Lin Xiaolu had completely forgotten how exactly she responded to Mu Mian.
Should she agree? Should she refuse? Was the risk too high if she agreed? Would refusing damage the reputation she had worked hard to build?
Her mind was filled with these thoughts of gain and loss, leaving her with no time to consider how to respond more gracefully.
Rationally speaking, Lin Xiaolu felt there was no need to accept the challenge. After all, she was now the only "SS" rating, and from the most utilitarian standpoint, as long as she didn't accept others' challenges, no one's achievements could surpass her.
Moreover, anyone with a sharp eye knew that the special meaning of the "SS" rating couldn't be seized through challenges. This Magical Girl named Mu Mian proposed a spar, presumably just to experience first-hand what the SS rating was all about. Since it wasn't an actual challenge, she could entirely decline it, right? Even if she refused, she could provide ample reasons and not leave any room for criticism.
"Is there something wrong? Is it inconvenient now?"
Seeing Lin Xiaolu not responding for a while, Mu Mian was somewhat perplexed: "If it's inconvenient for you now, or if you don't want to take risks during the assessment, we can schedule another time afterward. I'm not interested in competing for your rating; I'm interested in you as a person."
Clearly, Mu Mian indeed harbored these thoughts.
But when surrounded by the gaze of the crowd, Lin Xiaolu realized she couldn't bring herself to refuse.
β I'm the only SS rating, should I evade a challenge from an S level? Even if she's Leaf Level and I'm Seed Level, wouldn't that mean I'm being overshadowed?
β What's wrong with sparring? Isn't it just winning against a Half-Molt? I'm capable, why should I fear her?
When these thoughts became the main theme in her mind, Lin Xiaolu found herself standing on the platform with her opponent once again regaining her senses.
Below the platform was an endless crowd and eyes of expectation that couldn't be ignored even with closed eyes.
The lone dark horse SS rating candidate Bai Mei, pitted against Mu Mian, the most promising contender among the S ratings β once this news spread, it nearly attracted every available candidate to gather near Lin Xiaolu's combat platform, eager to see for themselves.
Not far away, preparing for her next challenge after defeating a previous opponent, Xia Liang heard this news from the Shan Dan sisters and couldn't help but exclaim: "Wow, Lin Xiaolu is really on a roll."
Meanwhile, Bai Jingxuan, who hadn't been mentioned for challenges nor intended to challenge others, and Emerald Sparrow, who had just arrived at the exam venue, had also come to the stage, watching along with their respective teams.
And if Bai Jingxuan still held some optimistic hope in her heart that her "Sister Xiaolu" would be stronger than the opponent, Emerald Sparrow was left with only worry.
As one of the backstage workers for this assessment, Emerald Sparrow had seen Mu Mian's related information. Frankly speaking, she completely understood why the so-called big shot list ranked her first.
Apart from the outstanding performance during the systematic training period at the Silver Corridor and remarkable achievements after officially becoming a Magical Girl upon graduation, Mu Mian also had a more special background, which was the organization she was now serving: Domlia's City Defense Army.
In other words, Mu Mian was a Magical Girl from the military, specifically the City Defense Army of Domlia where the Investigation Bureau was located.
Emerald Sparrow, who had also come from the army, knew very well that in the Magic Kingdom, Magical Girls in the army were more well-trained than stationed Magical Girls and those freelance Magical Girls. Not to mention those clerical Magical Girls from the Five Institutes β most of them would only end up getting beaten when facing military Magical Girls at the same Kaihua Stage.
This was due to several reasons, such as longer training time in the army, better practical education resources, and faster development of combat skills. But none of these were the core issue. The core issue was that in the entire Magic Kingdom, only the army and the Investigation Bureau focused on training the "person-to-person battle" ability of Magical Girls.
Ordinary Magical Girls were educated with combat skills aimed at Remnant Beasts as imaginary enemies, focusing on large enemy battles and siege warfare. But the army and Investigation Bureau were different; their imaginary enemies included "humans" and even "defected Magical Girls," so they emphasized teaching person-to-person combat knowledge and skills.
And among these techniques, there were many that Emerald Sparrow had not yet had the chance to teach Lin Xiaolu.
After all, Lin Xiaolu had only been a Magical Girl for less than a year, transforming from a naive teenage girl to a warrior facing Remnant Beasts unflinchingly. This change could be called a transformative breakthrough. To ensure her safety, the knowledge Emerald Sparrow taught was naturally quite traditional, entirely based on "how to defeat Remnant Beasts."
In her plan, the content related to person-to-person combat was intended to be taught after Lin Xiaolu reached Leaf Level and could begin learning Magic Techniques. This consideration wasn't just based on Lin Xiaolu's acceptance ability, but because much of the knowledge on person-to-person combat was based on Leaf Level, on the foundation of Magical Girls' ability to use Magic Techniques.
