Proving one's status starting with magical girls

"Yuelin... Uncle-Master."

Li Jiangqun murmured, momentarily at a loss for words.

This was the first time she had seen the elders of Yuehua Yuanfu in real life.

Since she began cultivating immortality two months ago, she has been receiving instruction from her master, and only her master can keep her company and relieve her boredom.

To put it bluntly, if she hadn't been taken by her Uncle Xuan'an to meet many elders of the Yuan Mansion before, she would have doubted whether the so-called Moonflower Yuan Mansion was something her master had made up.

After all, the vast Yuan Mansion only had Master as a person, and when she first arrived, it was dilapidated and looked very suspicious.

Therefore, although she was the successor of the Yuan family, she herself was actually half-believing and half-doubting this title.

It wasn't until she personally met the Yuan family's martial uncle—well, former martial uncle—that she truly felt a sense of belonging to the Yuan family.

But looking at the Seed of Hope on the chest of her Martial Aunt Yue Lin, she couldn't help but ask.

"Uncle-Master, are you... a magical girl?"

Then she saw the white-haired fairy smile slightly, which made Li Jiangqun's heart pound.

She said softly.

"You young man, although your cultivation is still shallow, you have a rather keen sense of nature."

Yue Lin stood with his hands behind his back, looking calm and composed.

"Not bad, I have already become a magical girl."

Despite having some suspicions, Li Jiangqun was still taken aback when her guess was confirmed by her former martial arts uncle.

What does it mean to cultivate immortality and become a magical girl?

Do you think these two names can be put together?

The shock these words delivered to her was no less than that of a protagonist excitedly donning the Sorting Hat, anticipating which house they would be placed in, only to have the hat's first words be:

"Harry Potter, Magic Power, Level Three!"

Look at this, is this even acceptable?!

However, seemingly noticing the girl's shock, the white-haired magical girl continued calmly.

"So-called magic and spiritual energy are actually just one thing. Whether one cultivates to the Purple Mansion level or becomes a magical girl, it's all the same to me."

"It's a pity that he was tricked by the Heavenly Mystic in the heavens, and his position as a Golden Rank official in the mortal realm is not prominent."

"My Taiyin cultivation has been completely dissipated, and I can't even become a Jie Lin anymore. Otherwise, why would I need to switch to cultivating this so-called magical girl?"

Her tone was regretful, and it seemed that she felt that becoming a magical girl was not as good as being like the girl she was talking about, Jielin.

Li Jiangqun quickly replied.

"That's not true, Uncle Yue Lin! Magical girls are actually quite powerful too!"

"For example, the Magic Waves! Her music can bring rain, saving many people in drought-stricken areas!"

"Magic Sun! Her music is incredible! It can switch between day and night at the same time, and she can even use sunlight to destroy enemies. Even the top officers of the Archangel's Apostles have suffered at her hands!"

"And then there's the very first magical girl, Magic Aurora..."

Watching the girl earnestly explaining how powerful magical girls are by counting on her fingers in front of her, Yue Lin chuckled and shook her head.

"Hehe, you little brat..." The white-haired magical girl wanted to say something more, but the sudden tremor diverted her and Li Jiangqun's attention at the same time.

Not far away, a two-meter-tall figure slowly emerged from the broken wall of a building ruin.

The figure dragged a heavy alloy hammer, its clothes slightly torn from the impact, revealing its iron-gray skin underneath. Every step it took was like a heavy armored vehicle pressing down on the road, causing the broken bricks to tremble slightly.

Following closely behind was a series of orderly high-heeled boot sounds.

The Bloodface fighter emerged from the shadows, his right hand, gloved in leather, casually adjusting the red mask on his face.

Two elite combatants rejoined the battlefield.

Li Jiangqun unconsciously tensed her body, but then she realized that the elite combatant's attack did not seem to be aimed at her.

"Oh? Instead of running away, you're charging towards me?"

The magical girl raised an eyebrow as she watched the masked combatant gradually accelerate towards her.

As an outsider, Yuan An obviously couldn't understand the logic of these combatants.

Little did she know that these combatants were cannon fodder specially created by the Demon Angels.

If there are ordinary people, then attack them first, causing as much harm as possible to the human world and creating panic and fear.

