If it were someone else who had never even used a sword before, and you asked them to sever a tree over 300 feet away using a newly-learned arcane pulse, it would be clearly asking the impossible.
But Alice was different.
Having been taught swordsmanship by two top-tier Sword Spirits, and being of intermediate Soulmancer level herself, if she couldn’t do this, it would only mean that Alice’s comprehension was severely lacking.
William left without a trace, storing everything within a spatial storage ring and turning away, leaving Alice standing there all alone.
She looked somewhat wronged as she watched William’s retreating figure.
One moment he was so romantic, and the next his expression changed.
His stern demeanor made her a bit nervous. 𝘰𝑣𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
But… this was how her master was, right?
This tsundere side of William was what made him likable.
Alice didn’t dwell on it. She began consulting the two Sword Spirits, attempting to channel the energy within her into an arcane pulse.
…
When William returned to the guestroom, Kyle had already gone up the mountain to investigate. Seeing Alice constantly flicking her fingers, repeatedly forming an arcane pulse, he had a good idea of what had happened.
This young girl, who had just reached the intermediate level of Soulmancer, was actually practicing on the mountain!!
Seeing all the giant trees uniformly severed, Kyle couldn’t help but frown.
Even though he hadn’t witnessed how Alice did it, from the cuts on the broken timber, one could tell how terrifying the released arcane pulse was.
Among the younger generation, probably only Tristan from the Lancaster family could achieve that.
What piqued his curiosity was that Alice hadn’t drawn her sword, but kept flicking her fingers.
Previously, she should have used a sword to cut. Now, the arcane pulse she formed with her fingers dissipated half a meter from her body. It was unrealistic to think she could target a tree a hundred meters away.
Kyle didn’t approach her to ask. After sneaking a glance, he turned away and didn’t let anyone else watch.
Kyle did not approach her with questions. After sneaking a glance, he turned and left without allowing anyone else to come and watch.
“Just let her practice! There are plenty of trees in Ravenwood. As long as Alice doesn’t cut down the entire mountain, it should be alright.”
Upon returning to the room the Arcane Society had arranged for him, William took out the items he had crafted in the deep mountains, carelessly tossing them inside.
By the next morning, as golden dawn light spread across the land and a mist gradually rose, Alice had neither slept nor eaten the entire night.
She continually tried to harness the energy within her as instructed by the Sword Spirits, striving to grasp the essence of swordsmanship they had imparted.
Following the guidance of the Sword Spirits, to release the arcane pulse, one needs a deep understanding of energy manipulation. Furthermore, grasping the core principles of wielding a sword was the most crucial step.
Just as William opened his door in the morning, Steven was already standing there.
“William, are you planning to concede directly?” Steven adjusted his glasses and said, “If you’ve lost, you’ve lost. Don’t be too hung up on it. It was an impossible task to begin with.”
“Thane, in reality, is a pitiable man. Three generations have studied the authentic ‘Da Vinci Manuscript,’ and his whole family suffered misfortune because of it. As you can see now, not only is Thane disabled, but he’s also nearing the end of his life without heirs.”
Steven spoke with heartfelt words, “If you’re willing to become his adopted son and help manage his affairs after his passing, it would indeed be a kind act. However, as for the ‘Da Vinci Manuscript’… you should carefully consider whether or not to study its contents, and be prepared for potential misfortune.”
William smiled slightly and said, “I’ve already replicated everything.”
“It’s really hard to make these things, even Thane takes half a year…” Steven hadn’t quite caught what William had just said. By the time he realized, he looked at William with a bewildered expression, asking, “What did you just say?”
“I said, I’ve already crafted those items,” William repeated.
What’s the big deal?
“That’s not something to joke about!” Steven fixed his gaze on William, saying, “Young man, it’s better to stay grounded.”
The items from Mount San Juan Teotihuaca aren’t something one can simply claim to replicate.
Thane, a top-tier craftsman of the Aetherforge Guild, was well-versed in all the content of the “Da Vinci Manuscript”.
While he wouldn’t dare to claim his craftsmanship was the best in the world, he was undeniably a professional in his field. It took him at least half a year to craft all the items, yet William apparently took less than twenty-four hours.
Did he really say he made all of them?
How could anyone believe that?
Steven certainly didn’t.
Based on the information he had gathered, William might be skilled at drawing and was an excellent student. However, creating replicas wasn’t something one could just casually achieve.
“The items are inside the room. Go take a look.” William stood at the entrance, showing no intention of entering himself.
Steven, with a serious expression, stepped into the room.
Upon seeing the items displayed inside, a gleam burst from his eyes, which widened considerably.
Astonishing!
The items inside the room were nearly indistinguishable from the ones in the photos. He almost suspected that these might actually be the relics from Mount San Juan Teotihuaca.
“William!” Steven called out from within the room.
William approached the door, asking, “Is there a problem?”
“Are these… all replicas?” Having previously held the position of Director of the 13th Bureau, Steven was no ordinary individual and certainly had a discerning eye.
The craftsmanship of the items displayed in the room was incredibly exquisite. Even true master craftsmen and experts in the art of carving wouldn’t be able to replicate these items in such a short time frame.
William chuckled, “You don’t really think I can find the real one for you, do you?”
Steven hesitated, “I… I thought it was the old mage Kyle who gave it to you.” Steven had a fleeting thought just now, wondering if Kyle had placed the items in William’s room as a way to save face, so they could retrieve them.
William said, “They are all replicas.”
Fake is fake, and William, of course, wouldn’t mix up right and wrong.
“Just wait a moment; I’ll call Thane over.” Steven exited the room, feeling that this matter should be verified by Thane.
In no time, Thane arrived with an array of tools, following Steven.
William didn’t exchange pleasantries. As Thane entered the room and laid eyes on the convincing replicas scattered all around, he was utterly stunned.
He picked up a sword to examine it closely. The more he looked, the more amazed he became. While he wasn’t a fool and could tell the weight of the sword was off, its appearance felt just like it was crafted from metal.
Trembling, he set the sword down and turned his attention to the amphora.
The amphora truly shocked him.
Its craftsmanship was exquisite, virtually identical to the one in the photos.
The inscriptions on it were crystal clear. Upon feeling it, he realized it was genuinely carved from quartz crystal.
Setting aside where William might have found such a piece of quartz, the level of carving craftsmanship was probably unmatched by any master engraver in the world.
And yet, William had completed it in just a few hours.
Besides crafting this amphora, there were other items he had to make as well.
With such skill, even Thane had to admit his admiration.
He was genuinely impressed!
If Thane were to find out that William actually took less than half an hour to create these artifacts, he might have been scared out of his wits.