Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 60: A Blade Tempered a Thousand Times

“This girl… is she sulking with herself again?”

Watching the golden-haired girl disappear into the meditation room, Xia Ya let out a sigh.

He liked to think he was pretty good at reading people, but Ailora had always been his blind spot.

Stubborn, single-minded, and driven by instinct—her very nature made her impossible to predict.

Unobservable, unfathomable. The moment you tried to figure her out, you were already wrong. The moment you put it into words, you had already misunderstood.

She was, without a doubt, the natural enemy of a rational thinker like Xia Ya.

After all, rational types needed clues and logical deduction to form conclusions.

Intuitive types, on the other hand, only needed "I just feel it." They arrived at conclusions first and figured out the reasoning later.

Otherwise, how else could Ailora have busted him over Diris time and time again? And every single time, she had caught him from the most unexpected, bizarre angles.

“Chi Hong, Chi Hong, your progress is really something. Even Xiao Ai got rattled.”

“Mi!”

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A small crimson wisp quietly materialized in the air before Xia Ya.

It seemed to have sensed that he was praising it.

Through their Soul Pact, Xia Ya could feel the joy radiating from Chi Hong’s Star-Spirit Body.

Before forming a contract with Xia Ya, Little Argent Spirit had never imagined that its young master would bring it such rapid growth.

And the biggest change was—

The Tainted Aura that had once invaded its Star-Spirit Core, constantly eroding its Soul Essence and severely stunting its growth—had now been suppressed.

The Tainted Blood had long since fused with its Star-Spirit Body, becoming an inseparable part of its essence. It couldn’t be completely purged—otherwise, its very soul would suffer severe damage.

But Xia Ya, as a Master of Illusions, had extensive experience dealing with Evil God Corruption. He had even successfully hypnotized and suppressed Sylvia, who carried a fragment of Twilight’s Half-Body.

Something as minor as Twilight Corruption Residue on Chi Hong? Child’s play.

With Tsukuyomi, he easily put Chi Hong’s Tainted Blood into an eternal slumber, preventing it from interfering with its growth.

And once that lifelong shackle was removed—

Chi Hong’s growth speed could only be described as explosive.

Xia Ya’s gaze swept over Chi Hong’s status panel.

【Species Name: Argent Spirit (Twilight Erosion State)】

【Category: Abyss-born, Corrupted】

【Attributes: Metal, Darkness, Sword】

【Stage: Growth Phase】

【Soul Pact Status: Third Soul Pact (Master-Servant Contract: Xia Ya Egut)】

【Combat Level: 33 (Third-Ring)】

【Species Rank: High-Tier Monarch (Fourth-Ring)】

【Skills: Tainted Blood (Perfect), Darkborn (Perfect), Slash (Transcendent Mastery), Sword Bones (Perfect), Bloodburn (Perfect), Monarch’s Heart (Perfect)】

After over a month of intensive training and refinement, Chi Hong’s status panel had undergone a complete transformation.

This was the result of true slow and steady growth.

Xia Ya had drained his remaining Rhine Gold Coins to purchase a massive supply of Metal-attribute Transcendent Materials, sparing no expense on its development.

And within just two months, Chi Hong had broken through Commander-Tier and reached Third-Ring.

Its growth stage had also advanced, keeping pace with Shiny, Silver, and Xia Ya himself.

For most summoned beasts, such a sudden leap in power—skipping entire tiers—would lead to instability. They wouldn’t be able to adapt to their newfound strength, causing their combat techniques to become clumsy, turning them into flashy but ineffective glass cannons.

But Chi Hong was different.

Even in its weakest days, its seemingly futile, self-deceptive thousands of sword swings had forged within it an unparalleled level of skill and control.

Even now, after ascending to Third-Ring, its precision hadn’t dulled in the slightest. If anything, it had only grown stronger.

It had once shaped itself into a steel embryo while weak.

Then, through endless hammering and refinement, it had gradually purged its imperfections.

Through a thousand trials and tribulations, day by day, drop by drop—

At last, it had honed itself into an indestructible blade.

Furthermore, its skill proficiencies had reached a qualitative breakthrough.

Xia Ya had poured every last drop of his accumulated Free EXP from past quests into Chi Hong.

As a result, every single one of its skills had reached Perfect Mastery.

And the hidden power unlocked through skill mastery was far more terrifying than what its status panel revealed.

What it had displayed in its training match against Ailora was merely the tip of the iceberg.

This level of all-in development had even left Shiny and Silver envious to the point of spiritual collapse.

After all, both of them still had a bunch of mediocre skills stuck at “Proficient” or “Expert,” waiting for skill points that never came.

Meanwhile, Chi Hong, who had just joined two months ago, had already maxed out every single skill?

So in the end… was a Childhood Friend really no match for a Fated Encounter?

Even so, Shiny and Silver understood—Xia Ya’s favoritism wasn’t without reason.

Chi Hong’s unique skill set would be critical in the final act of the Historical Echo of the Cangting Ancient Kingdom.

“Chi Hong, this time, it’s all on you.”

“Mi mi mi~ (Leave it to me, Master!)”

The fiery-red Star-Spirit Wisp trembled with determination.

Through their Soul Pact, Xia Ya could feel its unwavering resolve.

Despite being the newest addition to the team, it had received an unprecedented level of investment and trust.

And so, it absolutely could not fail to live up to its master’s expectations.

Xia Ya reached up to pat the little red wisp on his shoulder, about to speak, when he suddenly felt a slight shift in his mental energy.

In an instant, Blink activated—Xia Ya’s figure disappeared silently and reappeared at the manor’s front gate.

Outside the estate, on the streets of Black Lily District, a man in a military officer’s uniform was approaching at a steady pace.

His features were composed, his expression calm and resolute.

“Lieutenant Colonel Zieg, what brings you here?”

Noticing Xia Ya’s sudden appearance, Lieutenant Colonel Zieg turned to face him.

Striding forward, his usually firm and stoic face broke into a grin.

“Haha.”

“I’m here on behalf of the Military Department, to personally visit and commend the great hero who recently shattered the Ashen Order’s conspiracy and saved Saint Roland Academy.”

With open arms, Zieg pulled Xia Ya into a firm embrace.

And in that moment, as their bodies crossed—

A barely audible whisper brushed against Xia Ya’s ear.

“The things you requested—”

“His Highness had me bring them to you.”