After spending ti with Sylphia and Baek Jimin, Aldrian then visited Zander. The mont he entered the training room, he instantly saw him still cultivating in a ditative position. His eyes were closed, and his sword intent was active, causing the swords near him to tremble slightly.
Aldrian could imdiately sense the change in Zander's cultivation and how effective his progress had beco. It was not a mistake to create this kind of environnt for Zander to cultivate, as it had truly brought out his full potential.
Aldrian then observed Zander's surroundings and noticed so new shallow slash marks on the floor. There were also several burn marks with traces of sword intent. This showed that Zander had also been training his sword techniques, and from the marks alone, Aldrian could tell that the strength behind them was powerful.
After a few minutes, the sword intent finally retracted, and a mont later, Zander opened his eyes. He took a deep breath before exhaling, but when he turned to the side and saw Aldrian, he froze.
He had not sensed that his master was already standing there at all!
He imdiately got up and bowed deeply to Aldrian.
"Master," he said.
Aldrian nodded, truly satisfied with Zander's developnt.
"As expected of the special physique," he thought.
"I can see that you've grown much stronger in a short ti. I suppose you can cultivate much more efficiently now?" he said to Zander.
Zander straightened his body.
"Yes, Master. My cultivation here is even faster than when I was in the secret realm. It's all thanks to you for providing with this kind of place," he said with reverence and gratitude.
Aldrian nodded and looked at Zander's waist, where a jian sword was already hanging.
"It looks like you've already made your choice. Do you like that sword?" Aldrian asked, and Zander understood what he ant.
He glanced at the sword on his waist and smiled as he touched it.
"Yes, Master. I just feel that this sword fits . I don't know if it's the model or the sword itself, but when I hold it, it just feels right," he said.
Aldrian nodded. If Zander said that, then this sword was truly the best for him. A sword that was compatible with its wielder could bring out far more strength than one chosen at random. Finding a sword that suits both you and your heart is not easy, and not all swordsn can feel it.
Only soone who is truly sensitive to the sword can truly tell whether it fits them or not.
Aldrian then walked closer to Zander and picked up a broadsword before moving further to the opposite side of the room.
Zander watched his master, wondering what he intended to do, until he saw Aldrian looking in his direction.
"Show everything you've got. Attack with your full strength. Don't be afraid or hold back to use your most powerful techniques," Aldrian said.
Zander was stunned for a mont, but then his expression turned solemn. His master was finally going to train him personally. He wasn't offended by Aldrian's order to go all out.
He understood clearly that no matter how powerful he was right now, he wouldn't even be able to scratch Aldrian's clothes.
He wouldn't hold anything back. He would make the most of this lesson.
He then took a stance and unsheathed his sword.
"Then, excuse , Master," he said, his eyes sharpening with focus. His mind worked quickly, searching for a way to land a hit on Aldrian, or at least cut a part of his clothes.
He analyzed Aldrian, who was wielding a broadsword. It was much heavier and longer than a jian sword.
Zander knew he was lacking in every way compared to Aldrian, but he saw this as a challenge to push beyond his limits.
"Then I'll try to use speed as my advantage," he thought.
Aldrian smiled as he watched Zander's focused expression.
A mont later, Zander moved. He launched his attack, combining it with his movent technique. He swung his sword toward Aldrian with impressive speed. For soone at his cultivation level, his movent was exceptionally fast. The movent technique called Chaotic Step, made his footwork unpredictable, as if there were no pattern at all.
However, in Aldrian's eyes, everything was clear and slow. The Chaotic Step, which seed to lack any pattern, actually followed a specific rhythm with each step. Movent techniques among swordsn were also ant to indicate when a sword cultivator was about to unleash an attack, as sword techniques were closely connected to footwork.
But for Chaotic Step, it concealed not only the next attack but also the swordsman's defensive movent. An opponent would not be able to predict the incoming strike by simply watching the footwork. And during an actual battle, there would be no ti to analyze the hidden pattern or uncover the secret behind this technique.
Ting!
