The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

Although the number of trial stages has doubled, it doesn't seem like much given Felix's terrifying speed of clearing them.

“At this rate, he’ll reach the final stage in three days at most,” Jessica estimated.

The shattered light fragments surged back into Felix's body, infusing him with new experience and power.

If Felix can continue like this until the end, he might be able to reach the level of an eighth-tier Emblem Master.

However, this time the situation is slightly different.

One fish escaped the net from the spot of light, rushing straight towards Jessica and merging into her body through her brow.

Wiener noticed something was wrong and quickly asked, "What happened?"

"The opponent Felix just defeated... was me."

Jessica was processing the memories brought back by the light spots, and a rare hint of embarrassment crept into her voice.

“Well, this kind of trial is inherently advantageous to the holder of the sword emblem, so you don’t really need to worry about it,” Vena tried to reassure her.

“Do I look like someone who can’t accept defeat?” Jessica glanced at Vina before continuing, “If you really forge a weapon comparable to the Holy Sword, Felix will be the most suitable master.”

His words seemed to convey a sense of resignation, which made Wiener frown slightly.

“Do I look like someone who favors one over the other?” Vener looked directly back at him, his attitude serious. “It’s just a man-made holy sword. I’m going to give one to each of you.”

"Oh? Then I'll look forward to it a little."

In a place unnoticed by either of them, the holy sword flickered slightly a few times.

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Chapter 557 The Sword Demon's Application to Battle

"Once Felix's trial is over, I'll go in and give it a try too."

Wiener spoke casually, seemingly showing some interest in taking on the Holy Sword Trial.

“I don’t mean to discourage you, but with your swordsmanship, you can only get to the third level at most.” Jessica poured cold water on you without any mercy. “Don’t think that you can get away with just a mirage. You can’t fool the Holy Sword.”

Although the gatekeeper can retain a trace of consciousness, he is ultimately controlled by the Holy Sword.

Any illusion or clone is meaningless if it cannot deceive the Holy Sword.

Jessica understands this all too well.

Whenever she uses teleportation, her opponents always seem to know in advance where she will appear and wait for her to come to them, completely negating the effect of surprise attack.

Some even went so far as to wait for Jessica to appear before launching a devastating attack.

So she came to terms with it and only used teleportation to evade the opponent's attacks.

Among his peers, there are no more than a handful of people who can surpass Viner in swordsmanship, but he has not yet reached the level of a sword saint.

When facing an enemy of average strength, Viña can still show off his swordsmanship and control the battle with ease.

When facing a truly formidable enemy, his greatest advantage is still the weapon in his hand.

There's nothing wrong with this method itself. It's only when you have all the powerful tools at your disposal and try to pursue fairness with your bare hands that you need to think twice.

However, this combat style, which relies entirely on external aids, will only face more limitations during trials.

“You really have faith in me,” Vena said, looking at the Holy Sword and making a square with her hands in front of her eyes. “I just want to take this opportunity to break through to the Sword Saint realm. As for the rest, I’ll leave it to fate.”

"Why are you so fixated on the Sword Saint realm?" Jessica asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Remember the Tenseiga we used to heal your wounds? Only by reaching the Sword Saint level can you unleash its full power, and then it can heal you—"

As soon as Wiener was about to speak, he suddenly realized he had let something slip and quickly shut his mouth.

"Why don't you continue talking?"

Jessica narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him with a hint of suspicion in her voice.

"That will cure Lisette's chronic illness..."

Knowing he could no longer hide it, Wiener gritted his teeth and confessed everything.

"So my previous attempt to find the Phoenix was completely unnecessary?"

Jessica suddenly realized, her tone tinged with disappointment.

“How could it be unnecessary? In case I don’t break through to the Sword Saint realm, it’s always good to have an extra layer of insurance. Besides, Lisette is very grateful for what you’ve done for her,” Vena hurriedly explained.

Jessica paused for a moment, reflecting on her own actions and comparing them with Lisette's consistent generosity and tolerance, and finally felt relieved.

"I'll leave this to you for now." Jessica turned and left.

"Where are you going?" Viner asked hurriedly.

“Of course I’m going to apologize to Lisette,” Jessica replied without turning her head.

-----------------

Felix has overcome another obstacle; this is now the umpteenth opponent he has defeated.

His aura grew increasingly calm, and his moves became more fluid, as if all his opponents had become nourishment for his swordsmanship.

And the next opponent is someone Felix knows well.

"Master!" Felix waved excitedly, his voice filled with joy.

Tilisa narrowed her eyes slightly, taking a few more glances before daring to confirm: "You are... Felix?"

Felix had learned all of her swordsmanship, but how long had it been?

Judging from Jessica's previous reactions, at most two years have passed in the outside world.

In such a short period of time, Felix has already reached a level of strength close to Jessica's. This rate of growth has even shocked the usually strict Tilissa.

"Hmm!" Felix nodded. He instinctively wanted to go forward and act coquettishly, but was stopped by the other party raising his sword.

“You didn’t come here to reminisce,” Tilisa said, her gaze as cold as a knife. “If you want to move forward, defeat me.”

“Master…” A hint of hesitation flashed in Felix’s eyes.

Even though he knew that the Tilisa in front of him was just a memory from the Holy Sword, Felix still couldn't get over the hurdle in his heart when it came to actually fighting his master to the death.

This is why Felix had to undergo the trial before Venus.

Otherwise, if the Holy Sword deliberately makes things difficult and leaves Venus waiting in the first two stages, Felix might set a new record for the fastest elimination in the Holy Sword Trial.