If there are magical girls, prioritize attacking them to disrupt them as much as possible, or to cover the retreat of officers if the situation is unfavorable.

The burly figure approached menacingly, while the blood-faced ghostly figure waited for its chance to strike.

But in Yuan An's eyes, who possessed power approaching that of the Purple Mansion, these two were nothing more than slightly larger ants.

Crushing them would be easy, but it would be a shame to end it like this.

So she looked at the nervous girl beside her and said softly.

"Nephew, the time has come for me to test you."

Before Li Jiangqun could understand the meaning of those words, the white-haired fairy beside her smiled slightly and suddenly stepped behind her, protecting her in front of her.

"?"

Before she could react, the Iron-Faced Fighter had already plowed a shallow pit in the road with the giant hammer he was holding, and it hurtled towards her at an angle with a fierce gust of wind.

Fortunately, at the crucial moment, she was pulled back by the person behind her, and her body subconsciously took a step back, so that the heavy hammer only grazed her cheek. Although it did not hit her, the wind pressure still made her face sting.

The long-awaited attack was dodged, and the momentum of the hammer pulled the masked fighter around, causing him to slam into the roadside. The cement exploded, and gravel flew like rain.

"Don't stand there! While the puppet's back is to you, draw your sword."

A pleasant voice rang in her ears. Li Jiangqun didn't have time to think too much. She could only gather her strength and thrust her sword toward the Iron-Faced Combatant's back.

But the opportunity was fleeting. Although she was only stunned for a moment, the blood-faced fighter had already attacked from the side with a dagger.

It was too late to draw her sword, so the girl had no choice but to draw it back and turn around to parry.

A barrage of attacks came at her. Even with the help of magic, Li Jiangqun could only barely make out the trajectory of the daggers before using her sword techniques to parry.

Just as she was entangled with the Blood Elite combatant, the Despair Elite combatant once again swung his hammer down.

"Use the footwork from the sword technique to block that big guy with the puppet in front of you."

Guided by the voice, the girl's swordplay changed with her footwork, her body spinning with the force of the movement, gliding past her opponent's side like a moon's shadow skimming the water.

As the heavy hammer was swung, the target of the blow turned to a friendly force. The heavy hammer in the hands of the Iron-Faced Fighter only had time to deflect a few degrees before crashing down.

Gravel flew everywhere. Li Jiangqun pulled back and retreated, a few drops of bright red blood falling onto the road.

That wasn't her blood, it was the other person's blood.

The Iron-Faced Fighter raised the blood-stained hammer again, and a tattered arm clutching a dagger fell from the hammer.

The Bloodfaced Combatant stood beside it, his clothing intact, but his entire right arm was missing. Blood could be faintly seen seeping from the broken bone and dripping onto the ground.

"Success..." Li Jiangqun looked at the obviously injured and bloodied combatant, a hint of joy appearing in her eyes.

"Good, but it's not over yet. Be careful."

As the divine sense transmission sounded again, the blood-faced figure bent down, picked up his severed limbs, and tucked them under his left hand. Then, he pried open the fingers that were tightly gripping the dagger one by one.

After finishing, it casually tossed the severed limb aside, gripped the dagger in its left hand again, adjusted its posture, and attacked once more.

The warriors of the Demon Angels will not cease action due to injury.

The Desperate Fighter's body is 90% mechanically modified, and his mechanical organs are incapable of feeling pain.

Blood Fighters, on the other hand, had their pain receptors removed at the beginning of their transformation, so injuries have no effect on them as long as they don't affect their mobility.

Although these girls had all heard about this knowledge from their teachers in disaster prevention classes at school.

But when she actually witnessed such a scene, she couldn't help but feel a chill.

The Iron-Faced Combatant strode forward and swung his heavy hammer again, while the girl dodged to the side and faced off against the Blood-Faced Combatant who was right behind him.

Perhaps because she was missing an arm, or perhaps because the cut was still bleeding, the girl felt much less pressure when facing the Blood Faced Warrior who was attacking again, but whose speed had obviously decreased.

Although both attacks were still deadly, under Yue Lin's constant guidance, the girl's initially somewhat clumsy swordsmanship and movement techniques began to become more proficient in the battle.

Even when Yue Lin stopped using telepathy, Li Jiangqun was no longer flustered when facing the two, and she was able to find the enemy's weaknesses on her own.

