Sunset Warrior Chant - Chapter 44 - The Grizzly Bear's Gloom

hesitate and pounced.

Fu Qiruo cast a Swift Wind Spell, dodging to the left side of the Wind Wolf and unleashing a wind blade that easily sheared off some wolf fur along with a few streaks of blood. The level 2 Wind Wolf, being weaker than a level 3 mage, recoiled in pain. Assessing the force of his strike, Fu Qiruo knew he had hit too hard. When the Wind Wolf attacked again, he swung another wind blade, this time cutting off only fur without harming the flesh.

As fur fell from the Wind Wolf, its attacks grew fiercer. Fu Qiruo, fighting empty-handed, had to be cautious, striking neither too hard nor too light. Lu Xiner, watching from outside, saw that the Wind Wolf was faster and more aggressive than the Fire Fox, specifically aiming for Fu Qiruo’s vital spots. She became worried and shouted, “Junior brother, use your Spirit Sword! If you hesitate, your senior sister might not see you again.”

After several bouts and a couple of injuries, Fu Qiruo wanted to gain more real combat experience. Now, handling the level 2 magical beast Wind Wolf calmly, he could use the Swift Wind Spell to dodge effortlessly. If it came to danger, he could strike hard at its vital points, but fearing his senior sister’s worry, he decided it was better to use the Spirit Sword. Thinking to himself, “Practicing shaving with the Spirit Sword isn’t a bad idea either.”

A sword’s hum rang out, clearly piercing through the glass walls and spreading throughout the magical beast laboratory. The thin Spirit Sword was drawn from Fu Qiruo’s waist, its purple blade trembling, flashing with an eerie light. Fu Qiruo infused dark magic energy into the blade, making the Spirit Sword vibrate straight, its surface filled with energy waves.

Upon seeing the glaring Spirit Sword, the Wind Wolf, previously poised to pounce, suddenly halted, shivering. Its eerie eyes narrowed, and Fu Qiruo knew it sensed the blood scent on the sword. He thought to himself that the Spirit Sword was indeed domineering. With the Wind Wolf not attacking, it was up to him to make the first move.

The Spirit Sword was exceptionally agile. Fu Qiruo dashed forward, unleashing the Doppelgänger Spell of dark magic. Three Fu Qiruos, each wielding a Spirit Sword, struck at the Wind Wolf with a mix of feints and actual thrusts, lightning-fast. The Wind Wolf, unable to distinguish the real from the illusions, scurried around the laboratory and ultimately could not evade the true strike.

At this moment, Fu Qiruo’s mastery of dark magic had reached the level 3 limit, and his level 3 Doppelgänger Spell could be cast instantaneously. He continuously deployed the spell, and the Spirit Sword bent and straightened unpredictably, deliberately avoiding the vital joints of the Wind Wolf. Most strikes landed on its fur, shaving it neatly, except for occasionally leaving a few blood marks.

Gradually, Fu Qiruo began to perceive the subtleties of the Spirit Sword. The exam set by Yan Mountain Academy was indeed thought-provoking, and battling the Wind Wolf allowed him to gain a deeper understanding of the Spirit Sword.

The Spirit Sword’s movements became faster and faster, casting hundreds of purple sword shadows under the glass dome. The Wind Wolf, howling in terror, was confined within a three-step radius, darting back and forth, no longer possessing the courage to counterattack.

Fu Qiruo found the Spirit Sword increasingly easy to handle, seemingly tailor-made for his practice with the soft sword. In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he made significant progress.

He had never imagined that the Spirit Sword could be so sharp and agile. Recalling the curves his master had drawn in the guest room in the backyard, Fu Qiruo seemed to glimpse the path forward in his half-dazed state, and he silently thanked Yan Mountain Academy for this test. His thoughts dwelled on this as his treasured sword danced non-stop in his hand, brushing over the Wind Wolf’s fur, becoming more and more adept as if he were practicing swordsmanship rather than facing a ferocious, hungry wolf.