Just as Felix hesitated, an unfamiliar voice suddenly rang in his mind: "If you don't want to fight her, leave it to me!"

"Who?!" Felix was startled, only to find that the voice did not come from outside, but from the Tensaku Zangetsu at his waist.

"Can the weapon forged by Venere actually talk?!" Felix looked down at the longsword, his mind filled with doubt.

Since you can speak, why have you only made a sound now?

"Stop flattering that kid. I am the Sword Demon Sobalukai."

The voice carried a hint of impatience, as if dissatisfied with Felix's misunderstanding.

"It was this woman who teamed up with Arios to defeat me, which led to your existence. If you don't want to fight her, then let me do it."

Sobaluke most wanted to encounter two opponents in the trial: one was Arios, the hero, and the other was Tilisa, who was standing in front of him.

Fearing Felix might refuse, Sobalukai even resorted to provocation: "I'm just afraid you don't have the guts to lend me your body."

"Borrowing a body is a minor matter... the key question is whether you're even capable?" Felix's words sent the Sword Demon's blood pressure soaring. "You yourself admitted you were defeated by your master and the others. What if you lose after being given a chance?"

"You—" Sobaluke was speechless after being provoked. "Then I'll just write the words 'Sword Demon' backwards!"

"If it weren't for Tilisa's unsportsmanlike sneak attack, how could I have lost to that Arios!" Sobalukai said angrily.

"How dare you say that Master is wrong?" Felix frowned, quite displeased.

"No... I mean Arios was so useless that Tilissa was forced to use this method to save his life."

Circumstances dictate the course of events. In order to gain the opportunity to fight Tilisa, the once arrogant Sword Demon was forced to humble himself.

"That's pretty much it."

Felix nodded in satisfaction, then slowly drew Tensa Zangetsu from his waist, the black blade radiating a chilling light.

He looked at Tilisa, his tone somewhat tentative: "Master, there's a sword demon here who wants to spar with you again. What do you think?"

Tissa's gaze fell on the weapon that gleamed with a black light, and she seemed to understand something. "Was this also a weapon made by Vena?"

“Yes, it’s called Tensak Zangetsu. If you agree, I’ll release it,” Felix replied.

"Who taught you to give such a precious opportunity as the Holy Sword Trial to a demon?" Tissa's tone suddenly turned serious.

"Hmm...but it's really quite pitiful."

Felix tried to explain, but was met with a furious tremor from Tensa Zangetsu.

Tilisa was silent for a moment, then finally nodded. "Then, out of courtesy, I should also give its name."

She raised her longsword, and flames instantly enveloped it, the intense heat sweeping across the surroundings.

"This sword is named 'Flowing Blade Like Fire'."

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Chapter 558 The Sword Demon is No More

"Then I'll leave the opportunity to you." Felix closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes were completely different.

Those eyes, which were originally full of smiles, now revealed a cold and deep look, as if they belonged to a different person.

Sobalukai felt a mix of emotions as he experienced this strange yet familiar body.

He flexed his fingers, feeling the power flowing through his body.

Although the human body may seem frail, it contains unimaginable possibilities.

It is precisely by relying on such flesh and blood that humans created tools and developed technology, thus resisting the demon race for thousands of years and gradually gaining the upper hand.

This forced the demons to learn these human methods.

If he were not a demon, but a human... The moment this thought crossed his mind, Sobalukai quickly suppressed it.

This is blasphemy against the Demon God.

"Awaited."

Sobaluk looked directly at Tilisa.

“It’s alright,” Tilisa shook her head. “If we were outside the trial space, I would never have given you this chance. But since the Holy Sword allowed you in, it means it has its own ideas. Don’t think that just because you’re disguised as Felix, I’ll go easy on you.”

“Just what I wanted!” Sobalukai laughed.

The two men's situations are remarkably similar.

One is a memory of Tilisa, and the other is a remnant soul of the Sword Demon. They have been given a chance to fight fairly under these special circumstances.

With a low shout from Sobalkay, Tensa Zangetsu seemed to come alive, its dark blade emitting a faint black light.

Black flames began to spread from the blade as the sword slashed towards Tilisa.

Tilisa remained calm and composed, her Blazing Flame technique easily neutralizing Sobalukai's attack with a gentle flick of her wrist.

Then, with a swift movement, he aimed straight for Sobalukai's vitals amidst the flames.

Sobalukai swung his sword to block Tilisa's attack, and then a series of sword shadows poured out like a storm.

"Isn't this Venerer's 'Zero Flash'?!"

Felix, who was watching the battle from the VIP seats, couldn't help but complain. "A sword demon like you is actually doing something like stealing someone else's skills."

Sobalukai, however, had no time to pay him any attention.

Tissa's swordsmanship was already known for its speed, and with the enhancement of the emblem, it became even faster, to the point of being difficult to catch.

In the past, Sobaluke only needed to protect his vitals, and he could withstand the rest of the damage with the body of a demon. But now he was using Felix's body.

He refined the sword technique he had learned by stealing it to the level of "hundred flashes," and only by relying on the speed of his sword strikes, which could deliver a hundred cuts in a single breath, was he able to fight Tilisa to a standstill.

Sobalukhe frowned, realizing he had miscalculated.

Although he had been studying Tilisa's fighting style, he forgot that she was not a long-lived demon. In just a short time, her strength had broken through again.

And the sword in Tissa's hand was completely different from the one he had encountered before, even subtly surpassing Tensou Zangetsu.