Chương 33: The Final Variant [Pt 1]

Within the shrine of the Sect Leader, two figures could be seen conversing with each other. They had concerned expressions on their faces—especially the man.

He had a very sad expression on his face, and it was directed toward his Master—the Sect Leader. He had a lot bottled up in his heart, but he could only utter one question.

"You're really going to go ahead with this, aren't you?"

For a moment, silence pervaded the room. Since they both sat opposite each other, their gazes met for a ew seconds before the man looked away.

"I have to…" The Sword Saint whispered gently. Her face seemed a little pale, but her gentle smile made up for it.

"I understand. I respect your decision." The man sighed, slowly rising to his feet. His expression still appeared troubled, but he held it in quite well. "I should go now. It seems your disciple is almost here."

With that, he slowly walked away. A solemn atmosphere erupted as his gentle steps traversed the wooden tiles that covered the hallway.

"Yisheng… wait." The Sword Saint suddenly called.

The man, Yisheng, turned to look at her. Of course, the person he saw was a male—the ideal image of who the Sword Saint had to be.

"Thank you." She, no, he, smiled at Yisheng, exuding a genuinely grateful demeanor. He even bowed his head in thanks.

"A-ah, please don't, Sword Saint. I am only a mere physician."

"And also my friend."

"You raised me ever since I was little. I owe you my life." He responded quickly. "I am honored you consider me your friend."

For a moment, they both stared at each other, with smiles written on their faces. After a moment of silence, Yisheng turned away again.

"I have to go now."

He walked out, leaving the Sword Saint sighing to herself in something one could only describe as guilt. 'I call you friend, yet even you do not know my true appearance. It is indeed…'

******

Liu rushed up the mountain, refusing to take even a second to rest. In the past, it took him a great deal of time to climb to the peak, but he could effortlessly achieve the same within mere minutes now.

His current state put his past self to shame.

'And I'll keep getting even stronger!'

In no time, he reached the top of the mountain, only to meet Yisheng coming out of the Sect Leader's Shrine. Surprise instantly coursed through him, but before he could say anything, he succumbed to courtesy.

As was customary to do, Liu bowed to greet Yisheng.

"Good evening, Liu. How did your fight with Cu Ren go?" Yisheng, as usual, had a very gentle tone to his voice. "Did you win?"

"Yes, I did. I came to tell Master the good news." He responded with a smile.

"Ah, is that so? Well, congratulations. The Sect Leader is inside, so you can go ahead."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yisheng bowed slightly and began to make his way down the mountain. Liu watched the Sect's chief physician's thin frame, wondering how he would be able to get down so easily.

'How did he even get up, to begin with?' Liu had never seen Yisheng fight, so he couldn't attest to his skill, but Cu Ren had told him of his weak constitution every time.

Apparently, Yisheng couldn't use Martial Arts. If so, how did he get to this place without assistance. How would he get down?

'Hmm… it doesn't seem like he's struggling, though. Maybe Cu Ren exaggerated a little.' Liu decided to set aside his curiousity and simply attend to the reason he climbed up the mountain to begin with.

'I wonder what he came up here to discuss with ther, though…'

*****

"Really? You won? That's great, Liu!"

Yui's cheeks were flushed with pink, and it seemed like she was genuinely happy about Liu's victory in his duel with Cu Ren. Perhaps that went to show how impressive the feat was.

"Why do you look so surprised? I am your disciple, aren't I?"

"Y-yeah, that's true. But still… its amazing that you were able to do so at such a young age." She retorted, still maintaining her surprise.

"As you instructed, I didn't use [Swordcraft]. I guess I didn't really need it."

"There wasn't a time when you wish you could use it?" Yui asked, her alluring eyes narrowing to capture his.

"W-well, I mean… I always want to use it, you know?" Using Swordcraft reminded him of the Sword Saint.

It was the evidence of the unbreakable bond they shared. It was precious to him, yet he longed to always indulge in it. Unfortunately, Yui forbade the use of her secret technique beyond her premises. She also had to supervise his utilization of the techniques.

"Is that so? Well, maybe I'll consider it once you're done mastering it."

It had been nearly five years since he started learning this technique. The training was hell, and he genuinely thought he would die so many times.

Yui was a different person when she trained him Spelcraft. Her kindness was replaced with brutality, and her laughs faded into stern expectations. He could have gotten crushed under the pressure so many times.

However, his strong desire to impress her—to please her—allowed him to endure the training and arrive at his current precipice.

"You've just about mastered the first eight variants up to about sixty percent. Since that's the passing criteria, I'll be teaching you the final one."

Yes, that was the deal.

It was impossible for him to learn and master everything in just five years. As a result, he and his teacher reached a compromise. If he could learn a form beyond the average level—that is, fifty percent—he could move to the next level.

In the end, they settled for sixty percent.

"Alright, then, Liu. Tell me the 'Variants' you've learned thus far."

"[Ascension], [Meditation], [Intersection], [Fragmentation], [Erosion], [Consumption], [Eruption], and [Projection]." He said almost instantly.

"Indeed. Now it is time for your final lesson on Swordcraft." Yui smiled, raising her index finger as she spoke.

"[Conclusion]."