“Hey! Third junior brother, why did you only shave the fur under the Wind Wolf’s belly? There’s not a single hair left there!” Fu Qiruo was so engrossed in his swordplay that he suddenly heard his senior sister shouting from outside the laboratory. Upon closer inspection, the fur on the belly of the Wind Wolf indeed seemed almost entirely gone. It turned out that in the time it took to brew a cup of tea, he had become so absorbed in using his sword that he only targeted the hard-to-reach spots under the Wind Wolf’s belly, forgetting about the rest of its body.

Remembering how he had lost himself in sword training made him laugh. He sneakily glanced outside the glass enclosure; the proctor was staring at the Spirit Sword with a look of surprise and seemingly a smile, while Lu Xiner and Fu Feng behind her were also laughing. Nearby, various candidates showed expressions ranging from astonishment and envy to dazed looks and cold faces. Some eyed the Spirit Sword greedily, while others looked at him as if they were sworn enemies. Fu Qiruo turned back, feeling proud. Who else had such talent? Who else had such a great master?

He continued to focus and swung his sword at the Wind Wolf, alternating between sweeping, lifting, and thrusting moves. The fur on the Wind Wolf’s head was gradually shaved off, and he wanted to continue practicing. Just then, the ringing of bells was heard, and the stone door by the laboratory wall opened, revealing a piece of cooked meat behind it. The proctor said, “Fu Qiruo, a super genius of spatial magic, capable of simultaneously using wind and dark magic, with such superb sword skills and excellent use of Elemental Manipulation, there’s no need to continue the test.”

Fu Qiruo responded, “I want to continue the test. I want to shave off all the wolf’s fur; only then will I truly pass. Otherwise, with so many candidates around, they might gossip and be jealous of my talent, claiming I lack practical skills. How could that be acceptable?” He circled the Wind Wolf with his sword to prevent it from escaping. The proctor said, “Stop this nonsense, I’ve already declared you’ve passed. Who dares to object?”

Fu Qiruo replied, “It’s better to take the test seriously. I prefer to be thorough.”

“Come out now; if you delay the next session, I’ll charge you an additional candidate’s examination fee,” the proctor said with a laugh.

Reluctantly, Fu Qiruo sheathed his sword, thinking to himself, “Why am I so reluctant to leave the examination hall?”

The laboratory was tidied up, and Lu Xiner entered the examination hall. Aware that she was a level 4 mage, she was not facing simple beasts like Fire Foxes or Wind Wolves. She thought carefully and stood with her back against the glass wall. As the stone door opposite her opened, Lu Xiner waited for a level 3 magical beast to appear. She stared at the door for a while, but no beast showed up. Instead, she overheard a candidate saying, “Miss Lu is a water magic prodigy. Probably the magical beasts are too intimidated by her reputation to come out.” The other candidates laughed.

Lu Xiner, patient as ever, finally saw her opponent make an entrance. In front of the stone door, a Grizzly Bear appeared, nearly two meters tall and weighing hundreds of kilograms, covered in gray fur and wobbling as it walked. Fu Feng commented, “This chubby bear with its short legs and arms, covered in fur, would be really easy to shave. Its fur alone must weigh as much as two or three Wind Wolves. I wonder if shaving off half of it counts as a major accomplishment.”

The proctor said, “Normally, you need to shave off eighty to ninety percent of the fur. You can’t measure it by weight; it has to be by percentage.”

Lu Xiner watched the towering Grizzly Bear approach, seemingly unbothered by her presence. Shaving it wouldn’t be difficult; the challenge was defending against its attacks. Lu Xiner mused that she couldn’t knock it down with a single water magic spell, so she drew her Greenleaf Sword. With the sword in hand, her courage surged.

Seeing the Greenleaf Sword, the Grizzly Bear paused, then roared at Lu Xiner in a show of defiance. Lu Xiner decided to test the bear’s mettle. With a light wave of her left hand, she unleashed an Ice Blast toward the bear. The Grizzly, seeing the ice blade, lifted its front paws, charging at the blade with a whoosh. The ice blade hit the bear’s paws with a ‘puff’ sound, and the bear swept all the ice blades aside. The blades struck the glass wall behind Lu Xiner, making a loud ‘bang’ sound.

