau about mana usage and magic development techniques.

It was said that during this period, many Magical Girls at the Central Bureau had been promoted.The Magical Girls at the Central Bureau weren't lacking in foundation themselves. It was just that they had never had a clear enough direction—or rather, not enough external pressure—so most Central Bureau Magical Girls could only mark time in place.

The Magical Girls of the Azure Cloud Sect not only gave them some experience and knowledge for promotion, but more importantly, gave them considerable pressure.

Seeing the progress of the Central Bureau Magical Girls, the many disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect also didn't want to be caught up.

The speed of mutual improvement was actually quite effective.

No one stopped him as he left the school gate. Outside the gate were two rows of gorgeous, flourishing cherry blossoms.

Thus, the small path extending from the school gate was paved with fallen petals.

He spotted Qianzhencao from afar.

She was sitting sideways on her broom. The little witch's head was dotted with many fallen flowers. Her originally solemn and mysterious witch attire gained a touch of youthful, vibrant charm because of these petals.

Jiang Si originally wanted to avoid her, but Qianzhencao immediately tilted her head and noticed him.

His heart gave a slight jolt.

He clearly sensed Qianzhencao using Divine Sense to notice him.

Without transforming, Jiang Si could completely shield his own mana, and even use fluctuations of corrupted magic power to interfere with demonic sense scans.

That meant within the Azure Cloud Sect, not to mention among the true-transmissions, even Bingtang couldn't see him using only demonic sense.

The only exception was Bai Mei, who had advanced further in Mind's Eye and Sword Intent.

And now, another one had appeared.

More than being exposed, Jiang Si was more surprised.

Had Qianzhencao actually mastered the use of Divine Sense this quickly?

The higher-order nature of Divine Sense completely overwhelmed the concealment of lower cultivation, so using it as a cultivator's eyes to perceive all things was a basic application. He hadn't expected Qianzhencao to reach this step. Hmph, not bad for an outsider.

However, for him, the Dao Master who created Divine Sense, he could still easily detect the fluctuations when Divine Sense was being used.

"It's Jiang Si." Qianzhencao saw him and immediately pouted. "What are you doing out here?"

"Looking for someone."

Jiang Si strode over and directly passed Qianzhencao, leaving.

"Tell me, how did you bewitch Lady Bingtang and little Yumo, and even Lady Shion?"

Qianzhencao sat on her broom, swinging her legs leisurely as she asked Jiang Si.

Although it sounded like an accusation, there was actually a hint of teasing in it.

"So popular, Mr. Jiang Si. Are you feeling quite pleased with yourself?"

"Nonsense."

"Tsk." Qianzhencao floated lazily beside him, showing no immediate intention to leave. "But you should be careful too. Little Yumo is only in her first year of middle school, and Lady Shion isn't old either. If you really dare to mess around, that's illegal criminal behavior!"

"Do you know how old Shion is?"

"Probably about the same as little Yumo."

Jiang Si grabbed her broom.

Qianzhencao's heart skipped a beat. She had actually been keeping an eye on Jiang Si the whole time.

Yet when he reached out to grab her broom, Qianzhencao still didn't react in time!

Such an exaggerated speed...

Just as she was about to use magic to repel Jiang Si's hand, he suddenly exerted force.

He actually snapped her broom in half just like that!

Qianzhencao immediately jumped back, squatting on a branch of a cherry blossom tree by the roadside.

The branch was thin, but Qianzhencao stood steadily on it, her body swaying gently like a cherry blossom, as if she had no weight at all.

"What are you doing?" Qianzhencao, of course, didn't care. The broom itself was constructed from mana and wasn't precious, but Jiang Si's actions put her on guard. "Want to fight? Don't go crying to the Sect Master later saying I bullied you."

"How long are you going to follow me?"

"For the sake of the Sect Master, I must keep an eye on you to prevent you from having affairs." Qianzhencao said righteously. "And as a member of the Azure Cloud Sect, you can't just wander around freely at the Disaster Control Bureau Central Bureau."

"I'm going to catch a mole."

"Don't try to fool me, you..." Qianzhencao tilted her head, then finally processed it. "Catch a mole?"

"During this Mental Landscape trial, people from the Witch Association want to interfere, so I'm here to catch the mole."