Aldrian blocked Zander's attack, parrying it with his sword. Zander imdiately moved again, searching for an opening while continuing his assault. He used his movent technique, combining it skillfully with his swordsmanship to strike at various parts of Aldrian's body.
Thing! Tang! Thang!
Despite the relentless attacks, Aldrian stood still without moving an inch from his position. He used only the sword in his hand to block every strike, and he had been using just one hand the entire ti. Even when Zander tried to attack from behind, Aldrian effortlessly redirected his sword to his back, blocking every blow with precise timing.
Despite wielding a broadsword, Aldrian could swing it effortlessly, as if it were a jian, light and easy to handle.
After more than twenty seconds of nonstop attacks, Zander had already aid at every part of Aldrian's body. Yet not a single strike had landed, not even a touch on his master's clothes.
He had expected this outco, but it still frustrated him. He could not even leave a small cut.
Determined, he decided to use one of his sword techniques. He leapt back, putting a slight distance between himself and Aldrian.
teorite Slash!
As Zander swung his sword, flas suddenly engulfed the blade and a blazing wave shot forward at high speed. The flas then shifted in form, taking the shape of several burning orbs, like teorites crashing down from the sky.
Aldrian, who looked at this, nodded in praise of its power, which could injure even a peak Earl stage cultivator. But he simply swung his sword and instantly cut through the incoming fla, destroying it in an instant.
However, another attack was already upon him. A sudden burst of fla surged forward like a flare, fierce enough to fatally wound or even kill soone at the peak of the Earl stage.
Aldrian raised his eyebrows, impressed that Zander could unleash such consecutive attacks. He could not help but feel a bit amazed. With swift and precise movents, he swung his sword several tis, cutting through the flare and destroying it completely.
Seeing that even his strongest consecutive attacks had failed, Zander gritted his teeth. His body was beginning to strain, and pain spread through his arm as though he had been training for hours. His breathing had grown uneven, and fatigue was quickly setting in.
Yet his master had not even used any energy. Aldrian relied only on the raw strength of his sword swings to destroy every technique and block every strike. The gap between them truly felt like between heaven and earth.
He wanted to move and attack again, but before he could make a move, Aldrian's voice stopped him.
"Alright, that's enough. I've already seen your current level, and I have to say, you actually surprised ."
Aldrian was not lying, nor was he trying to console Zander. He was genuinely surprised by the techniques Zander had displayed, especially the consecutive attacks using two different techniques. That was not sothing easy to do, as it required him to quickly shift the flow of energy into a different pattern.
This kind of trick placed a burden on the body and could waste energy in the process. That was why it often caused cultivators to tire more quickly, just as Zander was experiencing now. In addition, the second technique could lack power due to an imperfect release, caused by unstable or chaotic energy flow.
Only cultivators who were already accustod to such trick and possessed strong bodies could perform them effectively. Yet from what Aldrian observed, Zander had not been using this trick for long, and he could already execute it with near perfection, without significantly weakening his second technique.
Beyond that, Zander's battle instincts were quite sharp, perhaps shaped by his past experiences adventuring with adventurers.
Zander let out a sigh as he heard Aldrian call an end to the sparring session, then sheathed his sword.
"You're truly skilled in your sword attacks," Aldrian said, "but pay attention to your gaze. Don't make it obvious which part you intend to strike. Every ti you attack, your eyes are always fixed on your target. Instead, you should…" Aldrian continued, explaining what Zander lacked and what he needed to improve.
Zander listened carefully, ntally noting each of Aldrian's critiques and suggestions.
Once Aldrian had finished pointing out everything Zander needed to work on, Zander bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for your guidance, Master. I will work hard to correct my shortcomings and overco my weaknesses," he said.
Aldrian responded with a nod.
"Good. Keep working hard, and I hope that the next ti I visit, you'll have improved greatly compared to now," he said.
But hearing Aldrian's words left Zander confused.
"Master, are you going sowhere? It sounds like you're going on a long journey and won't return for quite so ti," Zander asked.
Aldrian smiled.
"Well, it could be long or it could be short. It truly depends on the situation. That's why you should make the most of this opportunity while you can," he said as he walked toward the exit.
"Good luck, my disciple," he said one last ti.
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