บท 22: In Secret
บรรณาธิการ: Yukidaruma Translations
After a month, Fang Xingjian’s Tenauer-Style Body Strengthening Sword Technique had long since maxed out at level 30. His Nine Yang Divine Sword Technique had also reached the maximum level of 20.
At the same time, his endurance attribute had slightly increased from the crazy daily battling. After all, his endurance was weak to begin with, so when it increased it would improve at a faster pace than other people’s. Reaching level 30 of the Tenauer-Style Body Strengthening Sword Technique increased the following attributes: 1 point in agility, 4 points in reaction, and 4 points in flexibility. It also allowed him to perform various maneuvers which tested the limits of the human body, just like that of a gymnast.
And because of the large increase in flexibility, he encountered fewer errors in his movements, greatly increasing the stability of his strength exertion and accuracy.
As for level 20 of the Nine Yang Divine Sword Technique, it brought him a crazy 5 point increase in strength, 5 points in agility, 4 points in endurance, plus 4 points in flexibility. Moreover, because his organs were all compressed, the explosive energy of his body had been raised significantly. His immunity, physique, and resistance against attacks had all greatly increased.
Thus, his attributes had become:
Name Fang Xingjian
Age 16
Occupation Warrior’s Squire
Level 9
Strength 25
Agility 33
Reaction 18
Endurance 16
Flexibility 23
Now he would not tire even after battling for five hours. Each of his punches could blast a hole in the wall in a quick short burst, at a speed comparable to that of a car, as if he were a human tank.
While Fang Xingjian lost out to his opponent in terms of strength, his speed was already a notch higher than Kaunitz’s. In addition, with his level 30 Grizzly Bear Sword Technique, he could already make the most of Kaunitz’s mistakes on occasion, thus defeating his opponent even when he displayed different higher quality sword techniques.
After all, the difference in abilities between the two of them was much less now. And even if the chances of them winning were currently 70 to 30, if they were to go all out, they would each win some and lose some, unlike the one-sided situation of their current battles.
However, in order to trick his opponent to display Tresia Academy’s sword techniques, Fang Xingjian kept the rhythm steady rather than defeating his opponent right away. He blocked the techniques his opponent had displayed before in their battles, and only when a new move was showed up would he pretend to lose.
With his talent in the sword arts, switching between the stances and circulating the strength in each of his attacks was all very natural to him. It was an easy feat to deceive someone like Kaunitz, who was not even a knight, nor was he experienced.
Even if Kaunitz felt suspicious at times, all Fang Xingjian had to do was provoke him.
After all this time, he was now able to discern that while Kaunitz seemed cold and haughty, he was only a sixteen-year-old youngster after all. While his sword skills were exemplary, he was very simple-minded. Most of his life this far had been devoted to sword arts.
However, after a month of consecutive losses, Fang Xingjian no longer planned to lose that day. After finishing the The School of Sword Arts’ chores in the morning, he immediately left the training grounds.
There was no other reason apart from having already learnt Chaotic Strike, Silver Moon Prayer Sword Technique, Descent of the Holy Light, and the Tresia-Style Foundation Sword Technique, all of which Kaunitz had fully displayed.
Although Kaunitz may have known other sword techniques, he had never shown them. Making countless attempts to lure him in, Fang Xingjian eventually realized that the strongest sword techniques Kaunitz knew were these four, which meant that he would not attempt to defeat Fang Xingjian with sword techniques of the same standard as the Grizzly Bear Sword Technique.
The nurturing techniques for external training were generally more basic than the nurturing techniques for internal training, which were of a higher standard. Therefore, the Nine Yang Divine Sword Technique was above the Grizzly Bear Sword Technique, and the Chaotic Strike was of a higher standard than the Eagle Sword Technique. All factions were aware of this theory.
Therefore, Fang Xingjian no longer planned to practice on the training grounds, since he could not show others the sword techniques which he planned on practicing.
‘Three more months until the Prefectural Selection.
‘As long as I obtain a Knight’s official status, I will be able to seize even more resources for my training.
‘When that time comes, even if I reveal my abilities to a greater extent, others will not be able to deal with me that easily because of the official status.’
Seeing Fang Xingjian leave after having breakfast, disappointment appeared on Second Martial Brother Lambert’s face.
‘Has he given up already? That’s true… After losing consecutively for so many days, even the strongest person would feel discouraged.
‘I must definitely not be like this.’
For the past few days, Ogden’s face had been filled with confidence. That was because he had successfully learned the first level of the Nine Yang Divine Sword Technique, and had finally comprehended its profoundness.
Practicing the Nine Yang Divine Sword Technique had already made his internal organs grow stronger.
‘Excellent, there’s three more months. As long as I manage to reach level 2 in the Nine Yang Divine Sword Technique, I will have a higher chance at the Prefectural Selection.’
Thinking about this, Ogden’s aura changed yet again, a cloud of color filling his face.
Vivian practiced alongside Kaunitz. Given Fang Xingjian’s departure, today was the first day she was using the Grizzly Bear Sword Technique to practice with Kaunitz.
However, she had merely joined The School of Sword Arts a couple of years before, and her Grizzly Bear Sword Technique was only at level 5. Because of her current understanding of the Grizzly Bear Sword Technique, Kaunitz would always defeat her in a couple of moves.
After all, Kaunitz’s attributes were much higher than Vivian’s. Both his strength and agility were around 30, while Vivian’s were around 15 at most. Like a child against an adult, no matter what move she made, it was proven useless.
In the end, Kaunitz could only carefully control his speed and agility, doing his best to stay at Vivian’s level in order to have the semblance of an exchange.
“Let’s take a break.”
Kaunitz sighed. Looking at the weak and bashful Vivian, he could not bear to say any harsh words.
Vivian had a pitiful look on her face, “Sor… Sorry, Brother Kaunitz, my skills are too lacking.”
“It’s alright. I’ll give you guidance in the afternoon.” Then, Kaunitz asked, “Right, do you know where Fang Xingjian went? It’s not easy to find such a good target.”
Vivian shook her head innocently, replying, “I don’t know. I don’t know him very well. However, since you’ve defeated him so many days in a row, he probably got scared of you?”
“Scared? He didn’t seem like it.” Kaunitz sighed, “Was I too harsh yesterday?”
After Fang Xingjian left The School of Sword Arts he went straight to the commoner district a few streets away. He went to a corner and leapt upwards. When he was midair, his foot tapped on the wall, and he instantly reached its top. Then, supporting himself with one arm, he jumped over the two-meter-high wall.
With his current physical attributes, such a thing was only too easy for him.
He raised his head and saw a burnt collapsed house filled with all sorts of rubbish. It was a house which had burnt down when a fire had broken out in the commoner district the previous year. All twelve people in it had burned to death in their sleep.
Not only did the government not care about this case, even the people in the vicinity treated it as a rubbish dump, since their death states were too horrible and because the house had burnt down completely. Moreover, no one would concern themselves with such a secluded commoner district. No one would go there.
Such a secluded place was just right for Fang Xingjian’s sword practice.
In fact, the moment when he realized that he was able to secretly learn Kaunitz’s sword techniques, he had already started keeping an eye out for such a secluded and abandoned corner, so that he would be able to practice the sword arts he had secretly acquired.
Holding the sword given to him by the old man from the fishing village, Fang Xingjian started to practice the Tresia Knight Academy’s sword techniques one by one.
The Chaotic Strike was first.
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