"Who told you that?"

"Shion."

After a moment of silence, although Qianzhencao was somewhat suspicious of him, as Shion's boyfriend, Jiang Si should know his own Sect Master's temper.

Daring to fabricate orders or intelligence on her behalf would absolutely lead to severe consequences.

Even if Lady Bingtang liked him, she wouldn't go easy in this regard.

"Do you have leads?"

"If you're willing to help." Jiang Si thought for a moment, sizing up Qianzhencao.

Qianzhencao immediately sensed danger and hugged herself, curling into a ball. "I-I warn you not to look at me like that!"

"Perfect. I need a Magical Girl captive."

"Huh?"

Jiang Si waved his hand, brushing away the scattered cherry blossoms around. "After all, to infiltrate and gain the trust of these moles, not having a Magical Girl captive won't work. How about you play the part?"

"How could I possibly be a captive? No, no, no..." Qianzhencao immediately shook her head, then her expression changed. "Wait, you jerk, you want to use this opportunity to secretly raise my favorability and then try to win me over, don't you! I'm very close with Qinghua. I know all about your tricks! No, absolutely not. You're completely not my type. Too short, too self-centered, and you already have a girlfriend. It would be disgusting if you liked me, so absolutely not..."

"Then get lost."

In fact, precisely because she was a Harry Potter fan, Jiang Si could let her be the captive without any psychological burden.

How could he let a successor of web novels do such work? Being a captive was perfectly suited for a deviant disciple like Qianzhencao.

He hadn't expected that not only did Qianzhencao like Harry Potter, but her brain had also been assimilated by Qinghua.

That was just adding insult to injury.

Just as he was about to leave, Qianzhencao conjured another broom and still followed behind him. "Wait, wait. Let me contact Lady Bingtang. I'll ask her first."

"As long as you're willing to be the captive."

"That's not it! I'm just worried that if something happens to you, the Sect Master will be sad. That's all. For a romantic relationship, we must go through the Philosopher's Stone battle together, and you must win after I solve the potion riddle; then we must experience the Chamber of Secrets crisis together. When students are being petrified one after another, I must be the first to discover the Basilisk clue, and before I'm petrified, I leave a clue. Then you find the secret chamber using my crucial information and defeat the Basilisk; then we must experience time travel together to save others; and you must learn the Summoning Charm and other magic with my help, win the Triwizard Tournament, then witness the resurrection of Voldemort together, surviving the ensuing chaos..."

"Finally, Hermione married Ron, and Harry Potter married Ginny."

"Ahhhhhhhhh!"

Qianzhencao covered her ears and screamed. "I don't want to hear that! After going through so many major events together, they should definitely end up together! What kind of man and woman can surpass the bond forged through life-and-death battles!"

"Ron also fought through life-and-death battles together."

Qianzhencao immediately quieted down. "That's different..."

After grumbling for a while and finishing her call with Bingtang, she finally said, "Alright. Lady Bingtang said it's fine to listen to you. I didn't expect Lady Bingtang to trust you so much."

Following behind Jiang Si, Qianzhencao's originally somewhat gloomy expression suddenly brightened. "Hey, come to think of it, you actually know Harry Potter so well too. It seems we might actually have a lot in common..."

"No, we don't."

Qianzhencao immediately deflated like a punctured balloon, sinking down.

As she followed Jiang Si out, she sat on her broom, spinning around and around, muttering things like "Why would Lady Shion like someone like you" all the way.

When they reached the place where the bus had parked earlier, Jiang Si stopped. "I need you to pass out."

Qianzhencao was stunned. "Huh?"

"After all, you lost to me and became a captive."

"How is that possible!"

"Pretend."

"Oh, you should have said so earlier."

Then, looking at the dead-serious Jiang Si, a thought stirred in Qianzhencao's heart.

It seemed like there was a chance to make him suffer a bit.

Stealing everyone's favorite Lady Shion and being so arrogant—he definitely needed to be taught a lesson...

So she giggled and leaned closer. "Mr. Jiang Si, since you're going to capture me, there must have been a fierce battle, right?"

Jiang Si pondered slightly. "Hmm, indeed."

"Since it was a fierce battle, there must be many traces, right? Like wounds, torn clothes, that sort of thing..."

