CHAPTER 117: CHAPTER 107: SHARPNESS UNVEILED

The gates on the other end of the arena slowly opened, and a tall, burly figure emerged from the darkness.

It was a nearly three-meter tall Tiger-man warrior, bare-chested, showcasing his scar-laden muscular body, wearing only a leather battle skirt to protect his vitals.

His most striking feature was his face—a tiger’s head on a human body, tusks exposed, and his amber eyes glinting with cold and vicious light.

He almost wore no armor, which is the extraordinary trait of the [Weapon Master] profession, granting increased speed and agility when wearing light or no armor.

The Tiger-man lightly grasped a giant sword, nearly human-sized, as if it were simply a stick.

"Human, you look weak," Aksa’s voice was deep and rough, with an evident mocking tone: "I hope you can last three seconds under my sword."

Ron took a deep breath, adjusting his breathing to the rhythm of the "Crown Breathing Technique".

The heat flow within his body began to accelerate, providing extra boosts to his muscles and reaction speed.

"The battle begins!" announced the mechanical voice.

Almost the moment the voice sounded, Aksa moved.

His speed was astonishingly fast, almost unimaginable for such a large creature.

In the blink of an eye, he crossed more than half the arena, the giant sword slicing a dreadful arc, aiming straight at Ron’s waist to slice him in half.

Ron barely managed to raise his sword to block, but the massive impact still sent him flying, rolling a few times on the ground before barely steadying himself.

His arm trembled violently from the blow, nearly unable to grasp the sword hilt.

"Is this all the strength you have? Pathetic weakling..." Aksa snorted dismissively, advancing with relaxed steps.

Ron adjusted his breathing, enduring the painful ache in his arm, and once again assumed a defensive posture.

He understood that he was no match in strength and could only seek breakthroughs through skills and agility.

A second wave of attacks came quickly, this time Aksa used a series of rapid and precise thrusts, each directly targeting the vitals.

He tried his best to dodge and block, but was still hit multiple times, soon covered with small wounds.

"Your defense has gaps, your movements are too slow, and your sword grip is not firm enough."

Aksa critiqued coldly and professionally as he attacked: "As a swordsman, you are far off."

Ron felt a wave of frustration, knowing it was just a simulation battle, but being so thoroughly crushed still left him feeling deeply powerless.

The most disheartening part was that Aksa’s every comment was incredibly accurate, pointing directly at the weaknesses in his swordsmanship.

The battle lasted about ten minutes, leaving him exhausted and covered in wounds, while Aksa seemingly had not even broken a sweat.

"I expected you to perform better." The Tiger-man Weapon Master shook his head, disappointment in his eyes:

"Seems it was a complete waste of time, we can end this."

After speaking, he suddenly accelerated, the sword’s tip aiming straight for Ron’s throat.

At that critical moment, time seemed to slow down.

Ron watched the deadly sword edge approach, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind—he had always tried to counteract strength purely with technique, but in the face of an absolute power gap, it was futile.

The real breakthrough was not in the perfection of moves, but in understanding the essence of the sword—all weapons exist to kill.

At that moment, he stopped thinking about technique and posture, his awareness entirely immersed in the connection between the sword and his body.

He forgot all his training, all his movement memories, everything accumulated fused into a new understanding.

[Basic Swordsmanship Experience Points + 1]

[Breakthrough! Basic Swordsmanship(Skilled 100/100)→Basic Swordsmanship(Master max)]

[Trait Advancement: Sharpness→Sharpness Unveiled (Weakness Insight Rate and Attack Speed Increased)]

Just as the sword was about to pierce the throat, Ron made a move that would normally be considered foolish...

He advanced instead of retreating, turning his body slightly to narrowly dodge the fatal blow.

At the same time, his longsword pierced Aksa’s defense from an incredible angle, directly targeting the opponent’s heart.

Aksa’s movements suddenly halted, a hint of surprise flashing in his amber eyes, followed by appreciation.

"A good strike, human." he said in a deep voice: "It seems you have understood the mystery of the weapon."

Ron stood in place, seeing his sword tip deflect before piercing Aksa’s chest, yet he felt an unprecedented clarity.

At this moment, he was no longer using the sword but had become the sword itself—sharp, precise, deadly.

"The essence of swordsmanship lies not in flashy moves, but in the determination to kill."

Aksa retracted his giant sword, with a hint of appreciation in his tone:

"At that moment, you succeeded. Had my strength and speed not greatly surpassed yours, I fear I would have been pierced through the heart by now."

