Kalzara
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Chapter 52: Headless Training Dummies
🕑 Added 2023-11-27 22:00:03 +0000 UTCSitting cross-legged in his courtyard next to a serene pond, Slifer was deep in thought, his brow furrowed in concentration. He had set the plans for the Disciplinary Hall into motion, as for the daily matters, they could be handled by Fred, Slifer had a more pressing concern on his mind.
Either the System can see the future, or it’s great at manipulating events. More likely, it’s both.
Ever since he entered this world, Slifer had felt like a puppet, its strings pulled by the System. He had learned a few techniques to decrease his reliance on the System and focused on increasing his cultivation, but he felt that wasn’t enough. He felt confident facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator without any assistance from the System, but that confidence didn’t extend to Core Formation cultivators.
“The Dimensional Slide technique is useful if I need to escape, but I can’t rely on it too much,” he muttered, his gaze drifting across the tranquil water of the pond.
Escaping could only be a last resort; such an action would break the Supreme Elder façade he had...accidentally created. More importantly, techniques that have a chance of failing couldn’t be depended on, it honestly wouldn’t surprise him if it failed him when he most needed it.
Skills…techniques.
Slifer had long since noticed that the System categorised some abilities as skills and others as techniques. Initially, he didn’t pay much attention to it but after some experimentation, he was able to figure out the difference between the two.
Skills, like cards, did not rely on Slifer at all, whether that be his qi capacity or comprehension of the skill, it had total reliance on the System. On the other hand, techniques relied wholly on Slifer, if his understanding or qi capacity were lacking, he would be unable to perform the technique.
Even if I use the System to level up a technique, I gain the knowledge to use it without its help.
Each time Slifer activated a skill, he felt his body following the will of the System allowing him to perform the skill. I could use this experience as a guide to comprehend the skill until the System recognised it as a technique, he thought. It’s like learning to ride a bike with training wheels and then without them.
Let’s see which skill to test this out on.
Status!
Name: Slifer
Race: Human
Alignment: Demonic
Cultivation: Late Foundation Establishment
Lifespan Remaining: 100 Years
Karmic Credits: 4300
Skills: Firebreath, Insight (Intermediate), Mirror Mastery (Level 2), Nascent Soul Armour (Level 1), Phase Ability (Level 1),
Items: Reversal Cards, Peak Slifer Card, Peak Slifer Aura Card, Another Face Card, Avatar Card, Caelum Card
Affinities: Light: 20% Fire: 5% Space: 5%
Techniques: Sunrise Slash (Level 2), Stellar Nova Strike (Level 1), Dimensional Slide (Level 2)
Weapon Mastery: Sword: 5%
The phase ability was an extremely useful defensive skill that he would need to convert into a technique one day, however, with his comprehension of space being only at 5%, that day was far away.
One skill stood out to him – the Nascent Soul Armour card. Though it only lasts ten seconds, it would be enough to kill any Core Formation cultivator, maybe even an Early Nascent Soul cultivator if I caught them off guard.
For higher-level cultivators, he had to be more cautious. For now, I’ll rely on the System’s cards and make… smarter choices to avoid trouble. He shook his head, smiling ruefully. It seems I’m often cleaning up after my disciples' messes or dealing with issues left by the original Slifer.
Just as he was about to dismiss the blue box, he remembered the new card he had acquired, the Caelum Card.
Wait a minute, my ‘theory’ should apply to cards too, especially one that imitates a Core Formation cultivator’s technique.
Slifer decided to activate the Caelum Card, the ability to use any of his disciple’s techniques intrigued him, it could come in handy, especially when his disciples grew more powerful.
Name: Caelum
Realm: Late Core Formation
Known Techniques: Serenity’s Embrace, Nine Celestial Phantoms, Sunrise Slash, Thorned Lash, Valor's Crimson Surge
Known Affiliations: Black Rose Sect
Disposition: N/A
Pick A Technique
Well, I’m glad the System automatically converted Caelum’s demonic techniques into their righteous version. Slifer had been worried that using his disciple’s techniques would result in the System penalising him, in that case, he would only use it as a last resort and not for training.
But many of Caelum’s techniques rely on his sword’s abilities, would the technique work without a weapon? Even though Slifer rarely needed a weapon, he did have one, the Skyfade Emerald Blade. However, since his blade was usually in his storage ring, activating the technique without it would reduce a step, and a single second could be the difference between life and death.
“Let’s try a technique he received after breaking through to the Sword Soul realm,” Slifer was hoping using such a technique would give him an insight into the sword realm three ranks higher than his own. Who knows, he might even experience a breakthrough.
“Valor's Crimson Surge.”
