On a weekend morning, the training ground of the Black Stone Tower was thick with a murderous aura.
Lilian’s figure turned into a blur, her long silver hair tracing an arc through the air.
Her speed was astonishing, her movements almost impossible to track.
Opposite her, Leon Wolfgang remained calm. Beneath his short blue hair, his ice-blue eyes were locked onto Lilian’s every move.
Thud!
An Ice Wall rose instantly in the path of Lilian’s charge.
Lilian did not slow down. She slammed a foot against the Ice Wall, using the momentum to leap high. Her body spun in mid-air as her right hand transformed into a sharp claw, lunging for Leon’s throat.
Leon’s reaction was lightning-fast.
The ground beneath his feet froze instantly, and he slid backward three meters, easily dodging the lethal strike.
At the same time, he raised his right hand.
Dozens of ice spikes erupted from the ground, cutting off all of Lilian’s escape routes once she landed.
Forcing her body to twist in mid-air, Lilian braced her hands against the ground and launched herself forward like a spring, narrowly evading the cluster of ice spikes.
“Not bad,” Leon’s voice remained cold. “But not enough.”
He extended both hands, a fist-sized ice ball condensing in each palm.
A second later, both ice balls exploded, turning into countless fine ice needles that rained down on Lilian from every direction.
Lilian gritted her teeth and crossed her arms in front of her.
Despite her speed, she could not entirely evade such a wide-range attack.
Ssh-ssh-ssh—
Several ice needles pierced through her sleeves and skirt, leaving shallow wounds on her arms and calves.
Blood seeped out.
But Lilian did not stop.
She lunged forward, tanking the damage from the ice needles to close the distance between her and Leon.
Her right hand clawed out, aiming straight for Leon’s chest.
Leon’s pupils constricted slightly.
He hadn't expected Lilian to choose to endure the damage just to get close.
However, he still did not panic.
“Ice Wall.”
A thick wall of ice rose in front of him.
Lilian’s claws slammed hard against the ice, sending shards flying everywhere.
Cracks appeared on the Ice Wall, but it did not shatter.
“It’s over.”
Leon’s voice came from behind the wall.
In the next instant, the surface of the Ice Wall exploded outward as countless ice spikes burst from within.
Lilian’s eyes shrank; it was too late to retreat.
“Enough.”
Leovet’s voice suddenly rang out.
A wall of green wind appeared out of thin air, blocking all the ice spikes.
Lilian and Leon stopped simultaneously, both taking several steps back.
Lilian knelt on one knee, panting heavily.
The wounds on her arms and legs were healing slowly, but the speed was noticeably much slower than before.
The broken fang still showed no sign of regrowing.
Leovet walked between the two, glancing at the wounds on Lilian’s body.
“For you to fight Leon to a draw without drinking blood is quite impressive.”
Leon had also learned of Lilian’s identity, and Leovet had required him to swear an oath not to reveal it.
He turned to Leon.
“Your Ice Wall detonation was well-timed. But remember for next time: against a vampire, you either go for a one-hit kill or you keep your distance.”
Leon nodded without saying a word.
Leovet clapped his hands.
“That is all for today’s sparring. Leon, you may return.”
Leon bowed slightly to Leovet and then turned to leave the training ground.
Lilian struggled to her feet and walked to the edge of the training ground, leaning silently against the wall.
Bell sat in a corner of the training ground, three crude dirt puppets arranged in front of him.
Their forms were much more refined than a week ago; at least they had discernible limbs and torsos.
But they were still very stiff.
Bell’s eyes were closed, his forehead drenched in sweat.
He was trying to control all three dirt puppets to perform different commands at once.
“Forward.”
The first dirt puppet stepped out, walking forward one step at a time.
“Backward.”
The second dirt puppet began to move backward.
“Raise hand.”
The third dirt puppet slowly lifted its right arm.
The movements were slow and mechanical, but they were indeed executing the commands.
Bell gritted his teeth, his mental energy nearly depleted.
“If only the dirt puppets had their own consciousness...” he muttered to himself.