Watching his disciple gradually become more adept in the battle, Yuan An nodded inwardly.

"Indeed, only real combat can hone Qun'er's combat awareness."

As a cultivator, what does her disciple Li Jiangqun lack most right now?

Dharma, wealth, land, and companionship?

wrong!

In Yuan An's opinion, it should be the ability to fight!

Law?

He possessed countless Daoist techniques in his Moon Essence Palace, including numerous methods for achieving the Golden Core.

财？

His Yuan An mirror contained a Taiyin position, from which he could find any Taiyin spiritual object. He wasn't worried that his disciple wouldn't use it, but rather that she wouldn't be able to use it!

land?

What a joke! As long as he can successfully lift up the grotto-heaven in the mirror, there will be an entire blessed land dedicated to the cultivation of Taiyin waiting for his good disciple to cultivate!

侣？

As long as one's cultivation level is high... well, that's debatable.

In Yuan An's memory, there were many cultivators who were harmed by their Daoist partners, from minor cultivators at the embryonic stage to a certain Dao Embryo Immortal.

Therefore, Yuan An decided to discuss the matter of Daoist partners again.

Moreover, his disciple is a woman, and once she cultivates the Taiyin body, she will surely be extraordinary. Even if she wants to find a Daoist partner, they must be of equal social standing.

However, in this realm, only the Moonlit Palace, which he fabricated, exists; there don't seem to be any other matching immortal palaces or divine courts...

But then again, my disciple seems to really like magical girls...

Well, in short, Yuan An believed that his disciple lacked nothing.

His cultivation techniques, sword manual, and even his aptitude for cultivation are all of the highest quality.

His only weakness is his fighting ability.

His good disciple is a sword cultivator; how can a sword cultivator be incompetent in combat?

Although no one says you can't become a sword immortal without fighting, sword intent cannot be cultivated by simply burying yourself in cultivation.

And that's how the current situation came about.

When the big and small figures attacked Yuan An's Yue Lin avatar, she simply retreated behind her disciple, letting the two puppets serve as her sparring partners.

Although it seems that Qun'er is in grave danger and has been in life-or-death situations several times, in fact, this Yue Lin body has been secretly protecting her. If she really encounters an unavoidable life-or-death crisis, she will decisively take action and blast the two puppets to smithereens.

The battle between the girls and the elite combatants continues.

After easily dodging the Blood-Faced Fighter's attack and leaving another sword wound on the Iron-Faced Fighter's leg, Li Jiangqun deliberately created distance.

She used the ivy to slash large and small wounds all over the Iron-Faced Combatant's body. Some sparks exploded from the bionic mechanical tissue at the wounds, but the former continued to move, obviously these wounds could not cause any significant obstacles to its movement.

The Bloodfaced Fighter didn't have any sword marks on its body, and the bleeding from its severed arm had been stopped by its enhanced muscles. However, despite the bleeding being stopped, the previous blood loss and the severed arm had slowed its movements considerably again.

Although she appears to have the upper hand now, she is not actually as relaxed as she seems.

"My mana is running low..."

The girl's magical power, only half that of a normal cultivator, left her struggling in many situations.

This is especially true in the current intense battle.

In fact, her current combat ability is already quite remarkable among cultivators of the same kind.

Unfortunately, the opponents were too overpowered, one was incredibly strong, and the other was incredibly fast... well, they weren't that fast now, anyway, their stats were monstrous.

If the fight continues like this, Li Jiangqun's magical power will inevitably be exhausted first. Without the support of magical power, she will surely be defeated.

It was at this moment that she heard Uncle Yue Lin's voice again.

"Use the first move of the Zhaolin Sword Manual to defeat them."

"You possess sword energy; executing this move is not difficult for you."

Upon hearing this, the girl froze, but did not move.

Seeing that she hadn't moved for a while, Yue Lin came to the girl's side and asked, somewhat puzzled.

"What? Didn't the Lord of the Manor teach you that sword manual?"

Li Jiangqun said in a slightly embarrassed low voice.

"No, my master has already taught me the Sword Scripture."

"only…"

"Just what?"

"I haven't even practiced the first move of the sword technique yet..."

The girl's voice was barely audible, and she was too ashamed to look at her senior uncle.

Yuan An was stunned for a moment. She frowned and asked, puzzled.