Slifer closed his eyes, feeling the Card activate. Sword qi coursed through his meridians, and with a slashing motion, a small stream of white qi burst forward. The qi grew rapidly as it travelled, swelling to the size of a house by the time it reached the training dummy. In an instant, the massive wave of qi obliterated the dummy.
Training dummies were enchanted with runes, depending on the option selected, they would simulate cultivators. Better yet, unlike cultivators, these dummies were able to regenerate. This particular dummy was set to the level of a Peak Core Formation cultivator; however, the overwhelming power of the attack left no room for regeneration.
“…”
Slifer's eyes widened in awe at the sheer destructive power of the technique. The fact that one of Caelum’s techniques could surpass an Early Nascent Soul attack shocked him. In the novels he had read, fighting across a major realm seemed as easy as a seasoned warrior swatting away a bothersome fly, but reality was far different. Only with exceptional advantages, such as the Sword Soul realm, could such a feat be feasible.
“Focus on how it felt.”
Once again, Slifer closed his eyes, he recalled the surge of sword qi appearing within him. He focused on how the qi was compressed within his meridians, building pressure like water in a tightly sealed pipe. The intensity continued to increase until it was near bursting point. Then, once released, it rushed out with immense force, expanding rapidly as it left the confines of his body. The qi then ballooned in size as it moved, like water gushing from a burst pipe, gaining momentum and power, until it reached the Nascent Soul realm.
This mental exercise helped Slifer understand the technique's nature - controlling the buildup of energy and then skilfully releasing it for maximum impact by the time it reached its target.
Sword Mastery Increased By 10%
10%? Slifer knew that progress would only be slower as he continued to use the same method, but it would be many times faster than learning it the normal way.
Ding!
Caelum Card Locked For 24 Hours
“If there was no limit, I could probably breakthrough to Sword Soul Realm in a day or two,” Slifer sighed.
Ding!
Congratulations On Your Breakthrough To Sword Qi Realm
Reward: 100 Karmic Credits
“Sword Qi Realm?”
The Sword Qi Realm was the second stage of sword cultivation.
Once a practitioner refined their Sword Intent up to a certain level, they were able to condense it into tangible Sword Qi. This energy could then be channelled through a sword to enhance techniques. Previously, Slifer had used Light Qi, as a substitute for Sword Qi, for his Nova Strike technique but now he had the real deal.
With a wave of his hand, a blade materialised from the storage ring, Slifer extended his hand and caught it effortlessly mid-air. Gripping the hilt firmly, he channelled his qi into the blade, the Skyfade Emerald Blade hummed happily in response.
Slifer turned his attention to a training dummy positioned around twenty feet away and made a casual slashing motion. The sword qi burst forth, a visible streak of energy slicing through the air. It moved with such speed and precision that it seemed to blur the space between Slifer and the dummy. In a blink, the dummy's head was cleanly severed, falling to the ground with a dull thud, while the body remained upright for a moment before toppling over.
With Sword Qi enhancing my strike, I can take down an Early Core Formation cultivator, Slifer nodded in approval. And that's all without relying on the System!
His gaze shifted to the decapitated training dummy as it regenerated before his eyes.
A perfect training partner, Slifer mused.
Shaking his head, Slifer focused on a skill that could enhance his offence, defence, and agility!
“Nascent Soul Armour.”
A smoky armour wrapped around him like a protective cloak.
Closing his eyes, Slifer tuned into his spiritual sense. He could feel the qi coursing through his body, weaving an intricate pattern that formed the armour around him. But as the armour began to fracture and weaken, Slifer’s eyes snapped open.
In a blur, he moved, appearing in front of a training dummy. With a swift, powerful punch aimed at its head, the dummy's head shattered, wooden shards flying in all directions.
Watching the remnants of the armour dissipate, Slifer nodded in approval. "Impressive."
Ding!
Nascent Soul Armour Skill Locked For 24 Hours
Closing his eyes again, Slifer tried to recall the sensation of the qi moving through his body. He attempted to mimic it, envisioning the Nascent Soul Armour forming around him. Hints of the armour started to appear, bringing a smile to his face. But his smile quickly faltered as the armour disintegrated almost immediately.
A wave of fatigue washed over him. I was right. My body isn’t strong enough to sustain the technique without the System's aid. When activated through the System, it offers protection, but only for a limited time.
"I need to strengthen my body further."
Ding!
Nascent Soul Armour Level 0 (10%)
Hmm, 10% after one attempt, not too bad. Slifer nodded. Once the technique reached level 1, he would be able to use it for 10 seconds before it strained his body.
Forget about level 1, I want to go straight to level 2, Slifer thought. The difference between the two levels was not the power of the technique but the duration. All he had to do was make a few breakthroughs in Body Cultivation and practice, shouldn’t be too difficult, right?
"Time to put the title of Supreme Elder to use!" Slifer grinned as his thoughts turned to the sect’s resources.
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