I dug up the magical girl's corpse.

Chapter 86 Secret

Chen Mu didn't say anything, but simply clapped softly in response to the sounds around him.

Every magical girl has her own path to growth, every mentor has her own teaching methods, and every teacher-student pair has their own destiny.

He had neither the interest nor the obligation to say much; simply reminding others that fulfilling his duty of friendship was enough.

Furthermore, although Yulan's approach was reckless, it wasn't wrong. Her plan was reasonable. Although she sacrificed future development, she gained unconditional suppression at the [Seed] level in the short term. Almost no one could defeat the Gem Body at this stage. Therefore, she could use this clever method to ensure her victory.

Winning the championship and gaining sufficient exposure will provide resources and connections for future development, leading to completely different treatment as a seeded player.

In this way, what was sacrificed can be fully compensated, so it's not too bad, and there might even be a profit.

From this perspective, Yulan's plan is sound...

"That is, assuming they can win."

So, Chen Mu turned to Lin Yongxi, who was standing to the side:

"Now, you can start thinking about how to defeat this imaginary body."

"Ah...ah?"

Lin Yongxi looked embarrassed and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

She does indeed have some psychological trauma regarding the [Gemstone Body], and her experience fighting Kapok last time left her with lingering fear.

Completely overwhelmed, the overwhelming difference in strength made her feel there was no chance of victory. Her [Instant Light], unleashing its maximum power, only managed to pierce a small portion of Garnet's body, failing to kill Kapok. Kapok got up and punched her away. After that, Lin Yongxi had no idea what had happened.

I don't know how my brother-in-law finally killed the kapok tree. When I woke up and asked him, he wouldn't say anything...

In short, Lin Yongxi was worried that even her most powerful magic might not be able to defeat Duan Zhiyao's [illusory body].

This is indeed an extremely difficult secret weapon to deal with, and now I understand why they are so confident in winning the championship.

"Haha, I told you it would be easy, right?"

Before he was seen, his voice was heard. Duan Zhiyao, who had won the victory, walked over amidst cheers.

After her victory, she generously accepted interviews from reporters and interacted with the audience before leaving the stage. Her naturally cheerful and enthusiastic personality made her far more likable than the perpetually silent and aloof Lin Yongxi. It seems she's quite clever, knowing how to leverage the audience she's attracted over the past few days to boost her popularity.

However, it's also possible that she's overthinking things, or perhaps the girl simply hasn't thought that much about it. She proudly showed off to Yulan, who praised her repeatedly.

"Okay, okay, I just wanted you to keep this hidden until the final match. Are you really confident you can withstand that spotlight?"

"Of course!"

Duan Zhiyao smiled and said, her eyes lighting up when she saw Lin Yongxi sitting to the side, "What a coincidence, you're here too! Come on, I have something to say to you privately!"

"Wait, wait!" Lin Yongxi didn't even have time to refuse before she was half-pushed and half-pulled away, her mind still in a daze.

Doesn't this guy have any sense of being an opponent? The fight is starting in just one more day!

Duan Zhiyao pulled her to the depths of the contestants' passage, to a secluded corner where no one passed by and it was very quiet.

She craned her neck to take a closer look and confirmed that the two elders had not followed.

"What are you trying to say?"

Lin Yongxi finally found an opportunity to release her hand and asked in confusion.

I don't know, what is it that you have to avoid talking about in front of them? It can't be just ordinary gossip among best friends, right?

"We definitely have to avoid them, otherwise if Sister Yulan hears us, she'll be furious."

Duan Zhiyao finally turned her head. Although she was smiling, she said something that greatly surprised Lin Yongxi:

"Axi, I can teach you the secret techniques of the [Imaginary Body], would you like to learn?"

"W-what?!"

Lin Yongxi was so startled she almost stammered, and quickly asked, "What do you mean?"

"Of course, it means exactly what it says." Duan Zhiyao continued to smile, as if she were talking about something very simple and ordinary, like "Did you do your homework last night? If not, I'll let you copy it." "This technique isn't as difficult as you might think. As long as you follow the book, you can learn it even in one night. With your talent, it shouldn't be hard for you."

"No, that's not what I'm asking..."

Lin Yongxi quickly reached out his hand, afraid that if he didn't stop her, the girl would reveal the details in the next second:

"What I want to ask is, why did you do this? We're opponents in the finals, aren't you putting yourself at a disadvantage by helping me like this?"

She couldn't understand Duan Zhiyao's thought process.

She had just considered what Duan Zhiyao might be planning by pulling her aside to a secluded spot. Perhaps he wanted to sabotage her team before anyone saw her, weakening them before the finals—well, probably not that bad. Or maybe he wanted to bribe her to throw the match. She'd even considered whether Duan Zhiyao was going to confess his feelings, and she'd prepared her rejection lines in advance…

I never expected such explosive words; they are even more outrageous than all my previous imaginations combined!

"And besides, this is a very secret thing, isn't it? If you secretly teach it to me, your teacher will be furious!"

"I know."

Duan Zhiyao was unable to speak because her mouth was gagged. She finally managed to remove Lin Yongxi's hand and looked helplessly at her older sister who was very flustered.

Her expression was very solemn: "I know, I know you're very powerful, Ah Xi. Once you learn the [Imaginary Body], my biggest advantage will be gone, and I'll likely lose. Sister Yulan might be furious and even punish me, but I still want to do it. This is my own choice, do you understand?"

"I do not understand……"

Lin Yongxi certainly didn't understand. They had only known each other for a few days. Even if they had become friends, they hadn't reached the point of entrusting each other with each other, had they?

"Because I don't want to win that way."

Duan Zhiyao finally spoke her mind. Their eyes met, but they saw completely different emotions: "I participated in the competition a year later than the magical girls who awakened at the same time. I said I was taking a year to reflect, but I know in my heart that was just taking a shortcut. Although it doesn't violate the rules like the [Imaginary Body], I always feel empty inside."

"Speaking of the 'imaginary body,' haha, with such a technique, no opponent can withstand more than a few moves from me. They usually give up after just one hit. This has been the case in both previous training matches and the three official matches. You saw it just now, didn't you? I didn't get any enjoyment from the fight. How can this be considered a real battle? I... crave a real fight."

"So, Ah Xi, only you have the chance, only you have the ability and talent to grant my wish in the finals."

She stared into Lin Yongxi's eyes, her pupils seeming to burn with flames.

"I'll give you the method for creating a [virtual body], so we can start on the same footing and have a real battle, how about it?"