On the outskirts of the city lay a long-abandoned training ground.
Lina casually pointed here, temporarily designating it as today's "Special Training Ground."
On the only relatively intact stone steps by the field, the atmosphere was completely different from the dust swirling inside the arena.
Lina produced a delicate, high-quality Elf-style white jade porcelain tea set from somewhere, the small teapot emitting wisps of steam.
She sat elegantly on a small folding stool she brought, holding a thick book titled *Advanced Elemental Resonance Theory* with a complex Rune printed on its cover (《) in one hand, while skillfully holding a teacup and sipping the fragrant tea with the other.
This leisure formed an absurd and stark contrast with the scene inside the field, which could only be described as "tragic."
In sharp contrast to her transcendent calm was Xiao Ye, standing close to the edge of the field.
She clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest, her knuckles white from the force, her large, dark eyes staring fixedly, unblinking, at the figure being continuously blasted across the field.
Every time A Mi was sent flying like a kite whose string had snapped, leaving a trail as he tumbled across the ground, her heart clenched violently. Her small mouth opened unconsciously, letting out small, sharp gasps of alarm.
Inside the field, A Mi was currently experiencing firsthand what it meant to be crushed by a difference in cultivation realm and beaten by reality.
His opponent was Lina's Core Contracted Spirit—that exceptionally majestic Fire Phoenix.
Even though the Fire Phoenix had clearly suppressed its Strength to an extremely low level, its baseline stats as a High-Tier Contracted Spirit still exerted an overwhelming, despair-inducing suppression over A Mi in every aspect.
Speed and Strength went without saying.
...Even A Mi's Endurance, which he considered decent, seemed as fragile as paper against the Phoenix's wing strikes or claw gusts, which looked like casual flourishes that barely counted as warming up.
"Bang—!"
Another scorching wing strike, accompanied by a wave of burning heat, swept toward him like swatting a fly!
A Mi managed to hold up the condensed Stone Blade in front of him, but it felt like being hit head-on by a speeding truck!
The immense Strength offered no resistance, sending him flying uncontrollably again. He slammed heavily against a half-collapsed stone pillar, shaking loose gravel down from above.
The Stone Blade in his hand let out a grating squeak that made one's teeth ache, and his Spirit Body flickered violently like a faulty light bulb, threatening to dissipate completely at any moment.
"Li-Miss Lina..." Xiao Ye could no longer hold back, turning toward the only "savior" with a tearful voice full of pleading, "Mr. A Mi... he... he's about to collapse..."
"Relax." Lina's gaze didn't even shift from the page. She simply turned a page lightly, the faint rustling sound barely audible, her tone flat without a ripple.
"I have a measure of control; I won't let him truly 'die.' After all, dealing with the dissipation of a Contracted Spirit due to a training accident is quite troublesome."
She finally lifted her teacup for another sip, seemingly feeling the need to soothe the overly anxious Spirit Master, before continuing her explanation in that characteristically calm tone, as if discussing an academic point.
"During the preparatory period for that 'Formal Campaign' which is destined to arrive and change the fate of all Contractors, needless duels between Contracted Spirits are not officially recognized, and are even strictly restricted and punished.
I wouldn't go through the hassle of having your Contracted Spirit unexpectedly dissipate because of a little over-training...
...and then be forced to go through a mountain of procedures, while also paying out a large sum of compensation far exceeding his worth. That would be too unprofitable and detrimental to my reputation and wallet."
"Formal Campaign?" Xiao Ye keenly caught the unfamiliar term, heavy with meaning, and her curiosity temporarily overcame her worry.
This time, Lina clearly showed annoyance, as if asked a question that was both old news and unavoidable. She waved her hand, too lazy to even lift her head.
"You will know when the time comes. Knowing too many details now only adds unnecessary anxiety and serves no purpose. Focus on the present."
In the field, A Mi struggled to pull himself up from the ground, shaking his slightly dazed head.
He looked at the Fire Phoenix circling gracefully in the air, as if strolling in its own backyard, and a surge of unwillingness welled up.
He charged forward again, and this time, with a thought, he activated the Art Tool he had just equipped: 【Mars Shard】!
The edge of the Stone Blade he swung was instantly wreathed in small, flickering orange-red sparks, carrying a scorching Aura, as he slashed toward the Fire Phoenix's wing joint!
He thought that even if the damage wasn't high, it could at least inflict the continuous 【Burning Status】 effect, slowly grinding down the opponent's stamina...
However, the expected "-1" "-1" Burning Status numbers did not appear.
When those few tiny sparks touched the Fire Phoenix's iridescent golden-red feathers, they failed to ignite anything...
Instead, they were instantly assimilated and absorbed by the purer, more majestic flame power, vanishing without a trace, as if they were just a few sparks thrown into a roaring Bonfire!
The Fire Phoenix seemed pleased by this insignificant "nourishment," letting out a clear, long cry. The golden-red light surrounding its body brightened visibly, and its imposing Aura seemed to grow even stronger!
