Following the end of the Claw Mark and Black Ash Dawn attacks in Fangting City, the lives of the magical girls returned to their previous routine.
Driving away Remnant Beasts, training, learning, and occasional playtime, the girls' summer vacation went by in this manner for the most part.
However, for Emerald Sparrow, these days were actually anything but easy.
Although she had successfully resigned, it also meant that she was fully devoted to the training of several new magical girls, and her life did not become any easier for it.
The white magic power Lin Xiaolu had used in the previous battle, according to her own account as well as those of Xia Liang and Bai Jingxuan, seemed to have a more potent destructive capability than ordinary magic power. The origin of this destructive power was unclear, but it was effective enough to easily harm Remnant Beasts that Xia Liang, at the bud level, couldn't even scratch.
For this special type of magic power, Emerald Sparrow and Hong Siyu both agreed: Lin Xiaolu was a deviant.
Deviant magic power inherently possesses special properties, and the nature of these properties differs from one individual to another. In Lin Xiaolu's case, it was penetration power or destructive power—both were quite possible.
And the reason they say "quite possible" is that, to this day, Emerald Sparrow has never seen that so-called white magic power.
Because Lin Xiaolu can't use it anymore.
By her own description, she "has no feeling," "has no state," and indeed, no matter how hard Lin Xiaolu tried, she has never again been able to use that white magic power.
This was undeniably a rather tricky issue.
Deviants were exceedingly rare in existence, and regarding such a constitution, Emerald Sparrow actually knew very little, unable to directly identify the obstacle Lin Xiaolu faced.
Therefore, she could only resort to the most primitive, yet most solid method—controlling variables.
Based on the scenarios in which Lin Xiaolu managed to use this type of magic power and the factors in those scenarios that could have influenced her, they tested them one by one.
The only problem was that because the scenarios at that time were too complex and the possible conditions so numerous, they still had not identified any results.
Beyond Lin Xiaolu, the person into whom Emerald Sparrow had put the most effort recently was Bai Jingxuan's special training.
As a very standard deviant, Bai Jingxuan's performance was actually much more satisfactory than Lin Xiaolu's, and her development of the nature of magic power was also very smooth.
Based on tests done over this period, Bai Jingxuan's green magic power displayed properties that were not just as simple as healing physical injuries; with long-term exposure, it even nurtured one's essence to a certain extent.
In the battle at the orphanage, Xia Liang's injuries had in fact slightly affected his essence, but with the help of Bai Jingxuan, it gradually healed, leaving him with no serious issues.
To Emerald Sparrow's knowledge, not even typical spell techniques could bring about such outrageous effects, and spell techniques that could act upon essence were extremely high-level existences, hardly accessible to most people. Even if someone managed to learn them, the effects wouldn't be superior to Bai Jingxuan's pure magic property.
The only pity was that it was of no use to Emerald Sparrow's old wounds.
Emerald Sparrow had no intention of mentioning her old wounds to the girls because even if they were aware, it would only cause them unnecessary concern. However, whenever she was with Bai Jingxuan, helping her research her magic property, Emerald Sparrow would always try to channel a part of it to see if it could influence her Heart's Gem.
The fact was, it had no effect, or perhaps the effect was so minuscule that it was imperceptible.
Still, there was no doubt that such a magic property also had immense value.
Even within the Magic Kingdom, such a magic property would undoubtedly garner interest from many, and if Bai Jingxuan were to go there now, she would probably receive invitations from various forces, even if it were just to research and utilize her magic property.
Yet, as the days of association grew longer, Emerald Sparrow gradually realized that Bai Jingxuan, this child, was indeed not as ordinary as she appeared on the surface.
It wasn't just because of her ability with special properties, but rather because of her temperament.
Just as Emerald Sparrow had vaguely sensed before, in subsequent direct confrontations with Remnant Beasts, Bai Jingxuan lost control.
Even in the presence of teammates, she completely disregarded the potential harm she might suffer and attacked the Remnant Beasts with a brutal, damage-for-damage fighting style.
If it were not for Emerald Sparrow intercepting her in time, Bai Jingxuan might have easily injured herself against an adversary that posed no real threat.
If it were only this, it could still be manageable, but the bigger issue was that the child was utterly unaware of the dangers of her combat style.
Just as she appeared serene and sensible in everyday life, her mind remained clear, even calm, during battles. And this "damage-for-damage" dangerous combat style was the conclusion she had reached after thoughtful decision-making.
She hadn't been blinded by hatred or had her thinking affected by rage; she simply believed it was the right way to fight and acted accordingly.
In fact, when Emerald Sparrow, who was watching, intervened and stopped her, Bai Jingxuan looked at her with curiosity, asking, "Teacher, do you see anything wrong with this?"
When asked about her reason for doing so, she replied, "Because I feel this is the fastest way to eliminate the Remnant Beasts."
This left Emerald Sparrow at a loss for words, unsure of how to correct her. In the end, she could only sigh, effortlessly dispatch the struggling egg-level Remnant Beast, and took Bai Jingxuan back to the training ground for an in-depth discussion.