Qianzhencao smiled like a little devil. "Going over there looking so clean and tidy would be hard to believe, right?"

"As expected of a true-transmission." Jiang Si expressed surprise. "So thoughtful."

"Just average." Qianzhencao waved her sleeve, and a Magic Wand appeared in her hand. "Then don't blame me!"

"Sectumsempra!"

Of course, she wouldn't aim for vital spots. Qianzhencao just planned to give him a few cuts in safe places like arms, back, calves, just to create the illusion of being covered in wounds.

And to make him feel the pain!

However, when the Sectumsempra spell struck Jiang Si's body.

Qianzhencao saw dense sparks flying off Jiang Si's flesh!

Jiang Si looked and also frowned. "What are you setting off fireworks for?"

"They're not fireworks!"

For a moment, even Qianzhencao began to doubt herself. That's not right, is it? Did I cast the wrong spell?

So she cast Sectumsempra on her own arm.

The sharp blade immediately cut her skin. And due to the properties she had added, intense pain instantly made Qianzhencao roll on the ground. "Ouch, ouch, ouch!"

See, this is the consequence of liking Harry Potter.

Jiang Si muttered inwardly, squatting down to look at the girl covered in petals. "Can you be serious for once?"

It took a long time for Qianzhencao to suppress the pain and sit up. Tearfully, she glared at Jiang Si and gritted her teeth.

"Sectumsempra!"

Another shower of sparks.

"Look, more fireworks."

Qianzhencao was now completely certain.

It wasn't that her magic was faulty, but that the boy in front of her had a problematic body...

No wonder Lady Shion took a liking to him!

"No, no, I can't create any wounds at all..."

Jiang Si formed his fingers into a blade and casually made a few cuts on his own body. "Isn't this simple?"

Qianzhencao looked at his fingers, then at her Magic Wand.

She began to doubt herself for a moment.

Why is my magic not as sharp as his fingers? Is this world still normal...

After dirtying his clothes a bit more and adding a few wounds to his face, Jiang Si looked at Qianzhencao. "You need some wounds too, right?"

Seeing Jiang Si clench his fist, a strong sense of crisis surged in Qianzhencao's heart!

She immediately raised her hands in surrender. "Wait, wait, wait! I'm a Magical Girl! As long as I cancel my transformation, all injuries will disappear, so no need!"

Jiang Si regretfully loosened his hand. "That's true."

Qianzhencao took out her Miracle Seed. Then her Magical Outfit changed, disguised as everyday clothes, and her mana instantly withdrew until not a trace remained.

She then handed the Miracle Seed to Jiang Si. "Like this, like this is fine. Perfect and flawless!"

Jiang Si took the Miracle Seed and nodded. "Alright."

The reason Jiang Si was willing to waste time with her was that without transforming, he wasn't confident he could subdue Qianzhencao.

If he could just knock her out and toss her over, he wouldn't be willing to say so much nonsense.

Qianzhencao was now a genuine Lush Leaves.

Not only that, she also had Divine Sense.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she had an early ticket to the Flourishing Branches realm.

His own physical body was at most at the Blooming Peak Great Perfection level. He didn't have an advantage against Qianzhencao. Her magic was numerous and extremely comprehensive.

To be honest, she was even trickier than Bai Mei.

Dealing with Bai Mei, as long as you weren't struck, it wasn't a big problem—though in most cases, it was impossible not to get struck.

But the various strange magics Qianzhencao developed from Harry Potter, their abilities and properties had long surpassed the originals.

They were various small magics that produced effects based on Qianzhencao's personal cognition, making them quite troublesome in combat.

Her "Reparo" not only could heal wounds but could also restore her own mana to its initial level—in terms of endurance, she could be said to be the strongest in the Azure Cloud Sect besides Shion.

If they really fought, the win rate even in Golden Calamity Dragon King form was only ninety-nine percent. Still too low.

To be absolutely certain of victory, he would need to transform into the Magical Girl or Witch Shion.

The ordinary Calamity Dragon state was even more of a weakling among weaklings.

Although Jiang Si felt she was full of openings along the way—sometimes, being full of openings also meant having no openings at all.

So a simple negotiation was more convenient.

This was the difference between him, Jiang Si, and those brutes.

His super intelligence could help him avoid unnecessary troublesome fights.