The Grizzly Bear moved faster than expected. Lu Xiner had already enraged it with one strike. As the massive bear charged, Lu Xiner dodged, and the Grizzly slammed into the glass wall, which bent outward, seemingly about to break. Suddenly, a burst of light flickered, and the magical barrier on the wall activated. The glass wall contracted inward, and the Grizzly’s bulky body bounced back like a ball. With quick reflexes, Lu Xiner launched several Ice Blasts at the bear. The Grizzly’s fur was peppered with ice, sending grey hairs flying through the air as it exploded with rage.

Fu Feng watched from outside the laboratory and laughed, “It seems junior sister got an easy deal. That dumb Grizzly can only pose a threat with its bulk and endure beatings; it knows no special moves. Just hit it, junior sister. If you accidentally beat it half to death and something happens, I, your senior brother, will take responsibility, haha!”

Lu Xiner glanced at Fu Feng. As a level 4 mage, her level 3 Ice Blast magic was much stronger than Fu Qiruo’s Wind Blade. Her movements were also faster, making her earlier encounter with the Wind Wolf look easy by comparison. The Grizzly, furious, could only lunge and had no other moves. Lu Xiner felt completely at ease. With a calm heart, she cast a level 2 magic, Mist Barrier, enveloping the area within five meters around the Grizzly in a thick fog. In the mist, the Grizzly could barely see a meter ahead, let alone spot Lu Xiner.

As she cast the Mist Barrier, Lu Xiner didn’t wait for the Grizzly to react. She darted around the bear, continuously casting Ice Blast. The Grizzly roared incessantly, spinning around in confusion. Before the mist could dissipate, Lu Xiner released another Mist Barrier, followed by more Ice Blasts.

Suddenly, Fu Feng said, “Alright, let’s stop and see; that’s enough.” Lu Xiner stopped and stood by the wall corner, casting a level 2 wind magic, Wind Curse. The mist around the Grizzly cleared, revealing its bare, stunned body standing in the center of the laboratory. Upon seeing Lu Xiner, the Grizzly charged at her again.

Lu Xiner dodged to the side, contemplating whether to continue using Ice Blast on the bare Grizzly Bear, when she suddenly heard the clinking of bells. The stone door of the laboratory swung open, and cooked meat appeared behind it. Lu smiled and said, “Silly bear, you can go eat the meat now. We shall meet again!”

The Grizzly Bear did not understand Lu Xiner’s words. Seeing her mouth move as if mocking him, the bear continued its relentless struggle against her.

Outside the laboratory, candidates watched Lu Xiner, enchantingly beautiful, and shouted loudly, “Quick, kill the Grizzly Bear! That bear is too annoying, blocking the lady’s path even after the exam is over, purely looking for trouble!”

“Lady, just take a dagger and slice its eyes out; then it won’t be able to find you.”

“Perhaps the bear hasn’t seen the cooked meat. Lady, why don’t you fetch that meat and give it to the Grizzly Bear?”

“That lady, you are a beautiful angel. Pray in the name of the Lord in front of the Grizzly Bear, forgive its sins, and it will surely repent and stop bothering you.”

“Maybe the bear thinks the lady’s flesh tastes better. You’ve already cut so much of its fur, why not cut a piece of your flesh for it to eat as a fair exchange, otherwise it won’t let you go even in its next life as a ghost, haha!”

“That bear isn’t human, and even as a ghost, it will be a ghost bear, hehe!”

Lu Xiner merely evaded and refused to harm the Grizzly Bear. Seeing no other options, the proctor opened the glass door, gently waved at the Grizzly Bear, and its massive body stumbled towards the stone door. The proctor then pulled Lu out through the glass door.

The Grizzly Bear got up, glanced at the glass wall, and finally entered the stone door. The door rotated and finally closed.

The proctor said, “Lu Xiner is clever and wise, using two types of magic to attack the Grizzly Bear, rendering it defenseless and unable to retaliate. She passed the test successfully, truly a water magic super genius. Next!”

Next up was Fu Feng. A super genius in both fire magic and wind magic, no one doubted his strength.

The laboratory quieted down, several proctors and a group of candidates gathered around, eager to see how Fu Feng would shave the magical beasts.