Chapter 228 It's your head that's big!
The act of the Sword Spirits changing their master was an extraordinary event.
Having served William, they naturally held themselves in high regard. Suddenly being told to serve a girl of a mid-level Soulmancer's caliber was indeed hard for them to accept.
If William did not seal their power, a mere release of energy from them could easily incapacitate many mid-level Soulmancers.
However, William was true to his word. If he said that Alice would be the future master of the Sword of Soulbreaker, it meant Alice would possess complete dominion over the two Sword Spirits.
The Sword Spirits would stand no chance if they tried to defy Alice's commands.
If Alice wishes, a single thought can erase the two Sword Spirits that have existed for millions of years.
This was the true reason for the Sword Spirits' despair.
Hearing what the Sword Spirit said, Alice immediately became unhappy: "Soullet, do you not like me?"
"Well... that's not exactly..." Though the Sword Spirit has existed for tens of thousands of years, its mentality is not much different from a child's. After all, when following William, it rarely had time to come out. Millions of years ago, it spent most of its time slaying beasts. Hearing Alice say this, it could only sheepishly admit defeat.
After all, things are now settled, and from now on, they will follow Alice.
How could the Sword Spirit express dislike for its master?
Seeing Alice clutching the wooden sword with a sullen face, William remarked, "You can just minimize it and wear it as a pendant."
It was normal for the Sword Spirit to look down upon Alice given her limited power. Even during the age of gods, it had been disdainful of deities.
Having a very powerful first master meant adapting to a new one would always be challenging.
"It can become smaller?" Alice exclaimed, waving her sword in surprise.
No sooner had she spoken than the wooden sword in her hand shrank to a fraction of its size, becoming only as long as a finger and two fingers wide.
William took out a glittering thin rope from a spatial storage ring and handed it to Alice: "Tie it with this."
He wondered if he might be treating Alice a bit too kindly.
This slender cord is a tendon from the spine of a jade dragon, considered a one-of-a-kind artifact in the world.
William's previous disciples never received such treatment.
William had previously given Alice a painting he drew himself, and now he had gifted her the personal sword, the Sword of Soulbreaker. Such treatment was unparalleled and unlike anything anyone had ever received.
After some thought, it might be because Alice was the most na?ve among all the apprentices he had taken.
Perhaps there's truth to the saying 'fortune favors the foolish.'
"This rope looks quite beautiful." Alice admired the shimmering dragon tendon, her face beaming with joy. She threaded the Sword of Soulbreaker through it and turned to William, saying, "Master, could you help me put it on?"
Since this was a gift from William, even if it wasn't used as a weapon and was worn as a pendant, it'd look quite charming. And if William were to put it on her personally, that would be the sweetest gesture.
"Don't you have hands?" William raised an eyebrow slightly, "Don't tell me you can't even put this on!"
"..." Alice was momentarily at a loss for words. So much for her sweet imaginings!
She had truly overthought things.
"Or is it that your head is too big and the rope too short?" William said, scrutinizing Alice's head with a serious expression, "It does seem a bit big. Before you tie it, wrap the rope around your neck first. This way, it'll definitely fit!"
"..." Alice glared at William with a slightly aggrieved expression.
It's your head that's big!
And he made it sound like she was dim-witted. Didn't she know that she could wrap it around her neck first before tying it?
"I can wear it!" Alice said defiantly, attempting to put it on from the top down. As she pulled it to her nose bridge, she realized the rope might be a tad short...
"I told you, your head's slightly big!" William said with some irritation, "I always thought you were a bit dense, but I didn't expect you to be both dense and stubborn."
Alice was torn between laughter and tears but still determinedly squeezed the rope down bit by bit.
"My head isn't big! The rope's just a bit short," Alice said with a pout, clearly upset.
No girl would be pleased to be told her head is big. And where on earth was her head big?
William's comments made it sound as if parts of her that should be prominent weren't, while those that shouldn't be too large, were.
"Sure, sure!" William said with a nonchalant nod, "Just remember to learn well from the Sword Spirit."
Alice's progress in terms of strength was commendably rapid. The last time she faced off with Travis, she had just reached an intermediate Soulmancer level. Now, she's considered an expert among the mid-tier Soulmancers.
In today's Soulmancer circle, her strength is already quite high.
Of course, William didn't think her rate of improvement was all that impressive.
For someone he personally mentored, and given various artifacts to, if they had slightly better talent, they would probably already be at an advanced Soulmancer level or even higher by now.
"I understand," Alice replied, feeling somewhat slighted. It seemed that no matter what she did, William only viewed her as an apprentice. There was never that hint of ambiguity in their interactions, and any fleeting moments of such atmosphere would be ruthlessly snuffed out by William the next instant.
However, considering William's attitude towards other women, Alice could somewhat accept it.
"I'm going to find Zoey. Do you want to come with me?"
"Why are you looking for her?" Alice couldn't grasp why William was suddenly so interested in Zoey.
"To register you," William responded. "This time, you need to face off against someone. Engage in actual combat, observe how others fight, and if there's any technique you wish to learn, let me know. I'll teach you."
William's techniques were intimidatingly potent. Moreover, Alice's current abilities didn't allow her to employ those high-end techniques. This Soulmancer gathering was a chance for William to gauge the average skill level of the current Soulmancer community and perhaps pick up a few techniques to mimic.
Alice asked with confusion, "Why do I need to sign up with her? Can't I just sign up directly with the old mage?"
William explained, "Here's the thing, the 13th Bureau wants to compete for a secret realm. Typically, each faction would send two representatives. Right now, the only people from the 13th Bureau here are Zoey and myself. Since I don't want to participate, you'll have to take my place."
"Uh... alright," Alice reluctantly agreed.
However, William had mentioned that she could learn any technique she wanted, and he would teach her.
She intended to learn everything!
The more she learns, the longer William would stay by her side, right?
Thinking about this, a hint of a smile danced in Alice's eyes.
How delightful!
William, however, remarked, "After the fight, you can choose at most two techniques used by others, learn them and use them for self-defense."
"I understand," Alice replied. "Can I learn anything I want?"
"Yes," William nodded slightly. For someone of his caliber, understanding and imitating techniques from average Soulmancers was child's play. He could instantly discern the underlying principles and replicate them effortlessly.
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