Only then did Lina's slow, slightly teasing reminder drift over, as if she had just remembered:
"Oh, I forgot to tell you something. My Fire Phoenix's passive trait is 【Negative Fire】: When afflicted by a flame effect or existing in a fire environment, it continuously recovers Health and Mana.
So, attacking it with fire is basically giving it a supplement~"
A Mi: "..."
Are you kidding me?!
He felt like an idiot, having poured all his effort into healing the enemy! This was practically aiding the enemy!
The Fire Phoenix clearly paid no mind to his internal breakdown and embarrassment.
Seemingly enjoying the taste of the previous "supplement," it elegantly flapped its wings, and several highly compressed, intensely hot fireballs, their cores glowing with molten light, shot toward A Mi in a continuous stream, like machine-gun fire!
Booming explosions sounded one after another. The scorching air waves and flying Loose Gravel forced A Mi to scramble desperately within the limited space like a startled rabbit, covering his head.
Occasionally, he managed a clumsy block with his Stone Blade, but the terrifying Shockwave generated by the fireball explosions made his internal organs feel displaced, his Qi and Blood churning violently, and his Spirit Body grew dimmer.
"Miss Lina, Mr. A Mi... he simply can't win, he can't even touch it..."
Xiao Ye watched the figure struggling to survive in the sea of fire, repeatedly being thrown back by explosions, her voice almost overflowing with tension.
"Isn't that obvious?"
Lina finally closed the book thick enough to crush someone, placed it on her lap, lifted her eyelids, and calmly looked at the "human punching bag" in the field, who was being controlled by invisible threads, constantly repeating the process of "taking off and falling."
"He is only Level 20, while my Fire Phoenix is... long past the Level 50 milestone; I won't crush you with the exact number.
The numerical gulf caused by this Level Suppression is far greater and more direct than the gap between his D-Rank Grade and the Fire Phoenix's B-Rank Grade.
Level Suppression, in the vast majority of cases, is the simplest and most brutal Rule."
She paused, and seeing the thick, undissipated worry and confusion in Xiao Ye's eyes, she unusually elaborated a bit more, her tone becoming slightly more serious.
"My goal from the very beginning was not for him to win. I am training his combat skills and his ability to survive adversity.
I want him to personally experience how to dodge, block, and utilize every environmental element available on the battlefield more effectively when facing an absolute disadvantage in Strength and Speed.
And... how to stall for time, remain calm, and search for a turning point—which might not even exist, or might come from outside—in a seemingly hopeless situation.
Remember, many times, when facing an unbeatable, powerful enemy, simply staying alive is a victory in itself."
As if to confirm her words, A Mi in the field, after being violently thrown back again by the scorching air wave of a fireball explosion and crashing onto the ground like a sack of rags, did not immediately scramble up to counterattack with brute force as he had initially.
He suppressed the agony in his body and the feeling of Weakness emanating from his Spirit Body, using an extremely clumsy but effective tactical roll to quickly hide behind a relatively thick, broken stone pillar.
Leaning against the cold, rough Rock, he gasped for breath, trying to calm his churning Qi and Blood, while listening intently, focusing his remaining spirit to observe the Fire Phoenix's movement trajectory and posture through the gaps in the pillar.
Although still battered, although the gap between them remained a chasm, his eyes—after being mercilessly knocked down countless times and forcing himself back up through sheer willpower—seemed to have washed away the initial bewilderment, impatience, and impulse for a head-on clash.
He became calmer, more focused, like a blade quenched in water—restrained yet dangerous.
...However, reality was cruel.
Just as he managed to catch a slight sideways movement from the Fire Phoenix, attempting to predict its next attack vector, a massive Shadow enveloped the sky directly above him without warning.
A Mi's heart tightened sharply, and he instinctively looked up—
He saw that the Fire Phoenix had silently glided directly above him at some point. Its eyes, burning with golden flames, calmly looked down at him, like a deity observing an ant.
And before its slightly opened beak, a giant fireball, larger than any before, its internal energy almost solidified, radiating an aura of destruction, was fully charged and about to erupt!
'When?!' This thought was the only one that flashed through A Mi's mind.
Boom!!!!!!!!!!!
The deafening explosion once again echoed across the training ground. The stone pillar serving as cover instantly shattered into pieces under the impact of the violent flame energy, turning into countless shooting shards of rock.
A Mi's figure was flung out like a stone from a catapult, trailing smoke and sparks, tracing a long parabola before slamming heavily onto the distant ground again, creating a shallow pit, unable to get up for a while.
Lina watched this scene, the corner of her mouth twitching almost imperceptibly. The arc was so small it seemed like an optical illusion, before she quickly returned to her calm, almost languid expression.
She picked up her teacup and elegantly blew lightly on the non-existent floating leaves on the surface, as if the attack just delivered—one capable of blasting an ordinary Level 20 Contracted Spirit to near death—was merely an insignificant fireworks display.
"Tough to watch, isn't it?" she murmured, perhaps to herself, perhaps to the terrified Xiao Ye, her voice remaining flat.
"But this is reality. Level, Grade, Trait counters, combat wisdom... none can be lacking.
Watch closely. How long he can last under my Fire Phoenix without completely losing combat effectiveness depends on his own comprehension and resilience."