"Why not practice?"

"Because my master told me that cultivation is the most important thing, and everything else can be put aside..."

Yuan An: "..."

Strictly speaking, this is not a problem on the part of the girl herself.

It has been less than four days since she obtained this sword manual. The three sword moves in the Zhaolin Sword Manual all require cultivation in conjunction with the level of swordsmanship.

It's already quite impressive that she can find time to practice the basic sword techniques from the sword manual in real combat, even when she's not actively training.

Yue Lin remained silent for a moment.

"...Didn't you already use this move when I was instructing you on how to fight before?"

The girl said shyly.

"At that time, I took my master's elixir, and I was able to use it because I had abundant magical power."

"My mana is reduced by half every time I break through, and now I don't have enough mana to use sword techniques."

Yuan An: "..."

Seeing that her senior uncle had fallen silent again, Li Jiangqun looked at the elite combatant opposite her who had stopped moving for some reason and said cautiously.

"Uncle-Master Yue Lin, should I just take the pills Master gave me instead?"

Yuan An: "..."

Didn't she initially tell her that taking the elixir was due to external force...?

What was she actually thinking at the time?

Oh, skirt, keep these pills for your future cultivation.

Now that you're using it, what do you need to fix later?

So you've come full circle, haven't you?

The ethereal magical girl sighed.

"Fine, consider it a debt I owe you."

The girl was still wondering whether or not to take the pill when she suddenly felt a cool and soft aura close behind her.

Li Jiangqun's body stiffened, and her white hair fell from her shoulder, a few strands brushing against her cheek, carrying a faint, cool fragrance.

"Master...Master Uncle?"

The white-haired magical girl clung tightly to her back, her fair and translucent hand climbing up her arm, and then her slender fingers gently grasped her wrist holding the sword.

"Don't get distracted; the mysteries of the sword can only be felt with your heart."

She whispered in the girl's ear, and the girl could almost feel the breath she exhaled as she spoke.

Li Jiangqun: "..."

Yue Lin frowned slightly.

"Your heart rate is a bit fast. You won't be able to sense the sword energy if you're so impatient. Remember, haste makes waste."

"Okay, okay, Uncle-Master."

Upon hearing this, the girl immediately banished all the wild thoughts from her mind and tried her best to calm herself down.

The fingers resting on her wrist were as cold as jade, which always made her unconsciously distracted.

At this moment, she heard her Uncle Yue Lin whisper in her ear again.

"Sword light is only the first of the four realms of swordsmanship. The Zhaolin Sword Scripture is a sixth-grade sword technique. The sword move you used that day was the rudimentary form of sword energy when it left your body."

As the gentle voice flowed through her heart, the girl gradually calmed down and recalled the scene when she used the sword move.

Yue Lin continued softly.

"When you used your sword energy, seven parts of it were borrowed from the essence of the moon's yin energy in that pill, and the other three parts were your insights from the first time you used that sword technique."

"It's just that you, my junior brother, have never practiced swordsmanship before, so those insights only allowed you to cultivate the sword's aura."

"Now, I will draw my sword for you; you must carefully sense its mysteries."

The ethereal magical girl lightly grasped Li Jiangqun's right hand, which was holding a sword, and together they held the sword.

Heavy breathing could be heard from beneath the mask of the Iron-Faced Combatant, while the Blood-Faced Combatant adjusted his posture.

In both assessments, the threat level of human women who had previously fought against them and inflicted heavy damage on elite blood combatants had risen to the magical girl threat threshold.

With two magical girls present at the same time, and the leader witch absent, the two elite combatants temporarily stopped their attack and began assessing the threat level.

Attacking weaker magical girls is effective, but the first order is to prioritize attacking stronger magical girls in order to create opportunities for the executives.

The problem is that the officials were not present.

Therefore, without external interference, the two combatants were temporarily out of commission.

However, this outage did not last long, because in their vision, the two magical girls had already merged into one.

If there is only one threatening individual, then there is no need to assess the threat level.

The Iron-Faced Combatant stomped heavily on the ground with his boots, gripped his hammer with both hands, and charged towards the two men with a powerful gust of wind.

Meanwhile, the Bloodface combatant followed closely, his left-hand dagger stabbing like a venomous snake.

