When Earth Awakened, I Became a Sword Saintess

Chapter 93 : Mid-Stage Spirit-Seeking

93: Mid-Stage of Spirit-Seeking

In the blink of an eye, it was mid-October.

During this time, in the second layer of the chessboard world, Yuyin had conquered a total of three earthen cities or ghost villages, and her strength and realm had also reached the Mid-Stage of Spirit-Seeking.

At this point, Yuyin's strength, primarily her Primordial Energy strength, had seen another substantial increase with the improvement of her realm.

In terms of the God-Devouring Chess, one of Yuyin's Purple Grade chess pieces, the Dao Soldier, had also reached three stars.

The power of a Purple Grade piece reaching three stars was imaginable. In terms of combat strength alone, it was stronger than Xiaoyuan.

Yuyin's Medicine Maiden had also reached three stars. However, the second layer of the chessboard world was too desolate, with few places to gather herbs. The miners, on the other hand, were very useful. The mineral vein resources here were richer and of a higher grade than in the first layer.

In the Initial Territory of the first layer, the monsters had already set up a pill furnace. The Green Grade Little Stove Ghosts and the Medicine Maiden sisters collaborated to refine pills. The Little Stove Ghosts were very weak in combat, but Yuyin had recruited quite a few of them and often sent them out to fight and train, managing to train a few high-star-level Little Stove Ghosts.

However, they had not yet refined any pills that Yuyin could absorb and consume. The large number of pills they had produced could be given to the chess pieces to consume, accelerating their star rating upgrades.

In addition, the minerals gathered from the two layers could be forged into equipment by the Blue Grade one-armed blacksmiths, providing them to other chess pieces to enhance their combat strength. For example, the Red Ghosts were now wearing red copper armor, and the Dao Soldiers had received better long blades.

After Yuyin adapted to the speed and rhythm of acquiring Primordial Energy in the second layer, and after mastering the ability to split off a portion of her consciousness to control and observe the situation within the God-Devouring Chess, she also began to attend classes.

Another important reason was that after the October long holiday, the curriculum for the Swordsman Department was no longer just basic training, which was meaningless to Yuyin. After all, the basic training indicators assigned by Chen Qian'ning were several times more numerous and scientific than those assigned by other teachers and seniors to new students. If Yuyin really did basic training with everyone else, she would be unable to complete the training volume set by Chen Qian'ning.

This month, in addition to basic physical training, there were three courses: Basic Swordsmanship, Basic Medical Arts, and Herbology Compendium.

For Basic Swordsmanship, Yuyin had the Polaris Sword Art. Compared to the basic sword techniques that couldn't even be considered secret manuals, this class was of little significance. But Yuyin still attended a few lectures, hoping to gain some inspiration through analogical reasoning.

Basic Medical Arts and Herbology Compendium, however, were auxiliary courses.

Inside the tiered classroom of the Swordsman Hall.

"Although you are all from combat-focused departments, specializing in swordsmanship, on a true battlefield, survival is the number one priority. Only by living can you have the possibility to continue fighting. A real battlefield is full of unpredictable changes. Many times, you may not receive timely rescue. Once injured, self-rescue and mutual rescue are also crucial abilities for maintaining combat effectiveness and courage."

On the podium, the female teacher was wearing a white silk qipao with a light floral pattern. She was tall and graceful, with her long, thick black hair braided into a single plait, the very image of a classic beautiful young woman from the Jiangnan region.

She was Jiang Xue, the Head of the Medic Department.

As an introductory course for medical arts, she insisted on teaching it personally to the new students of every department. After all, most new students only knew about martial arts cultivation and were unaware of the importance of medical skills.

"To be alive, and then talk about everything else," Director Jiang warned all the new students.

Yuyin sat in the back row, listening attentively. Although she had no foundation in medical arts, she very much agreed with Director Jiang's philosophy.

"To place such importance on medical arts starting from the first year... perhaps this is a summary of actual combat experience..." Yuyin thought as she listened, but a sense of unease grew in her heart. "If this were for superficial purposes in peacetime, or just for competitions, in a modern society with a high degree of division of labor, a Source Martial Practitioner wouldn't need to also cultivate medical arts. This... must be for the needs of actual combat."