After Qianzhencao obediently assumed the pose of being knocked out—lying curled up, right hand pinned under her body, left hand in front of her head, pretending to be unconscious—Jiang Si grabbed the back of her collar and lifted her up.

"Ah, this pose is too ugly, isn't it? Can we change it..."

"Shut up."

"At least carry me over your shoulder?"

Carrying Qianzhencao, he walked all the way out of the school path. Outside the school, on the open ground south of the parking lot, at a distance.

Inside the bus, the Driver who was smoking turned his head and spotted Jiang Si. He immediately got out of the car, threw the cigarette butt on the ground, stamped it out, and walked over.

"Buddy, you're out. I thought once you met Shion, you wouldn't come out..." Halfway through his sentence, the originally enthusiastic Driver saw Jiang Si's sorry state and froze, then said gleefully, "Did you cheat and get beaten up by Shion?"

"No, just completing a mission," Jiang Si said casually. "Took a bit of effort to catch her."

The Driver's gaze finally fell on the Magical Girl Jiang Si was carrying.

It was one of the two Magical Girls he had delivered earlier!

And Jiang Si was holding that Magical Girl's Miracle Seed, meaning the Magical Girl in front of him had completely lost her ability to resist.

He was immediately horrified and stepped back. "Are you crazy! This is an Azure Cloud Sect Magical Girl! You dare capture an Azure Cloud Sect Magical Girl?"

"What do you know!" Jiang Si sneered. "So what if it's an Azure Cloud Sect Magical Girl? Why can't she be captured?"

The Driver, who was about to say something, suddenly remembered.

This guy was Shion's boyfriend.

A damn connection.

Even if he really captured her, it probably wouldn't be traced back to him.

After a moment of silence, the Driver stared at the Magical Girl for a long time and took a deep breath.

"Are you sure there's no problem? Although we do need a Magical Girl to participate in the trial, since this operation wasn't notified to you, it means you actually don't need to get involved. No need to take such a risk..."

"Are you scared?"

"Ridiculous!" The Driver immediately gritted his teeth. "I work with my life on the line every day. Would I be scared? Get in the car!"

Jiang Si immediately boarded the bus.

But halfway there, the Driver pulled him again. "No, buddy, big bro is just a bit curious. How did you capture her? I remember this girl is one of the Azure Cloud Sect's seven true-transmissions. Really powerful!"

"You know she's one of the seven true-transmissions?"

"You're underestimating my intelligence network after being an undercover for so many years. The Magical Girl transported this time, the original Central Bureau Magical Girl Xingxuan, I've known that girl for ages. She was really annoying back at the Central Bureau. She kept talking non-stop along the way, calling the true-transmission in your hand 'Lady True-transmission.' This one must be a true-transmission, right."

"Oh, that's indeed true." Jiang Si thought for a moment. "So what if she's one of the seven true-transmissions?"

"Who doesn't know about the Azure Cloud Sect's seven true-transmissions? Each one is ruthless and formidable. Countless people from the Witch Association have fallen victim to them. Shion is a big shot, after all. She usually doesn't pay attention to small fries like us. But those seven true-transmissions are different. They specifically target small fries like us to kill. I heard each has forty to fifty percent of Shion's strength. Definitely not something ordinary witches and Magical Girls can match!"

Hearing the seven true-transmissions being praised so outrageously, the corner of Jiang Si's mouth twitched.

Somewhat laughable. Except for Bai Mei, most of them were just half-baked.

As for Qianzhencao, she was naturally delighted, secretly laughing in her heart.

"Are you sure there's no problem? What if she suddenly wakes up? We'd both be dead!"

That's right, that's right. We seven true-transmissions are that terrifying and powerful. Scare you to death, you turtle grandson.

"Don't worry. Her transformation is canceled, and the seed is with me. What's there to fear? Besides, I've inquired. This person is called Qianzhencao."

Jiang Si said calmly, "A clerical true-transmission."

Both the Driver and Qianzhencao were stunned.

"What's a clerical true-transmission?"

"It means her combat strength isn't great. She climbed to the true-transmission position through clerical work like research and development." Jiang Si said with certainty. "Not worth fearing."

Qianzhencao wished she could bite this guy to death!

