Boom!!!
Flame Heart was sent flying back like a meteor shot from a cannon, whistling through the air before crashing heavily into a building, leaving behind a dull roar and splashing debris. Yunli traced a sharp arc through the air, landing steadily on the ground, her petite figure standing tall and powerful.
However, after landing, Yunli frowned and looked down, a hint of displeasure appearing on her cute face. Her calves, once as smooth as jade, now bore a scorched red mark, and even the air around them had become scalding hot. It turned out that just before Yunli's attack was about to land, a scorching vortex of flames had suddenly appeared between Flame Heart and Yunli.
Yet Yunli was fearless, directly shattering it with a powerful kick. However, Yunli had ultimately underestimated the intense heat and hadn't expected to be burned.
"A very sharp reaction. It seems it will be difficult to take her down without bringing out old mettle." Yunli clicked her tongue and turned her gaze toward the hole.
Amidst the ruins of the shattered building, a massive fireball suddenly appeared. As the raging flames slowly dissipated, Flame Heart's figure gradually emerged from within. However, the relaxed and easygoing expression from before was gone from her face. Instead, she stared at Yunli with a look of utter disbelief (o_O).
'Where did this violent little girl come from? Just based on this terrifying strength, she's already at the level of a Level 2 Ability User... no, maybe even stronger.' Her gaze shifted slightly downward, easily noticing the mark on the other's ankle. 'Only a slight burn under such high temperatures? And something is very wrong—why can't I feel this girl's Psionic Energy at all?'
This time, Flame Heart witnessed Yunli's skills with her own eyes, but she was surprised to find that she couldn't sense any Psionic Energy radiating from her. Generally speaking, when an Ability User uses their Supernatural Ability, they will more or less emit some Psionic Energy. With her perception, she could barely predict her opponent's movements or detect a sneak attack using a Supernatural Ability in advance.
But during this violent little girl's two charges, there wasn't a single trace of Psionic Energy leaking from her body. This meant she was almost unable to predict her actions and could only track her figure with her naked eyes. Flame Heart lifted her feet and floated into the air again, the two of them facing each other from different heights.
'Could this little girl be at the same level as me? No, that should be impossible. Still, this girl's strength really cannot be underestimated! No wonder I didn't notice her when she ambushed me from above earlier. Is it a unique hiding capability of her Supernatural Ability?'
Flame Heart raised her hand, and a fireball instantly condensed in her palm. "I'll ask one more time, who are you?"
"...Yunli, a Sword Hunter from the Xianzhou Zhuming." Yunli pondered for a moment before answering truthfully.
After their brief exchange, she felt that Flame Heart didn't seem like a bad person. Besides, even if she told her, there was no way she would ever find it. In that case, what was the harm in telling her? Perhaps it could even interfere with the other's judgment.
And it happened exactly as Yunli expected. A slight frown appeared on Flame Heart's beautiful face. 'Xianzhou? I've never heard of it. Is it a hidden organization? Or is she just talking nonsense?'
"I originally just saw an Ability User acting suspiciously on the roof and wanted to interrogate them. I thought it was just a misunderstanding, but now it seems this Yunli is indeed quite suspicious."
While Flame Heart was deep in thought, the fireball in her hand gradually condensed into a Flame Sword. The temperature of this Flame Sword was extremely high, incomparable to the previous flames; even the surrounding air became unbearably hot.
"The design is okay, but the quality is mediocre." Yunli glanced at it instinctively and commented casually.
This took Flame Heart by surprise. "How do you know its quality?" After all, this skill was something Flame Heart had developed herself, yet even she wasn't entirely sure about that.
"Since I was a child, I've studied Sword Arts and Forging Arts with my grandfather, and I swore an oath to 'hunt down Cursed Swords and destroy them all'." As she spoke, Yunli's expression became very serious, her brow filled with determination.
Even Flame Heart could clearly feel that the young girl's heart was like a piece of basalt buried deep underground—unmoved by wind, waves, or the erosion of time. Although she didn't know what a Cursed Sword was, she could tell from the name that it wasn't anything good. Flame Heart's wariness toward Yunli lessened slightly because of this.
But... "Yunli, to be honest, I don't really want to fight you. Just come back to the Ability Bureau with me for an investigation. As long as there's no problem, no one will hurt you." Flame Heart's tone was sincere, and she unconsciously became much gentler.
Yunli also realized that the other person seemed to be from the Ability Bureau. But why wasn't this person mentioned in the information from Sparkle?
"Forget it, I should leave here first." Flame Heart might not know, but Yunli keenly sensed that people were starting to approach the area. After all, it's human nature to watch the drama; since they had accidentally made such a big scene, it would be hard to keep a low profile. Thinking this, Yunli shook her head resolutely.
"Sorry, I'm not sure if what you're saying is true or false."
Hearing this, Flame Heart sighed with regret. "In that case, I'm sorry. This time, I won't go easy on you just because you're cute... ahem, just because you're a little girl!"
Yunli (╬▔dish▔)╯: "What are you saying?! You definitely have a problem!"
"Don't underestimate me!"
"Hmph, is that so? Then don't expect to get close so easily this time!"
The amazement in Flame Heart's eyes vanished, replaced by a long-lost sense of excitement. With a wave of her delicate hand, the Flame Sword began to rotate rapidly around her. The number of Flame Swords vaguely increased from one to nearly ten. Flame Heart precisely grabbed one of the Flame Swords. The incredibly hot flames didn't harm Flame Heart in the slightest, and she pointed the sword at Yunli.
The Flame Swords surrounding her shot toward Yunli like a swarm of falling meteors, trailing crimson-gold flames and carrying a wave of destructive heat. Yunli watched this without any panic, lightly tapping the ground and leaping backward quickly.
'Unlike a solid shield, is she using sharp weapons to prevent me from getting close?' Yunli quickly figured out Flame Heart's plan.
At this moment, Flame Heart was precisely controlling dozens of Flame Swords in the air, surrounding Yunli from different angles. At the same time, she maintained a safe distance from Yunli at all times. This was her tactic. Flame Heart had already discovered that her opponent couldn't fly, and although Yunli's physical body was strong, she lacked long-range methods. By constantly kiting her from a distance to wear out Yunli's stamina, she could then find an opportunity to launch a finishing move and easily take her down.
Besides, Yunli's defense wasn't weak, so she didn't have to worry about killing her by mistake. Thinking of this, a surge of pride rose in Flame Heart's heart, and she was certain that victory was in her grasp. A confident and determined smile even tugged at the corners of her mouth.
That being said, she truly acknowledged Yunli's strength. Even if she had held back significantly, there were very few opponents who could go toe-to-toe with her, a level that countless people could only dream of reaching.
Her thoughts returned to the battlefield. At this moment, Yunli was like an agile little cat, her flexible and swift figure weaving through the buildings. No matter what direction or angle Flame Heart used to flank or ambush her, Yunli ultimately dodged them all skillfully. With such fluid movements, she didn't even seem to think during the process, daring to take the next step resolutely. It was hard to imagine this was such a young little girl.
However... this also successfully ignited her own fighting spirit. While observing Yunli's movements, a wicked smile curled on Flame Heart's red lips. While her right hand controlled the Flame Swords, another fireball quietly condensed in her left hand.
Flame Heart: "The advantage is mine!"