Ron took a deep breath, feeling the upheaval within his body.

Achieving Master Level Basic Swordsmanship brought him not only an enhancement in skills but also a brand new understanding of swordsmanship.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master Aksa," Ron said sincerely, bowing to the other party.

The Tiger-man Weapon Master nodded, "You have a lot of potential, human! But this is only the beginning. The path to greatness is endless, keep moving forward."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire arena began to twist and dissolve, reverting to that spacious circular room.

"Simulation battle concluded. Congratulations on your breakthrough," announced a mechanical voice. "Welcome to use the Simulation Battle Device again."

The iron door slowly opened, and Ron stepped out of the room to see Andre anxiously waiting outside.

"Ron! Are you okay?" The blonde boy quickly approached, worriedly examining Ron, "You were inside for nearly two hours; I was starting to worry."

"Two hours?" Ron asked in surprise, "It felt like only about ten minutes."

"Time perception in a simulation battle can be distorted," Andre explained. "How do you feel? Did you have a breakthrough?"

Ron nodded, a satisfied smile appeared on his face:

"Yes, I’ve gained some understanding of the essence of swordsmanship, it’s not just mechanically repeating actions, but integrating will into every strike."

He raised his hand, performing a simple sword-swing motion.

Though there was no actual sword in hand, the motion carried a chilling sharpness, as if slicing through the air itself.

Andre watched in astonishment: "This... this is completely different! Your swordsmanship was already good before, but now, it’s like you’ve become a different person."

"Indeed, it’s as if I’ve suddenly had an epiphany."

Ron laughed, "Thanks to this Simulation Battle Device, I had the opportunity to spar with a true Sword Master."

The two left the Central Tower, walking along the path back to the workshop, with Ron still immersed in the joy of his breakthrough.

"Those devices crafted by Alchemists are truly amazing."

He said to Andre, "They can construct such a realistic combat environment, even simulating touch and smell flawlessly."

"Yes, I heard it was a project jointly developed by several veteran Alchemists and Spiritual Mages years ago, aimed at training the School’s combat forces."

Andre nodded in agreement, "The School later shifted its research direction to more theoretical fields, leaving such practical devices neglected."

"But the potential of this technology is immense." Ron’s eyes gleamed with excitement, "If further researched, perhaps even more practical alchemy devices could be developed."

His thoughts raced, imagining various possibilities:

An alchemy furnace capable of precisely controlling heat, a device for automatically extracting essences from herbs, and devices that could aid in cultivation...

"I must accelerate my study of Alchemy," Ron decided inwardly, "Its potential is far greater than I imagined."

He glanced back at the training room enveloped in dust, "I plan to train there regularly, thirty magic stone fragments may be considerable, but compared to the gains it brings, it’s definitely worth it."

Back at the workshop, Ron eagerly took out his sword, wanting to personally experience the changes following his breakthrough.

As the Sword Momentum unfolded, he could clearly feel every move becoming smoother and more natural, as if the sword had become part of his body.

The Sharpness Unveiled trait imbued each strike with heart-stopping precision and sharpness, even the training wooden sword in his hand seemed to possess the power to cut gold and jade.

"This feeling... is amazing," Ron whispered, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

Mastery of Basic Swordsmanship has undoubtedly laid a solid foundation for his future breakthrough to become a Magic Swordsman.

Moreover, he was delighted that the breakthrough gained in this manner seemed more profound and internalized than merely relying on system prompts.

It’s not only an increase in Experience Points, but a true insight into the essence of skills.

In the corner of the room, Ailan quietly observed Ron’s sword practice, vines gently swaying, seemingly also rejoicing at their master’s breakthrough.

"Ailan, I’ve made a breakthrough," Ron said to the Tree Spirit, his face beaming with joy, "This is yet another important milestone since I came to the Black Mist Jungle."

The Tree Spirit’s vines formed words in the air: "Congratulations, master."

Ron smiled and nodded, carefully placing the sword back on the rack, beginning to ponder the next step of his plan.

With the experience from this breakthrough, he was ever more certain that some seemingly insurmountable obstacles might only be due to lacking the correct method or environment.

.........

Several days later, Ron’s workshop was brightly lit.

On the table lay the "Sun Flame Essence" formula scroll gifted by Magnus, and Ron was carefully configuring various materials based on the formula.

"Red Phosphorus Grass Powder, three units... Starfire Stone Marrow, two drops... Sun Orchid Root, four inches..." Ron silently recited the materials and quantities from the formula, his fingers deftly weaving between various herbs.