What do you mean clerical true-transmission? I fought my way up fair and square!

The ones in the seven true-transmissions who could truly be called clerical true-transmissions should be Four Leaf and Six Leaf. Their direct combat abilities have always been questioned, but their abilities are special, so their evaluation among the true-transmissions isn't high.

They are the clerical true-transmissions!

She, Qianzhencao, legitimately and comprehensively overwhelmed another true-transmission to squeeze into the true-transmission position!

Unexpectedly, the Driver actually believed it. "So that's how it is, so that's how it is. I was just saying, even for the Azure Cloud Sect, how could there be so many powerful figures? There must be some muddling through. I didn't expect us brothers to actually catch one. Hahaha!"

Qianzhencao decided.

She must cast an Unforgivable Curse on him!

After the two of them and the captive boarded the bus, the Driver immediately drove to another hidden path at the Central Bureau.

Then he stopped the car somewhere. Because the bus was conspicuous, he specifically used some kind of magic tool to conceal it.

Jiang Si felt somewhat strange.

Because that magic tool used to conceal traces was something commonly used by the Disaster Control Bureau.

Generally, it shouldn't be issued to a Driver like this, right? Or did he get it from the mole?

If so, the mole's position shouldn't be low, at least not an ordinary Magical Girl.

"However, buddy, I have to tell you in advance. Some people on our side here at the Central Bureau don't really accept people from the New Witch Association. So don't get into disputes later. Everyone just has different stances. What we do is still the same. Seek common ground while reserving differences..."

You guys have so few people total.

Yet you haven't missed out on any messy factions at all.

Even while lurking inside the Disaster Control Bureau Central Bureau, you can still split into factions.

For a moment, Jiang Si felt a sense of admiration for these people.

No matter what situation they face, factional struggle comes first. In a way, this could be called a sense of conviction.

It could only be said that factional strife has always been like this.

After passing through a small forest, they arrived at the side and rear of the academy.

There were even some mountains here, but behind the mountains was the sky, and below was the great river they had passed when coming up.

It could be said this should be the edge of the Disaster Control Bureau Central Bureau.

Since this was in the sky, leaving the academy at the center of the Central Bureau, they were surrounded by clouds.

Passing through the clouds, they could see the magnificent river flowing upside down, connecting the sky and the abyss, like the end of the world.

The Driver took out a Grief Seed—this guy could indeed use corrupted magic power, though he only dared to use a tiny bit.

After activating the magic circle on the ground, the great river connecting the sky and the abyss slowly parted.

"Jump!"

Urged by the Driver's shout, Jiang Si watched the other jump down, then fearlessly followed, carrying the Magical Girl captive and leaping straight into the abyss at the end of the world!

Qianzhencao's heart tightened, and she immediately gripped her Miracle Seed.

Fortunately, they didn't actually fall. When they touched the river water, the three of them passed through a layer of space.

The Driver landed first. He found his direction, landing on a magic barrier, then immediately turned to grab Jiang Si.

He found Jiang Si didn't even look, jumping directly toward the ground.

Before he could exclaim, he saw the boy crash into the ground like a cannonball!

Mud splashed like water. A tremendous roar shook the entire cavern!

Then came the sound of a magic circle shattering. Before the Driver could get down from the magic barrier, the magic barrier instantly disappeared, and he fell straight to the ground.

Dizzy, he got up and saw the boy slowly standing up from the smoke, a huge crater beneath his feet.

Yet he had no wounds on his body!

No wonder he could capture a clerical true-transmission!

He felt some amazement in his heart, and the suspicions he originally had diminished considerably.

Qianzhencao, however, was shocked that the boy's body showed not even a ripple under such a huge impact.

Bones, blood, heartbeat, even muscles—almost none showed any abnormal burden or reaction.

"Wait."

Jiang Si suddenly spoke. "The inside help you mentioned, is it these things?"

Following Jiang Si's words, Qianzhencao also secretly observed and was somewhat stunned.

"That's right. These are our long-term cooperative partners."

The Driver chuckled as he got up, brushing the dirt off himself. "Only they can transmit the messages we need within the tightly guarded Central Bureau! They are our best comrades and companions."

"Welcome, everyone."

One of the white flying kittens said with a smile. "Let's get along well~"

That was a group of Incubators.