Li Jiangqun was completely unaware of all this; she had already closed her eyes and calmed her mind.

A wisp of cool, Yin energy flowed from her uncle's fingertips into her meridians, and she followed this energy to adjust the rhythm of her sword-wielding.

It was at this moment that her martial uncle moved the hand that was holding her sword.

As she moved, the bluish-white, transparent sword light on the Ficus pumila sword held by the two of them began to ripple like flowing water.

The girl felt as if she were in a vast, moonlit lake, with cool light falling on the surface, creating shimmering waves and the moon's reflection rising and falling in the water.

In a daze, it seemed as if a jade-like hand rested on her wrist, and a fairy-like figure with flowing hair whispered in her ear.

The moment the fingertips touched the lake's surface, the moon's reflection shattered, and countless rays of clear light condensed from the fragments.

"As you know, the moon's reflection appears in the lake."

That jade hand led her wrist to touch the lake surface; the lake water was clear and cold, and the moonlight became hazy.

A myriad of mysteries arose in the girl's heart with the hazy moonlight, and she murmured to herself.

"Since there is a shadow under the moon... then there must be..."

The Iron-Faced Fighter's heavy hammer was almost upon him, while the Blood-Faced Fighter thrust forward with a dagger held in reverse in his left hand.

Yue Lin whispered in the girl's ear.

"The sharp edge reflects the moon."

With a gentle flick of her wrist, she held the girl's sword-wielding right hand. The bluish-white, transparent sword light on the blade seemed to come alive instantly, detaching from the sword and transforming into a bluish-white crescent-shaped sword aura.

The bluish-white sword energy shone brightly, yet seemed to conceal boundless sharpness, piercing through the bodies of both combatants in an instant.

One was severed at chest level, the other was separated from the face by blood.

Li Jiangqun opened her eyes. The heavy hammer fell with inertia, but was caught by a single finger with ease.

"Uncle-Master..."

The figure beside her left, and the joy of unleashing her sword move vanished instantly, leaving the girl feeling empty and lost.

The ethereal figure turned to look, a slight smile playing on her cool and exquisite face.

"As expected of the sect leader's disciple, your talent for sword cultivation is extraordinary. If you work hard to cultivate, you will surely be able to glimpse the realm of sword intent."

The girl with the ponytail took a deep breath.

"...I will keep in mind my uncle's teachings."

The magical girl was clearly very satisfied with her performance.

"Although you are still at the Sword Aura Realm, you have already gained a lot of insights. I'm sure you will soon be able to master Sword Qi."

"Since that's the case, we've already done our part in the Yuan family's favor, and I have nothing more to say to you."

She looked somewhat sentimental, and after speaking, she prepared to vanish into the void.

Seeing that her martial uncle was about to turn and leave, Li Jiangqun quickly said.

"Uncle-Master Yue Lin!"

"Um?"

The girl asked sincerely.

"Junior nephew, will I ever see my uncle again?"

The fairy Yue Lin chuckled and shook her head upon hearing her words.

"Hehe, you are the personal disciple of the Lord of the Palace, while I am a traitor to the Yuan Palace."

"If we ever meet again, it might be when we draw our swords and slay immortals, separating us in the underworld!"

Having said that, her robes fluttered, and her figure vanished from the mortal world, disappearing into the void.

The girl stood alone, looking at the empty space in front of her, her expression forlorn.

Her hand still felt cold. She paused for a moment, then, as if possessed, gently pressed the back of her hand against her cheek, feeling the coolness on it.

rumble--

A muffled sound of vehicles approaching gradually came from behind. Li Jiangqun snapped back to reality, quickly put down her hand, and turned around to look. She then discovered that an armored convoy was slowly approaching from the end of the street.

Li Jiangqun recognized the insignia on the armored convoy; it was humanity's own armed force—the Magic Tactical Countermeasures Mobile Force.

The armed soldiers on the armored vehicle were clearly stunned when they saw the sword-wielding girl, the chaotic battlefield, and the remains of several combatants.

[Please have Mobile Team 5 report on the situation on-site, confirming the number of standard combatants and the extent of damage to the area.]

【on site…】

What's going on at the scene?

One civilian survivor was found at the scene.

[The mission objective... appears to have been eliminated by the civilian.]

【…? 】

What does it mean for civilians to eliminate the target before the mobile forces do?