Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

She dared not continue any longer, for if the opponent did not hold back next time, there could really be injuries or fatalities.

Nowadays, the competitions within the Federation often only went up to Sequence 5, precisely because fights above Sequence 6 were exceptionally dangerous, and not every combatant was able to stop at the right moment. As for so-called "resurrection," it often came at a great cost and had many side effects.

"Ah, it's over just like that? The opponent only changed clothes once. According to the tradition of Tri-Phase Moon Academy, you can change your outfit three times at Sequence 5, each time stronger than the last, but the cost also becomes greater."

"This method of branding the pattern onto the clothing and then using the garment itself to burn and generate intense magic power does make for a powerful fighting style, but it's also very costly. I guess only their Academy would do something like this."

"They can afford to burn money after all. Tri-Phase Moon Academy has collaborations with many fashion companies, and they've developed quite a few Transcendent formal wear, so they're quite wealthy."

"For the Ten School Competition, an ancient faction that's still doing well in the current era must have some tricks up its sleeve, or it would have been eliminated long ago."

The students were all discussing. Only then did Hexia understand that the Cloth Changing Technique of Tri-Phase Moon Academy worked like this, and she felt that she had really broadened her horizons this time.

The next day, she saw the unique styles of other prestigious northern academies, including Qian Liu Academy, which used dust explosions to spread toxins, and Tri-Phase Moon Academy that practiced strange witchcraft.

In the end, the champion of the Ten School Competition was unsurprisingly won by the highly regarded Tri-Phase Moon Academy. The girl clad in vibrant peacock attire stood with the trophy and a few other students, and afterwards, the moment was captured in a photo and published on newspapers and web pages.

After the 'Frozen Green Festival' concluded, Hexia's life at the Academy also came to a temporary halt, and next was a holiday of over a month.

Long absent from train rides, she watched the scenery outside, the carriage was not crowded, with many seats empty, and the interior's decor maintained the consistent steel industrial style—sharp and well-defined, sturdy and durable.

During the holiday, she did not plan to return to Payin City, but instead, she intended to visit Qianliu City, or even the city that had not yet been established, as her uncle had always urged her to do.

Following the incident six months prior, they gradually reconciled, and Gu Qianlou would occasionally send letters to inquire about Hexia's well-being.

Though the greetings were brief, they still brought a bit of warmth to Hexia, perhaps this was the feeling of family.

The train sped along the tracks, the steel dragon on the ground gradually entered the desolate wilderness, and at the end of the land shrouded in mist, scattered clusters of buildings began to take shape, the silhouette of a city slowly emerging.

"The train has arrived at the station. This stop is a temporary platform. We will depart again after a five-minute rest. Please be prepared for the departure," announced the mechanical voice.

Accompanied by the announcement, Hexia stepped off the train, carrying a simple suitcase, and walked out of the station into biting wind and snow, feeling the cool touch of frost on her cheeks.

Standing in front of the designated door, Hexia knocked, waiting for a response from inside. This was a newly-built house located in a corner of the city, with unfinished gardens and streets around, and busy Autonomous Units on the road, as well as various large gantry cranes orderly at work in the sky, as many buildings slowly took shape.

"Welcome back, Tilan."

A girl opened the door to a somewhat unfamiliar man. He was dressed in casual black clothes, with slight wrinkles on his forehead and remnants of burn scars near his eyes.

After a few seconds of reflection and recognition, the girl ascertained that this man was indeed Gu Qianlou, her mother's brother, her uncle, only today he did not wear a mask but greeted her with a more relaxed domestic attire.

"I'm back, uncle," the girl said with a bow, then showed a smile.

The two walked into the house, and soon a noisy series of greetings and salutations could be heard, interspersed with the girl's somewhat green and shy voice, responding to the hellos from unfamiliar relatives.

Snow continued to fall outside the window, and inside the gradually constructed house, these ancient remnants from The East began their New Year's celebration.