If that were the case, he wouldn't need to divide his focus to control every single movement. They could judge and act autonomously based on the situation on the battlefield.
But how was that possible?
The dirt puppets were merely products of mana shaping; how could they possibly possess consciousness?
“An interesting thought.”
Leovet’s voice came from behind him.
Bell opened his eyes and looked back.
Leovet walked up to him and looked down at the three dirt puppets.
“You want them to have consciousness?”
Bell nodded.
“But I don't know how to do it.”
Leovet was silent for a few seconds.
“The essence of consciousness is the soul.”
“And the soul is the most complex thing in this world.”
“Wanting a dirt puppet to have consciousness is equivalent to creating life.”
Bell was stunned.
Creating life?
“That shouldn't be possible...”
Leovet laughed.
“Impossible?”
“Isn't that monster of a sister you have creating twisted life right now?”
“Even if it is just a failed imitation.”
Bell’s heart skipped a beat.
Cecilia...
That grayish-black monster of hers did indeed possess characteristics similar to life. It could scream, it could bleed, and it emitted resentment. Even if it was all a facade, it was, at the very least, mimicking life.
“But I can't do that.” Bell lowered his head. “I don't have her talent.”
Leovet reached out and gave him a firm pat on the shoulder.
“Talent is the cheapest of gifts.”
“What you need is not talent.”
“It is knowledge.”
He turned and headed toward the exit of the tower.
“Go to the library and find a book called 《Soul Construction》.”
“Come find me after you have finished reading it.”
Bell paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously.
“Yes, Instructor.”
...
At the same time.
On the outskirts of the royal capital.
On a desolate plain, several worn-out carriages were parked by the side of the road.
It looked like an ordinary merchant caravan encampment.
However, a closer look would reveal that these carriages carried no goods. The windows of the carriages were covered by heavy curtains, hiding what was inside. A faint, unsettling aura permeated the air.
A slender figure slowly walked into the encampment.
Cecilia.
She wore a pure white dress, her silver hair fluttering in the wind. A pure, innocent smile was plastered on her angelic face.
“Little girl, what are you doing here?”
A red-haired woman stepped out from behind a carriage. A friendly smile was on her face, but her eyes were very wary.
Cecilia stopped and tilted her head up to look at the red-haired woman.
“Big sister, you are people from the White Tower Society, right?”
The red-haired woman’s smile froze.
Her pupils constricted, and she instinctively took a half-step back.
The White Tower Society.
It was a mad organization. A group of lunatics who would sacrifice anything in their pursuit of so-called “truth.” Every race viewed them as a thorn in their side.
How could this little girl know that name?
“What... what are you talking about?” the red-haired woman forced herself to stay calm. “We are just an ordinary merchant caravan.”
Cecilia tilted her head.
“Is that so?”
She extended a slender finger and pointed lightly at the carriage behind the red-haired woman.
“Then why do your carriages have the presence of seven living people inside? And why are they all bound by magic?”
The red-haired woman’s face turned deathly pale. She spun around, intending to flee.
But in the next second...
An invisible force slammed down onto her shoulders.
Thud!
The red-haired woman was forced to her knees by the pressure, unable to move a muscle.
“Big sister, don't be in such a hurry to run.”
Cecilia’s voice remained sweet.
“I still have things to say to you.”
She walked with light steps until she stood before the red-haired woman.
“I know you are only peripheral members of the White Tower Society. The true core isn't here.”
“So...”
Cecilia crouched down and stared straight at the red-haired woman with those pure eyes.
“Take me to see your superiors.”
“I want to join the White Tower Society.”
The red-haired woman’s eyes widened.
“Are you... are you crazy?!”
“The White Tower Society isn't a place for a child like you!”
“They are all a bunch of lunatics!”
Cecilia laughed.
That smile was no longer an innocent mask. It was a morbid, twisted ecstasy filled with madness.
“Lunatics?”
“That’s perfect.”
She reached out and gently caressed the red-haired woman’s cheek.
“Because I am a lunatic too.”
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