On a true battlefield, for example, if Yuyin were really placed in a world of slaughter like the God-Devouring Chess, once injured and without anyone else to save her, should she just wait for death?

Mastering medical arts meant that everyone could master a certain degree of life-saving skills.

In other words, many of the students here would face life-threatening danger.

She wondered if the other new students realized this. If those guys who were fooling around on the basketball court, whose eyes were only on stealing girlfriends and acting tough, realized this.

Yuyin listened very seriously to Jiang Xue's lecture, took careful notes, and left class with everyone. Since Yuyin was too eye-catching and didn't often attend class, she attracted the gazes and discussions of many students.

"Xia Yuyin."

As Yuyin walked out of the Swordsman Hall, she was stopped on the steps by Senior Sister Liu Xing.

"The registration for the Academy Source Martial Tournament has begun. You haven't forgotten, have you?" Liu Xing said as she walked down. Chen Qian'ning had specifically reminded her last time to remember to tell Yuyin.

However, Chen Qian'ning had also clearly reminded Yuyin by text message yesterday.

"How could I? Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister Liu Xing," Yuyin said with a smile.

"The competitions for the first-year and second-year groups will run through October and November. October is for the preliminaries, held every Saturday." Liu Xing reminded her, and as she spoke, she gradually came to a stop.

"Yuyin, why do I feel that your Primordial Energy has increased again?"

Yuyin hadn't deliberately concealed or released her aura. With Liu Xing being at a higher realm than Yuyin, she could naturally sense it, but she couldn't accurately assess Yuyin's strength.

"Mm, I've improved a little recently," Yuyin said modestly.

"Heh, you were already able to defeat Wang Tieniu, the strongest of the second year, last month. And you've improved even more? What a pity that the first-year and second-year groups are separate. Even with your strength, you can't participate in the second-year group. You'll just have to reign supreme in the first-year group."

"Not at all. A competition is full of unpredictable changes. I still have to do my best," Yuyin said with a slight smile. For the first-year group competition, Yuyin was absolutely confident, but she wouldn't be careless.

Back at the dorm, Yuyin used the Academy's app to sign up. On the app's homepage, news section, forums, and everywhere else, promotional materials for the Source Martial Tournament had already begun to appear.

The registration period was one week. After it closed, the schedule was quickly arranged and posted on the app, on large screens around campus, on bulletin boards, and an email was also sent to all registrants.

Yuyin was designated as one of the seeded players in the first-year group and received a bye in the first round.

That evening, Little Yuan returned, and the two of them discussed some things about the Source Martial Tournament.

After their showers, they each lay on their own beds. The moonlight was a pale orchid color.

"Little Yuan, why didn't you sign up?" Yuyin asked. In her opinion, Little Yuan's combat aptitude was actually quite good, and with her physical fitness having improved rapidly from practicing the Imperial Daughter Body Refinement with Yuyin, she had a decent chance of making it into the top eight of the first-year group.

Little Yuan looked up at the ceiling, pouting as she leaned back. "I'm not going to participate. Besides, with Sister Yuyin participating, that's enough. I'll go cheer for you then."

The autumn night wind was a bit chilly. Little Yuan pulled the quilt tighter around her, intending to sleep.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Who could it be at this hour?" Both Yuyin and Little Yuan were puzzled.

Wearing her pajamas, Yuyin got up and opened the video doorbell. She saw the sophomore girl from the Student Council who managed the dorms and Yingluo standing downstairs.

"Xia Yuyin, she said she's your friend. I've seen her before, so I let her in," the Student Council girl said.

"Yingluo?" Yuyin was confused. She hurriedly put on a coat and went downstairs to get her.

Downstairs, she saw Yingluo standing next to the Student Council girl, holding a suitcase.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry... Yuyin, my other roommates all went back for the weekend... The entire dormitory building on the other side of the mountain, I'm the only one..." Yingluo said, looking fearfully at the hillside behind her.

Her Primordial Energy was now quite high, and she could already vaguely see "those things", the demon spirits that lingered and wandered nearby.

Yuyin understood immediately and said gently and knowingly, "Come on up."