CHAPTER 56: THE TRAINING ROOM

Leaning forward on his toes, Derek charged ahead, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. ’Win or lose, let’s see how far I can push him,’ he thought mid-charge.

As he closed the distance, Derek arced his arm, ready to unleash a slash.

The man moved as well, taking a casual stance to block the strike, but at the last moment, Derek bent low and leaped off the ground, bringing his sword down from above in a powerful overhead slash.

The man was caught off guard for an instant but recovered swiftly, raising his weapon to block Derek’s attack with ease. An amused smile spread across his face.

Derek landed smoothly, but before he could regain full balance, the man thrust his sword forward, aiming straight for Derek’s chest.

Reacting quickly, Derek twisted his wrist, using his blade to deflect the incoming strike. The tip of the man’s sword scraped along the length of Derek’s blade, sending a sharp metallic hiss echoing through the air.

The man remained standing where he was, calm and composed, while Derek leaped back to create some distance. A glint of excitement flickered in the man’s eyes. ’Oh ho ho... finally, I found something interesting,’ he thought, a faint smile curling his lips.

Meanwhile, Derek frowned in confusion. ’Why isn’t he using his full power? He hasn’t even released his aura,’ he wondered. From their previous exchanges, it was clear to him that the man hadn’t drawn upon the strength of his cultivation base at all.

Noticing Derek’s puzzled expression, the man seemed to catch on immediately and let out a low chuckle. "Your cultivation base is at the E-Class level now," he said casually. "So I’ve suppressed mine to match yours. As for my aura... I’m not trying to defeat you. I want to see your swordsmanship. I want to know just how skilled someone who claims to love wielding swords really is."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sharpening before he continued, "And I must say... You haven’t disappointed me so far. You’re good... really good. So stop holding back. Go all out. The more you impress me, the better your chances of improving here in the academy without any restrictions."

A bright, eager smile spread across his face, his tone brimming with anticipation. He was clearly looking forward to the spar that was about to begin.

Derek rolled his wrist, the sword glinting sharply under the light. "If that’s what you want," he said calmly. With that, he charged forward once more.

The man only shrugged and stepped ahead to meet him.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Their blades collided again and again, each impact scattering sparks through the air. The man unleashed everything he had, every feint he’d practiced, every technique he had mastered through countless battles. But Derek deflected them all with flawless precision.

What was even more shocking was that, at times, the man himself felt pressured under Derek’s relentless assault. As the exchange went on, his eyes widened with disbelief.

Then came the final clash. Both of them swung their swords in perfect sync, their blades meeting in a horizontal strike. The shockwave sent Derek skidding backward nearly ten meters, while the man staggered several steps before regaining his balance.

"He... He’s going toe to toe with the House Master?!" Meridith gasped from the sidelines, her eyes wide with shock. Even though the House Master had suppressed his cultivation to E-Class and refrained from using his aura, the fact that Derek could hold his ground against him was nothing short of unbelievable.

After all, the man wasn’t just powerful, his sword mastery was at its absolute peak. The only thing keeping him from being the strongest in the academy was his cultivation level, which stood at S-Class.

Finally, both Derek and the man lowered their swords. Derek’s chest rose and fell rapidly, his breathing ragged and uneven. Even in the weapon mastery chamber, he hadn’t felt this exhausted.

The man sheathed his sword with a smooth motion. "It’s a shame you were born only as a cultivator," he said with a faint sigh. "I’m truly impressed by what you’re capable of. Tell me... where did you learn to wield a sword like that?"

"Uh... from my father," Derek replied after a brief hesitation. In truth, he had learned most of his swordsmanship from Cecilia, but admitting that would only bring unnecessary trouble.

"Oh? Was he a cultivator or an Auran?" the man asked, stepping closer to him.

"Auran," Derek answered.

"I see." The man nodded thoughtfully. "Well, it doesn’t really matter whether you’re a cultivator or not. With your speed of progress and your level of swordsmanship, you’re bound to shine in the future."

He stopped right in front of Derek, his tone turning serious. "But for now, try not to draw too much attention to yourself until you can properly stand your ground. There’s no need for you to train in the regular training chambers for the students."

He then turned to Meridith. "We have a few training rooms reserved for instructors, right?"

"Yes, Master," Meridith replied immediately.

"Good. Let Derek use one of them," the man instructed. "That way, he can train freely without worrying about causing a stir by climbing the rankings."

"S... Sure," Meridith answered quickly, though a thought crossed her mind at the same time. ’How lucky...’

The man then extended his hand with a confident smile. "It’s Yami, by the way.... Yami Black."

Derek grasped his hand firmly. "Derek. It’s an honor to meet you, House Master. And I can’t thank you enough for letting me use one of the training rooms that are reserved for the instructors here."

The House Master chuckled softly. "Don’t thank me just yet," he said. "You’ll only have two real advantages in that room."

He raised two fingers as he explained, "First, and this is the most important one for you. The Qi gathering speed there is five times faster, just like in the cultivation chambers reserved for elite-class students. Since you’re currently in the normal class, this will give you quite the advantage."

He then continued, "And second, that room is fully adaptive. You can train in any particular sector you want... cultivation, balance training, spell casting, weapon mastery, or martial arts, all within the same space. Although I know you won’t need the spell casting training. But it’s still there anyway."