The threat level posed by the monsters on the tenth floor was a significant step up from what Furina had faced before.
More importantly, from the tenth floor downward, adventurers often faced the onslaught of massive monster waves—a situation commonly referred to as a "Monster Party."
As luck would have it, the trio hadn't been exploring for long when they stumbled right into one.
There were Orcs, pig-headed humanoids nearly twice the height of a person.
Small demons known as Imps, which were more cunning than Goblins, attacked in swarms.
And the bat-like monsters, Bad-Bats, capable of using sonic waves to disrupt their prey's center of gravity.
Combined with the restricted visibility caused by the thick fog and the unsettling nature of this terrain—often called the "Dungeon Armory," where monsters could even weaponize the very trees around them—the difficulty of the encounter had effectively doubled.
The attacks were wider in range, greater in power, more varied in execution, and far more sinister in method.
Although this was still considered the upper floors, for a Level 1 adventurer, it served as the harshest "strength test" before one could even think about heading to the middle floors.
With Sushang opting to take a hands-off approach, Furina was forced to rely almost entirely on her three "seafood" summons to fight. Even with her nimble footwork, she still took several hits.
Liliruca watched the white-haired girl dancing amidst the monsters, then glanced at the brown-haired girl beside her, who was nonchalantly disposing of any creature that got too close with a single swing of her blade.
It finally dawned on her who the stronger of the two truly was.
She couldn't help but ask, "Lady Sushang, aren't you going to help? Lady Furina looks like she's struggling..."
"If you want to become stronger, you can't expect it to be easy."
Even as she swung her sword, Sushang kept a constant eye on Furina's battle nearby.
There wasn't much worry in her eyes; instead, a faint smile played on her lips. "Besides, Furina's talent is even better than I imagined."
The Xuanyuan Sword was already humming with a faint tremor in response to Furina.
This didn't just indicate that Furina was on the verge of mastering the Blade Mantra; it meant she wouldn't have to take any detours on the path to understanding the Intent of the Sword.
While the five internal components of the Edge of Taixuan had been optimized to lower the barrier to entry, it was still sheer luck that a beginner could resonate with the Xuanyuan Sword this quickly.
"Is... is that so?"
Liliruca didn't fully grasp their relationship, but she was starting to form some theories based on this exchange.
However... perhaps it was just her imagination, but did Lady Furina's movements seem faster than they were a moment ago?
If Furina or Sushang heard that, they would have certainly praised Liliruca's keen eyes, because it was true.
Under the constant pressure of the battle, Furina's mana was nearly depleted, and her three summons were looking wilted, shifting from firing on all cylinders to conserving what little energy they had left.
Immersed in the heat of combat, Furina had cast aside all distractions. While this wasn't exactly a hopeless situation—if she wanted to run, she could easily escape—she had no intention of doing so.
As her mana drained, she was forced to focus every ounce of her perception on processing everything around her to find an opening for victory.
Naturally, almost by instinct, she suddenly latched onto the stray energy drifting through the world.
But don't misunderstand; sensing external energy didn't mean she had attained the Realm of Still Water.
As of now, Furina had simply officially embarked on the training of the Blade Mantra. Only by learning to harness that external energy could she be considered to have crossed the threshold.
However, the Blade Mantra was more than just utilizing external power.
The so-called Sword Heart was a method to bring the body into a state of competitive readiness—to clear one's mind before the struggle, relax the body, and perceive every subtle change within oneself.
In other words, once you could sense the energy of the outside world, it meant your perception had reached a level where you could finally master the fluctuations within your own body.
That was exactly what was happening with Furina's movements. Even though she hadn't reached the Realm of Still Water, just setting foot on the path toward the gates of the Blade Mantra was a victory in itself.
It made the effort Sushang put into clearing the energy in Furina's body during every rest break, letting her get a feel for the Sword Heart early, well worth it.
Amber had also gone through a similar crash course in the Edge of Taixuan, though she had bypassed the process by directly occupying the body of the Celestial Fu Hua, whereas Furina was relying on Sushang's guidance and the "blessing" of a deity to elevate her potential.
Never in a million years did she think her first disciple would end up on the same crash-course path as her.
Four minutes later, with a final strike from Furina, the last Bad-Bat screeched and dissolved into a cloud of smoke.
"Ha... ha..."
Gasping for air, Furina was nearly ready to abandon the elegant demeanor she always maintained and just collapse on the ground, regardless of her image.
Her hands were trembling, and she could barely keep a grip on her sword.
"Lady Furina, that was amazing...!" As a witness from start to finish, Liliruca couldn't help but exclaim.
She had taken down so many monsters all by herself? And this was only her second day entering the Dungeon!
And Liliruca wasn't the only one watching.
The upper floors of the Dungeon weren't exactly vast.
While the mist and trees obscured the view, the sheer commotion had naturally drawn the attention of some adventurers who were either fearless or looking to scavenge for loot. They had watched the entire battle unfold.
"Those two newcomers... they're tough."
"Isn't that white-haired one the famous fountain songstress from the other day?"
"The one that so many Familias were fighting over?"
"Impressive..."
"Who is that girl in yellow? A member of a Familia from outside Orario? I feel like she's at least Level 3..."
"Have any outside Familias come to Orario recently?"
Whispers rippled through the various groups. If people with looks like Furina and Sushang had been in Orario before, they surely would have made a name for themselves.
Since they were unheard of, they had to be new. But the effortless way Sushang handled herself didn't make her look like a novice.
In that case, the only conclusion was that they were adventurers from outside the city.
Neither Furina nor Sushang cared about the gazes or the whispers. In fact, getting their name out there was a good thing; the Focalors Familia was desperately in need of recognition right now.
If people wanted to help build their hype for free, they weren't about to complain.
"Are you okay?" Sushang walked over.
"I feel like I don't have an ounce of strength left in my entire body..." Furina cast a glance to ensure no one was watching, then flashed a weary smile at Sushang.
"That's all part of the training. It's rare to get opportunities for real combat like this every day." Sushang shrugged helplessly. "I know it's exhausting, but to make this much progress in just two days? You're improving at a staggering rate."
Though it wasn't exactly comforting, it made Furina feel like her efforts were worth it.
"Alright, that's enough for today."
Knowing that too much of a good thing could be counterproductive, Sushang smiled and said, "Let's call it a day and head back!"
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL